Our Truckee Home
Please use this guide as a reference for the house. If you have any questions, please call Sue or Bill at home at 415-221-1754, or on cell at 415-713-8494 (Sue) or 415-218-7618 (Bill).
Barbeque
Children
Cuckoo Clock
Fire Extinguisher
Garage Door
Garbage Collection
Gas Fireplace
Hot Water Heater
Internet Access and WiFi
Jacuzzi
Locks
Pets
Plumbing
Shoes
Smoking
Snow Removal
Sports Equipment
Stereo/CD Player
Telephone
Thermostat
TV/VCR/DVD/Wii
Vacuum Cleaner
Water Shutoff
Wood stove
This house is here for you to enjoy. All we ask is for you to care for it as if it was your own.
A propane gas grill is located in the garage.
Our house is extremely kid safe and friendly. We have toys and games for all ages, along with a few video classics sure to entertain the kid in all of us. Tahoe Donner is a recreation paradise for kids with lots of perks. We suggest you check out their web site.
The Cuckoo clock is hand made from the black forest in Germany. It keeps reasonably good time, but may need to be adjusted occasionally.
To set the clock:
If you wish to turn the cuckoo off, push up on the control on the bottom-left of the clock. To activate the cuckoo, pull the control down.
In the event of a fire (and we hope this never happens), a fire extinguisher is mounted above the dryer in the laundry room. Follow the instructions on the outside of the extinguisher.
A garage door opener will be on the fireplace mantel when you arrive. Please feel free to use it, but always remember to return it upon your departure. If the garage door appears to be stuck someone may have inadvertently pressed the LOCK button found on the mounted openers in the garage. Press the LOCK button until the red light is no longer lit to correct this problem. In a power outage, you can pull the emergency cord to manually open the garage door.
Trash is to be moved to the brown bin at the foot of the driveway. Trash is collected every Tuesday by 8:00 AM. Please place all recyclables in the provided blue trash bags.
The dining room has a beautiful gas fireplace. You turn it on from the thermostat across the room. If the pilot light is not lit, open the bottom panel of the fireplace and look for the instruction card. Please remember to turn off the pilot light when you leave the house.
The hot water heater is set at an acceptable level. Do not make it hotter, as this may cause the pressure release valve to malfunction.
We have high-speed broadband, and a WiFi router all set up. There's also an ethernet cable located behind the router (next to the TV), in case you don't have a WiFi card. Use the SSID applian-truckee to connect.
The upstairs Jacuzzi works well for two people. Turn on the jets by pressing the button on the far left-hand side of the tub. Water should be covering the jets before you start.
Also, there's a rubber plug for the drain. Use this instead of the metal drain switch so you don't lose water.
Please do not use any soaps, bath oils, or bubble bath when using the jets. Light the candles, open the window, and enjoy the alpenglow over Hawks Peak with a glass of Chardonnay or ice-cold mountain water by your side.
The house is equipped with special non-duplicable locks. Consequently, a visit from a locksmith is required for rekeying if the original key is lost. In so much, we urge you to keep track of the house key and not to lose it. Otherwise, a $125.00 fee will be charged to cover incurred expenses.
Parking
Make sure all vehicles are parked in the driveway or garage in the winter (November 1 to May 1). Parking on the street interferes with the snow plows, and may result in a fine from the county.
In the event you can't make it to the house due to snow, emergency parking is available OUTSIDE the Cross Country Ski Center. Look for the black mailbox outside the Ski Center lot, and fill out the temporary parking permit, good for 24 hours. Important: Do not park inside the Cross Country Ski Center lot, otherwise your car will be towed.
Pets are not allowed, sorry.
In the winter months the water will be shut off in the house when it is vacant. The water shut off valve is located in the garage at the bottom of the stairs. Look on the wall for instructions for turning the water on and off. You may notice that the water spurts out of the pipes with a loud noise when the water is initially turned back on. This is normal and is due to pressure differences in the pipes. If you are experiencing a plumbing emergency and cannot reach us first, please contact Brian's Plumbing at 530-582-4000. Brian is familiar with the house and offers 24 hour emergency service.
In
the remote case you should need it, a toilet plunger is located to the left
of the washer in the laundry room.
Whenever possible, please try not to wear shoes indoors.
We wish to maintain a healthy, smoke free environment for everyone to enjoy. Please respect our wishes and refrain from smoking (of any kind) while you are staying in our home.
Snow removal services are provided by SnowTech and run from November 1st through April 31st. Snow is removed after 4 inches has accumulated on the driveway. Therefore, the timing of snow removal may vary from day to day. However, it has been our experience that SnowTech appears to remove the snow early in the day. If vehicles obstruct snow removal operations, SnowTech will remove the snow around them to the best of their ability. We suggest you park your car in the garage, so they can clear the maximum amount from the driveway. If you should have an emergency, you can call for snow removal services but an additional fee will be charged by SnowTech 530-582-0300.
Store ski equipment, bikes, etc. in the garage on the supplied racks and not in the house.
There's a stereo with a CD player in the closet by the front door. There's also a cradle for an iPod to play through the stereo system.
The phone number at the house is 530-587-6303. If you need to make long distance phone calls, please use a calling card. Cell phone service is sketchy - Sprint works somewhat.
The thermostat is set at 55 degrees when the house is vacant. Upon arrival, you may want to set it to 65 degrees to make the house comfortable. The thermostat is located to the left of the stairs at eye level. Upon departure, set it back to 55 degrees.
There's a 50" Plasma TV in the upstairs media room. Attached to it are a DVD, VCR and Wii (but no cable). Use the Harmony Remote to turn on the various devices.
There is a vacuum cleaner located under the stairs in the living room. In the bottom drawer of the gray cabinet in the garage, there is a small wet-vac for any carpet spills.
The main water-shutoff valve is located under the bathroom sink in the downstairs bathroom. A quarter turn is all it takes to turn the water on and off.
How to start a wood-stove fire
To lay the fire, arrange two small pieces of wood on the grate, about six inches apart. Place some crumpled up newspaper (tinder) between them and then cover the tinder with several pieces of kindling. Don't scrimp on the kindling as this is the most important part of starting the fire. Now put one or two more pieces of firewood atop the other logs. If you use two pieces, lay them at right angles to the first two. Be sure to leave enough space between them to allow good air circulation around the logs.
Follow these steps before lighting your fire:
Insure that the fireplace damper is open (knobs on the right and left hand side of the stove should be moved forward to O). Twist up a sheet of newspaper and light it, holding it just below the damper opening. This will allow heat to rise up the chimney quickly and establish a good draft. Be careful not to burn yourself! Once the smoke is being drawn up the chimney, slowly move the burning paper down and use it to ignite the kindling.
As the logs burn, add more firewood as needed. Be careful not to add too much wood. In a wood stove, keep the flames confined to the wood stove itself. Flames roaring up into the chimney could start a chimney fire.
At the end of the evening the fire should not be allowed to "smolder" out because this creates creosote buildup in the chimney. When you are through enjoying the fire, separate the logs by moving them to the side of the stove. Close the glass doors tightly. This will reduce the amount of air flowing up the chimney while the damper is open. Do not close the damper until you are sure the fire and coals are completely out.
A few more important reminders:
Important: For Small Children: Please use the metal barrier gate (located in the garage) to surround the wood stove to prevent burns.