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Some folks think that once you buy a house, you can simply sit back and watch it appreciate in value. It doesn’t exactly work like that! Oftentimes, the land a house sits on will appreciate in value while the structure itself depreciates due to lack of care and maintenance. In fact, we here at NeighborWorks of Grays Harbor see this all the time. The longer that maintenance is deferred – that is, put off – the more it can cost to bring the home back up to snuff. Regular Mainte

The cost of building materials shot sky-high during the pandemic, with the price of lumber, in particular, breaking records. In the last year the rising lumber prices have meant that the price of a new single-family home in the U.S. has risen by $18,600, according to the National Association of Home Builders. Unfortunately, thieves have also caught on to this trend with reports of increases in lumber theft in various parts of the country making the news these last two years.

Often one person’s choices affect others. This can clearly be seen with littering and illegal dumping around Grays Harbor. Sadly, it is getting worse. Chuck Cunningham, our county’s solid waste enforcement technician, says the trend is disturbing. “In the past, what typically was along the highway were beer cans, papers, wrappers and cigarette butts. The litter mostly looked like what people had cleared out of their cars. But, in the last two and a half years, we’re encounter

Have you ever wondered why we recycle what we do in Grays Harbor? Or perhaps, you are wondering if you are doing it right? “While contamination is always an issue, actually our recycling isn’t too bad here,” said Mark Cox, who is Grays Harbor County’s director of utilities, facilities and community development. “I think that’s because we’ve always collected the same core materials and haven’t really changed for years,” he said. Cox said that some other municipalities that hav