You might be surprised of all the work we do that can be easily avoided each year. Interior/ Exterior, it doesn’t matter. Homeowners don’t take the time out each year to check to see if there home is adequately caulked. Folks this isn’t rock science, just take a few minutes out of your day to make sure water isn’t going in places it shouldn’t. I suggest checking it before and after winter. At it’s basic root, caulk seals your home from unwanted elements, mainly water. Around your bathtub, windows and doors, exterior pipping, counter tops……and the list goes on. We replace a lot of damaged wood each year that shouldn’t be damaged. I’m also talking about newly built homes. If your home isn’t caulked properly, you will be looking at some very expensive repair bills. And don’t worry about the looks, caulk can be easily torn out and replaced if you don’t get it right the first time. Go to the hardware store, buy the proper caulk and seal your home. If not that $5.00 tube of caulk may end of causing you thousands. Call us if you have questions.
Caulk Talk
April 7th, 2010Cracks
March 30th, 2010All to often we receive calls from concerned homeowners regarding settling cracks in their drywall. Some of those concerns are well founded but most are not. To help you understand when it’s time to call a licensed contractor I have a few pointers that may help. Most of the time we find that most cracks are drywall issues not foundation issues. Drywall seams that weren’t floated in properly are usually the main culprit. Take the time to look over the crack. Cracks in corners, cracks where ceiling and walls meet are pretty common. Make sure the the crack is not spreading and call a drywall man. Sometimes you will even receive them in the middle of the wall. The time to be concerned is when the crack is jagged and isn’t flush with the wall. Check around the baseboard in that area for separation or gaps around the floor area. You can also look on the exterior of the home. Look down your gutter to see if the overhang is bowed. If you have any of these signs it’s a good time to call a contractor. The sooner you get this fixed, usually it will be cheaper. Give us a call if you have any questions. Thanks
Vinyl Floor
March 20th, 2010All too often a scratch will appear on the non scratch vinyl flooring. With out going to the expense of calling a floor installer and repairing the area, next time take a quarter and rub the edges of the scratch. A lot of times it will disappear. If not take some wax paste and rub it into the scratch and then buff it out with a clean cloth. You may have to touch it up every now and then but it’s better than replacing the floor.
Crawl Space Cleaning
March 12th, 2010Spring is almost here and it’s time to get the spring cleaning items together. One item that seems often over looked isyour home’s crawl space. Most home owners we talk with don’t consider opening the crawl vents to dry out the crawl space. You might be surprisedof all the mold and odor that will accompany a closed off crawl space. It doesn’t matter if you have a sump pump or not, moisture will find it’s way in. This year get some old clothes on and spend a few minutes in your crawl space. Minor problems can turn into major issue’s if you don’t keep an eye on what’s going on under your floor. Needless to say the quality of air can also be harmful if you have a major issue such as mold. All things can be repaired but if you don’t catch an problem early enough it can be extremely expensive and a health hazard. If you have questions please give us a call. One last thing, make sure you close those vents before the cold winds blow or your water lines could freeze.
Overhead Door Opener
March 3rd, 2010You might be suprised of all the phone calls we receive because homeowners cannot get their car out of their garage either because power outage or a faulty door opener. Most of door openers now a days have a string with a handle attached. If you pull that handle it will release the door from the track of the door opener. When the power push the door opener and it should re-attach. If not pull the handle again, sometimes the spring will stick to allow it to lock. If your door opener isn’t working you need to call a service tech. Please give us a call if you have any questions. Thanks
Stripped Wood Screws
February 26th, 2010If you ever have used wood screws you know that it’s very easy to strip them. The holes tend to widen each time you install and remove the screw. One little trick we do is use strand type copper. Take a couple of small strands of the copper and put it inside of the screw hole. Insert the screw. This will allow the screw to “bite” and tighten down. Give us a call or email if you have questions. Thanks
Poor Water Stream From Your Faucet
February 22nd, 2010Have you ever noticed when you turned on your kitchen or bathroom faucet and the water stream doesn’t flow like it did. Most likely it ’s because of a clogged aerator. The aerator is located at the end of your spout of your faucet, it controls water flow. Take a pair of pliers and loosen the aerator. Make sure you wrap either the aerator or the pliers so you don’t scratch the finish, we often use duct tape. Be careful not to lose any parts inside the aerator and clean it out. If you have well water you may have to soak the aerator in vinager to remove the lime build up. Just reinstall and turn on the water, check for leaks. We also see this problem with washing machines in the cold water inlet. Country water, if it’s not treated with a water softener, can create problems for your plumbing system. Give us a call if you have any questions.
Squeaky Floors
February 16th, 2010Every home on a basement or crawl space has that one area of the house that makes a loud squeak someone steps on that area. The “Squeak” is caused by a gap between the sub floor and the floor joist. Unless you have access from above the sub floor, the best way to remedy the problem is underneath. Take a couple of screws and lag it through the floor joist into the sub floor. If the gap is large use sub floor glue in the gap before you screw the floor joist and the sub floor together. Make sure your screws aren’t too long or it will penetrate your finished floor.
Sticky Door Locks
February 15th, 2010After years of service most door locks will become misligned and clogged with gunk. Before you buy a new lock try this little tip. Go to the hardware store and buy some powdered graphite. Apply the graphite to the key and insert the key into the door. You may have to apply more than one dose. This little tip will keep your door locks working great.
Shutting Doors
February 10th, 2010Every home has a interior or exterior door that always seems to shut by itself. No matter what you do the problem continues. One quick fix is to take out one of the hinge pins and slightly bend it. Don’t bend it so it won’t fit into the hinge, a slight bend should work.