home maintenance

The Ultimate Home Maintenance Checklist

December 29, 2019 by nvshen Leave a Comment

“It’s no question that purchasing a house for the entire family is an extremely costly investment. Well-maintained residences brings people a great sense of secureness, success and pleasure. Then again, same with other investment, in an effort to actually maximize its potentials and profit from it, the owner should be aware of the great amount of preservation a home calls for.”

Man cleaning gutter

For many owners, home maintenance happens only when something goes awry. Overflowing gutters, a balky furnace, or a chimney that refuses to draw provoke an expensive emergency call to service technicians. Worse, your family’s safety could be in jeopardy when key areas of your home are neglected for too long. To limit or even eliminate service delays, preserve your home’s value, and keep everyone comfortable, follow this home maintenance checklist on a regular basis…

Residential Window Replacement

February 21, 2017 by nvshen Leave a Comment

Listed below are some ideas that will help you decide whether you need windows replacement;

Image result for window replacement — (C) carolinahomeremodeling.com

1. Windows are rotting or falling apart

The looks of the windows are necessary and shouldn’t be overlooked. When you see bad windows at home, do not overlook as it could result in mildew and mold development which happens to be unsafe on your family. One other noticeable indication is peeling of paint. This is a result of moisture traveling through poorly sealed windows and out to the outside. Additionally, in older homes, exposure to UV rays and temperature extremes may cause exterior structures to expand and contract, leading to paint to peel off.

2. Water/Air leaks in through the window

In the event that rain outside results in leaving water inside the house, then you has a problem with your windows. Inefficient, leaking windows such as this could also let water to get behind your walls. You may possibly not see it back there; however, this is a main reason for mildew and mold issues in households. Upgrading any leaky windows can help you save money and headaches over time.

3. Don’t open and close properly

Aged windows can bend or expand, making them challenging or hard to close and open properly. Heat, cold, and moisture over the years can result in this issue. Old windows are yet another security issue should they no longer close and lock effectively. If only the most powerful family member can open the window, then you’ve got an issue, and ought to think about a home window replacement.

4. You doing constant repairs

If you are keeping yourself from expenditures and want to save, then almost certainly you are not thinking about window replacement for the moment. When you are only staying in repairs like repaints, caulking and more, reasoning you can save more, then it might be correct at first. But if you are doing it more frequently, then I guess you are not realizing the issue. The cost of repairs can be more expensive over time than just replacing the entire window.

5. Use single pane glass

Single panes are not preferred today as it has numerous down sides. Single pane glass windows mean that your Heating and air conditioning system have to work double time to provide heat or cold to your residence. Today, the standard is double pane so when you still have got the single pane in the home, you should now think about replacing it.

6. Double pane windows are foggy

When you’ve got double- or triple-paned windows and you notice fog or condensation in the glass, you may want to replace the entire window. Fog or condensation in between the glass panels normally implies seal failure. And when you have got seal failure, there’s not much of a boundary between indoor and outdoor air. One more indicator that there is seal failure takes place when you see calcium stores left by condensation, even if the moisture build-up or condensation is not seen.

7. High energy bills

In the event your winter or summer power bills are sky high, plus your home still has creaky old windows, then you’re due for a window replacement. Install new energy efficient windows so your heating and cooling fees will decrease. Over time, the new windows will more than pay for themselves

Storm Damage Roof Insurance

February 1, 2017 by nvshen Leave a Comment

As home owners, we’re susceptible to Mother Nature every single day. Whenever disaster lands at our doorstep or, in this case, our rooftop, we could be thankful for insurance coverage and the availability of roofing insurance claims for storm damage. When acquiring insurance, it usually is advisable to talk with your insurance agent about your policy’s coverage because it pertains to roofing insurance claims storm damage.

You need to check the intensity of damage in your roof. Is there any visible damage on the inside of your home? If you see water stains or slow drips within your home, then you have a problem which calls for immediate attention. A brand new water stain on your ceiling is actually most definitely an indicator that your roof was jeopardized. Are there any visible dents (blisters) on your roof’s shingles? Just because you don’t see any damage to the inside of your home does not always mean your homes roof was not damaged. Should there be no visible destruction of the inside of your house, it might give you a false sense of security.

Once you’ve taken note of the damage, write down the date of the storm, a description of the damage, and take some photos. You could also print off local news stories about the storm, in case your insurance agency asks for proof of its occurrence.

The insurance company sends what it really calls an adjuster to examine the damage from hail. The adjuster will check your home as well as the roof and come to a total figure that will cover the price of fixing the damage from hail. Here it’s also wise to have an independent appraisal from a roofer. This could ensure against bias from the adjuster, and ought to give a better cover. The contractors generally do the evaluations for free – so along with their payment of deductibles in lieu of referrals, it is a pretty good service.

Most insurance companies is only going to issue a check straight to the roofer. This protects the insurance company from the property owner “pocketing” the proceeds and never repairing the damage. Through getting your roofer to agree to the type of repairs to be performed and also the costs involved, this could insure that your roof has the required repairs. Should your roofer agrees that the insurance check is sufficient repair your roof hail damage, then they needs to be willing to do the repairs for that cost, nothing more.

Managing your hail damage cover and its insurance is a vital part of living with hail storms. With the appropriate information, you’ll save yourself 100’s of dollars in fees and deductibles, as well as a quality roof replacement because of damage from hail.

Know Everything About Home Maintenance

February 19, 2016 by nvshen Leave a Comment

“It’s viewed by quite a lot of families that possessing a residence is an extremely huge investment. Homeowners would feel gratification whenever they possess a good and decent house to reside in. But, just like any other investment, so as to actually make best use of its potentials and gain from it, the owner must be aware of the great amount of preservation a residence requires.”

It is no question that purchasing a residence for the family is an extremely costly investment. A house that’s well kept goes a very long way, providing a household a secure place to call home. But, so as to take the full potential of every people’s home, every owner should make sure to keep and protect its appearance and condition as far as possible.

Listed here are a number of points that you may possibly take into account when handling the home:

1) Create a budget scheme. Maintaining a house could change dependant upon the condition of the home. There may be fixes, renovation, painting and more. But unfortunately, these kind of efforts are not totally free. Yes you could conduct some DIY work however it will still cost significantly dependant upon what you are aiming to attain. This means you must allot money for it. There will also be instances when you should seek the services of specialists for inspection so you should have a budget reserved to cover their professional services.

2) Know and understand the items in the home and their features. Through this, you are able to think the potential problems that can happen and easily discover ways to avoid them. This will work as your precautions. Just like for termite prevention, close off any breaks or openings within the foundation of your home. This helps prevent easy accessibility for wandering termites. One other way to protect your house is thru repainting because it is your protection against weather, insect pests and other damage apart from the fact that it revives the beauty of the home.

3) Make sure to have a routine maintenance. In this manner, you will not forget and can accomplish them on a regular basis. Some households delay until some thing actually bad happens before examining the condition of their homes, this will only lead to greater expenditures. Regular checking, cleaning, repairing, and replacing the parts of your home can help you save money and your home over time. You might like to include the regular shaping of trees to your schedule. Tree branches touching the roof and applying excessive pressure on it can weaken its quality.

4) Always be open to the possibility of replacing certain parts. In some cases, very out-of-date components can no longer operate correctly regardless of how much rectifying you will do. Although you perform regular maintenance, it is inevitable that some parts could eventually get busted or unrepairable. Also, when you just continue insisting in making things work could lead to injuries and may impact the safety of the family. Last but not least, don’t give up quality and functionality over appearance.

5) Regularly consult with specialists concerning the condition of your house. A professional’s competence is definitely necessary to assess the home. Yes, you can find things which you’re able to do alone but a specialist can do things far better. To avoid further cost, seek advice from them at least one or two times a year so that you can have an idea what issues that should be resolved right away or something that must be improved.

4 Common Roofing Mistakes of Homeowners

May 25, 2015 by nvshen

Signs are essential areas to consider in order for us to know a certain problem or a certain solution. By means of signs we are able to have the ability to ascertain the situation prior to it becomes serious or cause us to shell out a lot of money. So as to our roofs, it would be better to handle issues and for us to avoid whatever errors we are doing in it.

A. Not checking on the roofs

You must get up on your roofing and take a look around every few months. Examine shingling to check out damage. In essence, when you see whatever that seems to be odd, that is a indicator that you may possibly have trouble. Normally you will notice shingle damage and even replace the shingles yourself. If you are not sure you’re up to the task, you could hire a professional to make it happen for you. You will notice a part of the shingles that is worn, and that is a warning sign that it’s time for you to have them replaced.

B. Not cleaning the gutters

Mark it on your calendar – Prior to first snow, take your best ladder and climb to the roofing to inspect the gutters. Clean them out totally. If you do not, a few bit of debris somewhere will dam up the snow’s runoff. It means that you will have a lake of melted snow water near your roof pressing down on it, and that is a recipe for catastrophe. Pick a day in the late fall which is probably be before the first snow and have it performed.

C. Unattended leaks

Typically an indication of an even more huge trouble, leaks are a serious concern. Moisture causes the decay of roofing materials and therefore noticeably depletes the quality and effectiveness of your roofing. Furthermore, leaking may start anywhere – under flashing, all around fixtures, as well as in shingles and various materials. Yellowing or stained roof is the well-known manifestation of leaks. You can well know that the roof will give in the near future in the change of its color. Whenever you already notice small drains from your roof, look into the source of it so that you can be capable to provide a permanent solution.

D. Trying to DIY everything

Roofing work is quite often tough and risky. Not everyone possesses the expertise or to get up there and carry out all of their own repairs. Since it is easy to get in too deep, know when it is time to speak to the specialists and just pay to have them get it done. The last thing you’d like to do is make your troubles worse, or fall off the edge of the house and sustain an injury. It really is much easier to do than most people think!

Roofing is never an affordable expenditure. You wish to maximize out of your money in terms of this section of your house. Be sure to evaluate your roof regularly and refrain from the mistakes mentioned previously to ensure the integrity of your roof.

DIY or Hire a Professional for your HVAC Project

May 14, 2015 by nvshen

“As much as possible we want to save cost in our home maintenance especially on things that we think we can do on our own. This is usually true when it comes to home repairs and other maintenance services that we’d rather do instead of hiring a professional. However, we need to bear in mind that there are certain aspects that are better left with professionals. ”

Fussbodenheizung #bn — Image via http://porch.com/

Your home’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system is an important part of a functional home structure. Keeping your current HVAC system in good working order is a combination of regularly replacing filters and having it inspected and serviced once a year. Upgrading your current system or checking for inadequacies (like air leaks or a broken thermometer) is important as there are long-term benefits to a more efficient system such as reduced monthly energy costs. You might even realize that a better HVAC system helps to create a healthier home environment as well – important for family member suffering from allergies. Choosing whether to take on such repairs, upgrades or replacements yourself or to hire a professional can be confusing.

Consider factors such as your confidence in the task at hand, your budget, and your access to the appropriate tools and knowledge. If you crave a good project and don’t have a lot of money in your budget, you may be eager to tackle the latest HVAC project in your home on your own. You’ll certainly save some cash on not having to pay the labor for a contractor to perform the job. However, you may not truly have the skills, patience, time or even special equipment to do the job on your own properly. So how do you decide which route to take?

What you can handle yourself

There are some basic chores you can do to ensure proper operation of your cooling system:

Change or clean your electrostatic air filter every month or per manufacturer’s recommendations
Check thermostat and make sure it’s set at the most optimal seasonal setting
Lubricate moving parts
Remove debris, dirt, twigs, and leaves that may have fallen onto or into your outdoor condenser unit
Check plugs or blockages in the condensation drain
A monthly cleanliness check, especially during spring, late summer, and early fall will prevent heavy accumulations
Clean the fan blades and coils of your cooling unit, but always make sure the power is off first
Check the base pan for any debris

See more: http://porch.com/advice/diy-hire-professional-hvac-project/

Plumbing Sounds: What does it mean?

April 22, 2015 by nvshen

http://reedsplumbing.com/plumbing/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/plumbing.jpg — Image courtesy of http://reedsplumbing.com

Sounds in your plumbing are usually alarming. Not because you believe your home is haunted, but because many people are as petrified of their specialist since they are their dentist. It really is unfortunate that plumbers have this nasty reputation because there undoubtedly are a lot of great plumbers available and at some point in time, your plumbing system will make noises. Some of these are costly concerns and some are not really a big deal. But just before you can be aware of the possible impact of whatever causes the noises, you’ll want to determine just what is causing the noise in the first place. Let’s take a review of three of the majority of common noises – hissing, rattling, screeching – and the reason behind each. Remember the fact that it’s not all noise is caused by the same problem and a plumbing breakdown can ruin a house. So a professional plumber is always suggested.

• Hissing Sounds
A hissing sound is one of the more common noises one can encounter in their home. This will happen sometimes when you turn on a faucet. The reason for this noise is usually a water pressure that’s too high. The answer is to install a valve that can reduce the water pressure and be free from of this noise.

• Hammering
You may notice a hammering sound coming from the pipes whenever you turn a faucet off or on quickly. It commonly coupled with some vibration; this noise happens because rushing water hits a quickly closing valve and comes to an abrupt stop. The hammering sound is a result of the water flow being instantly stopped and takes place for some reasons. Having loose pipes that aren’t secured properly are one of the most common reasons and is easily remedied. The pipes can simply be strapped back into place.

• Screeching
One other issue which you might experience is a sharp screech when you open a faucet. The screech is brief and will usually stop as soon as the faucet is entirely open. In such cases, the typical suspect is a bad portion in the faucet. You can attempt to restore the faucet but a replacement is usually a better solution, especially if you are paying out to have this done. Plumbers have a great deal of expenses and have to bill for their time, therefore it is probably less expensive to replace than pay to have your present faucet repaired. Plus, wouldn’t a new faucet just appear nicer anyway?

There are plenty of noises that might come from the plumbing system. These are typically three common ones yet there are many more and dependent on where noise is originating from and the type of noise, as they can signal a major problem or a simple repair. If you aren’t certain of exactly what the cause is, a professional really should be contacted. You don’t want to take a chance with your plumbing for the reason that impact of a busted pipe on your home and the resulting clean-up effort is usually substantial.

Are You Making These Septic System Mistakes?

January 15, 2015 by nvshen

Let’s talk about something stinky here. Well, as much as we want to maintain the orderliness and efficiency of our home, we still have practices that lead our home to a disaster. Probably one of the last issues that you would want to deal with in your home is your septic tank, right? But are we doing the necessary measures to prevent such?

Just as your car requires regular maintenance, your septic system needs maintenance on a regular schedule as well, says Mills. (Photo courtesy of Angie's List member Diana N. of Chicago) — (c) http://www.angieslist.com

1. Paper

Sure, toilet paper is made to flush down the toilet. But to protect your system, be prudent with the quantity of paper used. Toilet paper does NOT include tampons, sanitary napkins, disposable diapers or baby wipes. These items do not break down sufficiently in the septic tank and can cause clogs, resulting in possible damage.

2. Grease

Do not pour grease down the sink or any pipes leading to the septic system. Grease congeals and over time clogs pipes, builds up in the septic tank and eventually blocks drain field lines. Dispose of grease in your garbage.