2018-02-21
Dealing with Poor Drainage and Soggy Areas in the Yard
There is no justification for uprooting the plants or converting your yard into a concrete fort just to get rid of the soggy areas in the yard. Plants are part and parcel of our lives, so let’s not discourage these living creatures by following the inexperienced DIY “self-acclaimed” geeks. Yes! You’re worried more about your muddy feet in the poorly drained garden but let’s not punish the garden for the crime that is caused by something else.
Article Sponsored by Parking Lot Striping Tulsa
2017-04-26
Asphalt Sealcoating
Benefits of Sealcoating
Whether you are a homeowner, Realtor, or a corporate entity, the benefits of a well-maintained drive or parking lot in setting the right tone for your guests or potential clients cannot be gainsaid. To safeguard your considerable investment and keep your asphalt driveway or parking lot looking great for a long time there are two main of options open to you, asphalt paving and asphalt sealcoating. While the former may involve overlaying or replacing the pavement entirely and is, therefore, likely to be expensive, it is not always necessary. Mike Berrey from Asphalt Paving Nashville shares with us a lot of good information about asphalt paving.
Sealcoating is an inexpensive and less time-consuming way to extend the lifespan of your drive or parking lot and to maintain its beauty.
2017-02-18
Parking Lot Asphalt Crack Inspection
Is Your Parking Lot Cracked?
If you are a brick and mortar business owner you have probably learned by now that one thing you cannot neglect is your parking lot. Your parking lot is always out in the elements, and subject to many harsh conditions brought on by vehicles and foot traffic. Keeping your parking lot properly maintained is key to a long lasting parking lot with a lowered amount of costly repairs. We reached out to Mr. Sinclair from Parking Lot Striping Austin to get more insight on how to best maintain a parking lot and fix any small cracks that may occur.
2017-01-25
Fence Inspection Checklist
Get Your Fence Inspected
It’s that certain time of the year when you’re out and about and you’re thinking of ways on how to improve your home and to ensure its safety. A great home improvement project that you can do is updating or building a new fence. This is a big job and most often times is best to leave this one to a professional unless you are very good at DIY type projects, so think hard before you tackle this one by yourself. No matter if you do this one yourself, or if you hire a professional you are left with the question, what type of fence should you put up? What should I consider in constructing a new fence? We consulted with a fence builder in Lubbock to gather some great information on this topic.
Fences are structures that are constructed from posts (wood or metal) which are then connected to railings, and used to enclose a specific area. Your fence is an upright structure, and a barrier to control access or to mark a property and boundary.
2017-01-18
Signs of Wood Eating Insects
Is Your Home Infested?
While houses and buildings can be destroyed by earthquakes, hurricanes, and floods, these calamities don’t happen as often as the most common threat to homes, insect infestation. Have you discovered signs of wood eating insects? Is your home infested? Without our realizing it, insects can slowly take over our homes, eating their way into our food, our clothes, our things, and even the home itself. Because they act slowly, not many people realize they have a problem till there’s a big problem. Many people do not even realize they have a problem until they have their home inspection prior to the buying or selling of a home. We have asked Mark, a Dallas Home Inspector to give us his thoughts on wood eating insects.
Pest control can seem expensive and when it is not done in time, a property can be damaged leading to great losses. It’s important to spot the signs which tell you your house is being taken over by thousands, possibly millions, of tiny creatures. The following are four steps to determine whether pests have taken over your home.
2017-01-16
Roof Repairs or Replace
Should I Repair/Keep My Roof or Totally Replace
Considering the long-term costs associated with roof repair and renovation, you need to make the right decisions so that you ensure your shelter as well as finances are guaranteed. Based on the needs and the structural considerations of your existing roof, roof repair contractors will provide you with the available options for renovating your roof. If you want to minimize the cost of repair, you need to take decisions based on the condition of your roof. Depending on the underlying condition of your roof, you can decide to replace or have a new none altogether. If your roof has wear and tear, or has localized rots under the shingles, then simply replacing the shingles over the existing layer would benefit you. However, if the roof has been greatly damaged by a fallen tree limb, water infiltration after rain, wind or storm damage, and snow accumulation, then you should definitely replace it for good!
2017-01-16
When to Replace Your Water Heater
Know Your Water Heater
Like most people, you wouldn’t bother replacing a water heater until it actually has problems. This problems usually happens at the worst possible times, when you’ve had a long day in the office and just needs a hot shower or when you have company visiting. No matter the scenario, waiting for there to be a major problem never seems to work out at a good time.
Some people never suggest you replace the water heater until there’s something actually wrong with it, which as I mentioned above is a really bad idea. Water heaters can last up to ten years (fifteen if you’re lucky) but they don’t last forever. When your water heater is getting near 10 years old or older you should have a plumber check it out. The plumber would probably advise you on how much time it has left and how to manage it.
2017-01-13
Home Insulation Problems?
Keeping It Green – Wasting Money, Literally Because You have a Poor Seal and are Low on Insulation
Insulation – it’s something you rarely see or think about. But it could be costing you hundreds of dollars a year in utility bills. The hot air is sucked out into the cold during the winter and the hot air from outside will come in during the summer. Did you know that before 1980 most building codes didn’t require insulation in exterior walls? And many older homes have no insulation at all!
Before we talk about the different types of insulation and the pros and cons, let’s first address what the purpose of insulation even is. Insulation is meant to stop the transfer of air from one location to another. If it is colder outside your house than inside, the purpose is to keep the hot air in and the cold air out. The air around us is always trying to be exactly equal. That’s why if you take a hot coffee in an open mug outside, the hot air will rise out of the mug and cold air will take it’s place. The air transfer will stop once the contents of the mug reach the exact same temperature as the air outside the mug.
This is exactly what is happening in your home. If it is 75 degrees in your home and 50 degrees outside, the natural tendency of hot air would be to leave your home, allowing cold air to come in, until your house reaches 50 degrees. Insulation is a barrier to stop the movement of that air. The exact opposite happens in the summer. The cooler inside air will want to switch places with the hot air outside. The purpose of all insulation is to stop that transfer, although some do it better than others.
2017-01-11
Do you have a Foundation Problem
Cracking Tiles – Tight Doors – Do you have a Foundation Problem?
Foundations are vital to the function of the rest of the house. The foundation is the structure that the entire home is built on and when the foundation starts to fail, the rest of the house is not far behind. Many times however, it is hard to tell if your foundation has a problem. Foundations are usually poured almost totally underground so that you may only be able to see a few inches of the actual concrete between the last row of siding and the ground.
2016-09-23
Buyers and Sellers and the Home Inspection
What is one thing that buyers and sellers have in common?
They both need the services of a home inspector. If buying a home was not nerve-racking enough, the thought of a home inspection can put some people on edge. This feeling of dispare can also depends on which side of the fence you are on as if you are nervous about the inspection or not, however, if you are smart you would never worry about the inspection phase.