Home Improvement

Excellent home improvement service and advices and real estate guides

Top home improvement services and real estate advices? We all go through a phase in life where we need professional help solving issues such as broken pipes, clogged pipes, leaking faucets, poor drainage, among others. As the property owner, you have the responsibility of finding the ideal company to help you solve the plumbing issues. Our team will offer inspection and advisory services to help you mitigate or eradicate some of the triggers that hamper the condition of your system. We also offer regular servicing and maintenance to help enhance the longevity of your system. A small issue can easily exacerbate to a massive extent that requires a complete makeover and replacement. It also implies that you’ll have to incur a huge cost, a scenario that could have been easily avoided. Read extra details on more tips here. Your septic system is considered a part of your home, so may be covered by your homeowners insurance policy, however any damage caused as a result of lack of maintenance or neglect may not be covered. LCRA has new rules in place for septic systems. This means that an old septic tank may not be able to be repaired – it may need to be replaced with often an even larger area for a drainfield. The average cost of a new septic system in the area is $30k to $40k. A new system may also be required for home remodels that include the addition of a bathroom or bedroom.

Renovating a tired, unloved property into a fresh and desirable home can be a hugely rewarding experience. But unlike self building from scratch, renovation projects do not start with a blank sheet of paper and therefore offers a number of complexities and challenges. In reality, it’s all too easy to make innocent mistakes and find yourself lumbered with a bottomless money-pit, bogged down in stressful disputes, or living in a half finished bomb site. Here we’ve listed 25 common pitfalls so that you can avoid them.

Perform regular roof inspections: Whether you hire a pro or do it yourself, this is a smart move that can head off issues before they become a real problem. You should look for damage when the seasons change or after any major storms. Watch out for signs of insect or animal activity, missing, damaged, or curling shingles. You should also keep an eye out for fungus or algae growth as well as rust. Look for shingle pieces on the ground after storms as well, and be sure to look in the attic for leaks.

The most important of my home renovation tips is this: your contract should outline the schedule of which the project will be completed and at what point draws will be made. ‘Draws’ is the term for financial payments that the homeowner makes to the contractor usually in percentage form. So for example: weeks 2 & 3 will be for demolition, installation of the framing, base work for the hardwood floors, and wiring for the electrician. 10% draw. From the very beginning, you need to stick to the draw schedule to the T. Let the contractor know that any single delay any of the line items means a delay of payment. Contractors will often tell you that they need more money to finish a certain section but that makes for a slippery slope. Trust me.

Maintain Your Chimney: If you notice cracked or missing mortar on/in your chimney, ensure you replace this as soon as possible. This is critical since the mortar holds the chimney bricks in place, and if any brick falls out, it could cause damage to your roof. Prevent Ice Dam Formation: Ice dams may be pretty to look at, but they spell doom for your roof as they build-up, and repairing roof damage from ice dams is costly and intensive. Ensure you take steps to insulate your house and roof to keep your roof cool and at the same temperature as the external environment. This will keep snow closest to the roof from melting into water, and freezing onto the colder parts of your roof.

Most roofs have intersecting sections that can be a focal point of a roof leak. If you have a shingle roof, shingles need to be trimmed and cut to certain specifications at the point where two parts of a roof meet. Sometimes if this is not done correctly, water can pool near the seams and cause issues, including water leakage into the home. Our crew members know how to handle this and we are more than happy to service these types of issues. Shingle damage – Shingle damage is the usually the main source of roof leaks. Most roof shingles are made of a composite type of asphalt with granules over the surface of each shingle. Over time these granules can be weathered by heavy rains, standing water, winds, hail and snow. When that happens, the integrity of the shingles is in question and can put the roof at risk. If this happens, please call us – as we are extremely well versed on how to handle shingle damage and repairs.