Category: Home Maintenance
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Contractor Estimates: How To Gauge Professionalism
Estimates can be a true testament to a contractor’s professionalism and trustworthiness. Using the detailed estimate as a contract protects you (the homeowner) and protects the hired contractor. All prospective contractors should provide a detailed description of work to be completed; presented in a professional format – not handwritten on note paper or texted. This…
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When Should You Replace Your Siding
“If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.” This was a motto I heard growing up on the farm. As I got older, I realized this was many families’ motto too. Generally speaking, most of us still operate with this philosophy when it comes to large purchases. If our current siding is not broken, falling down,…
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When Should You Replace Your Gutters?
Gutters aren’t a big item most homeowners keep an eye on. If gutters are mostly doing their job, homeowners usually ignore them. So how to you know if your gutters need replaced or just repaired? Below are a few situations where your gutters should be replaced. After a roof replacement – The best rule of…
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Free Guide On Finding Trustworthy Contractors
Big home projects are few and far between. Chances are you’ve never shopped for a new roof or replacement siding. Or if you have, it’s been a very long time since. It’s overwhelming because you know there are questions you should be asking but…. how do you know what those are? The hardest thing as…
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New Roof: Tear Off Or Layover Shingles?
When looking to purchase a new roof for their home, many homeowners debate laying new shingles over the existing shingles or just start fresh by tearing off the old shingles. Usually homeowners think about laying over to save some money – but is it worth the saved bucks? Most cases – no. Its worth tearing…
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Behind the Scenes with Shur FloX
This blog is part of a series. Search our site for “behind the scenes” to read other articles in the series. Shur FloX is a hassle-free leaf protection. It’s an all aluminum protection system so you don’t have to worry about it warping or deteriorating over time. Tiny holes that pierce the leaf protection allow…
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Humidity Gone Rogue
Rogue : a deceitful and unreliable scoundrel. Seems funny to apply the word “rogue” to humidity. But during midwest winters it fits. Here’s why: Every winter is bound to have a couple days to a couple weeks of below zero weather. When temperatures start to rise, homeowners start to notice brown spots on their ceiling…
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Early Signs of Roof Failure
As the snow and ice melt off your roof, it’s a good time to see if your roof sustained any stress or damage from the winter. Brown Spotting or Tea Staining on your ceiling. This is the easiest way for you to catch a small leak early. The spot might not drip or be wet to…
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Water Management
Uncontrolled water is the biggest threat to homeowners. It’s a slow and silent killer. Here are the most common issues we see on homes. Lack of Kick-Out Flashings. Even if your gutters are pitched correctly and don’t leak, they may appear to be leaking where the gutter butts up the wall. Or it might look like…
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Fall Home-Exterior Maintenance Checklist
Fall is right around the corner! Before you get swept away in fall festivities it’s good to make sure your home is ready for fall/winter. The following is a list of maintenance tasks and to-do’s for your home while it’s still nice outside. Get In The Attic Look for any leaks, wet spots, or watermarks.…