Recently, we have received several calls to repair gutters or to install new gutters. Often gutters are the home maintenance area we hate to deal with, but are the necessary evil that must be taken care of year after year. Every fall, our gutters need cleaning. Debris from the trees and outdoors can clog gutters and build a water dam, that can cause the rain waters to flood your patio, siding, deck and yard. If you develop a roof leak, the gutter dams can cause serious water damage to the inside of your home.
Be sure and check your gutters to make sure they are secure and they drain properly into rain drains. During the 2008 snow storm, many people lost their gutters due to the weight of the snow. Others had their basements flooded last winter due to improper transfer of the water from the down spouts. Gutter maintenance can be one of the least expensive home ownership responsibilities, but can cause some of the most expensive damage when not maintained properly.
If you need to hire gutter service, repair or installation, give our friends a call at Homemasters Inc.
8 Tips for making small houses feel larger
Although Katy Tomasulo wrote this article in EcoHome Magazine for people building a new home, many of the points she makes apply to remodeling your home as well. If you're feeling cramped in your house, but cannot afford to purchase a larger home, these 8 tips may be useful to you as you make the most of the current space you already have.
Congratulations to the town of Boring, Oregon! They recently competed against Normal, Illinois in a laptop campaign to determine which community was the most exciting to live in. The community that received the most votes on their submission articles on MySpace would be declared the winner. The votes were so close even though Normal, Illinois is over triple the size of Boring, that Toshiba awarded both communities with $15,000 in computers. Lesson learned, don't judge a city solely by it's name!
Have a safe and Happy Harvest Celebration!
Whether you're driving to the corn maze, playing at the pumpkin patch or dressing up for a costume party, be safe and celebrate wisely!
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Landscaping for Winter
The leaves are changing color, the pine and cedar needles are falling, and most of us have a yard full of debris to clean after a Northwest wind or rain storm. Not only do we have the mess in our driveways, parking lots and yards, but we often have shrubs and bushes that are over-grown after the spring and summer months.
Most of us think of landscaping in the spring when the weeds start growing and flowers start blooming, but it's just as important to landscape in the fall. Shrubs, trees and bushes can trap moisture on your siding, which can lead to dry rot and paint damage. If mold and mildew form in your building walls over time, your family and/or employees can experience health problems. Trimming these plants not only gives them new life in the spring, but can also save you from costly property damage repair.
Another consequence of overgrown landscaping is the nesting of insects and bugs. The more plant matter around your home, the more likely you will have an infestation of bugs invading your space and possibly causing property damage as well.
Now is the best time to take care of that fall landscaping before the rain is non-stop and the snow damages those plants. Did anyone else have to trim their limping arborvitae's last year after the snow storm?
Excavation and Renovation from Underground to the Second Story
The right experience, the right equipment and the right attitude!
