Category: Go Maher - page 2

We looked at about twenty houses before we settled on our current home.  We fell in love with every aspect of the house.  The beautiful French doors, the sliding glass doors in the living room and kitchen, the large deck, two car garage, new roof, new windows and water heater that was only a few years old.  The only problem was that even though the roof was new there was a leak in my son’s room. We had no idea where it could be coming from.  The roof was brand new, the sheathing underneath was attached correctly and the shingles around the area were perfectly placed.  How was the water leaking in and ruining the ceiling to his bedroom?

I knew from examining the roof that it was not coming through the shingles.  The spot around where it was leaking into the room was perfectly shingled.  The next step was to examine the flashing since I knew with a new roof there was no possibility of a shingle that had deteriorated.  The next rain we had I went up into the attic to see if I could see where it was dripping in.  Instead I found a little beam of light at the top of the roof where the vent was.  I could see the water coming in and draining down the truss right into the drywall that covered my sons ceiling.

Discovering the source of the roof leak was only half the battle repairing it was the other.  I decided that the issue was relatively minor and that I could proceed by fixing it on my own.  I went out a purchase tar caulk.  After letting the roof dry from the previous night’s rain I went on top of the roof and tarred around the vent and flashing.  I then went inside to the attic and caulked the area where it was coming in.  That sealed the roof leak and so far the fix has lasted three years.

I know that not all households are as lucky as we were in discovering the source of the leaky roof and being able to fix it in a relatively affordable manner.  If you have a shingled roof and you discover a leak it is imperative that you find and fix it immediately.  Where you see the leak occurring from on the inside is the first place you will begin your search for damage on your roof.  Look for noticeable damage to the roof and shingles.  Are the shingles missing or curled?  Examine all places on the roof that meet.  For instance, vents and the chimney should all meet without gaps or breaks between the flashing and the shingles and the vent.  All roof cement or tar should not contain cracks or gaps.  A minor hole, such as ours, can cause considerable damage to your homes ceiling.

Repairing a shingle if you do find that one is damaged is pretty easy.  When curling of the shingles occurs you will need to take roof cement and place the curled end down again. Make sure only to attempt this when the shingles are warm. Warming a shingle in cold weather should only be done with extreme caution.  It requires using a propane torch with a flame spreader end.  Heat it up just enough to curl the end down and then spread a good amount of roof tar down and place the shingle.

Professional roofers, contractors, and handymen will all be more than happy to help you with this if you are unable to do it on your own.  I know going on the roof is not a favorite activity for most homeowners and should only be done when accompanied by someone who can help you if issues should arise while you are working on repairing your roof leak.  I always wear long sleeves and pants when doing any roof repair.  You never know when you are going to stumble upon a bees nest rough shingles.

Storm damage of any kind whether it is high winds, hail, floods or lightning it all make a mess out of your home and life.  It is hard to look at the mess that surrounds what used to be your home and not dive right in to start the clean up.  Believe it or not you will not want to do that.  Initially you should contact your insurance company.  A representative will come out to your home and evaluate the damage that the storm has created.  They should also lay out a detailed plan to help get your life restarted.  You will have to continue living even though storm damage has turned your life topsy-turvy.

How do you get started? Is it possible to tell who is actually going to help you and not scam you or rip you off?  Is it possible to completely trust your insurance agent?  Who do you contact for expert advice?  These questions are hard to answer when you are sitting there vulnerable after a natural disaster of any magnitude.  Here is a list of advice to get you started in the long and overwhelming process of repairing storm damage to your home.

Storm Damage Checklist

• Contact your insurance agent.  This is of course the first and most important advice anyone can give you.  Your insurance agent is your ally.  Make sure when you are purchasing insurance in the first place that you research local insurance agents.  A good rate is one thing but an insurance company that you can count on in a time of need is something completely different.  The cheapest might not always be the best way to go.
• Don’t start any repairs or cleanup efforts until you have had the damage accessed by the professionals.  First you don’t want to get hurt, second you don’t want to make things worse and third you need to give the adjuster the full scope of damage.  It is important that you do document in video and film the damage from your prospective.  Just in case later on down the road the adjuster gets shaky with his evaluation.
• No repairs should be started before you have agreed upon a settlement with you insurance company.  If you do something like boarding up windows and such make sure to save receipts.  Materials will often be reimbursed.  That is the only type of work that should even be contemplated before a final approval has been gone over.
• Your homeowner’s insurance policy should cover a temporary home for you.  Make sure to check with the agent when they arrive to scope out the damage.  They might have special restrictions on where you are allowed to stay and for how long, make sure you are aware of these things in advance if possible.

It is so important that you fully understand and are aware of the limitations that the insurance company has in place regarding the coverage on your home in regards to different events.  You want to know how you are covered and the differences in coverage for floods, fires, natural disasters, storms, hail, lightening and all that loveliness that storm damage brings.  You should also be aware that if you move to another state or another area in your state you could need special coverage for that area.  The best advice any homeowner can receive is to find a trustworthy and reliable insurance agent.  They will be your best ally if storm damage ever affects your household.

You never know when disaster is going to strike your home and family.  Your best bet is to be prepared ahead of time so that if you are affected by a wind that is produced by a storm you are ready for it.  Hurricanes, tornadoes, hail storms all create winds that can damage your home.  Once they are here and affecting your area it is too late to worry about being prepared and more worried about staying safe.  The things we will discuss are the preparations that come before a storm is in your area.

Most things that should be done to protect your home are simple and you can easily do them on your own.  Others will require you working with a contractor to make sure your home is prepared for the wrath a storm can throw at you.  Many factors will affect if your home is already prepared for a storm.  The age of the house and the characteristics of the structural part of your home will all determine how prepared your home is for a storm.  As technology increase the structural soundness of your home will also increase.  As homes are damaged by storms research is done to improve the sturdiness, be it materials or the way they actually put the house together, to better protect the future generation of homes being built.

You will want to first evaluate the risk of your home.  It is important that you look into local agencies such as the American Red Cross for potential hazards in your community.  For instance, when purchasing our home we knew we were buying in a flood plain.  We need more information though on the actual risk versus the implied risk.

We went to our local township offices and spoke with them regarding the actual number of times the river had reached flood level and what the rain levels need to be in the area to have issues.  We found we were in a 500 year flood zone.  There were no reports of incident on record.  We then discussed the flood issue with the neighbors and found that the only issue that was found is dampness under their crawl space.  The fix for this however, was simple for us to solve.  We would just have to add extra ventilation on all sides of the crawl space.

Next evaluate the amount of insurance on your home.  This is particularly important in areas prone to flooding.  You will want to purchase separate flood insurance because most homeowner insurance policies generally do not cover flooding.  The same is true for extreme weather situations.  Make sure you coverage insurance coverage covers all forms of storm damage and natural disasters.  Wind damage, storm damage and lightening damage are all different forms that storm damage can take on make sure your coverage is ample.

Homes need to be properly built.  It is important when evaluating your homes storm worthiness that you look at the sheathing material.  Your roof should have a sheathing material below the plywood and shingles that help properly transfer wind to the ground.  You can inspect the sheathing through the attic by making sure it is properly nailed into the rafters and trusses.  This will help prevent damage to your roof and home if high winds come in.

If you live in an area prone to hurricanes you will want to make sure that the gables are securely fastened to the roof and that the roof has been fastened to the house with hurricane straps.  Theses straps are made out of metal that is galvanized and fasten the roof of your home to the walls.  These projects are advisable upon initial building of your home or upon a renovation to the roof.  These projects require extensive work and should be done by a contractor that is licensed in these areas.

When looking at the doors and windows on your home make sure that they are securely set in their frame.  They are the protective barrier of your home.  You want to make sure they stay intact in high winds and heavy rains.  They should be secured at the top and bottom and also sealed correctly to avoid the winds from entering into the home.  This is also important for the garage door installation.

Windows can also be protected by storm shutters.  If you know ahead of time the house is in the path of a storm that will produce high winds you can install storm shutters on all exposed glass with 5/8-inch plywood exterior grade on all exposed glass.  This includes doors, windows, skylights and any other glass surfaces that should be protected during a storm.

Wind can destroy your home which in turn turns your life upside down while you work to get the repairs needed done.  It is easy to avoid major damage to your home by making sure the structure is sound and precautions are done to help avoid damage.  Not all storm damage is avoidable.  No matter what preparations you do if a tornado is coming right at your home most likely it is toast.  It is important that you take necessary precautions and hope for the best in the event of horrific weather.

Have you ever come home and found your basement and the contents floating away?  If so you know all about how badly water can damage your belongings and most importantly all about water damage restoration.  There are many different reasons basements flood.  Your job as a homeowner is to prevent water getting into your basement in the first place.  Prevention is the key to prevent water damage.

The most likely reason your basement becomes flooded is due to natural causes.  Rain, snow melt and flooding can all lead to rain coming in to your basement.  In order to prevent this from being the source of your problems add an extra sump pump.  It will cost far less than having to have water damage restoration completed in your basement.  It is essential that you track the water flow away from your house.  This is especially true when you live on or near a lake or river.  If you are aware that a heavy rain is coming and that your home is prone to flooding another way to help is by adding sand bags to the homes foundation.  This is really only in special cases that you know the rain and floods are coming.  This is common with homes that are close to inland lakes and rivers in the spring season when snow is melting and the rains are heavy.

Another reason basements flood is because of the way the land around your home does not allow for penetration of the rain water. If the ground has a high water table level around your house the ground can be easily flooded.  This causes the extra water to stay on the top of the lawn which could easily cause the water to flow towards the house and flood the basement.  If this is the case for your home it is best to dig pathways away from your home to alleviate the gathering of water in your basement.

Another reason the puddles occur in the lawn around your home that could lead to a flood in your basement is from having an uneven yard.  The best way to handle this is to make sure that any areas that are low lying are away from the home.  It is also important to slope any areas around your home away from the foundation.  This will prevent the water from running into the basement area of your home.

Gutters and downspouts are an important piece in directing rain water away from the base of your home.  In order for them to continue to work properly you will need to keep them clean and free of debris.  It is important that in the winter you keep the gutters free of ice damns to allow for water to freely move away from the house instead of building up creating an area that could puddle.  Foundation cracks should be filled and gutters cleaned every six months to prevent and fix minor damage. Water seal paint can be found at most local stores and it is advisable to use it to seal the concrete blocks around the foundation.

Water damage restoration is expensive and time consuming.  If water does get into your basement valuables and precious family heirlooms can be damaged.  Preventing water from seeping into your basement in the first place is a lot easier, cheaper and less time consuming than dealing with the after math of water damage.

We have been having some major storms lately. Tornados, hurricanes and torrential rains have been wreaking havoc throughout the United States. It is important to be as prepared as possible if a storm is coming your way. This means different things depending on the areas in which you live. Also, storm damage varies from location to location. Weather extremes make storm damage nearly impossible to predict. Lightning, wind, ice, floods, rain, extreme cold and heat can cause all types of damage to your home.

When a storm hits it is best to be prepared. Here are some tips to help you maximize safety and minimize the inconvenience storms and storm damage can bring to your life.

1) Have flashlights with spare batteries in a location that is easy to access. Avoid candles if at all possible. It is easier than many homeowners think to leave a candle lit and have fire ravage through your house. Storm damage creates a mess but fire damage creates an environment where the effects are long lasting.

2) Purchase extra bottled water and canned foods. This will create less havoc for you encase of a long lasting power outage. It is important that you have extra water to cook with as well as to drink.

3) Use surge protectors on all major appliances. They will help eliminate the surge from entering these valuable pieces of equipment rendering them useless. If you do not have surge protection and you have fair warning a storm is headed your way unplug all major appliances and electronics.

4) Make sure you have a battery operated radio. It should be on and tuned in to a local station for regular updates.

5) If you go out after a storm has hit you area make sure to avoid down power lines. They are still full of energy and will shock you.

6) If your lights blow during a storm double check your fuse breaker box make sure that you have not just blown the fuses by asking neighbors if their power is out also. If it is the power call the electric company to make sure they are aware of the outage.

7) It is important if your power is out to conserve the energy left in your freezer and refrigerator. You can do this by limiting the times you open and close them. Dry ice is also available for purchase at local groceries if you are able to get out.

8) Of course if the power outage comes at a time of extreme cold you can store food in a cooler outside.

9) In cold weather you will want to make sure that you leave the water dripping to avoid pipes from freezing.

10) Warm clothes should be worn. Use caution with fireplaces and never use flammable liquids to start a fire. It is also important that you never use a gas stove to heat your home. This practice is unsafe and can result in more damage.

11) It is important that if storm damage occurs and you are without power that you use care and caution in running generators.

It is important to note that after a storm you should immediately restock your emergency supplies. It is likely that the season of storms is upon you and that it won’t be the last one through your area. Storm damage cannot be prevented but it can be managed. Your reaction in the situation will likely determine how well you cope with the difficulties that come along with the aftermath of storm damage.

Every 23 seconds a fire department responds to a fire. Fire damage is done to a home structure every 66 seconds. That isn’t the worst of it though. One person is injured by fire every 32 minutes and death occurs almost every 3 hours. Actually, house fires are the 2nd leading cause of death. Fire changes you. It damages possessions, emotions, and lives leaving a devastating mark on the future. Fire, accidental or not, can destroy you. Fire damage causes monetary and emotional distress along with possibly changing the structure of your family. The death of a parent or child would be the most devastating fire damage imaginable. The following are easy things your family can do to help prevent fire damage and keep your family safe.

1) Prevent fire damage by eliminating a myriad of accidental fire sources such as: cigarettes, curling iron, deep fryers, fire crackers, and candles from being used inside your home.

2) Check all electrical wires in your home especially if you have a home that is a little older. Replace older appliances that might be faulty. Professional electricians and hired technicians can help in these areas.

3) Vacuum out dryer vents every three to six months. Dryer lint can build up, heat up and then fire up. A little preventative maintenance can eliminate the possibility of fire damage to your home from dryer lint.

4) Use caution using electric heaters. Keep blankets and curtains form touching baseboard or electric heat sources.

5) Use extra caution is the kitchen. Do not use deep fryers or fryers. Watch all boiling water – a boil over can cause fires.

6) When you leave a room, makes sure to never leave a candle burning. The smell good when they are being used properly, in the care of a responsible adult. They don’t smell so good when they cause your home to burst into flames.

7) Hire a professional to come out and clean your fire place and chimney on a regular basis. If your fireplace uses propane have a professional come out and check all of the switches. Regular maintenance can help prevent needless fires when it comes to your fireplaces.

8 ) Lighters and matches should only be used by adults. Never let a child touch a lighter – they look fun and are hard to resist. Temptation leads to house fires.

9) Lastly, replace batteries in your fire detectors and smoke alarms. If a fire starts in your house and your fire detectors are in working order you will only lose replaceable items and not the lives of your loved ones.

Fire damage is preventable; all you need to do is prevent fires form starting. A little caution goes a long way in fire prevention.

http://www.tcirestoration.com/fire.htm