Maintain Your Home

Building Back After Disaster

Building Back After Disaster

The partial or entire destruction of a home, by any disaster, has catastrophic effects on personal well-being, family health, financial security, and one’s whole sense of existence. The instinct to survive is an irresistible force. The process of r Read more
Absent Moisture Resistance Causes Sub Floor Rot From Carpet Steam-Cleaning PREMIUM

Absent Moisture Resistance Causes Sub Floor Rot From Carpet Steam-Cleaning

Moisture-resistant layers, sometimes called moisture barriers, have three typical locations of installation. One location is immediately under a concrete slab where the barrier restricts the movement of water vapor from the earth under a house up Read more
Remove Roots Threatening Home’s Structure

Remove Roots Threatening Home’s Structure

Trees and shrubs start small, but won’t stay that way. Tiny roots become sinewy tendrils capable of lifting a whole foundation, or pushing over a wall. That’s because plants grow one cell at a time, patiently pressing against concrete and Read more
Listen to Your House for Sounds of Plumbing Leaks PREMIUM

Listen to Your House for Sounds of Plumbing Leaks

Houses make a lot of sounds. Creaking in walls and rafters recurs due to structural settling or changes in temperature and humidity. Squeaking in floors is most often a result of walking over loose nails, which rub (squeak) against wood sub-floor Read more
UNDER-FOUNDATION PREPARATION PREMIUM

UNDER-FOUNDATION PREPARATION

Homebuilding doesn’t begin as a task to simply scrape off the ground, pour out some concrete, and put up a house. Whether the ground has a slab on it, a crawl space above it, or a basement in it, careful planning for structure, electrical, plum Read more
Permanent Site Conditioning and Post-Construction Land Forming PREMIUM

Permanent Site Conditioning and Post-Construction Land Forming

This step seems to be one of the last in the process. However, it must be addressed in the very beginning. Pre-knowledge, policies, and decisions must be developed at the first, so the results will be best at the last. Permanent Site Condition Read more
MOISTURE IS PRESENT EVERYWHERE, AFFECTING EVERYTHING, ALL THE TIME PREMIUM

MOISTURE IS PRESENT EVERYWHERE, AFFECTING EVERYTHING, ALL THE TIME

The news story that triggered today's article is headlined LACK OF BARRIER CITED IN FAILURE, and begins with these two points : "A two-month-old polyurethane gym floor is buckling at the $656 million New York City Police Academy project and may Read more
Townhome Renovation Includes Neighboring Exterior Common-Wall PREMIUM

Townhome Renovation Includes Neighboring Exterior Common-Wall

A recent addition & renovation project brings to mind the confusion that can go along with structures, like townhomes, which are built actually touching one another. On the inside, such dwelling units are separated by some substantial wall fr Read more