Repairs are simply a fact of life and work which must be done to maintain our homes. At some point everything requires repair. We all need them at our homes, because nothing can be made to last forever. Although not glamorous, like a remodeled kitchen or a master suite addition, repairs are a necessity.
TWO DIFFERENT VIEWS OF REPAIRS There is one school of thought which views the quickest and cheapest way, as the only one for them. If you're of that mind set, you won't want to read any more of this section.
On the other hand, there are those of us who think a job should be done right the first time. We realize in the long run this is the best thing to do for several reasons: We won't have to spend more time (haven't got enough time now) to address the same issue repeatedly and, in many cases, just a little extra time and money spent now is the least expensive in the long run.
A long time ago, we learned when someone in our business said this is the cheapest way to do something it was a red flag. It usually meant it would not last, was poorly done and a temporary solution.
Which type of Homeowner are you?
If, when a sales person says to you this is the cheapest one, you respond by saying what is the most dependable, what is going to do the job the best, and last the longest?? Then you should call us for your repairs. 850-878-0010
Whether we're doing a new project, remodeling or repairs our standards of workmanship and materials are the same. The repairs, remodeling and new work should look like it was always there. Exceptions to looking the same as the original: a fresh paint job, touched up mortar, clean new tile or a choice to replace something which did not look good originally with a different material. In these cases the new work will look different from the existing home, for awhile.
TYPICAL REPAIRS
I don't feel like sweeping off the roof.
Be careful, or if you are not comfortable up there, get someone else to sweep it off. It won't take much time to sweep off the roof but if you don't, and the debris piles up, it WILL create a water leak into the roof.
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| A roof valley is a good place for leaves to collect, particularly if there is a gutter at this intersection to hold the leaves in place |
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| This picture is from a different home. This is a really nice brick house, great people, and leaves on the roof which resulted in a picture like this one. This was a time consuming repair because of the complexity of the roof-wall intersections above this eave. |
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It's damp around the exterior door, or the trim near the door doesn't look right. It may need a new door unit or only a couple of pieces of new brick mold around it. We now use an improved type of door for a replacement, and brick mold which doesn’t rot, because we don't want the same result in the future, although the replacement doors and trim look very similar.
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Showers on concrete slab construction
A little discolored baseboard, or soft spot on the wood or damp carpet, around or near a shower (in the closet on the other side of shower wall?) needs attention. Although it could be a plumbing leak, plumbing leaks usually run 24 hours a day and command attention within days, if not hours. A leaking shower door, a failed shower pan, a poor tile installation or something else? Regardless it needs to be addressed in a timely manner.
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Showers on off-grade construction.
We once had a call from a repeat client who said he no longer wanted to crawl under his house. He was almost 83 years old, and we agreed; so the foreman went to look under his off-grade house. The shower had leaked so long all the wood had rotted out under the 30+ year old shower pan. We're not sure why it didn't fall through the floor, with him in it. Unfortunately, it had also managed to seep into the sub-floor in adjacent rooms and required more work than a simple shower replacement.
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Kitchens
Most of what we’ve written about water in and around bathrooms applies to kitchens. If it looks like its damp, discolored or soft, it’s time to check it out. Its also a good idea to pull out all that stuff under the sink periodically, to catch small leaks before they're big repairs.
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Termites & termite repair
They need moisture and darkness in which to thrive. If you have bone dry wood, you rarely have termites. If they appear, taking the proper steps in order of priority makes difference.
How prevalent are termites in this area? Throw a piece of wood on the ground for a month, and unless it's treated lumber, I'll bet its got evidence of termites by the end of the month.
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| Deck, properly built, independently supported |
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DECKS
A refuge in the back yard, a social center, an ideal place to overcook burgers and under cook chicken, a cause of wood rot on a home. All of these can be true about a deck, but the last one is our concern and is all too common. Too many times, when a deck is nailed and bolted to the wood side of a house, wood rot begins at the intersection of house and deck. A mistake so prevalent, the less experienced, think it should be done this way.
Once when standing outside a client's home, before ever looking under the house I said, that deck intersection is an ideal location for wood rot because of the way it was attached to the wood siding. The deck was tall enough to walk under and within minutes we were both looking at the darkened indication of wood rot on the back side of the wall/deck intersection.
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