Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Waterproofing The Exterior

Sunday, October 31st, 2010

Hydrostatic pressure is one of the common reasons for water penetrating into your home. When the water table or ground water surrounding your house rise, whether it is because of heavy rain or clogged drain, it exerts force into the walls. This pressure could push water through cracks in walls, floors and wall-floor joints. It could also push water vapour making the air inside your home, humid.

Moisture and humidity could also foster the growth or mold and mildew. Fungi growth could cause respiratory problems, allergy, infection and toxicity in residents. Mold exposure can trigger asthma and lung bleeding.

To make sure that this would not happen, there should be a functioning footer drain outside your home. It would remove excess water and divert it far from your home. If you already have one, regular cleaning and clog removing is important.

Brits can’t afford home repairs

Thursday, October 28th, 2010

86812be55975f4a Brits can’t afford home repairsMore than a third of Brits over the age of 50 are living in a house in urgent need of repair.However, 15% cannot afford to fix their home, according to research from Saga Personal Finance.Women in particular are feeling the pinch, with one in five forced to let their home deteriorate rather than repair it.

Saga Personal Finance polled 14,000 people and discovered that above all people drastically needed help to repair:

Roofing
Drainage
Guttering
Heating

Damp-proofing

Sunday, October 24th, 2010

However, in the old days of building houses, builders often mistook damp-proofing with waterproofing. Waterproofing and damp-proofing may be related, but they are totally different in their scoops.

For years, foundations were merely damp-proofed, not waterproofed. As it was, damp-proofed foundations and basements were only able to stop water vapor. It was unable to bridge over the cracks that can develop in the foundation over the years.

With time, water in the ground can develop its own hydrostatic pressure and can push through foundations that are only damp-proofed. After some time, damp-proofing materials may also become brittle and increase the risk of water seepage.

Rubber polymers

Wednesday, October 20th, 2010

The absence of water lowers the amount of moisture in the basement which keeps away potential allergens. Dry air in the basement also makes it more comfortable to be in – not feel sticky in the summer or chilly in the winter.

The rubber polymers allow the asphalt to stretch over foundation cracks and form a dry, seamless and continuous barrier to water and moisture.

Another advantage of polymer-modified asphalt waterproofing is lower installation cost. Because it is liquid, the material is easily sprayed onto a foundation wall with a high rate of coverage and, consequently, results in lower cost of labor man-hours.

Benefits Of Waterproofing

Sunday, October 17th, 2010

Every year, only 28% of houses being constructed are subjected to waterproofing. Homeowners and building managers would find themselves calculating possible expenses of having their property waterproofed. There are numerous reasons why you should spend on a good waterproofing system.  Get more tips at Home Improvement

- Protecting your investment
- A safer foundation
- Increased residential space
- Healthier environment
- Eliminate insect growth

RoofRepairContractors: Announces Expanded Coverage

Friday, October 15th, 2010

With the intention of giving home-owners access to low-cost roofing repair contractors, RoofRepairContractors.com expands free contract roof repair coverage estimates across the United States. Submission for quality, local repair contractor work is free for new and previous clients of the website with coverage extending across home or commercial contract bids.

A common thread for all home owners is that some degree of roof repair will be required while owning a home but the home owner may not have significant experience with soliciting contract bids. RoofRepairContractors.com helps solve this problem by now providing an easy-to-use, online contract bid submission tool connecting local companies with the customer at no cost, risk, or obligation to purchase services.

IRS Giving Tax Break for Bad Drywall

Tuesday, October 12th, 2010

4a8fb57267b4f75 IRS Giving Tax Break for Bad DrywallThe Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has implemented tax breaks called Revenue Procedure 2010-36 on dry wall repair due to flawed Chinese drywall installed between 2001 and 2009. The IRS is allowing taxpayers to claim a casualty loss on the repairs of the drywall as well as the home appliances affected by the defective drywall.

Homes manufactured during the nearly 10-year span using the drywall have experienced issues such as putrid odor and pipe and wire corrosion. During the housing boom early in the decade, drywall from China was used to build homes across the nation with a large allotment of the homes built in Florida and Louisiana.

SEVCA gets grant for home repair

Sunday, October 10th, 2010

Southeastern Vermont Community Action is slated to receive a $50,000 grant to help extend its successful Emergency Home Repair program.

SEVCA started the program last year with stimulus money to help low-income home owners make small repairs to their properties.

“This is a huge, huge bonus for us,” said SEVCA Development Director Lisa Clarke. “This was a very competitive grant and it tells us that this is a worthy program to invest in.”

The repairs often helped the community organization move ahead with insulation work and last year 79 projects were paid for with the ARRA money. The federal stimulus funds had to be used up last month and before receiving the grant SEVCA was in danger of having to turn down requests for the emergency home repair projects.

Now, according to Clarke, the nonprofit organization can begin to process claims for people who are already backed up on a waiting list.

Basement Waterproofing

Thursday, October 7th, 2010

To begin with, basement waterproofing is not commonly required in new homes as modern design and construction could already have addressed waterproofing issues already. However, if your home is older (or if it was constructed during or before the 1970s), you would surely have more problems. This is because older design and construction techniques are less effective and less efficient. Get more information at Home and Family

Be reminded that it is not only your home construction that is at fault. Through the years, water protection systems of homes could break down and tend to be less efficient. Wear and tear naturally happens over the years. Thus, the older your house is, the more it would be at risk. You may already start noticing that your own basement is always getting wet. Be warned that if you decide to leave the problem that way, it would inevitably get worse. It is always best to have the problem instantly fixed long before any serious problem arises.

Smith County Receives AHP Grant

Saturday, October 2nd, 2010

The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas) is pleased to announce that it has awarded a $110,000 Affordable Housing Program (AHP) grant to Habitat for Humanity of Smith County to support the second year of ReHabitat, its emergency home repair program. Funding was made available through First Federal Bank Texas, a long-time partner of Habitat for Humanity of Smith County and a member institution of FHLB Dallas.

ReHabitat was established in October 2009 to assist qualified low-income seniors with emergency home repairs and necessary modifications. Recipients must be at least 60 years of age, own and live in their home, and have an income of less than 50 percent of the median income of Smith County