Water Damage
So You Bought a Stucco Home…
So you bought a stucco home and it looks fantastic. Just absolutely stunning. But now you are wondering how to keep it that way. While there is no such thing as maintenance free, you can follow these tips to keep your stucco home low maintenance and beautiful for years to come.
- Keep sprinklers away from your freshly primed and painted stucco. When water gets on the stucco then dries, it can create some not pleasant “chalk” marks. We know that rain storms are unavoidable, but do the best you can.
- When painting your stucco, use a heavy and thick roller and make sure to work the paint into all of the nooks and crannies. This is the time in your life where more is better. Apply the paint liberally and avoid spray-paints. You want a nice thick seal to lock out moisture.
- Speaking of paint, put a new layer of paint on your home at least once every 10 years or so to keep your stucco protected. Paint acts as a nice sealant. Stucco isn’t waterproof but paint makes it. The paint will also give your faded stucco a fresh new look. You will need a primer if there is a lot of raw or fresh stucco exposed.
- Fix cracks immediately. If there are small cracks, use caulk and not paint. Caulk is more elastic and will move with the cracks if they expand which in turn will help keep water out. If the cracks are larger or there are chunks missing or damaged, call us to get them fixed right away. Water can be nasty element. It can easily erode the crack and make it larger and if it freezes, it will guarantee that the crack will morph into a hole.
- Be careful about vines. Although they can look pretty they can also actually grow into your house’s siding and cause damage.
Follow these 5 quick tips and you’ll be enjoying your stucco home for as long as you live there and beyond that.
You Get What You Pay For
We know you’ve heard it a million times that cheaper isn’t always better but then why do they tell you to shop around for a quote? We are here to tell you not to do too much shopping around for a quote and to take extra caution when considering who you will hire.
There are a lot of unseen cost that go into the renovations of your home. Of course you can see the materials and supplies they are using and the size of the crew doing the work. But what about the insurance, certifications, and licenses to name a few? These start to add up pretty quick and drives the price of your renovation up. For example, when you ask a contractor if they are insured and they pull out their insurance card and say “Here it is!” they are scamming you. Proof of insurance must come from the insurance company and is a certificate that is mailed to you.
The most costly mistake made for remodeling is hiring the cheapest handy ma
n you can. When you hire cheap, you are not paying for their reputation, their certifications, their knowledge of buildings codes and laws. The expensive part is when the damage or issue isn’t truly fixed 100% or the remodeler skipped many corners. Then you have to make the call of shame to the contractor you said no to for costing too much. Here is the kicker, every time we receive those calls, it breaks our heart because when we go back to see what has happened, not only do you have to pay for the work that was originally supposed to be done, but you also have to pay to get all of the mistakes removed. So it may cost less up front to hire cheap but it will cost you much more in the long run. Remember you get what you pay for.
Also know sometimes too much can just be too much. Take a look at this article where the contractor just charged more and more and after 8 years, there was nothing to show for it.
We understand that not everyone has unlimited budgets but it pays to fix and remodel your home right the first time, not the second or third time.
Ice Damming
It's the most wonderful time of the year! …Where your home’s insulation and ventilation are put to the test. Fun fact--You can easily spot if your home is well-insulated just by looking at it after a snowfall. Go outside and look up, if your roof is evenly covered with snow, you have nothing to worry about. But, if you can see your shingles in some spots or your neighbor’s have snow on their roof and you don't, your roof needs some help.
What is ice damming you may ask? It happens when there is a little wall of ice built by Mother Nature that prevents the melting snow from draining off your roof and causes it to leak into your home through tiny cracks and openings. This can cause damage to the integrity of your walls and ceilings and create water stains on your ceiling.
When there is inadequate insulation in your roof and attic and decreased ventilation, your attic will get warmer than it should. The warmth causes the snow to melt and drip down your roof. When it gets below freezing, the dripping water will begin to freeze when it gets to the overhang of your roof and cause a buildup of ice. Thus, an ice dam is born on your roof.
The damage begins when snow continues to melt and gets blocked by the dam and as stated above, sneaks into your home or office.
To prevent this from happening, you should first ensure your roof and attic are well insulated and ventilated. This will prevent the damming from happening. In the meantime if your roof needs a little help, try to get as much snow off of the edge of your roof as possible. A roof rake is the tool for the job! You can find them at your local hardware store. Remember to be careful! We do NOT recommend going on an icy roof. Get one with a long enough handle so you can stay firmly planted on the ground.
We at Creative Construction are glad to fix any water damage that occurs from ice damming! But only after the roof issue is resolved. We don’t want to have to come back every spring to repair your ceiling!
Lets be Mold Free
It is as simple as that: Mold is gross and no one wants it in their home. Mold comes from spores that begin to grow in your home and if nothing is done about it, it can cause structural issues and is quite ugly.
To be a mold farmer, your house will need damp, dark and stagnate. Great places for this are bathrooms, basements, and closets to name a few. To really cultivate your mold farm make sure there is no ventilation. That bathroom where you get your kids ready for bed, take out that vent. Better yet, have a bathroom without a working vent and make sure to never open the window especially on a hot summer day. Now give your crop some time and pat yourself on the back, you’re a great mold farmer. J Mold farming not lucrative enough for you? We don’t blame you. The economy is really down on buying mold, apparently it’s bad for your health. Worry not, it is pretty simple to get rid of.
- Make sure all parts of your house are well ventilated. This includes bathrooms! Not only is it required for your bathroom to have a vent according to building codes, it is better for your health. Those hot comfy steamy showers are great and all but the moisture needs to go somewhere. Even opening your window 1 inch can help reduce condensation. This is important in the winter as well. Placing a dehumidifier in your basement year round will not only prevent condensation build up, it will improve the smell of your house getting rid of that dingy basement smell.
- The golden standard of mold removal is Dawn Dish Soap. By no means are we getting paid to say that either (though that would be nice!) Mix some soap in a bucket of warm water and get to scrubbing. You can use bleach as well but be careful of the fumes and it doesn’t work as good so don’t bother with it.
- Certain paints can help kill mold and prevent it from coming back. After you do your best to remove the mold, a fresh layer of molding killing paint will help cover up the once stain mold area and prevent it from coming pack.
- Get your house ventilated, we cannot stress that enough. Please see #1.
Common household mold has not been known to cause health issues. On the contrary, if the mold spreads to several rooms in your house and/or you are immunocompromised such as people who have HIV/AIDS and cancer or are newborns or the elderly population, you do have a high risk of getting sick from the mold. Although mold is not as much of a health concern as lead, it is still something to get out of your house. Don’t experiment to see how long you can go living with mold. Not only will it decrease the appearance of your home, it will lower the value and you will have to correct the issue before you attempt to sell it.
