Creative Construction of Wisconsin

Quality Contracting

6 Generations of Family

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"Providing you, your family and your business 6 generations of time tested top quality craftsmanship”

Bingo and Zack in 1994

These 6 generations have withstood the test of time and technology and always continue to please our customers. But where did it all began? In Ohio in 1848 with William Emmons and his wife Lavina Deffenbaugh.  William started a Brick Layer/Mason with the intent of supporting his family. His son, Joseph William Emmons, enjoyed the family business so much that he learned the trade. Joseph moved to Illinois with his wife Etta Jane Curtis and took the business with him. They would go onto have many children.

The oldest, Alvin Joseph Emmons, “Hoot” as he was nicknamed, picked up the trade and took over the business from his father. Together with his with, Agnes Rose Emmons they had 3 children.  Their oldest son, Alvin William Emmons Sr., learned from his Grandpa Joseph the trade of plaster and stucco. Alvin Sr. and his wife, Virginia Ann Nelson, had 8 children. All of their children would help out during the summer months of high school and college but Alvin William Emmons Jr., “Bingo”, would take the reins on the family business. Beginning at the ripe age of 12, Bingo learned from his Grandpa Hoot. Because he started so young, Bingo took time to perfect his skills early on earning the respect of clients and his coworkers.

In 1987 he married his high school sweetheart, Deb. The year before Bingo officially named the family business to Creative Construction of Wisconsin Inc. Bingo and Deb had 3 awesome children. Samantha, Zachary, and yours truly, Kaitlin. Although we all had a small stint somehow in the company, Zachary showed the most interest and so Bingo began passing on his craftsmanship. Although there is currently no 7th generation, Deb and Bingo sure hope there will be!

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So You Bought a Stucco Home…

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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.

Stucco Homes are just as durable as they are beautiful
Stucco Homes are just as durable as they are beautiful

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.

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Lets be Mold Free

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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.

Mold is unsightly and can damage your home
Mold is unsightly and can damage your home

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.

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.

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Preparing for Winter

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Keep your home happy this winter
Keep your home happy this winter

This winter is predicted to be cold and snowy. While you are stocking up on hot chocolate and snowman making supplies, follow these tips to ensure that your home is ready for winter.

  • Clean out your gutters. When the leaves are falling in them they create little dams so the melting snow and ice cannot drain properly causing your siding to get damaged in a hurry.
  • Make sure there are no tree branches leaning up against your house’s stucco. When the heavy wet snow falls, the branches can’t always hold the weight and will break causing your snowy evening to be one heck of a messy night.
  • Check your stucco and bricks for cracks and chipping. When water freezes it expands so when water gets into the cracks and freezes it will cause them to grow. This issue has been known to cause some serious damage.
  • Check your smoke detectors. With heaters going constantly and fires to warm you up, you don’t want to take any chances.
  • Make sure to turn off all exterior water sources and drain your hoses. It is a good practice to store your hoses in your garage or basement so they don't freeze and crack.
  • Make sure your snow blower is working properly or you have good quality shovels ready to go. It also helps to have salt or sand for icy sidewalks.
  • Have a plan for snow days if school gets canceled and work doesn’t.
  • Make sure you have flashlights in case the snow brings down power lines.
  • When hanging Christmas lights, make sure the electrical outlets can handle the extra energy load. Don’t plug all of your lights into 1 outlet either, it is best to spread them out to several energy sources.

Spring is supposed to be filled with new growth, don’t let it get filled with home repairs from winter damages.

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Is your Home Lead Safe?

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Is Your Home Lead Safe? We hope you answered YES! to the above question! If not, please please please keep reading.

First, let’s see if your home or office is at risk with this 1 simple question: Was your home or office built before or during 1978? If you said yes, YOU ARE AT RISK! Let’s first discuss where lead is most likely in your home and why it is there.

Lead is primarily found in the paint of these buildings. It was used to help create certain colors of paint such a yellows, reds, and whites. Lead was also added as an ingredient to help maintain a shine for the paint when it dried, resist cracking and water damage, and help thin the paint out so a little paint could go a longer way. These are things we can all agree on are good reasons but you need to understand that science has come a long way since then and now we know better about the harmful side effects of this once great miracle ingredient.

How does the lead get into your body? Paint eventually does dry out and create dust and after many years or after damage it will chip. Kids are most at risk of lead exposure because of their curiosity of colors and new things and their animal instincts to put things in their mouth. Also, kids tend to play in all areas of the home and don’t generally try to avoid dusty corners. This makes pets at risk too. But just because you may be an adult, you are still at risk of lead poisoning.

How can lead affect your family’s health? Lead can be responsible for a number of things. According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services,

Lead exposure in young children can cause reduced IQ and attention span, learning disabilities, developmental delays, and a range of other health and behavioral effects.

Not to mention it can cause a type of anemia that can impact your health if left undetected or untreated. This list does not include all of the negative effects, it is just a short list. Please consult the Wisconsin Department of Health Services for more information. You can find a link to their website at the bottom of this article.

How can you avoid exposure? First, find out when your house was built and/or painted. You can ask your contractor to send in a sample to test if your house has lead to be certain or you can send in a sample yourself. If you are having any construction work done including remodeling, patch work, or additions, use a Lead Safe contractor. They will be able to provide you their certification card if they are actually a lead safe company. Of course you can remove the lead exposed areas yourself but it is always best to hire a professional to make sure that it is done right and 100% of the possible toxic agent is removed. Note that lead removal will increase the cost of your renovations slightly but it is nothing compared to the cost of the hospital bills that might be endured if exposed. At Creative, we do not increase the cost as a mean ‘Supply & Demand’ gimmick, there is just more work that needs to be done.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call us right away. We want you and your family to sleep well knowing you are safe and your customers to be safe in your office.

For more information please visit the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. You can access their website HERE.

Some of the information for this post is from The Royal Society of Chemistry. You can access the article and their website HERE.

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