An article from a friend of mine:
All homes, new and old, stand to benefit greatly from conservation and energy efficiency measures. The first step is an energy audit.
Homeowners and building professionals can do much of the audit themselves. King County has produced an excellent Do-It-Yourself guide that can be accessed here:
http://your.kingcounty.gov/solidwaste/greenbuilding/ (Look on the right-hand column under Green Building Guides)
The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has also developed a basic online questionnaire that helps homeowners calculate potential savings in their home: http://hes.lbl.gov/hes/vh.shtml
While a Do-It-Yourself energy audit is good, an audit performed by a certified HERS or BPI professional energy auditor ensures the house is inspected thoroughly. Professional auditors have tools such as blower doors and infrared cameras that gather a lot of valuable information about the home's performance. Professional auditors are also trained to ensure measures enhance safety and health in homes. For this reason, homeowners with gas or oil furnaces should especially consider hiring a certified auditor.
Homeowners can check with their local utility to see if they offer a subsidized audit program. Otherwise, many independent, professional auditors offer these services in our area. One place homeowners can find help is Home Performance Washington, which is a guild of private auditors and home performance contractors. http://www.homeperformancewashington.org/
Charlie Rogers
BPI Certified Building Analyst
Homeowners often spend thousands of dollars building custom decks, but then fail to perform the regular maintenance needed to protect their investment. It's a lot like putting a big pile of money in the backyard and then letting the wind blow it away.
The reason is simple: Deck maintenance is a hassle. Most of us would rather enjoy our time barbecuing on the deck than working on it. But all wooden decks and porches require routine maintenance if they are going to last. That's where Mr. Handyman comes in. We can take care of your deck maintenance for you.
Whether your deck is made of pine, fir, spruce or cedar, it needs to be cleaned every year. Dirt, grime, mold and mildew build up on the surface of wood and - unless cleaned away on a regular basis - begin to seep into the wood. Once deep inside the wood, it's difficult to remove. It not only makes your deck look old and dirty, it can actually damage the wood and reduce the life of your deck.
But cleaning a deck without damaging it can be tricky. A number of cleaning products are available, but some products can damage certain types of wood. And while you might be tempted to use a pressure washer, don't do it unless you really know what you are doing. When pressure washing a deck, it's important to use a low- to medium-pressure setting - no more than about 1200 psi. A higher pressure could damage the wood.
Most wooden decks should be stained or sealed every other year. We recommend doing this after cleaning the deck and letting it dry thoroughly. Stains and sealers protect the wood against moisture - an important step in preventing wood rot and extending the life of your deck. Some stains also protect against the sun's harmful UV rays, which can turn your deck a faded shade of grey. Dozens of deck stains and sealers are available at your local home improvement store.
Beyond cleaning and sealing your deck, it's important to check for wood rot and loose boards every year. This not only helps to prevent further damage, but can also prevent injuries to your family and friends. Mr. Handyman can check for loose boards and wood rot when cleaning your deck and make repairs as needed.
It works for the handyman business. Follow our twitter at http://twitter.com/HandymanSeattle
Dealing with Flooded Basements (BTW, the title links to a longer write up on this topic)
In December when it started to dump on us here in Seattle, we received many frantic calls about flooding basements. My own basement was no exception. The floor drain was clogged and the sump pump switch was stuck in the 'off' position. By the time I got home there were about 4" of water throughout and a strange electrical buzzing sound was coming from the home office computers.
We wrote the following article to help people evaluate their options before the next round of flooding hits click here.
(BTW, the title links to a longer write up on this topic)
The Seattle P-I recently reported that new research from UW and USGS reveal higher than previously estimated risks from earthquakes in some Seattle neighborhoods. You can read the article at http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/335189_seismic12.html
Fortunately, many woodframe houses in Seattle lend themselves to structural retrofitting which may reduce the risk of damage. This includes the following steps:
We wrote a whitepaper detailing this process. If you'd like a copy, feel free to contact me.
We are a handyman service, providing repair and carpentry services for jobs of a few hours to a few days. We're licensed General Contractors. Follow our twitter at http://twitter.com/HandymanSeattle
Mr. Handyman provides repair and light construction services to home and business owners for jobs that are two hours to a few days in length. We bill on a time and materials basis so our clients only pay for the services they get. and here's a key point: we're licensed general contractors and we're bonded and insured. We believe our clients deserve a service provider they can hold legally responsible for the work they do! After all, they're entrusting us with their most valuable asset.
About our employees:
1. Our technicians are our direct employees-never subcontractors-which ensures their focus on our client's projects and excellent quality control on our end.
2. They have at least 15 years of experience in the construction trades with a focus on residential carpentry so our finished work looks and works great!
3. We do complete background checks on all our employees before we hire them to ensure your security and confidence. We won't even hire someone with a bad driving record!
A few things we like to brag about:
Please call us today if we can be of any assistance to you.
206.522.1213
http://www.mrhandymanwa.com
Whether you have a list of inspection demands, small repairs, a porch in need of rebuilding or just about anything else, Mr. Handyman of Seattle can help you out.
Some of our most common tasks:
"One carpenter came, assessed the work, ripped out the rotting boards, bought the new lumber, replaced the rotted boards, reinforced the supporting beams and then applied a mildew killer to the finished and repaired deck. He also moved the plants on my deck carefully and replaced them too. I liked the carpenter very much. He was professional, punctual, honest and a careful and hard worker. The company was responsive as well. My experience with them was good."
- Laurie S., Ravenna (Seattle)
"Mr. Handyman initially came to address a leaky window 16' high. The technician handled the leaky window right away, so I had him do other things on my list. He was so quick and efficient I could barely keep up with new tasks for him. He grouted a few tiles, put on a segment of rubber base, painted my front and back door sills, and prepped my steel tube handrail up my front stairs for painting. The man was really efficient and low-key. He let me know that one of the tasks I gave him would take much more preparation than he could do in his first two hours. I appreciated his honest assessment. Two hours of their service put an end to a year's worth of nagging little projects."
- Lori K., Wedgwood (Seattle)
"Mr. Handyman built a porch where our deck used to be, using our design. This involved removing the old decking floor and rebuilding first the floor, then building walls and screens and putting on a roof. The result is a beautiful custom designed screened-in porch."
"Mr. Handyman was the first company we discussed building a porch with. We provided them with an architectural design and they provided direction to us for all the materials. In order to save us money, they recommended that we obtain/order most of the materials and that once we had all of them, then they would schedule a date to begin work. That way, we would again save money by ensuring there would be no delays, while waiting for deliveries or having them run out to get materials. When we called to say we had the materials, a date was scheduled, within two weeks for the work to begin. The technician arrived on time every day and informed us every step of the way, about what was happening. Since the porch was custom built, he had to do a lot of figuring out, what to do. He built the screens himself and added features that we wouldn't have thought of. It was finished in 10 days, as planned."
- Dorothy, Maple Leaf (Seattle)
"Mr. Handyman did three projects for us. We had a laundry chute without a door, replaced some siding on the side of our house and my husband had installed a door that was square but not plumb and he repositioned the door correctly. He was excellent!! He went the extra mile for us!! We are thinking about using Mr. Handyman again for other projects around the house."
- Jennifer, Crown Hill (Seattle)
"Mr. Handyman rebuilt two broken windows for me, and rebuilt some steps to the porch. The windows required a complete rebuild, since there is no opening even close to square on my ancient house. They also cleaned out my gutters. The jobs went very well. The technicians always did what they said they would do when they said they would do it. The work was first rate. One technician had to craft the windows back at his shop and bring them back to install. He did so well and promptly. He was free with helpful advice about a bunch of other projects I had going. He was a good guy to talk to, as well. Very knowledgeable and practical."
- Dan, Queen Anne (Seattle)
"Mr. Handyman repaired two door frames that were damaged during a break-in. Scheduling was terrific (and fast). Person arrived on-time and completed the work as discussed. Quality was great. Overall, I would recommend this company to others. "
- Cory, Wallingford (Seattle)
"Installed a "portable" air conditioner (Hah! Don't really know why they call it that, as you have to punch an 8" hole in your wall for the exhaust hose, and trim and caulk it in place!). Also hung a towel hook, and walked around our home and yard with us to look at all the projects we have in mind for the future, so he could get his office to send us price quotes, which are still pending. The young man arrived at our door exactly on time. He was clean, friendly, and patient with us as we walked him through the house and yard, pointing out things we were interested in having him do, if not then, then possibly in the future. It took the whole four hours we'd requested, between our talking and him actually working, to get the job done, but not a minute more, and he even managed to put up a towel hook for me before he left! He DID forget one part though, which we would never have noticed. But the next morning he surprised us by knocking at our door, asking if he could just pop in quickly, at no additional charge to finish. We'll definitely call them again."
- Sharon, Green Lake, (Seattle)
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