Top 10 Home Repair Issues

A recent survey of home inspectors resulted in a list of the most frequently found problems in the homes they have inspected. It is significant that within this list of ten categories, at least four are directly related to the damaging effects of water. Thus, keeping water out - is the homeowner's most important and continually challenging objective.

1. Improper Surface Grading/Drainage
This was by far the most frequently found problem, reported by 35.8% of the survey respondents. It is responsible for the most common of household maladies: water penetration of the basement or crawl space.

2. Improper Electrical Wiring
A significant number (19.9%) chose this item as the most common home defect, which includes such situations as insufficient electrical service to the house, inadequate overload protection, and amateur, often dangerous, wiring connections.

3. Roof Damage
Although reported by only 8.5% of the respondents as the most common problem, roof leakage, caused by old or damaged shingles or improper flashing, was considered by CAHPI members to be a frequent problem.

4. Heating Systems
Problems in this category include broken or malfunctioning operation controls, blocked chimneys, and unsafe exhaust disposal.

5. Poor Overall Maintenance.
Even the novice home buyer is usually aware of this situation, demonstrated by such signs as cracked, peeling, or dirty painted surfaces, crumbling masonry, makeshift wiring or plumbing, and broken fixtures or appliances.

6. Structurally Related Problems.
Many houses, as a result of problems in one or more of the other categories, sustain damage to such structural components as foundation walls, floor joists, rafters, and window and door headers.

7. Plumbing.
Though never ranked by the respondents as a Number One problem, plumbing defects still rank high among the house problems encountered, and include the existence of old or incompatible piping materials, as well as faulty fixtures and waste lines.

8. Exteriors.
Flaws in a home's exterior, including windows, doors, and wall surfaces, are responsible for the discomfort of water and air penetration, but rarely have structural significance. Inadequate caulking and/or weather-stripping are the most common culprits.

9. Poor Ventilation.
Perhaps due to overly ambitious efforts to save energy, many home owners have "over-sealed" their homes, resulting in excessive interior moisture. This can cause rotting and premature failure of both structural and non-structural elements.

10. Miscellaneous.
This category includes primarily interior components, often cosmetic in nature, which were not found frequently enough to rank individually in our survey.

Obviously the age of a home plays a significant role in these findings. In older, urban houses, problems such as heating system failure, inadequate electrical service, and worn plumbing can be found with much greater frequency than reflected in this survey.

The survey response percentages were given only for the first three categories because they were so high and statistically meaningful. Items 4 through 10 were ranked significantly lower than the top three, and vary regionally.

HOLIDAY DECORATING TIPS

Transforming your home for the holidays with seasonal décor will add merriment to all the upcoming festivities. Indoors and out—your home’s holiday decorations can charm both family and friends with inspirational style and wintry elegance. The following suggestions will help you get started in the seasonal transformation.

Painting your door may be a bit much; however, if you need a new one anyway—why not go red? Of course, you can also cover your door with glossy red paper and so transform it into a large present. Typically doors will feature wreaths of evergreen or large velvet bows. Don’t be afraid to try something different. Cover your door with silver paper and add stick-on ruby and emerald rhinestones for a bejeweled entrance.

Buy lots of mistletoe and holly. Along with pinecones, you can add hints of these items to shelves, dresser tops—even span the room with sprigs of it. Winter greenery will add natural charm to any décor while maintaining a certain elegance. Be sure to decorate the space above your windows with holly branches too.

Speaking of windows, these are great places to add splashes of festive décor. You can make an attractive stained glass window by applying red and green sheets of velum in any pattern or design. Spray snow is frequently chosen (but messy to clean up). You can also hang oversize glass ornaments on fishing line in your windows for a sparkly look.

The tree will necessarily provide the focal point to your holiday gatherings. You can trim it with your favorite ornaments, by theme and even by color. For family fun, consider a handcrafted tree employing friends and family members to make tree ornaments. Have a craft area set up for the season and prepare to delight in all the homemade creations!

Holiday décor is also all about lights. From candle light to strands of twinkling holiday lights you can deck every room in your house with light. During the dark wintry evenings, holiday lights add their characteristic warmth to the home. You may want to exchange your regular light bulbs with more festive ones of red and green for your lamps. From the rooftop of your house to your holiday trees, lights will transform the setting for the holidays.

Other decorative effects that add Christmas charm: glass jars filled with red and green Christmas candies, Nativity sets, poinsettia plants, porcelain figures of Santa and his reindeer, snowflakes and snowmen, snow village scenes—anything to fill your home with holiday spirit and cheer.

Bad Housing Market.

In this bad housing market I get a lot of questions from customers about the future of their investments. The number 1 question being: "Why should invest in my home if it's not worth what I paid for it".

First, we must understand the cyclical nature of the market. It is based on the ups and downs of consumer demand. When demand is high, so are the prices and vice versa. Well maybe a little more complicated than my explanation but basically the same. A couple of years ago the demand was so high that property values were rising out of control. You would purchase a 1 bedroom, 1 bath condo of 600sq. ft. for around $150K. Ouch! Thats the price you have to pay for Southern California real estate. But that same property is being had for around $75,000 in todays market. Of course adding to that is bad investment practices by bankers in Wall St. that just created a bubble that had to burst.

I am not an expert by any means. But keeping you home in pristine condition will serve you in getting the most money when you sell your home or in the long run when property values come back to normal which history has taught us they eventually will.

Sunpipe. The Better Way To Skylight.

I was hired to assemble some closet cabinetry for a client in San Diego. As I walked into the walk-in closet I noticed it was very bright in there and assumed the lights were left on. I continued to assemble the cabinetry and installed it. When I left I tried to turn off the light. To my amazement the light was off! As I looked back at this bright light emitting center of the ceiling, it turned out to be a skylight.

When I got to my office I did some research on the skylight. It turns out that there are several advantages to having one or a few skylights distributed throughout your home/garage/office.

Do you have a dark area(s) in your home? a walk-in closet, a dark hallway, a dark bathroom etc.? Do you realize how many times you turn the lights on during the day? Placing a Sunpipe skylight will save you money on electric bills year after year. 60% of all residential Sunpipe skylights are installed into kitchens and typically replaces 300 to 500 watts worth of incandescent lamps. Save money on heating and cooling and reduces your CO2 footprint of about 650lbs out of the air. Installation is easy and if your handy, you can install it in 2 to 4 hours. If not you can hire a professional. Depending on your particular needs you can acquire a Sunpipe skylight for as little as $328.00 plus installation. Which is a small price to pay for a natural, eco-friendly way to light your home.

Bamboo Floors. Very Eco Friendly

Bamboo is a relatively new flooring option that is taking the world by storm because of its earth-friendly reputation. The environmental benefits of choosing bamboo flooring are not the only benefits you could get. With bamboo flooring, you not only get an attractive floor, you also get the durability expected of such a quality product.

Selecting Your Very Own Bamboo Flooring The only thing you will have difficulty with when it comes to selecting bamboo flooring is the vast number of colors and styles that you can them in these days. What was once confined to blond or brunette options now feature a wide selection of colors. You can mix and match to make various designs or simply to color coordinate your home.

The fast growth and renewal of bamboo plants enable supply to be at a steady stream without putting a strain on the environment. Due to their popularity, what was once a flooring option for the rich can now be purchased by many people wanting the same lustrous and durable flooring option. The cost and look of the bamboo flooring can mean choosing from a variety of sources and selections. However, you should watch out for a few things when picking out bamboo flooring for your home.

Though the prices of bamboo flooring have gone down considerably over the years, you should watch out for bamboo flooring that seems too inexpensive. Poor milling (which can make installations less than successful) and substandard finish (which allows for less durability) will mean a long-term expense when problems arise.

The main shades of bamboo flooring are ‘natural’ (or ‘blonde’) and carbonized. Do note that carbonized bamboo, due to the longer process it undergoes, is about 30% “softer” than regular blond bamboo. However, while seemingly softer, its hardness is still comparable to that of many hardwoods.

Check the warranty. Most contractors put a five-year warranty on bamboo flooring, but some bamboo flooring manufacturers guarantee their bamboo floors for a full fifty years, and some even give lifetime warranties. Pick one that you think seems right for your intended application.

Keep these pointers in mind and you will be on your way to selecting the best bamboo flooring that best serves your home.

Electrical Outlets in Kitchen

In the kitchen, you should have electrical outlets up to twenty-four inches apart for counter spaces. If you have an island with an outlet, it needs to be twelve inches from the top of the counter top. You cannot install a face up electrical outlet by any sink. The receptacles used by the sinks and all water sources must be GFCI. These electrical outlets will stop current to the appliance if it is tripped because of water or moisture. These outlets are needed per the housing code. If you do not use the correct electrical outlet in the area of a water source, you will be in violation of the electrical code.

You will need electrical outlets behind the refrigerator, behind the stove, behind the dishwasher, and one for the compactor. If you have a microwave, you will want that to have a dedicated electrical outlet as well. The only appliance in a kitchen that can be controlled with a wall switch is the garbage disposal. The lights will be controlled with wall switches as well. To make sure all kitchen wiring and electrical outlets are correctly installed according to code, you should use an insured and licensed electrician.

You may also need electrical outlets by the table and chairs or on walls where you will have a television or radio. A coffee maker should also have a GFCI receptacle. There are provisions in the housing code for appliances and other kitchen electronics that you need to know about when you decide where and how to place your outlets. If you have any concerns about how or where to place the outlets or how to run the electric wiring, you should call a professional electrician or qualified electrical contractor to perform the work and make sure it passes inspection.

Questions For Max Handyman.

In my tenancy as professional handyman I have received several questions for customers about our services and the industry in general.

Q: What is the difference between a handyman and a contractor?

A: A contractor is a person or company, licensed by the state to build or remodel a building. Typically doing jobs in the thousands of dollars. A handyman is a Jack-Of-All trades that usually handle minor repair, maintenance and upgrades in your home. Typical jobs include drywall repair, fixing leaks, ceiling fan installs etc. and most in the couple hundred dollar category and no more than $500 in labor/materials. Most states required a contractor license for jobs above this value.

Q: What do handymen charge?

A: Most handymen have a minimum charge. Most handymen charge between $50 and $75 and can be lower and go as high as $120. What is a handyman worth to you? Well that depends on you . There is a saying that says "Cheap work isn't good and good work isn't cheap". For the most part that saying is accurate. A $20 an hour handyman won't be as skilled, patient and attentive to your project than a $75 an hour handyman. This is basic mathematics.

Q: Why are handymen expensive?

A: Again, this is simple economics. Handymen will charge what the market will bear. Most people don't have the knowledge, tools or the time the do the work themselves and feel it's worth it to hire a service with the tools and knowhow to get it done. I had a lady call me to inquire about installing a kitchen faucet. After I gave her a quote and our warranty. She said that was a little more than she wanted to spend, thanked me and hung up. About 4 days later she called me back and said "I hired a guy that charged me half of what you quoted me. The installation looked good but the next day I noticed a puddle of water under the sink and I can't get the guy to come out and fix his mistake". This is typical of low cost services. That's not to say you can't get good work for cheap. My sister takes advantage of the "family" discount all the time where she only feeds me. The simple truth is that quality isn't cheap and warranties aren't free.

If you have questions, email us as maxhandyman@hotmail.com

10 Steps To Getting Rid Of Clutter.

Are you ready to get started on your journey to clutter control? Here are 10 things you can do right now:

1. Get rid of your largest items first. Eliminating exercise equipment and large stuffed animals that don't belong in a room can result in an immediate improvement in clutter reduction. Once you get rid of the big pieces, it will make it easier to move on the the smaller pieces.

2. Return everything that has been borrowed from someone else. Magazines, books, CDs, videos and tools are just a few of the things that may below to friends or neighbors. Return them to the people they belong to.

3. Pick up everything that is on the floor. Sort into boxes, baskets - and most importantly - trash bags. Take laundry directly to the laundry room.

4. Recycle newspapers, magazines and catalogs. If you've read them, throw them into your recycle bin. If you haven't, put them into a "to read" basket or shelf. Cut out articles that you want to keep and toss the rest of the magazine.

5. Have you looked into your closet lately? I mean really looked? How many pieces of clothing and shoes are there that you never even wear? Donate them or put them in a box for your next garage sale.

6. Go through your dresser drawers and toss old socks, pantyhose and lengerie. Also, get rid of sweaters and jeans that no longer fit you. Are you really going to be able to wear them within the next few months?

7. Now, go to your office. How many old pens are in your desk drawers that don't work? Toss them! While you're there get rid of used ink cartridges and other things that you're never going to use.

8. Clean off your desktop. Go through each piece of paper and decide how important it is. Put bills and statements into your "in" box to pay. Throw old newspapers and flyers away.

9. Empty all of the wastebaskets where you have tossed your decluttering efforts immediately - before you decide there's something in there that you just can't part with. Believe me, after a few days you won't even remember that item!

10. Wash each room's windows. There's nothing that will make a room look brighter and cleaner than a little sunshine.

There it is. Start with this ten items to make a huge difference in the clutter of your rooms. You'll be glad you did.

Jude Wright is a mom and grandmom who is interested in everything to do with making a house a home. Visit CleanAndOrganized.com to see how YOU can become clean and organized.

Maximize The Use Of Your Handyman

Most handyman services charge on a per hour basis and have a minimum amount of hours due to the cost of running a business. Most services have a 1 to 3hr minimum. It really makes no sense to call a handyman out to your home to handle a 10min. repair and be charged the minimum unless it is a necessity like plumbing or home security. Max Handyman recommends that you bundle repairs to fill the time. For example; If you need a leaky faucet repaired, which takes about 10 minutes if it's the usual culprit, you might also add on that hole in the wall you've been meaning to fix and maybe the new door locks you wanted to change, etc. If your handyman has a minimum charge ask him/her how long it might take. If it's less than the minimum ask him/her about other small repairs you might have and see if you can fit them in. This will help you maximize the use of your handyman and a better rate of return on your investment.