Roman's Corner

Spring Cleaning doesn’t stop at the front door.

In fact, you should clean the front door along with the rest of your home’s exterior. Here are some projects that will help prolong the look and integrity of the materials on the inside and outside of your home.

Pressure-wash your home: Do it yourself or have a professional do it for you but you need to eliminate the dirt and mildew that builds up on the exterior of your home. Handle the tools with care to avoid damage or injury. While you’re at it give your deck a good cleaning too.

Barbeque Grill: Before you put your first steak on the grill, give it a good cleaning. Gas grill burners need to be cleaned and inspected for deterioration. Clean the bottom of the grill pan that catches most of the grease. A wire brush and degreasing agent will remove the residue from the last cookout and any rust from the winter.

Gutters: Any leftover leaves have to come out so that spring rain runoff can get through. If you feel uncomfortable on ladders, please call an expert. Don’t wait until the Fall to do this.

Filters: If your house has an air conditioner, you’re about to put it to work, so have a pro check it out before the weather heats up too much. Change your filters every month especially if you’re using a simple fiberglass filter. Some of the new pleated filters catch contaminants that cause problems for people with allergies and asthma. These filters can allow you to go 2 to 3 months between changes. But if it’s dirty change it. This will let your cooling system run more efficiently and save you money.

Protect you foundation or face expensive repairs

The melting winter snow and spring showers bring large amounts of water that attack the foundation of your house. If properly maintained, your house has some natural defenses that keep ground water from accumulating and causing serious long term damage. But if these defenses are not kept up the foundation will begin to show rather innocent symptoms that will result in expensive repairs.

First, you will notice some dampness or discoloration.  Then as the foundation absorbs more water you begin to notice peeling paint, a white powder, or even mold.  Finally the water works its way right through the foundation and you see water inside your house. Eventually, as more water continues to work its way through your foundation you notice more serious structural problems like bowing walls, mortar deterioration and problems with structural integrity.

Concrete walls and floors expand and contract causing hairline cracks that make the original protective coating less effective.  As ground water reaches a saturation point it begins to rise upward, flooding the area under the foundation letting water enter where the basement floor meets the foundation wall.  Meanwhile surface water from rain and melting snow flows from above and meets the rising water saturating the ground around the foundation. As the ground becomes more saturated it creates increased water pressure that forces the water through the cracks, seams and floor.

You’ve seen the ads for basement waterproofing and foundation repair. If your basement ever gets to this point you can expect to spend thousands of dollars digging around your home to properly waterproof and reinforce the foundation. The sad truth is that, in many cases, this could have been avoided with some regular and rather inexpensive maintenance.

Keep gutters and downspouts clean and in working order.  It is important that they carry the water away from the foundation. Water that gets dropped off at the corner of the house will collect in the ground right next to the foundation. Make sure the grade of the yard and especially flowerbeds slope away from the foundation walls. The closer to your house water is allowed to remain the more likely it is to cause damage. Seal the seams where walkways, driveways and patios meet a foundation wall. If there is a way in, water will eventually find it.

Peace Of Mind

It was a pleasure meeting many of you at the Home and Garden Show last month. Throughout the nine day event there was one question my staff and I were asked more than any other: What is HOCOA? Let me take a minute to answer that question now.

Part Better Business Bureau, part AAA and part Concierge Service HOCOA of Northeast Ohio (NEO) helps alleviate the stress of finding quality and dependable services for homeowners. We match your requested service with our best contractor who’s not only qualified but also reliable, affordable, and has the appropriate licenses and insurance.
 
With just one call, anytime of the day, you will get a return call from a contractor that will do the work professionally.  Spare yourself the frustration of playing guinea pig for unproven contractors.
 
The HOCOA system works like this: any contractor interested in becoming a preferred contractor must first undergo an extensive qualification process beginning with a live interview.
 
Contractors do not and cannot pay us to become a preferred service provider.  Each and every contractor we represent earns the privilege of belonging to our network on the basis of performance.

During the live interview contractors must provide rates, references, proof of insurance and any required licenses for our records.  Only after this information is verified is a contractor qualified to become a service provider to the HOCOA network of homeowners.  About 20% make the cut.
 
A common complaint about contractors is that they don’t show up on time - if at all.  That’s unprofessional.  My staff and I do everything we can to see to it that we only represent contractors who do their jobs efficiently, professionally, and affordably. We constantly monitor a contractor’s work ethic, rates and performance by conducting quality control calls after every single job.
 
If a contractor doesn’t consistently strive towards our high professional standards, he or she is kicked out of the system.
 
Time is money and our membership pays for itself the first time you don’t have to scour the phone book to find the right contractor by trial and error.

Countertops Can Make a Difference Even On A Budget

Newly remodeled kitchens and bathrooms are a great way to add value to your home. But if your budget is tight maybe a total remodel is out of the question. Replacing your countertops is a relatively simple fix where beauty, practicality and your budget can coexist.

GRANITE

Granite seems to be everybody’s first choice. It’s probably because you can chose from a large variety of colors and patterns at reasonable prices without giving up performance. Granite rates highly in resisting heat, cuts, abrasions and impact compared to other materials and usually only takes about three to five days to install.

OTHER MATERIALS

If granite does not suit your style, don’t worry, there are plenty of other options. Some alternative materials you can choose from are quartz, ceramic tile, stainless steel, laminate, solid and manufactured surfaces, marble, concrete, limestone, butchers block and more. When choosing which material to use for you countertops there are some key points you should consider.

THINGS TO CONSIDER

First, consider your lifestyle. If you have young children, a counter material that needs TLC might not be worth the trouble. Second choose edges carefully. Bevels and bull noses can spruce-up low-priced counters but can increase cost per linear foot.

Third, get personal. Quartz, laminate, solid and manufactured surfaces are likely to match store samples but bring them home and check them out in your home’s lighting. With real or natural stone, coloring, veining, and graining can vary greatly even within the same slab. You should still check your samples at home but make sure you will be able to inspect the final slab at the yard before they start cutting to make sure you are happy and can live with the natural variations.

Finally, consider the seams. Visible seams are fairly easy to smooth out on solid surfacing and stainless steel. Laminates, however, are much different. There are structural and transportation issues that may dictate where the seams will go. A good supplier will make sure you understand all this before they come to install your brand new countertops.

Come Out Of Your Cave

It looks like winter came early to Northeast Ohio but the falling snow is no reason to go into home improvement hibernation.  Now is the perfect time to start work on that major home interior renovation. Modern technology and knowledgeable contractors have made home remodeling a year round business.

SAVE TIME AN MONEY

Contractors are happy to start your project in the winter. This is traditionally their off-season and your project will not compete with a bunch of other jobs. This allows them to focus on the little details that may ultimately bring higher quality results. In fact you may be able to get a winter renovation done in less time and with fewer delays than if you wait until the warmer months.

Don’t forget about price. Contractors are more willing to discount their labor when they don’t have a bunch of other projects lined up. Material suppliers also offer specials and discounts throughout the winter. They not only need to cover their overhead but usually need to liquidate left over inventory to make room for the newest trends.

WHAT PROJECT IS BEST?

Now that you know winter remodeling can be rewarding, you may be wondering which projects are the best. Basement, bathroom and kitchen remodeling are increasingly popular ways for home owners to improve their properties. Of the three, basements have the most potential.

More than a laundry room or storage facility, basements are the perfect location for creative home improvement projects. Whether you're looking to add a bedroom, bathroom, workout area, playroom, office, entertainment center or bar the answer might be right under your feet.

IT"S NEVER TOO EARLY TO PLAN

If you'd rather stay bundled up, there’s still no better time to plan, meet with a contractor, and finalize your budget than the winter months. Home remodeling contractors are willing to meet with you to plan and even schedule your big projects for early spring. Just be ready to put down a deposit to protect the price of materials. Then, as soon as the cold weather breaks, you'll be first in line to get your renovation project underway.