2 Reasons To Get Your Air Ducts Inspected

Air duct inspection is one of the least popular home services that consumers are interested in. This is tragic because it is fundamentally important to take care of any home and to ensure the health and safety of those living within. Here are the top two reasons to consider an air duct inspection. 

There are many reasons you should consider an air duct inspection Kankakee IL. The most significant is that you should protect the health of your family and anyone else that enters your house. When you get your air ducts inspected, they check for any major issues with your air ducts. These issues could include buildup of harmful substances that can cause long-term health effects for your family. The health of your family should be your top priority, and by seeking out air duct inspection, you can make sure it remains intact. 

The second reason you should get your air ducts inspected has to do with money. Air duct problems can be expensive to fix, but they typically are far cheaper if noticed and identified in a shorter amount of time. By scheduling an air duct inspection in a timely manner, you could potentially be saving your family tremendous amounts of money. There are online resources that outline the specifics regarding air duct cleaning services, and they can help you decide if they are the right choice for your family. Additionally, a home air duct cleaning service may not be as expensive as you may think. They are regarded as one of the most affordable home services available today.

These are the top two reasons you should consider investing in a home air duct inspection. Home air duct inspections are one of the smartest services you can order, and there are many advantages to having them done that extend beyond the scope of this article. Engaging in this practice can protect your home and your family.

3 Tips When Buying Homeowners Insurance

Owning a home can be a lot of fun until a tree falls on the house or a rainstorm floods your basement. In times such as these, there can be a lot of uncertainty as well as expensive repair costs. 

To help give yourself peace of mind if and when these situations occur, finding the right homeowners insurance Woodbridge VA, is key. When shopping around, keep these tips in mind.

1. Do Not Blindly Accept Initial Insurer Recommendations

When first inquiring about homeowners insurance, there is a solid chance that the agent you speak to will recommend a certain dwelling coverage amount. Although it can be tempting to simply accept what he or she recommends, doing so can be a costly mistake if your home burns down and you do not have enough money in your policy to replace the entire square footage. For this reason, you should ask what the dwelling coverage is per square foot. 

2. Double Check Deductibles 

Depending on the details of a specific policy, there may be only one deductible or there may be several. With emergency weather events, for example, many policies have different deductible amounts for various storm types and disasters. If there is a specific situation you have concerns about but do not see, ask the insurance agent for clarification before agreeing to buy the coverage.

3. Note Any Exclusions

One thing about homeowners insurance that can be disheartening to learn during an emergency is that many policies have exclusions. Often, homeowners may not realize a certain disaster is not part of their coverage until it happens and they face a loss. To avoid dealing with this kind of misfortune, ask questions and pay close attention to what any policy does and does not cover. 
 
Choosing the right homeowners insurance can be overwhelming. Use these tips to make your decision easier. 

Recognizing the Signs You Need a New Roof

Because you don’t see your roof as often as you see other parts of your home, you may not know when it’s time to replace one of the most vital structures on your property. Getting a new roof before your current one gives out could help save you a lot of time and money. Here are common signs it’s time to invest in a new roof.

Signs of a Leaky Roof in the Attic

Rather than think you must climb on top of your roof to inspect its current state, you can instead climb into your attic to check for streaks, stains and shafts of light, which may indicate you have a leaking roof.

Your Roof Is Nearing Its Life Expectancy

If you keep home improvement records, check them to determine the roof material you have and when you last replaced or reshingled your roof. Usually, an asphalt roof lasts 20 or 25 years, and roofs built on top of existing shingles last as long as 20 years. If you have a roof reaching the 20-year mark, consider contacting a company that specializes in residential and commercial roofing St Louis to see if it’s time to save up for a replacement.

Damaged Shingles

If you don’t mind climbing up on your roof, check the condition of your shingles. They should rest flat against your roof, and you shouldn’t have any bald spots. If you notice you have cracked, missing or otherwise damaged shingles, schedule repairs from a trusted and experienced roofing company.

While up on the roof, check your downspouts and gutters for flecks of shingles. If you notice a lot of granules, it could mean your roof no longer protects your home.

Roof Rot

Something else to inspect while up on your roof is signs of rotting, such as sagging and drooping. If you notice these signs, replace your roof sooner rather than later to avoid further damage. Additional signs of a decomposing roof include rotting boards, trapped moisture and sagging.

Broken Flashing

Flashing over your chimney, vents and skylights seals the roof and keeps rain from infiltrating your property. Broken flashing may make your roof vulnerable to leaking. If you currently have an older home with tar or cement flashing, think about upgrading to metal flashing for sturdier flashing performance.

Proactive is the name of the game when taking care of your roof. Rather than wait until your roof fails completely, recognize when you should invest in a replacement to get ahead of disaster.

3 Ways To Prevent Snow Damage

Snow can be a sneaky cause of roof damage. It doesn’t always come with high winds, nor does it even come all at once. But the weight of dense, wet snow can be devastating to a building’s roof, sometimes even causing a complete collapse. Here are three ways you can prevent snow buildup and save your roof from damage this winter.

1. Smart Monitoring Technologies

An emerging tool used to combat snow buildup is a category called predictive monitoring technologies. This technology uses sensors to calculate the pressure of the snowpack on your business or home’s roof. Getting on your roof can be dangerous even without winter conditions. Using a monitoring system can alert you to when snow needs to be removed, saving you unnecessary trips to the top of the building. After the initial costs of setting up the system, monthly fees for snow monitoring technology can be much less than hiring an on-call snow removal crew.

2. Heating Tape

Another solution to snow buildup is heating tape. The heating tape consists of an enclosed cord that when powered, radiates heat to melt snow and ice. It is usually installed in a zig-zag pattern across the surface of the roof. However, the roof must have a proper drainage system to prevent standing water from refreezing on the roof. Heating tape works best on roofs with a slope and traditional gutters. This is a great system to keep gutters from freezing over and causing damaging ice dams. 

3. Manual Snow Removal

The simplest way to prevent damage from snow is to remove it manually. This can be as basic as taking a shovel up to the roof and getting to work. If you have a large surface to clear, it may be beneficial to hire a crew to do the labor for you and save you time. You can also utilize snowblowers or other motorized plows to cut down on time spent on the roof. Caution should always be taken any time you get on the roof, but special care should be taken during icy winter conditions.

Winter does not have to be a time of worry for your business. You can protect your structure’s roof from snow damage by removing dense snow. There are several methods to do so, ranging from ultra-high-tech solutions to tried-and-true methods of clearing. Don’t let snow wreak havoc on the structural integrity of your roof this winter.

3 Tips for Maintaining a Clean Home While Juggling Work and Family Life

In today’s world, it is more common than not for both spouses in a family unit to work full-time. While this may alleviate financial stress, it also introduces other problems. Balancing the demands of work and home life, especially if the household has one or more children, can be difficult.

It can even lead to burnout, especially for mothers who often bear the added weight of being expected to be the primary caregiver and housekeeper. One of the big issues they often face is the expectation that they must maintain a perfect and spotless house on top of childcare, general household running and work responsibilities, something hard for even stay-at-home moms. While there is no surefire secret technique to solve this problem, there are ways to make keeping a clean house on top of keeping up with everything else in life easier. 

1. Use a Cleaning Schedule

Organize each chore into categories based on how frequently they need to be done. Then designate a day to do each one. This can help make a seemingly endless list from overwhelming you and give you a starting place. 

2. Set Reasonable Goals

Decide that you will get this chore done on this day and then do it. Goals give you an end to work towards and offer great satisfaction when completed. Rewarding yourself with a treat like ice cream or a meal out after finishing one may help as well. 

3. Hire a Cleaning Service

Residential cleaning services Kennesaw are another option. Hiring professionals takes some of the workload off of you, freeing you up to focus more on spending time with and taking care of your family. By doing so, it also helps relieve some of the stress pressing on you, which is better for your overall mental and family health.

Maintaining multiple responsibilities at once can be difficult and exhausting. Applying these tips can make life considerably easier. 

Top 2 Ways To Improve Your Home

Home improvement is all the rage in the current state of the world, and there are many ways that you can get in on the trend. From building new furniture to finishing your floors, there are many paths available on the journey that is home improvement. Here are the top two ways that you can make home improvements today.

There are many different types of home improvement options. One excellent option for those who are not interested in DIY activities is refinishing services Tustin MI. By refinishing your hardwood floors, you can show any invited guest that you mean business when it comes to home improvement projects without actually doing any work. Leave the labor to the professionals, and instead invest in the future in the best way possible. Additionally, when you refinish your hardwood floors, you will be able to call yourself a self-starter, without actually having to do any of the planning or preparation.

Another excellent option for home improvement is updating your furniture. This could take many forms. Maybe you are only interested in purchasing a few more pieces of furniture to furnish your home, or you could want to learn how to build your own furniture. In the modern-day, you can learn almost anything you want with the help of the internet. There are online resources available that can help you uncover the benefits of learning a new skill. Learning how to make your own furniture could even turn into a part-time side hustle as a furniture artist.

These are just two of the practically endless ways that exist to make home improvements in the current world. Home improvements are not only a way to improve the design of your home, but also a way to bond with your family through mutual decision making. The benefits of improving your home are virtually endless.

Easy Permitting for Waterfront Structures

Having a good, strong dock with lifts can ensure great housing for your boats all year round. Getting permits for building along the waterfront can be a real hassle, however. Each state will have different rules for the waterfront area of your property, so here are some common things to consider once you decide to develop that section.

Building Codes for Marine Structures

Your general contractor for regular home-building may not be able to assist you with the buildings you want to erect along the waterway. Building structures along the river or lake in your jurisdiction may involve some separate and difficult-to-obtain permits along the way. It pays to hire a good marine inspection services company to make sure all phases of the building go smoothly.

State Laws for Waterfront Buildings

Every state has different rules regarding building structures on wetlands and waterfront areas. Checking your state and local codes is the first place to start. The laws change every year and there are lists of things to consider. It’s a good idea to leave this type of thing to consultants who have dealt with this area of your particular state’s laws for a long time. Like with any building, you want to pass inspection the first time and this means hiring the correct contractor and pre-inspection team to begin with.

Common Buildings for Waterfront Usage

Some common items people build along their waterfront properties are bulkheads, seawalls, docks, dock lifts, walkways and boat pylons. Whether you own a sailboat, a flatboat or even a yacht, having structures built to assist with parking your marine vehicles is something all property owners along the waterfront eventually decide upon. Even if you don’t own a boat, you may want to eventually sell the property to someone who does. If you are deciding to carve out that area of your property along the waterway, you should be sure the development will pass state inspection and follow the current state and local codes.

Assistance for Selling Waterfront Property

If you are planning on selling your property that contains waterfront areas, then you’ll want to be sure the property is up to date for permits and public-use access of areas on the property where applicable. You’ll probably want a professional marine inspector who has experience with current state codes to have a look at your property before selling it. You won’t be able to legally sell to a new owner if you have structures that are in disrepair or otherwise need updating under the auspices of your state’s waterfront property rules.