Category Archives: Lifestyle

Lifestyle, Tips

Still on the Edge? Here Are 4 Reasons Your Roof Needs a Makeover

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It is important for every homeowner to understand the importance of their roof and how it protects the home. It is also important to understand when the roof needs maintenance and proper repair to ensure it continues providing the intended benefits to the home. Find a roofing specialist in your area with simple search terms like re roofing brisbane or somewhere local to you to learn what maintenance your roof may need.

Even with the proper understanding of a home’s roof, it can be difficult knowing when a new roof might be necessary. It’s advisable to have a trustworthy business like a roofing contractor in Denver give you professional advice along with a reasonable quote. These four topics can help provide insight into the main reasons homeowners may want to give their roof a makeover and some of the benefits a makeover can provide.

Selling the Home

If planning to sell the home within the next couple of years, it may be a good idea to have the roof replaced. There are roofing contractors available that can help homeowners replace the roof on their home to get the home ready to sell.

Even if the roof is in relatively good shape, having it replaced before putting the house on the market can make it easier to sell. Potential buyers will be more confident in purchasing a house that does not need a new roof for the next 15-20 years or more.

Replacing the roof, especially if that replacement is tied with other updates around the home, such as new siding or gutters, can show potential buyers that the home was properly maintained. It can even help sellers get a better price from buyers looking for a home that does not need much work.

Remodeling the Home

Home remodeling can require various changes to the roof of the home. This is especially true if additions were made to the home. Extending a kitchen or adding a nursery may require expanding the roof. Many homeowners choose to simply roof the new area while leaving the old roof as it is.

This can look very strange, especially if the old part of the roof has become worn. The addition may even put extra strain on the old roofing materials. At this time, it may be a good idea to have the entire roof replaced. It can provide many benefits besides just helping the roof look uniform.

It never hurts to have a newer roof on the home. Replacing the entire roof ensures the whole area, and not just the new part, will last longer. It can provide continuity and easy scheduling of various repairs and replacements in the future.

Storm Damage

Storm damage is a major cause of the need for roof replacement. Whether it is a tree branch that has fallen through the roof or many shingles and roofing materials have blown away, replacement may be the best option.

Some homeowners may choose to patch the area that has been damaged by a storm. However, there could be areas that were affected by the storm but not noticed. A patch is often not as secure and protective as having a new roof installed. It may even leave the home vulnerable to further damage in the next storm.

In cases where a storm has caused damage to the roof, homeowner’s insurance may help to cover the costs of this replacement. There are often deductibles and limits as to what the insurance company will cover, but storm damage to a roof is usually a covered item.

With homeowner’s insurance assisting with the costs of the storm damage to the roof, it might be a good idea to take this opportunity to replace the entire roof. This can ensure the roof is providing complete protection when the next storm hits.

End of the Life of the Roof

A typical roof usually lasts at 15 to 20 years. No matter how well a homeowner cares for their roof, eventually, the materials will wear out and leave the home vulnerable to problems. When this occurs, it is important to have the roof replaced. However, it can be difficult to know when it is the right time.

One of the ways to check to see if it is time for a roof replacement is to inspect it from the inside. Taking a trip into the attic with a flashlight. The eaves and beams should all be inspected for any streaks or stains that could be a sign of a water leak. If the light is coming through, the roof definitely needs to be replaced.

Checking the shingles is another method for determining if it is time to replace the roof. Shingles should lie flat against the roof and still have the majority of their granules to provide the best protection for the home. If it seems that some of the shingles are bare, cracked, damaged, or pulling away from the roof, it may be a good idea to look into replacement.

Some early signs of issues with the shingles may even be found in the gutters or downspouts. Worn-out shingles will lose their granules. If there seem to be a lot of these granules in the gutters or regularly pouring out of the downspout, the shingles may have come to the end of their life.

Some other things homeowners can inspect to see how well their roof is doing is the flashing. The little areas around the vents, skylights, and chimneys are protected by flashing. If this flashing seems to be cracking or breaking, some roof repair or even replacement may be necessary.

Some major signs of a problem can include a drooping or sagging area of the roof. This is often due to moisture getting into the materials of the roof and causing them to rot. This rot created weaknesses that caused the roof to buckle under its own weight. Replacement is necessary and should be done soon to prevent further damage to the home.

Homeowners who are unable to perform these inspections themselves or are still unsure if they need a new roof can contact a professional roofer. These contractors have many years of experience and can quickly identify problems with a roof. The roofer will help homeowners determine if repairs or replacement is the best option for their home.

Life, Lifestyle, Tips

How to Pack for Long-Term Storage

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storage, moving, house, home, packing, new home, shipping

Whether you are moving to a new place or need extra room to store the belongings that don’t fit in your home, long-term storage solutions are a frequent need for people everywhere. Packing and storing your belongings incorrectly is a major concern. In this article, we’ve pinpointed the best ways to pack your items for safety. Learn how to pack for storing your items indefinitely.

Use Strong Materials

Packing with care means using materials that are durable enough to withstand the natural wear and tear that occurs over time. Always wrap your fragile items in durable papers like newsprint or even parchment paper to prevent potential breakage. Covering your belongings will also avoid the accumulation of dust and dirt. For extra support, wrap your belongings in duct tape. Doing so will allow for more coverage and ensure that the paper will not tear to the extent that the items underneath are exposed. For more extensive materials, use tarps and drop cloths for maximum coverage. These methods are most effective at withstanding conditions that deteriorate objects over time. You want to mimic the paper and duct tape used for smaller items with durable materials like heavy-duty cloth and plastic. From here, use rope and saran wrap to keep your oversized items secure.

storage, moving, house, home, packing, new home, shipping

Organize By Weight

When you make piles, pile boxes according to weight, with the heaviest items on the bottom. A bad habit newbie organizers get into is piling more pressure onto lighter boxes. This can cause the heavier items to fall and potentially break what you have stored underneath. You’ll want to extend this principle to items that sit to the side as well. Anything that is being propped up by other boxes is still vulnerable to fall if the weight holding it up is not heavy enough. You want to organize your boxes and materials as if they were one unit altogether—place items in their most effective spots to avoid breakage.

Always line your boxes with newspaper. Cardboard boxes generally hold up for an extended period of time in storage, but to take extra precaution, line the bottoms with layers of newspapers. When it comes time to pick up the boxes again, the newspaper will catch any items that may drop from the box. For containers that work even better, look at portable storage units to keep your items secure.

Use Heavy Blankets

Electric blankets, flannel blankets, and other weighted blankets are all excellent options to keep your storage items safe. The thick layers of protection will prevent breakage and limit the amount of movement the items endure when transported from one place to another. You can rent or purchase these blankets at any moving or storage facility near you. Adding these blankets essentially instills toughness onto your items, allowing them to outlast harsh conditions.

Storage Trunks and Rubbermaid

For smaller items, use storage trunks and Rubbermaid containers to keep contents free of damage. These are durable materials that keep fragile contents out of harm’s way. Easily damaged contents like paper, glass, and silver will have a better chance of lasting if placed in boxes of durable material. A metal trunk or a Rubbermaid box are sturdy options. Think of your storage containers as the roof of your home, only your home is your belongings. Pick the most effective materials for the job.

The Bottom Line

Packing for long-term storage requires consideration into the factors that bring harm to belongings. You want to do all you can to safeguard against the risks so that your items stay in top condition. Follow these guidelines to ensure just that!

Life, Lifestyle, Tips

How to look after the roof on your home

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The roofs on our homes are often neglected. As we don’t always look at them, we often forget that they’re there. However, the roof is an essential part of any house as it keeps the elements out and protects what’s inside the home. So, it must be looked after. Without it, the home, and everything in it, would be extremely exposed. Luckily, as homeowners we can do a few things to keep our roofs in tip-top condition to ensure they are doing as they should.

Inspect it

As with anything else in the home, to maintain it, you need to look at it. Roof inspections are no different. An annual roof inspection will identify if any roofing concerns need to be attended to. This is something that homeowners can do, but sometimes, it’s best to have a professional come out to look as they know exactly what to look for. The best roofing contractor northern va has to offer will be able to take one look at a roof and pinpoint any issues to determine if the roof needs any work. Although this can be done annually, it’s also wise to have the roof inspected after any harsh weather like storms, twisters, or hurricanes.

Clean it

Roofs need cleaning. Over time, there can be a build-up of grime. This can come from weather debris, the seasons changing, or mother nature in the form of moss and ivy. Again, this can be done annually, and it’s probably best to do it in the springtime, removing the autumn and winter debris. By cleaning the roof, you are protecting it from damage later on. Most of the time, when debris collects on the roof, it’s usually in the form of leaves, moss, and general sludge. All of these hold water, which can cause dampness in the roof. Ultimately, this could lead to water damage and result in a hole. As there’s usually a loft space between the roof and the last ceiling of the house, such damage often goes unnoticed until it becomes a major problem, requiring the services of a company like Protegrity Restoration to rectify the water damage that’s occurred and a roofing company to either replace or repair the roof. Additionally, cleaning the roof can also deter any pests from making a home there. Pests also won’t be able to burrow into the house as there will be no holes for them.

Replace damaged shingles

Shingles can get damaged for all kinds of reasons. Most of the time, they’re just old and weathered, which causes them to break. When they break, they can cause cracks in the whole roof, or they can fall off completely, leaving part of the roof exposed. When that part of the roof is exposed, it’s more likely to get holes, or the damage can spread as the elements can get under the shingles and lift them. Not only this, but it looks unappealing too and can negatively impact curb appeal and resale value of a property. Replacing damaged shingles as soon as they’re noticed is important to keep the integrity of a roof.

Maintain the gutters

Gutters filter water from the roof, down the side of a home, and into drains. This stops water from pooling on the roof and causing water damage. However, over time, gutters can get blocked with all kinds of debris. Leaves and moss can fall from the roof, plus other kinds of waste can get trapped in there too. There have even been occasions where birds have made nests near gutter piping and sticks, and twigs have gotten stuck. Removing this debris will ensure water doesn’t pool on the roof causing water damage. It’s also important to ensure there are no cracks in the gutter that could lead to leaks elsewhere. If cleaning your gutters on your own sounds daunting (because it is!), let businesses like Clean Pro Gutter Cleaning Seattle do the dirty work for you. Then you get quality-cleaned gutters and extra time to do something else that you enjoy.

Sometimes it’s best to get a professional to come and inspect a roof as well as make any repairs. This ensures everything is done properly and the roof is well looked after. A well-maintained roof should last for at least 15 years, however one that is not maintained may need a roof replacement sooner.