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They’ll go out on a limb for your house
Posted on August 22, 2016 by mikew in Fix It & Use ItI’ve talked a lot about rodents recently. While they are not structurally destructive they give home owners the willies more than anything else! We love to plant vegetation around our houses to beautify our yards. New construction rarely has this problem because everything planted is immature. After about ten years trees have grown tall, vines have […]
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What’s the black plastic for?
Posted on August 15, 2016 by mikew in Fix It & Use ItThe black plastic in crawlspaces are called vapor barriers. Vapor barriers have two purposes for a home. First, they reduce ground moisture from entering the crawlspace. Our goal is to keep moisture less than 20%. Second, they provide a timeline of crawlspace activity. Plumbing leaks, rodent activity, ground water issues, repairs, and previous inspectors all […]
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How small can mice go?
Posted on August 8, 2016 by mikew in Fix It & Use ItThe only pets I had as a child were gerbils. These are those creatures that are best in a cage or plastic tube and terrifying if scurrying under the kitchen fridge. I remember coming home from a short vacation to discover with my parents the gerbil cage was empty. Both of them were gone. Somehow we managed to recover […]
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Fireweed atop a chimney
Posted on August 1, 2016 by mikew in Fix It & Use ItHere’s a fascinating little picture from a recent home inspection. Interestingly, I found fireweed growing out of a crack in a chimney. It was a solitary piece of life higher than any point on the house. I’ve heard these weeds are named after their ability to be one of the first things to grow after […]
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For removal please cut drywall here
Posted on July 25, 2016 by mikew in Fix It & Use ItHow’s your memory? I’ve got a pretty good memory on some things and my wife will tell you I have a terrible memory where it really counts! For all of you who want to make it a little easier for your self in the future I want to encourage you to label things! My favorite […]
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Kudos to this roofing contractor
Posted on May 30, 2016 by mikew in Fix It & Use ItHomes built in the last twenty years began to install fascia boards that extended past gutters. This shortened gutters resulting in annoying drips at the ends of these boards. It looks beautiful until the rain water causes the ends to discolor or green algae-like materials to grow on the boards. Even worse is when the […]
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Hot vent hazard – look but don’t touch!
Posted on May 23, 2016 by mikew in Fix It & Use ItThere’s a lot of newer homes built with gas insert fireplaces. Rather then constructing a chimney through the roof contractors are venting these outside the exterior wall. This is a much cheaper way to build a home and accomplishes the essential task of exhausting gas fumes outside of the home. But there is […]
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When you find an ant in your house
Posted on May 16, 2016 by mikew in Fix It & Use ItWe have a lot of aunts who visit our house and I can say honestly that they are not a problem. We love Jenny, Becky, Bethesda, Katy, Aunty Julie and Aunt Natty to name a few. What about “ant” problems? First, truth be told, ants are not infringing on our territory we have built our homes […]
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The ugly truth about beauty bark
Posted on May 9, 2016 by mikew in Fix It & Use ItCome the spring we order yards of bark, mulch and other landscape materials to bring vitality to our flower beds. What a satisfying sight and smell of freshened beds. Two of the most common uses of landscape materials are to fill gaps under our fences and hide the ugly concrete foundations below the siding. I agree that it looks clean and […]
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Buried in your yard
Posted on May 3, 2016 by mikew in Fix It & Use ItIn a recent inspection of newly constructed home I arrived just minutes before the bulldozer began to cover the septic drain field. It was very interesting for me to see (maybe not for many of you). Just in case you were curious to see what it looks like, check it out! Most people living within […]
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