Tag Archives: Roof
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That Scary Place Where “Monsters” Live
Posted on May 2, 2023 by mikew in Fix It & Use ItWhat to Know Before Hiring an Attic and Crawlspace Service Part 1: Shuttered closets and underside bed caverns are dark places that can be scary for children. Peering into those spaces is to face the worst fear imagined. From a distance shadows cast frightening possibilities. The safest space seems to be pulled tight under the […]
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Little Things That Make a Big Difference
Posted on March 30, 2023 by mikew in Fix It & Use ItIn the work break and sun breaks we all balance the could dos, should dos and will dos. Let me offer some simple ways on sunny days to make headways on the house keep. This article will focus on worthwhile chores for the outside in dry weather. Estimated time on for each category: 20 minutes […]
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Solstice House Check Up
Posted on December 30, 2022 by mikew in Fix It & Use ItEssential House Maintenance Chores Repeated every December and June The summer and winter solstice are great times to perform needed house maintenance so let this article be a “maintenance needed” dash light to gently prod you toward some simple house care. Addressing these tasks will make you familiar with possible repairs, alleviate the worry of […]
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Snow is Coming, So What?
Posted on December 10, 2021 by mikew in Fix It & Use It20 minute projects that will count in the cold! We prep the car for snow, school districts send out their cancellation plans, parents stock up pantries, grandparents knit winter caps, but what can home owners do? It is easy to forget or even know what to do in preparation for the upcoming winter storms and […]
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Roof Maintenance – plumbing vents
Posted on November 30, 2019 by mikew in Fix It & Use ItThere are open pipes sticking out of our roofs. And you might wonder, Aren’t holes in a roof bad? Not in this case. Let me explain what they are and then offer a suggestion for keeping these in good working order in the future. These are plumbing vents so that when you pull the plug […]
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Treating gut(ter) indigestion
Posted on November 10, 2019 by mikew in Fix It & Use ItSome of you started reading this with concern – I’ll give Mike one paragraph and he better not gross me out. Some of you have dealt with some intestinal issues and thought a home inspector’s perspective might be helpful. And still others of you enjoyed my play on words and hoped more cleverness was to […]
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Up Periscope!
Posted on June 20, 2019 by mikew in Fix It & Use ItThis was a peculiar sight in a recent attic. This picture is of a plumbing vent pipe improperly terminating in the attic. In short, there are pipes sticking out of most roofs to allow water to drain quietly and smoothly when we flush toilet and pull stoppers on drains (see the next picture). This one […]
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Explaining those “ribbons” on some roofs
Posted on March 30, 2019 by mikew in Fix It & Use ItBack to one of the two biggest topics for my clients, roofs. No one enjoys dealing with roof problems. Leaks make life unbearable. Climbing atop them makes people dizzy and queazy. Replacements gobble up savings accounts. There are good reasons for roofs being an important point of maintenance. One method folks use to deal with […]
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Allowing your attic to vent a little
Posted on June 30, 2018 by mikew in Fix It & Use ItHave you ever wondered about those square black boxes on house roofs? What about those round holes cut into the eaves? Ever wondered where all the moisture and heat goes in your house? Let me answer those questions by explaining your attic ventilation. Hot air and moisture escape from the attic through four common vents, […]
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Flashy metal hopefully you never notice
Posted on September 10, 2017 by mikew in Fix It & Use ItWhen dealing with the number one house problem in the Northwest, water, there is an important feature that most people never notice. At joints and protrusions and edges of our roofs is a feature called “flashing.” This bling is for your house to channel water in the right direction. It serves like bumpers and channels […]
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