Mastering Home Improvement with a Solid Foundation
With spring upon us, this is one of the more popular times of the year for home improvement renovations and projects. When looking to start a remodel or retrofit, remember that everything you do is like a house of cards. Without a solid foundation, it is easy for everything to come tumbling down.
Start at the bottom and work your way up, putting each piece into place to support the other. If done correctly, you will achieve a solid structure with all the parts working together that will give you enjoyment for years to come. In celebration of National Home Improvement Month and National Home Remodeling Month, here are a few tips and suggestions from our Wolfe Construction team to help your home improvement or remodel plans go much smoother, regardless of the size of your project.
Renovation Reminders
Be a Good Neighbor: While the sight of construction crews and vehicles carrying materials may be exciting, your neighbors probably won’t be as enthusiastic. While you have a right to upgrade your property, you will go a long way to keep the peace by simply sharing your general plans and timelines with those who live adjacent to you. Let them know you are thinking about them.
Inform Your Village: It takes a village, so to speak, to complete a renovation project. Sometimes, homeowners forget this and fail to include all the trades in the construction process from the onset. When looking at structural and foundation changes, it is easy to overlook things like electrical, plumbing or other utilities that may need to be addressed during the process. Give everyone as much notice as possible since getting everyone together and on the same schedule can be challenging on short notice.
Talk More: When considering any type of renovation, repair or new construction, you cannot over-communicate. Keep the channels of conversation open, and do not hesitate to voice any concerns. A quality construction team will happily address challenges and turn them into opportunities. You are talking about alterations to what is most likely your biggest investment. Be diligent in addressing and resolving your concerns to your satisfaction.
Home Improvement Basics
With spring and the warmer months ahead, there are a few general maintenance issues you should always take the time to address to protect and preserve your home. Here are a few must-dos and things to keep an eye on.
Water is the Enemy: Funny how something so vital to our survival is also the No. 1 cause of homeowner nightmares. During the next rainfall, look for any areas where water is collecting around your foundation. Make sure that the ground grading around the perimeter of your home does not allow water to sit and collect along the foundation wall. Often overlooked, downspout extensions are a terrific solution to managing surface water. Not only are they effective, they are also affordable and easy to install. You can find this simple yet much-needed addition to your gutter system at local hardware stores.
Humidity Isn’t Much Better: As we move into the more humid months, ensure that your foundation vents are open, allowing circulation throughout your crawl space. This will go a long way toward helping drive down relative humidity, which can damage the insulation and lumber underneath your home.
In addition, visually check your crawl space. Insulation that is drooping, becoming stringy or falling away from your floor system could be signs that your insulation is collecting humidity and holding onto moisture. If you notice this, call a professional for a foundation assessment. Postponing dealing with humidity issues will only accomplish two things: making the problem much worse and costing you considerably more money for repairs! Installing a humidity sensor/monitor is also a very good idea.
Cracks Don’t Have to Break Your Bank Account’s Back: Spotting a crack in your foundation, whether inside or out, can be unnerving but it does not have to mean disaster and expensive bills. Be sure a crack gets repaired immediately, and monitor it over the next several weeks and months. If it never opens again, you are likely in the clear. However, if it does open up again, it could be a sign of movement in the foundation or structure, so you will want to consult a professional.
Love Me Some Encapsulation: While it may be an unfamiliar term, encapsulation is probably the best and most affordable method to protect your home if you have a crawl space. This process involves putting down a high-quality vapor barrier over the ground underneath your home. We recommend at least a 6-mil plastic barrier, but you could go up to 10-mil depending on the moisture level of your space.
After you complete all that, you can get back to cleaning all the windows and cobwebs that built up over the winter. Here’s hoping your home’s renovation or improvement project is a huge success and brings you years of enjoyment. If we can ever be of further assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact us.