Before winter arrives clean and inspect your fireplace

Before winter arrives get your fireplace professionally checked and cleaned

Before winter arrives it would be wise to inspect your fireplace professionally so it could get  checked and cleaned if needed to help prevent a chimney or an unwanted house fire. A good 14 check up for fireplace and 7 point flu inspection should be performed prior to the fierce winter winds to prevent the unwanted back draft soot blowing in and entering the inside of the home. A clean chimney doesn't have animal nesting or blockage in it.

When wood burns in the fireplace and smoke goes up the chimney. The warm vapors travel to the upper parts of the flu as the vapors gases, and smoke reach the cooler air it creates black or brown creosote that builds in the chimney. The build up of creosote can be dangerous and catch fire in the chimney. Even small hot spots could smolder for hours after the fire in firebox has extinguished. A hidden chimney fire could spread in the flue undetected.

Homeowners should get an annual chimney inspection every year even if you just have a gas fireplace. You should not risk the chance of an undiscovered defect in the flu liner as winter freeze cycles and moisture can take an annual toll on the liner and masonry materials.

Helpful fire burning advice

Fireplace burning tip: Burn hollow dense seasoned dark gray hardwood such as oak and hickory from nut bearing trees as they are desired since they burn cleaner. Store the firewood in a well ventilated dry place.

It is suggested to use a local certified fireplace cleaning company in your area.

Essential late summer home maintenance tips to keep you on track

Smart tips for late summer home maintenance

Essential late summer preventative home maintenance is the key to help eliminate future major problems around your home you need to know. We put together smart tips to help keep you on track maintaining your home through the season.

It’s that time of year again to maintain and prepare your home before autumn arises. Now would be a great time to install gutter guards to protect your gutter from clogging up in the fall. It is a good idea to clean the gutters before the season hits. While out around the house during an outside grill gathering. Why not walk around the home and inspect it for mold and mildew growths. Keeping your patio and home pressure cleaned can make strides with a good neighbor. A clean driveway or walkway can help deter from a trip and fall on your property. When you may be out preying around the house looking for problem indicators, why not look for places for rodents or pest to entry the home. Seal all open seams, joints, and gaps over a weekend. It’s a suburb time to inspect your existing paint condition looking for signs of flaking, peeling, and wood cracking within the protective paint film layer. Prime and paint as needed. Trim tree limbs and shrubs around the home to give your home room to breathe.  Keeping your home clean inside is just as important, clean healthy carpets keeps pollen and allergies to a minimum in the late summer months. A monthly air conditioner filter cleaning or replacement helps keep energy cost down and provides optimum efficiency with air flow with in your home. Drink safe clean water once again; replace water filters for refrigerators and whole home filter systems. Inspect toilets and faucets for drips and leaks, did you know you can save quite a bit on a water bill by replacing a simple washer on a faucet.  

Since each maintenance situation is different, you should contact a professional handyman if any questions may arise for your home maintenance.

Your survival guide to improve a ceiling fan

Your survival guide to improve a ceiling fan on your property

Simple cosmetic improvements such as upgrading your ceiling fans can yield tremendous results for your home’s appeal and value. Ceiling fans show age by slowing down over time. Whether you decide to repair or replace there is some advice you need to know.

Ceiling fans certainly have come along way over the years. Older models were very heavy and needed oil to function correctly. These days ceiling fans are much quieter and many options available such as Wi-Fi enabled with smart phone connectivity support and more to improve a space.

Newer ceiling fans can help lower your energy bill up to 30 to 40 percent if used in conjunction of raising or lowering the thermostat several degrees during the seasons. In the summer raise the thermostat and use the comfort of your ceiling fan to breeze a room.

Improving a ceiling fan

If you are thinking of buying a new fan to improve your space. Choose an energy star rated fan, since energy star rated fans are 60 percent more efficient than a conventional fan with lights providing additional energy savings. It is also suggested to purchase a fan with a reversible motor to create a comfortable living environment any time of year.

Professional advice to troubleshoot and repair a fan issue

There are several culprits of a slowing fan; problems with bearings – fan replacement would be recommended, a blade out of balance – tighten mounting screws or balance the fan and make sure blades are not bent warped or damaged, or a failing capacitor – humming or buzz noise while it starting to spin generally it’s the little black box that will be connected to the pull cord wiring also may cause the issue of fan stuck on low speed.

Generally a non functional light the pull cord has broken off causing the light to be stuck on one position. Switch replacements are simple if you have general knowledge of cutting and spiceing wires together. Remember to turn off the power before working on your ceiling fan circuit.

Why not use a determined professional handy person to tackle ceiling fan repair or installation.

Other cosmetic improvements can add value to your homes appeal, simple fixes such as repairing broke windows, patching cracked and repairing holes in walls, applying a fresh coat of neutral paint to the home, updating cracked tile and more can work wonders for the overall resale condition.

No matter what your handyman needs is? We have the right solution, at a good price.

Wood rot what it is and tips to prevent it.

Wood rot

We will help explain what wood rot is and tips to prevent it. So what is wood rot, wood decay as the result of decomposition of wood by certain fungi. Did you know wood decay fungus grows prevalent in Florida since microscopic fungus spores are floating all around us in the breeze and landing all around us even on our homes? There is different kinds of rot such as wet rot, white rot, soft rot, brown rot also known as dry rot. Wood rot if not repaired properly can spread and can cause damage to the homes structural integrity.

A leak or flood that has happened one-time, if discovered promptly and dried out properly, will not cause rot in wood. Though, it would be a good idea with the use of dehumidifier’s and fan circulation with inside the home during the time of a leak to help assist with the drying period.

To help you understand how wood rot occurs, it needs four favorable conditions such as:

1)     (wood) substrate - the fungi eats the wood lignin and cellulose with in the wood

2)      oxygen

3)      warmth - any temperatures between 77 degrees to 90 degrees

4)     moisture

If you remove one of these conditions you can stop rot in its tracks.

Helpful tips to keep your home protective from rot.

1)     Keep it painted; it is the easiest way to keep water out.

2)     Keep water from standing, standing water seeps in to the joints and cracks in the paint and seep in to the wood favoring conditions for wood to rot. It would be wise to redesign so water will shed away from the house.

3)     Keep your home to breath, allow bushes, and tree branches trimmed away from the house. Clean the soffit vents and allow proper airflow with in the attic area.

4)     As a preventive measure, you could use “Bora-Care”. This is a borate treatment that is easily applied to wood and over time can penetrate the entire mass of wood. It is not only a fungus treatment but also making wood unappetizing to wood boring insects and uninhabitable to fungi.

Staining Fungi

It’s that time of year when staining fungi tend to favor growth. They are particularly prevalent in exterior air in late summer and fall when diurnal temperature variations favour the formation of fog and dew.

Staining fungi have the capability to penetrate through paint films and their pigment protects them from ultraviolet (UV) light.

Dry Rot

Dry rot is an organic breakdown of wood fibers caused by a buildup of moisture and fungus. In other words, when moisture is allowed to collect on a wood surface for an extended period, in a poorly ventilated area, the internal structure of the lumber breaks down and turns to mush.

Typical Trouble spots around the home:

·        Around windows (especially skylights) and exterior doors.

·        Decks and porches.

·        Shower walls.

·        Around the edges of your roof (where gutters are attached).

·        Where caulking is used as a joint sealant on interior or exterior surfaces.

·        The floor around the base of your shower / bath tub.

·        The trim on the exterior of your house.

·        The wood siding around the base of your house.

·        The wood that sits on top of your concrete foundation.

·        The wood near a long-term plumbing leak.

Clues that your house may be hiding rot:

• Walls that feel spongy and soft or have a musty smell.

• Wood that is shrinking and cracking.

• Flooring or roofing that feels spongy and soft in spots when you walk on it.

• Bubbling paint.

Typical insurance repair four-step process:

1)     First, the rotted wood sections are exposed by removing enough of the wall, floor, roof or other material to see where the rot starts and stops.

2)     Second, the sections of rotted wood are removed. If the wood is supporting other parts of the structure, bracing will be installed beforehand to secure the section.

3)     Third, a fungicide treatment is applied to the wood surrounding the rotted sections.

4)     Finally, the rotted sections that were removed are replaced with new wood. (The contractor will restore the once-rotted area in a manner that will prevent further moisture intrusion.)

Esurance an Allstate company describes, but since dry rot doesn't just appear overnight, the onus is usually on you, the homeowner, to ensure that measures are taken to prevent dry mold from developing in the first place. As with mold or water damage, any dry rot that results from long-term neglect or general home maintenance issues is typically your responsibility to repair.

There are a number of available treatments, like fungicides and borate wood preservatives for wood rot and dry rot.

If you need help with your wood rot or WDO repairs  your local Handyman be able to assist.

Tips to survive after a home inspection, it’s what home inspectors don’t want you to know.

Tips to survive after a home inspection, it’s what home inspectors don’t want you to know.

Helpful tips to survive after a home inspection, it’s what home inspectors do and don’t want you to know. A home inspection and helpful tips to help you survive after your home has been poked at from top to bottom.  It’s the things you don’t see that may be destroying your home. There are a lot of home inspectors out there poking around homes to find potential damage issues around the exterior of a home. Did you know that the sharp metal objects that most home inspectors use such as an awl can cause damage below the surface of a quality exterior paint job? This pricking around the home and poking to locate areas of concern of your homes inspection may cause future damage to your homes exterior by causing a break in the protective paint barrier. Since water intrusion can absorb under the paint layer and cause future damage such as paint peeling, blistering, future wood rot, it can attract unwanted wood boring insects, not to mention those unsightly ants that love to colonize in moist places, and future decay of structural wood.

Tip: We suggest get your home exterior painted after your home gets a home inspection. A fresh coat of paint will seal and help protect your home. Find more about our home painting.

Tip: Find more about wood rot and fungus of wood on your home.

Tip: We might be able to assist with WDO repairs on your home inspection WDO report. 

The hacks on a painted home, what to do, and buy

Home repair tips with Mr. Fix-It Handyman Service

Professional advice hacks on a painted home. We offer helpful tips on what to do, and buy. The exterior paint on your home is the first line of defense to help protect your homes structure. It is just as important to keep it maintained as well.

The light colored residue on painted exterior surfaces is chalking paint. So what causes chalking paint? The main cause of chalking paint is exposure to sunlight. The ultra violet light breaks the binders in the paint and releases the pigments. Another cause is the reaction between the binders and oxygen which is called paint oxidation. Both processes have the same effect on all finish types. Another cause is the paint quality; some paints tend to chalk sooner than others such as Alkyd paints (oil based paint) this type of paint oxidizes faster. So you may be thinking of quality of paint what type of paint should you get for your home? There are many options such as latex, acrylic, latex/acrylic blend and so on. As a good rule of thumb is "the more expensive the paint the better and more the resins it has" The resins are the binders that holds the pigment. The best option on the market today for exterior paint is 100% acrylic. Cheaper paints tend to degrade faster such as latex and acrylic/latex.

The proper cleaning of the chalky surfaces on a painted home is to remove the residue using a pressure washer along using a mild, environmentally friendly, soap. Allow the soap to sit and activate on the surface for 10-15 minutes and rinse the soap completely off using pressure cleaning techniques of 1500-2000 psi pressure on the machine. If you plan on repainting the home, it is best to use an acrylic primer with mildewcide before paint finish coat is applied.

Mold and mildew attacks the painted surfaces. Zinc oxide and Titanium dioxide are common pigments in top coats that inhibit the growth of mildew. Paints that contain linseed oil will develop severe mildew in warm, damp climates such as Florida. It is just as important to make sure your home is free of mold and mildew and kill it off before painting. Since if the mold or mildew will grow thru new paint. A mild household detergent without ammonia with sodium hypochlorite (fresh-new household bleach) and warm water is a good cleaner for killing mold and mildew. Take the necessary precautions and protect yourself, grass, and shrubbery. Wear protected clothing, eye wear, and skin protecting gloves while using the product cleaning method. Use a bristle brush while cleaning the effected areas of mold and mildew. Make sure you rinse off the solution well before painting.

Use our professional home painting services. Call Mr. Fix-It Handyman Service today for a free written estimate. We are your source for house painting, home improvement, and home repairs.

Keeping up with the Jones’s with 2017 home improvement and design

The best 2017 top picks for home improvement and design 

So it's true, you want to keep up with the Jones's with 2017 home improvement and design. It’s time to put some bling in your home to update it for the latest trends in home improvement and design. We know you’re passionate about your home and possibly don’t know where to start. We have put together some helpful advice to guide you through the astonishing task of giving your home the latest design tips and the best home improvement that is trending today.

The best kitchens are arising in America’s homes. From entertaining functional islands, wine refrigerators, wet bars, warm copper lighting fixtures and copper accent pieces, pattern tile, Faux stone surfaces, stone walls of granite, quartz, and  light grey marble, hands free faucets, white wood cabinets, voice activated gadgets, Matte Black, and black stainless steel appliances are appearing in homes all across the nation. Here some advice when your kitchen shopping, look for concealed sinks, microwaves and ovens. The latest fad in kitchen cabinets is doors and drawers with no handles or pulls knobs.

So you want a great bathroom. Funky geometric patterns even work in farm house style homes. How about thinking big with high tech with large walk-in showers with programmable spray sequences, or even light colored walls with marble, or even pebble flooring in showers, textured tile on shower walls, soft grey porcelain wood tile, lighted mirrors or pendant lights for the bathroom decor.

Bring your walls up to life with a fresh coat of paint such as deep rich jewel tones look great against lush tropical plants and ferns, dark blues are gaining popularity along with, purples, green and gold, and even bold sapphire walls. And scatter your room with a few jewel toned accessories and even creative bright yellows, deep greens, earthy oranges, and reds bring accent pieces to life. Fun functional cork walls work excellent for your recipes, notes, and reminders. Earthy wood accents pieces such as modern wood clocks, sculptures, trays, and furniture with a streamlined design would work in your home.

Living spaces need a luxurious cozy smooth velvety couch with fun color. Kilim rugs are back in style with pops of color of wild prints. Copper accent pieces would be a great touch to any room. The latest craze is a galaxy themed room with decorative rock accessories to live it up.

Bring the fun from indoors to out with a great entryway or door with bold blues or reds. Try it and if you hate it just simply paint it again.

For a great handyman to improve or add value to your home. Contact Mr. Fix-It Handyman Service and we will be happy to assist with your needs.