Get chills when single mom Jane shows Mike her porch, which collapsed in the winter cold, exposing shoddy workmanship in her newly built house. Watch the team address that, and the fickle plumbing and HVAC, and bring her home up to better than code.
Wednesday, February 26, 2025
Sunday, February 23, 2025
Disaster to Dream Home: Incredible Kitchen Addition and Back Deck Renovation | Holmes on Homes 101
Featuring some of the most well-decorated faces in home design TV, Homeful is all about the real estate… renovations, and transformations that you love to binge!
Thursday, February 20, 2025
How to Keep Your Basement From Flooding | This Old House
Avoiding a soggy disaster with damage-prevention specialist Michael Milligan.
SUBSCRIBE to This Old House: http://bit.ly/SubscribeThisOldHouse
Monday, February 17, 2025
AllTek Restoration Repair Services
You can only expect a professional staff when working with Alltek Restoration, Inc. We value and expect quality, efficiency, punctuality, cleanliness, and courtesy. Our team believes in our commitment and dedication to each client’s satisfaction is second to none.
- Quality work, Integrity, and Commitment
- Prompt completion and timeline.
- Detailed estimates upon invitation to bid.
- Explanation of contract and specification
Alltek has established successful working relationships with qualified and competent professionals, and subcontractors who share our customer-oriented philosophy.
Our Guarantee: We warranty all work that is done with your project whether we ourselves do the work or our subcontractors do the work.
Contact our office in Pittsburg, CA, at 925-732-7200 to speak with one of our construction designers about your upcoming project.
Friday, February 14, 2025
How to Use a Fire Extinguisher
Watch more Home Security & Safety videos: http://www.howcast.com/videos/341988-...
Accidents happen. Be prepared to fight your own fire by learning how to use a fire extinguisher.
Step 1: Know how fire extinguishers are classified
Know how fire extinguishers are classified. Class A extinguishers are for common combustibles like paper or wood; Class B are for flammable liquids; and Class C are for electrical fires.
Tip
The Red Cross recommends ABC classified fire extinguishers for home use.
Step 2: Inspect the fire extinguisher
Inspect the fire extinguisher before use. Read instructions and warnings; check that the pressure gauge needle is in the green portion of the gauge; and check for a clogged nozzle, a broken seal, or other damage.
Tip
A fire extinguisher won’t work if it’s not properly charged. The pressure gauge measures the charge.
Step 3: Decide if you'll evacuate or stay and fight
Decide if you’ll evacuate or stay and fight the fire. Consider the size of the fire, the amount of smoke in the room, and whether there is a reliable escape route.
Step 4: Remember the acronym PASS
Remember the acronym PASS. It stands for Pull, Aim, Squeeze, and Sweep.
Step 5: Pull the pin that unlocks the operating handle
Pull the pin or ring that unlocks the fire extinguisher’s operating handle, and aim the extinguisher at the base of the fire.
Tip
Aim at the fire from 6 to 8 feet away.
Step 6: Squeeze extinguisher lever to discharge contents
Squeeze the extinguisher lever to discharge its contents, and sweep the hose back and forth until the extinguisher is empty.
Did You Know?
Food Network star Alton Brown used a carbon dioxide fire extinguisher, a water cooler bottle, and a tennis racket to make a fruit smoothie on television.
Tuesday, February 11, 2025
With Safety, Never Compromise. Choose NFPA® as Your Trusted Source
When it comes to work that affects the safety of lives and property, failure is not an option. For over 125 years, NFPA has been a proactive safety organization that vets challenges and researches solutions to help people the world over do uncompromisingly good work. Driven by passionate experts, NFPA is a trusted source of information that leads the world in developing guidance and resources for fire, electrical, and life safety.
If you and your company don’t compromise the work that you offer, then you can’t compromise on the quality of information and knowledge that prepare you to work at the highest level. As building materials, technologies, and social challenges change, work with greater efficiency, productivity, and safety by working with superior knowledge.
Our products, services, and events include:
● NFPA LiNK®
● NFPA Conference & Expo®
● Individual Membership, Electrical Inspection Membership
● Fire Prevention Week™
● NFPA 70®, National Electrical Code® (NEC®)
● NFPA 70E®, Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace®
● NFPA 101®, Life Safety Code®
● Fire Protection Handbook® (FPH®)
● And much more
To learn more, visit nfpa.org.
Saturday, February 8, 2025
Water-Related Disaster? Safety First
When it comes to emergency water removal, mold removal, and flood damage restoration, leave it to the pros. Your professional disaster restoration specialist has the industry knowledge, experience, and credentials to guide you and your family through the entire process. The appropriate treatment depends on the specific nature of the damage in your home and will be tailored to meet your specific needs.
But homeowners, often feeling helpless in these situations, may ask what they can do to help during this time. The answer is simple but important: safety. Taking measures to ensure the safety of your family and your home is advice to heed. Let's take a look at some safety do's and don'ts.
Is The Home Safe?
Determine whether the house is structurally safe to enter or live in; professionals may refer to the structural integrity of the home. If you're unsure, don't enter the house and make arrangements for shelter with the help of local agencies, neighbors, and friends. Contact your insurance company, too.
If it's determined that the home is safe to enter, turn off the power by disabling the main circuit breaker; turn off the main water supply as well. A flooded basement could damage your furnace if the water reaches a dangerously high level. If you have a natural gas supply line, turn that off also; better still, leave that for a professional.
Of course, keep children and pets away from flooded areas; you don't want accidents from slippery, wet floors.
Don't operate televisions, computers, vacuums or other electrical appliances while standing on wet carpets or floors, especially concrete surfaces.
Be sure your valuables are safe. If you will not be living in the house due to the unsafe conditions, remove your valuables including documents and treasured items such as photographs and other keepsakes; store them with a trusted friend or relative. If you are able to stay in your home, move valuables to a dry, safe location.
Is There Mold?
Mold growth is often one of the ensuing problems created by flood damage. The damp conditions in your home after a flood are an ideal breeding ground for these microscopic organisms that spread by producing airborne spores. Those mix with the air inside your house and can lead to health and safety concerns for you and your family. Typical symptoms resulting from mold exposure include everything from respiratory problems and nasal and sinus congestion, to skin, eye, nose and throat irritation.
(Be on the lookout for signs of mold. They vary considerably but may include a smelly odor, a white and thread-like growth, clusters of small black spots; mold can be grayish-brown, grayish-green or white in color.)
Do treat all flood water as contaminated. The water and water-impacted surfaces may not be contaminated but until determined by a professional, don't take chances. Don't track contaminated materials and items into undamaged areas. Do keep children and pets, who are especially vulnerable, out of suspect areas. Absorbent materials such as carpeting and drywall may be unsalvageable after contaminated.
Implementing these tips will put you into action mode versus feeling helpless. More importantly, it will ensure the safety of your family and your home.
But homeowners, often feeling helpless in these situations, may ask what they can do to help during this time. The answer is simple but important: safety. Taking measures to ensure the safety of your family and your home is advice to heed. Let's take a look at some safety do's and don'ts.
Is The Home Safe?
Determine whether the house is structurally safe to enter or live in; professionals may refer to the structural integrity of the home. If you're unsure, don't enter the house and make arrangements for shelter with the help of local agencies, neighbors, and friends. Contact your insurance company, too.
If it's determined that the home is safe to enter, turn off the power by disabling the main circuit breaker; turn off the main water supply as well. A flooded basement could damage your furnace if the water reaches a dangerously high level. If you have a natural gas supply line, turn that off also; better still, leave that for a professional.
Of course, keep children and pets away from flooded areas; you don't want accidents from slippery, wet floors.
Don't operate televisions, computers, vacuums or other electrical appliances while standing on wet carpets or floors, especially concrete surfaces.
Be sure your valuables are safe. If you will not be living in the house due to the unsafe conditions, remove your valuables including documents and treasured items such as photographs and other keepsakes; store them with a trusted friend or relative. If you are able to stay in your home, move valuables to a dry, safe location.
Is There Mold?
Mold growth is often one of the ensuing problems created by flood damage. The damp conditions in your home after a flood are an ideal breeding ground for these microscopic organisms that spread by producing airborne spores. Those mix with the air inside your house and can lead to health and safety concerns for you and your family. Typical symptoms resulting from mold exposure include everything from respiratory problems and nasal and sinus congestion, to skin, eye, nose and throat irritation.
(Be on the lookout for signs of mold. They vary considerably but may include a smelly odor, a white and thread-like growth, clusters of small black spots; mold can be grayish-brown, grayish-green or white in color.)
Do treat all flood water as contaminated. The water and water-impacted surfaces may not be contaminated but until determined by a professional, don't take chances. Don't track contaminated materials and items into undamaged areas. Do keep children and pets, who are especially vulnerable, out of suspect areas. Absorbent materials such as carpeting and drywall may be unsalvageable after contaminated.
Implementing these tips will put you into action mode versus feeling helpless. More importantly, it will ensure the safety of your family and your home.
Wednesday, February 5, 2025
How to Salvage Your Valuables After Serious Flooding
Saving family keepsakes after a storm can be painstaking, but it's worth it
Heavy rain and severe weather can upend your life. And if you're faced with mucking out your house and tearing out saturated drywall, recovering keepsakes and family treasures might seem like a task for a later day.
But saving your valuables can be a race against the clock—mold can form within 48 hours. To help, the Heritage Emergency National Task Force, cosponsored by FEMA and the Smithsonian Institution, has developed guidelines for how to salvage what you want and dispose of what can’t be saved.
The first step is to determine what type of water you’re dealing with—salty, dirty, or contaminated by sewage or chemicals. If your valuables have come in contact with toxic water during flooding, you might have to call a professional conservator because trying to clean them yourself can be a health risk. If the water was untainted, then take steps to reduce the humidity around your items as you work to clean and dry them. Here’s how from FEMA’s checklist:
Save Your Valuables
Prioritize. You may not be able to save everything after flooding, so focus on what’s most important to you, whether for sentimental or monetary reasons.
"We always hear about dollar-amount damages, but often the losses that affect us the most are the ones to which a dollar amount cannot be assigned," says Lori Foley, administrator of the Heritage Emergency National Task Force. "What do you own that you’d miss terribly if you lost it? Photographs of loved ones in frames, albums, or shoeboxes? Books and paintings passed down through generations? Grandma’s recipe box?"
Air-dry. Gentle air-drying indoors is best. Weather permitting, open your windows to increase indoor airflow. If it’s too hot and humid, use fans, air conditioners, and dehumidifiers. Avoid using hair dryers, irons, ovens, and prolonged exposure to sunlight, which can do irreversible damage.
Handle with care. Delicate items can be especially fragile when wet, so be careful when you handle them. Separate sodden materials by removing photographs from damp albums and taking paintings and prints out of their frames. Place white paper towels between every few pages of wet books.
Clean gently. Loosen dirt and debris on fragile objects carefully with soft cloths and brushes. Avoid rubbing, which can grind in dirt.
Salvage photos. Clean photographs by rinsing them carefully in clean water. Air-dry photos on a plastic screen or paper towel, or by hanging them by the corners with plastic clothespins. Don’t let the image come into contact with other surfaces as it dries.
Cold storage. Damp objects and items that cannot be dealt with immediately should be put in open, unsealed boxes or bags. If you can’t attend to items within 48 hours, you can put photos, papers, books, and textiles in the freezer and clean them later.
"In general, you can freeze many items that cannot be dried out in 48 hours – photos, books, documents, textiles," says Foley. "Freezing stops mold from growing, ink from running, and dyes from transferring. Freezing items allows you to buy some time to devote to other activities. When you are able, you can return to the frozen items and recover them on your own time."
Dispose of the Debris
Once the waters recede, residents will be able to go back into their homes and start cleaning up, and piles of ruined household belongings will be put on the curb. Cleanup can take months if not years.
Because mold creates a serious health risk, it’s important to remove wet items from your home as soon as possible. FEMA recommends not waiting for your insurance adjuster before cleaning up. Instead, document the flooding damage on your cell phone or camera. Before dragging debris to the curb, check with your municipality on how it wants you to separate items for the garbage haulers. FEMA recommends sorting items into the following six categories:
For more information and resources, see FEMA’s After the Flood: Advice for Salvaging Damaged Family Treasures.
Article Source: https://www.consumerreports.org/cleaning/how-to-salvage-valuables-after-flooding/
Heavy rain and severe weather can upend your life. And if you're faced with mucking out your house and tearing out saturated drywall, recovering keepsakes and family treasures might seem like a task for a later day.
But saving your valuables can be a race against the clock—mold can form within 48 hours. To help, the Heritage Emergency National Task Force, cosponsored by FEMA and the Smithsonian Institution, has developed guidelines for how to salvage what you want and dispose of what can’t be saved.
The first step is to determine what type of water you’re dealing with—salty, dirty, or contaminated by sewage or chemicals. If your valuables have come in contact with toxic water during flooding, you might have to call a professional conservator because trying to clean them yourself can be a health risk. If the water was untainted, then take steps to reduce the humidity around your items as you work to clean and dry them. Here’s how from FEMA’s checklist:
Save Your Valuables
Prioritize. You may not be able to save everything after flooding, so focus on what’s most important to you, whether for sentimental or monetary reasons.
"We always hear about dollar-amount damages, but often the losses that affect us the most are the ones to which a dollar amount cannot be assigned," says Lori Foley, administrator of the Heritage Emergency National Task Force. "What do you own that you’d miss terribly if you lost it? Photographs of loved ones in frames, albums, or shoeboxes? Books and paintings passed down through generations? Grandma’s recipe box?"
Air-dry. Gentle air-drying indoors is best. Weather permitting, open your windows to increase indoor airflow. If it’s too hot and humid, use fans, air conditioners, and dehumidifiers. Avoid using hair dryers, irons, ovens, and prolonged exposure to sunlight, which can do irreversible damage.
Handle with care. Delicate items can be especially fragile when wet, so be careful when you handle them. Separate sodden materials by removing photographs from damp albums and taking paintings and prints out of their frames. Place white paper towels between every few pages of wet books.
Clean gently. Loosen dirt and debris on fragile objects carefully with soft cloths and brushes. Avoid rubbing, which can grind in dirt.
Salvage photos. Clean photographs by rinsing them carefully in clean water. Air-dry photos on a plastic screen or paper towel, or by hanging them by the corners with plastic clothespins. Don’t let the image come into contact with other surfaces as it dries.
Cold storage. Damp objects and items that cannot be dealt with immediately should be put in open, unsealed boxes or bags. If you can’t attend to items within 48 hours, you can put photos, papers, books, and textiles in the freezer and clean them later.
"In general, you can freeze many items that cannot be dried out in 48 hours – photos, books, documents, textiles," says Foley. "Freezing stops mold from growing, ink from running, and dyes from transferring. Freezing items allows you to buy some time to devote to other activities. When you are able, you can return to the frozen items and recover them on your own time."
Dispose of the Debris
Once the waters recede, residents will be able to go back into their homes and start cleaning up, and piles of ruined household belongings will be put on the curb. Cleanup can take months if not years.
Because mold creates a serious health risk, it’s important to remove wet items from your home as soon as possible. FEMA recommends not waiting for your insurance adjuster before cleaning up. Instead, document the flooding damage on your cell phone or camera. Before dragging debris to the curb, check with your municipality on how it wants you to separate items for the garbage haulers. FEMA recommends sorting items into the following six categories:
- Bagged household garbage such as food, packaging, and paper.
- Building materials and furniture, including drywall, carpeting, and mattresses.
- Vegetation debris such as tree branches, plants, and leaves.
- Hazardous household waste, including batteries, paints, and cleaning supplies.
- Large appliances such as refrigerators, water heaters, and air conditioners.
- Electronics such as TVs, computers, and stereo equipment.
For more information and resources, see FEMA’s After the Flood: Advice for Salvaging Damaged Family Treasures.
Article Source: https://www.consumerreports.org/cleaning/how-to-salvage-valuables-after-flooding/
Sunday, February 2, 2025
This Old House | Focus on Framing
Kevin O'Connor and Tom Silva frame an exterior wall on ground and raise it into place. Tom gives a personal history of framing tools. Kevin, Charlie Silva and Heath Eastman talk about different types of recessed lighting, installation of and layout. Electrical panels are discussed. An old ridge beam is replaced with three LVLS sandwiched together in place to support the addition.
This Old House
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