How to Work with a Contractor | Ask This Old House

Ask This Old House host Kevin O’Connor, general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and HVAC expert Richard Trethewey, mason Mark McCullough, and carpenter Nathan Gilbert discuss the ways homeowners and contractors should communicate to set appropriate expectations for home improvement projects

Steps: 1. Before partnering with a contractor to work on your house, consider some of the unexpected disruptions or uncomfortable circumstances that could arise between you and the contractor during the project that are worth being prepared for and having appropriate conversations about. 2. Start by doing as much research as possible on the project to try and understand the scope of the work you’re asking for. Talk to neighbors who have done similar projects, go to the home center and look at the cost of desired materials, etc. The more knowledge you have going into the project, the better informed your questions will be for the contractor. 3. To avoid “sticker shock” from a contractor quote, consider all the work required by the contractor to complete the job while they aren’t at your house. They will need to purchase and transport materials, train employees, maintain the overhead cost of their business, etc. 4. Beware the “low bid”. Usually, the low bid is missing “behind-the-scenes” work that can result in long lasting errors in the project. 5. Be prepared for weather disruptions. Some work can’t happen in the rain, snow, etc., which can exponentially delay a project. 6. Have materials for the project in mind and consider having backup materials in mind as well. If there are delays in the delivery of the material, that can also slow down the project significantly and a runner-up could save a lot of that time.

This Old House

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Go To Paints | The Idaho Painters Favorite Paints

What are the best paint for the inside and outside of your house? Go To Paints | The Idaho Painters Favorite Paints. Good interior and exterior paints you cannot go wrong buying. A review of house paints by The Idaho Painter. Visit our store at Paint Life Supply Co.

Paint Life TV

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.

https://alltekrestoration.net/

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

This Old House

How to Choose Exterior Paint Colors | This Old House

The Belmont homeowners consider colors for the exterior of their house. SUBSCRIBE to This Old House: http://bit.ly/SubscribeThisOldHouse. Kevin O’Connor and the homeowners meet with architect Mat Cummings, who has put together a couple of color-scheme options for the exterior of the house.

This Old House

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.

Howcast

Fire Safety Tips for YOUR home!

Learn how to use an extinguisher, make a home safety plan, and where to put smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Make your home as safe as possible and know what to do in any emergency.

Fire Department Chronicles

Insurance Check Up: Homeowners & Wildfires

In an interview with News Talk 1590 KVTA AM, Triple-I's Director of Strategic Communications, Janet Ruiz recommends that homeowners who live in wildfire prone areas check their homeowners policy and conduct a home inventory in preparation for wildfire season.

An Overview of Water Damage Classifications and Categories

Water damage comes in a variety of forms that can be merely annoying or potentially dangerous, depending on the source of the flow. Today, we will go over the general categories of water leaks, the type of damage they can cause and the recommended steps to treat them. Water damage is split up into various categories and classifications according to standards set by the IICRC.

Category 1 (Clear Water)

This type of water damage occurs when a pipe or appliance springs a leak or overflows when left on unattended. Fortunately, in these types of situations, the water is usually clean and does not pose any real risk to you immediately. Clean water damage typically is an issue for the surrounding environment, such as carpets, books and other belongings which are not waterproof and may need restoration work done if the flooding happens over a long period of time. Additionally, water damage can potentially lead to more severe issues such as mold growth that will need the attention of a professional mold inspector and remediator.

Category 2 (Grey Water)

Gray water damage involves some degree of contamination, whether it's physical, biological or chemical. In layman's terms, gray water is dangerous but not hazardous and needs some form of remediation in order to ensure that the environment is properly restored for human inhabitation. The most common household gray water situations come from toilets, dishwashers and washing machine leaks, where detergents or food particles are mingled in with the water supply. Gray water, like clean water, may also cause mold damage in unattended situations and can also potentially lead to other structural issues depending on the type of contaminant in the water.

Category 3 (Black Water)

This is the most uncommon form of water damage as well as the most dangerous. Black water contains extremely unsanitary agents including bacteria and fungus, and contaminate all surfaces it touches. Black water damage is usually caused by natural disasters such as storms and floods, where debris is washed into the water, or from ruptured sewage lines or septic tanks. This type of water damage must be handled by a professional restoration firm and potentially the state environmental protection agency, as the consequences of leaving the situation untreated or improper treatment can be devastating to many others besides the property owner.

In addition to the types of water damage, there are also various classifications to specify the rate of evaporation for a water damage scenario. This information is subsequently utilized by the technicians to determine the proper method of dryout and an approximate timeline.

Class 1 (Slow Evaporation Rate)

This is the most benign level of water damage in which only a part of a room or area is affected, or the materials involved are relatively low permanence or porosity such as particle board, structural wood or plywood. In these situations, there is usually a minimal amount of moisture absorbed by materials and restoration time is typically fast.

Class 2 (Fast Evaporation Rate)

This class generally involves an entire room, or flood damage where water has wicked up to 24 inches on the wall. Moisture can be present in the structure as well. These scenarios are middle of the road as far as the work and time involved.

Class 3 (Fastest Evaporation Rate)

Class 3 situations commonly involves water that comes from above, either from an upstairs room or outside during heavy rain. In these scenarios, water has saturated more than 24 inches above the wall, posing severe structural risk and potential damage if not immediately addressed.

Class 4 (Specialty Drying Situations)

In this class, the surrounding structure and materials have very low permance/porosity, causing water to remain in saturated pockets throughout. Examples include hardwood, brick, concrete or other materials that do not have a high amount of absorption rate for moisture. These scenarios require very specific low humidity and ventilation solutions in order for water to be effectively removed.

While the class and categorization of a water emergency can usually be quickly inferred, be sure to double check with your water technician when they arrive on site to get the full scope of the situation after a professional inspection has been conducted. Your technician should be able to provide you with an approximate estimate of the timeframe, as well as details on the exact work that needs to be done to bring everything back up to speed. We will cover the various methods of water damage restoration in our next article so be sure to stay tuned!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jeffrey_Yang

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Large 1930's semi renovation - What did we do to this house? (Part 2)

Welcome back to this little mini-series about past renovation projects. Watch part 1 first if you haven't already where I explain a bit more about this property. In this video I'm condensing a 2.5 year renovation down to 40 minutes-ish. Sorry, couldn't make it any shorter and believe me I tried! So what did we end up doing to this large 1930's semi? Did we swap the living room and dining room around? Let's find out...

Gosforth Handyman

Gosforth Handyman