Home Improvement Blog

Tired of that old kitchen and need a facelift for your home? Any of us owning a home will go through this at one point or another and if you don't I'm sure your significant other will make you a part of it. So you have decided you need a new kitchen but don't really know the steps involved. This where you should take a step back and do your research. Realize once your kitchen has been gutted you are at the mercy of your contractor. No joke, I have seen customers in tears and their lives upside down after experiences with a unprofessional contractor. With this in mind you should really inquire about impeccable references from the contractor you plan to hire before you remodel.

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A few key tips when hiring a contractor to remodel your kitchen:

• Depending on the size of your kitchen average start to finish time can be 2-4 wks. Talk to previous customers to verify because months without a kitchen will be quite the inconvenience.
• Contractor should install the proper blocking in walls to ensure cabinets will have proper support when fastened.(shown in picture above)
• You should obtain a 3-D image of your kitchen before the start of project.
• Ask if your contractor will sub contract any of the work. If so inquire who and what background in the field they obtain. You need your contractor to have an established relationship with their sub contractors to make the job moves faster and more efficently.
• Ensure that your contractor is experienced in all the installation aspects of your kitchen and doesn't rely on sub contractors in differents trades to figure it out. Lighting placement, tile work, plumbing, electrical, sheetrock, etc. Your general contractor should execute the job foreseeing every issue before the completed project.

Most of us with homes have a basement and I'm sure most of these basements have little or no windows for natural light or ventilation. Now a window in your basement probably isn't at the top of your priority list but if you put it in a life and death situation you might have a different outlook on it. In the case of a fire you or your loved ones could be left with no escape and incinerated alive. Many instances of these cases have occurred in the past which has forced the national building code administration to enforce violations to protect people from danger. In any finished basement you must install a egress window as a fire escape. The window must have a minimum net clear opening of 5.7 square feet, minimum net clear opening height of 24", minimum net clear opening width of 20" and a maximum 44" sill height from finished floor. Outside the window you must construct a window well with a minimum net clear area of 9 square feet with horizontal projection width of 36 inches. If the window well depth is greater than 44" a permanently affixed ladder needs to be installed. Exit through a garage is not accepted. Basement egress window installation is an excellent precaution to take before it is too late. Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it!

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What you gain by installing a basement egress window:

• Peace in mind that you and your loved ones will be safe during a fire.
• Added natural lighting.
• Ventilation.
• Less mold and mildew problems in moist basements.
• Get your basement up to current building codes.

I find that most of my customers wait until they sell their home, only to be hit in the face with the reality that they are required to have one. When you perform a finished basement now is the time to install an egress window. The installation is way more complex down the road.

Problems when you go to sell:

• 90 percent of customers call me for an egress window because they are in the process of closing. This creates massive holdups that can take up to months to resolve if you are in violation of code.

• If looking to sell and transfer to another home, you may lose your lock in mortgage rate.

• You already closed on your future dream home but need the money from your old home to stay a float.

• Your purchaser may be in the same boat and needs to close to get into their next dream home.

• Inspectors do not care, you are in violation of code and your priorities are not theirs. 

• Buyer backing out of the deal

• Loss of money layed out already

The kitchen area is probably where you spend the most time cooking and entertaining. Right? It is the focal point of your entire home. So with this in mind, why not make this your priority to ensure your guests or just your family will be impressed with a beautiful kitchen design.

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 When you plan to remodel your kitchen you want to work with a professional company that can design you the kitchen of your dreams. A good company will supply you with kitchen design ideas to enhance the beauty of your new kitchen. Before the start of your kitchen you should be supplied with a 3-D image of the kitchens appearance before any work has been performed. With the 3-D images you can visualize walls removed, cabinets in different areas, different crown mouldings, islands, etc.

A quality cabinet company we like to work with is Kraftmaid. With over 40 years in the cabinet industry Kraftmaid takes pride in their hand made cabinets. They offer over 65 finishes, over 100 door styles and over 200 storage solutions.

Here in the northeast we experience a great deal of ice damming on the roof of our homes during the winter season. A leaking roof, especially during the winter time, is a complete hassle to deal with. Ice damming occurs when heat transfer through your attic begins to melt the snow on your roof. As melted snow makes it over the unheated soffit area it begins to refreeze causing a water back up under your shingles and into your home. The process usaully could take a few days or weeks to occur depending on outside temperature and the R-value of your attic insulation.

Ice damming can all be prevented with ice dam material that is applied to the roof deck before shingles are applied. It prevents water from penetrating your roof deck and seals around the nails used to fasten your shingles. Ice dam material is applied on the lower edge of your roof and three feet up(sometimes doubled to six feet). It should also be applied in valleys and around chimneys and skylights. In some areas building departments have made it code to install ice dam with your new roof. It is the cheapest and most effective way to eliminate the chances of ice damming. If you experience ice damming the best course of action is to leave it be and correct the problem when it warms. If you try to break the ice on the roof you will 99 percent of the time do more damage to the roof shingles and not to mention a dangerous practice.

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You have finished remodeling your bathroom and now you are looking into shower doors. With many different brands, styles and finishes on the market you may become easily confused what direction to go in. From my personal experiences it pays to spend the extra money for a quality shower door. I have found that Century makes a very quality door that will give you many years of use. With the many different styles and finishes they offer, your bathroom design ideas become unlimited. Also highly recommended is a DFI glass treatment that protects glass and cuts maintainance time in half. To learn more visit www.centurybathworks.com

Water damage is responsible for trillions of dollars of descruction world wide and I'm sure that we have all experienced some form of water related damage in our lives. If you have a basement in your home then your home should be equipped with adequate footing drains. Footing drains are located at the base of your concrete footings. Most homes we have worked on with water issues I found that improper installation was the cause of failure and we have done quite a few. While as water has a mind of its own I'd like to go over a few key factors for good drainage.

Five key factors for proper drainage:

• Very common issue is the installation of the 4" corrugated pipe. The pipe is equipped with holes on one side to catch the water and remove it quickly away from the footings. Most people think the holes face up, this is absolutely wrong. The holes face down and as the water table rises in the dirt it relieves into the pipe.
• Gravel is natural drainage. Use as much as possible to keep the water flowing.
• Install filter fabric around gravel. This will keep any dirt or debris from silting into the gravel and the pipe.
• Install filter fabric around pipe itself. I call it a condom and it slides right over the pipe protecting the holes from silt. If the holes in the pipe get clogged your footing drains are useless.
• Make sure you have pitch! Without pitch water goes nowhere. Use a level on the pipe or better yet a transit.

When choosing a General Contractor to be in charge of your project, you the customer should know whom you you are dealing with and what experience they have in the entire project. For instance you want an addition added to your home. You call a General Contractor because you feel he knows every step of your project. This usually is not the case though. Most General Contractors are experienced in only a couple of trades and rely on sub contractors to finish the rest. 

Things to look for when hiring a General Contractor:

• Referrals are very important. If you are spending thousands of your hard earned money you should spend the time to know who you are working with and the quality of work they produce.
• Ask questions. Make sure that your contractor knows all the aspects of the job being performed. A good contractor should be able to for see the entire project before it has been started.
• If sub contractors are to be used inquire what the companies names are and make sure they are reputable.

In my field of work I have seen many tile floors fail due to improper subfloors and wrong glues used during installations. Most tile floors when finished always look great unless the work was done half fast. What you dont know is what was done before and during the installation of the tile. Subflooring is the most important part for the longevity of a floor. All ceramic tile companies recommend a minimum of 1 1/4" subflooring before any tile is set. Most all of homes are built with 3/4" plywood flooring through out the house so an extra 1/2" where ceramic tile is to be applied is necessary wheather you use plywood or cementboard. Since ceramic tile, like concrete, is a solid product that does not do well under any movement is very likely to crack if the proper steps are not taken. What we do at WMB Construction is make sure the original subflooring is properly secured to the floor joists using 2 1/2" screws.(screws always hold better that nails that builders use during new construction.)  Next we install 1/2" cement board(Perma Base) over original subfloor setting the cement board in Sturdi-Flex adhesive and using 1 5/8" screws every 3" to secure the cement board down. Now tile is ready to be set on top of a subfloor that is completely indestructable. Some might say my methods are a bit over the top but a little extra material and labor is well worth a great installation so that I can sleep at night

Many years in the painting industry have given us the do and dont's for a professional paint job that adds long lasting beauty to your home at a fraction of the cost of vinyl siding. Paint also always leaves the option open to change the color and appearance of your home at any given time. At any given time you can change the facade of your home within days without the mess of a full exterior renovation.

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Five key factors to a successful and long lasting exterior paint job:

1) Powerwashing surface is a very crucial part of preping the surface to remove all dirt, grime, and mildew from surfaces to be painted. Paint will not adhere to surfaces correctly if this step is skipped.

2) Use of a good exterior caulk holding at least a 25yr. warranty is necessary. Caulk is used to fill all voids before paint is applied and keeps water from penetrating areas that are open to rot. Most rot in homes go undetected for years before noticed usually leaving devastating damage especially if carpenter ant or termites are involved.

3) Before paint is applied it it usually recommended to add an ingredient called Emulsa-Bond to paint. This product increases the adhesion of paint dramatically especially when paint is being applied to aluminum, concrete, or espestos sidings.

4) For the best possible application of paint is still the brush and roller method. Sorry to all the guys that like to spray homes but it is tried and true that by hand you get a better and thicker coat, doubling the life span of the job.

5) The most important is to apply a good quality paint. We always use Benjamin Moore products and have had great success over the years with their product. Just keep in mind that even Benjamin Moore carries different grades of paint with qualities that range in price so inquire which one is being applied to your home. 

A recent customer wanted to replace their entire staircase because of the ugly apperance to the front entrance of their home. WMB Construction also specializes in carpentry so we could have replaced the staircase at a much higher cost. Instead, after inspecting the staircase we found that it was structurally sound.

 Many times we run into decks that are in poor condition and we bring them back to life and get you many more years out of your wood deck. We can inspect your deck and most of the time your deck can be salvaged.

Services we offer:

• Exterior painting
• Interior painting
• Powerwashing
• Concrete staining
• All phases of home improvement

TimberTech products add beauty to homes, businesses and resorts. What's more, TimberTech is low maintenance, safe, durable, and can even increase the value of your home.
 

Low Maintenance

TimberTech maintains its color and beauty for years without the work of painting, staining or sealing. And, because it resists mildew, warping and insects, there’s no need to replace rotting, uneven or termite-damaged boards. This saves time and money over the life of your deck and fence. Caring for TimberTech is easier than wood and will allow you to focus on maximum enjoyment instead of maximum maintenance.

Warranty

TimberTech’s 25-year limited residential warranty is best-in-class. TimberTech’s warranty offers 25-years of coverage, that isn’t pro-rated, for residential installations. And our warranty can be transferred to a second homeowner – a great selling feature when you’re ready to relocate. So the first, and second, TimberTech product owners can have peace of mind that their outdoor oasis will look beautiful year after year. For commercial applications, TimberTech offers a 10-year limited warranty for worry-free beauty in high traffic situations. And in the unlikely event that you’ll have to contact us for warranty assistance, we separate ourselves from the competition by placing high priority on top-notch customer care after the sale.

Industry-Leading Products

TimberTech offers a complete line of low maintenance outdoor building products that are durable and made with high quality materials. We listen to our customers and create products that offer a wide variety of color choices and styles, designed to fit your life and design preferences. From traditional wood-plastic composite planks to PVC decking material; from railing and lighting to under deck drainage systems and fastener-free installation options, TimberTech is your one-stop for outdoor living building products.

We’re driven by innovation and have award-winning, industry-recognized, top-selling products to prove it! TimberTech was the first alternative decking manufacturer to introduce a railing system with black as a color option; TimberTech was the first alternative decking manufacturer to introduce a deck plank with a Class A Flame Spread Rating in fire resistance testing – the highest rating available; and TimberTech was also the first alternative decking manufacturer to introduce a patented lighting system specifically created for its railing and fencing systems, providing the best fit and finished look. And if we weren’t first, we look at the products up and coming in the industry and we make them better!

You can rest assured you’re buying from a leading, global manufacturer and expert in the industry when you buy TimberTech!

Increases the Value of Your Home

TimberTech not only adds value to your life, it adds value to your home. When you add a TimberTech deck – or use TimberTech to replank a wood deck – you'll recoup much of your investment when you sell your home. Remodeling Magazine's 2009-2010 Cost vs. Value Report estimates a national average of  71% return on investment for composite deck additions*. This is a similiar or better return on investment than projects such as bathroom addition, bathroom remodel and major kitchen remodel. To maximize your return, Realty Times suggests using a non-rectangle design, and making your deck an extension of your living space.

*Based on a 16′ x 20′ deck set in simple linear pattern; using pressure-treated joists supported by 4x4 posts anchored to concrete piers; built-in bench and planter of the same decking material; stairs, assuming three steps to grade; complete railing using a matching system made of the same composite as the decking material