Fire and Water Damage Restoration Professionals

When fire and water damage restoration is necessary, there are different means of approaching each cleanup and repair project, depending on the circumstances involved. For example, how much water was involved in the flooding incident? Was the water relatively clean or was it contaminated with sewage, chemicals, or other toxins? How long was the water allowed to sit unattended, permeating walls, carpet, wood cabinetry, and furniture? Were hazardous chemicals involved in the fire? How much smoke and soot permeated the premises? How much and what kind of toxic fumes and gases were produced by the blaze?

With fire and water damage restoration, there are other issues to consider as well. Smoke and fire damages need to be cleaned out and premises need to be ventilated to reduce odors. Floodwater, spills and water accidents need to be removed and dried as quickly as possible. When building materials are allowed to be continuously soaked in water for an extended period of time, they will have to be replaced rather than repaired or restored.

Mold and mildew usually stem from water damages that were neglected and not cleaned out and repaired. Given the proper conditions to thrive, mold propagates rather quickly. Mold is a significant health hazard in the home environment and is responsible for symptoms such as headaches, runny nose, asthma, dizziness, rashes, fatigue, respiratory problems, and others. Thus, water damage that is left unattended for over 48 hours is likely to develop mold as well as structural damage, requiring more involved repair work and driving up the cost of the fire and water damage restoration project.

If flooding is caused by dirty water, which is water contaminated by pathogens, sewage or chemical waste, the items it comes in contact with must be professionally cleaned and sanitized or tossed altogether. In fact, the rule of thumb is that if the item cannot be washed or disinfected, it needs to be trashed. Water, food and medicines that came in contact with dirty water must be discarded. If items are porous, such as fabrics, clothing, bedding, stuffed toys, particle board, laminated or pressed wood furniture and cabinetry, they should be discarded as well. If in doubt, consult a fire and water damage restoration professional, especially if items have sentimental or significant financial value. In fact, content restoration experts have more tools, techniques and methods at their disposal today than they ever had before, making salvaging and restoration of books, documents, artwork, electronics, furniture and other items a standard and routine process that restores loved and cherished items and saves millions of dollars annually for insurance companies.

When a fire and water damage restoration work is needed, calling a professionally certified restoration company for help is the safest and best action to take. These specialists are knowledgeable, trained and experienced in fire and water damage cleanup, repair and restoration efforts and have the equipment, tools and supplies necessary for the job. Moreover, they can detect and remove mold before it becomes a nightmare for property owners.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6561601

How to Save On Home Maintenance Costs

Most people dream of owning a home, but often do not realize the expenses involved in home maintenance costs. Maintenance is required on all dwellings, but unlike renting or leasing, homeowners are responsible for their own repairs, so it is time to figure out the best way to save money during the process. Create an emergency home maintenance account to use for repairs that come up unexpectedly. A designated account can provide the funds to make repairs in an emergency and to ensure that money is available for preventive repairs before more serious damage occurs.

Establish a maintenance checklist to perform on a regular basis to detect minor problems and fix them in a timely manner. While it may seem tempting to let little things go, every dollar spent on preventive maintenance can save hundreds of dollars in the future. There are many simple things homeowners can do themselves like change air conditioning and furnace filters on a regular basis. If filters clog up, the units work harder for the same level of comfort. Keeping filters changed extends the life of the unit.

When certain problems occur such as a small roof leak, it is imperative to repair it quickly to avoid more costly structural damage. Before calling a professional to fix a problem, consult a home repair manual or the internet. They often provide detailed steps enabling homeowners to do repairs themselves. Take some maintenance courses at a local college or attend workshops or seminars at retail stores to improve your knowledge and skill. Learn how to make repairs by watching others. It is surprising how much knowledge sinks in by watching and paying close attention to details.

Keep the house as dust free as possible. Dust clogs filters, collects on appliance motors, and coils making them work harder and shortening their life span. The same holds true for the lint filter in a dryer. Empty it after every drying cycle and clean the vent several times a year. Repair any holes in the roof or siding to prevent further damage. Check windows and doors for water leakage or moisture on a regular basis. Be a responsible homeowner and know your limitations.

For instance, if a homeowner knows nothing about electricity, under no circumstances should they attempt repairs. Safety is the major concern, but severe damage to the homes entire electrical system is possible. A homeowner must carefully choose what they attempt to fix themselves or it may result in costing more money than hiring a professional. At some point, a homeowner will have to call a professional. However, you can still save money by doing the necessary research to ensure the professional performs quality work at affordable prices.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6560704

House Calls: a 12x12 living room

THE CHALLENGE

The 12-by-12-foot living room area in Crystal Straughn’s new Silver Spring townhouse is a blank slate. She’d like some help with the floor plan and advice on where to place the TV.

THE SOLUTION

Designer Peggy Fisher uses modern furniture and a sophisticated color palette to turn this empty space into an inviting place to call home.

Woven shades add layers and texture to the room and offer privacy and light control.

Keep the TV where it is; the seating is far enough away to allow for a comfortable viewing angle.

A soft area rug grounds the seating area and adds softness and color to the space.

Bring in something vintage, like this wing chair found at a consignment store, to add character and personality to the room.

A storage ottoman can be used as extra seating and to store blankets. Turn the top over for a flat surface to be used as a side table.

A neutral sofa is the perfect pairing for colorful accent chairs. Center the sofa area with a pendant light hung directly overhead.

Paint walls in a blue-green and a silver-gray: Beach Glass and Sterling by Benjamin Moore.

Fisher Group (703-750-1151, www.designbuildrenovate.com) is based in Annandale.

SHOPPING GUIDE

Furniture: Wing chair (no longer available, www.misspixies.com); reclaimed wood weathered tanki table ($205, www.overstock.com); slipper chair in peacock ikat ($330, www.urbanoutfitters. com); Alseda stool ($30, www.ikea.com);

Sheridan green leather storage ottoman with tray ($45, www.target.com).

Lighting: Ikea PS pendant lamp ($40, www.ikea.com).

Accessories: Ogden rug, 6-by-9 feet ($600, www.crateandbarrel.com); Belize natural Roman shades in Tortoise Bay (priced according to size, www.nextdayblinds.com; medium rectangle planter ($59, www.sears.com).

Terms and conditions of The Washington Post Kid’s Room Contest

We want to showcase the best-designed children’s bedrooms in the Washington area. Upload photos to our Web site that show how you’ve fashioned your kid’s room. The bedroom must belong to a child and cannot be decorated by a professional designer, which is someone who makes a portion or all of his or her income from decorating. Decorating materials may include paint, furniture, sheets, artwork, curtains or any other material you like. There will be one grand prize winner who will receive $100 American Express gift check and be featured in an article in The Washington Post's Local Living section. View all details at washingtonpost.com/kidsroomcontest.

No purchase is necessary to enter this contest. This contest is sponsored by WP Company LLC d/b/a The Washington Post ("Sponsor"). Anyone in the United States is eligible to submit photos of his or her bedroom, but the finalists must be residents of the District of Columbia, Maryland or Virginia. Contestants must be 18 years of age or older to enter. One entry per person. Employees, officers, directors and representatives of Sponsor and its affiliates, and those with whom they are domiciled, are not eligible. Void outside of the District of Columbia, Virginia and Maryland and where prohibited by law. Contest subject to all federal, state and local laws.

The process:

1. Take photos of your stylish kid bedroom from at least three different angles. (Make sure the pictures do not include people or embarrassing personal items that you wouldn’t want the world to see!). Upload no more than five photos as high-resolution JPEGs, five megabytes or smaller, to the Kid Bedrooms user-generated photo gallery. Within the caption box, include a description of your room’s design. In the additional information box, include your name, age, e-mail address, daytime phone number and city and state of residence. The submission period begins Thursday, August 11, 2011, and is limited to one entry per person. All submitted kid bedroom photos and captions may appear online at any time after they have been received at washingtonpost.com/kidsroomscontest starting on or around Thursday, August 11, 2011. Your contact information will not be shown online.

2. Photo submissions are due by Friday, September 23, at 11:59 p.m. ET , but keep your rooms pristine after submission. In the ensuing weeks, the Washington Post Local Living staff and a professional designer will pick at least five finalists based on creativity and skill in execution; a Post staff member or members will visit the finalists to compare the submissions with the actual bedrooms. If the bedrooms are approved by the Post staff, the finalists will enter an online voting system where readers will vote to determine the Readers’ Choice Winner. Finalists also will become eligible to be the grand prize winner, which will be selected by the contest judges. Decisions of the judges are final and cannot be appealed. By entering, you authorize The Post to publish photos of your child’s bedroom and the caption you wrote, and to identify you as the entrant with those photos.

How To: Which direction to run wood floors, installing vinyl in a basement

A.Regarding the wood flooring, there’s a little truth in what both people told you, though the second person was more correct. The National Wood Flooring Association’s technical guidelines call for installing both hardwood flooring and engineered flooring crosswise to joists. Real wood needs to be installed that way to give the nails something to bite into. With engineered flooring, which is often glued or clicked together, the issue is more cosmetic. If engineered planks run in the same direction as joists, pieces with a joist underneath will be much stiffer than those that don’t have solid support, and that could affect the way light is reflected off the finish. “Even a slight flex could cause a distortion, so you’d see where the joists are,” says Frank Kroupa, training director for the flooring association.

That said, if you think it would look a lot better to have the strips run parallel to the joists, you can invest in some fixes that stiffen the flooring enough so the joists won’t show. Solutions include adding a layer of half-inch plywood before the flooring strips are installed or adding cross-bracing underneath the floor.

In a hallway, it would look silly to install the wood crosswise, regardless of which direction the joists run. So you should do what makes sense visually, and you probably don’t need to worry about stiffening the floor first. “Use common sense,” Kroupa says. “In 30 years, I’ve never laid flooring in the short direction in a hall. There just isn’t enough space.” Also, a hall is narrow enough that you wouldn’t notice differences in reflected light anyway.

As for the vinyl, ensuring that moisture isn’t coming up through the concrete is usually a big issue in basements. However, the existing flooring has been in place for decades. Assuming it isn’t crumbling or coming loose, you can probably safely conclude that moisture isn’t an issue. Applying new flooring on top of the old is probably preferable anyway, because vinyl flooring and flooring adhesive made before 1981 often contain asbestos, an ingredient that becomes a problem only if you rip it out or if it’s breaking down. Chris Davis, president and chief executive of the World Floor Covering Association, a trade group, says the installers should probably use a “floating floor” method, which calls for spreading a thin underlayment over the floor and then attaching the new vinyl only on the perimeter. If there are seams, they can be glued together, but not to the floor.