Are Termites Eating You Out Of House and Home?

Termites are a group of eusocial insects, a term used for the highest level of social organization in a hierarchial classification. Along with ants and some bees and wasps which are all placed in the separate order Hymenoptera, termites divide labor among gender lines, produce overlapping generations and take care of young collectively. Termites mostly feed on dead plant material, generally in the form of wood, leaf litter, soil, or animal dung, and about 10% of the estimated 4,000 species (about 2,600 taxonomically known) are economically significant as pests that can cause serious structural damage to buildings, crops or plantation forests. Termites are major detritivores, particularly in the subtropical and tropical regions, and their recycling of wood and other plant matter is of considerable ecological importance.

As eusocial insects, termites live in colonies that, at maturity, number from several hundred to several million individuals. Colonies use a decentralised, self-organized system of activity guided by swarm intelligence to exploit food sources and environments that could not be available to any single insect acting alone. A typical colony contains nymphs (semi-mature young), workers, soldiers, and reproductive individuals of both genders, sometimes containing several egg-laying queens.

Termites are sometimes called "white ants", though they are not closely related to true ants.

If a termite colony is living in your home you can expect significant damage if left untreated. We suggest an annual inspection of your home by a licensed termite inspector. For a fee as low as $35.00, you can rest easy knowing your house is safe from these pesky creatures.

Its Time To Seal Your Deck

Its May and time to be thinking about sealing yor deck. This is an important step in prolonging the life of your deck. Here are some tips from us and some other professionals around the country.

First, you have to get it clean and open the pores of the wood. Jesse Kirchoff of Handyman Solutions suggests using a chlorine solution with Simple Cherry detergent and the acid neutralizes the chlorine, brightens the dark tanin stains on Cedar and opens up the poors on pressure treated.

Picking out the best sealer can be tricky. It seems every contractor has a different opinion on this. Jesse Kircoff prefers TWP I have used TWP as well with good success. Matthew Seargeant of Matt's Painting and Drywall prefers Deckscapes.

No matter which product you choose, make sure you do your homework before deciding which product is right for your deck.

Consumers Getting Confident?

The monthly Consumer Confidence Index that uses 1985 as a base year with an assigned value of 100, rose from 46.4 to 52.5 after falling more than 10 points during the previous month, the Conference Board said.

In a March survey of 5,000 households, the number of respondents indicating economic conditions were "good" rose from 6.8 percent to 8.6 percent. The number of respondents indicating conditions were "bad" fell from 45.1 percent to 42.8 percent.

A similar shift occurred with responses on the employment picture. Respondents indicating jobs were "plentiful" rose from 4 percent to 4.4 percent and those indicating jobs were "hard to get" fell from 47.3 percent to 45.8 percent.

These are not numbers are not ideal but guess what. They are rising and that’s a good thing. I prefer to judge our local economy based on the jobs I’m receiving. Right now we have three major bathroom remodels going and a detached garage project. The garage will house my customers new 2010 Ford pickup that he purchased two months ago.

We are fortunate that some are spending and hopeful that more Americans secure employment quickly so we can get back to that perfect score of 100 that we had in 1985.

Spring Into Action

Spring is here and there are things every homeowner needs to address. Start by climbing onto your roof and inspect for loose or torn shingles. Pay close attention to your vent flashing and chimney.

Inspect all of your rain gutters and spouts. Make sure they are clean and free of all debris. Verify that they are still attached properly.

Next you will want to visually inspect all caulking joints at doors and windows. If the caulking is cracked or missing, now is the time to address it. Make sure your paint is not cracking or peeling. If you are the type of person that paint your own home you may want to paint one side of your home every spring. This way every side gets a fresh coat pf paint every 4 years. If your home was built before 1978, then you may have some old paint containing lead and special precautions are needed to protect yourself and others during sanding and scraping. Check out this website for more info on lead

Another important area that many overlook is positive drainage. You should have 6 inches of fall 10 feet out at all areas around your home. This can be achieved by adding topsoil around the perimeter of your home. It is critical that water flow away from the structure and never pool against the foundation walls.

You should hire a qualified technician to inspect and service your HVAC unit. These units can get very dirty over time and must be cleaned and serviced regularly to operate at peak efficiency.

If you have a basement, check the foundation walls for cracking. If you have any cracks over 1/4 inch wide then you need to call a professional to address the problem. Putting this off could lead to many future problems. If you have a sump pump, check to make sure it is operational and install a battery operated backup to it in case of power failure.

Finally check all your smoke detectors to insure they are operating properly.

How to Locate and Hire a Good Contractor

We have all heard horror stories and watched newscasts about innocent people being ripped off by a contractor. Unfortunately, this happens far too often in the construction industry. Here are some guidelines to follow when hiring a contractor for your home.

Step 1. How to Find a Good Contractor

When searching, word of mouth is by far and away the best method. Speak with your friends, neighbors, coworkers and relatives. One of them probably has the guy for you. If searching the internet, newspaper, or telephone book is appealing to you, then you need to beware. Anyone can pay for an ad, good guys or bad guys. Whether you find a contractor from word of mouth or from an advertisement, you will need to do some detective work.

Step 2. Check Him Out

Most communities now have a building dept. This is your first step in determining if you have found the right contractor for your project. You need to call the building dept. and verify that he is properly licensed for your project. You should ask how many permits he has pulled in the last year and if he has passed all of his inspections. Next, go ahead and check with your local Better Business Bureau. Even if he is not a paid member, the BBB records consumer complaints for up to three years. Use Google or similar search engine. Often times you will find a review or complaint listed from a burned consumer. Finally, get some free insurance. A good contractor will carry liability insurance and you can be listed as a rider on that policy. Have his insurance company fax you a certificate with your name on it. Workers Comp insurance is a must have as well. If an uncovered worker is injured on your project, you could be held liable in some instances. If he passes this gauntlet, start calling his references. They will sing his praises, because he picked them for you to call, but you can get some good insight on things such as timeliness, cleanliness, etc. Next, have him put together a contract for your project.

Step 3. Read Your Contract

It is imperative that your contractor provide you with a written contract. It is your duty to make sure that it is very detailed about the specific work that is to be completed. You want to get what you are paying for and the last thing you want is to pay extra for something you thought was included in the original contract. Ofcourse read all of his fine print just as you would with any other contract you would sign.

Step 4. Pay On Your Terms

Your contractor will list his payment terms in your contract. This does not mean you have to agree with them. A good rule of thumb is to allow for up to 30% down. This ofcourse, is only if he has passed all the guidelines listed above. A good method is to release the remaining funds at a predermined points as work progresses and as outlined in the contract. Follow these guidelines and you are on your way to improving your most prized possesion.

Preparing for Kitchen Remodeling

Remodeling the kitchen is very much a hype these days. This is because there are a number of people who found out how remodeling their kitchen will makeover the look of their homes. However, it is very important for people to know that kitchen remodeling is something that cannot be done immediately. This is because you have to check a lot of things first before putting the design plan that you want and you can group them into two things. First is the plan itself then the physical factor.

In terms of the plan, you have to think first of the design that you want. Would you like to have a kitchen with high end gadgets and appliances? Would you like to go natural? Or are you just someone who would like to have a functional yet convenient kitchen? You have to plan the original theme that will fit your needs. After the design, you have to think of the appliances that you may want to include in your kitchen theme. Overall, think every detail that you want to see in your kitchen.

For the physical part like the kitchen itself, it is now time for you to check the current look of the kitchen. Check the layout of your dream kitchen design then your current kitchen. With this, you have to see whether you have to build another part of your kitchen for the layout. Some kitchen layout would require an island on the middle part of the kitchen.

In relation to the layout, you also have to take note of your kitchen’s space. Will the layout suitable for your needed design fit on your current kitchen size? If not, you may consider to have a part of the kitchen torn down prior to starting the project. If tearing down a part is not possible, you may consider changing the kitchen layout to the one that will fit your kitchen. This will help you save from tearing down the place but you may not be able to achieve the design that you want.

For this however, you may ask some assistance from contractors as they may help you to have other option that will match your current kitchen size if your layout is not possible. They are very much knowledgeable with these that they can give you a lot of suggestions that are also within your allotted budget and preference.

Blue Ribbon Construction LLC is a full service remodeling company located in Wichita, KS. You can contact us at www.goblueribbon.com