Author: Rachael

The Process Explained: How Does House Leveling Work?

Rachael

A home foundation is a structure that supports the weight of your home. It is what keeps your house from sinking into the ground or falling over on its side. Foundations are typically made of concrete, brick, or stone, but they can also be made of wood.

Foundations come in different shapes and sizes depending on the needs of your home or building. They’re also used for different purposes—for example, a basement foundation helps your house stay upright, while an underground parking lot uses a slab foundation to support cars.

Whatever their shape or size, foundations are designed to meet specific needs and make sure your home is stable and secure.

All home foundations settle, and the more they settle, the more likely they are to crack. Cracks can be an indication of foundation settlement, but they can also be caused by other factors. If you have a crack in your foundation, it’s important to inspect it closely to determine what’s causing it.

If your home has settled significantly over a short period of time, there’s a good chance that the cause is soil shifting due to construction or heavy rains. If you’ve recently had work done on your home or property or if there has been significant rainfall nearby, you should check for cracks in your foundation.

If the settlement has occurred over a longer period of time, then it’s likely that there are structural issues with your home rather than with the soil itself. This could mean that your house needs repair or reinforcement before it can support itself properly again. If the damage is extreme, your house may need to be leveled as well.

For more information, please visit our website at betterfoundationrepairokc.com.

What Is House Leveling?

House leveling is the process of adjusting the elevation of your home to match the level of the other houses nearby. In short, it’s about making sure your home sits at a consistent height in relation to your neighbors’ homes.

The purpose of house leveling is to ensure that all neighboring properties are at an even elevation. This ensures that water flows away from the property when it rains or snows, allowing for better drainage. House leveling can also help prevent flooding during heavy rains and storms.

House leveling is typically done by a contractor who will assess your property and make any necessary adjustments to ensure that it is level with its neighbors’ properties. The process typically involves digging up part of your yard, pouring concrete foundations into place, and then filling them back up with dirt once they’ve dried out sufficiently enough that they won’t collapse under their own weight.

What Is The Cost Of House Leveling?

The cost of leveling a house will vary depending on the size and shape of the home, as well as the materials used to level it.

If you have a small house with an uneven foundation, you can typically expect to pay between $2,000 and $5,000 for leveling services.

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Everything You Need to Know About Sealing Attic Air Leaks

Rachael

If you want to seal your attic, you’ve come to the right place. Sealing your attic is essential for reducing energy bills, preventing ice dams, and improving indoor air quality. In this article, we’ll cover the basics of attic air sealing. But first, let’s examine what makes attic air leaks so difficult.

It Reduces Energy Bills.

Sealing attic air leaks is a great way to improve energy efficiency and reduce energy bills. While you can choose between blown-in cellulose, fiberglass batts, or spray foam, you can also choose to seal air gaps and cracks. Although air sealing will help reduce energy bills, it is essential to seal any existing gaps before installing new insulation. The attic is a prime culprit of energy leaks, and if the area is not sealed correctly, it will allow the heated or cooled air to escape and the hot air to enter the home’s interior.

The air in an attic can be contaminated with mold and mildew, which can have serious health implications. By eliminating leaks, you will reduce the stack effect by eliminating leaks, wasting less energy. In addition to toxins, mold and mildew can cause health problems, so air sealing your attic will improve indoor air quality.

It Prevents Ice Dams.

If your roof suffers from ice dams, you must do what you can to prevent them. They damage roofs and insulation and tear off shingles. You’ll notice peeling paint, warped floors, and stained ceilings. In addition, ice dams can cause soggy insulation in the attic, which loses its R-value and attracts mold.

If you have unconditioned attics, sealing attic air leaks is essential for preventing ice dams. This insulation is inexpensive insurance against ice dams. You should also insulate your attic with an R-40 value.

It Reduces Ice Dams

When you have a leaky roof, it can be challenging to predict the exact time when the dams will form. It may be winter, or it may be fall, but both of these events can cause damage to your home. In any case, sealing attic air leaks will help reduce the likelihood of ice dams forming. In addition to reducing the number of ice dams, it will also reduce your energy bills. Whether in a cold or warm climate, you must get your roof appropriately insulated to prevent damage to your home.

While increasing your attic ventilation and adding additional insulation won’t solve these problems, you can maximize your home’s energy savings by sealing attic air leaks. While most air leaks will be located in the attic, an infrared scan will reveal them more precisely. 

It Improves Indoor Air Quality.

If your home isn’t sealed correctly, you may have dangerous pollutants like carbon monoxide and volatile organic compounds. Attic air leaks are widespread in homes near busy roads and those with noisy neighbors. Air sealing makes the home quieter, allowing you to sleep later and turn up the music without worrying about disturbing your neighbors. You might even be surprised to find … Read more ...

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Is Your Tree Dead in Cape Cod? (5 Signs You Can Check for)

Rachael

One of the valuable assets that you can have on your Cape Cod property is trees. They come with many benefits including boosting the appeal of your property, offering you shade, and even increasing your home’s energy efficiency.

Sometimes, a dead tree gives obvious signs such as the leaves drying and falling off in the summer, or the branches developing sores or holes from pest infestation. However, identifying a tree that is in poor health can be harder, which makes it more delicate to address, especially if the tree is next to your home.

So, you want to watch out for these five signs that your tree may be dead or dying. This knowledge will alert you when things go wrong with your tree and help you address the issue before it causes damage to your property. For further information from our arborists in Cape Cod, please visit us on our website at https://treeservicescapecod.com/.

Signs that a tree may be dead

If you’re worried that your tree may be dead, there are a few signs you may want to watch out for to know whether your tree is truly dead. The following are some of them:

The leaves are dry

If your tree is losing its leaves or its foliage is becoming crunchy during the winter or autumn months, there may be nothing to worry about. However, if these happen during the summer or spring seasons, then there’s a problem with the tree.

Another thing with this sign is that you may notice that some branches of the tree are full of healthy leaves while some other branches are scanty. When compared to other trees of the same species, a dying tree may have fewer leaves.

The branches are weak

There are times when the leaves of a dying tree may seem to be doing fine but the tree branches may begin to sag due to weakness. This usually happens with trees that have many and heavier leaves. One of the common trees in this category is the willow tree.

A weak tree branch can manifest itself by sinking due to the weight of its leaves and sub-branches. This can even be worse during and after rain. This is a sign that there is a problem with the tree.

The branches and trunk have dried up

One of the things you may want to check is if the tree branches are still flexible when bent. This should be the case even with trees that are naturally more brittle. If the tree snaps or cracks far quickly, it may be a good sign that the tree is dead.

The branches and trunks of a tree should be elastic. This property is what helps to survive most winds. A tree’s loss of elasticity is a sign of a problem with it.

Decay

Waterlogging may cause softness and decay to a tree, and this may be not much trouble. However, if this situation is not caused by waterlogging, then it’s a sign … Read more ...

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How To Improve Your Backyard

Rachael

Help your backyard reach its fullest potential and develop into something more than just extra grass. With a few additions, your backyard can be completely transformed into your favorite space to relax and entertain.

Create a Comfortable Space

Install a deck or patio for you and your guests to enjoy a relaxing area to hang out. Decide if you want to install a patio using decorative stones or build a floating deck. If you have a pool, you can build your deck surrounding your pool for easy access. For help with building a full-service deck, you may want to hire a professional pool design and installation Charlotte NC service. Think about what type of outdoor furniture you want and how you can make it comfortable. You will likely want a nearby grill to cook up food while you enjoy your time outside. Depending on how much cooking you do outside, you might even want an outdoor kitchen.

Plant a Garden

Bring more color and personality to your yard with a freshly planted garden. You can even try growing your own herbs and vegetables. A garden can be a great topic of conversation, improve the appearance of your yard, and help you save money on groceries. Gardening is also a natural way to relieve stress and exercise outside. Soak up the sun and relax your mind as you tend to your plants. After gardening, both you and your plants will feel rejuvenated and happy.

Install a Playground

If you have children, consider building a playground for them to play and enjoy. Instead of having to make trips to the park, your kids can get plenty of exercise in their backyard. Depending on how much yard space you have available, you can make it as simple as a sandbox or build a multi-level treehouse with swings and a slide. Shop around for a safe and reliable swing set. Playgrounds can include a climbing wall, monkey bars, or interactive games.    

Set Up Lighting

Illuminate your backyard with ambient outdoor lighting. Light up any pathways with solar-powered landscape lighting and hang string lights around to create a beautiful sparkling effect across your yard. Outdoor lighting will help set the mood as the sun goes down and minimize any chance of tripping in your yard at night. Warm up your backyard on chilly nights with an outdoor fireplace or fire pit. Enjoy roasting marshmallows and gathering around the warmth with your family and friends.

Improve the appearance and function of your backyard using these simple tips.… Read more ...

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6 Signs You Need Foundation Repair in Baton Rouge Area

Rachael

Your home’s foundation probably isn’t something you think about on a daily basis. Out of sight, out of mind- and a foundation is about as “out of sight” as you can get. Its job is to silently support your home and keep everything level as it should be.

However, nothing lasts forever- and that includes your foundation. It’s important to keep your home in good shape for as long as possible, and part of that process is knowing the signs of disrepair around the house. Here are 6 signs that you should start thinking about calling a local company for foundation repair services. This information is presented by our company for foundation repair in Baton Rouge.

1.    Sagging Floors

A dip here and there on the floor, especially during the winter, is normal. There may even be a few creaky or low spots when you move in. However, what’s not normal is a dip in the floor that appears suddenly, worsens over time, or feels weaker than the rest of the floor when you step on it.

Floors may sag due to foundation problems. If the walls of the foundation are being pressed inwards by an external force, such as soil expansion, then the floors won’t have as much support and may develop dips or sags. Waiting too long to fix these issues can result in further damage to the floor joists and then foundation in general.

2.    Cracks in the Wall

Perhaps the biggest sign of foundation problems is cracks developing in your walls. Over time, your foundation can sink or weaken, especially in the middle. When this happens, the walls lose their support and start to weaken as well, leading to cracks.

Cracks in your basement walls can be caused by soil expansion as well. Especially in areas that have large amounts of clay, spring rains cause the soil to expand and press inwards on the foundation walls, breaking them down and forming cracks. If they are smaller than ⅛ of an inch, or small enough that you can’t slip a dime into them, you may not need to worry about them just yet. However, any bigger than that and you’ll need to start thinking about calling a Baton Rouge foundation repair company.

3.    Water Damage

Cracks in your foundation are, unfortunately, a way for all sorts of things to make their way into your home. This includes water! Water damage is particularly likely if you have cracks in a basement foundation, since these allow groundwater to seep in from the soil around it. Heavy rains in the spring can contribute to this problem, flooding a basement in no time. Now you have two problems to deal with: cleaning up the water damage and fixing the foundation.

If you suffer water damage in the basement, don’t panic. You may need to contact a flood cleanup company along with the foundation repair company, or one company may do both. Either way, get it addressed as quickly as possible … Read more ...

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