Favorite Plum Tree

During a brief few hours the other day, I could have  sworn it was spring. There was a real sense of warmth and I could feel the heat radiating on my face. I even caught a whiff of a floral scent from the favorite fruit bearing plum tree that I parked next to.

I was able to admire a few daffodils and the forsythia was a brilliant yellow too.

It got me thinking about living in a place that experiences all four seasons. Honestly, it seems like winters and summers dominate our part of the country, but growing up in the bay area, I had to develop an appreciation.

Naturally, I began catching up on some home improvement projects of my own including raking up the yard and replacing a faulty bathroom faucet that was beyond a washer repair.

Forsythia

Here are a few of the springtime projects that are worth looking at.

• Cleaning out gutters ( a necessary evil when trees are around)
• Verifying sprinkler system status (broken heads can do lots of damage)
• Changing out HVAC air filters.  (A clogged system is wasteful)
• Opening up foundation vents ( let your crawl space breath)
• Repairing leaks and running toilets (Water adds up quickly)
• Hoses and supply lines (If you have to ask, the answer is yes)
• Inline water filters (not all places have them)
• Look at the roof (we now have a 2 roof maximum till tear off)

I get the feeling that, like me, many of us are getting up the nerve to make that call to a contractor to see about improving our living spaces.

Look it over and make a plan

Look at your kitchen. Look at your bathrooms. Do a physical inventory of your home and spaces. Look inside and out, on top and underneath. Keep a watchful eye.

Hint, (think like water)

Unlike a fine wine that gets better with age, our homes, toys, and systems deteriorate with the passing of each season.

Plan, prioritize, and budget for the repairs. What is on your list? Whether you fix it yourself or have others do it, please don’t wait until it is an emergency. Trust me, nothing good comes from procrastinating until a failure occurs.

Your comments are welcome. To ask questions or get more information about remodeling, email me directly or visit our contact page.

Disclaimer: Some of these images came from the WEB. If they are yours, and you object to them being used, please claim them and I will gladly remove and replace them at once.

Knob & Tube with Splices

During almost every remodeling project Levco does, especially in Boise’s historic North End, we encounter Knob & Tube Wiring. It was the craze back in the late 1800′s to the early 1900′s, it was relatively safe ( compared to kerosene or gas lamps) and it was cheaper to install than the armored cable alternative.

Knobs are the porcelain insulators that are nailed in and keep the wires from touching. Tubes are the porcelain insulators that were stuck in holes that the wires would run through.

Danger occurred when splices were done improperly because poor connections caused heat and heat caused fires. Other problems included a fused neutral conductor and the ease for homeowners to add larger fuses when they continuously popped. Heat was dissipated through open air and truly the wires should have breathing room. Overloaded circuits are not uncommon in older homes because there were no previous requirements for the number of outlets.

Proper Junction Box

Knob & Tube was a system where single wires, a hot and a neutral, were run to each outlet and switch. When a wire came close to or was required to go through a wood member, it would also be attached to or go through a porcelain insulator. Splicing was done anywhere. The insulation was carved back, the new wire was wrapped tightly and ideally soldered, and then covered with electrical tape, which,in those days, was different and called friction tape.

The truth is that if your home has Knob & Tube wiring, and it still works well you are doing OK. With age, the insulation around the wires becomes brittle and is often disturbed during renovations. Aggravation occurs when a wiring problem crops up because the connections could be anywhere.

Rough Electrical

Take a complicated three way switch, for instance, with connections of other wires anywhere in line and power allowed to come from different circuits. You can see how solving a problem could be a nightmare.

These days all connections must be made in an accessible electrical box.

What is missing from knob & tube wiring is the ground wire which is an added safety element that has been an added feature to the code. There have been lots of upgrades in electricity delivery since those early days of electrifying homes.

Since the end of World War II, electrical gadgets have become common. These days we have far more electrical conveniences (necessities) in the home, which  requires more circuits, at least 4 in a modern kitchen.

At Levco, we only use licensed electricians to provide our electrical work.

Andy the Electrician

Most electricians are fluent in the old time wiring techniques. The ones we use  specialize in remodeling and don’t mind the intricacies of adding to an existing system or in some cases ripping out the old stuff back to where it is safe and going from there.

Like anything difficult, it takes a special subcontractor who has a passion for remodeling. If your wiring requires updating during the course of a remodeling project, you can rest assured, Levco will take care of any problems and upgrades your electrical system may need. Our motto is to “do as much as necessary yet as little as possible” to make you home safe and functional for years to come.

Disclaimer: Some of these images came from the WEB. If they are yours, and you object to them being used, please claim them and I will gladly remove and replace them at once.

Moldy Stuff

Mold, also know as Fungus, has become a huge issue in homes as of late, with concerns coming from the medical as well as the insurance communities. Many misconceptions are floating around, which that have caused panic and hysteria. Usually a trained sense of smell is all that is required to locate a problem, and visible signs all that you need to confirm the diagnosis. The spores can cause a respiratory irritation, and if a preexisting sensitivity or respiratory illness exists, it can exacerbate that problem.

But all mold  is not bad, although I often refer to it as the “M” word. I prefer to use “bacterial growth” as it is more subtle. We must remember that mold is what makes the blue in blue cheese. It is what makes bread rise in the form of yeast. Mold is also the natural decomposer, it digests rotten organic matter (sometimes before the expiration date).  It is also the foundation of fermentation. God only knows where we would be as a civilization without that.

Mold Triangle

Mold, like fire, has a triangle of opportunity to proliferate: some sort of food (some sort of organic matter),  warmth (in most cases), and moisture. When combined the organism flourishes and reproduces at an incredible pace.

The EPA has set guidelines for dealing with mold and I believe they have a very sensible approach. they have provided many resources and reading materials to understand mold, to prevent it, and remove it as needed. The bottom line is that we want to prevent its growth and proliferation by being aware of where it comes from and making sure we treat it with respect.

From Levco’s perspective, mold in an area that is moist is an outward sign of a water problem that requires fixing. If dry, it is a sign that there was an issue that was not cleaned adequately. From a health perspective we focus upon proper respiratory protection, proper disposal of contaminated materials, and good personal hygiene.

We categorize water problems into two categories Acute and Chronic.

Acute:

The source of acute water problems are usually obvious. The stopping of the leak is of foremost importance. Cleaning up after an acute leak takes patience and attention to detail. we have seen many acute leaks that have not been dried adequately and have provided the third leg of the mold triangle. Seepage between floors and under materials tat do not breathe like vinyl flooring are prime locations for mold growth.

Chronic:

We find all sorts of telltale signs of mold that have existed for eons. In one case, a hillside leak came through a foundation crack and created mold growth in the insulation. It was stopped by the visqueen vapor barrier and never made it to the drywall. The wall eventually dried out, but when we went to remodel we needed to take special precautions not to breath in the spores.

Chronic Mold

We were recently referred by an insurance agent to a client who was having her laundry room flooring replaced with tile. When the contractor removed the vinyl, there were all sorts of black colored mold that had disintegrated the particleboard underlayment and left visible stains on the OSB subfloor. Within a few minutes, it became obvious that the leak was resolved long ago and the moisture was gone as well. The dust like material was easily vacuumed up with a HEPA vacuum and then the area was scrubbed with a soap and water solution. Finally, the entire area was soaked with a strong antibacterial solution and allowed to dry prior to having the new plastic underlayment applied and tile set.

How We Attack a Mold Issue:

Once we have decided to remediate a mold issue,

1. We survey the affected area from a safe distance.
2. We protect ourselves and provide containment.
3. We rapidly determine whether this is a project we can handle or if it requires referring to a specialty subcontractor.
4. We focus our attention upon ensuring that the leak or source of moisture has been resolved.
5. Once resolved, we make a plan for cleanup and repair.
6. Depending upon the severity, building components might require cleaning and disinfectant all the way to removal and disposal.

As a remodeler I was forced to add a mold clause that addresses the issue.

MOLD: Mold is a naturally occurring form of bacteria, it is everywhere including in healthy homes. In some occurrences, rare instances, sensitivity and reactions to particular types of mold can occur. We do not proclaim to be specialists in this field; however, we are aware of what it looks like, how to clean it up, and basic prevention techniques. When we suspect a mold hazard to health, we will at our discretion, contact a specialty contractor or mold resource for third party verifications and or recommendations. The Owner will be consulted and a Change Order will be initiated to provide this task at the Owners expense.

Having a third party response to a mold issue can be an expensive undertaking. At Levco, we try our best to handle these issues for our clients reasonably and responsibly. We have several backups in this area, most of which come with a hefty price tag.

Disclaimer: Some of these images came from the WEB. If they are yours, and you object to them being used, please claim them and I will gladly remove and replace them at once.

Ceiling Cave In

At Levco working with insurance companies has become a regular thing. Usually, things go well, but occasionally they go very sideways. We have used our vast experiences to share what we have learned. Here is how we handle insurance claims related to a Flood or Fire.

In most cases, the insurance company wants to work with everyone and get your home back together quickly. If they omitted something in their bid that is discovered after the fact, it is normally not a problem.

Owner Decided to Switch to Tile

The number one issue Levco has had is related to owners having unrealistic expectations of their insurance carrier. Owners believe the insurance agency is going to remodel more than was effected by the disaster! This is a constant battle.

• The idea is not to profit from a disaster. If you had hardwood before for instance, and want tile now,  you must sign a remodeling contract with a bid for the additional work. We do credit the difference, but has led to huge misunderstandings.

The second most frequent problem is that home owners have no idea what is excluded. They walk around as if no matter what happens that “You’re in good hands” or “You have an umbrella over you.” That is clearly not the case.

Thirdly, you will always need to pay your deductible out of pocket. The contractor won’t ” work it into the bid”.

Finally, you do not need to get 3 bids. If you select Levco, we will rebuild for the amount the insurance company allows.

Issues we have had include, but are not limited to.

1. Occasionally adjusters disallow repainting an entire room. They will only do a ceiling or one wall of a room.
2. Mitigation contractors (the disaster service of choice) butchering up the place, way more than is necessary.
3. The mitigation contractors pushing to be the company that rebuilds the home. You are not obligated. You may use your choice.
4. You may do your own work, however you are reimbursed at a substantially lower rate.

Flood

Frozen Split Pipe

Water problems. You are only covered by that which is caused by a domestic source. That means that you have to have something malfunction first, like a burst washing machine hose, or a toilet malfunction. If shingles blow off then you have a leak, OK, but not a worn out roof.

Exclusions include:

1. The malfunction that caused the flood. (You always need to pay for that)
2. External sources are not covered. (Unless you have federal flood insurance).
3. Having a rider that allows for code upgrades. Without it, things like hardwired smoke detector and upgrades to your electrical system, that are required will come from your pocket.
4. If the city system backs up into your home’s basement toilet, you need to get the city’s insurance carrier to take care of the bills. (This is not as easy as you might think)
5. If you are a renter, you are out of luck if you don’t have renter’s insurance. If your stuff is ruined in a fire, tough luck.
6. Although there is an exclusion for doing LSPW (lead safe work practices) in an emergency (during tear out and drying), a contractor must do LSWP in pre 1978 homes during the rebuild phase.

Fire

Garage Fire

Fire and Smoke. In one case, a neighbor had a fire in a rundown home and the insurance company replaced all sorts of things.  In Boise, like most metropolitan areas, a total loss is rare, so do not expect your burnt home to get replaced.

Issues we have had include but are not limited to.

1. Mitigation contractors (the disaster service of choice) go crazy cleaning everything you own and in one case, running up a $12,000 dry cleaning bill.
2. Delaying the cleanup to hold the home owner hostage until they get the rebuild contract too.
3. When rebuilding, we are held to new codes. Frequently there are huge headaches with getting structures rebuilt in the same place or with like materials.
4. Detached structures are rarely covered for enough to replace them. Your contents are normally not the problem.
5. If you are a renter, you are out of luck if you don’t have renter’s insurance. If your stuff is ruined in a fire, tough luck.
6. Although there is an exclusion for doing LSPW (lead safe work practices) in an emergency (during tear out and drying), a contractor must do LSWP in pre 1978 homes during the rebuild phase

Mold:

Unheated Garage with ADU Above

Just a note, after speaking with my agent Brian Frechette of Farmers insurance in Boise. Mold has been excluded as a covered item for the past 10 years but there is some softening occurring. If there is mold as a result of a recent flood then the additional cost associated with removing it is possible that you are covered. The circumstances must be as a result of an acute loss. Again you need to check with your agent for specifics.

Levco has your back. We take care of  the rebuilding that comes after a disaster. We do it well, and we do it quickly. We understand the intricacies and we have the relationships with the adjusters in the area.

Insurance companies Levco has worked with so far:

Liberty Mutual Insurance

Farmers Insurance

Farm Bureau Insurance

Auto Owners Insurance

Formost Insurance

Oregon Mutual Insurance

Safeco Insurance

God forbid, if some disaster befalls your home, insist that Levco is your insurance related rebuilding contractor of choice.

Disclaimer: Some of these images came from the WEB. If they are yours, and you object to them being used, please claim them and I will gladly remove them at once.

Obvious Water Problem in Basement

Water enters basements in a variety of ways. I wrote an informative article on ways it enters our homes. This article focuses on how to take preventative actions.

In Boise, Idaho, we live on the edge of a desert; and we have fairly sandy soil, which is a good thing. Most older homes have never had any moisture proofing needs, and many have basements. The most we are used to seeing is some mineral effervescence from moisture passing through the concrete foundation walls. Other than making paint impossible to stick to, it causes little harm. Over the years it may break down the concrete and require patching or replacement in severe situations.

When acute water enters the home it can usually be tied to an event.  A hose left on next to the foundation. Torrential downpour for a day or so. Rapid snow thaw. A sprinkler head broken off. You get the idea.

There are two schools of thought when it comes to dealing with water in basements. Inside Job or Outside Job?  Prevention or Acceptance? It is not always black and white, and often we take multiple approaches to ensure success.

Hillsides are a special challenge and may require retaining walls. We used several redundant systems on a newly created basement where flooding was a common occurrence.

Prevention

Prevention includes anticipating that there will be a problem and then blocking moisture from entering in the first place. Therefore, it is an outside job. This is best done during construction, normally it is the last thing that needs to be done. Provided that the redundant systems that are installed work, there need only be routine maintenance. If a failure occurs, like a tree root growing into the foundation after settling cracks them, we must move on to acceptance. This does not mean giving up, it just takes a different approach.

Examples of prevention include

Swale

• French drain system hooked to downspouts
• Positive drain grade away from home.
• Directing sprinklers away from home.
• Gutters.
• Grading and drain swale.
• Proper sub-grade window wells and drainage plan
• Down spouts being piped away from the basement
• Tar parging
• Bituthane or other rubberized membrane
• Sheet drain
• Diatomaceous earth rope in key way of footing to stem wall connection
• Dry wells
• External pumping stations.

Acceptance

Acceptance, on the other hand, is primarily an inside job. Once you determine that attacking from the outside is a more expensive way to go, or there is no access, IE the water is coming in through the floor, you must attack the problem from the inside.

The principle is that water is going to get in via cracks or increased pressure or you name it. Then we take control of it and pump it out before it causes damage in our homes. One caveat is to pump uphill as little as possible. Gravity is your friend on a hillside, use it!

Examples of acceptance include

1. Perimeter trench with piping to the collection area.
2. Deep well collection area.
3. Sump Pump.
4. Dry-Loc paint
5. Xypex or other specialized interior coatings.
6. As a bonus a small fan can be added to eliminate Radon Gas (Radon is a know carcinogen that is emitted from the earth)

Removing water from a basement is challenging process. It is costly but worth every cent. Having a useable space within the footprint of your home is the cheapest square foot addition you can do. The days of the scarey basement should be a thing of the past.

Let us evaluate your basement for refinishing. These spaces can be warm and inviting if given the proper attention. With the addition of an egress window, there is safety, security, and natural lighting.

If you have a damp, wet, or scarey basement in the Boise area, and need to get it evaluated for repair, please contact us right away at 208-947-7261

Disclaimer: Some of these images came from the WEB. If they are yours, and you object to them being used, please claim them and I will gladly remove them at once.

Typical Residential Panel

I realized this issue after a friend called. He had just purchased a remodeled home, and was concerned that his electrical panel was mislabeled. This turns out to be a fairly common problem.

What happens is that over the years, our electrical needs change and or problems occur, and an electrician is called to either upgrade or replace a faulty breaker.

The electrical paned is opened up and the circuit breakers a rearranged to fit better. Unfortunately, the step that is frequently skipped is relabeling the panel correctly.

Years ago, we had half of the gadgets that we have now. Rather than enlarging the panel box itself automatically, a first step is to get breakers that are 1/2 size. Once a panel is full you must upgrade to a larger service which in turn mandates a larger upgraded panel.

When Levco evaluates  a kitchen remodeling project, we look for ways to avoid upgrading the service or enlarging the panel to save cost, but it is often it is inevitable.

On a recent whole house project, we eliminated an electric water heater and an electric stove as well as an electric furnace.  This allowed a full panel box to have 8 free spaces.

Kitchens require at least 4 separate 110 circuits, and one 220 stove circuit. That doesn’t account for a lighting circuit. There are requirements for GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter)  as well as AFCI (Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter). These take up much of the freed up space.

Typical Fused Panel

So why is it important to know what fuse or breaker controls which part of your home’s electricity. Well surely safety is one reason. Say you want to replace a bathroom fan and it’s switch. It would make sense to turn off  the breaker that controls it. But say you flip the wrong one. This could make you an electrocution patient in the Emergency Room. (If you’re lucky)

The Trick:

So here is the trick to labeling them correctly yourself. Having two people to do this makes sense and will cut down on the running around. Cell phones are a time saver if you are out of ear shot. It should take less than an hour, and you may even have fun.

First, find the electrical panel. There may be several other panels called sub panels as well, so locate them too. If at any time this seems frightening, stop and get an electrician to help. I don’t want anyone to put themselves in danger. Open the hinged cover. you should not see any wires. If you do then either there is either not protective cover plate, or you have gotten into the panel too far.

Half Size Breakers

Make a drawing of your panel, y0u will notice that each breaker is numbered next to the corresponding breaker. (Some are fairly faint). Then turn everything on in your house, (except for your computer). Have someone then flip one breaker at a time off. Identify what that breaker controls in each area of the home logically. You can turn the breaker back on and go to the next area. Take a small electrical fixture like a lamp with you and plug it into the outlets and see which ones are controlled as well.

Hint: Usually the outlets that are controlled are in the same general region as the lights that are effected but you never know.

Single

Numbers also appear on the ends of the breakers themselves. These refer to the number of AMPS that can go through them prior to popping. There are very specific rules about size of wires and the number of amps they correspond with. Fiddling with changing out breakers to solve a popping problem is not recommended.

Electricity Can Be Dangerous

Once you have operated each breaker or unscrewed each fuse and have a good map of your electrical panel, use mail labels to transfer your information. Place the appropriate label next to each breaker (or on the panel cover if there is not room) each breaker, and viola, you’re done.

Example of good labels are to the point, and in large enough lettering to scan in a hurry.

• Front room north wall outlets.
• Guest bath.

220 Breaker

You may find breakers that do nothing. You will find  breakers that are tied together. These are 220 volt breakers and need to be operated together.

Common 220 electrical fixtures

• Water heater
• Your spa
• Your electric stove

When it comes to working on electrical components, I always recommend double checking. If, for instance, you want to replace a weak outlet, be sure the power is off for certain by using a tester or plugging something in before you get behind the cover plate.

Disclaimer: Some of these images came from the WEB. If they are yours, and you object to them being used, please claim them and I will gladly remove them at once.

Natural Gas Range

A neighbor is just getting natural gas piped to their home and I am being kind enough to assist Intermountain Gas in allowing them to tap into our line and essentially branch off. This is the second time this has come up so far.

It turns out that the system’s pressure runs at 55LBS and each one is just given 7 water column inches (WCI) barely any; in fact it can be stopped with finger pressure. I was told that the 55# line could handle another 26 homes.

It is possible that the environmental damage done outweighs the benefits of extracting more energy from the earth.

Distribution Berkeley Ca

Natural gas is invisible and odorless. We add a scent called Ethyl Mercaptan, or Mercaptan for short in 1937 to help us detect leaks after a school explosion in New London Texas. The same thing goes for propane.

Natural Gas is piped all over the country through an intricate network of underground pipes This network, like everything, requires lots of observation and maintenance or the darn stuff gets out and can blow up a neighborhood. Fortunately, that doesn’t happen very often.

I recall hitting a line while attempting to dig a post hole. Talk about embarrassing, We now have a great system of line locating called Dig Line, a free service that can be contacted by dialing 811.

What's Under There?

I switched to Natural Gas many years ago from Oil to heat my home. I did it because the heating oil was expensive and the machinery was antique, and the heat was dirty as well as primitive when it comes to energy efficiency. I found a site where lots of energy sources are compared.

Although we have some of the cheapest electricity cost in the nation here in Boise Idaho, natural gas still beats it for doing all of the things we heat in the home.

It wasn’t until a few years ago that residential  natural gas stoves became competitive with electricity in ability to hold high temperatures and pricing.

Fracking

Lately things are changing around in the energy world. It used to be that electricity was generated by coal and by hydroelectric plants exclusively, Now wind and solar energy are becoming players. What I don’t get is that they are using natural gas to create electricity. It must make sense to the bean counters.

I am more inclined to use less electricity rather than use our natural gas to create electricity.

Incandescent bulbs are being phased out as of the beginning of this year to incentivize  more energy efficient means of illuminating the darkness, like compact florescent and LED. Now there is something to crow about.

Natural gas has been in the spotlight lately because it is becoming more plentiful as a result of a controversial new technique of extracting it called fracking. This is where a mixture of chemicals, or in some cases waste water is pushed into the ground and the gas is liberated. In Ohio recently, there has been an unusually large number of earthquakes possibly linked to the practice.

Compressed Natural Gas

CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) is being touted as clean energy and many municipalities and garbage trucks are being converted in our area. The infrastructure is not in place for the general public yet. However, you can count on growth in that sector, especially if the numbers work out to be less expensive than other fossil fuels.

Regardless of the method of extraction, this country has seen Natural Gas production and utilization on the rise. I sincerely hope a better/safer extraction method is invented soon. From my perspective Natural Gas is a viable BTU (British Thermal Unit) producing, fairly clean, (if you don’t count Fracking right now) fossil fuel energy source that has not met its potential yet. In our nations energy hungry state, I see lots of room for increased dependency on Natural Gas in the future.

Disclaimer: Some of these images came from the WEB. If they are yours, and you object to them being used, please claim them and I will gladly remove them at once.

Frosted Edge

For years now I have noticed an interesting phenomenon that I am not sure anyone else notices. It has to do with recognizing roof patterns in the winter. This is clear evidence that heat is escaping through your roof.

Head down the block and check out your roof and compare it to your neighbors place. Of course there are a myriad of issues that could be contributing to the results you find, but this is a telling sign.

If your roof is the bare one when others have snow or frost, despite having a similar pitch, you could be losing a boat load of energy in the form of heat. This year has been ridiculously light on or late for snow, but you can see it on the frosty mornings too.

Thermal imagery is available in the valley, which that can do a more accurate picture for you. There are also companies that specialize in energy efficiency audits. But for now, this crude visual tool may get you moving in the right direction.

Missing Insulation

The fix could be adding insulation or filling a hole. It could be as simple as a detached exhaust vent. The important thing  to understand is that there is no one size fits all approach. You need to figure out what is causing the problem and address each individual situation to fix the overall issue.

Here is another look at what you might see if you look at your roof at just the right time.

From a remodeler’s perspective, this is always on our minds. At Levco, we always take a look at  the attic and make sure that the existing conditions are addressed and that anything we disturb is re-insulated when we are done.

Over the years, we have made many recommendations to homeowners when we’ve seen problems, and remodeling is a good time to have these issues evaluated and addressed.

Disclaimer: Some of these images came from the WEB. If they are yours, and you object to them being used, please claim them and I will gladly remove them at once.

Sagging Roof

I was looking at a home inspection book that it had a picture of a structure that had several distinct problems. The roof had peaks at each gable end and a sway back in the middle. It also had bulging walls. This turned out to be a symptom of missing ceiling joists, or collar ties which prevent this from happening. That was when it struck me that I had seen a structure just like it on a project I was in the middle of.

Sway Back Garage

I have seen multiple examples of bowing walls and collapsing gables, usually where work has been done without a permit.

The pattern goes something like this: “Hey, wouldn’t it be great if we opened up the ceiling and created a loft or vaulted area? We have all that wasted space above our ceiling.”

Structurally, the components that are being removed must be replaced to keep things together – or the roof, as well as the walls, will splay over time. At one home I was inspecting for a friend who was looking to buy, a 2 car garage had been converted into a guest house and during the remodel had had it’s ceiling joists removed to create a nice high ceiling. The only problem was that, although folks had lived in the space for some time, it was an accident ready to happen, I got the creeps and could not stay inside once I realized what they had done.

Bowed Wall

In another home, the ceiling joists had been removed from the front room, which created a nice half vault. However, the entire front of the home was bowing out towards the street and the roof line had a large sag in it. For starters, removing the ceiling joists will cause over spanning and sagging of the 2×6 or 2×8 roof rafters, and the wall then loose its top anchoring component.

Other problems are created as well, especially with lack of insulation. Unless you fill the entire 2×6 joist with closed cell foam and perhaps add an additional layer of foam board insulation, there is no way to achieve the R-38 insulation factor required. Because of that, tremendous heat loss and gain occurs over the seasons.

I have created several attic upgrades. In each case, a structural engineer has verified that the project was a sound idea, then used extremely efficient insulation to create a true thermal break.

Although it is not common to hear reports of building collapse, it is note worthy that not taking structural integrity will lead to a catastrophic failure of a structure one of these days. All it will take is a little tremor for those houses of cards to come tumbling down.

All of Levco’s work is verified by structural engineering experts to be structurally sound and done with proper city building permits.

Disclaimer: Some of these images came from the WEB. If they are yours, and you object to them being used, please claim them and I will gladly remove and replace them at once.

Tips for the Home

There are many of life’s little lessons that have been learned along the way. Here are a few in the Understanding Your Home category to make living in your home easier.

ELECTRICAL

• Put some anti oxidizing grease on the bottom of light bulbs and on the threads will make them easier to remove when they burn out.
• Always buy an extra few bulbs to keep on hand.
• Compact florescent bulbs do save boo-Koo energy.
• Update the electrical panel labeling when things get updated or changed around.
• Do not attempt to replace a 3 way light switch unless you know what you are doing.
• Always replace fuses with the same one. (provided that they were sized correctly to begin with)
• If an appliance is flipping the circuit breaker have it investigated and repair the problem. Putting a larger breaker in is never the right solution.

WD 40

PAINTING

• keeping a log of paint colors as well as sheen so when it is time to repaint the colors are readily available.

PLUMBING

• Use braided steel lines for your refrigerator supply line, They don’t dry out and crack over time.
• Replace your washing machine supply lines every 10 years or so.
• Use copper supply lines for your water heater, the braided steel ones fail often.
• Test the main water shut off in the home from tie to time just to make sure it really works when you need it.
• Fix leaky faucets, they waste more water than you think.
• Add a ball valve water shut off to water using devices like the water heater, the Ice maker just in case you need to work on them without turning off the entire system.
• Run water through the garbage disposal prior to turning it on then for a few moments after it is done grinding to help the debris on it’s merry way.

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE

• 

  Fire In The Hole

  Know where your utility shut offs are, and how to use them.

• WD 40 although a good lubricant is not the answer to all things that squeak and groan. Have an assortment of lubricants on hand. Graphite for locks. Oil can for some things. Grease for others.
• Silicone caulking works best when wiped up using some soap on a finger.
• Place candles on a noncombustible surface away form curtains and other flammable things.
• Keep your barbeque away from your home, flare ups are fairly common.

HVAC

• Change your air filters in your HVAC system as frequently as needed, when they get clogged they are totally infective.
• Running the fan year round keeps your indoor air quality better and evens out the temperature of your home.

Disclaimer: Some of these images came from the WEB. If they are yours, and you object to them being used, please claim them and I will gladly remove and replace them at once.

First Clue of Trouble

Did you ever have one of those days? I awoke groggy I inadvertently kicked the cat water bowl and tipped over their food. While cursing and cleaning it up I noticed another spot of water near the corner of my refrigerator that was suspicious. Those that live on hardwood floors need to be really careful with water so I investigated. What I saw was a bit of an emergency. Floor cupping and a small amount of water. Could I have spilled some water there? Had an ice cube or two fallen there and not gotten picked up before it melted? This is the same side-by-side refrigerator that I had just replaced the defroster heaters in, is this becoming a pattern? I wondered.

One good thing about wood floors is that minor cupping caused by water may go back to its original shape but we will have to wait and see.

Condensation Drain

My first suspicion is that I had a leak in the water supply line. As I have reported before that can cause all sorts of problems with large volumes of water. I frantically pulled the fridge from its alcove and inspected the area. Not seeing any problems with the supply, I then removed the back of the unit and verified that the evaporation tray was dry. I quickly removed the bottom shelf of the freezer expecting to see a clogged drain line and sure enough there it was.

The defroster comes on regularly to melt off any build up from the freezer coils. The melted frost turns into water that flows on the back of the unit and out the little hole in the floor area of the freezer into an evaporation tray. In a top mount the water runs down a longer tube but ends up at the bottom too.

I tried to run a brush through but it was too curvy so I got my air tank and blew the hose out with compressed air. I then poured a cup of water down to verify I had it clear. Seeing water flowing freely into the tray was a relief. Who knows what the clog was I am just glad it is gone now. This one goes on the 15 year cycle of checking.

Some of the Removed Ice

I pulled out the heat gun and removed the piled up ice from the floor of the freezer and put it all back together.

The moral of the story is sometimes good things happen as a result of bad. Keep your eyes open and stay alert.

Oh sure I would have eventually discovered that there was a problem but it could have been a whole lot worse

Things Not to Flush

I was just going about my normal morning routine when I noticed that my wife had left some dried house plant leaves floating in the toilet. This got me thinking, what should not be flushed, and why? I recalled taking this toilet off a few years ago because water was coming from the base, I couldn’t tell what the obstruction was at the flange at the time, but I assumed it was part of the construction debris. It turned out that it, too, was a large leaf. I guess old habits are hard to break.

I had also received a complaint from a client that had clogged his toilet after taking his first good dump. The assertion was that we had flushed construction debris, and that had made his poop get stuck. After removing the toilet there was nothing but poop to remove. Perhaps we should have flushed it a few times prior to it’s inaugural use.

Not too many years ago, the Boise River was the destination for all untreated sewage We now have state of the art system that still ends up ultimately discharging into the Boise River. This brings me to my point.

Boise River

NOTHING except human waste and toilet paper should be flushed or sent down the drain, and this is why.

Whatever gets flushed is mixed with a small amount of water and slips down past a P-Trap. It then goes merrily along pipes that are only 2″ – 3″  in diameter  and often at a grade of only 1/4″ per foot that feed into into the main drain. This pipe can be anywhere from 3″-4″ and can go for 80′-100′ in some cases. It’s a straight shot under the back yard or, in one case, around the house, with several 90 degree turns and out to the front of the home.

Depending upon the age of your home, the sewer pipes could be made of a number of products that are no longer approved for use. This list include those made of orange-burg, terracotta, and cast iron; Only ABS and PVC are allowed now. These older homes are full of rough edges and root penetrations that are just looking for something to hang up, and can easily obstruct the flow. Leaves, hair, and feminine products are the perfect set up for a clog.

Treatment Plant

Our flushed debris and waste then goes on through the maze of city pipes, commingling with your neighbors’ debris via a gravity system, to one of two sewage treatment plants that are scattered about the city. At the plant, there are all sorts of processes the waste goes through – including screens, settling tanks, and pressurized filtration. These are designed to pull the junk out and eventually clean the water, then return it back into the Boise River. Here is a link to the Boise City Works promotional video You can also take a tour and admire the many learning opportunities for related field trips.

Here is a partial list of stuff that has been recovered from our system according to Dave Baccaa who oversees the camera operations for the system: jewelry, money, plastic wrappers gold fish (lots of gold fish), and even an iguana.

WTH, an iguana?

Vince Trimboli, the system’s public information person says “One of the biggest problems is FOG: Fats, Oils, and Greases. This is fairly easily controlled at restaurants with grease traps, but the residential contribution is a huge problem. Much like atherosclerosis, grease coats the pipes, narrowing their ability to carry sewage away from the home. It becomes white and hard and is difficult to clean out. It even extends into the city sewer system.

Another huge problem is flushed medicine, and all sorts of other things that are not human excrement being flushed. We have 2 very cool methods of disposing of stuff in Ada County. First of all we have a free hazardous waste disposal spot at the landfill. They also have mobile pick up sites placed regularly around the city. Next, we have this medicine drop off program at all of the local law enforcement agencies. It is a no-questions-asked safe place to drop them off.

FUN FACT:

Q: Name the day and time when the sewer system regularly gets the largest volume of flushed water annually?

A: Half time during the Super Bowl.

Thermocouple with a Button

This situation caught me off guard. I was presented with a thermocouple from an AO Smith, sealed combustion chamber water heater. The symptoms included that the water heater would go off for no reason. Eventually he couldn’t even get the pilot lit. With careful inspection, you could see it had a little button in line. I had never seen one before, but this is what what I learned.

Thermocouples are used in gas appliances that use a standing pilot. That means that there is a small gas flame on all the time.  Without the Thermocouple doing its thing, the pilot won’t stay lit. Flame sensors work similarly, and basically ensure that there is a flame before the gas is allowed through the main gas valve to be turned into flame for heat. If it wasn’t for a functional thermocouple, the gas valve would just allow the gas to flow into your home without being burned. This is when explosions happen, and entire buildings get blown to smithereens.

A thermocouple is an impressive little safety device that senses the heat made by a flame. Through a system of having dissimilar metals joined, thermocouples generates a millivolt charge of around 12 – just enough to tell the gas valve that the pilot light is on. I think that the coolest part is that there are no moving parts.

OOPS!

Many appliances don’t have thermocouples, like gas stoves and barbeques. Because of that, they need to be watched closely and are very dangerous, especially around children and especially in windy conditions.

The thermocouple is always high on the list of possible problems in gas appliances troubleshooting. Unless you are handy and understand how to test them and or change them out, I would recommend calling a professional. The problem with this one in particular was that it was intermittently shutting off the pilot.

It wasn’t until that fateful Sunday morning when my friend’s wife couldn’t take a hot shower that hubby had to spring into action and fix it. He called on a Sunday to help make it better, and being the go to guy that I am, I accepted the challenge. It took lots of research to discover what the aforementioned button was. It had a 190 stamped on it, and this is what we finally discovered.

The typical thermocouple costs about $7.00 The fancier one is $35.00. The little button is called a Thermal Cut Off, or TCO. Unfortunately, there is no place open on a Sunday that carries the fancier one. This reminds me of a “suspenders and belt fix” only it is a “suspenders and two belts”… a bit of overkill in my opinion.

This is what A.O. Smith has to say about their fancy Thermocouple device.

Faulty Connection

COMBUSTION CHAMBER TEMPERATURE SENSOR
The C3 Technology water heaters will come equipped with a thermal cutoff (TCO) device that is
integral with the thermocouple. Temperature cutoff points range from 160°C to 200°C depending on
model. The TCO is an automatic reset thermal switch. When activated it will open the
thermocouple circuit and shut off the main and pilot burner gas flow. The pilot would have to be relit
after the TCO has had sufficient time to cool down (sensor is below 120 degrees F).
The TCO performs two primary functions:
• In the event of flammable vapor ignition inside the combustion chamber, it senses the
corresponding increase in temperature and shuts off gas flow to the main and pilot burners.
• If excessive temperatures inside the combustion chamber indicate poor combustion due to
a clogged LDO screen or inadequate air for combustion, the TCO will shut off gas flow to
the main and pilot burners.

Ultimately I discovered ours had a broken weld at one side of the button that was most likely due to a manufacturing defect. I saw lots of complaints about this little button, but no good solutions or explanation of what they were on the internet. There just wasn’t any good advice about where to find them, or if they were essential. I replaced it with readily available “universal type” from the hardware store . It worked just fine. I also removed the air screen or LDO ( if you want to be technical). The LDO is a flimsy air filter that commonly gets clogged anyway. I left it up to the owner to replace it with the correct one as they see fit. On Monday, I went to the wholesale house and sure enough I found them for $35.00 but they were out.

Swiss Army Knife

Although repairing broken things is not for everyone, I have fixed  some amazing things in my day. The wise among us realize that this is not always the most cost effective or smart thing to do. Even I will admit that there are un-fixable things in this world, usually right after I tear into something that I can’t figure out how to reassemble. There are also certain things that are designed to be thrown away ( like the early versions of mini-vans). Some call me cheap, some call me stubborn, but I’ll reiterate I find pleasure in fixing broken things both animate and otherwise.

• Over the phone, my all time favorite line for fixing anything broken over the phone is “Is it plugged in?” Every once in awhile I hear a pregnant pause then… “Never mind”
• In person, I try to pull out some part and say… “Well here’s yer problem!”
• Upon discovering a dilemma that is more than a simple fix, I have been known to pull a favorite ambulance extrication phrase. “Don’t worry ma’am, I’ll have you out in a minute.”

I know a guy that doesn’t care about how much flights cost as long as he gets to his destination and back quickly because he knows just how valuable his time really is. “How valuable is your time?” is an equation that deserves some serious pondering. For those of us that are not blessed with the ability to do complicated equations in our heads, grab a calculator and work it out. Calling the repair guy could save a bundle of money and hours of your precious time.

Refrigerator

I have had my share of appliance issues over the years. I have taken the task of repairing them as a bit of a personal challenge to become good at figuring them out.  I still think that the actual act of refrigeration is magical and know very little about it, but thankfully it is usually something other than that which is broken. Once, though, I had a refrigerator at one of my rental properties that had a mind of its own. It would refrigerate on its own terms and timing. It was a 7 year old freezer-up-top unit that worked right up until it didn’t.

My “plan A” was to fix the broken thing. Your “plan A” could involve doing a Google search for appliance repair service. I choose to do that as “plan C.”  My position is that as long as you don’t make it worse, it could be something simple and worth trying. My “plan B” involves online research, I also have an advantage of having developed a relationship with a company that fixes appliances for a living and is willing to give me advice because I buy parts from them regularly.

Fonzie

In this case they recommended the “Fonzie” technique – like hitting a headlight and having it turn on. I was directed to smack the controls that were on the top of the refrigerator box and see what happened… and it worked! Like in the hands of a skilled Interventional Cardiologist performing an angiogram, the Fonzie smack was both diagnostic and therapeutic. I was told that the defrost timer was hung up and required replacement.

Sadly, $35.00 later I was no better off than I was prior to my first therapy. Full of angst and trepidation, I called back for some more “free” advice. Turns out that, like helicopter mechanics when faced with a head scratching situation or intermittent problem, appliance repairmen also replace the cheapest part first and then escalate until they get the darn thing fixed. $55.00 later, I had replaced the cooling controller and VOILA! it worked.

I was back in business and feeling my oats. Though alone in reality, my mind wandered to the North end zone of the Oakland Coliseum being flagged for excess celebration. There was plenty of chest bumping, high fives, and the entire Ickey Shuffle for a personally satisfying TA-DA moment.

Skinny House

So you got wrapped up into the new home building frenzy of a few years ago, and purchased a freshly built home out in the ‘burbs’. Lots of folks were doing it; The money was flowing and building was rampant. the home you moved into was so fresh the darn thing didn’t have time to settle in. A few winters later and the new home smell is long gone, the warranty period is also ancient history. You are finally getting to know the neighbors and settle in yourself. It is time to see what goofy little things have occurred, despite our best efforts to wish the contrary. The truth is that some of these things happen seasonally and others just happen so slowly that they are hard to notice.

Foundation Crack

This is not just a new home problem. We have also seen cracking when additions are constructed. Despite our best efforts, things just seem to move a little – and a little is all it takes.

This phenomenon occurs as a result of compaction of footing material, caused by expansion and contraction with temperature and humidity changes. We go from -15 deg. in the winter to +105 deg. in the summer here in Boise, Idaho, and that is a pretty wild shift. Frost heave from an unusually cold winter may be an issue. Overwatering near a foundation can settle improperly compacted backfill too, and tree roots are occasionally to blame.  All of these dissimilar materials getting attached to each other are bound to cause problems.

From foundations to ridge vent and everything in between, we see all sorts of issues. Fortunately, most are minor and purely cosmetic. Occasionally they signal major structural problems, but this is rare.

Here is a short list of things we have seen at Levco.

Drywall Crack

Drywall cracks: These are seen over the corner of doors, in joints of drywall. We saw one crack through the middle of a sheet on a ceiling that occurred when a house was racked by a tree that fell during a wind storm. That takes a tremendous amount of force.

Grout cracks: These are found in the corner of walls, where tile meets granite or other dissimilar materials.

Foundation cracks: Found at angled connections, Mid Span, and Slab cracks. We have seen many examples of stairs sinking, as well as doors not operating as they should, “sticking”

How are you going to address this stuff?

Cracked Grout

Some things can be done ahead of time to mitigate the risk of the problems, such as doing extra compaction and using re-bar in the footings and foundations. We occasionally make footings larger than they need to be in order to spread out the weight. We also use epoxy and re-bar to tie old concrete to new to keep the foundations where they belong.

When it comes to connecting dissimilar materials or working with materials at 90 degree angles, a flexible caulking is the answer. They make color match for every grout (sanded or not) and that works best. In fact, a trick I use is to caulk first and grout second.

When it comes to drywall cracks, we recommend a patch drywall mud with mesh tape. The problem comes with matching textures. There are lots of spray can patching mixtures; I recommend a water based material to keep the fumes down, and the initial texture is water based too.   Always use primer prior to repainting a patch, this allows for a sheen match. Occasionally it is necessary to re-texture a large area to make a patch blend in to the woodwork.

Stuck Door

Doors are a mixed bag. Often just a smack with a hammer on a block of wood will shift the jam enough to get things working again. Other more serious adjustments may involve removing the casing and reworking the shims. The temptation is to shave the door, but resist this temptation. Adding to a door later is problematic at best. Always try to figure out why the problem exists, as I said, these things are not random. There is a cause we just have to try to understand what is going on.

Foundation cracks are a difficult thing to address with a blanket statement. Sometimes caulking can be what is needed to keep additional moisture out. In other cases, removal of a section and addition of a replacement, as we have done in one case, is the answer.

Time for a Vacation?

Have you noticed that vacations have been getting shorter and less frequent? I have coached many a friend and neighbor on how to prepare your home for vacation. The information contained here comes from the school of hard knocks. The odds of having a home problem while you are away are better than winning the lottery. Ever notice how those fire & water restoration company guys are always driving around in those big new trucks? Most of this article relates to water issues but be vigilant about fire hazards too, even a small light bulb can generate a tremendous amount of heat. If  left against curtains for many hours ignition is likely. Taking these few steps will help you to relax when away and have a far more enjoyable time.

Shutting off the ball valve

1 Turn off the water to your house.
If you use a recirculating pump turn it off too. Flooding from a domestic source is a very frequent occurrence. Washing machine hoses, Refrigerator water lines, Toilet supply lines, Water heaters, even frozen pipe can rupture and not let any water out till it thaws. You name it. If you were home you would catch it. A refrigerator water line can spray a tremendous amount of water if you are talking about seven days in this one case. According to one source a 1/4 inch line can let out 60 GPH, even a fraction of that on your hardwood floors and you can see what I mean.

Find the internal water shut off, it might be a Ball Valve or a Gate Valve turn it off. Verify you did it correctly by turning on the cold water (because you might have a pressure tank on the hot side). Ta Da. There are also commercially available automatic water shut off devices out there and special supply lines. They only stop catastrophic leaks, a fine spray or leaky fitting can go undetected. I find that hoses can leak slowly for a long time before they rupture.

Basic set back thermostat

2 Leave the heat on during the winter.
Leave it on low say 65 degrees. Less than that and you could easily freeze the pipes or the water in the toilet tank or what have you. There are those that suggest using antifreeze in toilets and draining tanks etc but I think leaving a little heat on is easier and more cost effective

Papers on a porch

3 Let the mail man & News paper boy know you will be away.
Nothing says “burgle me” like piling up mail and papers. They have a cool service where they will hold your deliveries until you return. This prevents the obvious sign of mail building up at the home. You will probably need to ask a neighbor to hold your UPS deliveries.

4 Have some timers or photo eye sensors turn on and off lights.
This keeps the home from being totally dark over night and therefore less obvious. Remember lights generate heat and can catch things on fire.Unplug unnecessary things especially ones with clocks because they are drawing energy and could potentially malfunction. Although rare, it is worth mentioning.

5 Lock the doors and Windows
The best security is having good site lines to your home from the neighbors place. Locking your doors makes sense. Crooks are generally lazy, the more difficult to get in the less likely they will bother. More criminals are caught by alert neighbors than patrolling cops or security systems.

Radon Map

Who knew your house could hurt your lungs? Here in Idaho we live in a relatively moderate Radon level region that seems to get more intense the further north you live.

It turns out Radon is even emitted from slabs of granite along with almost all other products of the earth like concrete itself, but we must put it all into perspective.

The majority of information about Radon’s health effects come from men working underground – miners

Radon (Rn) is a gas that is emitted from the earth. It is the natural byproduct of deteriorating uranium and it gets into the air through the soil and through water.  It is easy to test for and fairly easy to deal with if found in homes to be above the 4 pCi /liter. Here are some selected excerpts from one of the EPA radon sites.

EPA estimates that about 20,000 lung cancer deaths each year in the U.S. are radon-related. Exposure to radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking. Lung cancer is the only known effect on human health from exposure to radon in air. There is no evidence that children are at greater risk of lung cancer than are adults.

How it gets in

For smokers the risk of lung cancer is significant due to the synergistic effects of radon and smoking. For this population about 62 people in a 1,000 will die of lung-cancer, compared to 7.3 people in a 1,000 for never smokers. Put another way, a person who never smoked (never smoker) who is exposed to 1.3 pCi/L has a 2 in 1,000 chance of lung cancer

 in 1988 Congress added Title III on Indoor Radon Abatement to the Toxic Substances Control Act.  that year, the Office of the U.S. Surgeon General issued a warning about radon urging Americans to test their homes and to reduce the radon level when necessary

Unfortunately, many Americans presume that because the action level is 4 pCi/L, a radon level of less than 4 pCi/L is “safe”. This perception is altogether too common in the residential real estate market. In managing any risk, we should be concerned with the greatest risk. For most Americans, their greatest exposure to radon is in their homes; especially in rooms that are below grade (e.g., basements), rooms that are in contact with the ground and those rooms immediately above them. 

Simple test kit

Testing is easily accomplished and test kits are available at hardware stores and big box stores like Home Depot and Lowe’s. They are usually the quick tests and will give you a screening of what you are dealing with. Radon is emitted at in an uneven pattern so what you are looking for is your average exposure through the year. This means taking several tests or doing a long term testing kit that takes 90 days.

There is a common misconception that Radon levels are similar in geographic areas. Just because a level may be low in your neighbors house does not mean that it is low in yours.

Radon Exhaust Fan

At Levco we enjoy knowing that we have not set anyone up for additional health risks by remodeling. We make sure that when we do remodel here in Boise Idaho that the soil beneath our projects are left sealed properly and cracks in slab floors and foundations are sealed as well. Here is the further information about Radon in ADA County.

Fixing any home involves sealing cracks in foundations, covering bare soil and if necessary providing forced ventilation to areas where it is hiding. This may mean under foundations. In all of my home inspections I have only seen one Radon elimination fan system. This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be looking more seriously at the potentially nasty little problem.

Home Sweet Home

OK you have been in the home for 10 years and you are looking for something to do that will improve your home. You are wondering what would be a good bang for the buck. Or say you have unexplained health issues and you just can’t put a finger on it but you think your home may be the culprit. It is worth thinking about having your duct work checked. Although the EPA thinks it may be an over rated service, there are several instances even they recommend the process be done by a qualified vendor.

Duct cleaning is probably not the first thing that comes to mind in relation to maintaining your home. It seems like every decade or so there is some new newfangled energy saving thing, a better window design or better furnace that will make life better. Besides keeping paint on the place and staying ahead of the stuff that breaks, a good old fashion duct cleaning might be the ticket.

In the old days there was no need for ducts because heat rose through the floor registers and the furnace was a fireplace. Then coal furnaces did a similar thing and the heat rose naturally. Many homes went to radiant heat with boilers, still no need for duct work . Then in the late 19th century oil furnaces were the rage and forced air became the thing and duct work was installed. Later oil furnaces were replaced by natural gas but the forced air systems remained. This made a place for dust to hide along with all sorts of dust mites, mold spores, rodents and lord knows what else. The bad news is that it was out of sight and out of mind. Now we realize that we are building tighter houses and what gets inside stays inside. Indoor air quality as one of the five points of Green Remodeling and the duct cleaning industry was born.

A Duct Cleaning Truck

Provided that you have duct work that routes heating and cooling throughout your structure and it has been there for 10years or more the industry recommends a cleaning. The EPA. On the other hand, who is responsible for Environmental Protection has published a great guide to Duct cleaning. They are pretty skeptical about the industry but like everything, there are those that are unscrupulous that boast of unrealistic health benefits from the process. I believe that if your expectations are realistic then you will be pleasantly surprised. Levco provides the service after a whole house remodeling. The odds are that we have introduced particles into the system no matter how hard we try not to. Take a look yourself through a supply register to see what is there, stick a vacuum down the hole and gather up what you can for starters. This will at least establish whether you need to worry about your ducts in the first place.

Before & After

They come in with a vacuum truck and by drilling a few holes in your duct work and following a strict routine of covering and uncovering registers they manage to suck a ton of debris from your ducts.

Don’t expect the furnace to work much better unless they find a clogged cooling coil, like was the case in my home. They could find a detached duct which does happen. This may have a positive effect upon allergies. It may improve your air circulation, and it will remove all of that pet dander and accumulated dust that no matter how well you clean you just can’t get to. Just the knowledge that your ducts are clean gives you a reassurance that you are living in a cleaner indoor environment. When I need them, System Kleen is the company I use in Boise Idaho.

Stairs have stopped most DIY guys from contemplating remodeling at different altitudes. Fortunately a building code was developed to standardize how steps are made. There is very little room for being creative outside the box when it comes to the basic requirements for stairs.

Oak Stairs

Now the big box home improvement stores carry pre-cut stringers that can let DIY’er go where none has gone before. We see all sorts of stairway variations when remodeling and unless there is danger the inspectors will overlook pre-existing crazy stairways.

I received this video of unusual stairs to share. we have stay by the book whenever possible, so there is some wiggle room when it comes to existing conditions like head room for instance. Here is the 2009 IRC code for stairs

One of the key ingredients of an approved stairway is the railings and balusters or spindles that create a balustrade.

Curved Concrete Stairs

We have worked with all sorts of materials from hardwood to cement. Curved, multiple landings, angled, curved railings, you name it. The joy is in creating a stairway that fits the need.

Who knew that such a simple thing that is usually taken for granted, could be so challenging to make great. Coincidentally we learned that although this curved stair is aesthetically pleasing and is traveled easily in the dark and with your eyes closed. The code is very specific, our landing requirements are not met. The transition needs to be 3′ absolutely at inspection time! Rather than ask for an exemption or special waiver, a temporary landing was constructed to meet code and later removed to suit the client.

If you know of anyone that has a dangerous stairway situation in need of rebuild or are afraid of moving forward with a project because of a complex stairway situation please give Levco a call. On a side note we do ramps and have a strong grounding knowledge of the aging in place population’s needs so we we welcome those that need friendlier stairs in their home.

Fall In Boise

Although we remodel here in Boise Idaho and we do not really offer these services, I would like to get the word out to “Show that we care.” about you and your home. Planning for cold weather is a good thing to do. I especially like getting these things done during our brief Indian Summer. The list may seem long but taking care of the items isn’t so bad. I believe we all do some form of looking at these things subconsciously; the checklist form may help those that grow accustom to seeing things out of place. As an idea, knock several off the list per weekend till the weather turns cold. By the way, the list is in no particular order. I offer this to my clients of Levco Builders and anyone interested in prolonging the life of their home.

Dirty and Clean

1, Change Filters Regularly
I leave my HVAC fan on all the time to even out the temperature in the home The circulating air has the added benefit if being run through my 4″ pleated filter. I found that changing the filter when we switch from AC to Heat and visa-verse is a good time to switch. Everyone’s filter will need to be changed a different intervals, mine works out to every 6 months.

Operable Foundation Vent

2 Close Foundation Vents
This is a good thing especially if you do not have a conditioned air space. Radon gas is technically held back by plastic sheeting covering the ground and here in Idaho we live in a moderate Radon area. Open foundation vents allow some circulation and that is a good thing for 2/3 of the year. Winter temperatures allow freezing temperatures to enter the home and potentially cause damage by freezing water in pipes. Not to mention the wasted heat caused by allowing freezing temperatures to attack from below. Ground temperature here in Idaho is about 65 Degrees as is the water temperature, so why not take advantage of a warmer crawl space. I have also seen foundation vents below grade that have permitted a superhighway for water to enter the home.

Hose and Bib

3 Remove garden hoses from the faucet
This one gets so many people in trouble. Frost proof faucets are an amazing thing. They shut off the water inside the home where freezing temperatures are much less likely to be. That being said you can make even the best faucet fail if you leave the hose connected. Water trapped in a faucet has the potential to freeze inside your home. When a hose is left with water trapped in the neck of a frost proof faucet, the neck bursts freezing on outside of the gasket but it is still an unnecessary spring time repair.

Clogged Downspout

4 Be vigilant about gutters
There are a multitude of commercially available gutter lids to keep leaves out and as I get older I realize that they are becoming more valuable. Lets face it getting up on the roof and blowing out the gutters is dangerous! My emergency medical side recalls many fall responses. Who wants to break a hip over a clogged gutter or worse! If you are planning to clean the gutters, consider attacking them from below if possible, the lower your body is to the ground the better. Checking gutters includes verifying that the downspouts work and drain away from the home.

Reverse Grade

5 Verify Positive slope from foundations
This is one that is simple to do and is worth taking a perimeter walk. Use your eye to confirm that there is a grade away from your home. We often see water that lands at the “Drip Line” headed back to the home. Especially if you have a basement this can cause acute and chronic problems. This is also a good time to look for tripping hazards like bicycles and kids toys. Fixing this situation would be fairly simple. It would involve lifting out the tiles, repacking the base gravel and repositioning the tiles.

Gable vent screen

6 Check Roof, and Gable vents.
Roofs wear out over time, look at the condition of your roofing material, a warn out roof should not come as a surprise. Look especially at vents that are near trees. I have seen bats, birds and squirrels entering homes to be where it is warm for the winter in a bed of insulation. Correcting holes with small grid metal mesh will usually do the trick.

Clogged exhaust vent

7 Ensure exhaust ducts are clear.
This includes bathroom exhaust fans and dryer vents. One is done by either removing an interior connection or an exterior vent cap. Vacuum, brush or blow them out. Excess lint I suppose can cause fires but more commonly just extends the drying period of clothing and makes exhaust fans worthless. These ducts to the outside are one of your best defenses against humidity build up in the home. Here in Idaho we find that humidity is usually inverse to the temperature so the warmer it is the lower the humidity. It is not uncommon to have humidity in the 25% in summer. Human comfort levels of humidity run about 40%. According to the EPA, with the humidity above 60% mold can grow very quickly. Humidity causing devices like showers, hand washing dishes, plumbing leaks, and clothes dryers can cause mold to grow if left unchecked. Make sure fans are working properly and left on long enough to dehumidify the room. Electronic timers. This is a cool devise to make your indoor air quality better. When I take a shower I tap the button 3 times and it insures that the shower will dry out completely. I’ll be darned if I can get my wife to do the same.

Blowing in a blanket

8 Look for opportunities to add insulation.
Making a great thermal barrier between inside and out will greatly decrease the likelihood of condensation buildup. When hot and cold come together on a surface where humidity exists (the glass in this example), this is where the moisture will condense. I have seen condensation build up on painted cinder block walls so it is not just glass that is the culprit. This is also why we no longer place plastic on top of insulation before drywall is installed (in cases where we suspect this could occur).

Detector test

9 Test Smoke and Carbon Monoxide detectors.
Take a broom handle and push the buttons to ensure they are working. I am not a fan of changing the batteries annually. Rather check them and if they work Cool! if not they give you the early warning beep. If you do not hear a beep, replace the battery. On a side note they are only usually rated to operate for 5 years or so so you might want to upgrade the entire unit. Mine have been in for 10 years and work fine. There is also a smoke in a can you can use to test them if you want to verify proper operation. This is also a good time to review your escape plan especially if you have small children remember, studies have shown that even the loud beeping of a smoke alarm is not always enough to awaken children.

Too Close for Comfort

10 Remove potential fire hazards
Although stacking stuff in front of the furnace and at the base of a gas water heater seemed like a good thing at the time… This is a potential combustion point. Get stuff put away safely. You should have a fire extinguisher in the kitchen and in a garage shop area. Your furnaces and area heaters have not been on for months, a blow out with a compressor is going to get that dust out of the combustion chamber and off the fan fins.

The proper tool for blow outs

11 plan to blow out the sprinkler system.
This may seem like a no-brainier for those of you used to living here but it is worth a reminder for those that have just moved in from a warmer climate. It is not that you have to be the first one on the block to take care of this, it’s that you don’t want to be the last. Trapped water in plastic pipes above the frost line tend to crack in the very cold months. (Why can’t someone invent a self draining system?)