The bottom line is that water is the main culprit implicated in most of the damage created to the exterior of your home, and can lead to interior damage as well. Maintenance problems such as chipping paint and damaged trim, poor flashing details around windows, decks, porches and doors, a roof which is leaking or [...]
Hidden Structural Damage – When your front stairs may no longer be supportive
We were recently doing some minor repairs to a set of front concrete stairs when they suddenly and inexplicably collapsed into a pile of rubble in front of the home. After overcoming my initial dismay, I began to consider what might have caused this dramatic event. If this were to have happened when the homeowner [...]
All Drainage Systems Are Not Created Equal
Why A Watered Down Solution Can Do You More Harm Than Good Having spent a lot of time in recent years reconstructing a number of ill-conceived drainage projects, it has become fairly obvious that there is a serious lack of knowledge on the part of both the installers and homeowners as to the ABC’s of [...]
Earthquake Retrofitting Products and Services
Earthquake (or seismic) retrofitting involves stabilizing your house to help minimize any potential damage in the event of an earthquake. It is not an all or nothing proposition. There are certain retrofitting basics that relate to most homes. These usually involve doing work in the accessible areas of the basement or crawlspace. More advanced projects [...]
Basement Home Additions – Can You Dig It?
Now that the real estate boom in the Bay Area has subsided, more people are focusing on making long-term repairs and improvements to their existing homes. When these projects involve the creation of more living space, the standard approach has been to build an addition. These are either second-story additions, additions behind the existing residence, [...]
Solving Residential Drainage Problems
Drainage problems are quite a nuisance for many homeowners in the Bay Area. Flooded basements, garages, and water in crawlspaces and in finished spaces under homes are commonplace. Most people don’t know where to start to solve these problems, or worse yet may have had prior drainage work done that was either inadequate or in [...]
Design-Build Remodeling: An Affordable and Creative Construction Alternative
The consumer in the residential remodeling market can find it difficult to know where to start when they are ready to embark on a home improvement project. The bidding process and the hiring of contractors, architects, or designers can often be intimidating and confusing. What most clients don’t know is that there are alternatives to [...]
