Things Humpty Dumpty Should Have Done Before He Retired
As you plot and plan your retirement, there may be some things you are forgetting. Is your home maintenance free?
There are many things a person can do to their house to make it maintenance free. Many seniors don’t think about this option and some attempt to do their own maintenance and instead end up in the Hospital Emergency Room.
The first thing you can do is prominently post a sign by your front door stating, “No Canvassers, Swindlers or Salespersons welcome.” That sign lets people know real quick what you think about them and just how welcome they are.
I was a contractor for many years. I was also an author and knowledgeable about the aging baby boomers and their need to have a maintenance free home in their great grey years. So I designed several ways a home owner could almost make their home completely maintenance free.
A rusted out leaking chimney cap can cause severe water damage in an unattended home. Depending on your environment they need replaced every 10-20 years. You can use a rust remover to preserve them or you can buy a stainless steel or aluminum chimney cap and not have to worry about it again.
Annual gutter cleaning can be avoided with durable gutter guards. Plastic or rust proof are preferable. Replace average down spouts with larger ones for a worry free gutter system. Having a drain tile system in place is also very convenient and removes possible water damage problems to the foundation of your home.
One area of a house that is always prone to rotting and water damage is the soffit and fascia. You can either use vinyl or durable hardy board siding to cover the wood to eliminate this problem. Having this siding on the whole exterior of your house is also advisable for a maintenance free lifestyle.
Removing or replacing a wood fence with a vinyl fence can be costly, but it will never need a repair or to be replaced either. To eliminate weed eating around a perimeter fence, dig a 6 inch trench under the whole length of the fence and pour concrete into it.
Docks or decks can be made with plastic wood planks to last forever.
Metal roofs are maintenance free as well as energy efficient.
Sealing cracks in concrete with an elastic polymer crack sealant will add many years of life to a concrete driveway.
Replacing house numerals, mailboxes, and any exterior metal fixtures with plastic ones will eliminate future problems during your lazy retirement.
You can add many years of extra life to you’re A/C unit as well as slashing your electric bill by putting radiant barrier in your attic. It is the best and most cost efficient way to cut your electric bill, as well as doing your part to save our environment.
If you insist on keeping your wood exterior you can make a very strong and durable paint that is also energy efficient by adding ceramic microspheres to the paint.
I’ve had more then one customer explain to me how they were on the roof and slipped trying to make a repair on their own. They had the battle wounds to prove it. Plan a maintenance free retirement home and enjoy your life. You earned it.
Watch this video about metal roof contractor
Gulf Coast Supply is a well known, well respected metal roofing manufacturer. This is an operation where you will be amazed at the friendly staff, quick service and quality products offered. Using state of the art in house equipment, Gulf Coast manufactures metal roofing to the highest standards in the industry. These products are made available in six attractive profiles Tuff-Rib, PBR, 5V, Gulf-Lok, Gulf-Seam and Dbl-Lok. Each of which can be manufactured in one of over 20 different colors. Gulf Coast Supply Inc. is able to provide roofing materials (residential metal roofing, wholesale metal roofing) for any commercial, residential, architectural project that you may have. While serving as a leader in the metal roofing industry for many years, gulf coast supply is both ready and capable of providing you with the best in service and product. We are located in Horseshoe Beach Florida along the west coast in the central part of the Big Bend Area. We offer job site delivery service to all of Florida and southern Georgia. Each truck in our delivery fleet is equipped with its own hydraulic boom, capable of unloading your metal roofing package with ease. Tremendously reducing the chances of damage to materials acquired while offloading by other means. Customer Service: Our friendly and experienced staff is ready to take your orders and answer any technical questions you may have. Our familiarity with the current building trends, Florida building codes and our experience in … Please help to answer the question about metal roof contractorIf i helped a friend with his house can he clam it on taxes as long as I'm not a Contractor?
I helped a friend with his house putting a metal roof on his house and he paid me for it but he never said that he was going to do it, and i am not a Contractor and he sent me a 1099-misc form. Can he do that?
About Author
Dale Adams -
About the Author:
Dale Adams of Adams LLC is the author and self publisher of the new book, “Care Giving Made Easy – How to be an Awesome Caregiver” and the inventor of the, “Money Saving Calendar,” a new information vehicle that informs consumers how to save and make money every month of the year. His many experiences include being a Security Consultant, General Contractor and Energy Conservation Specialist. To learn more valuable information visit: http://www.adamsllc.net
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- Metal Roofing's Frequently Asked Questions
July 2nd, 2010 | by roofing contractor |
By DL on Jul 3, 2010
Warranties on roofing materials are rarely used, for several reasons:
1. The bulk of the cost is in labor, rather than materials.
2. Manufacturers only cover defective materials, and the vast majority of problems with your roof are caused by incorrect installation, inappropriate materials given your location, "acts of God", etc.
3. Even if you do determine that you have defective materials, the warranty is typically pro-rated after a few years, so that after 10 years you'd only get a percentage of the amount you had originally spent.
It is much more important to get a guarantee from the roofing contractor that you hired.
Finally, although proof of purchase is helpful, it isn't usually required by manufacturers. Most roofing materials include a serial number or other method of identification, and this should be adequate should you wish to invoke the warranty. This article provides more detail: http://www.roofery.com/shingles/warranty.html.
By biggun on Jul 3, 2010
The restaurant industry has slip resistant shoes that work very well in greasy conditions. But they won't have steel toes or shanks.
http://www.knotlimited.com/servlet/ProductList?command=createProcurement&supplierID=353&manuID=353&categoryID=2146&categoryName=Men%27s+Slip-Resistant+Shoes
http://www.foodservice.com/iexhibit/shoesforcrews/products.cfm
http://www.standingcomfort.com/shoes/chef-shoes.html
And I actually found some work boots that advertise themselves as slip resistant…
http://www.nonslipandsteelshoes.com/vendor/worx%20by%20red%20wing.htm
By Wordpress on Jul 3, 2010
Very nice job
By OMEGA1 on Jul 4, 2010
There are so many variables here that anything we say will only be a guess. The condition of your roof, the whole roof, not just the shingles, how many layers of shingles are on the roof right now, what the local codes require, most will allow two layers of shingles but not three. When I have a situation like this, I call the local building inspector and ask him/her, after all they are the ones that will have the final say. The inspectors in my area don't mind stopping by and giving their opinion.
By lyn g on Jul 4, 2010
A metal roof is not installed by a plumber, it would be installed by a roofer or a sheet metal worker.
By rock 1050 on Jul 4, 2010
By gc27858 on Jul 5, 2010
You have to have ventilation. Metal is not an insulator, it's a conductor. If it's shiny it will reflect, but it won't stay shiny. If there is insulation under the metal, then the reflective quality will be helpful, but if not, the metal will heat up and it will get hotter than hell in your attic, and make your AC work harder. The more ventilation you have, the better. Ridge vents are good.
The problem with your existing fans is that they were made to install on a shingle roof, and the flange is probably full of nail holes and roofing cement, and hard to tie in on a metal roof. They can probably be modified in various ways, (e.g. curb mounted), by a good sheetmetal mechanic to work with a metal roof, and hopefully, your roofer is a good sheetmetal mechanic. Alternatively you could put gable fans, if you have gables.
By billaryboy on Jul 6, 2010
Hcl eats metal. If there were holes in the enamel the acid when applied would attack the roofing. The damage would be immediate and obvious.
Hcl becomes diluted (weaker) when you add water. If the contractor was careful to rinse well and then you had three days of rain it's hard to imagine any acid residue could have remained or done any damage.
You might buy one piece of roofing and duplicate the cleaning and flushing process to see if it damages the metal. This could provide some insights.
good luck.
By billaryboy on Jul 6, 2010
HCl is soluble in water. Adding water to a HCl solution dilutes the acid. Add enough water and the HCl solution approaches the acidity of rain water. The HCl has been completely washed away by 3 days of rain. There certainly won't be any HCl solution left on the roof. The HCl was probably washed away by the contractor when he rinsed off the roof after cleaning it.
The owner is confused about HCl. The gas, HCl, ionizes in water and is corrosive. Exposing the roof to concentrated HCl solution is more corrosive than exposing a dry rood to HCl gas. However, the more water you add to a HCl solution, the weaker (and less corrosive) it becomes.