As long as you're here..."Rate My Site"
Thanks to all who have voted!
Ryan A. Wilcox
Owner Dynasty Remodeling
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
As Long As You're Here!!
Hello Visitors,
As long as you're here..."Rate My Site"
Thanks to all who have voted!
Ryan A. Wilcox
Owner Dynasty Remodeling
As long as you're here..."Rate My Site"
Thanks to all who have voted!
Ryan A. Wilcox
Owner Dynasty Remodeling
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Why You Don't Need EverDry!
Most houses don't need there own irrigation system! Trenches being dug around your foundation, drainage lines being installed, giant De-humidifiers, metal sheeting around the inside baseboard of your basement (about 10 to 12 inches high) as an extra shield , but $12,000 to $16,000 later...."Your basement is dry!" None of this is necessary in almost all cases!!!
Here are some How to Tips and Ideas.
Q: Do you have standing water in your basement after heavy rains, 2 inches or more?
A: You need a sump pump. If you have one, you need a better one. If you notice that the water doesn't slope or run off to the sump pump (unfinished basements). A new hole must be either dug or you need to level and pitch your basements floor to allow for the water to drain properly into said hole.
"Dig A New Hole!" That's what I would do in my home. But, one things for sure you can't have standing water in your basement. It leads to all kinds of mold growth, spores, bugs, smell, etc...
Q: Do you have water damaged baseboards,walls,tile flooring, etc...?
A: You have to determine where the water is coming from. If you can't seem to find the source, one place you might look is at the floor itself. Water can come up through pores and cracks in the concrete itself. A good indication is if water is in the middle of the basement floor. If you have carpet or tile look for damp spots. If the baseboards or wall finish seems warped or discolored higher up than the water level has ever gotten, then that's your leak! If you can get to the cracks or holes in the wall yourself, what I use is called Drylok©Filler it has a 10 year guarantee when installed properly by a professional. But, will work well for the do-it-yourselfer!
Q: Do you have mold or discoloration on your floors,rafters,ceiling,walls, etc...?
A: This is a good indication that there might be some water leaking from somewhere. Determine where it's coming from! That's the first step. Take a flashlight down there and just look at all the cracks,pipes,seams,joints,etc...
Find it fix it! You don't want to breath in mold spores, black mold, or any kind of mold for that matter for an extended period of time. Mold won't necessarily hurt you in small doses, but if you live, sleep, and eat in a place that has mold, it's not in your best health interests to keep it that way!
Q: Do you have cracks or leaks in your basement floor?
A: If you do, my best advice is not to pay $5,000 and up to fix said cracks or leaks! If your a do-it-yourselfer...You can use a basement sealing product that I use called Drylok©. It comes in white and has the same 10 year warranty/guarantee as the filler. Personally I would use the filler first, then the sealer. You will need a few 5 gal. buckets depending on the sq.ft.'idge of your basement. You will want to clean the surface thoroughly. Make sure you buy respirators with this product it does require them! The smell is strong and is potent.
Q: Does water just seem to come from nowhere when it rains or after a heavy snow melt?
A: Check the floor! If you have carpet look for wet or damp spots. If you have tile look for a white powder residue on the surface or discoloration.
If you find it to be wet and damp and or any discoloration. Follow the answer above! Or Just Call Me!
Ryan A. Wilcox
Owner Dynasty Remodeling
Here are some How to Tips and Ideas.
Q: Do you have standing water in your basement after heavy rains, 2 inches or more?
A: You need a sump pump. If you have one, you need a better one. If you notice that the water doesn't slope or run off to the sump pump (unfinished basements). A new hole must be either dug or you need to level and pitch your basements floor to allow for the water to drain properly into said hole.
"Dig A New Hole!" That's what I would do in my home. But, one things for sure you can't have standing water in your basement. It leads to all kinds of mold growth, spores, bugs, smell, etc...
Q: Do you have water damaged baseboards,walls,tile flooring, etc...?
A: You have to determine where the water is coming from. If you can't seem to find the source, one place you might look is at the floor itself. Water can come up through pores and cracks in the concrete itself. A good indication is if water is in the middle of the basement floor. If you have carpet or tile look for damp spots. If the baseboards or wall finish seems warped or discolored higher up than the water level has ever gotten, then that's your leak! If you can get to the cracks or holes in the wall yourself, what I use is called Drylok©Filler it has a 10 year guarantee when installed properly by a professional. But, will work well for the do-it-yourselfer!
Q: Do you have mold or discoloration on your floors,rafters,ceiling,walls, etc...?
A: This is a good indication that there might be some water leaking from somewhere. Determine where it's coming from! That's the first step. Take a flashlight down there and just look at all the cracks,pipes,seams,joints,etc...
Find it fix it! You don't want to breath in mold spores, black mold, or any kind of mold for that matter for an extended period of time. Mold won't necessarily hurt you in small doses, but if you live, sleep, and eat in a place that has mold, it's not in your best health interests to keep it that way!
Q: Do you have cracks or leaks in your basement floor?
A: If you do, my best advice is not to pay $5,000 and up to fix said cracks or leaks! If your a do-it-yourselfer...You can use a basement sealing product that I use called Drylok©. It comes in white and has the same 10 year warranty/guarantee as the filler. Personally I would use the filler first, then the sealer. You will need a few 5 gal. buckets depending on the sq.ft.'idge of your basement. You will want to clean the surface thoroughly. Make sure you buy respirators with this product it does require them! The smell is strong and is potent.
Q: Does water just seem to come from nowhere when it rains or after a heavy snow melt?
A: Check the floor! If you have carpet look for wet or damp spots. If you have tile look for a white powder residue on the surface or discoloration.
If you find it to be wet and damp and or any discoloration. Follow the answer above! Or Just Call Me!
Ryan A. Wilcox
Owner Dynasty Remodeling
Friday, February 22, 2008
Sump Pump Holes! ( The good, the bad, and the ugly)
Recently I started cutting a new "sump pump hole" for a homeowner of mine. This is a "new" hole not an existing one built along with the foundation. The homeowner wanted the hole to be square so he would be able to fit 2 sump pumps in. This is in Findlay, OH where in the past 6 months they've had 2 major floods! The first was in August and the Second happened this February. I'm talking 8 feet above flood stage! So needless to say the grounds a little wet. Got a little messy with all that water soaked into the ground. But, I was prepared for that, sump pumping the hole out as we dug! Ok, so what I'm going to do is put circular hard plastic inserts into this hole and back fill it with stone and finish it with concrete. I found a nice little idea on the "This Old House" website, that I'm going to use. It consists of drilling holes about 1 inch to 2 inches in diameter in the hard plastic inserts and attaching screen or mesh over those holes on the outside to filter the debris that's in the water. This will save your pump from working to hard. We all know that when your sump pump goes out you're the last to know. Until you go downstairs and find your basement has water in it! For the very few of you who have read all of this there's another little idea or tip I would like to share with you. There are "alarms" made for your sump pump itself! You can get the alarm seperate or built into the pump itself! This alarm goes off (Beeps, pretty loud) when the sump pump stops working or can't handle the volume of water that's flowing into the hole.....Very cool!
Thank you,
Ryan A. Wilcox
Owner Dynasty Remodeling
Thank you,
Ryan A. Wilcox
Owner Dynasty Remodeling
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Spend The Money or Go The Cheap Route?
I agree that fixing it right the first time is something you should do. But, it doesn't necessarily have to be expensive or the only thing you might try. I have homeowners & landlords ask me all the time. "Is it worth it to do it that way?" The asnwer that I give depends upon the repair in question. I usually ask them that same question back. "Is it worth it to you to do it that way"? Some homeowners and landlords just want it done as quickly and as cheaply as possible. And that's fine...but as a contractor and a business man I make sure that It's known up front that this will probably just be a quick fix type of thing and won't last or hold up over time. Some are fine with that, and some aren't.
So all in all..."Going The Cheap Route" can be benificial to some who just want it taken care of quickly and cheaply. But, I think most want the job done the right and lasting way. "Now the price of that job done right is up for debate!"
Ryan A. Wilcox
Owner Dynasty Remodeling
So all in all..."Going The Cheap Route" can be benificial to some who just want it taken care of quickly and cheaply. But, I think most want the job done the right and lasting way. "Now the price of that job done right is up for debate!"
Ryan A. Wilcox
Owner Dynasty Remodeling
Welcome To Dynasty Remodeling & DynastyRemodeling.org
Dynasty Remodeling would like to welcome you to our "new" blog page! Here we will be discussing all sorts of home improvement & remodeling ideas, as well as best practices and reviews, answering questions, taking advice and comments!
So if you have any home repair or remodeling questions or comments please feel free to post them. They will be answered or responded to within 24 hours.
Dynasty Remodeling is a small family based home remodeling & repair business. Started in June of 2004 by Ryan A. Wilcox. We specialize in Basements, Roofs, Drywall, Flooring, Mold & Removal sprays, Mold inspection, Cabinets, Countertops, Sanitary clean-up, Debris removal, and much more! We offer Free No Hassle Estimates!
To learn more about our business please visit us at: http://www.dynastyremodeling.org/
Ryan A. Wilcox
Owner Dynasty Remodeling