As a general practice, we do not include yard work in our maintenance list but this is one that impacts the health and durability of your house. Tree branches rubbing or falling on the house can do a tree-mendous amount of damage. Vines growing on the house can also do damage. It is a good idea to do this chore early in February before spring starts to set in but once the worst of winter has passed.
Caulk is an important barrier against water and air leaks but it does not last very well. If the caulk is dried and cracked or if it has come loose you will need to replace it. When repairing caulk clean all of the old caulk out and clean the surfaces. Use a hair dryer to
College Station, February 9, 2015- When Amy Rensvold, with the local Women, Infants and Children’s (WIC) office called Stearns Design Build she was hoping to get a bid to have some laminate countertops replaced. Instead Stearns Design Build president, Hugh Stearns offered to do the work for free. Thanks to the generosity of Lowe’s in Bryan, who contributed materials at half price, the project could be done with no cost to the WIC office.
This is something that most people ignore until a hose breaks… when they are gone on vacation. We have seen some horrific floods caused in this way. Of course when you are leaving for any period of time, it is a good idea to shut the water to the washing machine off. When inspecting the hoses, turn the valves off and pull the washing machine away from the wall.
It is our recommendation that you change AC filters once a month when you are leaving your system on all the time, so you will see this task on our list for most, but not all, months. Changing out the AC filters will extend the life of your system, allow it to operate more efficiently, and even help keep the house clean.
Like many building products in existence, choosing the right siding for your home is never as easy as Eeny, meeny, miny, moe. Each siding material comes with its own set of features and benefits, both from a sustainability point of view, price, climate appropriateness, and aesthetics. Sadly there is no category wide certification program to use as an overall guide. The first decision for choosing a siding material should come down to what is most suitable and allowable in your market or area of residence. Here is a list of commonly used siding for green-built homes.
I recently had the pleasure of meeting Naomi Sacks, who runs the Therapeutic Landscape Network. She is currently working on a PhD in Architecture here at TAMU. But her accomplishments exceed that of many who have long had such academic di...stinction. Her book, Therapeutic Landscapes: An Evidence-Based Approach to Designing Healing Gardens and Restorative Outdoor Spaces, is available on Amazon. Though Naomi's focus is on landscape design in institutional settings, I look forward to learning as much as I can about her approach and applying it to the residential setting.
To the extent that we seek “green” or sustainable solutions, it is not enough to consider the resources that we use in building, we must consider our relationship to all resources. We must design homes that put us into relationship with life’s resources so that we can become aware of our part of a process of dynamic balance.
Composites are the new face of deckingThe most notable changes in the decking market have come with the creation of synthetic decking materials. Most synthetics require less maintenance than wood, but are far from perfect. They are more expensive than basic wood decking materials and although much more weather proof than wood, they are not immune to weather damage. No decking is perfect, but the variety of natural wood and synthetic products on the market today are providing both home builders and home owners a longer list of possibilities and options than ever before.
There are many advantages to standing seam metal roofs, especially for hot climates.
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Stearns Design Build
College Station Custom Home Builders
2151 Harvey Mitchell Pkwy S #219
College Station, TX 77840
Phone: 979-696-0524
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