When you are having a contractor build your home, there are a few things that you need to do before they begin the project.
The first thing on the list is to find a contractor that you think that you can trust. Finding one through the phone book is not an entirely bad idea, but asking around can be more beneficial. You can use the phone book to do this or ask friends for the name of a good contractor, you will still want to get at least three different contractors on a list of those that you are considering. Make sure they all three get the same set of building plans so they are all bidding on the same project.
When looking at the bids that you have received, be wary of a bid that is significantly lower than the others. This may be a sign of inexperience or desperation. While desperation is not necessarily a bad thing, inexperience is your enemy and you need to avoid hiring an inexperienced contractor. Consider the lowest offer, but do a good amount of research on the contractor first. Get more references from him than for the higher offers to ensure that he is experienced and will do a good job.
No matter which contractor that you choose from your list, you need to visit the job site as often as possible to ensure that your new home is being built correctly and is completely up to your local building codes. Building codes vary from state to state and even city to city, so be aware that a building inspector may come by to make sure it is done correctly. You should also pay good attention to how your contractor is taking care of your building materials. Nothing should ever be stored on the ground, especially wood and drywall. These will mold fairly quickly and the last thing you want is mold built into your brand new home. For best results, have a mold inspector come out to look at the property a few times before the project is completed.
Having an experienced plumber on the job is also very necessary. Bad plumbing in your home can cause water damage that is often very expensive to repair and you never know when a leak will spring up. If a building inspector has not come out to check the property, make sure he or she does to inspect this.
Jim Corkern is a writer and respected contributor to the Water damage restoration and mold remediation Industry. Visit his sites for more information.
http://www.floodingct.info
http://www.floodedbasementnj.info
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Mold Threatens Home Canned Food
If you have a fair sized garden, odds are pretty good that you know how to can a lot of the things that come out of it. This can include tomatoes, cucumbers, and just about anything you can think of. When you can your food at home out of your own garden, you know exactly what is going into it without having to look on the back of the package. Unfortunately, though, some of the people who can their own vegetables at home are making some mistakes that completely void the benefits of doing this themselves.
Mold likes to grow on anything that is organic and of course, this includes anything that you are canning in your own kitchen. But, canning your own food is completely safe and you will not run into any mold contamination issues after the jars are sealed, right..? Wrong!
Before beginning the canning process, you need to make sure that you are using only the best samples from your garden. If there are any fruits or vegetables that you are unsure about, do not use them. One bad vegetable or fruit will cause the whole batch to be bad.
Sterilize everything. This includes the jars and everything the food is going to come into contact with. You can sterilize the jars by filling them and the pot they are in with hot water and heating it to boiling. Bring the temperature of the water up gradually and do not insert a jar into water that is already boiling. They should stand upright with water inside them.
You should also not pack things too tightly inside the jars. This can keep the food in the middle from reaching a sterilizing temperature and can leave microorganisms such as bacteria and mold spores alive. After you pack the jars full of whatever you want to can, you need to begin the processing immediately. Do not use old jars and lids for this, because they may not seal entirely.
Any jars that are found to have mold growing in them need to be thrown out. This food is no longer safe to eat, even if you take what appears to be the only molded part out.
After the processing bit is over with, you should store these in an area away from heat and sunlight. They should be let to cool naturally.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
flood water damage restoration New Jersey and and other states such as
Connecticut Water Damage Restoration companies across the united states.
Mold likes to grow on anything that is organic and of course, this includes anything that you are canning in your own kitchen. But, canning your own food is completely safe and you will not run into any mold contamination issues after the jars are sealed, right..? Wrong!
Before beginning the canning process, you need to make sure that you are using only the best samples from your garden. If there are any fruits or vegetables that you are unsure about, do not use them. One bad vegetable or fruit will cause the whole batch to be bad.
Sterilize everything. This includes the jars and everything the food is going to come into contact with. You can sterilize the jars by filling them and the pot they are in with hot water and heating it to boiling. Bring the temperature of the water up gradually and do not insert a jar into water that is already boiling. They should stand upright with water inside them.
You should also not pack things too tightly inside the jars. This can keep the food in the middle from reaching a sterilizing temperature and can leave microorganisms such as bacteria and mold spores alive. After you pack the jars full of whatever you want to can, you need to begin the processing immediately. Do not use old jars and lids for this, because they may not seal entirely.
Any jars that are found to have mold growing in them need to be thrown out. This food is no longer safe to eat, even if you take what appears to be the only molded part out.
After the processing bit is over with, you should store these in an area away from heat and sunlight. They should be let to cool naturally.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
flood water damage restoration New Jersey and and other states such as
Connecticut Water Damage Restoration companies across the united states.
Mold and Plumbing Considerations When Hiring a Contractor
When building a new home or remodeling your old one, the most important decision that you need to make is who will do the job. The contractor that you hire to do this project is obviously going to influence how it turns out, not the budget or what type of materials you plan on using. You could do some of the remodeling work on your own and get away with it if you do your research ahead of time, but if you are planning on building a house and have no prior experience, then the best thing to do is to leave it to the professionals.
Finding a contractor in the phone book might not seem like a great idea, but for those of us moving to new areas and wanting to build a new home there, we may not have the advantage of talking to friends and neighbors in the area and getting references. No matter which method you use, you will want to get at least three different bids using the same exact building plans. Ask for references and do not be afraid to check up on them. Ask any of the references if they have had problems with mold or water damage in their constructions since they were first built. This should give you a decent idea whether the contractor can do the job you want.
You should visit the job site often and pay attention to how the contractor and his people are treating the building materials that you had them purchase for the job. None of these things should be stored directly on the ground, especially drywall and lumber, since these are porous surfaces. Mold will start to grow on these items and it will become built into the foundation of your home from the very start and even though your contractor will be liable should you have a problem later, it will be a huge inconvenience to deal with. It is better to monitor the care of your home’s building materials from the beginning. Have a mold inspector come at different intervals during the construction.
Make sure that your contractor has a plumber that knows what he or she is doing on the job to install the plumbing system. You want to make sure that the plumbing system is installed on your property correctly and that it is up to code. If you are having new plumbing installed in your home as a part of a remodeling or renovation project, you will want to have it inspected to be sure that it is up to code, especially if you live in an area with strict building codes.
Jim Corkern is a writer and respected contributor to the Water damage restoration and mold remediation Industry. Visit his sites for more information.
http://www.floodchicago.info
http://www.damagewatersc.info
Finding a contractor in the phone book might not seem like a great idea, but for those of us moving to new areas and wanting to build a new home there, we may not have the advantage of talking to friends and neighbors in the area and getting references. No matter which method you use, you will want to get at least three different bids using the same exact building plans. Ask for references and do not be afraid to check up on them. Ask any of the references if they have had problems with mold or water damage in their constructions since they were first built. This should give you a decent idea whether the contractor can do the job you want.
You should visit the job site often and pay attention to how the contractor and his people are treating the building materials that you had them purchase for the job. None of these things should be stored directly on the ground, especially drywall and lumber, since these are porous surfaces. Mold will start to grow on these items and it will become built into the foundation of your home from the very start and even though your contractor will be liable should you have a problem later, it will be a huge inconvenience to deal with. It is better to monitor the care of your home’s building materials from the beginning. Have a mold inspector come at different intervals during the construction.
Make sure that your contractor has a plumber that knows what he or she is doing on the job to install the plumbing system. You want to make sure that the plumbing system is installed on your property correctly and that it is up to code. If you are having new plumbing installed in your home as a part of a remodeling or renovation project, you will want to have it inspected to be sure that it is up to code, especially if you live in an area with strict building codes.
Jim Corkern is a writer and respected contributor to the Water damage restoration and mold remediation Industry. Visit his sites for more information.
http://www.floodchicago.info
http://www.damagewatersc.info
Mold And Humidity Problems
Mold will grow just about anywhere, but it really becomes a problem for human beings when the mold spores found in your home land on a surface that is wet and is allowed to stay that way for more than about 48 hours. Mold spores are always present in the home in some capacity, no matter what kind of air purification you use, but there are a few things that you can do inside your home to stop them from forming colonies.
One thing that you need to understand is that mold cannot grow without moisture or in some cases, standing water. The areas of your home that have the highest humidity are the places where mold is the most likely to start growing. Laundry rooms, kitchens, bathrooms, and basements are notorious for mold growth, so these are the rooms that you need to focus on.
Kitchens and bathrooms should have tile installed on the floors and never carpet. Tile will keep any spilled water from being absorbed by the sub-flooring and will allow you to clean up the moisture pretty quickly, whereas with carpet, it will not be as easy to soak up the spill. Something else to be aware of is that the carpet padding underneath it will need to be taken up and thrown away if it becomes moldy. So, even if you can clean the mold off of the carpet that you have installed, you will still have to remove it to install new padding. The best thing to do is not have carpet in these moist areas of your home.
Having exhaust fans installed in your home to help control the humidity is something else that you should consider. These will help remove not only moist air from the rooms they are installed in, but also help reduce irritants like pet dander and smoke. It might cost you a few hundred dollars to install these in the most humid rooms of the house, but it will be worth it in the end.
Something else you can do to control humidity is to keep wet items outside. This means you should not hang clothes up to dry in the laundry room or the basement and any wet clothing should be washed and dried as soon as possible.
Where there is mold, there is usually a water leak issue. This can be a leak in the basement or a household appliance or it can even be a plumbing leak inside the wall that you are not aware of. Getting rid of the mold problem in your home is directly related to how well you can manage the water problems in your house, so getting any leaks fixed as soon as possible is in your favor.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
South Carolina Water Damage Restoration and and other states such as
Chicago Water Damage Restoration companies across the united states.
One thing that you need to understand is that mold cannot grow without moisture or in some cases, standing water. The areas of your home that have the highest humidity are the places where mold is the most likely to start growing. Laundry rooms, kitchens, bathrooms, and basements are notorious for mold growth, so these are the rooms that you need to focus on.
Kitchens and bathrooms should have tile installed on the floors and never carpet. Tile will keep any spilled water from being absorbed by the sub-flooring and will allow you to clean up the moisture pretty quickly, whereas with carpet, it will not be as easy to soak up the spill. Something else to be aware of is that the carpet padding underneath it will need to be taken up and thrown away if it becomes moldy. So, even if you can clean the mold off of the carpet that you have installed, you will still have to remove it to install new padding. The best thing to do is not have carpet in these moist areas of your home.
Having exhaust fans installed in your home to help control the humidity is something else that you should consider. These will help remove not only moist air from the rooms they are installed in, but also help reduce irritants like pet dander and smoke. It might cost you a few hundred dollars to install these in the most humid rooms of the house, but it will be worth it in the end.
Something else you can do to control humidity is to keep wet items outside. This means you should not hang clothes up to dry in the laundry room or the basement and any wet clothing should be washed and dried as soon as possible.
Where there is mold, there is usually a water leak issue. This can be a leak in the basement or a household appliance or it can even be a plumbing leak inside the wall that you are not aware of. Getting rid of the mold problem in your home is directly related to how well you can manage the water problems in your house, so getting any leaks fixed as soon as possible is in your favor.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
South Carolina Water Damage Restoration and and other states such as
Chicago Water Damage Restoration companies across the united states.
Preventing Damage From Wildfires
If you live in an area that is prone to wildfires, such as certain areas of California, you should do what you can to protect your home from them. While it may seem pretty hopeless once a wildfire is on a path that will go straight through your home, there are some things that you can do to try and minimize the damage.
The first thing that you can do if you own your home is to outfit it with fire resistant materials. The roof is perhaps the most important surface that you should take care of, since it is the largest surface of the home that is exposed to sparks of fire that have become airborne. If there is a wildfire near your house, you should take your water hose and keep the roof wet as much as possible to stop this threat. Fire-resistant roofing materials are large in number and include tile, metal, and fiberglass. Any oil-based roofing material should be replaced and wooden shingles are a disaster waiting to happen.
Fire-resistant materials should also be used to build the walls and windows of the house, since this can impede the spreading of the fire to the interior. Stone, metal, and brick offer a decent amount of protection, but vinyl siding and wood provide extremely little. The windows are important because heat will radiate inside the house and possibly set drapes on fire, so having smaller windows in homes that are at risk is a good idea.
Another thing that you can do to your lawn if a wildfire is nearby is wetting it with the water hose. This can also slow the fire’s spread to your house some. Do not allow dead leaves and other debris to build up in the yard during wildfire season and try to get rid of any tree branches that are hanging over your house. You can even go as far as to have these trees that are close to your home removed, but that is a personal preference. It will help, but some people may not want to sacrifice them.
If you have to evacuate, realize that you cannot take everything with you. Take only the most important valuables and get out as soon as you can. If you have time and are leaving voluntarily, take the opportunity to wet your yard, roof, and the exterior of your house again. This is pretty much all you can do at this point and the rest is in the hands of nature.
Jim Corkern is a writer and respected contributor to the Water damage restoration and mold remediation Industry. Visit his sites for more information.
http://www.localrestoration.com and
http://www.moldrestorationusa.com
The first thing that you can do if you own your home is to outfit it with fire resistant materials. The roof is perhaps the most important surface that you should take care of, since it is the largest surface of the home that is exposed to sparks of fire that have become airborne. If there is a wildfire near your house, you should take your water hose and keep the roof wet as much as possible to stop this threat. Fire-resistant roofing materials are large in number and include tile, metal, and fiberglass. Any oil-based roofing material should be replaced and wooden shingles are a disaster waiting to happen.
Fire-resistant materials should also be used to build the walls and windows of the house, since this can impede the spreading of the fire to the interior. Stone, metal, and brick offer a decent amount of protection, but vinyl siding and wood provide extremely little. The windows are important because heat will radiate inside the house and possibly set drapes on fire, so having smaller windows in homes that are at risk is a good idea.
Another thing that you can do to your lawn if a wildfire is nearby is wetting it with the water hose. This can also slow the fire’s spread to your house some. Do not allow dead leaves and other debris to build up in the yard during wildfire season and try to get rid of any tree branches that are hanging over your house. You can even go as far as to have these trees that are close to your home removed, but that is a personal preference. It will help, but some people may not want to sacrifice them.
If you have to evacuate, realize that you cannot take everything with you. Take only the most important valuables and get out as soon as you can. If you have time and are leaving voluntarily, take the opportunity to wet your yard, roof, and the exterior of your house again. This is pretty much all you can do at this point and the rest is in the hands of nature.
Jim Corkern is a writer and respected contributor to the Water damage restoration and mold remediation Industry. Visit his sites for more information.
http://www.localrestoration.com and
http://www.moldrestorationusa.com
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