Autumn Tip It’s time to get your house ready for winter. Cover your air conditioning condenser for the winter and be sure to switch off the circuit breaker to avoid re-starting without removing the cover. Turn your outside faucets off inside the basement and leave the outside tap open to allow any remaining water to drain out. Check your door weather-stripping and the caulking around windows and penetrations such as dryer vents. Last but not least, a sweep of your chimney will have the fireplace or woodstove ready for winter’s cold.
BUILD. I T ’S W H AT W E D O
Volume 1 Issue 3 Autumn 2008
Build Inspection Once again we are offering our annual fall inspection of your homes exterior. We will clean your eavestroughs and visually check your roof and the exterior of your home for needed maintenance. We will provide you with a report of our findings, and if it’s something simple, we’ll fix it then and there! Cost is $60 plus GST. Well worth the price the first time you don’t fall off your ladder.
Build People
Farm House Addition and Renovation We are currently working on a large addition and renovation to a wonderful old farmhouse outside St. Marys. The addition is open and light-filled, and more than doubles the usable floor space of the home. High insulation levels and a ground source
heat pump system will provide comfort and energy savings for many years. Some upgrades to the house such as recreating the front porch and adding appropriately sized windows and board and batten siding on the garage will provide continuity.
Ask BUILD. Q: Our house needs a new roof. The asphalt shingles didn’t last as long as we thought they would, and we are wondering what our options are. A: The trend right now is away from one layer organic base asphalt shingles. Two, three or more layer asphalt shingles with a fiberglass mat embedded in them seem to be withstanding the increased UV assault from the sun. These shingles also add more texture
rory@build4u.ca www.build4u.ca
to the roof, and offer longer life spans. Metal and cedar roofs are also options, but cost and lifespan should be carefully considered – cedar is now coming from sources other than old growth and 25 years is the expected lifespan – a far cry from the 100 year old cedar we recently removed from a roof! If you have a question for Ask Build email it to rory@build4u.ca
Nicole Allin is a registered apprentice carpenter who has worked with us for the past 2.5 years. She became interested in the trades through industrial arts in elementary school – even competing on a national level in skills contests. Completing a co-op placement led to a position with us, and Nicole is now a valued team member. She spends her leisure time cooking and has recently completed her hunter safety training.
Build Blog In a lighter vein, we have an online blog with some interesting blunders (certainly not ours, er not that we have any!), unique building tidbits and the like. Just for fun. http://build4you.blogspot.com
Rory
TEL
519 275 3250
FAX
519 275 3284 1038 Stn Main, Stratford, Ontario N5A 6W4
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