Spring Is Almost Here!

Finally, it has been a long winter!  It’s nice to know spring is just around the corner.

Spring is my favorite season.  I can start cleaning up the outside of my house and look forward to the renewed life in my gardens. 

Spring, however also means the potential for heavy downpours and some areas more frequently than others.

Homeowners with basement window wells that are uncovered or are covered with an open style cover in place (steel grate, rebar, or lattice) should make checking and removing any accumulated debris a priority.  Ensuring your well is clean and free of debris will allow the drain (typically located in the bottom of your well) to function properly during this season when rain is likely.

Perhaps your home has a crawl space instead, and is equipped with a sump pump to aid in water removal.  Spring is the perfect time to check that the sump pump is functioning and removing water properly.  Homeowners should also inspect the crawl space door for proper fit and closure.

Create a home improvement to do list for yourself.

Replace that worn out crawl space door. Purchase a crawl space well cover that is custom designed and fabricated to fit your existing crawl space well. The cover needs to fully enclose your area wall and door.  A proper fitting cover that is designed using polycarbonate material will eliminate the constant changing weather exposure your crawl space door endures. 

Is your crawl space hard to access? Purchase and install a crawl space well package.  This allows homeowners to enlarge the area wall on the exterior of the house for easier access.

Clean out that basement window well one more time, and then purchase a polycarbonate basement window well cover.

This simple home improvement will free up some time, eliminate constant maintenance, add aesthetic appeal to this open exterior hole, provide safety and allow you to focus on the more enjoyable spring projects.

Have a wonderful spring!!

Tips on how to find the best deals cheap on whatever you're looking for!

1. Do a search on Yahoo, Google or Bing for the product (Laptop, Computers, Electronics Etc...) reviews and also the Consumer Products Protection sites like (consumersearch.com or consumerreports.org).

2. Search by product model and name go to manufacturer website for detailed product information.

3. Talk with your friends or coworkers, sometimes people you know can help, most families have a GEEK or two.

4. Look online, at all the daily deals websites & coupons sites, online comparison shopping websites there are so many to help with the best shopping deals online today, this will save you some time searching through all the consumer electronics and computer websites.

5. Social Networking websites like Twitter, Face book, and MySpace are great to get some actual people that already have purchased the products.

6. Local newspaper classified ads and online classifieds under For Sale and Shopping sections. Most up to date deals can be found on the internet daily, all retail department stores advertise online and in the newspaper for the best deals cheap.

Stewart's Bargain Bin

Home inspection prior to purchasing your new home

So you have found your dream home and have decided to make an offer. Most people shopping for a new home fall in love with the inside of the home because this is where they will spend the majority of their time. Very few buyers actually take the time to inspect the exterior of the home.

The exterior may harbor hidden dangers to your family and future cost to you that possibly could have been negotiated for repairs, replacement or fixing prior to purchasing the home.

Make sure you take the time to walk around the exterior of the home and take into consideration things that may be safety issues, that need repairs or replacing in the near future.

You may be purchasing a home with a basement that has daylight windows and exterior window wells. Are the window wells covered with a protective cover that will prevent someone from falling into the well and being injured?

Does the home you are purchasing have a crawlspace? Did you inspect the crawlspace entry door? If the door is not working properly, rusted out and will not remain closed, this can be a costly repair. The crawlspace may already be harboring costly repairs that you are not aware of.

To be on the safe side it is always best to have a home inspection done prior to purchasing a home. This can be helpful in determining how safe the home is prior to purchasing, and what problems need to be addressed.

It is important that you take into consideration the safety of your dream home first, especially if you and your family plan to live in the home for a long time.

Crawl Space Encapsulation - The Final Step

Your crawlspace was damp and possibly even contaminated with mold, bugs or rodents and you have spent the money, took the time to clean it up, and went through the steps in placing a protective barrier, or you paid good money and hired a company who did this for you.

No crawlspace encapsulation is complete if the crawlspace door is not in perfect condition and proper working order. The door should remain closed and sealed at all times. Inspect your crawlspace door and if it is not staying closed you need to replace it now to protect your investment.

This is also a good time to prepare for the continued weather elements that the crawlspace door will be exposed to in the coming years and invest in a high quality crawlspace area wall cover to protect your investment of encapsulation.

Another consideration might be “how easy is it to access your crawlspace” with the current area wall that you have in place?

Enlarging your area wall access may also be something to consider. This will allow yourself or contractors doing work or inspections in your crawlspace easier access into the crawlspace.

Custom Covers, Inc. can design a cover to fit your existing area wall. We also stock crawlspace packages for customers or builders who are enlarging crawlspace area wall accesses. Our crawlspace package includes a new galvanized area wall and polycarbonate cover to fit.

How to Cover Your Crawlspace Well

Homeowners attempting to build a crawlspace area wall cover should address the following concerns when deciding on the design and materials to use. Using high quality building materials will increase the life of your cover saving you time, trouble and money in the long run.

1. The cover should be designed to fully enclose the area wall and crawlspace access door.

2. Material being used should not allow water to penetrate.

3. Material should be strong enough to support weight.

4. Material should be able to withstand temperature change.

5. Cover should be constructed so that it is aesthetically appealing, light weight for easy removal, include hardware that allows you to attach the cover to the well so it stays in place.

Custom Covers Inc. has been designing and building custom crawlspace and basement well covers since 2002. We have replaced several homeowners and builder’s covers built using wood or metal as the building material of choice. Wood or metal covers are a short term solution to covering a well that is constantly exposed to temperature and weather elements. Covers built using wood allow water to penetrate causing the wood to weaken and rot. Covers made out of metal; rust, weaken and are unattractive.

Our covers are built using ¼” polycarbonate material. Polycarbonate is durable and will support weight; it will not become brittle, crack or break when exposed to varying temperature changes. We are able to design covers of any size and offer a flat or sloped design crawlspace cover. All covers are shipped with mounting hardware and installation instructions.

Visit www.customcoversinc.com and provide us with your crawlspace dimensions, and a digital photo of the well you would like to cover. We will be happy to provide you with an estimate to fabricate your new crawlspace cover.

Enlarging Your Crawl Space Well for Easy Inspection and Maintenance

When it comes to home maintenance most homeowners do not think about visually inspecting their crawl spaces. This is an out of sight area of the home that is easily overlooked. This is also the darkest and dampest area of most homes that make it the ideal breeding ground for mold and pests.

Homeowners should inspect their crawl space regularly and visually inspect for the following:

1. Leaking pipes & standing water

2. Saturated floor joists or moisture standing on wood

3. Rotted wood or sagging floor beams

4. Loose duct work

5. Pests & Mold

6. Frayed electrical wires

7. Missing or loose insulation

8. Trash or debris left behind by hired workers

9. Proper fitting access door that remains closed and sealed

Let’s face it, the reason most homeowners over look this task is because the crawl space is generally hard to gain access into because of such a small access area wall and they are poorly lit.

Hired contractors having to access this area can also have difficulty maneuvering their body into the area wall and through the crawlspace door along with materials needed to make repairs.

Custom Covers, Inc. carries crawl space packages that allow homeowners to increase the size of the area wall making it easier to access the entrance into the crawl space. The package includes a new galvanized area wall and polycarbonate cover.

You may have already increased the size of your area wall to create easier access into your crawl space. Custom Covers Inc can fabricate a custom polycarbonate cover to fit your area wall dimensions, flat or sloped design crawl space covers are available.

Crawl spaces that are easily accessed will more likely be inspected and maintained!