Upkeep Tips From Your Knoxville Contractor For Wooden Decking

The wooden deck is a beautiful addition to any home. But your deck is only as strong and long-lived as the quality of the upkeep that it receives. Starting with quality materials is a great base, as your Knoxville contractor will tell you. If you don't take care of those materials, they will succumb to the elements. Rot can set in during a single bad rain storm through a simple crack in the wood, so you must be prepared.


As your Knoxville contractor, have seen some pretty beat up decks in our day. When you start with a wooden building material, you must remember to take proper care of it. Failure to do so will result in cracking and splintering, creating dangerous situations to walk on or to use for everyday situations. As your Nashville windows and roofing provider, we have to stress that the same maintenance that goes in to other parts of your home must be taken for your wooden decking.


Even if your wood is weather treated, you should take steps to give it extra protection. A solid weather sealant is the best option for your weather abused wooden decking. This should be applied promptly after the deck is constructed, and kept in good condition thereafter. This sealant will protect the wood of your decks against the majority of the weathering that it will encounter.


Once the wood has begun to splinter and crack it is generally too late to try and save it. Home owners try various methods, such as applying thick coats of paint to try to cover the cracks, but the water damage has already begun at this point. The only thing the paint will do is make the decking too hot to walk on in the sun, and visibly hide damage until the board is so weak and rotted from within that it falls apart beneath you.


As your Knoxville contractor, we urge protecting the wooden components of your decking properly from the beginning. Even if you only stain the wood with traditional wood stains, you are still giving it more of a chance against the elements than it would have otherwise. It is this protection that will make your investment last and give your family an area that they can enjoy for years to come.


When your deck has simply had too much stress on it, and needs to be replaced, we suggest doing so as promptly as possible. Once those boards start cracking and rotting, there is little that you can do except replace the porch. For your own family's safety, have the deck or patio fixed as soon as is possible. Letting the wood continue to warp and rot away under your feet is only asking for a disaster. Avoid potential lawsuits and accidents on your property by inspecting the wooden planks of your existing deck or patio today.

Tips From Your Knoxville Contractor On How To Spot Gutter Trouble

If you're like most Americans, you don't fancy the idea of dangling off a ladder two stories in the air unless you really have to. The reason why the average homeowner doesn't realize that their gutters are in trouble until they're falling off the house is because they don't understand the classic warning signs that a gutter system needs maintenance. Here is a brief guide from your Knoxville contractor to help you know when you need to clean out your gutters.


Visiting Wildlife


When you look up at your gutters and notice that you have animal visitors hanging around, don't think of it as a cute situation. As your Chattanooga roofing experts will tell you, animals that have made their homes inside your gutters mean that they have brought their home with them. This means your gutters are full of nests of twigs, piles of seeds and nuts, and possible offspring. Look for birds, squirrels, frogs, lizards, opossums, raccoons, mice, rats, and snakes in your gutter system. Evidence of their presence should be dealt with immediately.


Greenhouse Gardens


There are many places that your home should have plants growing around to share their beauty, but your gutters are not one of these locations. As your Knoxville contractor will tell you, seeing sprouts or seedlings peeking up from within your gutter is an immediate sign of trouble. If those plants are growing, it means that there is enough build-up of dirt and debris for them to take root in. As we all know, roots and homes don't mix well.


Erosion Lines


Around the base of your home, the landscaping should be nice and smooth. If you begin to notice visible erosion lines that mirror the lower-most level of your gutter system, then those gutters aren't hauling the water away like they should. As your Chattanooga roofing team will explain, these erosion lines are coming from where water is routinely escaping your clogged gutters and dripping onto the ground below. If it's been going on long enough to cause noticeable erosion lines on the ground, you have a serious problem in the gutters above.


Waterfall Spectacles


The next time you have a good rainstorm, grab an umbrella (unless it's lightning!) and take a stroll around your home. Look for any waterfalls coming from your gutter system. These occur around seams where different gutters meet, and are a classic sign of trouble, as your Knoxville contractor will tell you. Either there is a crack in the gutter at this location, something is blocking the water flow completely, or the gutter simply isn't up to the task at hand. Note these waterfall spots and have them inspected once the rain ends.

By keeping your eyes open for these four common warning signs, you can know when your home's gutter system is failing. Heed these warnings, and have your gutters cleaned and inspected before the system fails on you completely.

7 Reasons For Sunroom Installation On Your Property

For those home owners who are considering having upgrades made to their property, the sunroom is an option that is all too easily overlooked. Whether you are thinking of having sunroom installation performed as an attached fixture of your home or a freestanding unit, your Tennessee contractor will be able to provide you with the information you need about this choice. For now, though, here are 7 ways that a new sunroom could be used on your property this spring.


1) Entertaining Guests - Having a sunroom installed by your Knoxville contractor team can give you a perfectly enclosed portion of an outdoor patio. With windows that open and wide entry ways, enclosing half of your normal entertainment area in a sunroom would provide you with options when the weather turns sour during a gathering.

2) Intimate Arrangements - A small, cozy sunroom installation on your property can give you and your loved ones a quiet place to retreat to in order to gather your sense of personal space again. Perfect for enjoying your morning coffee, watching over your koi pond, or meditating, these comfortable areas can likewise host a guest or two while keeping them out of your home.

3) Staging Area - The sunroom that is attached to your home by your Knoxville contractor can provide your family with that extra space that is needed to keep those items that shouldn't be in the home corralled. From muddy boots to wet jackets, the sunroom lined with shelves and pegs can help these items to dry, as well keep them from being strung all over your home.

4) House Plant Area - Those plants that you don't take outside, the ones that you have had since the days you were single, have always needed more light. If you're a lover of house plants, the sunroom that your Tennessee contractor plans out for you can give your plants all the light they could ever want.

5) Garden Protection - Tired of having your entire garden pummeled into nothingness by a single severe storm? A freestanding sunroom with raised garden beds along the walls can double as a greenhouse and a getaway for your family. Including opening windows will keep your plants from getting too hot or evaporating their moisture content too quickly.

6) All Weather Swimming - If you own an in-ground pool or a hot tub, you know how much the weather affects your ability to enjoy your investment. By building a sunroom over this area, you will be able to enjoy it year round. Through temperature control, you can enjoy your pool in the middle of winter!

7) Family Retreat - A sunroom installation on the side or back of your house can be turned into a brightly lit family room. Add a few couches, your favorite books and magazines, and a television, and your family will have a new gathering place that provides a warm, friendly atmosphere.

Knoxville Roofing Options to give your home and Edge

In many homes your roof is one of if not the most important piece to your house. After wearing down roofs will tend to leak which can amount to huge problems within your home as well as house structure that comes in contact with the water. On the appearance side of things, an old outdated roof can weigh down the look of your home no matter what upgrades you do on the house. The most common types of Knoxville roofs being installed are still the long time running shingle roof, and coming up on its tail would be metal roofing.

Shingle Roofing

Shingle roofing has always been the number one choice to most because it tends to be extremely durable. Many companies are now using a high performance shingle that is 150% harder to tear then the average shingle, and performs at a 63% higher rate across all temperatures. Shingles are very wind resistant and with some independent tests they have been rated with up to 110 miles per hour. Lastly shingle roofing looks very traditional which many people like, and the color tends to hold for a long period of time.

Metal Roofing

Having a Knoxville Roofing Company install metal roofing is a newer option to most but does have its benefits as well. Metal roofing systems are constructed from completely recycled materials that will naturally reflect the sun’s heat and provide solar radiant heat, making makes this one of the most environmentally friendly products in the marketplace.

On the design side of things metal roofs tend to be more versatile with different options, colors, and patterns. Many people like to have a different home then their neighbors, and metal roofing is one of the easiest options to let your home stand out.

Both of these options are very similar in performance, it’s just a matter of your taste, and if you want to go traditional, or in a new direction. Contact a Knoxville roofing company and discuss what roofing style you think would fit your home. The Knoxville Contractor may also present some new ideas due to location, or house style. Replace that outdated or leaky roof, and treat your house to what it deserves!

What’s Right with Vinyl Replacement Windows

Many homeowners and builders are putting the spotlight on the benefits of vinyl replacement windows and for good reasons, too. These replacement windows provide the best value for your money in comparison with other traditional materials like wood. Let’s take a look at what’s right with these replacement windows so that you can seriously consider these products.

Triple Layers of Insulation

Vinyl windows are triple-glazed windows. Such property means that homeowners can enjoy higher savings on their utility bills particularly in terms of heating and cooling expenses. Basically, triple-glazed windows are better at keeping in the heat indoors during the winter months and keeping in the cold indoors during the summer months. You can then enjoy substantial savings on your utility bills.

Yes, double-glazed windows are also good options but with triple-glazed windows like vinyl replacement windows, why settle for anything less? You need not even worry about the cost because the price difference between both types of windows is negligible.

Ease of Maintenance

And then there’s the fact that these replacement windows require little maintenance other than the occasional wiping with a window cleaner. You may also use a mixture of gentle detergent and water to clean the windows. You also need not worry about painting over the material. Skip on the scraping, sanding and painting because these replacement windows are made from plastic; a simple wipe on, wipe off operation is all that’s necessary to keep these windows in tiptop shape.

Fantastic Choices

Don’t dismiss vinyl replacement windows in the style department just because these are made from plastic. You have so many choices in colors, sizes and styles that it may well take a Tennessee contractor an hour or two just discussing the pros and cons of each option.

Examples include:

• Sash vinyl windows closely mimic the wooden window sashes but with lovelier, sharper and cleaner lines.

• Bow vinyl windows make limited spaces look larger.

You need not even worry about matching the colors of these replacement windows with the exterior colors of your house. You have virtually all the colors of the rainbow at your fingertips – just tell your hired Tennessee contractor what you want to achieve in terms of style and he will find it for you.

Reasonable Prices

Considering all of the abovementioned benefits of vinyl replacement windows, cost should be of last on the factors to be considered in their installation. But because keeping to a budget is important, it must be said that these replacement windows provide the best value for your money.

Keep in mind that these windows can be fitted to fit into existing window frames. Such level of customization can mean prices ranging from $300 to $600 per pane depending on the size, style and color of the windows. If you think that these are still expensive prices, think of the savings on the energy bill as a way to recoup the purchase costs. Indeed, vinyl replacement windows are the right choice for your home. Just make sure that you will hire an experienced general contractor to do the job just to ensure that these windows will be installed the right way.