Some of the most costly home repairs can be avoided by developing a list of items to check and putting them on a calendar to remind you to inspect them before damage occurs. Some items need to be checked on a more frequent basis such as gutters and down spouts where as your roof might only need to be checked once a year. Most home maintenance can be done with a ladder, some basic tools and a caulk gun, but there are items better left to a professional. Identifying them and taking care of them before they become a costly repair is the goal of Home Maintenance.

A roof inspection to check the condition of the structure or shingles might be better left to a professional but checking step flashing around a chimney or pipe collars for your plumbing vents are items that can be on your list to inspect once a year. A visual inspection for cracks in the caulk can be an easy repair to avoid water damage to your ceiling and walls from a heavy rain. Gutters and down spouts should be checked on a more regular basis especially in the spring and fall. A clogged gutter can over flow causing erosion or flooding your basement. A gutter that has been installed incorrectly or has sagged over time can cause it to drain poorly and overflow quickly. Installation of a gutter guard might be a better solution to minimize the need to clean out your gutters.

Painting trim around your soffits, windows and doors will keep them from rotting and needing to be replaced. Inspecting the caulking around the doors and windows and repairing problem areas will avoid water getting into your home and causing expensive repairs to drywall. Water can cause some of the most costly repairs to your home. Maintaining caulk in bathrooms is also an important item. If the caulk around your vanity, toilet, shower or tub is cracked or discolored remove it and replace it before water damages the wall and floor underneath. Wall tile and floor tile will not keep water where it is supposed to be without caulk and can result in the most expensive items in a bathroom repair or remodel.

These are just a few examples of common areas of your home that need to be maintained. The purpose of home maintenance is to avoid the higher cost to repair neglected items. Foster Remodeling can help you identify potential problem areas, perform simple maintenance, make the necessary repairs and put a plan together to help protect the comfort and value of your home.

Written by: Rich Caswell – Home Maintenance Consultant

Take a walk around your home’s exterior and look for things that have moved, floated or blown to new locations in your yard or on your home’s structure. Some things may be easy to remedy yourself, such as raking up scattered leaves and pine straw, turning over tipped planters or pushing deck furniture and lawn decorations back into place. You might find more serious problems, however, like loose siding, bent or hanging gutters and downspouts, damaged soffits, deck and wooden railing or fence damage. These are things that should be taken care of right away before they morph into even bigger problems. If you don’t have the time, the skill or the interest in being your own Northern Virginia handyman, make a list and give Foster Remodeling a call. We can give you an estimate and help you get the little things taken care of before they become big things.

Our Northern Virginia handyman services cover a variety of home repair areas, including storm damage to fascia and soffit repair; gutter cleaning and repair; deck sealing, cleaning, installation and repair; and wood rot. We also cover interior honey-do projects that might need attention, like drywall and plaster repairs, window replacement and installation, flooring projects and caulking and grout work.

As part of our handyman services division, we offer home exterior repairs and gutter cleaning. Northern Virginia gutters present unique challenges because our area is subject to four distinct seasons and the various storms that come with them. There are many older neighborhoods in the area that have large trees whose falling leaves can fill your gutters in one windy afternoon – even when the trees aren’t on your property. Then, when the rains come, there is nowhere for the water to go. A gutter protection system covers the open gutters while allowing the rain to wash into the gutters and flow to the downspouts. Foster Remodeling is now a dealer and installer of the Leafree Gutter Protection System, so we can remedy your gutter problem, if you have one. The gutter protection system can be installed on any type of roof type or pitch.
Covering your gutters is just one step to upgrading your home’s exterior, but it could prevent you from having future water damage if your gutters are full of leaves and debris on a regular basis. If your yard has taken a beating from the rough winter and tough spring weather, we also handle wood rot repair, and deck installation, repair, cleaning and sealing. Contact our office for details.

Doors and Windows

That whistling sound you hear every time the wind blows means cold air is getting into your Northern Virginia home and costing you money on your utility bill. It might be time to have your doors or windows repaired or replaced. If the door is coming off its hinges and letting air in, we can take measurements and replace it. You may just need to put on the storm doors instead of the screen doors that were ideal for summer. It could be time for new windows or just a matter of replacing the cracked ones or adding weather stripping and caulking throughout the home. Of course, these things take time out of your busy schedule.

Cabinets and Closet Organizers

Winter clothes are often a reminder that we need a little more space and a little more organization. As a Northern Virginia home improvement contractor, we do more than just put on Northern Virginia home additions. We fix things, too. It’s a different process, but we can help you get organized and find a place for those winter clothes. We build shelving and can create a closet organizer to help you get a handle on the clutter. Things are much easier to find when they can be seen. Rather than a single bar with a top shelf in your closet, you could have a place not only for shoes, but for the bulky sweaters and sweatshirts that are comfortable to wear, but take up so much more room than summer clothes.

Dripping Faucet

That drip, drip, drip from your faucet is costing you money and wasting water. About 30 drips per minute equals 2 gallons of water per day. That’s more than 1,000 gallons of wasted water per year. We can fix the drip. It might be as simple as tightening the connections. It also might be time for a new faucet. We can do that. If you are tired of your sink, we can replace that, too.

If you’re going to be spending a lot of time indoors this winter, you might find some irritating imperfections that need upgrades. If you have some things around the house that are annoying you and just need to be fixed, make a list. Contact us and let us know what needs to be done. We can give you an estimate and make your home a more comfortable place to live. Then you can kick back and watch your movie or game in peace.

In today’s current economic environment we’ve seen a shift in remodeling trends from the “Like to Have Done” projects to the “Need to Have Done” projects.  The new construction boom of the last decade and subsequent new housing bust along with the overall aging inventory of housing has left many homeowners with properties in need of maintenance and updates.  The desire to spend lavishly on luxury projects has waned in favor of the smart remodel.  Instead of the large addition or gourmet kitchen, we are seeing smaller updates in multiple areas of the house.

The bathroom renovation has overtaken the kitchen in the last 18 months as the project of choice for many homeowners. When a bathroom reaches the end of its useful life, years of minor neglect can present hidden damage that necessitates a “need to have done” update.  There is typically more than one bathroom in a house so the impact of the remodeling process is lessened. Changes in building codes over the years also provide the homeowner with an opportunity to improve the safety and functionality of the space.  Pressure balance shower valves that prevent scalding, lower flow toilets that actually flush, concrete backer board in wet areas and exhaust fans that help prevent mold growth are all changes that improve the functionality of the bathroom. In addition, updated bathrooms typically provide one the highest average returns on investment of any remodeling project.

Other areas of the house are also targeted in the “Smart Remodeling” trend.  Replacing rotten exterior trim with maintenance free PVC trim andchanging pressure treated railing and decking to maintenance free composite materials are also on the increase.  Covering painted siding with vinyl, wrapping wood trim with aluminum and installing gutter guards help provide an update in curb appeal along with eliminating the seasonal exterior maintenance that most homeowner’s dread.

Other interior spaces also show their age and are frequent targets for the “Smart Remodel”.  Updating appliances, flooring and countertops in the kitchen as well as adding recessed and under cabinet lighting help improve the function and aesthetic of the space without breaking your budget.  Patching walls, adding decorative molding and a fresh coat of paint can provide an inexpensive and dramatic update.

Federal energy tax credits have helped homeowners with “Smart Remodeling” projects as well.  Window replacement, heating and air conditioning upgrades and insulation improvements all qualify for the tax credits and help to offset the initial cost and target projects that will help save the homeowner future energy costs down the road.

With over 27 years of experience, Foster Remodeling Solutions, Inc. excels at managing all of the components of the typical “Smart Remodel”.  Using in-house carpenters along with an in-house electrician, Foster Remodeling can effectively schedule and complete jobs in multiple areas of the home on time and on budget.  Our well appointed design and selection center along with on staff architect and interior designer help to streamline the material selection process and limit the need to travel all over town to plan a project.  Manufacturer’s direct buying power and strategic partnerships help to ensure a high level of value to any client endeavoring to complete a “Smart Remodeling” project.

Our handymen are gifted with skills in multiple areas, such as plumbing, carpentry and electrical work. This means you don’t have to call three different companies for three different repairs, just call Foster Remodeling. We do all handyman jobs on a time and materials basis. When you need a service call, just let our friendly staff know exactly what has to be done. We will send out a professional who is well-versed in making the repairs and installations needed for all of the projects you request.

Does your kitchen need new countertops? We can do that. We also install interior trim and hardwood flooring. Broken doors, windows and shutters are routine tasks for our handyman staff. We also replace plumbing fixtures, such as sinks and toilets. These are tasks that require both sound physical shape and the tricks of the trade required to make them fit as they should with existing plumbing and décor. The next time you have a nagging project that needs attention and you can’t do it yourself, give us a call.