Tag Archives: home
The Inspector Who Saved Thousands on an Unnecessary New Roof
Yesterday high winds whipped through central New Jersey, screaming past quiet,tree-lined,residential streets,gusting to more than 50 miles an hour. The national weather service is still looking into whether these winds were actually a hurricane, but residents of one wooded area really don’t care about the classification of the storm, they are concerned with the clean up necessary after the devastation.
In Hunterdon, a large tree fell, ripping open the roof of a home, while residents were inside sleeping.The woman sleeping in the upstairs bedroom awoke to the sound of an enormous crash, and opened her eyes to falling plaster everywhere. She was lucky to be unharmed, and the damage to her home was substantial.
Meanwhile on a similar tree-lined street, another family awoke to the same high winds, safer and better prepared because of the home inspector who noticed something strange in trees on the property and recommended the opinion of a landscaping professional.The landscaper recommended taking down a 100 year old tree that was just a little too close to the home. Home inspectors check trees for evidence of the tree dying, being diseased, or having structural failure, and call in experts for their professional opinions. They also assess possible damage to structures if the tree falls, ramifications of construction and renovations around tree root structures, the possibility of storm damage, liability and tree maintenance issues, and whether the tree has been topped because this sometimes weakens the tree. In all cases expert landscaper opinions are solicited.
According to insurance company property and casualty claim data shows that the industry spends billions of dollars each year on fallen tree damage. Not only that, but claims involving tree damage have sharply risen over the last ten years due to increasingly violent storms, more trees being planted close to homes, and the trend to preserve large trees during construction. As a result of this, many homeowners have filed for enhanced landscape policies with coverage levels of $100,000 or more per tree. More home inspectors as they make recommendations should recognize this trend, and should protect themselves by purchasing errors and omissions insurance.
Cheap Tiles Are a Great Way to Have a Quality New Floor in Your Home
Many do not understand the cost of having a new floor put in their home. They think that this is going to be a huge investment and that they may need to take out a second mortgage or go with less quality materials when putting in a floor. There are many styles of cheap tiles that will offer a nice looking floor without spending a lot of money.
The most common type of cheap tile is ceramic. This product is durable, yet will cost less than $ 1 per square foot in most instances. If you have a room that is one hundred and forty four square feet then you would only need $ 100 to purchase the tiles to do this room. Of course you will need the grout and other materials, but this is still a great price.
By not hiring a contractor to put in the tiles, you will make the job more cost effective. Most any person can install their own tile floor by watching an instructional DVD that will teach them how. Those who have never done this type of work can still put down their own tiles that look like a contractor laid them in.
If you want to make your room look more uniform, you can use a smaller tile on the shower or kitchen walls that would match the cheap tiles on the floor. Many styles and colors come in different sizes to fit whatever tiling need that there is. By using a different size you will create conformity with a difference.
Porcelain is another material that is used to make cheap tiles. There are two types of porcelain tiles. Once is glazed and the other is the typical finish that is put on tiles. Glazed porcelain would not make a good tile for the floor but would work great on other areas that you would want to have tiled.
You can use the regular tiles to be laid for the floor. Some may want to use both types, one on the floor and the other on the walls to keep the flow of the room going. You can install a cheap floor that is beautiful to look at.
If you would prefer not to put in your own floor you can always hire a professional to do the job for you. Since the money is being saved on tiling the cost of a contractor will not be as much.
These are not the only two types of cheap tiles. Those that do their homework and research will find the perfect tiling for their home and also their wallet. There is no need to break the bank when you are trying to put down new flooring. Cheap linoleum should never again be used as the be all end all cheap flooring. The only decision that needs to be made is how much you want to spend and what type of cheap tiles will fit this budget.