"Your home is your castle." "There's no place like home." "Home is where the heart is." "Make a house into a home." We have all heard these and countless other adages about the bond between an individual and their dwelling. It doesn't matter if we are describing a mobile home or a mansion, a quaint cottage or sprawling estate. For most people, their home is among their largest investments. Even in a tough economy with rampant foreclosures, a house is also one of the best ways to build wealth over time. Equity comes from paying down debt, as well as increasing the value of the property. And just as a high tide raises all boats (that are in the water), an improving market elevates the vast majority of housing values. Of course, a poorly maintained, leaking boat will struggle to stay above the tides and the same can be said of a poorly maintained house.
This blog will delve into some off the many systems that comprise a house (roofing, ventilation, HVAC, insulation, windows, entry systems, flooring, kitchen and bath). We will discuss what it takes to keep these systems functioning properly, how to maintain them, and what to look for when replacing or upgrading them.
Home improvement is a scary business. Cutting corners to save a few bucks may end up costing you dearly in aggravation, legal entanglements, premature system failure and subsequent replacement. Unpaid subcontractors can place a lien on your home, even if you paid the entire amount of the contract. Does the contractor carry insurance? The Yellow Pages ad may say so, but those claims are never verified. A worker getting injured on the job potentially places the home-owner at risk of liability. "Lifetime" warranties are only as strong as the company that backs them up. With nearly 70% of contractors going under within 7 years, who do you go after if/when something goes wrong? Buried deep in the fine print, it is all-too common to find clauses nullifying warranty protection if installation is not in accordance with manufacturer specifications. How does an unsuspecting homeowner know if the installation is done properly and in accordance with those specifications?
This blog will help to expose the issues that can turn a home improvement project into a nightmare. Knowing how to protect yourself should provide some much needed peace of mind.
The
U.S. Occupational Health & Safety Administration is cracking down
on roofing safety violations, as a string of high-profile cases in the
last few months demonstrates:
St. Louis, Mo.:
Roofing contractor KG Framing and Construction LLC, cited for 12 safety
violations, including one willful and three repeat, for failing to
provide roofers with protection from falls. Proposed fines total
$121,480.
Salina, Ks.:
Ryan Roofing Inc. cited after a worker suffered a broken neck and was
paralyzed when he fell 20 feet from the roof of a commercial building.
Proposed fines total $115,500
Lemont, Ill.:
Roofing contractor, Woodridge Enterprises Inc., cited for eight safety
violations, including three repeat, for lack of protection from falls at
a residential job site. Proposed fines total $47,960.
Milford, Conn:
Amilicar Samper Perez, doing business as Roof Systems of Connecticut,
cited for alleged repeat and serious violations of workplace safety
standards. Proposed fines total $44,880
Ridgefield, NJ: Conte Roofing Co. Inc., cited for two repeat and four serious violations, including fall hazards. Proposed fines total $57,300
OSHA
officials will argue it shouldn't be about the money; it's about the
safety of workers. Falls from roofs reportedly account for one-third of construction fall fatalities. In general, falls are the leading cause of fatalities in construction. Nevertheless, the scale of these fines is extreme, due in part to repeat violations.
Fines levied against contractors increases with the number of
citations. Citations of this magnitude could permanently bury many
roofing companies, and contractors may want to explore how to exercise
their rights in this webinar by the Mason Contractors Association of America (MCAA).
The cases come right at the time the temporary enforcement measures
for residential fall protection expired. OSHA apparently outlasted the
National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and the National Roofing
Contractors Association (NRCA), which had lobbied hard
for different fall protection rules for residential construction in the
past. Moving forward under the circumstances, the NRCA is now offering free fall-protection courses.
My window appointment yesterday was with a price-shopper. He wanted "the best deal" on a quality window and was finishing up with another window company when I arrived. I have written before about price shopping for home improvements. In fact, my post entitled"Tell me you are not seriously shopping for the lowest price for.home improvements" made it abundantly clear that home improvements is one category of purchases where the old adage "you get what you pay for" does NOT apply. When you get a "deal" on home improvements, you often get far MORE than you bargained for, BUT NOT IN VALUE ! What you typically get is aggravation, expense, premature product failure and premature product replacement, unexpected damage to your home, and even legal expenses fighting to get the situation rectified.
Home improvements are not a commodity type of purchase. It is not like going to various Toyota dealers and shopping for a 2013 Camry with the same features that came off the same assembly line. There are countless ways to shortcut the quality of the materials, installation methods and protections - any of which can bring you far more trouble than you ever bargained for.
When I sat down with this gentleman and started explaining why our quote would undoubtedly be significantly higher than the others he was getting, his body language spoke volumes. He clamped down tighter than a drum. He had a driver personality and did not want to listen to what I had to say. All he wanted was the price. Why? He knew from my opening remarks that our price would be more than he wanted to spend. Surprise, surprise. It was.
The funny thing was that when I was going through what was included in the project, he realized that we also install siding and asked if I also deal with siding. He had new vinyl siding installed a few years before and wanted my opinion on the quality of the installation. When I was packing up my computer and materials, I told him I would take a look at it. The reason he wanted the opinion was that he had suspicion that it wasn't the greatest workmanship. He didn't like the way the panels laid against each other.
That was actually the least of the issues with the siding. The j channels were small, thin and did not adequately secure the ends of the siding. The siding was installed without adequate clearance between the windows. Due to expansion and contraction, the siding was bulging away from the house. The j channels around the windows were allowing water infiltration behind the siding when it rains and trapping it there. The window wraps looked OK to him, but were not up tight to the windows or sealed at the sill. Any rain coming against the window pours down the sill and right underneath the wrap. The soggy wood underneath can't breath because of the wrap. Any wonder why his sills were rotting out? I also found siding hanging out of the j channels, siding improperly cut too short (leaving the underlayments exposed) near the corner posts, a large gob of caulk slathered around a faucet that didn't have a finishing piece installed and several other issues.
I found all of these problems in just a couple of minutes worth of examination on just one corner of the house. He wanted to know how I would grade the job. Trying not to hurt his feelings too badly, I told him I had seen worse and would give it a C- "if I were being generous". Yes I have seen worse. A LOT worse. The problem is that this job did not deserve a C-. It was a complete failure. It is not protecting the home from water infiltration, which is why he has window problems. It was not installed properly and likely will be flapping in the breeze in a few years. It is already waving, bulging and buckling.
That is not even talking about what quality of materials were used. If the contractor (and I will use that term loosely) used cheap quality siding (which he in all probability did), it will fade and discolor after four or five years and become extremely brittle. It will crack. It will break. It will look like garbage. How do I know that? Because cheap vinyl siding is primarily made from recycled plastic, which does not stand up to the elements. Cheap siding is not protected against weathering. Cheap siding does not have an impact modifier to keep it from becoming brittle. Cheap siding is cheap for a reason. It is cheap.
Funny thing is that cheap windows are also cheap for a reason. The same reason.
You might think that the analysis of his siding and identification of the cause of the rot in his window sills would have gained me some level of credibility in terms of our previous window discussion. Didn't happen. Instead, he called the other window guy and started asking him to refute the statements I had made about the quality of our windows and installation. He then called me back trying to display his "vast' window knowledge and prove that our windows are (in his estimation) overpriced based on what the other guy said.
I told him during the window discussion that our vinyl is made of vinyl with just a few additives to reduce weathering, allow for uniform expansion and contraction, and keep the vinyl soft and flexible so it doesn't become brittle. The competitor tried to play some semantic games differentiating between "pure" vinyl and their "virgin" vinyl. Yes I am absolutely convinced that they use "virgin" vinyl in their windows. The competitor's statement is absolutely accurate. I am equally convinced that they dump vast amounts of recycled plastic into the vat containing the "virgin" vinyl, melt it all together and extrude out their window frames and sashes.
The competitor tried to one-up me on the argon fill. I had told the customer that we have over a 90% fill on our windows. I did also mention to him that the gas dissipates over time from all windows from all manufacturers. After it is gone, you have only the quality of the glass, seals and spacer system left to keep out the elements. The competitor claimed their windows have over 98.5% fill. As a window purchaser, how do you have any idea how much gas is between the glass? You can't see it. You have to rely on the credibility of the person relaying that information to you. If their gas claim was such a dramatic quality differentiator, why didn't he mention it while he was in the customer's home? If it dissipates over time (which it does), what additional value is he providing with that claim (of course assuming his claim is accurate)?
I had given the customer the U values (energy efficiency ratings) for our glass and suggested he go online and Google NFRC http://nfrc.org/. The National Fenestration Rating Council provides accurate information to measure and compare energy performance of windows, doors and skylights. Naturally, the competitor told him their windows have better U values than ours. It is interesting that their windows are not NFRC certified.
I had told him our windows have a "soft coat" low E coating. Low E refers to low emissivity. The coating reflects away the harmful UV rays that fade curtains, carpets and furniture while allowing the balance of the spectrum to come through. Soft coat Low E is applied to the glass while it is still soft. Once it hardens, it becomes part of the glass. Other systems apply either a coating or a plastic film to the hardened glass. Use of chemicals (such as window cleaners) not only damages the coating, but voids the warranty on other manufacturer's windows. Not to be outdone, the other guy is now claiming that they do a "double soft coat Low E". Again, why did he not mention it when he was with the customer? Again, how do you know it is there if you can't see it?
During my visit, I shared competitor's warranties with the customer so he could see what they do and do not cover. I shared an article from Consumer Reports that specifically mentions one company as a source for quality siding and windows. I will give you a hint. It was not the other guy. I told him up front that we would be more expensive and why.
Let me ask you a few questions:
If you were going out for a fresh Maine lobster dinner, would you be more suspicious of the East Coast sea food restaurant that charges $30 per tail or the Nebraska truck stop that charges $6.50?
If the average price for used 2010 Honda Accords with 30,000 miles from dealers in your town is $15,000 and one dealer is selling them for $8000, which are more likely to have been pulled out of a flood? With that in mind, why are people more suspicious of the
national company that quotes a higher (but mid-range) price on a home
improvement than the Chuck-in-a-truck or Dan-in-a-van
handyman/contractor that quotes a significantly below average price?
You can buy car tires for $25 up to over $250 each. They are both black and they are both round. What is the difference? The $25 tires may be used, retreads, factory seconds, scratch-N-dents or off brand closeouts from a manufacturer that went bankrupt, while the $250 tires are new name brand tires.
Which are more likely to fail and leave you stuck on the side of the highway on a 95 degree day?
Which will last longer?
Which will handle better, ride better and give better traction?
Which company will be around to take care of you if there ever is a problem?
Which tire would you trust your family's lives with on a snowy mountain road?
There is a reason why home improvements have such a bad reputation. There is a reason why there are such a high number of complaints to the Better Business Bureau. There are reasons why news reports so frequently offer suggestions and advice on avoiding home improvement rip-offs, scams and other nightmares.
My guess is that this customer will go with the cheaper estimate. I would be shocked if he didn't. He didn't want to believe anything I said. He wanted to believe what the other guy said so he could demonstrate his superior shopping prowess and ability to get a good deal. I have seen this type of person many times before.
They think they are too smart to get taken advantage of.
They will never be the ones to get ripped off.
They won't end up having a reason to file a complaint with the BBB.
Then again, I doubt if anyone who ever got taken advantage of or ripped off thought that they would have either. You would hope that he would have learned his lesson from the siding experience, but I guess not. I wanted to suggest that the customer wash his face because someone had apparently written the word "sucker" in big bold letters on his forehead. I refrained.
"See, I told you, more dangerous than police work" / Image: tomeggebrecht.com
Risk Managementprovides
a detailed look at the top ten most dangerous jobs in the US, and while
some might surprise you, others invite the obvious "duh."
Let's start with some occupations that won't surprise: industrial
machine workers, mining machine operators, logging workers, and police
officers. But while all rank in the top ten, the difference between
them can be immense. Loggers, for example, are over five times more
likely than cops to suffer a fatal injury on the job. Miners are just
over twice as likely.
And what are the jobs deadlier than you'd expect? Time was we'd have noted "fishermen," but that's now common knowledge.
So try sanitation workers, who likewise have a fatality rate higher
than that for cops. But also roofers, farmers, and even airline pilots,
who despite the cliche that flying is safer than driving, experience deaths on the job at a rate nearly four times that of armed civil servants.
Why are these occupations consistently compared to that of a police
officer? Because "police officer," most surprising of all, comes in at
number ten.
Via Risk Management.