Heads up! With the winter on its way, we start spending more time at home and hence appreciating our indoor atmosphere. These cooler months are perfect for some home improvements, so here are some helpful tips.

1) While thinking about your home improvement, you can undertake many projects or one at a time. Garage conversions are done for that much needed extra space. You can convert all or some part of your garage into another bedroom, an office, a gym or even a beauty salon!

2) As the winter is progressing homeowners should plan well in advance. You could plan for upgrading your central heating to reduce maintenance and utility costs. Vents near the floor can be opened and those near the ceiling can be closed for better air circulation. Your heating system should be checked up by the expert.

3) If your air cooling / conditioning system is older than 15 years, then you should think of replacing it with a modern, efficient unit. Your air conditioners should be covered or should be removed and the opening should be sealed. Consider adding new and more insulation in your walls. If it is possible, make sure walls are insulated to R11. Insulating your basement walls will be great idea. It can reduce common moisture problems caused by condensation. Note: If your house is constructed before 50 years, it may need cost saving blown in wall insulation.

4) Ventilation should be given attention. Attic insulation should not cover ventilation vents in the eaves, which prevents winter ice dams. Ridge vent and vents at eaves should be free of plants and debris. And if there are holes in rodent and bird screens in attic vents, replace or patch them.

5) The minimum you should so is at least undertake the cleaning of your home rigorously in winter, even if you are not going to improve anything in your home. Vacuuming under and behind freezer and fridge, for example, is necessary to improve efficiency of the units. And chimneys need to be cleaned and checked by chimney sweeps regularly. Decks need to be power-washed and resealed after every 4-5 winters.

6) The older type storm windows should be replaced while you’re at it. Reinstall the window latches if they are not working. Repairs of any cracked or broken window panes should be undertaken. Exterior walls should be checked. Pipes and wires should be sealed while outer walls should be checked and filled up so that no air can leak in.

7) All garden hoses should be removed, drained and coiled.

8) Gutters should be clean at all times. If they are rusty, they should be replaced with new aluminum or vinyl gutters. All interior drains should be free of debris.

And of course the season’s special discounts and special offers have something for every home. Of course you can take advantage of great discounts by ordering before December 31. Here’s to happy remodeling. Search the web for many more tips, tricks of the trade and other helpful articles. No need to tackle your home improvements alone!

Historically flat roofs have been used mainly in the Middle East, the American southwest including other places where the climate is arid and dry and drainage of rainwater off a house roof is not of great concern. As opposed to a sloping roof that is pitched at an angle a flat roof is flat with a more or less horizontal layout. In fact is not totally flat but usually incorporates a slight slope that is roughly equivalent to 1 percent of the run of the roof to aid draining water from the roof into gutters/drains located at the lower side of the grade.

Although sloping roof designs have been preferred in the US in the past flat roofs are fast gaining popularity because new technology has enabled a reduction/elimination of the disadvantages associated with flat roofs in cold climatic conditions that allowed formation of ice dams that blocked free flow of water off the roof making inhabitants suffer roof leaks as water pooled on the roof. An inherent advantage of a flat roof is that it is easier to inspect as compared to a sloping roof.

The flat surface reduces dead space, which is common to sloping roofs and creates usable space that can serve as a terrace garden or open outdoor space to be used as a relaxing area or for other activities. Low construction cost is another advantage attributable to flat roofs. They also lower costs for constructing upper floors in the house. Flat roofs allow the most efficient use of urban space, cater to energy savings and offer architectural freedom to conveniently cover complex architectural plans.

Flat roofs that invite regular pedestrian traffic are constructed more sturdily than those exposed to occasional foot traffic. The roof substrate of load bearing roofs is usually made from plywood panels that are 15mm in thickness where the joist spacing is not more than 480mm. 800 mm joist spacing would require 21 mm thick plywood. The face grain of the plywood is placed at right angles to the supporting joists with the long edges of the plywood panels laid in a brick bond pattern over the framing. Long panels are supported by nogging in the timber frame or incorporate tongue and groove edges allowing a continuous plywood surface over two spans.

The smooth flat surface created by structural plywood panels provides the most perfect base for the membrane overlays to be placed on top. The membranes are attached to the roof substrate using three different methods known as fully adhered, independent and semi independent.

Fully adhered membranes are attached completely to the surface, which should be very stable and have minimum flex. The membrane itself should be elastic and resilient to cope with any movement in the substrate. Bridging strips are used to cover the edging lines of the plywood panels in fully adhered systems. These strips are usually made from the membrane material itself. The fully adhered system has a higher resistance to foot traffic and is more stable in hot and cold contractions and expansions. It is also makes it easier to trace leaks.

Independent membranes are made to be non attachable to the substrate and are just laid on top. To prevent automatic adhesion under the heat of the sun there is a fiber veil on the membrane underside along with fiber backed base sheet membranes with open non-woven polyester on their lower side. These are usually used on concrete slabs or pre-cast concrete panels as they are ballasted with gravel and therefore heavy. It is difficult to trace leaks in this type of membrane attachment.

Semi-independent membranes are partially bonded to the substrate and are the best option in case of a less stable or partially damp bonding surface. The partial bonding is accomplished by adhesion through perforated vent sheet underlays or by applying adhesives partially in strips or certain areas only through trickle application of adhesives. Membranes that are fixed through flame bonding are partially flame bonded. This type does not require heavy protection and allows vapor to be diffused.

1. Turn off the Water
When you notice a leak, the very first thing you should do is to shut off the water. If turning off the water on the appliance that is leaking doesn’t work, or you’re not sure where the water is leaking from, then shut off the main water valve. It should be located where cold water enters your house, inside in colder climates and outside in warmer climates. Main water valves are also sometimes near the water heater.

2. Mop up the Mess
As soon as you have turned off the water, the leak will need to be cleaned up. Remove as much water as you can with a mop, rags, or towels, until there is no water visible in the leak area. This needs to be done as soon as is possible because water can soak into floors, ceilings, and walls very quickly.

3. Dry Completely
After you’ve removed most of the water, play it safe and ventilate the damaged area. Open doors and windows around the house to let some air flow through. You can also put some stand-up or sitting fans in front of the leak area for a few hours to make sure it’s all dry.

4. Check Surrounding Areas
After you’ve taken care of the immediate area, look around to make sure no other area is affected. Water has a way of getting around without being seen. If the leak occurred upstairs, go downstairs and check your ceilings and walls.

5. Check Ventilation
The best way to prevent leaks from the roof (from melted ice dams or heavy rain) or another room upstairs is by having proper ventilation. Make sure the soffit is properly ventilated; with holes all down the side. Even after a leak has occurred, checking and updating your ventilation will help keep fresh air in the room and prevent mold and/or decay.

6. Install Leak Detection System
One easy way to prevent water damage is to install a water leak detection system. This system will alert you when a leak in your home is detected, saving you possible thousands the first time it works. Some systems even shut off all the water in your home automatically when a leak is detected, giving you peace of mind when you’re away from home.

7. Call a Specialist
After you’ve done all you can yourself for the water leak, call a specialist to come and take a look at the effected area. If the leak was small and easy to manage, don’t bother, but if the leak was large and may have sunk into the floors or walls then it is important to make sure damage isn’t still being done to your home.

Roof windows and skylights are extremely useful and valuable accessories for the roofs.

Though, a lot of people – and with good – reason are very reserved with their use due to occasional leaks.

It’s true that when you break the continuity of one surface exposed to weathering, various problems with waterproofing might happen.

If, however, you use the right product plus the right craftsmanship problems can well be minimized, even eliminated.

So why roof windows and skylights leak?

1) First thing, check the possibility of condensation. Condensation is a very common phenomenon usually taking place on thermal bridges.

The phenomenon is more pronounced when:

- External temperatures are low.

- Internal humidity is high.

- There is a lack of ventilation and heating.

- There is presence of ice dams.

- Cold rain comes in touch with the window pane.

Of course, as expected, the majority of these problems occur in kitchens and bathrooms.

If the problem is irrelevant to precipitations, it is most probably condensation.

2) On the contrary, if the problem follows a precipitation, there is somewhere a break in continuity. In this case:

2.1) Check if the pane fits absolutely in the sash.

2.2) Check the installation of the proprietary metal flashings.

2.3) Check the application of self adhesive base and cap flashings.

2.4) Check for accumulation of dirt, leaves, dust etc. round the curb.

2.5) Check all exposed nails.

2.6) Check for cracks or fractures on curbs.

2.7) Check eventual sealants compounds: Has the right product been used? How about application?

2.8) Check eventual flanges and their fitting to shingles. Waterproofing with an appropriate sealant may be needed.

2.9) Inspect all flashings in proximity to the skylights or roof windows.

The very fact: Skylights and roof windows will fail if not installed and maintained properly. Choose wisely the product and the contractor and pay attention to the proper maintainance.

Chris Strogilis

http://maconwaterproofing.blogspot.com

Continuous supports from e.g. plywood, OSB or sarking planks are used in many countries.

This is a much different case compared to non-continuous supports which we examined in previous articles.

Roofing underlays should exhibit two principal characteristics:

 1) Antiskid properties for safety reasons.

2) Insensitivity to the “tent effect”.

 Thus the following types of underlay are automatically excluded:

 * all underlays based on microperforation techniques

* most of the breathable underlays and especially those with a two-layers configuration and/or weight less than 150gr/m2.

* all thin bituminous underlays covered with talcum or light sand.

 Roofing underlays: possible options for continuous supports

 1) SBS, self adhesive, elastomeric membranes.

This is by far the best option when asphalt shingles are used as roof covering.

These membranes are also ideal for low slope roofs and when ice dam formation is possible.

 2) All types of thick asphaltic membranes, conventional roofing felts etc.

 3) Many breathable 3 or 4 layer underlays with a high grammage.

 4) All types of non-breathable synthetic foils destined for roof waterproofing.

 When tiles are used as roof covering, they should be fixed on tiling battens. Counter battens are indispensable for ventilation and drainage reasons.

Counter battens will be fixed through the support into the rafters (not just to the support!!).

The roofing underlay will be fixed in parallel with the eaves with side overlaps from 10-20cm depending on the slope. A slope of about 30% is usually the tidemark for the overlap change.

The fibrous part of the overlay will be in contact with the support. This will provide the antiskid properties.

Underlays should be fixed with big head diameter, galvanized nails just like shingles nails. Nail heads will be covered, when feasible with underlay overlaps.

Ventilation under the continuous supports is obligatory both for warm and cold roofs!!!

 Chris Strogilis

Civ. Eng. – MBA – DipM

http://monosimacon.blogspot.com/

Are you currently using an electric attic fan or some sort of electric ventilation system at home? Then have you ever thought of installing a solar attic fan? When most people think of solar products, they immediately think “expensive!”, but when we investigated getting a solar powered attic fan and compared it to conventional ventilation systems, it was obvious which way we were going to go.

There are so many clear benefits for getting a solar attic fan, that you would be crazy not to invest in one. But before we delve into the reasons for buying one, we will quickly explain how a solar powered attic fan works:

A solar attic fan is a solar powered vertical turbine, that is installed on the highest point on your roof – usually the attic (hence the name). As soon as the sun hits the solar panels, the turbine starts to spin, drawing warm air out of the house.

As the sun rises further and the temperature in the house rises, the warm air in the house naturally rises to the attic, where it is then sucked out by the fan. This warm air is replaced by cool air that is drawn in from outside. And your house stays cool!

Okay, now that you understand how it works, let’s explain why a solar powered attic fan is such a good investment:

1 – Easy Cheap Installation:

When  electric attic fans are installed, they need to be wired up to your electricity. This wiring obviously needs to be done by a qualified electrician with an electricity permit and inspection. This costs money, and it can take up to 6 hours to get the system working.

On the other hand, a solar attic fan has its own power source  – the sun -  so no wiring is needed. This means you require no electricity permits to install the fan. All you need to do is follow the accompanying step-by-step instructions. And at most it will take you 2 hours to get it working.

2 – Non-Stop Operation:

With an electric attic fan, to save power, it is usually equipped with a thermostat. This regulates the operation of the fan, so that it only spins once the attic reaches a certain temperature – usually 125 degrees Fahrenheit. The drawback to this is that by the time the ventilation starts the house is already warm (remember warm air rises), so it will take some time for it to cool down.

However, since a solar powered attic fan uses no electricity, it can operate all day long, from when the sun rises until a little after the sun sets. So air is constantly circulating in your home, regardless of the temperature, keeping your home well-ventilated and cool.

3 – Prolongs Roof Life:

If you haven’t installed an attic fan yet, then maybe it is time you invested in a solar attic fan. The reason?

During cold winter months heat trapped in your attic can melt snow on your roof. As the the water trickles down, it collects and refreezes in the cooler eaves or gutters, leading to costly and destructive ice damming. By having a solar powered attic fan, it requires minimal sunlight to operate and keep the attic cool.

Furthermore, warm moisture from showering and cooking tends to rise and get trapped in the attic. This leads to mold and mildew that can saturate your insulation and cause fungal decay and destruction of your roof frame and decking. With a solar attic fan, the attic stays well-ventilated, preventing any mildew from growing.

4 – Did We Say Free Energy?

Electric ventilation systems tend to use a lot of power, leading to higher electricity bills, especially during summer months.

Whereas, with a solar powered attic fan, it requires none of your household power to operate. All it needs is some sunlight – which when we last checked was FREE. So the only cost you have to worry about is the initial investment. After that, it costs absolutely nothing to operate it.

Also, most states offer tax incentives for installing renewable energy technology at home.  This lowers the initial cost of a solar attic fan.

5 – Reduce Your Carbon Footprint:

Electric fans need power to operate. And where does that power come from? Well, burning fossil fuels such as coal and oil, and nuclear power station – which all emit carbon that pollutes our air and causes global warming.

A solar attic fan, on the other hand, use no electricity, so it helps reduce your carbon footprint, thus helping the environment.

So many people talk about “green this” and “green that”, but very few actually get involved. Now that you know how easy, cost-effective, and “green” it is to install a solar powered attic fan, you can “walk the talk” and actually live a greener, cleaner life.

A DIY installed solar attic fan starts at around $400 (excl. tax and incentives), which is a small price to pay for free ventilation and reducing your energy dependence.