Roof Repairs

Repairing the roof could be the most important home improvement

When a roof becomes damaged from a storm or is in need of repair the issue immediately becomes urgent.  A roof is often taken for granted, that it will last forever simply because it is out of normal vision. Yet, despite the fact that we seldom look upwards to consider that the roof might need some attention, putting attention to the roof gets put into the “too hard” basket.   

Taking chances by not checking the roof on a regular basis can be a very expensive exercise, especially where the roof is in an area with interchangeable weather like stormy winters with heavy rain, strong winds or thick snow or where the sun beats down on the land causing the land to become parched and dry and materials to become brittle and lose their integrity.

 Any leak or problem with the roof surface no matter how insignificant it might be in the beginning will cause a bigger problem in the future. The leak might appear in the summer time during a rainy day.  You are aware of the leak, but the next day the sun is out in full force again and you go about your business and forget the leak.  But, the leak doesn’t go away and over the months and years to follow the damage will be magnified and the cost to repair will be much higher than if the leak had been attended to from the beginning. 

When a roof problem occurs, the solution can be one of the options below:

• Repairing the roof can be a simple DIY (Do It Yourself) where no help is needed.  Handymen are quite capable of repairing a damaged roof or leak.  And for obvious reasons security measures should be taken while working on the roof because it can be really hazardous and accidents do occur.  Common sense principles must always be applied.

• Alternatively, DIY might not be for you and so a professional company or person equipped to fix the roof will need to be called. In any case, it is always better to be safe than sorry!.

A few suggestions to look out for:

1. Ensure roof drains are clog free from airborne materials and trees that constantly lose their leaves.

2. Look for damaged nails wear and tear. Corroding nails leave microscopic holes that invite water in.

3. Improperly hung gutters and gutter placement is critical. A strong wind is enough to tamper with the gutter system and divert rain onto the roof.

4. Moss can be hazardous because it retains moisture and then begins to drip.

5. Roofs must be properly and sufficiently insulated.

6. Evidence of past DIY repairs from improper plastering to inadequately plugged-up holes. 

The Nova Group uses Colorbond roofing materials and takes extra care when installing a roof for any of the granny flats or kit homes they construct.

How to Refinish a Wood Floor

For a cleaner home, people often like a nice hardwood floor but you may be apprehensive about removing the carpet because you feel it may be difficult to take care of a wood floor.   

Believe it or not, the best way to keep that hardwood floor looking beautiful is to refinish it, which is not as difficult as you may think.  Here is more information about how to refinish a wood floor and what you will need to make it last for a very long time.

Out with the old:   

To begin, you are going to need to rent a floor buffer, which you can probably get from your local home improvement store.  The buffer will be used with an abrasive pad to remove the old surface.  As you run the buffer over the surface you will be removing the shiny top layer and create a lot of dust.  When you have finished the whole room, you are going to need a strong vacuum to clean up.  The best vacuum to use, which will ensure every bit of the dust is cleaned up, would be a shop vacuum because of their powerful ability to pick up even the toughest messes.

Check the surface of the floor:  

You should now have a dull floor that is completely dust free.  To make sure your shop vacuum has done its job, walk on the floor while wearing a white pair of socks.  You will be able to tell immediately if you need to vacuum the floor again from the dust on the bottom of your socks.

The surface of your wood floor is now ready for refinishing. You need to replace that rough pad on your buffer with the pad that will actually put the polish on the floor.  You are going to need a can of polyurethane as this is what will put the shine back on to the surface.   In one corner of your room, pour a large amount of the liquid polyurethane, place your buffer onto the pool of polyurethane and begin moving the buffer slowly around the floor.

Buff, sand, repeat:   

The first coat should be allowed to dry for at least eight to ten hours.  Once it is dry, you will need some sandpaper to sand the shine off of the floor.   Then get the shop vacuum out to remove the dust.  Now you can get the can of polyurethane out and add another coat of it to your floor.  Let your floor dry now for at least two days so the coating will have time to set.

Your hardwood floor can last a lifetime if you care for it properly. 

To refinish its surface you really do not need a lot, and it may be a little bit of work, but soon you will have a beautiful shining hardwood floor that looks as good as it did the day it was first installed!