An Easy Home Construction Fix

Whether you are looking to sell your home or simply want to spruce it up for the summer months, A Real Advantage Construction is here to help! One of the easiest ways to give your home an easy makeover is by replacing or repainting your entry door.

First, figure out if you need to repair, replace or simply repaint. If you have a wood door that is binding in the jamb, you may need to sand it down so it will swing freely. Another option is to put a thin cardboard shim behind one of the hinges to help the door hang true.

Are your hinge or door-lock screws stripped? If so, replace them with three-inch screws, which will offer more security by penetrating the thin door jamb to reach the studs (thus providing more resistance to impact).

To make your door more secure, replace the strike (that’s the metal plate that is mounted on the door jamb and into which the lock’s bolt slides) with a $10 box strike. Installing metal reinforcements around the door where it had been drilled to accept the lock and knob may also work.

If you have a wooden door with nicks (which can rot) or a steel door with chips (which can rust), repaint the door. Make sure to sand steel doors before painting. If painting a wooden door, fill in cracks with wood filler and sand the wood.

Painting is also an opportunity to add a décor element to your home. Color-batching software can help you find colors to complement your landscaping, siding or roof, for example. To make your door a focal point, use semi-gloss paint; to hide imperfections, use flat or satin paints.

As affordable residential contractors, we know what we’re talking about so we hope this helps!

Tricks to Lowering Your Water Bill

You water bill is sure to spike in the coming months, as you turn on your sprinklers more frequently and spend more time in the shower getting off all the sand from trips to the beach! As home maintenance experts, we have a few tips for toilet upgrades that can help you save water. Relax, you don’t have to buy a brand new toilet to benefit from the latest and greatest water-saving technology. Read on to find out what you can do.

Several new product kits replace the inner workings of toilets with dual flush units. One flush setting removes liquids and paper (it uses less water and is used more often), while the other removes solids (if you get my drift!) and uses more water. The Environmental Protection Agency reports that replacing a pre-1995 toilet (which consumes a whopping 3.5 gallons per flush) with a 1.28-gpf toilet can save a family of four up to $2,000 on water bills over the course of the toilet’s lifespan. Although variables like the cost of water in your area and your household size are factors, the savings speak are there nonetheless. Fixing leaks (caused by a broken toilet flapper) can save up to around 200 gallons of water a day, according to estimations by the EPA.

DIY Tools

You never know when you’ll have to fix a leaking roof or make gutter repairs, so it is important to have all of the tools you’ll need on hand. Follow our guide to DIY tools to make sure your set is complete.

• Allen Wrench – You’ll have a hard time assembling furniture without these hexagonally-shaped bars, which come in a set.

• Adjustable Wrenches – A larger wrench can handle most nuts and other fasteners, while a smaller wrench is perfect for tight squeezes.

• Bucket – It sounds simple, but it is a must-have for fixing leaks and tackling plumbing jobs.

• Flashlight – Essential for working under the hood of your car or in another dark space.

• Drill – Need to hang a framed picture or make a hole in a cabinet to run a DVD player chord through? A cordless drill does the job.

• Hammer – Aside from hammering in nails and removing old nails (using the clawed end), a hammer comes in handy for many other tasks.

• Mask – Wear one when drilling or sanding to keep yourself from inhaling dust.

• Sponge – Another tool for drilling or sanding. Use to wipe down a surface post-job.

• Painter’s Tape – Aside from the obvious (keeping moldings paint-free when painting a wall), use it to prevent the teeth of pliers from scratching your pipes.

• Paintbrushes – A complete set of brushes, carrying in size, will let you make touch ups inside and outside your home.

• Multipurpose Screwdriver – Swap out Phillips-head bits, nut bits and slotted bits for different jobs.

• Pipe Wrench – Plumbing job? Use this.

• Long-Nose Pliers - Helpful during electrical jobs. Also, use them to hold nails when beginning hammering.

• Adjusting Pliers – These have many uses, as they can bend, unscrew or manipulate in several ways.

• Utility Knife – Makes making sharp, straight cuts easy.

• Screws and Nails – When you have reinforcements, bending a nail or losing a screw isn’t an issue.

• Tape Measure – A retractable model with 20-25 feet will handle most jobs.

• Old Toothbrush – Ideal for applying grout sealant and other products to small surfaces and cleaning hard-to-reach places.

• Work Gloves – Never hammer your nail or jam or prick your finger again once you start wearing these bad boys.

• Safety Goggles – Shield your eyes from toxic solvents and wood and metal shavings by wearing these.

• Painter’s Tool – Use to remove caulking around showers and tubs, remove and spread putty, spread Spackle and joint compound and clean rollers.

• Sandpaper – Removing material? Choose coarse grit. Finishing or smoothing a surface?

As home maintenance experts, we know a thing or two about DIY projects and with this list you’ll be stress-free the next time you have to install new gutters or complete another DIY home project.

How to Replace a Roofing Shingle

Summer is rapidly approaching, which means it’s time for backyard barbecues and cookouts with your family and friends. If a damaged roof shingle is becoming an eyesore, don’t try to patch it up before your summer shin dig, simply remove the entire shingle and replace it yourself. Affordable roof repair is easier than you think to achieve.

Steps to replacing a roof shingle:

1. Pry out the nails holding the ripped or damaged shingle in place using a flat bar.

2. Pull out the old shingle and put on a new one. Here’s where it gets tricky: You have to lift the shingle that is directly above the new shingle in order to nail down the new one, and the older shingle may be too fragile to bend far enough away to allow you to use your hammer.

3. To solve this issue, place a wooden block just below the lower edge of your new shingle.

4. Slide the pry bar under the shingle and rest it on the wooden block and stand a roofing nail under the flat end of the bar.

5. Strike the bar with the hammer to drive in the nail. You should be able to remove the pry bar and hammer the rest with ease once the nail is halfway in.

Voila! There’s no need to look into how much a new roof will set you back when you can complete this quick fix yourself. Let the summer festivities begin!

Repainting Your Home - Step 2

Ok homeowners, we just filled you in on the first crucial step towards repainting your house. Repainting your house is such a great home improvement step you can take to improve curb appeal and increase the value of your home. Now, the next step you need to take is the scrape off and remove all that deteriorated paint and then sanding to smooth the surface for the new layers.

Here's one cautionary detail we need to throw in before you get started with this part. If lead is present in your old paint job, which is a strong possibility in homes built before 1978, you need to proceed with caution to protect yourself, your family and the surrounding environment. It is vital to use a properly fitted respirator with special lead (HEPA) filters.

If your paint is lead free, you will still need to wear a mask and put down tarps to catch debris. Now, while it may be easier and tempting to to use a power grinder and sander because scraping by hand is a lengthy process, it still is the least damaging way to remove the old paint. A great tool to use to speed up the process is a heating gun, which will soften the paint.

Now, onto the sanding process. At this point, a lot of the paint will already be removed. But much may still remain. If the remaining paint is still well adhered and not too bumpy, you can most likely smooth it with 50 or 80 grit sandpaper. Pad sanders are a great tool to use here as they will make the job go faster. For any areas that need more detail, you can follow up with a 100 or 120 grit sandpaper.

If less than half the old paint is left when you are done scraping, it may be better to strip it all off using an infrared paint stripper or a chemical stripper and then smooth the wood with a bit of sanding.

Make sure, even if your old paint is lead-free to take heed here. Wear a respirator with a HEPA filter to protect yourself. Lay out tarps, remove all plants that you can far from the building and make sure your family is not at home.

Repainting Your Home - Step 1

The sun is coming out and that means let's get to doing some home renovations New York! What's a great place to start, you ask? How about adding a fresh coat of paint to your home? A fresh paint job has the power to totally transform the look of your house and add major curb appeal.

A new paint job should last for a good 15 years, if done correctly. A great paint job also helps to protect your home from the sun, wind and rain. Once it starts to peel and crack, you know it's time to fix things up.

The first thing step and a very important one to do properly is to clean and sand every surface first.

A well-done and thorough scrubbing is absolutely necessary before beginning. It will remove the dirt and old paint residue that will hinder a new coat of paint from adhering as well. It will also get rid of any mildew. Probably the best thing to use here is a pressure washer, however you must be careful when using one as they can damage the wood and potentially shatter glass. Instead, if you are not comfortable with a pressure washer, cannot rent one or hire someone to do it for you, a hose, pump sprayer and scrub brush can work just as well.

Before you get started on spraying down your house, make sure to cover up with fabric drop cloths and move away any plants from your home. You should also lay more drop cloths along the base of the walls to collect any falling paint debris.

Wet all the walls next before you scrub them. Your cleaning solution should consist of 1 gallon of water per 1 cup chlorine bleach and 1 cup of a concentrated, phosphate-free cleaner. Now, work in sections from the bottom to the top to avoid any streaks. Make sure to rinse the walls off well before the cleaning solution dries.

Stay tuned and we'll reveal the next steps towards painting your house.

Asbestos - Be In The Know

Many of us have heard of it and know its dangers. It’s not in all homes, but it is in quite a few and there is no specific geographic region that it is isolated to. You need to know the facts about asbestos and be prepared. Keeping your home and your family safe from asbestos poisoning is all about prevention and early recognition. Here is what you need to know.

Used extensively in home construction from the early 1940s through the 1970s, asbestos is a highly-effective and inexpensive fire-retardant material and thermal and acoustic insulator. It is no longer used, because we know now that prolonged exposure to its fibers can lead to lung disease and cause cancer. If your home was built prior to 1975, listen up to some of the places it may have been used in your home:

• thermal insulation on basement boilers and pipes
• blown-in attic insulation
• vinyl floor tilesglue that attaches floor tiles to concrete or wood
• some forms of linoleum
• window caulking
• roofing material (usually on flat roofs but occasionally on shingles)
• HVAC duct insulation
• siding material
• plaster
• fiber cement siding
• corrugated heavy duty 8’x4’ panels
• some forms of paint

Having asbestos in your home is not dangerous unless it is tampered with or damaged, which would then release fibers into the air. You need to check periodically for any tears, abrasions or water damage in your home. If you detect damage anywhere, limit access to that part of your home and seek a home improvement professional’s help.