How To: Powerwash Your Walkway

{Does your walkway look like this? We can help!}

As affordable residential contractors serving Brooklyn and beyond, we are full of tips to making your home truly shine. If your walkway is covered with dirt and grime, it’s time to powerwash it. Your walkway is one of the first things people see upon arriving at your home, after all.

First, attach a garden house to the inlet port on your powerwasher. Then, connect the spray-wand hose to the powerwasher and attached a low-pressure nozzle to the spray wand. Hold the nozzle a few inches away from your walkway and start the power washer. Squeeze the trigger and direct the water at an angle. If that doesn’t do the trick, replace the low-pressure nozzle with a stronger one and continue spraying. Mix a solution of nine parts water, one part chlorine bleach in a bucket and scrub your walkway using a brush with course bristles. Repeat once a month!

Check back for more tips from A Real Advantage Construction Inc.

{Photo Credit: Patrick Chondon}

In-Case-of-Emergency Tips

We may be best known for our affordable rain gutter services, but our expertise doesn’t just lie in exterior household repairs! Check out more in-case-of-emergency tips below!


Make a Plan

The best way to get through an emergency is to have a plan and stick to it:

• Choose a contact person—a family member or friend—who lives out of state. In the event of a disaster, it might be easier to call long distance than locally

• Choose not one but two meeting spots

Frozen Pipes

We know, we know, it’s summertime and frozen pipes are the last thing on your mind. Humor us anyway and read our trips for preventing frozen pipes:

• Before the cold weather arrives, cut off the water supply to outdoor faucets and leave the faucets turned on so the pipes are drained before the wintertime

• Regularly let a little bit of hot or cold water run through the pipes—even during freezing spells

• Insulate vulnerable pipes using heat tape or heat cable

Fire Extinguishers

What’s the use of having a fire extinguisher if you don’t know how to use it! Squeeze the lever and then sweep the nozzle from side to side at the flames until the fire appears to be extinguished. Other tips:

• Regularly inspect your extinguisher and if the gauge doesn’t read 100 percent, have it serviced (if rechargeable) or buy a new one if not

• Replace old extinguishers. Enough said!

More Home Safety Tips from A Real Advantage Construction

Did you read our latest post about emergency preparedness? Well, welcome to the next installation of A Real Advantage Construction’s guide to preparing for an emergency!


Power Outage

If anyone in your home relies on electrical medical equipment, make sure your power company knows so that your home will be priority when electricity is being restored in the event of an outage. Other tips:

• Make sure your microwave, toaster and coffee machine aren’t sharing the same outlet!

• Store a flashlight in each bedroom to avoid using candles—which can cause a fire—in case of an outage

• If you use a laptop, back up files regularly and purchase extra batteries and a DC-to-AC auto adapter so you can operate your computer from the cigarette lighter of your vehicle in case of an emergency

Escape Routes

Is your address visible? Make sure emergency-aid vehicles will be able to locate your home quickly in case of an emergency. Also take these precautions:

• Plan at least two escape routes out of every room and make sure that each family member is aware of them

• Place preassembled flame-resistant safety escape ladders near a window on each floor of your home

• Pick an outdoor meeting space located at a safe distance from your home

Stay tuned for more tips from A Real Advantage Construction Inc!

Are You Prepared for an Emergency?

As affordable commercial contractors, we know the ins and outs of your home perhaps better than you do—which is why we want to help you make sure you are prepared for an emergency! Read A Real Advantage Construction’s tips for preparing for possible emergencies and rest easy.


Gas Leak

First thing’s first: if you or anyone in your home smells that unmistakable rotten-egg odor and can’t identify its source, get out of the house immediately! That is the basic rule of gas safety, but there are other things you can do to make sure your home is safe:

• Don’t hang anything heavy on your gas pipes

• Make sure the gas connections to your gas appliances aren’t cracked or frayed

• Consider installing a natural-gas detector

Smoke Alarms

Mount a smoke alarm on every level of the house and make sure they are located outside of each bedroom. Here are more tips:

• Test the batteries of your smoke alarm once a month and replace them once a year

• If your smoke alarms are connected to the household electrical system, test them monthly as well

• Buy new smoke alarms every decade

• Even if you’re annoyed at the noise it makes when you burn dinner, don’t disable your smoke alarm!

• Dust or vacuum alarms on a regular basis

How to Create a Hanging Bird Basin

Now that the new siding installation in your Park Slope home is complete, you’ll be spending more time outside, and you may want to recruit some birds to spend some time in your yard, too. Follow A Real Advantage Construction Inc.’s tips for creating a hanging bird basin for your yard.

1. Head to a local flea market and pick up a washbasin set (make sure the basin has a wide lip).

2. Cut a length of 18-gauge copper wire to equal the circumference of the bowl, plus 4 inches. Then, thread 2 inches of wire though a lead sleeve and loop it back through the sleeve. Pinch with needle-nose pliers to secure it.

3. Thread 8 sleeves onto this “ring” wire from the other end. Space them into pairs evenly and secure. Cut 4 pieces of the 18-gauge wire and loop one end of each hanging wire between each pair of lead sleeves. Secure the loop after slipping the sleeve onto the hanging wire.

4. Thread another sleeve onto the ring wire and form the ring wire into a circle by looping one end through the original loop and threading it through the last sleeve. Secure it and insert the basin. After twisting the hanging wires together a few inches from the top, form a hook and place a small rock in the basin to help small bird wade in the water.

Enjoy!

Craving Shade?

If your yard devoid of shade? As affordable commercial contractors in Queens and surrounding areas, we can help you create a shady area with a canopy. And not only does a canopy provide shade, it also turns an empty area on your patio into a “place” to read, socialize, and dine. Another positive aspect of a canopy is that it is easy to take down when the outdoor season comes to an end.

First, pick up the following supplies: an inexpensive canvas drop cloth, a grommet hook, plastic tent pegs, a stout clothesline or venetian-blind cord, a wooden pole with a dowel pin (a bamboo pole with a dowel will also work well), and adjustable aluminum tent poles.

Then, you can either attach the canopy to a wall or fence or create a free-standing canopy using four poles. Either way, remember to cut openings to allow wind to circulate through the canopy, and when you’re not using the canopy, take it down so it won’t fade.

Enjoy your canopy and check back for more tips from A Real Advantage Construction in Staten Island, NY and surrounding areas.

Have a Staycation This Summer

If funds are tight and you are having a staycation rather than an exotic vacation this summer, we have some tips for making the most of your time at home. Our suggestion? Camp in your own backyard! As new roof contractors in Bath Beach and other areas, we know a lot about taking care of your home, and the best ways to take advantage of it—like having a vacation.

If you have kids, or are a big kid at heart, you’ll love pitching a tent in your own backyard. Plus, you’ll have access to an indoor bathroom.

First, gather your camping essentials—a compass, a trail guide and binoculars—to take a look at your backyard with a camper’s eye. Bring out a cooler filled with ice packs, bottles water, milk and fresh fruit (for breakfast the next day). When the cooler is closed, it can double as a table top during meal times.

Place a small charcoal grill in a clear space and surround it with large stones. Pour a bucket of pebbles below to stabilize the grill (and catch any sparks). Grill hot dogs for dinner! Bring along some cards and simple games that can be played under the stars (with the help of a camping light, of course). Use the flashlight to identify constellations as well.

Hit the hay in your tent after enjoying some s’mores and instead of heading inside the next morning, enjoy breakfast outdoors to cap off your staycation in style! Stay tuned for more tips from your rain gutter experts in Bellerose Harbor and beyond.

{Photo Credit: thegarlands}