Brian Sells Chicago · When to Use a Professional: Roofing

We all know it’s important to maintain a proper and strong roof over your head. A sound roof is crucial for your safety and for your home. It keeps you and your family warm and dry, along with everything in your house. If you ignore a problem in your roof, even a small one, then you could find yourself with a significantly larger issue down the road. The three most common roofs repairing are: replacing damaged shingles, gluing down a badly curled shingle, and repairing shingles that have cracked. Repairing a roof shingle might seem like an easy task, but there is more danger in getting on and off a roof than most homeowners realize. Tools, multiple trips up and down a ladder, and constant attention paid to the incline of the roof make the roof repairs tiring, and if you’re not prepared, dangerous. Stick with the professionals – they have the proper gear and the experience required to do the job right. Find out more from my friends at Peterson Roofing. Make sure to tell Jim Peterson that I sent you! Uncatego
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Brian Sells Chicago · Asbestos, Mold and Lead Paint

If you have a new home, you will not encounter asbestos or lead paint. But if you are interested in older homes, asbestos and lead paint are a possibility. Once used as insulation, asbestos is toxic, and there are laws that govern how it’s removed and disposed of. Lead paint is also highly toxic, and in the late 1960s, it was determined that the lead in the paint led to serious medical issues. If your house or apartment was built before 1978 then there may be potential for lead based paint inside and out, that could potentially pose a serious risk of lead poisoning. The risk is increased if you’re pregnant or have small children. These lead paints were phased out and by the 1980s legislation banned the use of lead paints in homes due to health concerns. Removal of the lead paint should be done by a professional. Should you have mold in your home (certain types are toxic), it’s best to leave the removal of all of these to the professionals: they know how to remove and dispose of all toxic materials, and they
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Brian Sells Chicago · When to Use a Professional: Electrical

If your project requires direct contact with electricity, call a pro. This includes rewiring, adding power to areas that do not currently have power, and any installation of large or heavy light fixtures (like a chandelier.) Electricity is no joke, and the last thing you want is to cause yourself harm, or harm your home, during a DIY project. It’s recommended to call to electrician in these cases: if electrical circuit breakers trip often, or fuses blow frequently, your circuits are drawing more current than they can safely provide. This may also indicate a dangerous fault on one or more circuits. If plug strips and multi receptacle add-ons are strangling your outlets, your electrical system is working beyond capacity. Additional circuits with duplex receptacles are needed to restore order and safety. If you have a lot of wires in your living room, under the rugs or the furnitures, a dangerous condition exists and you definitely need more outlets. If some of those wires are extension cords, the outlets you h
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Brian Sells Chicago · When to Use a Professional: Plumbing

DIYers should be able to do small projects, like replacing a toilet flapper, addressing drips, upgrading shower and sink fixtures, and other small things that don’t require a lot of tools. If the toilet flapper is your problem, keep calm, you can solve this on your own. This part is made of rubber and it can get hard and break down over time. Once the plastic is worn out it will not form strong, tight seal to stop the flow of water as it should. Fortunately the flapper is an inexpensive part that can be easily replaced. Furthermore, according to the Wall Street Journal, a leaky toilet is the most common reason for a spike in home water bills, so keep an eye on those. Usually it’s not hard to tell if your toilet is leaking – you will hear it. It’s hard to miss the sound of running water or a faint hissing or trickling. But many times water will flow through the tank silently, which is why these leaks are often overlooked. To check for a toilet leak: remove the toilet tank lid then drop one dye tablet or 10 dr
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Brian Sells Chicago · Tile DIY

Construction worker laying tile Tiling a backsplash or replacing dirty old grout are projects many homeowners will be able to tackle on their own. And if your project requires tiling floors, walls, or large tile installations, it might be worthwhile to contact a professional for help, especially if your cutting any tiles is necessary. If you are interested in new grout and ready to experiment in an unorthodox way, then keep reading. All you need to do in order to make old grout to look good is just to paint it. You can buy a special paint for this. It’s not expensive – but before you buy it please make sure that your tiles are a kind suitable for the product. The process of painting is really simple. All you need to do before you start, it’s just to sweep the targeted painting area. Then, you need to gather supplies for this action, which include an old toothbrush and of course the grout paint. Pour a dab of paint onto the toothbrush and scrub it into your grout. When you finish painting, let it dry for up
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Brian Sells Chicago · Electrical

Electricity flows to your lights and appliances from the power company through your panel, its breakers, out on your circuits and back. Most homes have three wire service, two hot wires and one neutral. Throughout the house, one hot wire and one neutral wire power conventional 120 volt lights and appliances. The two hot wires and the neutral wire make a 240 volt circuit for large appliances (such as air conditioners). Connections along these paths, can be disrupted or fail. If your electricity goes off, start by checking to see if its power cut or a fault in your home.  The easiest way to do this is to see if your neighbors still have electricity. If they don’t have power either, then it’s a power cut. If your neighbors have power, then it could be a fault in your home. After you figured this out, and found that it’s only in your home, you can try to check if your trip switch may have turned itself off. If it has, try turning it back on. If it switches off again, then one of your electrical appliances may be
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Brian Sells Chicago · Windows

If you’re doing minor maintenance and repairs (like repairing or replacing wood sills or caulking around windows), you should be able to do this type of project no sweat. However, if you are constantly trying to fix your windows, it may be time to consider having them replaced entirely. Keep this in mind, older windows can be a source of significant heat loss and gain in winter and summer. If you’re looking to replace a window, or need to rebuild a window frame, count on calling a professional for help. If you aren’t sure whether to replace the window or not, it’s recommended to check if panes have moisture on them and if the exteriors are chipped or faded and certainly if the windows do not close or open easily. In any of those situations, it’s recommended to replace your home’s windows.   For more information please check my twitter account     Uncategorized
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