April 2002
Newsletter
- About Us & Our New Service
- Need Winter Help?
- Monthly $ Saving
Tip
- Avoiding Frozen Pipe Dilemmas
- Affiliate Program &
Our Sponsors
- The Monthly Funny! :)
1. About Us &
Our New Service
Home-Work is a reliable and easy way to find Screened, Licensed,
and Insured professionals for any Home or Business Improvement need.
We save you time, hassle and stress when finding that perfect
contractor for your project. Home-Work has had to implement a very
small nominal fee for their service in order to stay in business.
We provide you with a detailed profile on each of the bidding
companies who then contact You directly within 24 hours, and we also
follow up after the project has been completed to ensure that
everything went well. Thanks again for your continued support.
2. Need Winter Help?
How many of us detest shoveling that walk during the winter, just
have too little time to get out there daily and give it a good brush?
Have a "To Do" list for your significant other that includes
hanging those Christmas
Lights? We can help. We have contractors that do both of these
services for very reasonable rates. Please call or email the office
for more details. Also considering a home renovation project this
winter? Get it in the works, many of our contractors offer
"winter pricing" and would love to help you out.
3. Monthly
Money Saving Tip
Like anything else
you buy, knowing what you're shopping for before you set out can save
you time and money. When shopping for life insurance, consider these
potential money saving tips.
DON'T UNDERESTIMATE YOUR NEEDS.
Before shopping for life insurance, calculate your total needs.
Buing one policy with greater death benefit at a younger age will most
likely be less expensive than adding additional coverage as you get
older and your fi
nancial position changes.
USE AN AGENT.
An agent can save you both time and money when shopping for life
insurance. The 4insurance network works diligently with your specific
insurance needs to find you the lowest rate possible.
TERM INSURANCE FIRST.
Try buying term insurance for at least the first 6 months. *Note: You
can convert term to permanent, but not permanent to term.
COMPARE COSTS.
If you're considering the purchase of permanent life insurance,
compare the costs and benefits of Whole, Universal and Variable
policies to your own term plan. It may save you money!
BE CAREFUL.
Some taxes may or may not apply depending on your type of plan
($200,000 may not be $200,000 after you die). Also, universal and
variable life do not guarantee any extra cash value.
IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH.
Quit smoking, eat healthier and exercise regularly. This will decrease
your premiums and increase your life expectancy.
CONSIDER YOUR HOBBIES.
If you skydive, deep-sea dive or participate in any other high-risk
activities, your premiums will be more expensive for obvious reasons.
4. Avoiding Frozen Pipe Dilemmas
Every
winter, just after the first cold snap, we always get a wave of calls
from panicking homeowners with frozen pipes. Surprisingly, many of
these frustrated homeowners do not live in drafty antique buildings,
but in newly constructed homes. How can a fully insulated home with
double pane windows and tight doors have frozen pipes-especially when
those pipes are located in the middle of the heated space? When the
air temperature inside the heated space is cold enough to freeze
plumbing, clearly there's a problem. Inspections of these homes
confirm that, while frozen pipes may be the most obvious symptom, they
are just the tip of the iceberg. Most pipes freeze up as a result of
cold air getting inside the building. Once this cold air penetrates a
building cavity it will disperse in a widespread fashion, moving
without restriction inside the heated space. While a frozen or burst
pipe presents an immediate problem, the real issues are the efficiency
and comfort problems created by poorly installed or inadequate
insulation and building shell details that don't work. Today's
amenity-packed homes often contain hidden pathways interconnecting
cables, wiring, mechanical runs, and duct work. These pathways can
covertly lead to unheated spaces, attics, or even to the outside. In
cold, windy conditions these open paths allow cold air to migrate
unobstructed inside the heated space.
The real culprit for drafts and comfort problems are not the windows
but the ceilings and concealed framing details. In some homes these
concealed air leakage areas can add up to twenty square feet. That
size of a leakage
area is like leaving a door wide open all winter long! Adding
insulation to a home does not necessarily result in a tighter home.
Insulation in many homes is performing well below the promised
effectiveness or R-value label because of air movement inside walls
and ceilings. By understanding and controlling air movement, we can
improve the comfort and efficiency of many, if not most, residential
buildings and improve the occupants' health
Start by Identifying the Leaks
Occupants are often not aware of the heated air leaving at the top of
the house. These "attic" air leakage locations, which are
referred to as exfiltration, can be just as responsible for comfort
and efficiency problems as the air being sucked in the windows on the
lower level. In fact, sealing a hole that allows air to escape at the
ceiling level will result in less drafts infiltrating from below.
Therefore homeowners are advised to start at the top level when
looking for opportunities to tighten and insulate the building shell.
Gaps around ceiling fixtures and registers should be caulked. Pull
down attic stairs, attic hatches, and kneewall doors should be
insulated and weather-stripped. Large air leaks in the ceiling are
often hidden by attic insulation. Air movement will often result in
black streaks on the insulation, making them easy to locate and seal
with caulking or foam sealants. On cold windy nights check recessed
can lights in the ceiling for signs of cold air. Likewise cold air
coming out of electric outlets and switches on interior walls is a
sure sign of widespread infiltration.
(All too) Common Frozen Pipe Scenarios
One of the easiest frozen pipe situations to diagnose and repair
involves the open plumbing chase. During construction, framers often
provide an extra deep wall cavity adjacent to the shower unit. This
detail, sometimes referred to in the industry as the "wet
wall," could be more appropriately named the "ice
wall." This wall contains the shower pipes and valves, while
conveniently hiding the large penetration through the ceiling and roof
line needed to accommodate the vent stack. Since this topless
partition is open to the unheated attic or roof cavity, cold air can
move down into the partition containing the plumbing. The rest is just
a matter of temperature and time. What may appear to be an obvious
solution to this problem leads to another misconception that is all
too common in the construction industry today. Why not just add some
insulation to this critical area? Unfortunately many of the common
insulating materials used today do a poor job of stopping air
movement. Loose blown fiberglass and batt insulation can effectively
slow conductive heat loss, but are susceptible to air moving around
and through them. In fact most of the frozen pipe chases we encounter
are already "covered" with insulation. Another common
problem is outside air infiltrating ceiling cavities between heated
floors via the eave.
This is most evident in homes with one story and a half. Another
common problem starts with placing a tub or shower unit adjacent to an
unheated attic or kneewall. During the construction process the tub or
shower unit is
fastened to the bare studs prior to installing the wall board.
While some contractors are now more careful about installing
insulation behind the tub or shower, it is still not air tight. Even
if the cold air from the adjacent space does not freeze the pipes, you
can bet the unsuspecting occupant is in for a real cold shower.
What's the Fix?
The good news is that there are effective solutions for these
problems. A well designed retrofit can prevent refreezing and improve
a home's overall efficiency and comfort. The real cure involves
sealing attic air leaks and stopping outside air infiltration. This
strategy, which is often referred to as air sealing, is not meant to
replace the insulation, but to supplement it by providing an air tight
interface between heated and unheated spaces.
Defining the best location to install this new air tight interface can
be tricky in some cases. Problem typically arise when the interior
wall board or ceiling is not continuous. Details, such as ceiling
height changes, kneewall floor transitions, and other framing offsets,
can hide noncontinuous framing. These critical junctures may be
covered with plaster board on the heated side but are still indirectly
exposed to the outside air. Depending on the existing conditions and
access, there are a number of viable air tight materials available to
address these situations. The goal is to construct an air tight
barrier or envelope that effectively isolates the insulation from
unheated space. This air barrier must be contiguous and aligned with
the thermal barrier, as defined by the insulation. The critical point
is to make both envelopes continuous. Even the smallest gap or crack
is susceptible to air movement. Penetrations for wires and
plumbing should be sealed with caulk. Gaps around windows should be
sealed with materials other than fiberglass. Joints, gaps, and seams
between framing members and plaster board should be sealed or gasketed.
Good Luck! (Home Energy
5. Affiliate Program & Our Sponsors
We currently also have quality, reliable companies that help
promote our service. Please find out more about them at: http://www.homeworkcanada.com/sponsors.htm
Pillar to Post Home Inspection,Re/Max First, Remax House of Real
Estate, AmeriSpec Home Inspection Services, Keaco Services, Chesney's
Home Hardware, Gunther's Building Supply, Verda Tech Inc.,High
Security Lock Co., Chesney's Home Hardware, Revy Home & Garden,
Homelife Realty, Banbury Lane, Calgary Seniors Society, Coldwell
Banker, Gunthers Building Supply, Royal LePage, BenchMark Real Estate,
Diamond Fireplaces, Maxwell South Star Realty, Century 21, Smith
Insurance, Century 21 The Professionals, WeList.Com, Accesible Housing
Society
6. The Monthly Funny :)
An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his
employer-contractor of his plans to leave the house-building business
and live a more leisurely life with his wife, enjoying his extended
family. He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire. They
could get by. The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go and
asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor.
The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart
was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used
inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end a dedicated
career.
When the carpenter finished his work the employer came to inspect the
house. He handed the front-door key to the carpenter. "This is
your house," he said, "my gift to you." The carpenter
was shocked! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his
own house, he would have done it all so differently. So it is with us.
We build our lives, a day at a time, often putting less than our best
into the building. Then with a shock we realize we have to live in the
house we have built. If we could do it over, we'd do it much
differently. But we cannot go back. You are the carpenter. Each day
you hammer a nail, place a board, erect a wall. "Life is a
do-it-yourself project," someone has said. Your attitudes and the
choices you make today, build the "house" you live in
tomorrow. Build wisely!
* If you enjoy this newsletter please forward it to friends!
They can then e-mail us to receive it each month and be entered for
the draw. Thank You!
