Curling Shingles

Also CertainTeed Shingles, which are defective. One tall tale sign is when they lose the rock and the tabs on them.

Defective CertainTeed Shingles, less than 15 years old. If your shingles look like this give us a call for a free inspection and estimate

Here are a few things to look for. Let’s start from the top and work our way down.
If you are getting leaks from the roof, it is necessary to get all the snow and ice off the roof. The next step is to inspect the roof to find out where the water is leaking into the house. Common places to look are in the valley’s, around pipe vents and box vents,along the bottom of the roof and also where satellite dishes are installed. Take time to make sure there is Ice and Wearther Guard installed on the roof, and last but not least, examine the condition of the shingle. It is critical that the shingles are in good condition.

Let’s examine the causes of water leaks in the basement. To determine where the water is coming in, first examine your rain gutters and the downspouts. Improperly placed and ill-functioning down spouts can cause major problems.

This week I was called to look at a basement with water leaking in, in several areas. After examining the property is was determined the downspouts were the cause of the problem. Normally a downspout directs the water away from the house, but in this case it was draining back towards the house. The only option the water had was to run down along the foundation and into the basement. Our solution was to redo the downspout and add a splash block on the ground. This will take the water away from the house, instead of it draining back towards the house.

Anytime there is water leaking into your house, whether from the roof or into the basement, it is a serious issue. If water damage is not dried withing 48 hours the risk of mold and mildew growing jump at an exponential rate. Mold can be hazardous to your health and requires immediate attention. To help minimize costs, have any leaks examined immediately. The longer a leak is present in a home, the higher the cost associated with fixing the damage the water causes. Leaks do not typically go away on their own, if anything, they become worse over time.

I can handle all sorts of property maintanance in and around your home.

Contact me for your free inspection.

Clifford
Wollman Construction
wcliff20@gmail.com
605-261-5335

1. Location
2. Location
3. Location

With gutters, the same pricinple applies. The location of the downspouts are critical to the longterm value of the house.

Incorrect location of downspouts can cause:

• water in the basement
• mold on the siding
• deteroration of landscaping
• damage to sidewalks and driveways
• and many more issues

I received a call last week, wondering if a downspout could be moved. This lady’s downspout was draining by her front door, but had to run across her sidewalk inorder to reach the driveway, and finish draining down the driveway. Over the winter, the water/ice had caused significant damage to her sidewalk. The top layer of concrete was starting to flake off.

About 2 months ago my wife and I were having a conversation with Steve and Kristen about chickens. Stephanie and I were sharing our experience with raising ckickens and the joy we had raising then. Steve was telling us how he would love to start up the Hickey Egg Farm again. His daughter, Kaitlyn, would take care of the chick(en)s and handle the eggs. From there the conversation led to raising meat chickens. My wife and I love the idea, two years ago we raised our own meat chickens (Primarily for fun). We raised over 150, three batches of 50. But to our great dismay some varmints got into our flock. One night in particular, the varmint (in this case a mink) killed 48 chickens in one night. It started out with us only losing a chicken every now and then, slowly we started losing 1-2 chickens per night. We started locking the chickens up at night in (what I considered) a very secure chicken coop. Then we started losing chickens during the day.

Six weeks ago, I ordered 100 broiler chicks. Yesterday they arrived. I wish the weather would have been nicer.

With the help of some friends we will be raising the broilers as organic free-range chickens. We took the chickens out to our friends farm last night, and got them settled into their new home.

If your gutters are leaking and there are holes in them, chances are you have steel gutters. The steel gutters are probably rusted on the inside. The holes are caused by the rust thinning the steel. The gutters start rusting when your gutters are not draining properly. With out proper drainage, water and other debris sits in your gutters, that gives the rust plenty of time to rust holes in your gutters. The majority of the time you can not tell there is a hole until the water starts dripping.

The upper Midwest is notorious for a weather cycle known as “freeze thaw”. During the winter and spring we will have periods of time when everything is frozen, followed by a warm cycle which causes everything to thaw. This cycle repeats itself numerous times. The “freeze thaw” will expose any weak spots in the gutter. The bad news is, if you only have one hole, you soon will have several more.

There are two ways to repair holes in rain gutters, both ranging in different degrees of difficulty.

The easiest way to repair the hole:

1. Clean and completely dry the area.
2. Use a quality caulk and fill the hole a surrounding area (about an inch around the hole)
3. Let the caulk dry and wait for the next rain storm to test you handy work, or use th garden hose.

The more difficult way (but better option) to repair the hole:

1. Dry and clean the area (six to eight inches away from the hole)
2.  Cut a piece of metal to fit inside the gutter (large enough to cover the hole and about two inches around it
3. Use a quality caulk and liberally apply it to the area
4. Slowly place the fitted metal plate into the sealer
5. On the outside of the gutter, use three to five screws to secure the metal plate into the gutter
6. Apply additional caulk to seal every screw and all the edges on the new metal plate

Tip: use a piece of metal that is the same color as the gutter if possible. You can also put the metal plate on the outside of the gutter.

There are some simple things to check in order to keep your gutters in good working order.

To prevent rust through…Keep your gutters clean and make sure they are draining properly. If you want to invest more time and energy, thoroughly clean the gutters (rust and all). Clean your gutters all the way down to shiny metal. Since you’ve taken the time to thoroughly clean your gutters, go the additional mile and spray it with a quality rust-stop paint.

 I would advise a thorough check of the gutter to make sure it will be worth your time.

Thinks to look for…first, the obvious, look for weak spots that may not hold up when it is being cleaned, and make sure you have good drainage.

Here are a few pros and cons…

• ….if you repair the leak or hole in the rain gutter. In my professional opinion, you are only putting a band-aid on wet skin. You can patch the hole, but it will eventually come off. (Typically sooner rather then later)
• ….if you replace the gutters, then you will experience zen for many years to come.  (The average cost of replacing gutters is $650-$850)

Here are some pros and cons to fixing Vs. repair…

• …repair is cheap and easy.
• …replacing is difficult and more expensive.
• …repair is something that will more then likely need annual or biannual maintenance.
• …replacing comes with a one year warranty.

If you are going to keep living in your house for more then 3 years, I would strongly recommend replacing the rain gutters. Not only will it look better, but it will also be an advantage when it comes time to sell.

Wollman Seamless Rain Gutters

wcliff20@gmail.com

605-261-5335

Please feel free to post your comments.

We as in Sioux falls, South Dakota are on average about 14 degrees below normal temp. That would suggest that we are experiencing global cooling.

Average High: 52º
Average Low: 27º
Record High: 81º (1981)
Record Low: 6º (1899)

According to what our Average highs and lows are, I am confused. Is it really global cooling or is it global warming  or maybe is all just global bogus created by a few convinceing people and the power of media. AAAAAHHHHHHHH What the hell is going on.

Here let me break it down, according to the record high’s and low’s we are experiance a slight change in weather. Which if you dig a bit deeper in what the weather has done over the past 100-200 years you will find that this weather is totally normal. The cycles in weather are cycling just as the alway have.

It only seems horandous because every one is itching to get outside and do summer activities.  The good news is summer is coming and we can then start complaning about global warming.  The cycle continues… Till next time expect to unexpected.

The main reason for leaking gutters are:

1. Sealer was poorly applied, or never applied. This would be contractor error.
2. Gutter apron is not overlapping the gutter properly. This is a common especially on the corners. This would also be contractor error.
3. The harsh winter. With the freeze thaw, freeze thaw we’ve had all winter, it takes it toll on the sealer. This is standard wear-and-tear. This is the most common problem.

I even looked at one house today that had earplugs in the holes to try to stop the leaking. This guy simply needs new Aluminum rain gutters, which I will install next week. His gutters were steel and completely rusted through, also the freeze thaw which we have every winter and fall put stress on the joints. As the joints get older you generally see more leaking.

Here are 5 simple steps to a leak free rain gutter

1. Over come your fear of heights.
2. Buy a grade “A” Rain gutter sealer
3. Clean the leaking area
4. Make sure the area is completely dry.
5. Seal the leaking area with the grade “A” sealer.

As long as these 5 steps are followed, you should have no problems with fixing the leak.

I do free estimates for seamless rain gutter repair and replacements, I can fix leaks and make sure that your fasca and soffit are in good condition. 

Clifford

Wollman Seamless rain gutters  605-261-5335

I am in Sioux Falls, SD

Wollman Construction

2901 W Russell Street

Sioux Falls, SD 57107

605-261-5335

wcliff20@gmail.com

I would love to add you to our list of Satisfied costumers.