Before the winter season hits, make sure to drain pools and sprinklers to help avoid water from freezing in hard to reach pipes. Additionally, avoid putting antifreeze into the water lines unless directed due to it being environmentally harmful and dangerous. Hoses should be drained and removed while keeping outside valve open to allow any water to drain out. Additionally, look around the house were any pipes are located and make sure they are insulted to avoid a pipe bursting causing your home to flood.

A sign that a pipe has frozen is trickling water. If you find a pipe has frozen, simply apply heat to the pipe using a heating pad or blow dryer. Continue this process throughout the pipe until your water has returned to its normal running pressure.

For more information on how to prevent frozen pipes, give us a call at 248-333-3987, or request a free estimate.

When looking to purchase a wood burning stove or if you already have one installed in your home, it’s important to make sure that it meets the recommended EPA requirements. We highly recommend you have the contractor pull a permit to ensure proper installation measures are taken. At Bloomfield Construction, we take all the appropriate measures necessary to restore as much in your home as possible. We thoroughly analyze the amount and type of smoke damage since some smoke and fire types are stronger than others. Once analyzed, we determine which features are treatable and which need to be fully replaced before removing items left behind from the fire and smoke.

At Bloomfield Construction, our goal is to preserve as much of your home and restore it to a better tha pre-loss condition. Please contact us today if you or someone you know has recently suffered from fire or smoke damage, we are here to help and to consult.

Routine home inspections and good ventilation are key components when it comes to controlling mold. By condensing the amount of moisture that can seep into your home, the chance of black mold forming is minimized. Additionally, keeping good air flow through spaces can help reduce the chance of mold and toxic substances, which can lead to temporary health risks.

Though mold can be prevented, there are unexpected happenings, such as a pipe burst, that is uncontrollable and unpredictable. If you find mold in your home or workplace, it’s best to contact a professional. By quickly eliminating the mold infestation, it will save you from long term damage repair and potential health risks.

For more information on how to prevent mold, give us a call at 248-333-3987, or request a free estimate.

This inspection tells us many things about your home. It tells us if the attic is the proper temperature which in turn lets us know if it is getting enough ventilation. It also gives us an idea of how much plywood might need replacing so we don’t have to charge “extras” after beginning the work. Without proper ventilation, moisture can build up in the attic and can cause microbial grown for form on the plywood, rafters and insulation. In some cases this microbial can be cleaned off, however if this has been going on for a long period of time chances are the plywood is saturated & delaminated and will need to be completely replaced with new.

If you suspect you have a problem in your attic or if you haven’t had your attic inspected in several years…why not give us a call to check it out? The inspection is free to all that “Like” us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter. There will be no charge until April 30, 2012. Remember winter is the worst time for condensation build-up in attics as we have cold outside and hot moist temperatures inside.

To set up an attic inspection or for more information on how we can help, give us a call at 248-333-3987, or request a free estimate.

This article was written by Jeff Petrucci, president at Bloomfield Construction.

Be securing and anchoring outdoor sheds to the ground and bolting outdoor furniture to decks can help prevent them from flying through to air and causing excess damage. Examine the exterior of your home for loose siding or bricks and secure all doors with deadbolts and windstorm protection. Making sure shingles and drainpipes are properly secured are also easy ways to prevent excess wind damage.

Properly landscaping your home is another way to prevent wind damage from destroying your home. As nice as big trees look next to your home, it may be a recipe for disaster during a heavy storm. Place large trees for enough away from the house to avoid them from potentially crashing down and destroying your home. Also, maintain them throughout the year by cutting down loose branches that could shatter a window and check for diseases and insect infestations.

For more information on how to prevent wind damage or if your home had wind damage, give us a call at 248-333-3987, or request a free estimate.

In order to prevent ice damage, an ice dam or condensation it’s important to have proper sealing, ventilation and insulation. When sealing, make sure to seal any openings that rise to the attic and enclose house fans that lead into the attic with rigid foam boxes. Also, wrapping insulation around any warm pipe that runs through the attic can help prevent ice damage.

Having proper ventilation, both soffit vents and ridge or pot vents within a home, is another way to prevent any damage from ice. When it comes to insulation, make sure to have the proper amount. R-49 is the recommended amount.

For more information on how to prevent ice damage or if your home had ice damage, give us a call at 248-333-3987, or request a free estimate.

If your home doesn’t have a sump pump already, install one to avoid ground water from entering your home. It’s also handy to have an extra battery on-hand. In high flood areas, like Oakland County, sewers can back up and enter a home through drainpipes causing excess damage to a home and your health. Watch for frozen pipes throughout the winter months and avoid overflowing sinks and bathtubs.

Like your body, your home also needs a checkup and maintenance to avoid flooding or any other harm. Additionally, doing basic upkeep of such as keeping gutters and downspouts clean can help prevent water getting into your home. Caulking cracks (large and small) is another way to help prevent basement flooding.

If you have recently had flood damage, give us a call 248-333-3987, or check out our website to see how we can help: http://www.bloomfieldconstruction.com/michigan-water-damage/.

For example: Ultraviolet sun rays can cause shingle deterioration. Temperature extremes can damage shingles because of expansion and contraction. Shingles can blow off from strong wind gusts. Damage to the attic can occur from wind-driven, horizontal rain. And the accumulated stress of rain is sometimes just too much for your roof. Did you know that 2 inches of rain can “equal” more than 2 tons of water?

Half of the battle with Mother Nature is won using quality materials and competent contractors to install them. According to GAF Materials Corporation, a leading roofing manufacturer, poorly installed or constructed roofing costs American homeowners billions of dollars every year. Fortunately, most risks can be avoided with a professional roofing system that’s correctly installed, but only the best roofers stay in business for even five years, according to GAF. Bloomfield Construction has been in business for over 15 years. So where does a homeowner find a good roofing contractor to do the job?

As the largest manufacturer of roofing materials in America, GAF designed a certification program for roofing contractors so consumers can hire a competent professional. These professionals pledge to work on the homeowner’s roof as if it were their own.

Factory-certified GAF contractor Bloomfield Construction can present you with a plan in writing, covering everything from pre-installation to the finished job. We use quality GAF materials backed by limited warranties that range from 20 years to lifetime. As a GAF Master Elite contractor we can also offer a unique warranty that even covers the contractor’s workmanship during the critical early years after installation.

If you’re not sure whether you need a new roof, the roofing experts at Bloomfield Construction offer the following key danger signals that your roofing system is not protecting your home:

• Leakage in the attic after a driving rain. Possible causes: Leaky or inadequate shingle underlayment or deteriorated flashing.
• Blistering and/or peeling of inside or outside paint. Possible causes: Excessive moisture or high humidity due to poor attic ventilation.
• Stains on interior ceilings and walls. Possible cause: Inadequate or faulty shingle underlayment, allowing leakage from ice dams.
• Roof shingle, sheathing or siding decay. Possible cause: Poor attic ventilation.
• Missing, cracked or curling shingles. Possible cause: Shingles have reached the end of their useful life.
• Dark, “dirty-looking” areas on your roof. Possible causes: Environmental pollutants; vegetation, fungus or algae growth; loss of granules due to age of shingles.

This article was provided by GAF Materials Corporation.

Source: The Oakland Press (2010, August 23).
BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT: Bloomfield Construction wins remodeler award – Retrieved from http://www.theoaklandpress.com/articles/2010/08/22/business/doc4c71bbd927dfd892063856.txt