With all the storms that we’ve seen in Charlotte, NC and the surrounding areas lately, homeowners need to be on the lookout for storm chasers. Storm chasers are people who go through neighborhoods after a heavy storm, approaching homeowners about storm damage repairs. They might go door to door, or put a business card or flyer in your mailbox, or even have an ad in the local newspaper, but many ‘storm chasers’ are not trained, licensed or trustworthy contractors. Some local authorities are making it harder for ‘storm chasers’. Parts of South Carolina now require permits to be issued for any work on your home. But for the most part, it unfortunately falls on the homeowner to be diligent and research people to make sure that they are reputable, licensed contractors.

The ‘storm chaser’ offers what seems like a great price, but it can end up costing you more if they don’t do the job correctly, they don’t finish, or if they take your deposit and never show up to do the work. Ask yourself, will they be around in six months or a year if something goes wrong with their work? Will their phone number still be in service? If they get hurt working on your home, will they expect you to pay the bills for it or claim it on your home owners insurance? Don’t trust your home to someone with only their best interests at heart.

Roof repairs or replacement, siding repairs or replacement, trees and limbs on your home, these are all things that you should hire a skilled, experienced, licensed contractor for. Your home is your castle, put it in the hands of a contractor that you can trust. There are resources for homeowners in Charlotte, NC and the surrounding areas for checking out contractors. We have several articles about choosing the right contractor and there are other local resources with tips on hiring a contractor for your home repair needs. The Charlotte chapter of the BBB recently had an article about storm chasers and what to look for as well as tips for hiring a good contractor.

If you have any home repair needs in the Charlotte, NC area, give us a call at 704-451-4492.

Mike Summers

A Dependable Home Repair & Construction Service, Inc.

The owners of WOK Bar (formerly Wok On Fire), located at the corner of 5th and Tryon in the Ivey’s Building in Uptown Charlotte cordially invite everyone to their two-day Grand Opening Extravaganza!

The Grand Opening festivities will be held Friday November 19th and Saturday November 20th beginning at 8 pm both evenings and will feature not only food and drink specials but also live entertainment each night.

On Friday November 19th, the live entertainment will include comedian Jarrod Harris who has been featured in his own live special on the Comedy Central network. Opening for Harris will be Charlotte comedian Steven Forrest. Throughout the evening there will also be numerous food and drink specials including WOK Bar’s soon-to-be-world-famous Sake Bombs. Following Harris’ performance there will be a live DJ.

On Saturday November 20th, live entertainment will include Charlotte’s own DJ Magnum and several special celebrity guests. Saturday’s festivities will also include numerous food and drink specials all evening.

Their address and contact info:

127 North Tryon St. (corner of 5th and Tryon)

Phone:704-887-9720

 email:WOK_BAR@yahoo.com

You can also find them on Facebook and Twitter:

Become A Friend on Facebook!

Follow Them on Twitter!

Check them out and enjoy.

Mike Summers

If you are planning on or even thinking about selling your home, there are some things that you should do to get it ready for sale. Things that will help make it more marketable. We call it, getting it market ready, and it’s one of our specialties. We offer all the services you will need to make your home stand out in the crowd of houses that buyers are sorting through.

You know that list of chores and small repairs you’ve been meaning to take care of. Well, now is the time to have it completed. We do all the small repairs and maintenance items that you don’t have time for, both interior and exterior. You don’t want to have the buyers come back with a home inspection report that’s 60 pages long and want all those little repairs completed, by you, before closing. Windows that stick or doors that don’t close quite right. Electrical switches that don’t appear to operate anything or nail pops on the roof and missing shingles. Don’t let these kinds of things get in the way of a smooth sale.

One thing that alot of buyers pay close attention to is the flooring. There are people who won’t buy a house with vinyl flooring, or some that have always wanted hardwood floors so that’s on their list of wants. There are even some house hunters who will love alot about a house but the flooring is a deal breaker. Refresh your old, outdated or worn flooring, wether it’s carpet, vinyl, tile or hardwood. New carpet or vinyl in a fresh neutral color and/or pattern can brighten up a room. Updating to tile can help update the whole look of a room and house and help increase the value of your home. If you have hardwood floors, refinishing them can make a world of difference and a wonderful impression on potential homebuyers.

You might also want to take a look at the walls, ceilings, and trim throughout your home. Interior paint makes a house look new and fresh and as much as you love the wonderful environment you’ve created, the buyers may not have the same taste. Many people feel that rooms painted in specialty colors or themes is more work for them after they buy. It can also make it harder for a buyer to imagine their furniture and belongings in that room or house. Most sellers repaint the rooms with simple more neutral colors in hopes that when someone looks at the house they will focus on the building style, layout and flow of the house rather than how it’s decorated. People want to see the house and think of it as more of a blank canvas that they can make into their own work of art, reflecting their own personality and style.

Another very important aspect of your home that should be maximized to its full potential, is it’s ‘curb appeal’. The first thing a homebuyer sees can set the stage for how they view the rest of the house. First impressions are everything and you want your home to make the best impression possible. When a potential buyer is coming down the street, you want your house to stand out and make the homebuyer say “Wow!” before they even realize that’s the house they’re coming to see. The exterior should be clean, the siding, trim, shutters, screens and gutters should all be properly installed and secure and last but not least the yard and landscaping should be neat, clean, and attractive, as well as complimentary to the home.

The last thing I’m going to talk about is staging. Staging is basically the idea of arranging your furniture, belongings and decor to create the best focal points and accentuate the best features of your home. If you need help accomplishing this, check with your realtor or contractor, if they can’t help directly, they should be able to refer a professional stager that can.

If you have any questions or need help ‘making your home market ready’ in the Charlotte, NC area, please contact us today. 

Mike

Do you have a window or two that seems to fog up or have alot of condensation on it? Have you tried to wipe it off but find that it’s actually between the panes of glass? It’s caused by seal failure. There are many different types of windows and many components to each, but I only need to talk about a couple of these components to explain seal failure. The unit of glass in a window is called a ‘lite’. Two or more lites separated by a spacer and hermetically sealed at the glass edges is called an IG unit, or insulated glass unit. If the seal at the glass edge fails, fog and condensation inside the IG unit occurs. The seal can fail due to various reasons, but the result is the same, the IG unit has to be replaced.  Of course you can leave it as long as you don’t mind the steamy effect, but you also won’t be able to see out of the window when it’s fogged up. Keep in mind that it won’t be steamy all of the time, just when moisture and humidity are high, like when it’s rainy and hot. A good licensed contractor can tell you what the problem is, if it can be repaired or replaced, and how they can take care of it for you.

If you need someone in the Charlotte, NC area to help you understand the parts of your home and the repairs of those parts, A Dependable Home Repair is your full service specialist. Call us today at 704-451-4492.

Mike Summers

Do you know that old saying “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”? Well, when it comes to structural repairs, truer words were never spoken. Structural repairs, whether caused by termite damage, water damage or dry rot, can be some of the most expensive repairs you can encounter as a homeowner. We’ve come across many different sized structural repair jobs throughout A Dependable’s 12+ years in business in the Charlotte, NC area, we’ve seen it all and fixed it all.  

Here’s one example:       A Charlotte homeowner asked us to complete some structural repairs that were found in the crawl space of her home.  The water and termite damage under the house was already somewhat extensive, but sadly didn’t end there. After we started the project we found the damage to be much more extensive than initially visible. Unfortunately not all structural damage can be found until you start tearing into it and fully expose how deep the damage goes. In this case, much of the damage was covered by the vinyl siding. Standing water in the crawl space caused the wood to become soft, causing the water damage. It also made the home a more likely target for termites, which took full advantage of the homes’ vulnerability. The damage had spread through the floor system and up the exterior walls to the attic. Structural damage can in turn cause issues with many other aspects of  your home. Siding, windows, doors, and flooring can all be compromised by structural damage, requiring additional repairs, other than the structural repairs.

That’s one of the reasons that I decided to create the Home Maintenance programs that we are now offering in Charlotte, NC and the surrounding areas. We can custom tailor a program to fit your home, needs and budget. You can schedule us to come out and check your home for a variety of items such as crawl space ventilation, insulation, moisture or standing water issues, attic ventilation, insulation, and possible water intrusion issues. Think of it as a ”well visit” or “check-up” for your home. We can also check and/or replace HVAC filters, change interior and exterior light bulbs that are not easily accessible, and many other preventive checks or regular maintenance items.

Another important factor in discussing structural repairs is the basic understanding of the term “structural repair”. Structural repairs are basically repairs to the structural members of the building, the actual base framing of the house. Structural repairs require a professional, experienced contractor since the structural integrity of the house can be compromised if the repairs aren’t done properly. Just as structural damage can cause additional damage to other aspects of the home, improper repairs can create additional issues, damage, costs and even put the safety of your home and family in question. Structural repairs can be costly, but if you hire a contractor based solely on the price, it could very likely cost you much more down the road.

Please take the well-being of your home and family into account when hiring a contractor or when thinking about preventive maintenance for your home. If we can answer any questions or be of any help to you regarding structural damage or repairs to your Charlotte, NC home or any other home repair issues, please contact us today. 704-451-4492.

Mike Summers