Waterproof Your Home

3 Ways To Waterproof Your Home

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3 Ways To Waterproof Your Home

Moisture build-up in your home can be disastrous for numerous reasons. It can cause damage to your house’s structure and health issues from the growth of fungi and mould in wet areas. Thus, it’s practical to look for measures to make your home waterproof. 

Waterproofing reduces the chances of water infiltrating your property by adding a protective layer. It helps reduce moisture and humidity inside your house too, thus reducing the risks of damage from occurring.

Many individuals use waterproofing and damp-proofing interchangeably, but these terms are different. Waterproofing prevents moisture or water from entering your house, while damp-proofing offers a barrier against vapor caused by temperature changes. 

It’s believed that the best time to waterproof your house is during construction or when you notice any leaks, cracks, or mould growth in your home. This post will outline different ways to waterproof your home. Take a look to learn more.

1. Roof waterproofing

Roof waterproofing is the first line of defence against leakages in your home. Roof waterproofing acts as a barrier between your home and the rain and other elements. This way, your home is protected from leaks, mould, and fungus growth. There are different ways of roof waterproofing which include:

Roof Coating Installation
  • Bituminous Roof Waterproofing

This type of waterproofing works great for residential and commercial building roofs.

Bitumen sealant is combined with a substance created from an organic liquid that is sticky. This results in effective waterproofing material for the roof. This reinforced membrane is more durable as it doesn’t wear down and has a long lifespan of over 50 years of roof cladding. 

Bituminous waterproofing is mainly used on flat concrete roofs. The only disadvantage of this type of waterproofing is that it produces fumes that can cause respiratory issues in the future.

  • Cementitious Roof Coating

The cementitious coating is made from sand, silica-based substances, and organic and inorganic chemicals. It creates a waterproof seal that provides a durable layer that lasts for years. This type of waterproof roof is easy to use and apply with the right technique. The disadvantage of this coating is that it’s inflexible—it ends, compresses, and stretches over time.

  • Roof Waterproofing Treatment

This method uses a clear penetrative chemical solution that provides waterproof properties to your roof. The chemical solution is applied on the roof and is flexible and durable. It’s most suitable for metallic roofs, tiled roofs, or flat concrete roofs. The advantage of this waterproofing method is that it’s environmentally friendly, mess-free, cost-effective, and doesn’t cause any harm to humans.

2. Exterior waterproofing

When the exterior walls of your home are exposed to high humidity or rainfall, water can be absorbed and travel through the masonry to your house. As a result, walls may take longer to dry, leading to mould growth or damage to your walls. There are different ways you can prevent water from entering your home through the walls which include:

  • Check the walls for any faults like cracks or holes that may allow water to pass into your home. After spotting the faults, repair them to prevent water infiltration to your home.
  • Utilize waterproof products like concrete waterproofing coating, waterproofing paint, and silicate-based concrete sealer. All these products can be applied to exterior walls and help prevent water from affecting or entering through your walls.
  • Add a waterproofing mixture to plaster ingredients to prevent your walls from infiltrating water.
  • Install different kinds of gutters to prevent roof water from dripping down your walls. Gutters direct water away from your home.

3, Foundation waterproofing

Your home’s foundation is one of the most crucial sections, as the entire building is built on it. While the foundation is made of solid rocks, cracks can develop, allowing water to penetrate your house. Also, concrete is permeable (allows water to pass through). Ground waterproofing is essential as it protects the ground structure from costly damage. 

The following are some ways to waterproof your foundation:

  • Dig around the outer perimeter of your basement until you reach the base of the foundation. Then apply a protective membrane around the foundation walls to prevent water infiltration through the walls or any cracks.
  • Repair any cracks on the foundation walls and then apply a foundation sealant, a cement-based sealant that hardens and closes wall pores, thus preventing water from infiltrating your home
  • Some cracks fail to be sealed even after applying the foundation sealant. In such a case, you should apply the waterproof membrane to prevent water from slipping through the cracks.
  • You can also install a drainage mat, which helps water flow away from the foundation. Its dimpled design allows water to accumulate and flow away from the foundation.

Conclusion

Given the catastrophic future that water leaks can bring, any noticeable leaks should be addressed immediately before causing costly repairs. This calls for adopting different ways to waterproof your home, to avoid water damage of all sorts to your home. Hopefully, the insights mentioned above will direct you on the right path when waterproofing your home.

AC system maintenance

Why You Should Prepare Your AC System Before The Scorching Summer Months

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Why you should prepare your AC system before the scorching summer months

Summer is almost knocking on the door, which means blistering temperatures and humid air are coming. And to help you stay cool during the hottest months of the year, a sound and well-functioning Air-conditioning system is essential. Unfortunately, some homeowners tend to wait until the last minute to prepare their air conditioners, leading to disaster and uncomfortable days ahead of them.

With that in mind, here are some reasons why you should take the time to prepare your AC system before the summer:

1. Ensures that your AC system performs efficiently

As the summer months approach, it’s essential to ensure your AC system is in good working condition. As much as possible, you want to make sure that it performs efficiently and doesn’t break down when you need it most.

And so, one of the crucial things you can do is have your summer AC system unit repair done by professionals. With experts on your side, you can make sure that all parts are in good working order and that there are no leaks. You can also consult your service provider if they’re offering services, such as cleaning the filters and coils to remove any dirt and debris that could hinder performance.

2. Helps extend your AC’s life

There are many ways to increase the lifespan of your air conditioner unit. One way to do so is by ensuring that it’s properly maintained and taken care of, especially during the summer months when it’s used the most.

Summer heat can be overwhelming, and if your AC isn’t adequately prepared, it will have to work overtime to keep your home cool, which could lead to a shortened lifespan. This can come in handy since it can help save you money in the long run, considering you won’t have to replace it as often.

3. Improves the air quality in your home

Aside from ensuring your comfort during the hot season, a working AC system can also improve the air quality inside your home. This is essential, since in a humid setting, it’s believed that there’s an increased risk for mold and mildew growth, both of which can cause respiratory problems. And so, you wouldn’t want to end up sick just because you neglected your AC tune-up just before the summer comes.

AC system cleaning

4. Aids in lowering the cost of energy

As a homeowner, one of your considerations involves having a cost-effective home. Although there are many ways you can lower your energy consumption and utility expenses, one of the best ways is to ensure your AC system is running efficiently.

An inefficient AC unit can waste a lot of energy, which means a higher electric bill. And so, by preparing your system before the summer, you can help ensure that it runs as efficiently as possible and doesn’t put a strain on your budget.

Preparing your AC system before summer

As you can see, there are many crucial reasons why you should prepare your AC system before the scorching summer months. But what exactly does preparing your AC system entail?

Here are things you can do to get started:

  • Clean/replace the air filter: The air filter is one of the most critical parts of your AC system. It can help eliminate dust, pollen, and other allergens in the air – making it much easier to breathe. If you have allergies, it’s crucial to ensure that your air filter is clean and replaced regularly.
  • Check for openings or air leaks: Over time, the door and window seals can wear down – causing cold air to escape and warm air to enter. This can make your home less comfortable, but it also makes your AC unit work harder, which can lead to higher energy bills. 

With that, check for any cracks around your doors and windows to avoid this. If you find any gaps, you can re-caulk them or seal them up with weatherstripping.

  • Schedule a tune-up: One of the best ways to set your AC system for summer is by scheduling a tune-up. During a tune-up, a technician will clean your unit, check for any potential problems, and make any necessary repairs. This can help ensure that your unit is running as efficiently as possible. Plus, it’s always better to catch a problem early on before it has a chance to cause significant damage.

Final words

By keeping your AC unit in good condition, you can avoid costly repairs and keep your home cool and comfortable all summer long. So don’t wait until the heat wave hits to start prepping your AC- start today!

Termite Inspection

Why Regular Termite Inspections Are Important?

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Why regular termite inspections are important?

Pests, particularly termites, are always a nuisance. The damage that they can cause to your home may end up costing a ton of money on repairs, especially if you ignore termite control.

Even if your walls or furniture may look brand new from the outside, thousands of termites might be living inside them. As such, it’s advised that you have your property inspected by professionals for any looming threat or signs of termite infestation.

Here are the reasons why regular termite inspections are important:

1. Identify the problem

Perhaps the most important reason why you need to have regular termite inspections is that it allows you to identify any potential or existing problems and then take action immediately. Termite infestation poses property and health hazards that will continue to amplify if left ignored.

As you continue to shun the problem, the cost of resolving it will grow as well. So, if you want to save both time and money and avoid a potential disaster, you should have your home inspected for termites periodically.

You should never assume that you can notice termites invading your home on your own. Termites are shy and are quite good at avoiding detection. Some homeowners even mistake termites for ants. Professional termite inspectors know these pests well and can identify subtle designs of infestation. They can reliably identify whether you have a potential termite infestation on your property or not.

You can watch this video to know how professionals inspect and treat termite infestation:

2. Prevention

Even though you can’t see them, termites are surely lurking around and start to grow in numbers in obscure parts of your property. The purpose of regular termite inspections is to prevent infestations. This will allow you to take the necessary steps to eliminate the problem before it gets worse and causes major damage to your property and becomes a health hazard for you and your family.

Keep in mind that termites grow their numbers very quickly. Not to mention that they can eat a pound of wood every day. And since you can’t see the damage they can cause, they’ll continue to eat away all the wood in your home for years. This leaves you a structurally unsafe property without you realizing it.

The only way to prevent this from happening is to stay on top of termite control. Call a professional termite inspector to help you detect early signs of infestation before it’s too late.

Termite inspection

3. Ensure health and safety

Pest infestations in the property pose a serious health and safety risk that many homeowners fail to notice. They may cause detrimental effects on your family’s health. As such, you must conduct a routine inspection to detect and eliminate potential infestations. Termite infestations, for example, can cause structural damage to your property which increases the risk of injuries in your household.

Moreover, workers at termite control companies are well-equipped and experienced in dealing with these kinds of pests. Termite treatments by Pest-Ex and other pest control companies can efficiently eradicate termites without putting yourself or anyone at risk from toxic chemicals used in pest control services.

4. Peace of mind

Scheduling routine termite inspections can also give you peace of mind. Knowing that highly trained and experienced experts are inspecting your home at least twice per year, you’ll never have to worry about termites.

Just ensure that the people that you’re going to hire are licensed, experienced, and well-equipped to avoid inconveniences and disappointments. Reputable companies conduct inspections thoroughly which can help preserve the value of your property.

5. Save time and money

Performing termite inspection on your own can take a lot of time. You have to do your research about signs of termite infestation. After that, you’ll have to inspect all the nooks and crannies in your home to ensure that you don’t miss any termite colony. Now, depending on the size of your property, this may take several hours.

You can’t forget about the costs associated with termite inspections as well. Termite inspections are cost-efficient as compared to dealing with the consequences of having a well-established termite infestation on your property.

If you want to save time and money in the long run, be proactive in preventing pest infestations by scheduling routine inspections.

Final thoughts

As you can see, there are plenty of different reasons why you should invest in regular termite inspections. Ensure that your home is inspected by professionals at least twice a year to keep your property and most importantly, your family safe. After all, termite problems are going to be quite difficult to solve once they get worse because of how expensive they can get. Catching these pests early on is key to saving you from a lot of headaches down the road

Safety Tips For DIY Home Projects

Top 6 Safety Tips For DIY Home Projects

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Top 6 safety tips for DIY home projects

DIY projects are fun and rewarding. They give you a sense of pleasure and achievement and offer you the opportunity to develop new skills, such as fixing a hole in the wall.

However, renovations can be dangerous if you fail to adhere to safety measures. Hence, it’s important to know what you should do and shouldn’t. Read on to learn about the top safety tips for DIY home projects.

1. Research your DIY project

Before embarking on any DIY project, it’s essential to understand how to go about it and the tools required. Study the labels on the tools and the materials you’ll be using and follow the guidelines provided. If you aren’t sure of how to use the tools, research online. For example, midrange clamps are tools you’ll need when working with wood.

2. Put on protective gear

Most accidents that occur during DIY projects result from minor issues, such as failing to wear protective gear. For instance, painting or working with power saws without safety glasses or goggles will put you at risk of blindness. Protective eyewear is necessary to keep dust and flying debris from hurting your eyes. Moreover, you need to wear gloves to protect your hands while working with wood and other hard materials. Gloves keep your hands safe from lacerations and cuts.

Aside from using protective eyewear and gloves, you need to wear proper clothing, such as workwear by Workwearhub. Avoid wearing shorts or going barefoot when doing any project. Wear jeans to protect your legs from broken glass or wood chips that might cause severe injuries. Opt for steel-toe boots if you plan to use dangerous equipment, like a weed wacker or a lawn mower. Put on a long-sleeve or an oversized shirt and an apron to protect your body from flammable liquids, cleaning agents, and caustic materials.

DIY safety tips

3. Know how to use a ladder

If you’re scared of heights, avoid climbing up a roof or doing anything that requires going up. Leave the task to a professional instead.

But if you aren’t scared of heights, make sure you know how to use a ladder safely. Use the right ladder that’s made of a sturdy material, such as metal, wood, or fiberglass. Apply the three-point anchor while working on a ladder: Always have both hands and one foot or both feet and one hand on the ladder.

Here are other tips for proper ladder usage:

  • Lock the A-frame ladder and keep it open.
  • Avoid stepping on the top two rungs.
  • Set up the ladder on a stable, level surface.
  • Don’t work with electrical tools while standing on an aluminum ladder. Since aluminum ladders are good conductors of electricity, you could get electrocuted and fall.
  • Follow the 4 to 1 rule: Position the ladder one foot away from the wall or any vertical surface for every four feet of height where the ladder rests against the surface. That means that when you climb to the roof, the ladder should extend above the edge at least three feet.
  • Don’t put a ladder in front of an open door.

4. Stay alert when working with anything electrical

When working with anything electrical, ensure that the power is switched off or the equipment is unplugged when not in use. The following are some things you should remember:

  • Keep water away from power sources.
  • If you aren’t wearing trainers, stand on a rubber mat while using electrical tools.
  • Always turn off the power before repairing a device or working on a circuit. Let a professional take over if you feel unsure or anxious to fix it yourself.
  • Don’t use tools with disabled guards or frayed cords.

5. Let professionals handle gas repairs

While gas is an efficient power source, it’s hazardous. For instance, you could create a leak unknowingly. The gas will build up in your home and may lead to an explosion that’s set off by static electricity.

So, if you want a gas repair done, contact your power company. Don’t hesitate to leave with your family if you smell gas or notice a gas leak. Seek professional assistance once you’re in a safe place.

6. Invest in fire extinguishers

Before getting to work, have fire extinguishers at hand. It will be practical to have a couple of extinguishers for your home. Buy general purpose A-B-C rated fire extinguishers, which protect you from burning electrical insulation and components, burning liquids like grease, as well as materials that include wood and paper.

You can put one fire extinguisher in the kitchen and the other close to your DIY workbench.

Conclusion

DIY projects are a wonderful opportunity to improve your home. Though they’re exciting to do, they can be dangerous. Thus, you need to take safety precautions, such as wearing protective gear.

Plumber Sydney

10 Questions to Ask Before Hiring A Plumber

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These questions will help you hire the best plumber

Ideally, hiring a plumber is a decision that should be weighed carefully. In most cases, however, this is done in haste mainly because we only hire a plumber when a plumbing emergency strikes.

Even then, you should not go ahead with hiring a plumber just because that person’s name is the first name you see in a directory. Your plumbing system is an integral part of the house, and you need to know that it is going to be handled by a qualified person.

We at Tradebusters get asked all the time how we interview and select the right plumbers to join our network. As with people from other trades, we have prepared a set of questions to ask before hiring a plumber. Here are ten of those questions, with the hope that they can be of help when you hire a plumber.

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Bookkeeping System for tradies

5 Ways A Bookkeeping System Helps Trades In Business

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5 Ways a Bookkeeping System Helps Trades in Business

If you’re in upper management, or at least in the accounting and finance departments, surely, you’ll be aware of what bookkeeping systems are. Before, this system was mostly done manually, with very few automated functions. But nowadays, bookkeeping systems have shifted so as to become even more advanced and computer-based, for all the many benefits that such can bring to a business, like one in the trade profession.

With this kind of technology, bookkeepers and accountants have a lot to learn to use it effectively. And while this shift from manual to automated accounting systems means a significant change, it’s something tradesmen and professionals should consider making in their trades. After all, change is the only thing that’s ever constant, and that change also brings about the need to evolve.

In this article, you’ll come across the five ways that a bookkeeping system can help trades in business.

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Outdoor blinds

Reasons To Decorate Your Space With Outdoor Blinds

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5 Reasons To Decorate Your Space With Outdoor Blinds

Maximising the living space is a practical home trend that’s getting extremely popular worldwide. Also, taking indoor activities outside has become the norm for families who want to feel connected yet wish to exercise caution.

From creating a living room extension on the patio to building an outdoor kitchen, outdoor shading is one of the most common investments made by Australian homeowners looking to enjoy an ‘indoors-out’ lifestyle. But placing furniture outside requires protection from the elements, as well as privacy and security. This means choosing quality, durable and modern outdoor blinds is key.

Outdoor blinds can complement various home designs. If you’re planning to enhance your home exterior, consider these customisable covers and discover how to add value to your home with outdoor blinds.

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Prevent Mould Growth in your home

5 Tips For Preventing Mould Growth In Your Home

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Moulds are a type of fungi that can grow both indoors and outdoors in damp or humid environments. You can usually see them as black, white, green or brown spots on walls, ceilings or floors. Not only are they unsightly, but moulds may also have negative effects on your overall well-being.

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Renovation in Sydney Inner Wes

House Renovation in Sydney Inner West – Tips to a Successful Home Renovation for Homeowners

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House Renovation in Sydney Inner West – Tips to a Successful Home Renovation: Planning Ahead

One of the keys to successful home renovations is planning ahead. After I talked to a few homeowners and tradies in the Tradebusters network, I uncovered some great tips to help make your renovation a smashing success. Following these house renovation tips in Sydney’s Inner West will help you avoid the most common mistakes others have made. Read more

Versatile Pergola Design Ideas for Any Outdoor Space

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Versatile pergola design ideas

A pergola is a garden feature that forms a shaded walkway, passage or sitting area, often with retractable screens for added versatility. It differs from eaves or a veranda, in that it is usually a separately constructed feature with open sides.

In terms of home improvement fashion, the pergola has come a long way since it was first used described in the mid seventeenth century. A range of different frames and covering materials are now used, from highly engineered sunproof fabrics to arbour-like trained creepers including grapes, bougainvillea and ivy. Here are a few of our favourites:

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