What is Eavestrough and why every House Needs it?

Eavestrough is also known as a rain gutter. It is one of the components of the water discharge system for the building. It is used to prevent water from dripping or flowing off the roofs in an uncontrolled and directionless manner. It runs around the perimeter of the house’s roof, and collects the rainwater or snow that runoff from the roof, discharging it through the downpipes and eventually to the drainage system. The components of the eavestrough system include:

  • Eavestrough: Narrow troughs that do the function of collecting the water.
  • Downpipes: they attach the roof to the ground level
  • Soffit: it is the underside of the overhanging area of the roof eaves.
  • Fascia: it is the horizontal face of the roof edge where the gutters are attached.

Eavestroughs are essential for any house, as they perform plenty of functions. Here are a top few benefits of the eavestrough system.

  • Leads to an efficient water drainage system: If you don’t have eavestrough installed on your roof, the rainwater or the melted snow will fall directly from the roof. This will cause the water to splatter which can cause dirty and muddy marks on your home’s wall. Also, if the water is continuously pouring from the roof, it can damage the soil as it can lead to oversaturation. This can further result in damages to the foundation of your house. Installing an eavestrough system will prevent all this.
  • Prevents yard flooding: excessive rain or the melting of snow can cause a lot of water to require systematic drainage. If the water is not drained properly, this can lead to flooding in your yard. Water will keep falling from your roof and flood your yard when the ground level drainage system will not be able to handle the high volume of water.
  • Prevents major damages: Due to continuous falling of water from the roof, it can lead to soil erosion and oversaturation of the soil. These issues can cause a problem to your plants or shrubs in your yard, your plants may wither or break. Apart from the damages to your lawn, it can also lead to settling of the ground, basement flooding, house flooding, cracks in deck and patio, and many other foundational problems. By installing the eavestrough you can avoid all these problems and protect the foundation of your house.
  • Prevent roof rotting: when the melted snow does not drain properly, it gets submitted to the different areas of your roof. The accumulated melted snow can lead to standing water on your roof which can wreak havoc on your entire roofing. This can be quite risky and dangerous as it can cause your roof to fall.
  • Better home experience: do you want your guests to pass through Niagara Falls every time someone leaves or enters your house? Getting the eavestrough installed will prevent all this and you will be saved from the waterfall experience outside your main door. A good eavestrough system will surely give you a good home experience.

 

The Ideal Frieze Board Trim

In order to make your home a perfect place to live, the exterior is as important as the interior, and the beauty of the exterior is often hidden in trivial details. The selection of the frieze board and its installation are essential to successful home projects, no matter how experimental you are going to be with the construction. Frankly, even though a frieze board is one of the most critical parts of your home designing, it comes at the last position in your mind while thinking about what could make your home well-built.

Though frieze boards can often be missed while the designing process is going on, this is that subtle detail that is critical and makes a difference in the final design and at the same time enhances the appearance and performance of your home. Also, frieze boards ensure that the house is intact, well-protected, provides better stability for the exterior of the house, and ensures the integrity of your home.

FINDING a Good Frieze Board

Frieze board is usually installed in between the soffit and the top of a house’s siding panel. Its primary function is to give a finishing touch to the house’s exterior, and they come with a variety of options. The market has various types of options available for frieze boards. Still, it is necessary to first scale-out the maintenance, cost, requirements, and durability, and then it is advisable to decide. Also, be sure to ask the company some questions:

  1. How long will this board last?
  2. The cost, warranty (if any), and procedure of installation.
  3. Is the board’s material immune to the external environment?
  4. Can it be painted?

INSTALLATION of a Frieze Board

Frieze Board Installation is done using a trim board hook, which should be lined up with the seam and then fixed with a nail. Even if, at times, homeowners miss the frieze board, which makes it undervalued, it still serves two major roles.

  1. It fills the gap between the soffit and the siding.
  2. It gives the exterior a posh appearance.

Thus, it prevents moisture from snow or rain from entering the siding. At the same time, not having trim gives your house an unfinished appearance due to the gaps.

Also, the frieze board generally infuses a smooth transition from the siding to the soffit. It stabilizes and finishes the home while giving it a decorative feel.

CHOOSING the Right Material

Generally, you have different forms and elements of the frieze board out of which you have to choose for your situation.

  1. Cedar Wood

This is one of the standard options in terms of materials used to make the trim. It gives the trim a good thermal mass and is a heavy log structure making the cedar trims capable of releasing, storing, and absorbing heat.

This material can adapt to various environmental conditions and has energy-saving benefits with low moisture content by undergoing the air-drying process to lose the moisture naturally.

  1. Fiber Cement

It is an alternate option to the commonly used cedar trim and has its own pros. It can also adapt to the weather and is made of sustainable elements.

Importance of Drip Edges

Drip edges are molded metal strips made of industrial-grade galvanized aluminum or steel. These are fixed with the help of nails to the edges of the roof, ensuring a water-tight fixture. Drip edges help protect the roof shingles by safeguarding the wooden structures underneath them that are typically prone to rot and water damage. Not having a drip edge installed can lead to problems like curling of shingles and cracking or sagging roof along the edges. A drip edge provides support to overhanging shingles at the roof edges, furnishing a systematic structure to the overhang and directing water towards the eavestrough, away from the fascia of the roof. It adds a clean look to a roof while preventing water from entering into vulnerable regions.

Drip edge has two primary purposes –

  1. Diverting the water away from the fascia.
  2. Protecting the deck of the roof from wind-driven rainfall.

The role of a drip edge is to direct water towards the gutter. In case your home has no gutter, the drip edge will help prevent water from entering the fascia and soffit cavity regions. It can save you from spending huge amounts on major recovery projects after encountering extensive damage to your house.

Drip edges are available in a variety of styles and shapes. The most commonly used are the T-, C- and L-style drip edges.

The L-style, as the name suggests, is a simple design that is bent in the center. One end of an L-style drip edge is put under the roofing materials and the other end over the fascia. The C-style drip edges are curved bent, installed under the roofing material with the curve around the roof’s deck. These drip edges are generally used on roofs without a fascia. T-style drip edges are shaped like a “T” having an extra lip, directing water away from the house. This style is used beyond the deck of the roof and is bent backward in a triangular shape. The extra lip extends away from the roof end and moves water out and away from your home.

Below are a few significant benefits of installing Drip Edges:

  1. Drip edges direct the water away from the fascia or directly into your home’s gutter system.
  2. Drip edges are installed below the shingles at roof ends, preventing water from seeping into the unwanted areas.
  3. Drip edges provide support to overhanging shingles, keeping them in a clean and manageable straight line.
  4. Shingles without drip edges don’t look adequately sharp and are more prone to easy damage.
  5. Drip edges cover the gap between a roof deck and a fascia board. This gap is often responsible for allowing small animals or other unwanted pests to enter your home by way of your attic.
  6. Roof edge flashing can protect your roof during strong wind or heavy rain, or even an ice dam formation. An ice dam is a clutter of ice collected on the edge of a roof, which can prevent snow from draining and thawing appropriately.

Helpful Tips to Take Care of Home’s Foundation

For any house foundation is the most crucial yet overlooked part. Many homeowners just focus on visible components of the house to make it attractive. They don’t pay attention to the foundation until something serious happens. But, it is something that should not be forgotten because the entire house stands on it. Remember, ignorant behavior can lead to the failure of the whole structure of your home. Thus, it is imperative to get timely foundation repairs done.

 

Keep gutters in a healthy state – Gutters play a vital role in the maintenance of the foundation of the home. If your gutters are not clogged or damaged, only then you can expect your foundation to be in sound condition. The rain water that moves towards the foundation of your house can be prevented if you have professionally installed and well-maintained gutters at your home. Gutters can deflect rain water falling from the roof, which protects the ground from getting wet and this, in return, prevents foundation weakening or damages. So, it is highly recommended to hire gutter repair experts on time if you notice a leakage or any issue with them. If needed, get the gutter system replaced so that the structure and foundation of your house stay in the right condition.

 

Plant trees away from your home – It is suggested to plant trees away from the house because otherwise, the roots of trees will compete with soil for moisture. This can lead to uneven settling of the foundation, and cracks can be formed. For this reason, it is advised to plant trees and shrubs away from home.

 

Maintain good moisture levels – Keep a check on the soil around your house and make sure that it does not get too wet or too dry. As the moisture level changes, the soil expands and contracts that causes cracks. To avoid cracks and to ensure that moisture levels remain perfect, have an automatic lawn sprinkler installed in your garden. Sprinklers sprinkle only the needed amount of water, and in case of the rainy season, it does not sprinkle water. Thus, an automatic sprinkler can prove to be extremely helpful in maintaining right moisture levels.

 

Perform annual plumbing checks – Plumbing issues are also among the common reasons for foundation damage. Plumbing problems can lead to seepage of water underground that further damages the foundation of the house. Thus, to protect your home’s base, it is recommended to hire professional plumbers if you notice leaks or cracks.

 

Ensure that your home is constructed on a fine slope – Proper slope is mandatory if you want the water to drain away from the foundation. The slope should be constructed in such a way that the water flows away from it.

 

Hire a contractor for foundation issues – Lastly, if you suspect any problems with your foundation, then prefer talking to a foundation expert. Get the condition of the foundation evaluated by the professionals so that the potential problem gets uncovered and fixed on time.

 

 

 

Your Quick Guide to Ensure Full-Proof Home Maintenance During Winters

Winters can be quite harsh In Toronto, and you can see homeowners prepping themselves days in advance to combat the winter storms and snow. Special attention is given to the living spaces, i.e. homes so that there are any costly repairs after the offset of chilly months.

Of course, the fluffy snow and sparkling icicles does make one feel like straight from the wonderland, but considering the level of devastation that comes along; it is wise to handle the situation with a bit of preventive maintenance.

Here are a few tasks you need to carry out for making your home winter ready and successfully reduce possibilities of property damage and deep-freeze –

Inspect your Gutters and Drainage

Sometimes winters come with incessant rainfall, so you have to be ready to tackle it with ease. To start with, you need to clean out the eavestrough and rain gutters. Now, this may not sound a fun job to do, but it can potentially save you more money in the long-run.

Clogged gutters on the roof often overflow and break that can put unimaginable strain above. You can also find ice built up in them that can be extremely bothering and challenging.

So, you should check them often and swap them with good quality eavestrough and drainage pipes for better performance.

Be Persistent with Snow Removal

Your valuable home stands on a foundation, and if that isn’t robust enough, there can be a question mark towards the architectural integrity. The problem during winters is that heavy snow accumulates around the premises and starts seeping in the soil making way to the foundation of the building.

As a result, there arises immense deterioration, expensive repairs, and lots of hassle to undo the damage of pooled water at the base of the house.

That is why you should try focusing your efforts at the foundation, decks, basement areas, windows, and concrete steps (if any).

Protect your Flooring

Areas of and around Toronto can get very snowy and cold. More snow means more ice melt on the sidewalks, more salt on the roads, and more dirt tracking-in, leading to the beating of your entryway floor.

The chemicals in ice melt substances can impact the look and longevity of flooring in no time and even leave permanent damage that can be expensive to repair.

So, you better use high-quality floor mats at the door. Also, use a boot scraper or brush outside so anyone can remove excess snow before entering the home.

Install De-Icing Cables

Ice dams can be a huge nuisance to deal with. During heavy snowstorms, the ice gets accumulated on the roof, and before it begins to melt and runoff, it freezes again near the edge (over the eaves).

This repeated cycle over the months leads to the formation of thick barriers of ice hanging along the roof that constantly leaks or may even fall.

However, there is a smart way of prevention, and that is de-icing cables. These cables are installed on the roof to release heat and stop the melted snow from refreezing; hence allowing easy runoff the roof, into the storm drainage, and finally into the garden.

Rain Barrels: Why are They Important for Your Home?

Though water is available in our homes and can be used for various purposes but how nice it would be if we make the most from other natural resources and save our bills. One of the best ways of saving water is to use rain barrels for storing rainwater.

 

Rainwater is the purest form of water that is considered to be freshwater. If you reside in a region where rainfalls are frequent, then having rain barrels to store the rainwater can be beneficial.

 

Using the tap water for your plants, garden and cleaning the outdoor living space can cost you a lot on your water and electricity bills. This is when these rain barrels come to the rescue.

 

What is a Rain Barrel?

 

Rain barrels serve as a reservoir to collect rainwater that runoffs through downspouts from the roof during heavy storms. Rain barrels can include special features like filters spigots for attaching garden hoses, insect-proof mesh, child and animal proofing. Rain barrels can store up to 80 gallons of water depending upon the size and shape of the container. Mostly the stored rainwater is used for gardening purposes because it is healthy for plants and soil as it is free from chemicals.

 

Rainwater harvesting is becoming popular in many other ways as well that has lead people to install rain barrels with the help of experts. Let us look at the advantages of rain barrels-

 

1) Reduction in Rainwater Runoffs-

 

Rainwater runoffs are a huge problem in urban areas that causes the clogging of gutters and downspouts exerting force on the roof. Apart from blocking the drains, rainwater runoff carries all sorts of chemicals and dirt that pollute our waterways. This could be stopped using rain barrels that can collect rainwater and help in clearing the streams so that plants and animals can rely on them.

 

2) Prevention of Soil Erosion-

 

Soil erosion caused by fast running stormwater can damage the foundation of your house and wash away the nutrient-rich topsoil from your garden. Therefore, runoffs could be prevented by deploying rain barrels near the roof, that will preserve the topsoil for your plants and prevent damages to your landscaping.

 

3) Provides Water During Droughts-

 

With the change in weather conditions and the onset of summers, having water for serving the needs of your garden is essential, especially during the driest part of the year. Watering your plants in the sweltering heat will not be enough and plants can dry or die. Collecting and preserving rainwater can serve the purpose by providing extra moisture to the plant for the betterment of their growth.

 

This is useful, especially during drought and water restriction period. Without having to rely on limited community resources, you can make your landscape green and bountiful.

 

4) Saves You Money-

 

It is a free supply of water that gets replenished whenever there are showers. Apart from saving tap water, it helps you save on your electricity and water bills.

 

Why DIY May Not Be Your Best Option For Gutter Installation

Certain things usually sound good at first until you actually get the chance to try them out. A good example is home remodeling projects where many people have been easily lured by the idea of going the DIY route, only to end up messing things up and incurring more costs. Unless you have great knowledge on what you are doing, you are better off hiring the professionals. Here is a look at some of the reasons why DIY may not be your best option for home gutter installation.

Exposing yourself to harm

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There are numerous people who get hurt as they go about gutter installation. Most of the people who have suffered injuries admit that their first thought was that DIY gutter installation will not be that difficult. However, installation of gutters involves ladder activity and if you are not careful, you may fall and get injured. In a worst case scenario, you may suffer from paralysis after a fall from great heights. Therefore, you can save yourself the trouble of getting hurt by hiring professionals for gutter installation.

Lack of knowledge

Sure, after you have viewed those DIY YouTube videos, gutter installation sounds like a piece of cake. However, professionals have a wealth of knowledge and experience in matters to do with gutter installation and repair. They can easily assess your home area and pick out problems while laying out crucial details. Furthermore, they can take an effective action right away to remedy the problem and ensure your home is safe. Not so many people have this kind of knowledge on gutter and eavestrough issues like roof shingle damages, decaying fascia boards and deteriorating sidings.

Change in cost of material

It is easy to think that you will save a good sum of money by purchasing your own materials and doing the repair for yourself. However, market conditions can lead to a drastic change in the price of materials pertaining to Toronto siding, adhesives, hangers, clips, downspouts and so forth. The final bill may blow your mind off. As for the professionals, they get the best deals because they typically pay wholesale to acquire all the materials that they need. That means that if you hire them, you may even pay lesser for those materials. In addition, they can easily tell the difference between original and counterfeit products.

Transportation baggage

After you have purchased all the materials you require for gutter installation, you have to bring them home. This can actually be a big problem especially if you are relying on your car. Supposing you owned a pickup, it would still be challenging to transport sections of gutter that are ten-feet long. This is because most vehicles do not come with specially fitted racks for things such as gutters. However, gutter companies have the right means of transportation. Once you have made the necessary arrangements for installation services, you can trust them to transport their equipment safely to your property to start work.

Pitching gutters

One of the common mistakes that most people doing DIY gutter installation make is failing to pitch the gutters properly. If the gutters are not properly pitched, you will not have effective water drainage in the gutters. However, you can rest assured of accurate gutter pitching from professionals who have a rich experience in matters involving gutters.

As you can see, when you hire professionals to do the installation for you, you will not only save yourself the trouble of spending a lot of time getting all the resources together but also the overall cost of purchasing, transporting and utilizing the materials needed for the installation. In addition, you will reduce the chances of getting hurt. Professional gutter installation services guarantee you a durable gutter system that will keep your home safe during a heavy downpour, so why take the risk and jeopardize the benefits you can enjoy by going DIY? Think, folks!

What’s The Best Time To Carry Out A Biannual Gutter Inspection?

How regularly do you carry out a gutter inspection for your house? The four distinct seasons pose a challenge to properly functioning gutters. For this reason, you need to get a professional to inspect your gutters at least once a year to keep an eye out for any potential problems that may occur. Unfortunately, most home owners overlook the importance of carrying out gutter inspections since they are designed to be inconspicuous. Gutters are designed to drain large volumes of water from the roof and in case they develop problems, this can quickly turn into a calamity. So when exactly is the best time to carry out gutter inspections?

When it rains

Minot emergency workers patch Broadway levee

Most of us want to curl up by the fire while we enjoy a cup of coffee as it rains. As good as this may sound, you can also use this time to check your gutters. While it is raining, go around the house and check how well the gutters are draining water. Check the drainage around the foundation and check any signs of pooling anywhere near the house. Follow the water drainage to see if it is flowing away from the house or not.

Next, check the downspouts to see if the water is running outside. Carefully inspect to check for gaps or cracks along the joints or elbows of the downspouts. Make sure that the water from downspouts is being directed to the splash block. The splash block should then direct water away from the house at least 2ft from the external wall. You should also check if the gutters are well secured and if there are any leaks.

In the fall

Fall is a good time to spend time outdoors as you enjoy the fall colors around you. Use this time to go around your house and inspect the gutters and downspouts. Check for any possible rusting or loose screws along the gutters and downspouts. Go around the foundation of the house and clear any shrubs to check if there is any water collection.

If you notice discoloration on the external walls, check if there are any holes in the gutters that may be causing possible leaks. If you notice any gaps between the fascia and gutters, it’s time to call for a professional who specializes in soffit and fascia in Toronto. He will carry out an inspection and advice whether to repair or replace the fascia to avoid leakages.

In the spring

Most people prefer to carry out gutter inspections during the spring. The weather is warm and it is considered a safe time since there are no strong winds. Use this time to clean out the gutters. It is advisable to call in the experts to carry out the inspection since they know what and where to check. If you prefer doing it by yourself, ensure that you have the right gear to ensure your safety. You will need to put on gloves and protective glasses during the cleaning. Use a ladder to get to the gutters and clear out the leaves and debris using your hands. After clearing out the debris, direct water to the gutter using a hosepipe to clean out remaining dirt and while doing this check for any possible leaks. Ensure that no debris is blocking the downspouts and that water is flowing freely. Check the fascia for any signs of rot or moisture. If you find any problems, do not hesitate to call the professionals for a quick fix up.

Never allow your gutter to stay for long without being inspected or repaired. Delaying will lead to more damage to the gutters and around the house. In the end, you will end up splurging more cash on repairs.