Recent Blog Posts in March 2010

With summer right around the corner it is important to check your doors and windows for any signs of failing paint or stain finishes.  Wood windows and doors that are hard to open and close will typically have signs of failed paint or stain finishes which cause the wood to swell and eventually fail at the joints.  If not properly maintained this could turn into replacement rather than repair.  Areas that receive excessive exposure to weather (sun and rain) deteriorate faster than areas that are covered from exposure.  We also notice here in Southern California the southern facing doors and windows need more maintenance than the northern facing doors and windows.

I often recommend doing a routine check of all doors and windows in your home twice a year due to the extreme summers we have here.  When checking your doors and windows it is not only important to check that they are functioning properly but also that there is no cracking paint at any of the joints.  Cracking or pealing at the joints can lead to further deterioration and rot and if not maintained properly will lead to failure and ultimately will require replacement of these units.

When maintained properly doors and windows will last 50 plus years, however we have replaced door and window units which were as little as five years old due to improper maintenance.

If you have any questions with regards to the maintenance, repair or replacement of any of your door and window units please give us a call at RWT Design & Construction for a free estimate. We are your local Burbank Contractor and LA Remodel experts.

If you are planning to upgrade your main electrical service the very first step that you or your contractor will need to complete is a free service offered by your electrical service provider.  In Los Angeles we have the Department of Water and Power (DWP) and Southern California Edison.  If you live in a city that is incorporated like Burbank or Glendale they have their own water

and power departments i.e., Burbank Water and Power and Glendale Water & Power.

You start by calling your service provider and asking for a Service Planner.   When you speak to a Service Planner let him know that you need a meter spot for your electrical service upgrade.  He will then schedule a time to come out and meet with you to go over the new location for your upgraded electrical service.  He will also provide you with a copy of his drawing so that you and your contractor will know the exact location of your new electrical service.  Make copies of this document as it is very important to keep this record of the meter spot. After this is completed an accurate estimate can be provided for the new electrical service panel.

Next you will need to get a permit with Building & Safety and have the new electrical panel inspected.  When the City Inspector has finaled the electrical panel they will then send a memo to your service provider releasing the panel for the final connections and/or a new service feeder drop.

I can not stress enough the importance of the meter spot drawing and the final Building & Safety Inspection Card.  I was asked just recently to go and look at a project that was completed seven years ago.  The property had been bought and sold five years ago.  The current owners were concerned about their lights dimming when their air conditioner would turn on in the summer.  So the current owner called out an electrician to address this situation.  The electrician said that the electric service panel had never been inspected and there was never a permit pulled for this upgrade.  The electrician gave an estimate of $2,800 to relocate this panel and bring it up to today’s current Building and Safety codes.  These codes however did not apply seven years ago when the electrical panel was first installed.

I was contacted to consult on this issue and did my own investigation and found:

1.  The Service Planner had spotted the existing location of this electrical panel.

2.  A combination building/electrical permit had been pulled and finaled for the new service.

3.  No copies of the meter spot or the final building card were available.

I was able to meet with the current and original Service Planner at the property and he remembered providing a meter spot and drawing for the original electrical upgrade, but told us that it didn’t meet today’s current  codes.  Unfortunately the original electrical inspector for the project who finaled the electrical upgrade has been retired for two years.  All of this could have been avoided had the documentation been retained and given to the new owners of the property.  As for the lights dimming when the air conditioner turned on this had nothing to do with the existing electrical service.  When your air conditioner first starts up it pulls sometimes two to three times the amount of power compared to its normal running consumption.  This causes your lights to dim and is not necessarily a problem.

If you have any further questions regarding electrical service upgrades feel free to give us a call at RWT Design & Construction and we will be happy to answer any of your questions. We are your local Burbank Contractor and LA Remodel experts.

Word of mouth seems to be the best way to find a good, honest, reliable contractor these days.  Not only are you able to see the finished products that the contractor has performed for your friends and family but you also have a chance to find out how the relationship went with them.  For example were they honest and up front with regards to the scope of work.  When you called them were you able to reach them and get your questions answered or was it hard to reach them.

The working relationship is important.  Were you able to talk freely with your contractor?  Did he answer your questions satisfactorily?  Was he friendly and were you able to reach him easily?  Did the job come in on time and within budget?  If unforeseen conditions with regards to the job were found did he write a standard change order and have you approve it before he started?  Were his billing practices consistent with today’s construction laws? Were the workers clean and courteous and did they leave the job site clean each day?  Did your contractor have a current California State Contractor’s License?  You can contact this website to check on your contractor https://www2.cslb.ca.gov/OnlineServices/CheckLicense/LicenseRequest.asp

Did your contractor tell you the importance of getting your work permitted with the city? Did he carry the proper insurance such as Workers’ Comp and Liability?  Did he have a city license?

These are things to consider before hiring your General Contractor, as I like to say it is a partnership between the customer, the contractor and the city inspectors that together work as a team to provide a quality product that will last for years.  Your home is probably your best investment and is important that all work done is up to city and state codes.  You want your home to look good, be safe and last several generations.

Construction nightmares do not need to occur if you do your home work and follow these simple rules.  The bottom line is if you trust your contractor and he is trustworthy you will have a good experience in the end.

Give us a call at RWT Design & Construction for any questions you might have.  We are your local Burbank Contractor and LA Remodel experts.

With all the rain this season it is important to make sure you do routine roof and flashing maintenance.  Hidden water damage and leaks can cost thousands of dollars if not properly located and repaired.  Where as routine maintenance and repair can be very inexpensive.

How do you locate leaks?  The most obvious is water stains on the walls and ceilings.  Instead of painting over these stains you need to have a professional come out and determine if further damage has been caused by the leak.

Termites, dry rot and mold can result from an unresolved leak source.  For example we had a client in Silver Lake that had several roofers come out to repair the same leak issue over a period of ten years. Unfortunately the roofers never investigated any of the structural framing to see if there was any further damage caused by this leak source.  After this he would routinely call his painter out to repair the kitchen ceiling and paint.  Since this was an ongoing problem he couldn’t seem to completely solve he finally decided to have an expert (RWT Design & Construction) come out to totally solve this issue.

I told him the first thing we needed to do was open the ceiling where it had been repaired so many times in the past. What we found was incredible.   Subterranean termites had followed this leak source thru two stories and made a nest about the size of a beach ball in his ceiling.  They had totally destroyed the ceiling joist and the above deck floor joist.  What initially was determined to be a minor repair turned into a major structural reframing of his house.

This is why it is important to do a proper investigation when you notice any leak source in your home.

We at RWT Design & Construction are experts in the area of water damage repair.  Please give us a call if you have any questions or need any help in this area.  We are your local Burbank Contractor and LA Remodel experts.