Posts Tagged ‘water damage restoration’

Recognizing the signs of water damage

Thursday, January 14th, 2010

Water can damage a home quickly and one may not notice something is wrong until several weeks later. Many business and homeowner may notice a small amount of water that is continually in the same location, but think nothing of it because of its small size. But when curiosity arises and the small amount of water is investigated, one may discover the small damp spots have rotted walls, foundation, or worse. Knowing the initial signs of water damage can help home and business owners know when they need to take serious action.

What to Look For:

  • Stains on drywall: this is one of the classic signs of water damage. If drywall stains are noticed, check to see if the frames to exterior doors and window frames are stained as well. Find the cause of the water staining and fix it.
  • Strange stains on inside walls: this is typically a sign of a leaky pipe inside a wall. Fix it quick.
  • Floors that are warped or buckled: a sign of possible water exposure that could be due to pipes that run under the flooring or a nearby leak (like from a sink).
  • Check the water meter: Suspect a leak, but are not sure? Check the water meter and notate its figures. Turn the water off to a house or building for at least an hour and check the water meter again. If the meter’s figures are higher, there’s a leak somewhere (possibly in one of the water lines).
  • Missing, curled, or cracked shingles and damaged flashing: these things could be symptoms of a leaking roof, poor water drainage, or water damage in the attic, roof vents, or chimney vents.
  • Standing water or erosion to a patio or driveway: A small, standing pool of water (no matter how small it is) is not good news. This means there is poor drainage as a result of the landscaping, leaking gutters, or water not flowing far enough away from a building.

Check out more signs of water damage.

Water damage needs to be dealt with swiftly and correctly. This includes making sure the water was completely dried and all mold was remediated. If not, water damage could continue and mold could cause further damage. Learn more about water damage restoration.

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Posted in Disaster Recovery News, Flood Damage, Mold Damage, Preparedness, Water Damage, business continuity | No Comments »

New York City Hall needs a major facelift

Monday, November 23rd, 2009

Photo by dandeluca

Photo by dandeluca

New York City Hall is in desperate need of major attention. SILive.com states: “It is the oldest continuously used government building in the country; the heart of New York City civic life. And it is filled with irreplaceable artifacts and priceless works of art…And it’s falling apart…  The nearly two-centuries old New York City Hall has a roof in imminent danger of collapse, crumbling mortar in the walls, plaster peeling from the ceiling, outdated electrical, heating and cooling systems — and it requires sprinklers and fire alarms to meet new building codes.”

The repairs are going to cost an estimated $94 million. Previous mayors have known about the restorations that needed to be made and put these issues on the backburner. Now it is too late and this job cannot be pushed back further and Mayor Blumberg is going to have to find the cash for the repairs that started in March 2009.

One of the startling discoveries made by engineers is water damage that had been rotting wood for years where they Mayor and his staff work. Most of the work is being done in the west wing of City. Work in the east wing will begin in summer 2010. The whole project is expected be done by 2012. More on this story.

Waiting is expensive and this has been made painfully obvious to those involved in all aspects of this restoration project. If repairs would have been made when they became known and not just pushed aside, the city and its tax payers would not be paying for the extra repair costs now.

Read about how to keep restoration costs down.

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Posted in Disaster Recovery News, Mold Damage, Restoration, Water Damage, business continuity | No Comments »

New York condo residents plead, “Please fix this leak!”

Monday, October 26th, 2009
Photo by chris.szabla

Photo by chris.szabla

In 2004, a trend of building new residential developments began across New York City. The building stopped in 2007 after the city received complaints of poor weatherization and construction.

Common Complaints

Residents that occupy the condos with faulty construction rightly complain about leaky roofs and windows when the weather is wet, HVAC units that do not work properly, balconies that feel unsafe because of rails that seem loose and concrete that flakes, etc.

The Council of New York Cooperatives and Condominiums expects to see an “explosion” of complaints within the next two years because the condos were all built around the same time and it takes a few years of breaking a building in before obvious problems become apparent to residents in them. Another reason for the anticipated raise in complaints is that condo owners only have a three-year time limit to bring-up a concern before their statute of limitations is expired.

Read the full story from the New York Times.

Dealing with Water Damage

Water damage does not only ruin personal items within a home, but it can ruin the actual home. The integrity of a structure could be weakened and compromised. Mold damage often accompanies water that has not been thoroughly dried.

Learn more about remediating water damage.

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Posted in Disaster Recovery News, Mold Damage, Restoration, Water Damage | No Comments »

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