Bellevue Builders Supply

Don’t Let Snow and Ice Damage Your House

2012-01-10T14:24:00.000-08:00

Winter is here. Even though it’s been warmer and less snowy than normal, it will get colder and snowier in the weeks to come. One of the biggest hazards to your home during these winter months is ice build up on your roof. Heavy snow can melt underneath from the heat leaking through your roof, particularly at the eaves, and refreeze in your gutters, valleys, and along the eave. This melting and freezing can cause ice to backup under your shingles and cause mold, rot and water damage to the roof and ceilings below.

Proper insulation, flashing, ventilation, and ice & water barrier products on newer homes and roofs can help protect against this intrusion, but these can require expensive renovations for an older home. Heat tape can help keep eaves and gutters clear. But, most heat tape can only sense temperature and will operate whenever it is cold instead of just when it is cold and moisture is present. Heat tapes can also be damaged by roof rakes used to clear excessive snowfalls. Rock salt works great, but it’s not easy to throw shovelfuls of salt up onto your roof whenever it snows. Plus, loose salt will disappear quickly.

Fortunately, there are some new products available that can help. Dambuster DEICER has come out with a de-icing brick that you can put (or throw) on your roof that will prevent freezing in valleys, gutters and drains. It’s safe for your roof and safe for vegetation so it won’t destroy grasses, trees, and bushes below. For truly problematic areas, the bricks can be stacked to provide extra, long term protection. Similarly, Kassouni Manufacturing has introduced RoofMelt Tablets. Smaller than the Dambuster bricks, these compressed ice melt tablets can easily be tossed up onto your roof and gutters to keep them clear.

With products as easy to use as these, there’s no reason to risk major damage to your home form ice and snow this winter.

Don't Let Faulty Wiring Burn Your House Down

2011-10-25T14:06:00.000-07:00

Most of us take the electricity that runs through our homes for granted. Flip a switch and the light comes on. Plug in an appliance and it works. We expect our wiring to simply work. Forever.

The truth is that household wiring can break down over time. There may have been a defect in the installation or materials quality, or it may simply be so old that the components are drying out and breaking down. This doesn't mean that we should all sleep with one eye open, frantically worry about our homes. There are some simple steps you can take to monitor the condition of your wiring and prevent small issues from becoming big ones.

First, monitor your usage. Is your bill going up every month and you don't know why? This could be a sign of an appliance wearing out and needing replacement. In an extreme case, I've seen a power meter pan half full of dead bee matter. On a damp day, this was creating a load across the main legs, needlessly consuming power. Since the meter pan is sealed by the power company, this is not something homeowners can check on their own.

Second, do your lights flicker slightly when you first turn them on? If they do, it could be something as simple as a bad bulb or something as serious as a corroding main entrance cable. Change the bulb. If that fixes it, great. If not, start working backwards toward the main panel box. Check the fixture, check the voltage at the fixture, check the voltage at the breaker, look at the condition of the wire and insulation. If you're not comfortable working with electricity, find a competent electrician to inspect it for you.

The pictures below show what can happen if a problem is left unchecked. The homeowners had noticed some lights flickering but chalked it up to CFL bulbs that were getting old and didn't bother to change them. a couple of weeks later, the power company had to make an emergency trip to the house in the middle of the night to cut the power because one of the main legs coming in to the panel box was short circuiting. Caught early and the only repair would have been to replace a $20 piece of service cable. Left unabated, the wire arc welded itself and everything around it, burning a hole through the back of the box and into the plywood mounting board. A much costlier and more dangerous situation that could have been avoided by following the simple steps outlined above.

Is Your Gas Killing Your Small Engine?

2011-10-12T09:04:00.000-07:00

We all rely on lawnmowers, snow blowers, string trimmers, generators, and many more such devices to make our lives easier. One thing all of these tools have in common is the use of a small gas engine to provide the power to do the work. Small engines are simple devices that haven’t changed much in the past hundred years or so. One thing that has changed, though, is the fuel we buy for them. Today’s gasoline contains roughly 10% ethanol, a renewable fuel source derived from corn. Ethanol is considered good for the environment (debatable, I know) and step forward in loosening our dependence on fossil fuels.

Ethanol can absorb water within the fuel tank and system and acts as a detergent to keep the fuel system clean. Normally these are good features, but if the device sits for a long time; for instance a lawnmower that sits idle all winter, the water can separate and collect in gas tank or float bowl. The cleaning characteristic of the ethanol will help keep a new fuel system clean but in an older engine, it can flush out build ups and contaminates that will clog filters and needle valves. Both of these can keep the engine from starting or running properly. Ethanol also has corrosive properties that can break down rubber fuel lines, causing leaks and risk of fire.

All is not lost, however. By following a few simple tips, you can help prevent these problems. First, treat your gasoline with a product such as STA-BIL. These products help stabilize gasoline during storage (up to a year), preventing the gummy deposits that can build up in carburetors. Most of these additives also contain anti-corrosives to help protect fuel lines and fittings. Second, if possible, run your engine periodically during the off-season. This will help keep the fuel in the carb fresher and minimize its ability to separate and form deposits. Third, store equipment with a full tank of gas. The full tank will limit condensation from collecting in the tank. This only applies to short-term storage of less than a year. If you need to store something for more than a year then you should be completely draining the fuel system, including the carb and its float chambers.

With these simple steps, you can rest assured that when your small engines are needed, they will start easily and run smoothly.

Why own a home?

2011-04-19T13:06:00.000-07:00

A lot has been written about home ownership recently, most of it bad. Home ownership rates are down even though prices and interest rates are low. Whether or not buying a home is a good investment or not is only one chapter of the story. There are other factors that need to be considered – cost to rent versus own, paying rent your entire life (think retirement years), and personal freedom.

With prices and rates low, it may be less expensive to own than rent right now. So, you get to build your own wealth (instead of someone else’s) and save money. What if you change jobs and need to move? If the market is still down, consider renting your house. This way, someone else is helping you build your own wealth.

Do you want to continue paying rising rent costs during retirement when you’re on a fixed income? People are living longer. Why risk your retirement income on uncontrollable rent rates for the 20+ years you may be retired? If you buy a home and plan your mortgage, you can own it outright by the time you retire.

This country is founded on the idea of personal freedom, the idea that each person can live how he or she chooses. Beyond painting (approved colors only), renters have few options for changing their living space. When you own, your home is a canvas that can be painted with any picture you desire.

Is owning for everyone? No. Homeowners need to be able to save money for routine and emergency maintenance. If you live paycheck to paycheck, owning your own home can become very scary very quickly. The recent trend toward increased savings proves that most Americans are fiscally responsible enough to own their own home and free themselves from paying rent.

Great news!! Bellevue Builders is proud to be FSC certified.

2011-03-25T06:27:00.000-07:00

We have received FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certification. FSC certified products are a key component for any project that is trying to achieve LEEDs (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. LEEDs is the most respected and recognized certification for “Green” or environmentally responsible building. Lumber makes up just one part of the LEED puzzle. LEED was developed by the U.S Green Building Council (USGBC) and uses a point system to measure the environmental impact of a construction project.

There are four levels of certification possible depending on the points accrued from several different categories. The categories include Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality, Locations and Linkages, Awareness and Education, Innovation in Design, and Regional Priority. Points are awarded on a 100 point scale with 10 possible bonus points awarded for Innovation in Design and Regional Priority. A project is LEEDS certified by earning at least 40 points. Silver, Gold and Platinum levels of certification are possible by earning 50+, 60+, or 80+ points, respectively.

Why does FSC certification matter? The Forestry Stewardship Council was formed in 1993 in response to concerns over forest clear cutting actions that were happening around the world. FSC certification ensures that lumber produced is coming from forests that are properly managed to meet certain sustainability guidelines. Currently over 120 million hectares of forests are certified in over 80 countries. While that sounds like a lot, it covers only about 5% of the total production forests of the world.

FSC certified lumber is also increasingly becoming required on any government construction projects, or any projects that receive public or government grants, loans, or loan guarantees. Only dealers who have received FSC certification can buy and sell lumber that retains this key certification. The certification includes maintaining a documented Chain of Custody of each piece of lumber from the forest to the mill to your project. If you are interested in learning more about our FSC program, please contact Bob Hansen at 518-350-5389.

Innocent Sallers Fairness Act

2011-03-21T11:57:00.000-07:00

The Innocent Sellers Fairness Act has yet to be passed in Washington. The bill is aimed to protect retailers from lawsuits caused by defects or hazardous materials used by manufacturers. This act is designed to protect small independent businesses from lawsuits over products that they have no control over and are merely reselling to consumers.

As a small retailer, we sell many products that we have to rely on the reputation of the manufacturer or wholesaler that the product a) does what it claims to do and b) is safe for consumers to use. Independently testing every product on the market would be costly and cause retail prices to creep ever higher.

What do you think? Is this good, common sense protection for small business in America, or is it a Get Out Of Jail Free pass for the unscrupulous?

You can read more about the proposed bill here - http://www.washingtonwatch.com/bills/show/110_HR_989.html

2010 New York State Energy Conservation Code Review at Bellevue Builders Supply!

2011-02-17T10:17:00.000-08:00

Seating Is limited, so

ACT NOW!