Your go-to blogs if you want to learn more about Parasol Properties' way of constructing homes, plus tips and helpful information about Construction!  

A home provides comfort and safety no matter how big or small it is. But if your home is not maintained correctly, will it be able to offer the same amount of reliability when it was still new? Like humans who encounter different stages in life, homes experience different phases too--we call them seasons. 

All these seasons affect our homes differently. Thus it is only important to know how to properly maintain your home in different seasons to keep it healthy and spare you from costly repairs and other unnecessary expenses. Having said this, allow us to share some tips on maintaining your home in every season. 

Ensure that air intakes, exhausts, and meters are clear of snow

Check basement floor drain trap; replenish if needed

Inspect all faucets for signs of dripping

Clean furnace humidifier; close its damper to applicable areas where aircon is centralized.

Check fireplace and chimney; service or clean if needed

Inspect air conditioning; service as needed (usually every 2-3 years)

Check/clean HRV; wash or replace the filter

Clean windows screens and hardware; install screens

Check that air intake and exhausts are clear of debris, nests, etc. 

Check foundation walls, sump pump, eaves troughs, and downspouts

Undertake spring landscape maintenance; fertilize young trees

Test plumbing shut-off valves to ensure they are working

Check roofing and flashing for signs of wear or damage

Air out damp basements on dry days or use a dehumidifier

Check chalking and weather stripping of doors and windows

Inspect chimneys for possible end-of-season problems

Repair any areas that may compromise you and your households’ safety

Clean furnace humidifier; open its damper to applicable areas where aircon is centralized.

Have furnace/heating system serviced(every two years)

For central air conditioning, clean filter in the air handling unit

Cover the exterior of air conditioning units

Ensure that ground slopes away from the foundation wall

Inspect basement or crawl space or signs of leakage/seepage

Vacuum ducts behind warm air and return air grilles

Since every season impacts our home uniquely, different ways of home care should be done. Keep those maintenance tips in mind or have them printed on a piece of paper. Repeat checking the list twice, inspect your home thrice but never forget to perform them, even once.

Have a safe and comfy home living all year round!

How to maintain your home for every season

So I’m writing about termites because this happened to a client of ours. We were working on a renovation on their deck, and we found termites during our site inspection.

Each year termites cause billions of dollars in damage to homes across North America. Termites’ diet consists mainly of wood. Specifically, damage in your home can compromise the strength and safety of the structure. To prevent this, early detection of a termite infestation is key. So, how can you tell whether your home has fallen prey to termites?

Flying termites, which are called swarmers, are often mistaken for flying ants. While ants and termites are similar in size, there are some key characteristics that you can use to tell the difference between the two insects. For example, flying ants do not shed their wings, while termite swarmers do. If you notice wings on your windowsills, doors, and other access points to your home, you are likely dealing with an infestation.

If you believe your home may have fallen prey to termites, you should examine the wood in your home. Different termites leave different patterns of damage:

Subterranean termites consume softwood and eat along the grain to produce a distinctive honeycomb shape in wood.

Drywood termites also eat along the wood grain to excavate large sections of wood. The damage appears significant but is less severe than that of the subterranean version. Drywood colonies can reach numbers in the thousands; however, it would take years for a colony to grow to that size.

Formosan termites can number in the millions and can consume wood rapidly given their large number. They, too, eat along the grain are considered one of the most voracious kinds of insects.

Dampwood termites require regular access to water and high humidity to survive. For that reason, they do not often live inside their homes. Instead, they often build their nests in trees, damp logs, and untreated fence posts.

Dampwood termites can live entirely in the wood, they are eating and often plug openings with fecal matter, thus avoiding detection for years, but there will be droppings where there is damp wood variety. Although, these dropping might be hard to spot if you have an infestation in your yard as the pellets look like small particles of dust or sawdust.

Even if you cannot see the visible evidence of damage, there are different ways to determine if you have a termite infestation on your hands. These signs include wood that is weak and crumbles easily or wood that sounds hollow when tapped.

While you can check for signs of an infestation yourself, the most effective way to see if you have these pests is to get an inspection from a pest control company. An experienced professional will identify signs of an infestation that you would easily miss.

Most of the time, these pests are killed using fumigation. During the termite fumigation process, a trained pest management professional will place a tent (tarps) over a home before releasing a fumigant throughout the structure. The fumigant will circulate throughout the home to reach cracks and crevices between and inside wood where termites can tunnel and thrive. Termites will breathe in the fumigant, which then will deplete their oxygen, affect their nervous system, and cause their death.

If you need help with your house renovation and termites are present as well, we’ve dealt with it before, and we can assist you as well. We're a trusted home builder for your Tampa Bay property needs. Feel free to contact us and let us know about your project if you need help.

Damage in your home can compromise the ...To prevent this, early detection of a termite infestation is key. 

As much as possible, we want to secure our house from any pests infestations. If termite is one of your concerns, here's our part in helping you eliminate them. 

Expecting the unknown during the site inspection

Whenever we get called to check out a job, we never know what to expect. While a phone call can get us an idea of what work the homeowner would like, it is not until we get to the location and perform a site inspection for ourselves before we can paint the whole picture. Housing is unique, and we make a lot of discoveries on the job site. Plus, we make a lot of choices on the spot as well.

We tend to review renovation jobs by appointment with a prearranged time frame with the homeowner. During this site inspection, we try and examine every detail of the project. The review usually takes about 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the size, scale, and information.

In renovations, we have to carefully look over the home to identify defects and damage or potential issues to reduce the likelihood of change orders and extras. During our site visit, we take pictures of anything that needs repair and things to note. We use this to create a scope of work and an estimate for the work required.

This beautiful Tarpon Springs home sits at the end of a street and overlooks the Gulf of Mexico. As a home built in 1992, it does need a few updates. The homeowner initially called us up because there was some water damage around the deck. That’s where we came in. Parasol performed a site inspection and made some suggestions that the homeowner liked. This project has since scaled up to the complete renovation of the decking system of the house. Also, Parasol has updated safety provisions, added outdoor kitchens, and revamped the railing system.

You can tell by the homeowners' furniture that even though this is a traditional finished home, they have a flair for a more modern approach, and we have to adjust the design accordingly.

From the 3rd floor, the view is great, but you can see the tile start to degrade. It is a single platform.

Two long hallways on either side give access to the larger balcony on the second floor. This balcony is immediately below the 3rd floor.

Grout is wearing away, and tiles are chipped. There might be some decking issues or water issues as a result of this flooring.

The railing is attachment is a little off and quite dated. The homeowners have a much better vision to match current trends.

Can you relate to some of the issues we found in our site inspection? If you feel like you do and believe that your house needs some house inspection too, contact the trusted home builder near you or if you live in Tampa, Lutz, Dunedin, or  Clearwater, let us know. :)

While a phone call can get us an idea of what work the homeowner would like

Site inspections reveal a lot of helpful ideas before home builders start their renovators. Read the blog below to discover how Parasol Properties perform one in Tarpon Springs. 

Site Inspection – Alexis Court, Tarpon Springs, FL

maintenance Blogs

A healthy home for every season

Renovations After Termites

Site Inspection – Alexis Court, Tarpon Springs, FL