Maryland and D.C. Home Improvement and Home Inspection discussion and Repair Advice

CLEARING YOUR HOME’S SIDEWALK: Does Salt really hurt? By EFynch, homeowner advice Baltimore, MD- Does salt really hurt the concrete around your home? The short answer, yes. The old fashioned rock salt is cheap and plentiful but in most cases can damage your concrete driveway, patio and sidewalk. Concrete is porous and when salt is applied it can be absorbed, freezes, etc.- causing flaking and cracking. If the concrete was done properly, the chances of this happening are reduced however in our estimation (based on gut feelings and not facts), 90% of the concrete that we see may be subject to salt degradation! There are also cases where too much salt can be applied to correctly cured concrete so therefore no sidewalk is immune- we recommend avoiding rock salt in any case where concrete (or pets) are present. As an alternative, you want to find a product which contains Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium Chloride or (the more expensive) Glycols as the main ingredient. There are...

“*If water can move mountains, imagine what it can do to your house!” Synopsis: - Gutters are more important than you may know. - Neglected gutters can cause mold and other expensive repairs. - Gutter damage can go unnoticed and should be inspected twice         a year (minimum). - Gutters required your attention and most probably neglect. O ver the summer one of EFynch’s first projects was helping a member install gutter guards  ( we made a video about it here! ). As a former solar installer I have a familiarity with gutters but never really knew the full function they provide, and why it is so incredibly important to maintain them. Because gutters are typically ignored until they leak, we often forget to maintain and have them inspected regularly. This is VERY important and can literally save the structural integrity of your home while protecting your health. First, you should know what your gutters do. Gutters do more than cat...