Home Maintenance Advice

Replace Smoke and Carbon Monoxide alarm batteries at least once a year. These alarms have a typical lifespan of 7-10 years. New models have an end-of-life warning beep that signals it is time to replace the alarm. Take the old one with you to the hardware store and make sure…

Colorful garden flowers are beautiful and enhance the enjoyment of your home. Make sure to trim away wilted or dead flowers that make the garden look unkempt. If everyone keeps their garden in tip top shape, entire neighborhoods can become places that delight the eye. Plant Colorful Flowers and Trees…

Don’t let trees touch the roof. Whenever trees come into contact with a roof for a long period of time, some type of damage is usually on the way. Here are some reasons why you should keep your trees and shrubs clean and maintained. Roof Damage: The branches and tree…

There are many small details on vintage homes that people don’t often notice. One item is the weathervane. Most weathervanes in Los Angeles have been either lost or tossed during roof replacements; but Antique Weathervanes connect us to our architectural past and shouldn’t be thrown away. Although weathervanes were originally…

Bad things happen under a structure and there are a lot of ways for them to happen. Most often it’s under house access being granted to someone or something through improperly sealed openings. Here are some ways to secure them. Under House Crawl Space Access Pictured here is an unsecured…

Minwax Wood Furniture & Cabinet Touch-Up Products are a versatile tool for both maintenance and decoration. They provide a quick and easy solution for touching up nicks and scratches on furniture, moldings, cabinets, doors, and floors. With a variety of colors available, they can match most wood stains, allowing for…

Vines can cause expensive damage to your eaves and rafters. Here a vine has grown through and under the raingutter. Keep vines from growing on your woodwork. Pictured here is a vine that grew up a wall, went under the rain gutter, blocked the rain gutter and started crawling up…

This picture shows termite damage that was hiding inside a painted wood beam that looked completely normal. The only clue termites were there was some tiny holes in the beam. With a small amount of scraping, this damage was revealed. A yearly inspection to discover termite activity, by an experienced…

Home Air Conditioning Management keeps the air in your house cleaner, and prevents some, but not all, costly maintenance bills. The unit system as a whole needs annual professional check-ups in addition to the maintenance that we suggest here. Replacing Air Condition Filters Air filters pull pollutants like dust, pollen,…

Pictured here is the dust and debris that accumulated under the washing machine and dryer. To have a sparkling clean home, it is important to clean under and around appliances regularly. Outflow Line That funny smell in your laundry room could be a dirty drain hose. Drain hoses need to…