What Do You Need to Know About Flood Clean-Up

Record flooding throughout the United States followed by a new round of monster hurricanes has Americans wondering what's next - and will the levees hold?

Whether you live in a flood plain, marshland, riverfront property, or coastal community doesn't really matter after a flood strikes your home. After all, the damage is done. In addition, even homes located in "safe" zones are susceptible to flooding. You can live in a house on stilts on top of a mountain located far away from any body of water and still get flooded due to plumbing mishaps, heavy rainfall, a leaking roof, sewer backups, or any other calamity.

So, what do you need to know about flood clean-up? First, let's look at the effects of water in the aftermath of a flood:
Water kills
Water is a mess
Water damages
Water contaminates
Water is a breeding ground for nasty infestations

Drownings and electrocutions are two of the most commonly associated dangers of water. Take care not to be the next victim. Structures are unstable after a flood and it is completely possible to falling through soggy floorboards and drown. Similarly, if the power is still on, electrocution is a major danger.

While it looks kind of fun to see people paddling canoes or riding jet skis down Main Street, it's not recreation. This isn't crystal clear lake water - this is floodwater filled with mud, leaves, branches, building materials, animal feces, sewage, and who-knows-what-else. When the water recedes, all of the solids will be left behind. In short: a mess.

Even if the floodwaters were crystal clear, the presence of water where it doesn't belong is damaging. Imagine a typical one story, three bedroom home flooded with just six inches of water. What would need to be replaced? Starting from the bottom up, you're looking at flooring, carpeting, carpet pads, area rugs, baseboards, drywall, wallpaper, insulation, wiring, lower cabinets, furnishings, long draperies, and any electronic equipment stored on the floor. And that's just for starters.

Remember all of that debris in the water? Imagine a soupy mass of water in your home. While the debris such as broken boards and tree branches can be removed, what about the contaminants within the water? Raw sewage, fertilizers, chemicals, and other contaminants are mixed into the water and are sure to leave a residue of pure nastiness behind once the waters recede.

While water dries out, belongings can be replaced, and contamination can be cleaned up, another major water damage concern exists: infestations. Mosquitoes love to lay their eggs in such an environment. Waterborne illnesses such as diarrhea, cholera, typhoid, and hepatitis are also a concern. Finally, mold infestations are a real and imminent threat.

Because of the mess, damage, contamination, and potential for nasty infestations, flood clean-up should begin ASAP. Power must be turned off because of the risk of electrocution and homes must be inspected before entry. Next, the water source needs to be dealt with. This may involve sump pumps, mops, sponges, siphoning, patching holes in the roof, or turning off the water supply. From there, the building needs to be "hosed down" or scrubbed and dried out. Everything should be discarded or decontaminated depending on the extent of the water damage. In addition, mold inhibitors should be applied.

Repairs, such as replacing the damaged wiring, roof, insulation, drywall, and flooring, should take place next. Finally, once the clean-up is done, homeowners should consider preventative measures to protect themselves from another flood event.

By: Mr. Mark Decherd

Mr. Mark Decherd
http://www.dryout.net
1415 Colonial Blvd.
Fort Myers, Fl. 33907
1-800-330-1504
Water Damage

Insurance and Your Claim - Will They Pay

You've poured over your policy wondering, "Will my insurance company pay for repairs?" Insurance policies are complicated and filled with jargon that's often difficult for the policyholder to understand. Even if you understood what the terms used actually mean, policies are also loaded with exceptions and exclusions. By the time you've read the policy from cover to cover, you're left with the same question - will they pay for it?

To further complicate matters, even if a loss is covered, the policy most likely includes a deductible as well as coverage limits. Depending on the nature of the loss, multiple insurance companies may be involved. For example, if a storm strikes and you have both wind and flood damage, you may have to file a claim with your homeowners insurance for the wind damage and another with the national flood insurance program (if you have flood insurance) for the water damage.

Depending on where you live, your deductible may be higher under certain circumstances. For example, in Florida, your deductible for hurricane damage is much higher than if your home was burglarized.

So, will your insurance company pay or won't they? Look at it this way, insurance companies DON'T want to pay. They are in business to generate profits and will need to be convinced BY YOU that the claim should be paid. The burden of proof lies on you, the homeowner. This means that you will need to prove your case and do it well. The better prepared and more organized you are, the better.

Start with documentation. You may need to take dozens of photos and provide your insurance agent with detailed estimates to counter against the insurance company's original settlement offer. You may need to demand to see how the agent depreciated your property and negotiate a more reasonable method. While your homeowner's insurance policy is a contract, the claims process does provide room for negotiations.

Your best bet is to be prepared for a fight. Your tools in this battle include a detailed home inventory, digital photos and video documenting the damage, estimates from local contractors, and a willingness to demand a better offer. You don't have to do this alone. In fact, many contractors are willing to be present during the insurance adjuster's visit to help point out damage that the adjuster might have otherwise ignored. In addition, public insurance adjusters act as advocates for the homeowner and work on your behalf to negotiate a higher settlement offer.

Arm yourself with knowledge, documentation, and real-world estimates while also considering professional representation and you'll be better equipped to answer the question, "Will they pay for it?"

Mr. Mark Decherd
http://www.dryout.net
1415 Colonial Blvd.
Fort Myers, Fl. 33907
1-800-330-1504
Water Damage

Drywall Water Damage - House Repairs

Drywall is a material used for finished construction of core walls and ceilings. Recently if your walls / ceilings have been spoiled due to slope that is directed towards your house, floods, leaking pipes, or any reason, then immediate attention should be given to them to treat them successfully. Here are few tips to treat the ugly looking drywall water damage patches on the wall.

The best way to treat the drywall water damage is to isolate the complete area. Check the area for softness and discoloration. At times it helps in detecting the cracked and leaking pipes. The dripping water down the roof or overhead pipes are indicators of severe problem, therefore call a professional help immediately. If you are handling the damage all by yourself, then here is checklist of tools you would require for repairing the damage: industrial strength fans, joint compound, drywall patch, drywall tape, putty knife and nails.

For isolating area from the rest cut wet drywall patch from rest of the wall and circulate air through vent using high intensity fan. The high intensity fans are available at all hardware stores easily. If you have a dehumidifier, then turn it on to put the moisture completely away from wall. Continuously monitor the process of drying, still if you find moisture after 12 hours then detach more segment of the wall. This will help in better airflow and prevent development of molds & mild dew. Once the wall dries completely then reinstall the drywall & studs. While reinstalling people have reported instances, where after the water damage there has been ruptures in the wall or buckles has erupted then carefully sand down the portion and do the needful. If the crack is very large, then it is essential to install a plywood supporter board on studs. This will help in holding the new drywall properly at the place it is been fixed.

If necessary take a professional help. If the damage has occurred due to pipe leak then leave a small gap / clearance between the wall & floor top. This will protect the wall from any future damage due to water leak. Hope this article on drywall water damage would have been useful to you.

Born and raised in New Delhi, India, Mohita completed her graduation in English Literature from Delhi University, India. She also holds a Master's degree in Journalism from Makhanlal Chaturvedi Rashtriya Patrakarita Vishwavidyalya, Bhopal. She is currently working as Content Writer.

Basement Waterproofing is Essential

The foundation of your house depends on a strong basement. Basement waterproofing prevents water from penetrating into the basement area Waterproofing your basement is mandatory or else it could lead to structural damages and collapsing drywall.

Given below are 5 reasons why basement waterproofing is essential:

" Structural damage: Water seepage is very common problem in basements; especially if you live in wet areas with moist soil. If you do not take proper preventive measures for this problem then it could lead to structural damages to your property. You find seepage mainly in the corners where the wall meets the floor. This process is typically slow and won't show immediate consequences but if ignored then it could cause major damages such as bowed walls and cracked foundation. Basement waterproofing is very important to treat wet basements. Timely preventions can save you from disastrous structural damages.

" Infestations: If you live in an area where there are black molds, then it becomes absolutely essential to waterproof your basement. Damp areas are a breeding ground for waterborne contaminants such as black mold. All kinds of mold can grow between walls and under padding of wet carpets; the worst kinds are the black molds. It is very toxic and can cause death. If basement waterproofing is not done in time them these infestations keep breeding in the wet areas which can cause major health hazards. You may even have to abandon the house if the professionals are not able to take care of the infestations.

" Natural calamities: If you live in an area where there is heavy rainfall or in hurricane areas, basement waterproofing becomes very essential. These areas are prone to flooding; as a result, water is very likely to enter the basement. Rainwater can penetrate through cracks in the wall causing seepage. Also when flood water collects around the foundation walls, water collects in small pockets in the soil next to the foundation and starts forming hydrostatic pressure. Over the time this pressure increases until the water is pushed through the wall. Thus basement waterproofing becomes necessary in such areas.

" Damage to property: Most of us keep a lot of stuff in the basement like furniture, books, equipments, etc. sometimes there are workshops or even wine cellars down in the basement. But if the basement is not waterproofed then water seepage can cause a lot of damage to your property. Wooden furniture rots when it gets damp. Expensive items could be damaged due to dampness. It you plan to use your basement for important purposes then it becomes even more essential to waterproof your basement.

" Sloping and grading: It's important to know if the ground around your house is sloping away from your foundation. The soil outside should meet the walls; if it doesn't then the water can penetrate between the gaps. In this case you have to hire a professional grader to help slope the ground downhill and away from your house. But as preventive measures it is best to waterproof your basement just in case you do not detect the sloping around your house instantly.

Basement waterproofing can be expensive but it's worth the cost to prevent you from irreparable damages in the future.

To learn more about the importance of basement waterproofing and to get helpful guides visit our website at http://www.allaboutbasementwaterproofing.com

Causes of Septic Tank Odor In The Home

If you live in a rural area, there's a good chance your house is equipped with a septic tank. The septic tank will normally go unnoticed during day-to-day living, but it sometimes makes it odorous presence well known.

If you are experiencing an odor from your septic tank, it is usually caused by one of three things.

1. Dry Drains

A dry drain is probably the most common cause of septic tank odor in the home.

Nearly all drains include what is called a "trap" somewhere along the pipe. This is a U-shaped segment of pipe filled with water which prevents gases from traveling through.

If the water should dry up, however, the gases are able to leak into your house. This most often occurs in places such as guest bathrooms or other places where the drain is used infrequently.

The solution to this common problem is to simply run water through the drain. This will refill the trap and stop the gases from reaching your house.

To avoid future dry drains, you should use them periodically to prevent them from drying up.

2. Problems With The Vent Stack

Septic tank odors can also be allowed to enter your house because of a problem with what is known as the vent stack.

The gases produced by the tank are released via a pipe that extends through your roof. This is the vent stack.

If this pipe should become clogged with leaves or other debris, the gases will not be able to travel through and will be forced back down into your house.

Leaves covering the opening of the vent stack may need to be manually removed.

Even if the gases are allowed to pass through the vent stack, a strong wind with some down force may blow the gases back down to your house again. This is normally fixed by raising the height of the stack.

3. Faulty Seals/Gaskets

Yet another possible cause of septic tank odors within the home is a broken seal or gasket along one of the pipes.

This commonly occurs near the base of the toilet, and you should be able to detect it by smelling around the area.

Unless you are a handyman, it is probably best to call a plumber or other professional to repair the seal. It should be a relatively simple job, and not too expensive.

If you would like to learn more about septic tank odors in the house, please visit our septic tank website for more information

Organize Your Way Out of the House

You see all sorts of wonderful organizing ideas for kid's play rooms or nifty gadgets to help you organize the kitchen, but what about wonderful solutions to get you out of the house with your sanity, your hair, and all of the things you need? Have you ever thought about the mental checklist you do before you actual leave the house in the morning?

Keys - Check

Phone - Check

Purse - Got it

Kids - Yep

Backpacks - Sure enough

With a final holler at the kids, "Do you have your homework and lunches?" you are running out the door to start your day. Most of the time it works like magic, except when it comes to going grocery shopping and you forget your list, stopping by the dry cleaners totally vacates your brain, and you still have not remembered to grab the blender from last Christmas to take it back to the store.

Sure, having nifty organizing systems for your linen closet is loads of fun, but how about the organizing system for your errands? Not only is this just as important, this solution can actually save or give you money back! Now THAT is a great organizational system.

Let's go ahead and start by finding the perfect staging area. When I say staging area, I mean we need to find a location in your house that you pass by every time you go to get into the car. Do you leave your house through the garage, laundry room, front door, or side door? Whatever door you leave from should be the designated staging area or the base of operations.

What sort of things do you currently leave the house with?

1. Keys
2. Phone
3. Purse
4. Dry cleaning
5. Grocery list
6. Returns
7. Mail

How much room do you currently have at your disposal to use for our base of operations? This includes wall space, floor area, shelving, etc. we can utilize.

Keeping those three items in mind, let's figure out some simple solutions to help you get out of the house quickly with everything you need.

My family and I leave the house from the front door, but we do not have anything close to resembling an entry way. Instead we have a little hall way that either opens into the living room or the dining room. Not the most inviting entry into a home, but my husband did have this skinny tall table that he made in Shop class in high school. We re-stained the table and placed in up against the wall in front of the door. I have a cute little pail we use to put our keys in, another matching pail to place our incoming mail and yet another one for the outgoing mail. Underneath the table, I leave my purse along with any returns I need to take back. This includes things I need to drop off to my family and friends. I do keep my dry cleaning bag in my bedroom, but when it's time to take it to the cleaners I drop it on the floor, under the table and next to my purse. I can't forget the bag even if I wanted to, since it is right next to my purse! The best part about this system is you can use it anywhere in your home as long as you have room to put a thin table up against the wall.

However, sometimes you don't even have that much space to spare, especially if you come in from the garage through the laundry room. One of my clients had such a problem in her laundry room. She barely had room to open the door so putting a long skinny table was definitely out of the question. Instead, we found a very tall bathroom shelving unit. The shelving unit is about 6 feet tall with little shelves and a very pretty white decorative wood. On the lower shelves, she placed her returns. On the hand height shelves, she used two baskets on two shelves; one for incoming mail and the other for outgoing mail. She loved the idea of having a charging station for everyone's phones, so we created one of our own. We drilled some holes in the back of the shelf, brought up an extension strip and created a cute little charging station for 3 cell phones, 2 iPods, and 2 Bluetooth ear pieces. Since we essentially ran out of shelf space, we drilled a few more holes into the side of the unit and placed some cute little hooks for keys and a heavy duty hook for her purse and umbrellas.

In both cases, we put everything we needed in one place so we didn't have to worry about forgetting to grab the dry cleaning, yet again! There was no need to hunt around the house for our lost purse and if there was something in the bucket that said Out Going Mail whoever was leaving the house would see it! Whether would actually TAKE it to the mailbox was another thing, but still!

So think about what you need, where the logical place to set up shop is, and how much space you require and create a little space of organizational perfection in your house!

Happy Organizing!

Suzanne McLoone

Let's Talk Organizing

For over 20 years, Suzanne has been helping corporations and small businesses organize their time so they can spend more time and energy doing the things that are most important to them. With a philosophy of "life is too short", she thrives on making the most of her time and trying to encourage those around her to do the same.

As an organizational consultant, public speaker, and former radio talk show host; Suzanne has been offering her Organizational Quick Tips to anyone and everyone who will stand still and listen for "30-seconds". http://www.letstalkorganizing.blogspot.com

Problems While You Are Building With Contractors

Sometimes as contractors we get in a hurry and we just want to finish the job. We told the homeowner we would be done in three months, at the same time the homeowner keeps adding new work to the list.

I ran into a problem like this on one job where the contractor was in a hurry to finish the flooring and chose to go right over the existing floor that was out of level. He told the homeowner he didn't have time to repair that section of the floor. He was installing half-inch plywood over 1 x 6 diagonal floor sheeting to strengthen up the floor.

This floor was going to require quite a bit of attention from the contractor and his crew. The homeowner should have hired another contractor to repair the floor while the original contractor finished the house remodel. When your contractor gives you that much grief about any work, you need to start thinking about hiring another contractor or at least finding one to complete the task your original contractor has no interest in.

I felt sorry for the homeowner because this was not what he wanted and he was upset with the contractor but the job was done. This is my warning to any contractor, handyman or home repair specialists. When installing a new plywood floor over an existing floor to strengthen it up, use some common sense and repair the floor correctly or don't do the job at all.

I wrote this article for contractors to have a little more sympathy for the homeowners you are working for because sometimes they can't see the whole picture like you can. I also wrote this article for homeowners to listen to your contractor carefully when he is explaining a potential problem that you can't visualize further down the road. Any contractor with over 15 years experience remodeling homes has a pretty good idea what's going to happen next.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He is currently working on more building stairs books and adding useful content to help solve problems created by the lack of construction knowledge in the building industry.

Stair Tread Brackets - Remodeling Tips

Metal stair tread brackets are used instead of wood cleats and for plenty of good reasons. These often become a safety hazard over time, as the wood starts to deteriorate. Metal, will not disintegrate as fast as the wood it is normally attached to. In most cases the wood stringers and steps will suffer from wood rot or termite damage before the metal brackets become a safety problem.

Metal stair brackets, often require lag screws instead of nails or screws to attach the stair step to the stringer. These lag screws are normally an inch and a quarter for the stair treads, if they are built from 2 x materials. For example a 2 x 12 or 2 x 14 stair tread will require lag screws that will not go through the wood step. A 2 inch like screw will easily go through an inch and a half stair tread. If you're building a stairway, this will be useful information.

Some metal stair connectors have four holes on each side of the metal bracket for the lag screws, while other metal stair brackets have three holes on each side. This normally depends on the thickness of the stair tread and the use of the stairway. Public stairways will normally require the stronger stair tread connector.

During my career of building stairways, I have seen quite a few metal stair tread brackets. Some builders had custom made brackets to meet specific stair tread applications, while others used Simpson products, that are more readily available to home builders and contractors.

One of the biggest problems I have noticed, using metal stair parts is the lag screws can loosen up over time, creating a safety hazard. Warping treads, along with stair steps that split where the lag screw is located, seem to be the biggest problems associated with metal brackets. There are stair building safety codes that should be followed when building or remodeling stairways.

Staircases are normally high traffic areas and should be maintained regularly. Public stairways with high traffic areas should be maintained more often. Anyone walking up and down the stairways should notify the building owner of any problems, to prevent accidents in the future.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He is currently working on building straight stairs and adding useful content to help solve problems created by the lack of construction knowledge in the building industry

Bathroom Contractor Safety - Remodeling Contractors

This article isn't about contractors using the bathrooms safely, it's about contractors working on someone's house, remodeling a bathroom. When working on any part of the home, a contractor and his workers should think and work safely on any project, but working in a bathroom with more than one person can become a contractors safety nightmare.

I was working in a kitchen one time, with 11 workers. I finally couldn't take it anymore and left the job. This did not make the general contractor very happy but it saved me from getting into a fight with one of the other workers. Whenever you're working in a confined area like a kitchen, bathroom, crawlspace or attic, safety is going to be a priority and should not be overlooked, because someone else wants to get the job done two days sooner.

Most accidents happen working in confined areas because of poor time management or someone else is in a hurry. Whenever you start to speed the destruction or assembling of any part in the house, you're increasing the risk of an accident. Most accidents happen from people in a hurry or poor planning.

As a bathroom remodeling contractor, you should plan properly and only use the minimum amount of people necessary to work in confined areas. If you are tiling the bath tub surround, one to two people is more than enough. If you're tearing the bathroom apart, during the demolition process, a maximum of three people should be used. During the demolition process, make sure your workers are thinking safely and clearly. Ripping a large piece of plaster off of the wall, that has wall anchors in it could grab a hold of something like an electrical wire or plumbing pipe. This of course could cause damage to the home, as well as a risk of electrocution.

Use your head when working in the bathroom and you will greatly reduce the possibility of any accidents. Accidents can easily be prevented my working cautiously on anything.

Bathroom Remodeling Contractor

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors

If you're really interested in learning more about remodeling, new home construction, home maintenance, home repairs and really want to get the nuts and bolts of home improvement. Visit our web site and select from the best-selling home building books on the Internet

Secure Wood Framed Colum

Books on Home Building - Professional Advice

If you're a do it yourself or or a homeowner who every once in a while, once to tackle a small or large project but doesn't know where to begin, can gather useful information from home building books. I have been using these books for years and may have been worth their weight in gold.

I started my career working for my father and my father worked for his father as a Carpenter. Our job was to frame the house and we built a Lotta homes. I learned how to frame and developed some great carpentry skills from my father and working with other skilled carpenters. Over the years, if you're paying attention, even a monkey can figure out, how to assemble almost anything.

The only problem that I faced, was learning how to build the rest of the home. I would often ask questions to other building trades like plumbers, electricians, roofers and construction superintendents. Some of these people were helpful and others were not. When I was in my early 30s, I purchased my first book on home building. This book lead to other books and soon I found myself with more home building knowledge that my father.

I had about 50 books on home building and soon found myself doing large home remodels, with no formal education. I would attribute almost everything that I learned outside of house framing to books. These books have proven invaluable to me over the years and with a relatively small investment. I couldn't have spent over $200 purchasing these books but have used the knowledge from them to save myself thousands of dollars.

One $20 home building books or home repairs, can save you lots of money, if you're willing to do a little research and the labor to complete almost any home building project.

By the way, if you're interested in learning how to repair a roof, build your own house, interior decorating, structural engineering, building a deck, gathering some more information about home painting or even remodeling your bathroom. An online home building bookstore can save you money if you're willing to do the work.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He has just finished a Home Buyers Guide to take some of the frustration out of home shopping

If your looking for some more home inspection or home building ideas

Long Wood Framed Wall Ready For

How Do Hurricanes Form?

Hurricanes usually form in the summer or early autumn when several key atmospheric ingredients come together. Contrary to common belief, many factors other than warm ocean water cause hurricanes to form. In fact, the water is always warm enough in the deep tropics for hurricanes to form all year long. During the winter and spring, upper air winds are hostile, and usually do not allow tropical cyclone development. So, what does it take for a hurricane to form?

The ingredients for hurricane formation

• 1. Pre-existing Disturbance or low pressure area must have formed in the low levels of the atmosphere to start winds converging and uplift.
• 2. Warm Water to a sufficient depth to support the energy that a hurricane will use. The threshold temperature for tropical cyclone development needs to be about 26.5 Celsius or 80 Fahrenheit. A water column depth of about 50 meters or 150 feet deep is required.
• 3. Low Stability will allow deep convection or cumulonimbus clouds to build to great heights in the atmosphere. A stable air mass will inhibit cloud development and not allow for significant cloud growth to support the deep convection needed for a hurricane to develop.
• 4. Coriolis Force The disturbed area of weather needs to be at least 4-5 away from the equator. This is the approximate distance from the equator for the Coriolis force to achieve a gradient wind balance to sustain the low pressure area.
• 5. Moist Mid Level of the atmosphere. If there is dry air aloft it will weaken or choke off the updrafts in the cumulus clouds.
• 6. Low Vertical Wind Shear from the surface to upper troposphere. This allows for the thunderstorm clouds to build to great heights. If the wind speed increases or changes direction with height, the cumulonimbus clouds get deformed and can not sustain the hurricane heat engine.
• 7. Divergence in the upper Atmosphere This allows for the transport of mass away from the hurricane that is brought in at the low levels of the atmosphere.

Hurricane Formation

If the conditions above are met sufficiently, showers and storms will start to gain organization as low level winds converge toward the center of the low pressure area. The cluster of convection will start to form bands. As the convection increases, the warm air near the surface rises and cools. As it cools the water vapor condenses. There is a tremendous amount of heat produced from the condensation of water vapor. Some of this heat warms the center region of the low. As the temperature of the air near the core rises it produces lower pressure. In response to this lower pressure, winds increase in intensity. A tropical storm forms when the surface winds reach sustained winds of 39-73 mph. A hurricane officially classified as the winds reach sustained values of 74 mph. Even if all of the ingredients of a hurricane are in place, it does not guarantee that a hurricane will form. Many of the factors in hurricane formation exist in the tropics, especially in the heart of hurricane season. Despite this, very few disturbances actually develop into a hurricane.

Rich is a Certified Broadcast Meteorologist with 25 years of weather forecasting and television experience. Visit his website for more on expert hurricane forecasts and travel resources.

Tropical Weather & Travel

Hurricane and Travel Message Boards

Vinyl Or Tile Kitchen Floors

Flooding Insurance Information

There are three main categories for flooding risk that Houston residents should insure for.

The first is for flood damage that happens due to plumbing problems. The two main causes of this type of damage are leaks or bursting of water pipes, and overflows such as air conditioning drain pans. Some homeowner's insurance policies will cover this type of damage and others don't. I suggest checking your policy or asking your agent about your coverage. If your policy doesn't cover this you should consider changing to a better policy.

The next type of flooding damage is driven rain that gets in after windstorm damage. This is usually covered on homeowner's policies. An exception would be in costal areas where this coverage is excluded. Then you would need a separate windstorm policy with the driven rain option for this.

The most destructive flooding is the type that results from rising water. Houston has suffered flooding frequently in the past so it is advisable to insure for this risk. Homeowner's policy almost always rising water flooding so a separate flood insurance policy is required. The least expensive way to get flood insurance is usually with the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). FEMA requlates this program and the federal government makes payments for covered losses. You can get coverage for just contents, or the home and contents. This insurance is also available for businesses. You get NFIP flood insurance at a regulated rate from private companys or agents that participate in the program.

NFIP flood insurance rates depend mostly on what flood zone you are in, how much coverage you want, and what deductable you select. The areas of least risk is in the B or X zones. These areas usually qualify for the "preferred" rate with a $500 deductable.

Here are some examples of preferred rates:

CONTENTS ONLY:

$8,000 for $58 per year

$20,000 for $113 per year

$40,000 for $147 per year

$100,000 for $221 per year

HOME PLUS CONTENTS:

$20,000 home plus $8,000 contents for $119 per year

$30,000 / $12,000 for $149 per year

$50,0000 / $20,000 for $196 per year

$100,000 / $40,000 for $257 per year

$200,000 / $80,000 for $326 per year

Texas residents can call my office at 281-537-2700 for more information. Or visit our Texas flood insurance website.

Also visit our homeowners insurance site Homeowners Insurance Houston website.

Kitchen Faucets And Maintenance

Building the Right Water Retaining Walls

Most people that live near the beach, near levies or lakes should consider building water retaining walls around their homes. These walls are built in such a way so that the water flows away from the walls and away from the home, and won't cause water damage during a storm or an elevation of water levels.

When you plan on building water retaining walls, its probably a good idea you learn a little bit about how water retaining walls work and what you need to do to make sure they don't move, shift and are efficient at doing their job.

Retaining walls are very dependent on the foundation of the entire construction. The method you use to construct the retaining walls will depend on the area you live in. In some areas you can build the water retaining walls right on the ground, but in some areas you have to have a concrete footing installed first. For instance, if the ground you are building on moves easily or compacts easily, you need to install a footing to keep the retaining walls in place, and avoiding having them sink.

Drainage

No matter what type of water retaining wall you build, you need to think about drainage and some sort of drainage has to be installed preferably on the inside base of the wall. The kind you need depends on the soil of the area. For instance if the soil has a lot of water in it, it will be heavier than dry soil. You need to see which way the water moves as all water looks for an exit. When water saturates the soil it places lots of pressure on a retaining wall so you need make allowances for that.

You can use perforated drainage pipe that runs alongside the wall, this way the water that normally goes into the dirt will find the pipe and flow away from your water retaining walls. The idea is to help the water find a way out. When you do install a perforated drainage pipe, place crushed stone around the pipe. This way the pipe will not become clogged with more wet dirt, and keep the flow of water constant.

Get Instant Details on Water Retaining Walls at: http://www.retaining-wall-guide.com/ - Water Retaining Walls

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Buyer Beware: Insurance Salvage Flood Vehicles

With the recent hurricanes in the southern United States the number of flood vehicles entering the market has skyrocketed. Many of these vehicles have been declared as salvage by insurance companies who have paid off the original owner of the car under a claim. There are steps you can take to protect yourself from buying these salvaged vehicles that have extensive water damage.

Many people may not realize they have bought a flooded car until they take it to get insured. They then find out that their agent can't even issue them an insurance rate quote because of the salvage title on the vehicle. Since used cars are usually sold "as is" there is very little recourse the buyer has at this point other than to try and get the vehicle road-worthy and go through a length inspection process with the state motor vehicle bureau that is required for a vehicle with a salvaged title.

So how can you protect yourself from buying such a car? One of the easiest ways is to obtain a vehicle history report from a firm like CARFAX which tracks flooded vehicles and other types of damage. You can also do some detective work yourself on the vehicle if you have doubts. Look inside the engine compartment and see if there are any tell-tale water mark signs that might indicate high water levels. Next, check under carpeting to see if there is mold or any presence of water staining. Finally, inspect the electrical system thoroughly. This is where most water problems show up first as electricity and water are not exactly the best of friends.

You can protect yourself from purchasing a flooded vehicle by being a diligent consumer. If you suspect a car or truck has been water damaged just walk away from the deal.

Marvin Toller is a writer and internet publisher who likes to write about http://www.11-car-insurance.com car insurance as well as insurance issues in general. Check out his car insurance news and in depth information website http://www.11-car-insurance.com

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New Home Buyers Beware

I can't believe how many homebuyers purchase a house, with very little information and a Lotta hope. I'm a general contractor and often work on these homes, after they have been purchased and a homeowner has their money, the real estate professional is no longer involved in the transaction and the new homeowner is starting to experience the pitfalls from buying the home, that they sincerely believe was in good condition.

It's usually somebody like me that gets involved with the new homeowners after everyone else is out of the picture and chooses not to return their phone calls or explains to them quite simply, it's not our responsibility, you're the new homeowner and we really feel sorry for you, please call us again if we can help you with anything.

You couldn't even help me with that, why would I want to call you again if I had a problem. I never could understand this thinking but have ran into it often. It sounds like an oxymoron when someone refuses to help you but offers you help in the future. What ever!!!.

If homebuyers had something else to rely on besides their real estate salesperson, home inspection service, mortgage or insurance professional, I believe they can eliminate some of these problems. Where do you start and how do you get the information. You can gather information from reputable people, books, the Internet and so on.

The problem is how do you know these people are reputable and the books on the Internet have good information. This brings us to another problem, but I've got the solution that will help eliminate some of the grief. I'm not going to remove all of the grief from your life but have a suggestion for you that will eliminate some of the pain when buying a home.

Arm yourself with a good home inspection checklist. You can search the Internet and they have quite a few good home inspection checklist to work with. These checklist can provide you with things you might not have thought of, and this is where you can eliminate some of the problems.

If you took one of these checklists with you while you were shopping for a home, you would be aware of some of the problems with the home. You might not find all of the problems but these checklist will help you with some of the problems.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He has just finished a Home Buyers Guide to take some of the frustration out of home shopping.

If your looking for some more home inspection or home building ideas.