How a Professional Contractor should complete an Estimate to get the job!

        We could say this is about how to do a sales call. But we really don't operate that way. We're as far away from sales calls as you can get. I used to think of going to do an estimate that way, but I would always get caught up with the sales techniques, and other stuff, and not really pay attention to the customer's needs. Instead we do 5 simple things, and we do them in a very detailed way. Our results are really good!

Carpet Cleaning, before and after moving!

        The absolute best time for carpet cleaning is when your floor is free of everything. That always

Clean Carpet prior to moving in!

means prior to moving in, or after moving out. Being a military family we certainly understand all the intricacies involved in moving. And we know not everyone will be able to allow the time needed to have your carpets professionally cleaned and then dryed. However we think you should understand it is very advantageous to have the work completed now. So try very hard to take advantage of the opportunity presented. It's easier on the Carpet technician as he won't have to move anything, and can spend all his time on things like spot removal, or dry stroking to remove as much water as possible. It is the perfect time to complete a deep clean. See:

Mr Carpet Steam's : 10 Step Deep Clean Process

The intracacies of different types of carpets!

Cut Pile Carpet!

       There are a lot of choices out there when you start looking at carpets. We'll help simplify this process for you by breaking it down from the 2 largest categories and then all the sub categories.
       The two categories that all the various types of carpet are broken down into are Cut Pile, and Loop Pile.

How to protect your Air conditioner from Theives!

Looks like this one was stolen for drug money!

Let's Do It!

        We showed up for work one morning in a home we were re-painting for a real estate agent and her home owner. The home was up for sale. It was in the winter time and about 25 degrees out side. We had been painting for about 2 days and had about 2 days left. We had our paint cans, and all of our materials staged in the kitchen to keep them from freezing, as the garage was not heated. We had kept the heat at 65 degrees per the homeowner. Upon arrival that morning we immediately noticed the inside was freezing. We tried the thermostat, but the heat didn't come on.

How to Conceal Utility Boxes in your yard!

Let's Do It!

Block, Hide, Obscure, or even Decorate these eyesores!

        There are several ways to hide your home's unsightly infrastructure on your property. These naturally include your home's air conditioning units, swimming pool pumps and motors, and any above ground natural gas, or propane tanks. Even the home barbecue grill, that may not be so great to look at. In addition to these, homeowner's nowadays often find utilities such as the local electric company. and the cable company having easements to, and placing their equipment onto your

Rock covers are affordable and look natural!

residential property. I once lived at a property with an electrical box prominently displayed in my back yard.

The  Pressure Treating, in Pressure Treated Lumber!

A batch being processed!

           Pressure Treated wood is lumber that has been placed inside a sealed chamber and then using a combination, of  an extremely high amount of pressure and vacuum, forcing the chemicals into the lumber. Depending on the lumber usage designation, and size, sometimes to the core.  The International Residential Building Codes Guide require all exterior wood structures to be treated for Insects, Termites, Fungi, and, Rot, if the wood does not have a certain measurable, natural resistance.  Treating wood gives it a 20 to 25 year  life span. We at Superior Services think 20 years is the absolute minimum you should get out of your Pressure Treated Wood Fence. In fact 25 to 30 is not unreasonable.

Rotted Wood!

It may be time for some wood repair on your home!

        Rainy weather makes me think of rotted wood. It's just the Contractor in me I guess. If you don't

This should have been replaced long before now.

think like a contractor, then over a few years the home maintenance can really creep up on you. Here in the River City with the climate extremes we have, due to the four seasons, many of houses develop rotten wood issues. Left unattended they can develop into real money eaters. As in bigger problems.

What to look for?
        Things normally happen, at least the things we are looking for, around the corners, bottoms, edges, and the ends, of pieces of wood.

Installing Roofing Felt!

Let's Do It!

 Getting a new roof is not a big job, well it's not a big job if you're not doing it. Whether you are completing your own roof job or hiring a contractor, theres a few things to know about roofing. If for no other reason than to know it is being completed correctly. The first step of Roofing is installing the underlayment. Most notably Felt. Felt underlayment acts as a water proof barrier between the roof decking and the outer roofing material.

Exterior Wood Preservative!

Let's Do It!

For years we have used Cuprinol 10 as our wood preservative. We always bought a couple cases at

Copper Green!

the time. When you have good products that are simple, work well, and you have confidence in them, that's what you do. Some woods have preservatives already built in at the lumber mill and others are added in on site. As Deck and Fence builders we have always used Cuprinol 10 as an additional preservative on all of our cut ends. This is where moisture is wicked up and the wood splits or cracks. Using a wood preservative helps to seal those ends and prevent rotting and deterioration. Imagine my surprise when I went to order 3 cases and my local Sherwin Williams rep told me the company had stopped making the product, and they were out of stock. Dang the crazy environmentalists, sometimes they do good but sometimes they do bad. That was a great product.        

          Anyhow I have started using a new product, well, new for me at least called "Termin 8 Copper Green". It can be applied by dipping, brush, roller, or spray. It is green or black in color, and is made for  above and below ground use. It protects from Termites, Carpenter ants, and Beetles. It preserves from Rot, Mildew, Moss, and Fungus.

How to Keep Up On Home Maintenance?

Let's Do It!
 
                                               I like to break it down into small and large tasks.

Home Maintenance Man!

The small tasks, are things I can do for myself, such as paint the back door, replace a torn screen, patch a crack or hole in my driveway, clean out the gutters and so forth. Big things, whether they be from an emergency/accident, force of nature, or from scheduled maintenance, should be planned for. You and your spouse should be keeping a list of the smaller items, otherwise known as the honey do list. Some things if not seen to, can cause major problems, and turn into costly money mistakes. These include anything with a leak, that collateral water damage can be costly.