Sealing with Silicone

Tue, January 24, 2012 No Comments by deren

Water in kitchens and bathrooms is important to control. Water will find it’s way into corners and joints, places that are impossible to fix.  It is best to solve the water problem before they get there.  Sealing carefully with a silicone caulking product is critical.

Things you will need

  • Paintable silicone (if you are sealing to painted walls), or kitchen/bath silicone (for everything else)
  • Green painters tape
  • Painters scraper multi tool
  • Wet rag
  • Paper towel

Process for making a perfect seal:

  1. Remove old silicone with a painters scraper multi tool (careful using sharp tools as they may damage the surface you are preparing)
  2. Place green painters tape 1/8th of an inch from the corner/joint on both sides
  3. Cut your silicone tube so you have a fine tip 1/8th again is perfect
  4. Run a small bead of silicone along the entire corner/joint
  5. Wet your finger and drag it lightly along the entire corner/joint, wipe extra on paper towel and repeat until happy
  6. Remove tape carefully and avoid contact for 12-24 hours.  You might want to put a fresh piece of tape to protect, but not touch, the silicone until it’s dry.

Household Moisture Problems

Tue, November 15, 2011 No Comments by deren

Moisture/relative humidity in our home is good for us.  The ideal level is somewhere between 30-45%.  More than 45% and small spores (sometimes black) will begin growing in corners, in drywall, on curtains, carpets, pillows.  The greater the moisture/relative humidity the faster these problems can grow.

The most common place to find moisture problems are in homes with older bathrooms and to many peoples surprise our new “air tight” homes.

In older bathrooms, designers and builders ensure there was a window that could be opened to vent moist air.  Most people don’t like to open their windows in the winter and this can result in problems.

We have been seeing many moisture problems with new homes.   These problems are caused by showers, cooking, or many people living in one house.   These problems stress the building and can become chronic in the cold months.  In cold months the cooler air in the house can’t hold as much moisture and windows are not open to let the humidity to escape.  Some indications of high humidity in new homes can be seen at the edges of your windows, water dripping from bathroom fans, or in the extreme cases icicles hanging from the outside corners of new windows.

In all cases we need to reduce the moisture in the house.  Here is what you should do to start:

  1. Go to your local hardware store) and purchase a couple of temperature/humidity sensor in the thermometer and weather station section (we found them in London Drugs as well).
  2. Place these sensors in your home one upstairs and one down
  3. Monitor the results, if the humidity is higher than what is recommended above you should take action.

Now that we have identified a problem here are some things you can do to solve the problem:

  • Take shorter showers and reduce the number of people living in your house (some times these are difficult to do)
  • Open the windows (more difficult in the winter)
  • Run bathroom fans longer everyday.  Timer switchers are inexpensive and easy to install.
  • If your bathroom fans have an automatic timer double the time the fans run.
  • Buy a dehumidifier (used or new) and run it in your basement
  • Increase the temperature of your furnace to 18 or 19 degree C
  • If you have a newer furnace running the fan will help exhaust the humid air
  • Install a Heat/Energy recovery ventilator (HRV).  These units will save the warmth from the humid air being expelled from the building and warm up the new cool air before it enters the house.

What every choice you make be sure to monitor your sensors and adjust your house to suit.

Take care your intelligent contractor Deren Sentesy

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Neighbourhood Etiquette

Wed, August 10, 2011 No Comments by deren

One of the first things we recommend you do when you start a project on your home is visit the neighbours and let them know a few things:

  • what you are doing,
  • what hours you will work (we typically make noise between 8:30 and 4:30 to respect the clients and neighbours space)
  • when you will be finished.

Many neighbours are curious, some are worried, and others are simply nosey.  Regardless of their disposition it is important to let them know what your intentions are.  It is very likely your neighbours will be are receptive, and some genuinely curious.  So go out and start to engage your community.

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“Good fences make good neighbours”

Sun, June 26, 2011 No Comments by deren

Taken literally a fence in some cases may seem impractical or unnecessary as it can actually reduce the chance for casual interaction.  On the other hand the maintaining of a fence may provide some neighbours the opportunity to regularly communicate with each other.

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Keep it or Change it

Tue, May 31, 2011 No Comments by deren

In our work we often find places were previous plumbing, electrical, and even structural installations are not up to our standards.  In these situations we evaluate using the following criteria:

  1. Is it safe?
  2. Will it still be save in 20 years?
  3. How much effort and money will it take to replace or refurbish?
  4. Is it worth the extra effort?
  5. Will it add value to the owners experience?

Sometimes it is easier to follow the adage “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”  But if it keeps me up at night thinking about it I throw budgets to the wind and eliminate the problem.

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Designing for Children

Tue, May 3, 2011 No Comments by deren

Recently spent time with a landscape designer who works building play areas for children. What became clear to me is the play structure business is focused on selling adults, not kids. All the catalogs look the same. Furthermore, children are often not interested in structures that can only do or be one thing. Next time you are at a playground look at how the children are playing. Are they using the whole thing?

To overcome these challenges this designer is engaging children directly. Through design workshops they are letting the children design the play yard of their dreams with paper. Amazing things are created when children’s ideas are not bounded by teachers, or parents.

My take away from this presentation is to take seriously the ideas of the people that will use what we are creating. And make special effort to include ideas for our youngest and most brilliant minds.

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Outdoor Living Spaces – Creating part 2

Fri, April 15, 2011 No Comments by deren

This is the design process we use when working with our clients.

  1. Ideas – Get a few magazines and books from your book store or library. Photocopy ideas that you like. Make notes on the photocopy’s. One of our favourite books is Susan Susanka’s book called “Outside the Not so Big House”.
  2. Choosing – Leave your favourites on the kitchen counter so you can see them every time you walk by. Keep making notes. Consider texture, colour, size, function, form and feel.
  3. Designing – Your designer/contractor should take you through a Charret (or structured brainstorming). For shared things like fences it is a good idea to included your neighbour(s) in this process.
  4. Feeling/Experiencing – With your partner, designer, friend use a tape measure and stake your ideas out in your yard. Use string, tape, cardboard cutouts. If you have kids they will love this part.
  5. Building – Lastly you or your contractor will put it together. Your sweat equity will help reduce the costs but be sure you co-ordinate your efforts with your contractor. Things that help include: daily cleanup, pulling nails, painting, picking up supplies, moving material, and the occasional tea, coffee or treat.

 

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Outdoor Living Spaces – part 1

Sat, April 9, 2011 No Comments by deren

Warm weather is here (It reached 17 degrees here last week).  Sunny longer days are giving us time get outside and start doing some thinking.  What does your front or back yard space hold for you this year?   What will you be doing out there this year? Are you looking at a new outdoor living space?

Perhaps your Outside Living Space has a couple of comfy chairs to enjoy the view.  Maybe you want bench amongst your flowers.  A large deck with built in BBQ and coolers for the family that is coming to visit in May.  Many of your neighbours are starting to think about spring projects.

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Being Conscious

Mon, February 28, 2011 No Comments by deren

My friend recently promoting himself as a Conscious Carpenter. In thinking about his position since then I have come to understand that being conscious about the work that I am doing does not finish at the end of my day. Every piece of wood I use, every nail I drive, glue I apply came from somewhere. And all of these things will go somewhere in the future.

I was talking with an old logger the other day and he talked about treating the trees with respect. Now he was not a small time logger but he saw value in having people (not huge feller buncher machines) working the wood, walking the trees, showing respect to each of the fallen giants.

I understand being a conscious builder is responsible for the beginning and the end of everything I make, being respectful of every person and piece of puzzle that forms the beautiful things I like to build.

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The Intellegent Contractor’s Recent Projects

Thu, June 10, 2010 No Comments by admin

We are the Intelligent choice when it comes to completing the projects you have planned.  Here are some of our recent projects.

  • Renovating an Italian Deli (4th and Alma, Vancouver)
  • Building Cedar Shake Concrete wall (Lakeshore, Kelowna)
  • Deep energy Retrofit Okanagan Centre Hall (OK Centre, Winfield)
  • Kitchen Renovation (Glenmore, Kelowna)
  • Basement Renovation (Glenmore, Kelowna)
  • Kitchen Renovation (Glenrosa, Westbank)
  • Bathroom Renovation (Mission, Kelowna)
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