Having a wood fire burning in your fireplace all winter long can save you on your electric bills, not to mention the nice homey feel it can give your house. However when smoke goes up a chimney, it leaves behind ash and carbon residue. These residues need to be cleaned out periodically, or they can result in chimney fires, carbon monoxide leaks, and lack of airflow through the chimney to the outside. You may wonder what the cost is to have a chimney sweep clean out your chimney, and a number of factors influence the price for cleaning it.Get all the information here.
Author: Mark Linville
Is Your Chimney Safe to Use?
Is Your Chimney Safe to Use?
Things are getting chilly fast! By now, it won’t be long before you’ll use your fireplace almost every day to warm your home. Few things are as pleasant as spending cold winter nights cozily close to a fireplace while sipping hot chocolate. But without proper care and maintenance, your fireplace can become a dangerous place to be. As you’re getting ready to use your fireplace on a regular basis, you should take a moment to consider its safety. For a fireplace to be safe, smoke and harmful gases should be effectively channeled out through your chimney.Chimney Problems
If there’s any smoke entering your house from your fireplace, that’s an obvious red flag that something is terribly wrong with your chimney. In such cases, you should put out the fire immediately. Under no circumstances should you light a fire a fireplace that leaks smoke into your home. Your fireplace will only be safe to use after your chimney has been inspected and repaired. Ideally, your chimney should never leak smoke into your home. Chimney problems should be spotted and repaired earlier than that. Unfortunately, it isn’t always easy to spot chimney problems. Chimney problems can be much less obvious. The problem is that even less obvious chimney problems can be fatal. Common chimney problems include:- Dirt buildup: Soot and debris will build up in your chimney when you use it. It’s unavoidable – plates get dirty when you eat from them and floors get dirty when you walk on them. In the same way your chimney will get dirty when you use it regularly.
- Blockages: Even worse than having a dirty chimney, is having a blocked chimney. Bird nests, debris and soot buildup can eventually build up and block your chimney entirely.
- Damage: Cracks, missing bricks or any other damage to your chimney should be fixed before you use it.
- Length: Your chimney should pass safety regulations regarding length. Typically, it should be at least 2 feet long from where it exits the roof. A qualified chimney sweep will be able to tell you if your chimney should be longer in order to comply with safety regulations in your area.
Using Your Fireplace: Safety Precautions
While you probably shouldn’t try to inspect, clean and fix your own chimney, you will be the one using your fireplace. There are a few things you should do that will make your fireplace safer to use.Use Woods That Burn Well
When it comes to your fireplace, not all woods are equally suitable for burning. One of the first things you should check for is that the wood you burn is completely dry. Never burn fresh wood in your fireplace as they cause more smoke while burning and leave more ashes than seasoned, dry woods. It’s also good to use woods from certain trees for burning in your fireplace. Stick to oak, maple, birch, beech, hickory and ash to keep your fire burning at a consistent pace. The hardness of these woods allow them to burn slowly at an optimal temperature. This prevents flames from flaring up and causing your chimney to overheat. When your fires are too hot, the excessive heat can lead to cracks and other chimney damage. By choosing a good firewood, you’ll also have less ashes and soot buildup in your fireplace and chimney.Lighting A Fire
Avoid using flammable liquids, like gas to start fires. Rather make use of crumpled newspapers and softer woods like pine to start your fires. However, some people recommend avoiding newspapers with colored ink. Instead, you could use natural things like tree bark, twigs, brown bags, dry corn cobs and pine cones. Once your tinder is caught fire, you can add one or two pieces of a softer wood. The softness helps it catch fire more easily than harder woods, like birch. When your fire is burning properly, you can stack hard firewoods that burn more slowly on top.Your Fireplace
You should preferably clean your fireplace about once or twice a week. When you clean out ashes from your fireplace, use a shovel to place them in a metal container. Remember that these ashes will remain hot long after the fire has died, so be careful. Once all the ashes have been cleared you should store the container in a place away from flammable things, like wooden floors, carpets and curtains. If it’s practical for you to do so, you could even leave to container with ashes outside. The tools you use at your fireplace should be of a high quality. Before buying fireplace tools like brushes, shovels and pokers, always check the handles. Handles have to be sturdy and durable. You A tool that breaks while you’re using it could be very dangerous. Hopefully you’ll spend lots of time snuggling up at your fireplace to stay warm and cozy this winter. But don’t forget to be safe. Have your chimney inspected regularly and always be cautious when you make a fire. Never forget that, even though fire can be relaxing and comfortable, it can also be deadly.Why You Need A Chimney Care Pro
Your chimney performs a few very important tasks to help keep your fireplace safe. Apart from channeling smoke so that it leaves your house, it also prevents carbon monoxide from accumulating in your home when you make a fire and prevents fires from spreading.
Your chimney isn’t just a hole in the roof above your fireplace that allows smoke to escape, it’s a necessary safety measurement. There’s much more to a chimney than meets the eye. More specifically, the inside of a chimney is what helps it to function properly.
Have you ever seen the inside your chimney? Do you what a safe chimney should look like inside? Would you be able to see if something wasn’t right?
Maybe you do know what the inside of your chimney looks like, and maybe you’re confident in your ability to identify and fix any problems you could potentially come across. But it would be wise to reconsider that confidence, because chimney care involves more than simply sweeping out some blackish, dirty-looking stuff and then calling it a day.
Why You Shouldn’t Inspect Your Own Chimney
Sweeping a chimney seems easy enough. Technically it should be as easy as cleaning anything else in life. If you’ve ever washed your own driveway pavement or the walls of your house, cleaning out a chimney shouldn’t be much more difficult that they, should it?
Well actually, sweeping a chimney is a rather tricky thing to do. It’s definitely more complicated than cleaning your driveway.
For starters, you’re actually going to have to get on the roof of your house. Without implementing the necessary safety precautions, that in itself could lead to absolute disaster. You might think that getting on your roof without a harness to prevent death or serious injury in case of a fall isn’t very important. Like many people, you probably think it’s okay as long as you don’t do it too often.
Truth is, the risk you’re taking is still pretty big. Once you’re on the roof, you’ll also have to be performing tasks you don’t do regularly. Especially if you’ve never cleaned your own chimney, you’re running a high risk of either falling, or not doing a proper job of cleaning out all the debris. In both cases, your negligence could prove to be fatal. And even if you are planning to use a safety harness, improper use could lead you to end up gaining almost no safety benefit from it.
But when it comes to the actual chimney inspection, things get even trickier. Small cracks on the inside of your chimney could lead to big problems. The same applies for loose bricks or damaged mortar.
A qualified chimney sweep will know exactly what to look for during a chimney inspection. Among obvious issues, such as checking for bird nests or animals like snakes or squirrels that could be taking shelter in your chimney, a professional chimney sweep will also be able to tell whether or not your chimney complies with safety requirements regarding size and structure.
Why Not Just Get A Handyman?
Like many other people, you might realize the risks involved in cleaning out your own chimney, so instead of hiring a chimney sweep, you decided to get a handyman.
Clearly, you respect the fact that you aren’t able to perform dangerous tasks and that you need to hire a professional, which is already a step in the right direction. By hiring a handyman, you’re reducing the risk of injury from a serious fall. But you aren’t paying someone not to get hurt, are you? You want your chimney to be properly inspected and cleaned.
And while the average handyman will be able to do a much better job of sweeping your chimney than you can do yourself, it’s still not as good as getting a real chimney sweep to do the job. It’s a bit like getting a dental assistant to do the work of a dentist. Yes, you’re working with a qualified professional, but that doesn’t mean the professional you’re working with is right for the job.
Chimney sweeps usually complete courses by the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) or other organizations that help them to specialize in their field. A good chimney sweep isn’t just a handyman who decided he likes sweeping chimneys, but a professional who knows that doing a proper job can be a matter of life or death.
That said, you should always ask before hiring a company or individual to inspect your chimney, because not all chimney sweeps have any special training for the job. The chimney sweep industry is largely unregulated, with only a few recognized associations providing qualifications for companies and individuals. Fact is, many chimney sweeps really are only handymen who decided to sweep chimneys, and while they might be just fine at doing their job and what they’re doing is in no way illegal (although it could be, in some cases), it’s always better to get someone who knows their stuff when it comes to chimneys.
Normally, it’s recommended that you have your chimney inspected once a year. If you just moved into a new house, having the chimney inspected before using it also is advised. Other than that, you should have your chimney inspected if too much smoke is entering your house from the fireplace, if you notice any strange smells, or if you notice anything else that could potentially be a problem.
If you’re in search of a professional company to help you with chimney inspections, then feel free to contact Chimney Sweeps West. We’re a BBB accredited business and we specialize in performing thorough chimney inspections.
3 Quick Tips For Finding A Knoxville Handyman
3 Quick Tips When Finding A Knoxville Home Repairman
Water tends to travels before it drips down visibly. Interestingly, a leak can come out twenty feet away from the original leak in a roof.
NFPA Chimney Inspection Guidelines
Chimney Inspections
Professional chimney inspections give you a look into the health and total situation of your home’s chimney system that might be in any many cases unattainable. Snaking closed-circuit cameras alongside the sides of the chimney flue allows us to supply a sincere and detailed analysis, along with visuals. Regardless of whether you have used your chimney currently, or even for those who plan to make use of it sooner or later, annual chimney inspections are an absolute must. In January 2000, the National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA) outlined three totally different levels of chimney inspections and adopted these ranges into its code NFPA 211, the Standard for Chimneys, Fireplaces, Vents, and Solid Fuel-Burning Appliances. When you are shopping for a brand new house, the NFPA requires a Level 2 inspection of the fireplace and chimney. A Level 2 inspection contains the simple Level 1 inspection, which is a visual test of your chimney to look for blockages, creosote and soot buildup, and any other harm. What makes a Level 2 inspection extra detailed than a Level 1 is the usage of particular instruments, together with a video scanner, and an examination of your roof, attic, and crawl space.Level 2 & 3 Chimney Inspections
Professional Chimney Cleaners
NFPA 211 is the usual code upon which certified chimney sweeps base their services and CSIA Certified Chimney Sweeps are examined to those three ranges of inspection. Always ask for the extent of inspection that you believe can be most applicable in your chimney and venting system. Each degree of inspection covers particular items dependent on the person, equipment, and venting system. Level three – A Level 3 inspection is carried out when a hidden hazard is suspected that can not be uncovered without accessing concealed areas of the chimney assembly and flue. This inspection will include all the pieces from the Level 1 and a couple of inspections, plus an analysis of the chimney building and the concealed portions of the chimney and flue. Level 3 inspections are usually mandatory when assessing damage that has occurred to the chimney or to the constructing structure. Level 2 – If you’ve bought a new home heating appliance, made a change to any existing equipment that’s vented by way of your chimney, or for those who suspect that there’s injury to your chimney, a Level 2 inspection must be carried out. A Level 2 inspection consists of all the things in a Level 1 inspection plus an evaluation of any accessible parts of attics, crawl areas and basements. Your technician will even do an inside chimney video inspection of your chimney during a Level 2 inspection.What Costs Less – A Chimney Inspection Or A House Fire?
What Costs Less – A Chimney Inspection Or A House Fire?
It’s easy for a home owner to feel tempted into using a chimney winter after winter without ever having it inspected. Home owners might argue that the idea of getting a chimney inspected is hype that’s been created for the sake of making an extra buck, but that really isn’t true.
Chimney sweeps have been working to clean out chimneys since the Industrial Revolution. Back then they often worked in poor conditions and tended to fall ill as a result of the work they performed. Nowadays chimney sweeps have to necessary equipment to avoid the potential health risks associated with their profession, but it should be noted that the same health risks chimney sweeps faced long ago are among the problems you can face if your chimney is poorly maintained.
Why Inspect My Chimney?
As mentioned before, soot buildup in your chimney can cause illness, but perhaps more seriously, a chimney that isn’t functioning properly can release more carbon monoxide into your home than is safe. Carbon monoxide is a odorless gas which is a silent killer that has literally caused people to die in their sleep.
But there’s another reason you should have your chimney inspected on a regular basis. A chimney left without maintenance for too long greatly increases the risk of a chimney related fire in your home. Bird nests and other rubble can catch fire in your chimney, resulting in a fire that can cause a great amount of damage to your house. In the worst cases, chimney fires can burn down an entire house, even claiming lives. While many people might feel that a chimney inspection is too expensive, the cost of a chimney inspection is little compared to the safety of you and your family.
But what if a fire doesn’t claim any lives? How does the cost of having your chimney cleaned compare to house fire?
The Average Cost For Chimney Sweeping
Depending on the company you’ve asked and the kind of chimney inspection you’re getting, the cost of having your chimney inspected could vary. Prices for a basic chimney inspection start at anywhere from $100 to $250.
If there’s additional work that needs to be done, this price could go up quite a bit, even to as much as $500 for everything. While that might sound like a lot to pay for having your chimney inspected, the additional costs are usually for other things such as repairs. If you’ve been quoted a for a larger amount than you would’ve expected, you don’t have to just accept it without asking questions. If the company you’re working with deal professionally, your chimney sweep will be able to tell you exactly what the additional costs are for.
How Much Do House Fires Cost?
It’s much harder to know what a house fire would cost, but the average cost of a house fire tends to be about $4000. Which means that even if the average cost of a chimney inspection was $400, you’d be able to get your chimney inspected ten times before it would cost you the same amount as a house fire, but because the cost of an average chimney inspection will probably be closer to $200 rather than $400, you’ll be able to have your chimney inspected twenty times before it adds up to the cost of a house fire.
These numbers are only estimates, and the truth is that a more severe house fire can cost much more than even fifty chimney inspections. In cases where a house is burnt to the ground and nothing but rubble remains, you can expect to pay much more than $4000. In such cases you’d have to pay for the site to be cleaned after which you’d have to have a new house built and replace all your possessions. There’s no way of knowing what that would cost for certain, as it will vary from one individual to another, but there’s no doubt that it would be very expensive.
Even in a small house fire, you’ll have a lot of cleaning up to do. Furniture will need to be deodorized to remove the smell of smoke. If damaged to any plumbing lines occurred, you’ll also have to have wet areas dried. On top of all those things, you’ll need a proper cleanup to be done to remove any soot the fire left behind. Only once you those tasks have been performed will you be able to turn your attention to repairing the area damaged in a fire.
Repairing fire damage doesn’t only hurt your wallet, it’s also time consuming and in many cases there’s stress and some trauma related ti this. When comparing the effort associated with fire damage repair to the ease of maintaining your chimney properly, the cost of an annual chimney inspection is definitely a worthwhile investment.
On top of all those things, one of the best benefits of having your chimney inspected is that it will give you peace of mind to know that your chimney is safe for use when winter arrives.
Don’t Get Burned!
Don’t Get Burned!
Sooner or later, winter is going to be here again. Once the cold is back, you’re sure to want to use your fireplace to heat your house and make it a more snug, comfy environment for you and your family.
But unfortunately, your chimney can be a health hazard if it isn’t properly maintained. Poorly maintained chimneys can be the cause of many health related problems, including a higher susceptibility to bronchitis, and even carbon monoxide poisoning in some cases.
But one of the other major problems associated with the use of a fireplace, is that it dramatically increases the risk of a major fire that could burn down your house. In order to avoid this from happening, you should be taking care of your chimney properly. Even if your chimney looks good from the outside, it really doesn’t mean that using it isn’t dangerous. Of course, the fact that fire is involved in using a chimney automatically predisposes you to a certain amount of risk, but it can be significantly reduced by having your chimney inspected by a professional chimney sweep.
Although getting your chimney cleaned could even be life saving, there’s been an unfortunate amount of chimney sweep scammers. In order to protect yourself from being taken advantage of, you should only work with professional chimney sweeps who have training and experience in keeping your chimney safer.
What Do Chimney Sweeps Do?
A professional chimney sweep is trained to inspect your chimney for any problems like soot and ash buildup as well as being able to find and fix other issues that might be present. After an inspection, your chimney sweep should be able to tell you whether or not your chimney could be allowing too much smoke to enter your house through your fireplace and if your chimney fulfills all the necessary safety requirements. Other potential problems could be bird’s nests or other obstructions in your chimney as well as loose bricks or cracks.
Why Are Chimney Inspections Important?
It comes as no surprise that according to the US Fire Administration, 31% of fires start in residential areas, and 7% of residential fires are caused by heating. While that might not seem like much, this statistic represents so much more than just a number for families who have been the victims of chimney fires. It’s sad to know that much of the loss caused by chimney fires could’ve been prevented if home owners exercised the necessary caution when using their chimneys.
As a general rule, it’s best to have a level one chimney inspection performed on an annual basis before you start using your chimney again. Not only will ash, soot and other debris have accumulated in your chimney from the previous year, as has been mentioned before, birds like to make nests in chimneys and this could result in a big fire.
If you recently moved to your home, a level two chimney inspection would be a better choice. If you’ve never used your fireplace in your new home, there isn’t really a way for you to know how safe it is. You can’t simply assume that the previous residents knew the chimney was safe, even if they did use the fireplace.
Other Safety Precautions
Besides having your chimney cleaned out every year before winter, there are other measures you should take to make your chimney safer. For instance, you should always keep any flammable objects away from your fireplace; this includes your pile of wood, books, furniture, curtains and even carpets. If you have small children or dogs, always check for any toys or other objects placed too close to the fireplace before lighting it.
To reduce the risk of a fire starting close to an open fireplace (one that doesn’t have a glass door), you could place mesh screen in front of it.
Apart from keeping the area surrounding your fireplace clean, you should also be on the lookout for branches that are too close to your chimney, especially if you have trees that are very close to your house.
Another good safety measure, is to have a fire extinguisher placed close to your fireplace so that you can easily put out any flames that could result in a dangerous fire. While fire extinguishers aren’t the most pleasing objects to look at, and probably won’t fit your décor, this safety measure could prove to be life saving.
Lastly, if you have a fireplace in your house, you should also have both smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, especially in your bedrooms. Carbon monoxide is a completely odorless gas that can be deadly to inhale. Because you can’t smell it, many cases of people dying from carbon monoxide poisoning happen while the victims are asleep.
Hopefully you’ll have realized practicing proper safety measures regarding the use of your chimney is essential for the health and safety of your family. Nothing should discourage you from having your chimney inspected, as this is a very good measure to take for preventing a chimney fire and other hazards.
However, you should only allow a professional chimney sweep to perform an inspection and clean your chimney, as this isn’t a matter to be taken lightly. Although the best chimney sweep services aren’t necessarily cheap, it’s better to pay for a job well done than to be lured into a scam by promises of unrealistically low prices and end up getting nothing at all.
At Chimney Sweeps West, we are dedicated to help you care for the health of your family. Our chimney sweeps are trained professionals who will deliver only the best service. We understand the risks involved when it comes to chimney fires and we have the necessary skills and equipment to perform thorough inspections so that you know your chimney is safe before you start using it this winter.
Summer House Maintenance Many People Overlook
Summer House Maintenance Many People Overlook
House maintenance is a necessary job. By keeping your house properly maintained, you’ll be saving both time and money you’d have to spend if a problem occurred. House maintenance also ensures your place is always looking at its best.
But there are many areas people often miss when doing an annual check up and repair, and depending on the amount of work that needs to be done in your home, it could take a whole day to get around to all your home repair tasks. If you don’t have time to do your own home repairs, it’s always possible to hire a handyman to do these things for you.
At Chimney Sweeps West in Knoxville, we have a reliable team of handymen to help you survive your summer house maintenance.
Air Conditioning
Summer can be uncomfortably hot and you’re likely to use your air conditioning a lot during this time. To keep your air condition functioning optimally, you need to check and replace the filter. Doing this will help keep the air cleaner and might help to avoid allergies.
If you’re hiring a handyman to help you with your home repairs, you could also ask that he replace any other parts of your air conditioning system that might not seem to be functioning properly and have him clean the air conditioning drain line.
The Water Heater
Water in certain places is often very mineral rich. Because of this, hot water heaters can accumulate sediment build up over time, which shortens the life of the heater and raises your electricity bill. To lengthen the life of your own heater, you can drain it once a year so that sediment can be removed from the tank. But don’t try to drain your water heater if you don’t know how to, doing so could result in burns, electrical shock and damage to your heater. If you’re unsure of how to clean our your hot water heater, it’s better to ask a handyman to help you with the task. You can even ask your handyman to inspect the heater for other problems that could be potentially dangerous.
Inspect Your Driveway
Cracks and holes are prone to forming in driveways. While they don’t really pause a hazard to your health, they are unsightly and can lead to further damage if they’re not repaired. There are various things you could do to improve the appearance of your driveway, such as pressure washing it and filling cracks or holes.
Cleaning Gutters
If you think a few leaves and twigs in your gutters are harmless, think again. Regular gutter cleaning is the single most important key to avoiding major and expensive home repairs.
Cleaning the gutters isn’t always overlooked, but few people like doing it. As a result, gutters often have a lot of organic rubble in them. Keeping your gutters clean helps to insure that water drains from your roof properly when it rains, failing to clean them out could lead to leaks in your ceiling and other undesirable consequences. If you have a fear of heights, then don’t hesitate to call Chimney Sweeps West in Knoxville to help you clean out your gutters.
Window Sealant Replacement
You won’t need to replace the sealant of your windows every year, but sometimes sealant that’s grown old and has started breaking is left without repairing. This is a big mistake, as the sealant is meant to keep the window in place and keep your home free of water leaks and dust. The worst thing that could happen as a result of not checking window sealant and maintaining it, is that one of your windows could literally fall out when there’s no longer enough sealant to hold it in place. Windows don’t often fall out, but it’s not completely unheard of and it would result in broken glass pieces in your yard or home.
Find And Fix Wall Cracks
Cracks in the wall are unsightly and could potentially become problematic in the future. An essential part of your annual home repairs should involve finding cracks in the interior and exterior walls of your house and fixing them. This step is especially important if you live in a brick house, but other houses could also develop wall cracks that could be very harmful.
Check Your Deck
You’re likely to be spending a lot of time outside during the summer, so it’s important to keep your deck in good condition. Problems with your deck might include rotting wood, cracked boards and worn through varnish or sealant. Should there be any problems with your deck. It would save you both time and effort to get a handyman to fix it for your.
Replacing boards and resealing a deck is a task that requires both time and expertise, it isn’t advisable to try doing it yourself if you don’t have any experience working with wood, as you may end up choosing the wrong kind of wooden board or color of varnish.
Roof Repairs
It’s important to look at all the tiles on your roof on an annual basis. Loose or broken tiles can be replaced without having to replace to whole roof, but it can sometimes be necessary to
Water tends to travels before it drips down visibly. Interestingly, a leak can come out twenty feet away from the original leak in a roof.
There are countless of things to check when doing your annual home repairs, if you feel uncertain about what needs to be done in your own home, feel free have a professional handyman assess and repair your home. Ask to have a complete check and repair done in all the usual problem areas if you don’t know where to start. Handymen know where home repairs are often needed, and will gladly help you find and fix the problems you might not even have been able to think of yourself.
How to Choose a Good Handyman Service
Building a Deck? How to Choose a Good Handyman Service
Spring is here! Great weather, sunshine and the beauty of nature makes it the perfect time to build a deck so you can be outside and enjoy the open air more often. You could entertain guests or sit outside peacefully, listening to birds sing while enjoying a good breakfast. Actually, a deck is an ideal way to experience being outside before even having to change out of your pyjamas in the morning!
But if you’re like most people, you won’t be able to build one yourself. And luckily, you don’t need to; there are plenty of experienced handyman services in Knoxville willing to help you get the job done.
With a large project like building a deck, you’ll have to consider a few things before choosing a handyman service.
General Considerations When Choosing a Handyman
If you’ve never made use of a handyman service before, there are a few things you should know before hiring someone. You might also not be able to hire the same person for a large project like building a deck as you would normally use for small, odd jobs around the house. There are three kinds of handyman services out there.
Licensed Handyman Services
Licensed handyman services are usually quite easy to spot. They usually wear uniforms, drive in branded vehicles and have an impeccable sense of professionalism. These companies are usually quite large and your handyman will be an employee working for the handyman service most of the time.
Unlicensed Handyman Working Within the Law
While unlicensed handymen aren’t always bad, they usually aren’t able to take on very large projects. Using and unlicensed handyman can be great sometimes, but will require better discernment on your part because they might not be as reliable as licensed companies. However, for a project like building a deck, you probably wouldn’t be able to use an unlicensed handyman while staying within the boundaries of the law.
Unlicensed and Working Illegally
These are the shady characters you want to steer clear of. These fellows may charge you a small fortune before even starting the work and, although they’re likely to quote you the lowest price, you should be careful not to fall for the bait. Unfortunately, you’ll probably end up with shoddy work, or maybe even none at all, which will only end up costing you more.
Choosing a Handyman Service to Build Your Deck
Now that you know you’ll probably need a licensed handyman service to build your deck, how do you go about choosing the right one? In the end, it’s probably all up to you, but here are some things to consider.
Do They Have Carpenters?
Decks are usually made from wood, so it’s best to choose a Knoxville handyman service that have some carpenters to help you build your deck. While a Jack of all trades might also be able to get the job done, you’re deck is likely have a nicer finish and last longer before it needs to be repaired if it’s built by an actual carpenter.
Don’t Go Too Cheap
Everybody loves a good bargain, but when you’re choosing a handyman service, you should aim for quality work instead. While a really expensive quote doesn’t necessarily insure good work, a quote that is much lower than most should concern you. When someone quotes you much less, they’re probably going to compensate for the amount you pay less somewhere. You might end up with building materials that aren’t up to standard, resulting in a deck that has to be repaired much more regularly than most. A proper deck will require you to invest a sufficient amount of time and money to have it built.
Choose Someone You Like
It might not seem important, but you really should like the handyman service you choose. After all, these people are going to be at your house while your deck is being built, if you don’t like them, things could get a little strange for you. Talk to the handyman you’ll be working with and get an idea about whether he’s a good fit for your project. If you don’t feel like he considers what you want, choose someone else. You want someone who cares about what your vision is, and who’s willing to do what they can to make it work. A good handyman will tell you when your ideas aren’t feasible, but will still try to give you something you like.
Ask to See Photos
Your handyman service might not have photos of other decks they’ve worked on, but if they do, you’ll be able to get a great idea of what their work looks like. You could also visit websites Yelp, where you might be able to see some pictures and read reviews about the handyman service you want to hire.
Once you’ve chosen a handyman service, be sure to stay involved in the project. The goal isn’t to be overly fussy and complain about everything, but if you don’t keep an eye on what’s happening, the end product could end up looking different from what you initially wanted. If you simply weren’t present and never bothered to ask any questions, you’ll be the only one to blame. Don’t feel shy about asking questions, your handyman will probably understand that you’re interested in the work and would much prefer discussing what you want while work is being done than listening to complaints after work was done without your input guiding the project a little.
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