Home News for June

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Home News for JuneThere is something magical about every season and every month when it comes to your dream home. Sure, some of the work is logistical and simply needs to get done, but there’s also an innate desire when the season changes to tackle the goals that you may have been putting off for far too long. Often, these have to do with your home – and your home may be in all sorts of different stages. Maybe you’re just beginning the process of concepting what it will look like, and maybe you’re just trying to finish up a small project that’s been sitting on your to-do list for weeks. Either way, here comes the Restumping Melbourne team to the rescue. In general, we’re here to help in all sorts of different ways, but today we’re offering up our monthly round-up of our favourite associated news. Read on for more information:

Some love hearing about money and some do not, but it’s a necessary evil related to your home, and it can be a really confusing one. Even after working in this business for decades, we’re still learning things about the right ways to finance your current or future home. That’s why we turn to articles like this one from Forbes. How much does it truly cost to build a house? This list includes a round, average number – which is unique from many of the other resources that we’ve seen and read. It shares $300,000 and then breaks it down so you know where your money is going. Check out this link for more information.

This next article explores the unique opportunity of halving a property that you own and potentially making twice (if not more) money than you are currently. The keyword here is ‘duplex’ but there are a lot of considerations that you need to think about. Conversely, when you hear the word ‘duplex’, you should think if that’s the next property that YOU want to invest in. There are all sorts of needs and wants here – do you need the land, are you okay with a neighbour right next door, will you be pleased as punch with the adjustment in cost compared to a larger home? Everyone has their own needs and this article is great about outlining exactly what might make sense for you. Read here to learn more.

Gardens can be the best – no matter how big they are or what elements are included. But, like all of the best things in life, they need to be properly cared for. When you first move into a home, it can be assumed that your garden will always look its pristine best, but unfortunately, that’s not the case. This article helps outline the steps that you need to take on a regular cadence to ensure that every time you walk outside, you remember exactly why you were so excited to have a garden in the first place. Learn more and let us know what you think.

Let’s Get Creative About Storage

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Lets Get Creative About StorageWhen you work in an industry like ours, there are certainly topics that arise on a regular basis. It’s always a wonderful moment for the team at Restumping Melbourne when our customers – current and prospective – as well as the readers of our blog, realize that we have such a breadth of knowledge and experience when it comes to homes. Yes, foundations – reinforcing and sustaining are certainly the root of our expertise and that will always remain the case, but what’s a foundation without a home on top of it and one that’s well-designed and maintained at that. We’ve loved receiving more and more miscellaneous questions about your home’s design, and one big theme of interest is storage. Where to store what? Where to put your storage? Do you need to clean out your storage or is that a redundant task? Never fear, the Restumping Melbourne team is here. Read on for more information:

We never want to push this out of the equation – there is a lot of value in storage units and pods. In fact, the Melbourne area has all sorts of companies that can help with any level of services, ranging from packing up your belongings to simply accepting them and storing on a month-to-month basis. The same is true for all our surrounding areas if you are ready to put your belongings aside and know that you won’t see them for a certain amount of time.

But… if you’d like to keep them in your home, we also have solutions for you:

  • Shelves up top any of your rooms. Experts recommend these predominately for your bedroom and there is a caveat… depending on how you design them, you will see all the items that you’re storing. That said, add plexiglass, storage containers or even frosted glass fronts, just make sure that you remember what is stored where.
  • Clothes racks… some of us don’t have the luxury of ample closet space, but that shouldn’t stop you from organizing your belongings or clothes. You can easily design, construct and install a clothes rack in your room. Bonus points if you create it as an L-shape. You’re saving yourself space and amplifying the number of items that you’ll be able to see daily.
  • While this isn’t our forte, the Restumping Melbourne team did love this one for all our readers and customers that love their shoes. You can use your crown moulding as a shoe rack. As this article shares, the sole will support itself against the wall, so you’re set up for success.
  • Finally, we want to challenge how we use our different spaces. We all have space in our homes that we’re not sure what to do with or that we want to leave blank, while we allow boxes to pile up in other areas. Try and brainstorm how to use your blank spaces. This article has some great ideas.

We know, it’s tough. But it’s so satisfying. Reach out to the Restumping Melbourne team with any questions.

Insulation and Your Foundation

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Insulation and Your FoundationBoth insulation and your foundation are – for lack of a better term – foundational parts of your home. But few think about how they work together and how, if one is missing, your entire home suffers. Don’t worry, the team at Restumping Melbourne is on the case.

First up, what’s insulation? More or less, insulation is a material (and there are all sorts – which we’ll get to in a minute) that helps reduce heat loss (or heat gain), by providing a barrier of a certain size inside your home. If you’re looking for a visual, think about the foam that you have seen in photos and have all sorts of questions about. Who knew that such a simple solution would help regulate the temperature inside your home?

It doesn’t matter what the season is, you’re going to need to regulate the temperature of your home, whether you want it to be cool or hot. The bottom line is, it needs to be consistent, so that you’re not running your furnace or your air conditioner on a regular basis – both of which drive up your energy bills. Plus… you probably want your home to be a comfortable place to hang out around, especially in the social areas.

So, here’s where you need to do your research – you want to understand conduction, also known as heat transfer AND convection – also known as airflow, both are the key players in insulation. It does get a little bit tricky, and we have all sorts of different online resources that we recommend checking out so that you truly understand the work that you’re getting into. The reason that we share these is that the Restumping Melbourne team strongly believes that you should have a great grasp on any sort of project that you do – no matter the magnitude – and insulation definitely falls into this category. Here is one of our favourite links to check out.

You may be thinking, what does this have to do with the foundation of your home? It’s in the title of this blog post, after all. Honestly, everything has to do with the foundation of your home, but frequently one of the most important pockets of insulation is found in your basement. Heat rises, right? We do a lot of our work in the basement of your home, or at least the lower-most level and a vital step is an insulation.

One of the questions that we get the most is whether you should insulate your foundation itself. The short answer – yes. Any sort of foundations that are built from rubble or brick, or separately – foundations with leaks, any sort of excess moisture or related issues should be insulated… from the outside. Most of your foundation will be found within the insulated portion of the home (hopefully regularly maintained), which will be key in evening out any sorts of ups and downs with temperature over time.

We know that insulation is a complicated topic. Reach out to the Restumping Melbourne team at any time to answer any questions.

How Different Rooms in Your Home Affect Your Foundation – Restrooms

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How Different Rooms in Your Home Affect Your Foundation - RestroomsThere are probably a lot of words in the title of this post that make you scrunch up your face and think, what it is that I’m about to read about? If so, then we’ve done our due diligence because obviously the foundation of your home is impacted by every part of your home and the Restumping Melbourne team is responsible for ensuring that your foundation is top-notch and, conversely, helps your home succeed in every possible way. While this may not be a series of posts, there are certainly rooms throughout your home that are directly impacted by your foundation, and we want to give them some love on the Restumping Melbourne blog. Today, that means taking a look at exactly how you use the restrooms throughout your home.

Restroom, WC, water closet, bathroom, it has all sorts of names, but we know that there are vital reasons that you need to have them. The reason that they impact your foundation so much is the excess amount of moisture that they can create. We’ve discussed this on the blog before as it’s great knowledge to have. Today’s post focuses more on the best ways to use your restrooms so that you don’t even need to call the Restumping Melbourne team to come on over and help out with any issues that you have.

Take shorter showers

We know, they can be the greatest gift throughout the day. Some of us take multiple showers, especially if we’re teammates that love enjoying fitness in the morning or need to make outfit changes in the evening. That’s why we’re lucky to live in the age of products like dry shampoo and other pieces of your routine. Save that water and your foundation will thank you as well.

Clean your sinks and showers/baths regularly

By regularly, we mean regularly. At least once a week if you have the 30 minutes to do so. The more often that you clean any sort of features in your bathroom that emit water, the less work that you’re going to have to do over time. Don’t let this allow you to shirk your responsibility, rather, think of it as a moment of pride every time that you walk in the restroom and know that it’s not only sparkly clean, but you’re also taking care of other elements of the home as well.

Understand why you’re cleaning

Especially when a home is new, (or if you’re very good at cleaning) you may not understand the benefits of tidying and scrubbing on a regular basis. If you peruse even just the Restumping Melbourne blog, you’ll start to understand little things like the concoctions you can use down different drains, so that there’s no moisture build-up and so that larger price-tags like that of your foundation are safe and sound.

If you have questions about any of the above or anything about your home, the Restumping Melbourne team is always here to answer them. Thank you for stopping by our blog.

Home News for May

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Home News for MayMay is a really beautiful month, each and every year. It’s a signal that the real cold is coming, that you can get comfy and cozy with loved ones and also look forward to all of the winter activities ahead. When polled, the Restumping Melbourne team aligned that we all love sledding, snowball fights and then the benefits of wearing baggy and soft clothes that hide the evidence of all of the delicious food and the creative artisan drinks that we consume. Those are all human experiences, but our houses are saying, “hey – what about us as well?” They get cleaned, they get decorated, they get excess amounts of heat, they’re practically groaning with the weight of all of the festivities by the time they’re begging for spring cleaning and weather. Each season has its traditions and the Restumping Melbourne team has a monthly tradition – home news. Here’s what’s happening in May:

Build or buy?

Here’s one theme that we’ve seen repetitively – to buy or build? When you see articles so often that tout either side of the aisle on this argument, even our internal team is drawn into it. And when the article’s debate takes place in Vail, Colorado – arguably one of the most beautiful places during cold weather in the world, yes… that piques your interest. The arguments remain the same; buying allows you an immediate investment property that hopefully requires very little work or maintenance to move into; building means that you are truly creating your own decisions every step of the way. Bonus? Like we said, it’s Vail! Here’s the article in full.

The One-Story House Plan With All The Charm

As you know if you’re faithful to the Restumping Melbourne blog, you know that we’re also suckers for a really good floor plan. We’ve seen enough of them – on sloped lots, as high rises, you know the drill. At the end of the day, it’s our job to reinforce the foundation of each, but it’s taught us over time to take inspiration and motivation from all sorts of homes all over the world. We loved this one. One-storey (so, a lighter load for us), the right size so that it looks deceptively small from the front but takes up ample space on a lot and with all of the right trimmings and external fixings to make anyone want to move to this quaint town. Check it out here.

Schoolyard Garden

If anyone has been impacted by the madness of the last year, it’s our younger generations that have probably fared the toughest of times, especially when it comes to school at any age. One of our favourite parts of the most successful and unique school environments have been the gardens that have allowed children to play outside while learning about the root of many important lessons (yes, the best pun possible absolutely intended). They learned how to plant and they learned how to work with each other – skills that will remain with them forever. Prepare to be inspired here.

Why Where You Live Inspires Your Foundation

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Why Where You Live Inspires Your FoundationHey, we’ve all been there. Probably multiple times in fact. The Restumping Melbourne team members have all been so inspired by each other, that we’ve moved multiple times and every time asked each other more and more questions. You’re probably shaking your heads and thinking, ‘okay, that sounds pretty normal. We all ask those in our community for advice when we’re making our next steps to homeownership.’ Sure, and we agree. But when you work at a company like Restumping Melbourne, you see far more than meets the eye. You see a pretty blue door. We see a slightly tilted blue door and wonder why. Then we investigate further and find out that there’s minor but increasing foundation damage, which – not only can we fix, but we can advise against a purchase of a house that probably does have a fair amount of work in its future.

Sounds scary, right? We’re sorry. It shouldn’t. Our job as the premier company to reinforce the foundation of your home is to ensure that these small types of red flags are totally negated, so you can focus on the excitement of buying a new home. So… let’s get back to the title of this post. Why where you live inspires your foundation? You may be thinking, why would it. Well, readers, it does. Read on for more information:

One of the common themes that we share on this blog is soil. Why is that? Well, the equipment and tools that we use are very specific to the sorts of soil that you have underneath your property. The very purpose of our services is to ensure that we reinforce the structure of your home and to do so, we need to know if we’re working with a myriad of varieties of clay, silt, stone and more. There isn’t one that’s better than the other, but there certainly are differences in all of the above. So, when you’re choosing the home of your dreams, this is an important question to ask – and not one that any real estate agent will be surprised by – what sort of soil is beneath this house?

Okay next up, we all love a good view, right? We love relaxing at the end of the day and looking out of the window at a panoramic vista with beautiful sunrises and sunsets. That is certainly a sticking point in the home buying process. Well, as you might assume, when you buy a home with a beautiful view, it’s most likely on a hill, or at least a sloped lot. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with this, but it is something to factor in – asking for full information about the land at the different levels underneath. Hey, if you need someone to call, the Restumping Melbourne team is here.

Finally, it is important to ask your potential neighbours about any issues they’ve had with their foundations. Maybe they live in a beautiful cul-de-sac, or maybe you’re out on land where neighbours are twenty miles away, they’re still your best asset to ask any questions you may have before you sign on the dotted line.

As we’ve shared, when in doubt – the Restumping Melbourne team is here!

What’s Hygge and Why is Everyone Talking About it?

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What's Hygge and Why is Everyone Talking About itWhen you work on ensuring that homes are as strong and resilient as possible as much as the Restumping Melbourne team, you grow fairly accustomed to housing trends. A big piece of this is simply observing the number (and the fortitude) of certain styles, especially by neighbourhood. But another big piece of this is, by listening to and participating in, conversations with our current and prospective customers. We participate in, as we grow trust with our community of customers – which is HUGELY important to us. And let’s just say that we pick up many nuggets of knowledge along the way.

As we head into colder and colder temperatures (check out our future post about ways to make your home as cozy and comfortable as possible), that’s just it – you want to snuggle up with a good book, appreciating that you’re not traipsing through inopportune weather outside or tackling those chores that will just have to wait until warmer weather. Well, we’ll tell you who has this down to a science – our friends in Scandinavia, specifically in Denmark and Norway. By definition, we’re talking about a word for a mood of coziness and comfortable conviviality with feelings of wellness and contentment. We’re feeling happy just writing about it. It really began in Denmark, but Norway quickly adapted many of its practices and in both countries, it became a core part of their cultures, right into the 21st century. These are two countries that have very cold countries, so when this became a part of their culture, it meant everything from a glass of warm tea to a favourite record on the record player under a comfortable blanket.

One of the favourite things we learned about hygge is its etymology. In Danish, we’re talking about “to give courage, comfort, joy”, but – and this is what we’re talking about – there are stories and theories abound that hygge actually evolved from the word “hug”. That right there says it all.

Alright, we’ve made you calm and sleepy even discussing the origin of the word… technically our job is done. But what does it mean? What do you do?

We love this article from MakeSpace. Here are some of our favourite tips:

  • Spend quality time with loved ones. After all, a huge part of this is togetherness. There’s no better way to bring warmth into a space – that is, as long as “most” of you are getting along at the time. No bad vibes here!
  • Take multitasking out of the equation for your day. What’s the worst thing that’s going to happen if something doesn’t get completed for work in the next couple of hours? Answer that question for yourself and when you can’t find a logical answer, step back and take some time for yourself.
  • This next recommendation takes a little personal definition, depending on your work environment right now, but if and how you can – leave work at a time that doesn’t have you rushing home to accomplish the next “real life” task or leave you not totally enjoying time with yourself and your household.

You deserve it, we promise.

Why is Everyone Talking About Shiplap?

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Why is Everyone Talking About ShiplapWe don’t know how many of you out there watch home renovation shows, but we’re betting that it’s a fair number of the Restumping Melbourne blog readers. There are fewer things better than a rare day off work when you wake up in a panic and quickly realize that you have absolutely nothing to do but relax and recharge. Recharging can mean a number of things for different people, but science shows (science, people) the psychological and physical benefits of taking a load off and relaxing on the couch when you have the chance.

We love all sorts of different shows, but home renovation shows definitely drive our creativity as the team pushes ourselves to out-best our best. So, while we’re definitely enjoying ourselves, we’re also learning.

One of the most famous shows around the globe is Fixer Upper. The stars – Chip and Joanna Gaines have become icons and built a giant empire around their lifestyle brands and their ability to turn all sorts of spaces into dream homes. And there’s one key word that’s frequently used… shiplap.

First of all, what a fun word, right? But what is it? If you’re talking about the genuine article, shiplap is a specific sort of plank of wood. It can be used in all sorts of applications, both for your home’s interior and it’s exterior. Before our time, it was used on ships that the Vikings sailed. Obviously, it worked out for them! In modern times, you’ve probably seen it most in relation to farms – sheds, barns and the most historic of houses. That sounds like a lot of different styles of planks of wood, right? Well here – we’re talking about the installation. The grooves are the key indicator that you’re looking at shiplap, because they allow the plans to fit together in all sorts of manners.

Why do people love it so much? It is great in all sorts of weather, that’s why you see it both inside and outside and on all sorts of different styles of homes – and why the Vikings liked it so much when they were out at sea! Complementing that, (again, thanks to the grooves) you’re not going to see any kind of buckling or movement in the planks of wood, even if it is a particularly moist season.

A fun fact to leave you with… chances are good that you actually have shiplap in your building if you didn’t build it yourself, even if you live in a more modern home. It creates a premium flat surface that can live between the frame of the home and its interior wall. We’re not recommending that you peel back any layers of plaster, but if you did, you may just find some shiplap. It’s a great reminder for the Restumping Melbourne team and our readers that all elements of our home designs and the foundational reinforcements that we help support are rooted in important history and driving future innovations.

How Your Floors Affect Foundation Damage

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How Your Floors Affect Foundation DamageWe walk on them every day, so who would have any idea that the floors in your home would play such expansive roles throughout the property. We sort of take them as a given. Gone are the days when mud or sand served as the floors beneath our feet as we passed from room to room. The interesting thing is, that was the norm. And every time that there’s been an evolution in the design of your home, we’ve adapted and thus seen that as the norm.

The Restumping Melbourne team has seen it all – shag rugs, glass floors, very brightly coloured carpets and all sorts of things in between. Normally you’d think that we wouldn’t notice something like your floor. We’re the team and company that reinforces the foundation of your home, through our reblocking, underpinning and restumping services. We’ve worked on all sorts of homes throughout the years and that means that we’re well-versed on what works, what doesn’t and the warning signs that your foundation could be in trouble.

Today, that means taking a good look at your floors.

First and foremost, they’re an important piece of the puzzle when it comes to designing your home. You’re going to see them every day, whether you start to forget it or not, so you want them to be something that you’ll appreciate.

You want them to be durable, aesthetically pleasing and honestly – comfortable, especially if you’re moving around a lot. So, if you’re moving into a brand-new home or even building it yourself, take this into consideration.

There are many different sorts of floors that you can look at, but some of the most popular right now include:

  • Bamboo
  • Cork
  • Laminate
  • Carpet
  • Porcelain tile

Each has its own benefits and its own maintenance needs. It’s important to remember when you choose your flooring that you will have to clean it on a daily basis and that those routines can vary from one end of the spectrum to another. If you have a carpet, you’ll need to vacuum it, especially if you have pets or young children. If you have porcelain tile, you’ll want to be careful about the products that you use on it, so that it keeps its sheen. It has been very cool to see products like bamboo and cork enter the market – floor styles that require less maintenance, are often better for the environment, cost less and still look as good.

So, what do floors have to do with your foundation, you continue to wonder? If you’re a regular visitor of the Restumping Melbourne blog, then you’ve probably already answered this question. They’re a tell-tale sign of what could be going wrong down below, so we want you to do a test on a regular basis.

Take a ball and let it rest on the floor. If it rolls quickly to the other side of the room, we think it’s about time that you call experts like us. Not necessarily anything to be worried about – but how can we be the best in the business if we don’t share all of our intel on this blog?

Reach out with any questions and come back again soon!

April Home News

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April Home News

On the Restumping Melbourne blog, we have a few goals: we like to educate, we like to share, and bonus points if we’re able to entertain. In general, that happens at least once a month, when we share our round-up of the news related to your home that we’re truly passionate about. Believe us, there’s a lot of it out there. But for those who are visiting the site for the first time, you’re probably wondering? Why would a site that focuses on restumping, reblocking and underpinning want to share information around the rest of your home? Isn’t the entire purpose of the business to be an expert in reinforcing your foundation, and then handing over the work to the other experienced men and women in the business? You’d think… but we happen to like taking things above and beyond – including sharing information. Here comes our once-a-month article about what’s going on in the world of turning your house into a home:

A dream home to grow into

We loved this first article because it highlights a really important issue in the process of deciding what home to build or buy. It’s so exciting to be in the moment, especially if it’s your first home or if you’re making big steps in completely changing your path. That said, we want you to pump the brakes a little bit because if you’re making the investment, it means – as they say in the title of this article – that you’ll want to grow into it. Who knows what will happen five years into your mortgage, or if you’re planning on starting a family? This article has sage advice. Check out this link for more information.

Planting techniques for your best garden yet

Tips for planting a garden change all of the time. We know that that sounds weird because gardens look the same year-over-year. But, as with the industry that we work in, the gardening industry grows (pun intended) and evolves all of the time. So, there’s no harm in keeping an eye and a pulse on gardening and landscaping tips and tricks, because we know that you want to be the very best garden on the block. As this article shares, “Increase your growing success by giving your transplants a good start with a few simple planting techniques. Preparing them for the transition outdoors and planting properly will help you grow your best garden yet.” Read the full article here.

Gardening Q&A

And because we were on a bit of a gardening tangent, we wanted to end today with an article guaranteed to make you the best host at your next (garden) party. Vegetables are hard… all outdoor planting is. It’s not like you can simply pluck something out of a basket at a supermarket. Conversely, it does bring the joy of knowing that whatever you’re serving on the table is something that you have designed and cultivated. Looking to start a vegetable garden? Look no further. Click here and you’ll soon be the best veggie farmer around!