Time is one of the great paradoxes. It always seems to speed up when you wish you could relish the moment and lags on continuously with no end in sight when you’re in the middle of one of your less desired chores. But no matter what your perception is, every year continues to be 365.25 days, about 52 weeks and four seasons. It’s the four seasons that the Restumping team would like to focus on today. If this is your first time visiting the Restumping Melbourne site, we’re thrilled to have you here. Consider this blog an example of the first-time scenario – time flies around here, but don’t worry – we always post content on a regular basis that you’ll find both entertaining and informative. Thanks to our decades of experience in the restumping, reblocking and underpinning industries, we know that the products and services that we offer our valued community of customers is just one piece of the puzzle. It’s important for you to understand how we fit into the broader home renovation picture, the landscaping picture, even the interior design picture. The way we lead the charge on this is information sharing and today, we’re talking about those four seasons.

Okay, you ask, what do the seasons have to do with the durability of my home’s structure? Far more than you think. We’ve come a long way in looking at the engineering of foundations. We’ve learned that you can’t just build structures on top of land, that you actually have to root them into the ground. We’ve moved from timber posts to steel installations, testing throughout the process and switching course when we need to.

So, what happens with the changing of seasons? Unless you’re lucky enough to live in one of our more tropical, beach destinations, it’s a safe bet that weather patterns will change. You’ll be dealing with more rain in spring, autumn and winter than in the warmer months of summer. Conversely, in the summer, you’re dealing with dry or muggy hot air that can wreak just as much havoc on your home’s foundation.

That’s why we recommend keeping an eye on some key signs of foundation movement and tracking on those once a season. Some are pretty obvious – if you see cracks in your walls or notice that your doors or windows won’t open and shut properly, you may be looking at foundation damage. It’s important to note that that’s not always necessarily the case, but the Restumping Melbourne team will always suggest that being safe is better than being sorry. There are also even more obvious signs like water in your crawl space or basement if you have one, as well as sloping floors.

The aforementioned moisture is really the culprit here. When the rain arrives, there’s much higher risk of mould and moisture issues. But you don’t need to call an expert. Just keep an educated eye on your home and give the Restumping Melbourne team a call with any questions and all needs.

As passionate as we are about the work, sometimes the projects and tasks that we cover on the Restumping Melbourne blog simply aren’t as glamorous as we would like. Because we’re so close to the work and we chose to be in this industry, we can’t help but get excited about it. And we can’t help but want to share it with our valued community of customers. We try not to think about our customers as just that, but more as friends that we’ll have for life. Part of this relationship is transparent and helpful information sharing, and that’s where this blog comes into play. We’ve been contributing to it for a while and we consider it a hub of information for not just restumping knowledge, but home renovations and beyond. In our last post, we discussed water damage and how it can affect your crawl space. Today, we take a deeper look at some of the causes and results of the damage…. Even outside of your crawl space.

Fungi. Not a word that you like to use any more often than you have to. And unfortunately, it’s one of the main suspects and culprits of the effects of water damage. It’s an increasingly growing problem, worldwide and it effects both the structural integrity of the building the health of its inhabitants. It used to be that scientists would simply sample the air in mouldy buildings to determine the extent of the problem, but that did not nearly display the extent of the issue.

The most common fungal species have some fancy names – penicillium chrysogenum and Aspergillus versicolor. They were followed by 10-12 variations and relatives of these fungi, causing equal levels of ruckus in your lives.

Water damage is most commonly due to either human error, (like that one time you left the faucet running…whoops!) or due to natural disaster. An example of a natural disaster would be flooding. Even simple activities like cooking or showering can allow water to condense without your awareness. All it takes is this moisture in the air and then either extreme heat or extreme cold, for it to react to the building’s materials and the air inside.

We’re concerned about both of the results of fungi – the structural integrity of your home and the health of its inhabitants. Luckily, there are simple and easy ways to keep a handle on things. Look into dehumidifiers, which regulate the moisture levels in each room. These are especially helpful if you already live in a muggy region or area because you’re setting yourself up for success, no matter what Mother Nature has in store for you. Fans are another quick and easy win. You can find them in all sorts of shapes and sizes, no matter what kind of space or design constraints you have in your home. You don’t even need to leave them running all the time, as long as you’re active about using them once a day.

Questions? Comments? Give us a shout. We’d love to hear from you!

You see a blog post title like that and probably grimace a little bit. Not a good thing, that’s for sure. But if you’re visiting the Restumping Melbourne blog for the first time, for the second time, or if you’re a daily reader, you’ve already made a step in the right direction. Welcome! We’re so happy to have you here. If you’re a newer visitor, you should know that we’re the premier restumping company in Melbourne and the surrounding areas and that we’re dedicated to reinforcing the foundation of your home. That means that while this blog definitely serves as a robust one-stop-shop for all things home renovations, our focus is generally on supporting you – literally – from the ground up. So, today, we’re diving into water damage in your crawl space. (Not literally, don’t do that).

So many of us never think about water damage or our crawl spaces, because unless they’re very serious, they’re out of sight. Out of sight means out of mind and that’s a mindset that the Restumping Melbourne team would like to change. Your crawl space is the area immediately underneath your home, where we do most of our work to reinforce your foundation. But, it’s also home to many other systems that are necessary for your safety and comfort. These include things like water heaters and electrical systems. Know what happens when wires and water connect? Not a good situation.

The causes of water damage don’t require rocket science. They’re everything from leaks and flooding to standing ground water, which are all thanks to mother nature and common sense. While some situations are unavoidable, like flooding in the area, others are easy to keep in check if you regularly check on your crawl space and keep an eye on your pipes.

So, what does water damage lead to? One of the most common situations is dry rot. If you’re not familiar, it’s a fungus. It grows in any wood that’s exposed and already has high moisture content (water damage). Dry rot sounds less dangerous than it is – if you don’t keep an eye on it, the wood will degrade and cause really necessary structure elements like the beams, joists and sub flooring to totally deteriorate.

Luckily for you, Restumping Melbourne is an expert at all of the above elements. Even more luckily for you, you visited the Restumping Melbourne blog and are now properly educated about the basics of water damage in your crawl space. But this is only the beginning. Tune in for our next post when we cover fungi and the other elements that cause and are a result of water damage in your crawl space.

Questions? Comments? Let us know! The Restumping Melbourne team would love to hear from you by phone, email or in person. Other topics you’d like to see on this blog? Please reach out with any ideas. We’re excited to partner with you and help turn your house into a home.