Things to Look for When Buying a Home in Need of Renovations

Posted by admin on

Buying a Home in Need of Renovations? Things to Look for (Part 1)Restumping is an important investment that the Restumping Melbourne team is passionate about. It’s the reason that we got into this industry – we wanted to turn houses into homes, into comfortable spaces that you feel confident about spending your lives in. We want to increase the comfortability of your house, as well as the safety. We’re dedicated to reinforcing the foundation of your home, truly improving everything from the ground up. This means that we’re educated about every aspect of home renovations and builds – we have to, in order to do our job effectively. So, we try to share whatever nuggets of knowledge we can on the broader industry so that you’re well-informed about your home renovations and projects ahead.

Today, we’re kicking off a series focusing on a popular scenario – you’re looking to buy a new home. But the kicker is, it’s not new. In fact, it’s dated and needs lots of renovations. Renovations can be fun, and they can be very stressful when not executed properly. Add that to the stress of moving into a new place, and the result can be overwhelming. Some people thrive in these environments. If that’s you, then we congratulate you! If it’s not, you’re in the vast majority and we support you. We want you to go into the home purchasing process with no stress, so if your potential property has any of the following issues, think twice before signing on the dotted line.

Our favourite… restumping. While if restumping is the issue, we know a company that can help. But if this is one of several necessary renovations, then it may make more sense to look at a new property. The thing about restumping is that it’s non-negotiable. Not doing it only leads to issues further on down the road, which will amplify over time. If you’re totally sold on the house that you’re looking at and it needs restumping, make sure that you factor this into your budget.

Next up – rewiring (we’re focusing on renovations that begin with the letter “r” today). Most houses older than 20-30 years would at least benefit, if not need, rewiring. Because this is an invisible change, most people don’t think about it or they neglect it. Don’t let that be your problem. While it doesn’t add curb appeal, rewiring is necessary for your safety and comfort.

Finally, for today, roofing. There are a bunch of tasks that need to be completed in order for your roof to be up to code and well maintained. Do the homework, do the math and determine if this is a trade-off for you. It may not be cost-prohibitive, but you’ll want an expert to validate that. You may need to totally replace the roof, which equals far more dollar signs than minor repairs or repainting.

Stay tuned for future posts discussing more renovations to keep your eye on. Questions? Comments? Give us a shout. The Restumping Melbourne team would love to hear from you.

Why Doing it Right Matters

Posted by admin on

Why Doing it Right MattersWelcome back to the Restumping Melbourne blog! We’re so thrilled to have you here and to share what gets us excited about restumping, reblocking and underpinning your home or business. Unfamiliar with how it works? We invite you to reach out to our team for comprehensive descriptions of our services, but we’ll give you a high-level definition right here. Each of the above are the art of fortifying the foundation of your home. Why does that matter? You may be asking. Your foundation is literally the reason why your home sits in the ground and why it doesn’t go sliding down the street when weather or wind hit. It’s not as simple as levelling the ground and beginning to build. Instead a complicated and important process exists for almost all homes and businesses wherein supports are rooted deeply in the ground.

This may be an eye-opening surprise to you, but today’s post focuses on exactly why it’s important and why it’s essential to do it right. We recently discussed what sets the Restumping Melbourne team apart. If you missed the post, it boils down to two things – experience and customer service. They go hand-in-hand and they’re the root of our business.

That’s not the case for some and that’s why we share a cautionary tale today. More and more, we’re hearing about companies that cut corners. This disappoints us. To put it bluntly, it makes us sad. We value your business and the opportunity to work with you on turning your house into a safe and comfortable home. We know that you have dozens of other options, but it makes sense to pick the Restumping Melbourne team.

Back to the companies that cut corners. When you don’t properly invest in home renovations and updates, the results can be catastrophic. One story in particular comes to mind. Back in 2011, a restumping business owner was trapped under a home while it was being restumped, resulting in more than $40,000 for the business itself. The home fell from the hydraulic jacks that were being used to lift it up, trapping the worker face down and ultimately breaking his pelvis. The structural damage that caused the house to collapse meant that it was eventually demolished. The company faced counts including one count failing to ensure that the public were not exposed to either safety or health risks and one count that the company did not provide a safe workplace.

The two different counts are important here. We care deeply for the safety of our teammates and ensure that each of them goes through strict and extensive training to handle any situation that the day might throw at them. Your health and safety, as our customers, is vital to us too. That’s why we take the time to meet and talk through the entirety of our process and answer every question you may have. You can ask questions about our equipment, about our work, and you can vet our previous experiences with dozens of happy customers.

The Difference Between Restumping Melbourne and our Competitors

Posted by admin on

The Difference Between Restumping Melbourne and our CompetitorsWelcome to the Restumping Melbourne blog! We’re so happy to have you here and to share with you information about an industry that we’re passionate about. We’ve been restumping, reblocking and underpinning homes and businesses in the Melbourne area for years, and our company boasts the best in the business. This blog serves as our conversation hub for the topics that get us excited. We believe that one of the best ways to encourage our customers to take care of the foundations of their homes and businesses is to arm them with the information that will help them make the right decisions. It’s not about selling, it’s about sharing.

Today, we’re talking about our industry at large. We’re fortunate enough to live in an area where you have many options to choose from. And we’re excited that you’re here with us. We want to prove to you that you’ve made the right choice, but we don’t think that will be hard to do.

Our Experience

First up, let’s talk through the basics. When you choose Restumping Melbourne, you can expect experience. As mentioned previously, we come to the table with years of it. We’ve fortified the foundation on properties of all shapes and sizes. It doesn’t matter what style of home you have and it doesn’t matter what neighbourhood you live in. We’ve worked on every different type of terrain, and we’ve worked with every type of soil. We’ve seen sloped lots that would make you nervous and we’ve worked on properties that are riddled with trees. We have dozens of stories as we’ve learned over the years and they’ve helped shape the level of experience that our team members have today. Sometimes our customers are nervous to move forwards with restumping jobs because they know what’s at stake. After all, we’re essentially ripping apart your home. But when you look at our Website and you look at our work, we hope it puts you at ease.

Our Level of Customer Service

Second only to experience is the level of customer service and support that you can expect from the Restumping Melbourne team. While we’re not saying that our competitors are disrespectful, we are saying that we take the extra time to make you feel comfortable. Like we previously mentioned, many of our customers are nervous about embarking on the work. This is only amplified if the team that you’re working with is cold or distant. We treat our customers like friends and want you to know that the relationship continues far after the work is done. Questions? Let us know. Comments? We want to hear them. Feedback? We relish it. It’s the best way to grow and that’s something that we’ll make a priority until the end of time.

There are many other soft and hard skills that set our work and our team apart, but these two are paramount. We hope that they encourage and inspire you to contact us and begin the work of making your home as safe and as comfortable as possible.

Building Sustainably in this Day and Age

Posted by admin on

Building Sustainably in this Day and AgeIt’s an important buzz word – sustainability. It applies to most industries but is especially important with the work that we do. We literally build and support homes from the ground-up, and there’s no way we can feel good about the work that we do, if it isn’t keeping the values that we hold dear to our hearts, close in mind. If you’re visiting the Restumping Melbourne site for the first time, you’ll quickly learn that there are a few things that we believe are most important. These include things like customer service, communication, transparency, honesty and good old-fashioned feedback. We try and emulate each of these in the work that we do, and specifically the information that we share here on the Restumping Melbourne blog. It influences our personalities and ensures that we come to the table, ready to provide the best work possible for our valued customers.

As mentioned above, sustainability is a big one in this space for us. We really look at the materials that we use, the tools that we purchase and use to do the work and regularly confirm what kind of impact they’re having on our environments. Here are some sobering facts:

  • The percentage of scientists who agree that warming trends over the past century are very likely caused by human activity is 97 percent.
  • Rise in global sea levels have risen 8 inches over the last century. The rate of rise has nearly doubled in the last two decades.
  • The average worldwide temperature has increased 1.5 degrees in Fahrenheit compared to just 100 years ago.

So, what do these have to do with reinforcing your foundation? They’re partly important because we want to look at the materials that we purchase and know that they’re not affecting statistics like those. They’re also important because they remind us of the entire lifecycle of our products. Just because foundation jobs run their course (a rarity if you’re working with Restumping Melbourne) doesn’t mean that those materials just disappear into the either. They hopefully get recycled or used in another fashion. There are so many cool things happening these days with technology and science that wood can in theory turn into a totally different material.

While we focus on the foundation of your home, there are dozens of other ways that you can get after building your home sustainably. The first has many benefits… you can look at the insulation of your walls and ensure that you have a ceiling board. You can assume your bank account will be much fuller if you do this because it saves more money on energy bills. You should also take also install windows that are double-glazed and install solar panels. The ideas are endless; you just need to get creative.

And we can help you get creative. So reach out to the Restumping Melbourne team with questions and comments to ensure that your home is safe and comfortable and everything that you ever dreamed of.

Inexpensive Ways to Add Value to Your Home

Posted by admin on

Inexpensive Ways to Add Value to Your HomeThe Restumping Melbourne firmly believes that a strong foundation is what turns a house into a home. It’s the glue that holds your home together and if it’s shaky or unstable, it can cause a whole host of other problems. These radiate up through the top of the home and can be incredibly detrimental to its value, later on down the line. There’s huge value in reinforcing your home, because sooner or later, you’ll have to turn it loose on the market. There is so much science in what adds value to a home, especially during the selling process and this changes year-over-year. After all, it’s hard to keep up with architectural and interior design trends, but someone has to do it! Luckily for you, that’s us – the team at Restumping Melbourne. We’re always big proponents of sharing information with our valued customers and today is no exception. We’re a little unique in the sense that we like to maximize the cash in your pocket, and that’s why the theme of today is the small shifts you can make which will still add value to your home.

First up, clean it up

You can’t over-sell the power of a clean home and in it has more long-term benefits than you can imagine. Think about the difference it makes when you clean your hardwood floors on a regular basis, than doing the monthly cleaning that takes hours upon hours. Your home becomes more conditioned to be clean, and it’s just a good habit for you to have in your back-pocket. Make it part of your monthly routine and you’ll find much more pride and joy in your house.

Take a look at your curb appeal

While you may have the most beautifully designed home with the best fortified foundation, that’s not what passersby will notice. We are younger and younger generations with shorter and shorter attention spans. If you can’t command the attention of those walking by, they’ll move on to the next property. This again, doesn’t need to be a big investment, of either time or money. Instead, just think about a few plants that will add colour or unique ways to make your front door pop.

Patch and paint

This combines both of the above. It’s functional and aesthetically pleasing. And it can add thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars to your property. The paint on either the exterior or the interior of your home may not even need updating. It could just be a good colour update for the season. However, if there are issues with the walls, the ceiling, or the roof, patching is an important component of this equation. Just make sure that you’re consulting an expert if you’re exploring this space, because you want the work done right.

Questions? Comments? Ideas? Ready to reinforce your foundation and take your home to the next level. Give the Restumping Melbourne team a shout. We would love to hear from you, anytime.

March Home Renovation News

Posted by admin on

March Home Renovation NewsAnother month, another recap of the very best found on the World Wide Web. If you’re newer to the Restumping Melbourne site, welcome! Here you will find the best in the biz when it comes to restumping jobs. Even broader than that, we serve you as experts with decades of experience in the home renovation and landscaping realms. We’ve worked with homes of every size and every style. We’ve worked on every type of terrain and with every different type of customer and we’ve loved every single job. That’s why it’s so much fun for us on a monthly basis, to regroup as a team and then share out our favourite finds on the Web. Here are some of the best of March:

Home Renovation Reveals Artefacts From 1800s

How much fun would it be to move into a new home and determine that hundreds of years of history came before you? That recently happened to this family, who upon further inspection, came upon a host of very exciting historical artefacts from the 1800s. It’s a great reminder that no matter how old your home is, it tells a cool story, especially rooted in the foundations that we reinforce. Read on here for details.

Home Renovations Spark Retail Hiring Increase

This one comes to us from across the pond. Did you know that “In all, retailers added 50,300 jobs in February – four times the number from the month before – even as the U.S. unemployment rate stayed steady at 4.1 percent.”? Who knew that the cause of this was an influx in home renovations? One of the most main causes is building-material stores who back many of the exciting home renovations not just in the United States but also around the world. They hired 10,000 workers last month alone in the United States to ensure that they could meet booming demand associated with home renovations. Read on here for details.

Want to Renovate Your Home Without Headaches?

This article is for you. It’s one of the largest deterrents when it comes to deciding if you’re going to move forwards with a home renovation. Yes, the end result sounds great but you have no idea how much work will go in to the interim. That’s why there has been such an influx in companies, especially smaller companies and start-ups that are there to lend a helping hand. This particular article highlights the importance of these companies and their growth in the future. RemodelMate is currently sourcing funding to help execute on a very cool business plan, where they’ll take all of the work out of future remodels. You can learn more about this here.

These are some of our favourite articles that we’ve found this season, but we know that there are a host of others around the Web. What do our valued customers want to learn about? What questions do you have? What do you want to know in the future? Be sure to let us know so that we can bring you the information that you need.

Spotlight on Composite Decking- Part 2

Posted by admin on

Spotlight on Composite Decking- Part 2Welcome to the Restumping Melbourne blog! If this is your first visit, we’re so happy to have you here. If you’re an expert in the space or a regular reader, we welcome you back just as passionately. This is our little home on the Web, where we get to share with you the topics, products and stories that we’re most excited about. Frequently, these fall specifically into the restumping space. We share the newest trends, where Restumping jobs have turned up in the news (in good ways and in bad ways), as well as what’s going on with our team and our company. But sometimes, we take a step outside of the box, so to speak, and expand our offerings out to home renovations, landscaping and the like. Today, the two are rather married as we dive deeper into composite decking.

In our last post, we talked about its general benefits and what exactly it is. A refresher? It’s a great alternative to wood if you’re building an outdoor deck. It’s durable; it’s often less-expensive and avoids many of the pitfalls that can come with a wooden deck. These include mould, warping and those pesky insects that tend to take bites out of wood. Today, we continue the journey, first with considerations that you should keep top of mind.

Installation instructions are a big one. If you’re not a big do-it-yourselfer, you should always, always call in the experts. It’s never worth it if you make a costly mistake and negate all of the hard work that you’ve put into your home renovation project. There are some styles of low-maintenance composite decking boards that have few steps to follow for installation. All you need to do is track down reverse thread screws and screw down the wooden planks. The reason that you want to source the reverse thread screws is that you will mitigate any “mushrooming” issues on the surface, where the boards may push up in the middle, giving them a mushroom-like look. An alternative is the different products with grooved edges. The grooved edges mean that you can use hidden fastener clips that no one will ever see.

You’re probably wondering exactly what these boards are made of, and that can be an important. The key materials here are polyethylene plastic or polyvinyl chloride. These are more commonly known as HDPE/LDPE and PVC. These materials are then mixed with rice hulls, or wood fibres, or other fillers to create the look. You can cut and treat them just look wood decking, but keep in mind that most decking is installed horizontally over 16” and diagonally over 12”. You’ll be even better set up for success if you look to the manufacturing companies for accessories and any other needs the system might have associated.

Bottom line, every home is different. Composite decking may be the solution for you. Questions? Comments? Give us a shout. The Restumping Melbourne team would love to hear from you.

Spotlight on Composite Decking- Part 1

Posted by admin on

Spotlight on Composite DeckingWe get to do a lot of fun things here at Restumping Melbourne, jobs that we’re experienced in and passionate about. Obviously, the core of our business is the restumping jobs that we do, but those jobs have taught us a tonne about the makeup of any home. We’ve learned about verandas and porches, and balconies and decks. We’ve learned that makes them good and strong and what can tear them apart easily. We feel very strongly that part of our success as a company is ensuring that our customers feel properly educated about these topics. The best case scenario in our minds is that our customers feel totally comfortable with our work because they know exactly what we’re doing. That’s why we take the time to info-share on this blog so much. It ensures that we all win. Today, we’re focusing on composite decking.

Unfamiliar? Composite decking is (lifted from How Stuff Works) a man-made building product that includes an approximate equal mix of recycled wood fibres and recycled plastic. Because composite decking products are so durable and impervious to rot, they have a much longer lifespan than wood decks.

There are dozens and dozens of manufacturers and each brand and style has different benefits that might make the most sense for you. There continue to be more and more each year. In fact, composite decking has come a long way since the 80s and 90s when products tended to be a bit less durable and lower-quality. Back then, you got what you paid for. Now, there are far more low-cost products available that will still get the job done. Products distributed these days are also far less likely to breed mould and mildew, to fade and to stain.

It doesn’t matter what colour or stain that you’re looking for; there is a brand and product out there for you. You can choose from natural looking colours or go for a bolder look. There are even variegated tones that truly reflect exotic hardwood grain patterns. If you can imagine, this is creating a very niche market called “deck fashion”. How the times have changed right?

There are many benefits when it comes to low maintenance. Real wood materials need to receive a different level of maintenance and support that composite decking doesn’t have to undergo. You do need to stain composite decking, you don’t need to seal it and you don’t need to paint it – it’s ready to go. If you’re willing to pay a slightly higher price point, your composite decking may even come with a warranty that then protects you from insect damage, from rot and from cracking and splitting. But there are a few things to keep in mind before you pull the trigger on your decision. Make sure that whatever installation you move forward with has been evaluated by a materials testing laboratory, and make sure that the laboratory is accredited. The reason for this is that you want to be certain that the decking that you’ve chosen meets baseline architectural standards.

More to come in our next post about other things to keep in mind and what style would work best for you.

February Home Renovation News

Posted by admin on

February Home Renovation NewsIt’s about that time again, once again the Restumping Melbourne team is on hand to deliver the latest and greatest of home renovation news. For those newer to our site, welcome! We like to consider ourselves experts in the home renovation sphere and a one-stop-shop for all things landscaping, home renovations, interior design and beyond. It’s due in part to our decades of experience. It’s also due in part to our ever-increasing passion about what we do. We’re a tight knit bunch and we’re committed to bringing the dream homes of our customers a reality. A huge part of that for us, is info sharing. We strongly believe that the more knowledge our customers have, the more fun and imagination they can have while designing their dream homes. That’s why, regularly, we share a round-up of the best of the Web. Read on for informative and entertaining articles.

Looking to lower your monthly bills?

Read this now. It’s never any fun to pay your monthly bills and there are fewer greater stressors than watching them increase over time. Conversely, it’s always fun to identify ways to keep these bills down and that’s specifically the goal of this article. To be even more detailed, we’re talking about homeowners’ insurance. It’s one of those bills that you’re not going to avoid, but you’d be surprised to learn exactly how you can pinch pennies and limit this cost. Click here to learn more.

Not feeling confident about home inspections?

Read this now. Again, this is a check off of the to-do list that you’re not going to be able to circumvent. Home inspections are the best way to guarantee that your new house is exactly the home that you thought it would be, and that you want it to be. We can’t tell you the number of times that potential homeowners have told us horror stories about hidden mold issues or even damage to the home’s foundation. Now it’s time to take this one step further. This article discusses the benefits of pre-listing home inspections. Click here to learn more.

Overdue for a deep clean of your garage or basement?

Read this now. We all put them off. We all say that “next” Sunday will be the planned date for a deep clean. But this article, detailing exactly what you shouldn’t leave in your garage or basement may speed up that timeline. Some of the eight items may be obvious, like propane tanks, but did you know that natural fabrics may also be a red flag. Since humidity levels can be higher in your basement spaces, these can actually be just as flammable. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention even notes that linen and cotton fabrics can grow mold at 80 percent humidity. Click here to learn more.

Questions? Comments? Give us a shout. The team here at Restumping Melbourne would love to hear from you.

Foundation Horror Stories- 2018 Edition

Posted by admin on

Foundation Horror Stories- 2018 EditionWe know it’s not Halloween, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t like to share creepy stories when we can. These are not to alarm, but rather to educate and inform the valued customer base of Restumping Melbourne – always our number one goal. If you’re newer to the Restumping Melbourne site, welcome! We’re glad to have you here. You’ll find that we’re your one-stop shop for all things foundation reinforcement. If you’re old hat on our site, then you already know the name of the game.

We pride ourselves on our work and we pride ourselves on our customer service. Our support remains long after your restumping or underpinning job is done, and we’re always around to answer any questions that you may have. That also means that we like to have a little fun with you. Read on for some of our favourite foundation horror stories, that hopefully also serve as a reminder of the importance of our services:

The one where they didn’t vet their contractor

We’re going to lump many different stories that we’ve heard into one giant hypothetical nightmare, here. And reinforce exactly why it never pays to go the cheap route when it comes to labour. We’re talking about your home after all. This is the tale of a family who picked their contractor off of the internet and didn’t vet them or ask for references. They were so motivated to get the work done, that they allowed the contractor into their home and let him well enough alone. Imagine their surprise when they came home at the end of the day and all of their belongings were gone. He wasn’t a contractor at all.

The one where they weren’t on the same page with their contractor

At least in this scenario, the family had vetted their contractor. They knew that she would do excellent work and were ready to get the process going. Then began the conversations back and forth. The family thought that they had been very clear in what they were looking for, but alas- did not get it on paper. When the work was complete, it was very different than what they had imagined. Because they didn’t have any proof on paper, they didn’t have any sort of case against the contractor.

The one where they had the wrong sort of work done

These families experienced similar scenarios but at a much greater price. They didn’t know anything about foundation reinforcement, instead, were told to execute on the work by a friend who just thought it might be a good idea. The contractor came in and did the work, received his payment and left. Two years down the road, cracks appeared in the walls. The wrong area of the foundation had been reinforced and now the work had to be completed all over again.

As mentioned, these are cautionary tales that can be completely avoided if you work with the Restumping Melbourne team. Reach out with any questions or comments. We’d love to hear from you.