Posts Tagged ‘Exterior’
Be Smart When Closing Up Your Country Home This Fall
With COVID-19 travel restrictions in place all summer, many people decided to vacation in the country. Those who already had a cottage spent a lot of their summer in the country and those city dwellers who had never considered having a second residence decided to buy a second home. Reals estate sales in the Laurentians…
Read MoreSummer! Time to Get Your Deck in Ship Shape
While a ship’s captain may have a little time to batten down the hatch and get all hands on deck when he smells a storm, your deck may not give you the chance before it collapses. Your deck is where you relax, toast your daughter’s graduation, and celebrate summer. But a deck can also be…
Read MoreTop 10 Home Defects – How to Spot and Deal with Them – Part 2
For nearly 15 years, Mose Home Inspection Services (MHIS) has been working to make home owners and prospective buyers more knowledgeable. The goal is to help them be better prepared to make an informed decision when buying, selling or renovating a home. Michael Winkel, one of our home inspectors, has done some research and prepared…
Read MoreThe #1 Reason Montréal Roofs Leak in Winter
By Michael Winkel, Certified Building Inspector Have you ever been sitting back on your sofa, seeing no evil, thinking no evil, when suddenly, you hear a dripping sound? Alarmed, you investigate and discover water dripping from a single point in the ceiling. The drywall and carpeting are soaking wet. How can this be? Is there…
Read MoreWinter Preparation: Let’s Go Nuts!
All the squirrels and chipmunks are running around, busy collecting nuts, making sure their homes are well stocked… and you? What exactly are you doing to get ready for winter? Before settling into hibernation mode, it’s a good idea to do a thorough walk around your home and see what may benefit from a little…
Read MoreClimbing Vines on Brick: Much Ado About Nothing?
This year’s Montreal and area Shakespeare in the park series featured Shakespeare’s comedy, Much Ado About Nothing. The meaning of the title to this play, often misinterpreted, is about making a big fuss when there is nothing to fuss about. They play attempts to show that deceit is not inherently evil, but can be used…
Read MoreIce on the Roof: Remove or Leave Alone?
Deep freeze at -26 Celcius. Next day, a balmy 2 degrees and everything melts. Then it rains. Then freezes again. Then snow. What’s a homeowner to do? Be prepared. Freezing and melting water can be your home’s biggest enemy. Ice, especially, can cause a lot of damage. But the fact is, removing thick ice from…
Read MoreThe Cottage Closing Guide
It’s that time of year. The leaves will soon turn red and gold, and the cottage will need to be properly closed up for winter. It’s always good to have a checklist to ensure you don’t forget anything. We’ve compiled a list of what we consider the most important cottage closing tasks, organized by area.…
Read MoreWhy Water is your Home’s Biggest Enemy and Caulking is Your Best Friend
I went to visit my mother last week. We sipped tea and talked about the latest news and events. My mom likes to express her opinions by using proverbs. Her inventory is quite astounding. If people are not barking up the wrong tree or making mountains out of molehills, they are putting carts before horses…
Read MoreVinyl Siding: A flammable material
A few weeks ago a friend called me to say he had some pictures I should take a look at. He told me that a relative of his living in Vaudreuil, (west of Montreal) was hosting a few friends on his back deck one evening when a cigarette was apparently stubbed out in a planter…
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