Bathroom and Kitchen Renovations: Important things to consider for your next project.
Perimeter Drainage: Important things to consider for your big project.
(01/05/2021) Lately we have been doing a lot of major drainage work for our clients. It is becoming commonplace to utilize hydro-excavation for portions of perimeter drainage jobs to avoid utilities and create a cleaner, more streamlined jobs.
Due to the efficient organization and expert execution of these large perimeter drainage replacement jobs, they are routinely taking 4 to 5 days from start to finish. This can be a big advantage for our clients compared to those who suffer through months long projects run by some of our competitors. We often leave our clients yards in better condition than when we got there - compare that with the competition! The long and the short of it is that we are vastly superior to the competition in every way, especially when it comes to drainage projects.
Another thing that is becoming really apparent to me, is the risk to their home that many people face when hiring the competition. If you have inexperienced labourers digging next to your older home, there is a huge risk that they will over-dig, and remove the bearing soil next to your foundation. You see, older homes generally do not have a footing (the part of the foundation that transfers loads to the soil). This means that the area of the bearing soil is much smaller when you have an 8 inch wide foundation wall vs a 16" wide footing. Oftentimes when we are called in to fix work other companies have done, we find that they have dug right next to the foundation, placing a pipe with drain rock in the space previously occupied by bearing soils. Over time, the bearing soil under the foundation will infiltrate the drain rock, causing the soil under the foundation to lose its load bearing capacity, which puts your home at risk. The process of remediating this critical error is expensive and difficult - involving a staged process of replacing the previously removed bearing soil with concrete. What many competitors simply do not understand, is that the bearing soil zone changes with every job, and even within the same site. Depending on the soil type, and the moisture content of the soil, the bearing soil area will change. There is an angle which extends downwards and outwards from the bottom of the foundation or footing which defines the extent of the bearing soil. In general, a wetter soil will have a wider angle. In some cases, depending on depth below the foundation wall and the soil type, we have found it necessary to excavate 3 or 4 ft away from the foundation, and to utilize geotextile cloth to ensure there is not erosion of the bearing soil into the interstitial spaces of the drain rock over time.
This level of care to ensure that your home is protected is something you simply will not find from our competition, who often hire unskilled labour to excavate around the clients home, and we are able to deliver this level of service to our clients at a price and over a timeline that is far superior to the competition.
I wanted to make a blog post about this, because I think this is a critical issue which deserves attention. Hopefully the competition steps up their game, but in the meantime, if you want to ensure your home is not put at major risk during your drainage project, call us, and compare and contrast quotes!
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(06/09/2022) Well it's been too long since the last blog post here (too busy helping clients!) Today I wanted to write a little bit about renovations and some of the things to consider before tackling your next project.
Timing. Timing is a huge consideration which many people overlook when evaluating contractor bids. For instance, whereas we at PipeMaster can take a bathroom from start to beautiful finish in less than a week (including subfloor repairs, flooring, drywall, paint, tile work, plumbing, finish carpentry etc), many contractors will be working with multiple sub trades to coordinate schedules resulting in a long and drawn out construction process. This often leaves clients frustrated as they can see the project being delayed again and again. We at PipeMaster employ skilled tradespersons who can deliver your next project on time, on budget, and above expectations. Call us for a quote!