How to Check Your Roof and Gutters

Welcome back to our video blog. Today I am excited to have Royse Cockrell from Quality Real Estate Inspection Services with us. I asked Royse to join us so that he could give us a few tips on how to check your roof and gutter for damages.

What is the first step in inspecting your roof?

One of the most important things to keep in mind is your safety. You need a good ladder. A lot of people like to use the step ladders, but what I recommend is an extension ladder. Make sure the ladder goes above the gutters by about 2-3 feet. Then make sure the ladder is locked. I also recommend wearing gloves to protect your hands.

What should you look for once you are on the roof?

Once you're on the roof, look for damaged shingles. Often high winds can cause shingles to raise up or be completely torn off.

It's also important to check for the wearing of granules; granules are what help protect your roof from sun damage. You can often check in the gutter to see.

If you have any questions about your roof, please give us a call at 254.226.9246

Thanks for watching!

Air Conditioning Systems - Chris Coffee from Texstar Inspections

Welcome back to our video blog. Today we have Chris Coffee from Texstar Inspections with us again. We wanted to talk about how to keep your air conditioning system in tip-top shape.

Did you know that on average 10 percent of your income is spent on utilities a year? That's a a lot of money; so it's important to make sure your air conditioner is running as effectively as possible. Here are three ways to keep your bills lower.

1. Get it serviced - When is the last time you had your system checked?
2. Change the air filter - You should change the air filter every 30 days. This helps prevent coils from getting dirty and restricting the flow of air. The harder it has to work, the more money it costs you.
3. Clean your condensate drain - Take some warm, diluted bleach water and funnel it into the tube. This prevents algae from building up and causing water leakage inside your home.

These three simple tips can help save you lots of money over the year.

I want to thank Chris for being with us today. If you have any more questions for Chris you can give him a call at 254-616-9399 or e-mail him at texstar.inspector@gmail.com. If you would like to know more information about Texstar Inspections you can visit their Facebook page.

If you have any questions, give either The Shine Team or Chris a call. We'd be more than happy to help you out.

How to Prepare Your Home for the Winter with Chris Coffey

Welcome to the Shine Team’s video blog. Today we have Chris Coffey from Textar Inspections with us. He is going to help us with some tips to winterize your home.

What are the most important things we need to do to prepare our homes for freezing weather?

Make sure to have your heating system serviced. You also want to check whether all the weather stripping around the doors and sealing around the windows aren’t cracked. If those are damaged they can let cold air in causing an increase in your heating bill.

How do you take care of the sprinkler system?

It’s really important to take care of these before the freezing temperatures come. It’s an easy homeowner’s fix or there are companies that can help with that.  They’ll also help with not only your irrigation system, but your exterior plumbing as well.

You can buy frost caps at your hardware store. They are very simple to install and they can save you hundreds of dollars.

Anything else?

Check out your roof. If you have any shingles missing or issues it will only get worse in the winter. Hire a roof inspector to make sure everything is in good shape.

I want to thank Chris for being with us today. If you have any more questions for Chris you can give him a call at 254-616-9399 or e-mail him at texstar.inspector@gmail.com. If you would like to know more information about Texstar Inspections you can visit their Facebook page.

If you have any other questions for me about how to winterize your home, please give us a call 254.690.4321