Hanson: What I Learned from the Blizzard of 2015

plans reviewAs I sit here one week after the Blizzard for 2015, watching more snow fall and looking at the forecast for the next few days. I’m praying that the flickering lights don’t go out completely, I’m now regretting a few things.

Do you remember the tale of the Cobbler’s Children? The cobbler would work all day making and fixing shoes for other people. So by the end of the day he was too tired to make his own kids any shoes. Well, a contractor’s house is much like the Cobblers Kids…always last to be on the to-do list.

During the Blizzard of 2013 Giovanni was just over a year old. We were lucky to only loose power for a day or so but we committed that over the spring and summer we’d get ourselves better prepared for future storms. We’ll I now see how poorly we executed that plan. But in writing this blog for all of you, I’m hoping that my renewed commitment will also inspire you, because they are already calling for more snow Friday (yikes!)

 

So what am I wishing today we had already handled?

  1. Stand-By Generator

I am sure our friends at New England Generator will be very busy next week with calls from new clients.  As stand by generator is a larger unit than a portable generator that is permanently installed. We will pour a concrete pad to sit on. It is then hooked into your gas or propane line. It will kick in automatically if the power goes out.

  1. Vinyl Replacement Windows

majesty-double-hung-windowWe live in a nice little colonial house that was built in early 1990s. Our oversized wooden windows had storm windows installed over them 10-15 years ago. To be honest neither the wood nor storm windows are in great condition and when the shades are open you can dramatically feel the cold air seeping in.

By replacing them with Harvey Vinyl Classic Replacement Windows we’ll cut down on energy costs and they will be easier to clean.

 

  1. Replace the doors Weather-stripping

Again our house is 25 years old, and it’s time to start repairing and replacing some items. Our doors are solid, but the weather-stripping around them has started to crack and disintegrate, so like the windows in spots you can feel more air leakage than you should even with a good storm door.

Classic Craft Canvas Collection

Classic Craft Canvas Collection

As a temporary fix we can install new weather-stripping around the doors until we can get a new Therma-Tru Entry Door unit installed.

  1. Fireplace

We have a beautiful wooden fireplace. But since we moved in 3 years ago have only sparing used it…Yup just during the Blizzard of 2013 in the no power emergency. It needs to be inspected and cleaned so we are sure it is safe to use.
So what projects do you wish you had handled earlier? It may be too late to get them done for the Blizzard of 2015 – but we can start planning now to have it done before the next storm so you can enjoy the storm and not dread it. When I asked some friends here are the projects they said: Replace the roof, garage addition and Vinyl replacement windows, new front door.

Hopefully this will be our big snow event for the year, and I’m making a commitment to tackle this list so next year I am not as concerned as I am sure we will be facing the Blizzard of 2016.

 

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What I Learned from the Blizzard of 2015
As a third generation family owned and operated company for over 50 years Almar Building has all the benefits of a small company with the options of a larger company including financing. From Additions, Kitchens, Bathroom, Basement Renovations, Siding, Windows, to Doors Almar services the entire South Shore of Massachusetts including: Hanover, Hingham, Pembroke, Norwell, Scituate, Cohasset, Duxbury, Hanson, Abington, Rockland, Holbrook, Braintree, Weymouth, Milton, and many more towns. https://www.almarbuilding.com 781-826-2577

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Craig Guido

With 20 years of remodeling experience both in the field and working in collaboration with homeowners to develop remodeling projects designed to fit your lifestyle.