Basement Waterproofing and Crawl Space Repair in IA

Major flooding wreaks havoc and causes one death already in Iowa

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 01:41:01 -0400

Des Moines, IA - Major flooding in Iowa has taken residents by storm and been the cause of at least one death, as reported by the Associated Press. The flooding was caused by 3 nights of heavy thunderstorms and more rain is possible over the weekend.

On Wednesday night Iowa received 2 to 4 inches of rain in the overnight hours. These storms come on the heels of a snowy winter, wet spring and rainy summer which have all helped saturate the region. National Weather Service Forecast meteorologist Jim Lee says, "The bulk of this has been caused by those recent extreme rainfalls, especially back-to-back-to-back."

Between Altoona and Mitchellville 3 cars had been swept off the road by flood waters and the dozen or so passengers were found clinging to trees and logs to stay safe. The death of a 16-year-old girl has been blamed on the flooding and rescue divers found her body in Mud Creek Wednesday afternoon near cars which were swept away.

In Ames, Iowa the Iowa State University's basketball arena is under 4 to 5 feet of water and 55,000 nearby residents were forced to move to higher ground. Saturated soil broke a water main in Ames, 30 miles north of Des Moines, forcing hundreds of residents out of the area. This drained a city water tower and made it possible that contaminated the system's water supply. Water, gas and electricity to the affected areas have been shut off to avoid additional water main breaks and a dangerous environment to residents. Police Sargeant Lori Lavorato remarked that, "It's such a serious and dangerous situation any time there is water around these homes because of the electricity and gas."

Residents are hoping the rains will subside so that flood waters can recede. In the meantime rescue efforts are underway where needed. The American Red Cross has set up evacuation shelters in Oskaloosa in Mahaska County and Pleasant Hill in Polk County for area residents to receive, food, shelter and emotional support.

Once flood waters have receded, Iowa residents will need to clean up their homes and business to return to their daily lives. Tim Heady, owner of Midwest Basement Systems reports that "major thoroughfare Interstate 35 is closed off due to the flooding." The company also set over two hundred appointments on August 11th to help area residents with their Des Moines flooded basement needs. To speak with their expert basement and crawlspace waterproofers contact Midwest Basement Systems today.

Midwest Basement Systems

5153 Northeast 17th

Des Moines, IA 50313-2116

http://www.midwestbasementsystems.com

Midwest Basement Systems Becomes Dr. Energy Saver's First Franchisee

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 04:00:29 -0400

Des Moines, IA - Energy savings and healthier indoor environments are every homeowner's dreams, and that is why Dr. Energy Saver™, an energy audit franchise, has extended its services to Americans across the country, beginning this June with the greater Des Moines area --- Dr. Energy Saver's first franchisee.

Dr. Energy Saver™ of Des Moines is comprised of specialists trained in home energy efficiency with cooling and heating, improved indoor air quality, and other indoor environmental concerns such as mold prevention and other allergens.

This new franchisee offers energy repair services such as sealing leaks, installing insulation and radiant barriers, repairing and replacing water heaters and ductwork, and improving HVAC systems.

The owner of Des Moines’ Dr. Energy Saver™, Tim Heady, is a titan in the home improvement industry with 20 years of experience and great success as the owner of Midwest Basement Systems.

If you're a homeowner seeking ways to save on your energy costs, consider Dr. Energy Saver™ for ways to upgrade your windows, doors, appliances, and also improve your air purifiers and indoor air quality. With Dr. Energy Saver™ you'll receive complete home energy audit services and quote for repairs in the Greater Des Moines area.

Contact Dr. Energy Saver™ today for your home energy audit in greater Des Moines, IA.

Midwest Basement Systems, located in Des Moines, Iowa, expanded its home improvement services to include home energy audits and repair services through becoming a Dr. Energy Saver™ franchisee. Midwest Basement Systems has been a greater Des Moines basement waterproofing expert since 1995 and is Iowa's leading basement waterproofing contractor.

Midwest Basement Systems specializes in basement waterproofing, crawlspace repair, mold control, foundation repair, and most recently; energy audits. Contact Dr. Energy Saver™ today for your Des Moines energy audit.

Eleven tips to winterize your home

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 08:58:03 -0400

Here are eleven tips to help you prepare your home for winter:

1) Furnace Inspection

Call an HVAC professional to inspect your furnace and clean ducts.
Stock up on furnace filters and change them monthly.
Consider switching out your thermostat for a programmable thermostat.
If your home is heated by a hot-water radiator, bleed the valves by opening them slightly and when water appears, close them.
Remove all flammable material from the area surrounding your furnace.

2) Get the Fireplace Ready

Cap or screen the top of the chimney to keep out rodents and birds.
If the chimney hasn't been cleaned for a while, call a chimney sweep to remove soot and creosote.
Buy firewood or chop wood. Store it in a dry place away from the exterior of your home.
Inspect the fireplace damper for proper opening and closing.
Check the mortar between bricks and tuckpoint, if necessary.

3) Check the Exterior, Doors and Windows

Inspect exterior for crevice cracks and exposed entry points around pipes; seal them.
Use weather stripping around doors to prevent cold air from entering the home and caulk windows.
Replace cracked glass in windows and, if you end up replacing the entire window, prime and paint exposed wood.
If your home has a basement, consider protecting its window wells by covering them with plastic shields.
Switch out summer screens with glass replacements from storage. If you have storm windows, install them.

4) Inspect Roof, Gutters & Downspouts

If your weather temperature will fall below 32 degrees in the winter, adding extra insulation to the attic will prevent warm air from creeping to your roof and causing ice dams.
Check flashing to ensure water cannot enter the home.
Replace worn roof shingles or tiles.
Clean out the gutters and use a hose to spray water down the downspouts to clear away debris.
Consider installing leaf guards on the gutters or extensions on the downspouts to direct water away from the home.

5) Service Weather-Specific Equipment

Drain gas from lawnmowers.
Service or tune-up snow blowers.
Replace worn rakes and snow shovels.
Clean, dry and store summer gardening equipment.
Sharpen ice choppers and buy bags of ice-melt / sand.

6) Check Foundations

Rake away all debris and edible vegetation from the foundation.
Seal up entry points to keep small animals from crawling under the house.
Tuck-point or seal foundation cracks. Mice can slip through space as thin as a dime.
Inspect sill plates for dry rot or pest infestation.
Secure crawlspace entrances.

7) Install Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors

Some cities require a smoke detector in every room.
Buy extra smoke detector batteries and change them when daylight savings ends.
Install a carbon monoxide detector near your furnace and / or water heater.
Test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to make sure they work.
Buy a fire extinguisher or replace an extinguisher older than 10 years.

8) Prevent Plumbing Freezes

Locate your water main in the event you need to shut it off in an emergency.
Drain all garden hoses.
Insulate exposed plumbing pipes.
Drain air conditioner pipes and, if your AC has a water shut-off valve, turn it off.
If you go on vacation, leave the heat on, set to at least 55 degrees.

9) Prepare Landscaping & Outdoor Surfaces

Trim trees if branches hang too close to the house or electrical wires.
Ask a gardener when your trees should be pruned to prevent winter injury.
Plant spring flower bulbs and lift bulbs that cannot winter over such as dahlias in areas where the ground freezes.
Seal driveways, brick patios and wood decks.
Don't automatically remove dead vegetation from gardens as some provide attractive scenery in an otherwise dreary, snow-drenched yard.
Move sensitive potted plants indoors or to a sheltered area.

10) Prepare an Emergency Kit

Buy indoor candles and matches / lighter for use during a power shortage.
Find the phone numbers for your utility companies and tape them near your phone or inside the phone book.
Buy a battery back-up to protect your computer and sensitive electronic equipment.
Store extra bottled water and non-perishable food supplies (including pet food, if you have a pet), blankets and a first-aid kit in a dry and easy-to-access location.
Prepare an evacuation plan in the event of an emergency.

11) Disconnect the Sump Pump Discharge Hose

Allowing water to freely discharge from you sump pump line is vital in keeping your systems from backing up
Water will freeze inside the hose during the winter causing the line to clog
Have a new specially engineered fitting and a buried discharge line installed that will allow for water to discharge from the line (Ice Guard System)
Install a proper outlet on the end of the exterior discharge line to prevent clogging (LawnScape Outlet)

10 Commandments Hiring A Contractor

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 12:45:21 -0400

Have a plan, know what you want to accomplish before you call anyone. Remember that you are in the driver seat.

Ger more than 1 opinion. Just because a friend or family refers someone does not mean they are any good.

Have a budget in mind. Don’t be afraid to readjust your budget, you may have over or under shot the figure in your head. If you are not familiar with the industry, you may not have a good basis for your budget. Your budget should not reflect what you can afford to spend; the last thing you want is to get a lesser job done because your budget is not right. You may be better off not doing anything. Research the kind of work you are interesting in doing.

Pick a good contractor. Don’t be afraid to change your mind after doing research. Can your find your contractor? How much are you willing to pay someone you can’t even find? Check the BBB. Get referrals. Check them out on the internet. See if your can visit a job site. Will there be subcontractors being used, will you get lien waivers. How long have they been around, are they local? Insurance, workers comp, and general liability.

Check out the products being used. Check out the materials being used. Remember your have to live with your decision. Your contractor doesn’t. You only get 1 shot at it.

Be very thorough on the contract. Remember if it is not on the contract it is not getting done. No work should be started without a contract. What happens if there are changes? Clear understanding of payment. Written warranty. Who gets permits? Clean up and debris removal. Start date, and completion date. Unforeseen things. Get a good diagram of what is being done. Make no assumptions.

Be careful with deposits. Your may never see that money again. Some industries require deposits, like special order windows. If there is no special order materials then why give a deposit. Can that company afford to do the job? Beware of scam.

How many jobs does the company have going at one time? There is nothing more frustrating than having a company start your job and then you don’t see them for a week while they use your deposit money to go finish someone else’s job. How long before they are going out of business. Don’t get caught.

Get the work done. Review work with foreman; ask questions as work is getting done, if conflicts arise this is the time to deal with it. Take photos as job is being done. Proof. Keep good records and talk to contractor.

Report on the results. If the experience was bad, try to resolve it with the company first. If you can’t to that, and you have given proper time, take action, be a good consumer. If they did a great job, report that, tell everyone, that company deserves and endorsement from you.

The importance of backup sump pumps.

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 09:51:28 -0500

When wild weather strikes, along with a tremendous amount of moisture, it brings the kind of conditions that have the power to cause power outages

Strong winds and lightening in the summer, and heavy frozen precipitation accumulating on the power lines in winter.

No power, no sump pump. Just when you need it most.

Every year, homeowners across America are hit with losses of millions of dollars in property damage, due to basement floods, and many of them happen because homeowners do not have a backup sump pump.

No basement is 100% safe without a battery operated backup sump pump.

Protect yours against flood. Contact us for information about our innovative sump pump systems, with battery operated backup included.

We have the best sump pump systems in the market, in configurations to fit your specific waterproofing needs and your budget. Flexible payment options make them affordable.

Think of everything you can lose if your basement floods, and then think of the peace of mind you will have, not worrying about your basement the next time your neighborhood is hit by a heavy storm.

Check those references

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 10:36:11 -0500

Among all the necessary steps to take when hiring contractors, asking for and checking a contractor's references is most commonly overlooked by the homeowners.

Some are not comfortable with the idea of bothering a complete stranger, or calling someone on the phone to ask about the work performance of another. Others just don't know how to do it, or what to ask.

In our experience, when our customers are really happy with the service, not only will they not feel bothered for having their contact information used as reference but they will be delighted to provide the information requested.

This is why our policy is to offer references right away before you ask for them, and even before your ever get to meet our representative in person.
As for exactly what to ask a contractor's reference, the NAHB (National Association of Home Builders) website has excellent tips:

"Ask the homeowners:

Would you hire this company again?
Did the remodeler maintain a neat jobsite, provide regular broom clean-up, and haul away debris including personal trash?
Did the remodeler keep labor and materials delays to a minimum so that your job could be started and completed on time and within budget?
Did you find the remodeler easy to work with? Did the remodeler keep you informed as the job progressed?
Did the remodeler supply you with paperwork in a timely fashion?
How well did the remodeler deal with the problems that arose?"

Although those questions were directed to remodeling contractors, we believe they apply to every contractor in the home improvement industry and we strongly encourage you to use them every time you plan on hiring a contractor.

Door to Door Sales Act: know your rights

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 09:35:54 -0500

Iowa's Door-to-Door sales act can be consumer's best ally.

Based on the Federal Trade Commission's "Cooling-Off Rule", this law, which seeks to protect homeowners from the overly aggressive and sometimes intimidating sales tactics used by contractors and door-to-door salespeople, give consumers 3 days to cancel any contracts signed or any purchases made outside the seller's place of business.

In other words, if you feel you were pushed into hiring anyone or buying anything while being at home, you have 3 days from the date of the closing to change your mind, while remaining entitled to a full refund and without having to pay any cancellation fees.

In fact, according to the law, the seller should inform you of your rights.
Here's what the Iowa's Attorney General Website has to say about it:

"Under the law, the seller must TELL you of your right to cancel at the time of sale and give you two copies of a written notice of your right to cancel. The contract is void if the seller fails to do this. If you cancel your purchase and request a refund, the seller must refund your money within ten business days and cancel any further financial obligations."

When dealing with a reputable contractor, such as Midwest Basement Systems, you will never have to worry about this, because our sales model does not include scary or intimidating sales pitches. We are so confident about the quality of our products and services that we do not need to use gimmicks.

Instead, we educate our customers. We want to give you the control and tools to make informed decisions within your budget and based on the things you want to accomplish with your basement and crawl space.

No wonder we are part of the world's largest waterproofing contractor network. You don't get to be the #1 in the world with gimmicks.

Contact us for a free estimate and experience the difference.