Summer Break

Hi everybody Use My Guy here.  Today I’m going to take a little break from my series on xeriscape.  The reason being summer.  With summer here and the kids out of school I wanted to talk about some things to look out for. These are just simple things that if left unattended can lead to serious problems down the road.  

What a door should look like.

1) Front and back doors: These are the first lines of defense between the inside of your house and the outside.  Because of this they are the first to be used and abused and the paint or finish is scratched or peeled.  Kids aren't the only ones that can destroy doors.  If you have dogs chances are you know how quickly they can ruin the finish on the doors leading to the exterior of your home.  The good news is that with a little sanding and a few coats of finish you can recreate your door and turn it into the door you've always dreamed of.  Give your front door a little love after this week and see how big of a difference it makes to the exterior of your house.

 A lawn in need of some love.

 2) Lawns: Chances are if you have kids they play outside.  Broken backyard irrigation is a prime suspect when it comes to high water bills and a sprinkler head can be broken just by being stepped on.  During the summer when the kid are home the chances of that happening increase dramatically.  You will quickly see the effects of a broken sprinkler and it is easy to spot if you know what you are looking for.  Look for either brown spots or soft spots.  A brown spot can occur in your grass if the sprinkler head has been damaged or turned in a different direction.  This does not necessarily mean that the head is broken but it is still good to have a professional check out your system.  Soft spots are generally an indicator of a broken head or poly which is used to water your bushes or trees.

Tile with grout damage.

3) Tile floors:  They are beautiful and they keep your house cool during summer but drop something heavy on it and you may be looking at a cracked tile or chipped grout.  It is not only visually unappealing but if the tile is in a mobile home with a wooden sub-flooring or in a bathroom the chances of water damage happening are very high.  If water gets under the tile and on the wooden floor it can cause warping which will in turn break more of the tiles.  This goes for tile counters as well.  You will want to be extra careful with tile counters because broken tiles and grout lines are hot beds for germs and if left unattended can lead to serious cases of food poisoning.

This rusted fence needs to be replaced.

4) Pool fences/gates:  If you have a pool in your backyard than you need to check your pool fence and gate.  Something that often

happens with pool fences and gates is that the poles going into the ground will completely rust out which can lead to multiple problems.  The two biggest problems being tetanus and that rusted posts are easily pushed over.  If the fences are pushed over it means that there is access to the pool and without supervision your young ones are at serious risk for drowning.  Also if the fence falls over it will leave the rusted remains of the posts behind which are jagged and can cause serious damage to little feet and hands.  An easy way to check if your fence is rusting out is to take a shovel and scrape away the rock or dirt just a few inches below the surface.  The rust is almost always just a few inches below the dirt or rocks.  Another way to check it is to simply try pushing your fence back and forth, if it moves easily and more than a few inches than it is very likely that your fence posts are rusted and you should have a professional come out and either remove it fully or install a new one.  All of these fixes are easy if a little time consuming but the peace of mind that comes with the safety of your family will be well worth it .  If you are daunted by even the thought of fixing your irrigation or don't have the time to sand and repaint your doors a handyman service such as Use My Guy Services can take care of everything for you while saving you a pretty penny in the process. We have dozens of 5 star reviews on yelp and Facebook and we have an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.  In addition we have an A rating on Angies List which means that we have already been vetted by dozens of happy customers who have left great reviews for us that you know you can  trust. Call us at (602) 316-9187 or find us online at usemyguyservices.com   Our friendly staff will be happy to make an appointment with you and take care of all your home and landscape repair needs.
Thanks for reading.
Sincerely Use My Guy.