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The Eco-friendly kitchen and bath
remodel: Some lesser known ways to protect your environment
So, you drive a gas-stingy hybrid, you carry your own organic hemp
grocery bags, and you never light your fireplace on Spare-the-Air
nights.
What’s next? If you’re about to remodel your kitchen or bathroom,
plenty.
According to Tom Todd, owner of San Jose-based Bay Bathrooms &
Kitchens
(BayBathroomsandKitchens.com),
remodeling affords a number of opportunities to incorporate
earth-friendly practices and fixtures.
“Sound environmental practices protect both the earth and your
bank account,” said Todd. He notes that savings accrue in a variety
of ways, including lower energy and water bills.
Todd suggests checking with your contractor about several lesser
known aspects of your remodel, including:
-
Debris recycling:
Inquire about how your contractor disposes of the mass of debris
generated from a typical demolition. Is it recycled or just dumped
at the local landfill?
-
Air quality protection:
Check if your contractor routinely uses any kind of dust
protection to help assure clean air in the house during
construction? “I strongly advise consumers to insist on a
dust-control tunnel running from the bathroom or kitchen to the
outdoors,” Todd urges.
-
Lower power consumption:
Ask about motion-sensitive light switches, which automatically
shut off when no motion is sensed in the room after a set period
of time, but instantly reactivate with any movement.
-
Accident prevention: Does the contractor suggest the installation of safety features such as
anti-scalding shower valves to prevent water burns, tempered
safety glass in case of accidental breakage, grab bars for
stability, and dedicated electrical circuits (Ground fault circuit
interrupters)? Unethical contractors may suggest skipping these
features, even when required by local building code. “There’s no
such thing as a too-safe bathroom,” Todd said.
Todd suggests you call Bay
Bathrooms & Kitchens at (800) 890-5500 if you have questions about
how to assure your earth-friendly remodel.
About Tom Todd and Bay Bathrooms & Kitchens
A former building inspector, Todd has been in the residential
repair and remodeling industry since 1987. He is certified by the
International Conference of Building Officials (ICBO)
as a residential electrical and mechanical inspector and is the
former president of the Silicon Valley Chapter of the California
Real Estate Inspection Association (CREIA).
His company, Bay Bathrooms & Kitchens, specializes in bathroom and
kitchen remodel and replacement and has been awarded
both
Diamond Certified
and
ValueStar
seals, as well as being
a member in good standing of the Silicon Valley Better Business
Bureau.
________________________________
THE RISKS OF WATER
DAMAGE IN YOUR BATHROOM
San Jose, California – As
if you don’t already have enough to keep you awake at night, along come
signs of water damage in your bathroom. Perhaps that little brown patch on
the wall near the bathtub is really nothing, you say to yourself.
Everybody’s bathroom seems to have some kind of leak, you note.
True, many bathrooms are suffering the ravages of water damage, but
your bouts of insomnia may be justified, according to Tom Todd, owner of
San Jose-based Bay Bathrooms & Kitchens (BayBathroomsandKitchens.com).
“Bathrooms are naturally prone to water leaks, which penetrate behind
walls and under floors, making them appear less serious than they really
are,” he said.
According to Todd, who has 20 years experience in the remodeling and
residential repair business, there are three rules of thumb he uses with
regard to bathroom water damage:
-
Rule #1: If you think those discolored stains and
blisters along the caulked areas of the tub or tub-shower are leaks,
you’re probably right.
-
Rule #2: What you’re seeing is probably only the
tip-of-the-iceberg in terms of total water damage.
-
Rule #3: If left untended, the damage is likely to
get worse.
“Water seeps into the structural wood and promotes the growth of fungi,
plantlike organisms which derive nutrition from those expensive boards of
yours,” said Todd. He added that the cause of the leaks is usually poor
maintenance, including failure to inspect your caulking.
Compounding the problem, these destructive fungi thrive in temperatures
between 40 and 100 degrees, the typical bathroom environment. What’s more,
they need a continued source of water to sustain them. Deteriorated
caulking will do that just fine, thank you.
So what’s the solution?
Todd recommends that first you take action to prevent further
damage by having the condition evaluated by a licensed bathroom
contractor.
“Leaks don’t fix themselves,” he emphasized, “You need professional
assistance.”
Todd said that a thorough inspection will help you understand the scope
of the damage as well as the extent of the needed repairs.
“On the positive side, many people will seize the opportunity to
upgrade their bathrooms, as long as repairs must be done,” he said. For
example, they might decide to put in a new shower or tub-shower
combination, replace the floors and windows, and install up-to-date
faucets and countertops.
Todd suggests you get in touch with Bay Bathrooms & Kitchens at
(800) 890-5500 for
further details about how to deal with your damaged wood.
________________________________
PLANNING A
BATHROOM REMODEL?
FORMER BUILDING
INSPECTOR OFFERS ‘A PEEK BEHIND THE SHOWER CURTAIN’ WITH HIS REVEALING
CONSUMER PROTECTION CHECKLIST
San Jose, California –
Be sure to peek behind that shower curtain when you’re planning to hire a
bathroom remodeling contractor. So advises
Tom Todd, former city of San Jose
residential remodeling project manager and owner of Bay Bathrooms
& Kitchens (BayBathroomsandKitchens.com).
“Confirming a contractor’s license, bonding and insurance is only a
starting point,” said Todd. For more intensive screening, he suggests
reviewing several lesser known details, among them:
-
Accident Prevention
Advocacy:
Does the contractor suggest the installation of safety features such as
anti-scalding shower valves to prevent water burns, tempered safety
glass in case of accidental breakage, grab bars for stability, and
dedicated electrical circuits? “There’s no such thing as a too-safe
bathroom,” Todd said.
-
Environmental Safety:
Does the
contractor routinely use any kind of dust protection to help assure
clean air in the house during construction? “I strongly advise consumers to insist on a
dust-protection tunnel running from the
bathroom to the outdoors,” he urged.
-
Advanced Contractor
Certification:
Beyond basic licensing,
Todd suggests asking if the contractor has qualified for “Diamond
Certified” or “ValueStar”
certification. These seals of assurance are only awarded to contractors
who pass extensive scrutiny of their credentials and review of their
customers’ satisfaction.
Todd explores these and many more tips in his
free seminar
titled The Eyes-Wide-Open Bathroom & Kitchen Remodeling Seminar, presented
weekly in San Jose. For
further seminar information, call Bay Bathrooms & Kitchens at (800) 890-5500.
About Tom Todd and Bay Bathrooms
A former
building inspector, Todd has been in the residential repair and remodeling
industry since 1987. He is certified by the International Conference of
Building Officials (ICBO)
as a residential electrical and mechanical inspector and is the former
president of the Silicon Valley Chapter of the California Real Estate
Inspection Association (CREIA).
His company, Bay Bathrooms & Kitchens, specializes in bathroom remodel and
replacement and has been awarded both
Diamond Certified
and
ValueStar
seals. [More]
________________________________
Subtle Signs of a
Trustworthy Bathroom Remodeler
San Jose, California – When you’re hiring a bathroom remodeler, is it enough just to confirm
their contractors license, bonding and insurance?
While simple due-diligence is a first step, other steps will help
insure that you don’t take a bath as a result of your bathroom remodel,
according to Tom Todd, owner of Bay Bathrooms & Kitchens in San Jose
(BayBathroomsandKitchens.com).
Beyond licensing, Todd suggests looking for superior service icons,
like “Diamond
Certified”
or “ValueStar.”
Such awards are earned by contractors who agree to undergo extensive
scrutiny of their credentials and customer satisfaction.
“Either one of these awards would be a feather in a contractor’s cap,”
said Todd, who has earned both awards.
A former building inspector, Todd has been in the residential repair
and remodeling industry since 1987. He cautions that there are a number of
telltale signs pointing to possibly poor remodeling service, among them:
-
Will a representative of the contractor actually go to
your residence to review your project? “The greatest service to the
consumer is to have their project evaluated on site,” he said.
-
Does the contractor specialize in bathrooms and kitchens or do they
just “do it all”? Todd observed that specialists tend to have more
in-depth knowledge and experience.
-
Does the contractor routinely use any kind of dust
protection to assure clean air in the house during construction? “I strongly advise consumers to insist on a
dust-protection tunnel running from the bathroom to the outdoors,” he urged.
-
Does the contractor
suggest the installation of safety features such as anti-scalding shower
valves to prevent water burns, tempered safety glass in case of accidental
breakage, and grab bars for stability? Also ask about installing dedicated electrical circuits
with special anti-shock mechanisms called
ground fault
circuit interrupters (GFCI)?
Todd cautions that unethical contractors may advise customers not to
bother with some safety features, even when building codes require them.
"There’s no such thing as a too-safe bathroom,” he said.
“If you watch for good-performance indicators, as well as industry service
awards, you’ll have the best chance of a beautiful new bathroom,” Todd
concluded.
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