Lead-Safe Renovation, Repairs and Painting

Common renovation activities like sanding, cutting, and demolition can create hazardous lead dust and chips by disturbing lead-based paint, which can be harmful to adults and children.

To protect against this risk, on April 22, 2008, the EPA issued a rule requiring the use of lead-safe practices and other actions aimed at preventing lead poisoning.

Under the rule, beginning in April 2010, contractors performing renovation, repair and painting projects that disturb lead-based paint in homes, child care facilities, and schools built before 1978 must be certified and must follow specific work practices to prevent lead contamination.

A lead-safe certified contractor is trained to analyze the surface of a house built prior to 1978 and determine if there is lead in the paint used on that house.  He is trained in the correct and safe procedures for removing lead-based paint or any other materials that contain lead.  He knows how to seal off the area where work will be performed so that dust containing lead will not spread to other parts of the house or get into the air being breathed by people or pets.  He is qualified to train his workers in these procedures.

Gilbert Rocha attended a lead-safe certification class recently and Rocha Construction is now a lead-safe certified company.

If you have any questions or concerns about lead in your home, give him a call at 310-484-4256.

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* Add a few drops of citronella to a gallon of paint to discourage flying insects. This will keep bugs from getting in your fresh paint job and won’t affect the paint.

* When painting stairs, work from top to bottom and only paint EVERY OTHER stair. Let these stairs dry completely. Then paint the other stairs. This way you can continue to use the stairs without having to wait for the whole paint job to dry.

* If you are painting a room and have to stop in the middle of the job, make sure you complete the wall you are working on rather than stop half-way across it. This will prevent the formation of a “seam” where the edge of the first section dried.

* If the odor of fresh paint bothers you or someone else living in the house, stir a tablespoon of vanilla extract into each pint of paint. This will not effect the paint.

* To avoid drips down the side of the paint can, cut on old paint can lid in half, put it on your new paint can and wipe your brush against the edge of that instead of the rim of the can.

* Another way to stop paint drips down the side of the can is to use a nail to punch holes in the bottom of the groove around the edge of the can. This will not prevent a tight seal when the lid is replaced on the can.

* Put your ladder against the unpainted portion of the wall. If you have to lean it against the freshly paint surface, put rags or old socks over the ends.

Good luck on your painting job and if you need any advice or help, give us a call!

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Encouraging and helping native wildlife is also very much a part of what Earth Day is all about.

There are many ways that you can create a friendly and safe environment for the creatures sharing this planet with us and you can do it right in your own backyard.

A homeowner in San Marcos, California installed an “owl box” on top of a 15 foot pole on his property.  This spring a pair of mated barn owls, Molly and McGee, took up residence in the owl box, made a nest and Molly laid a fine clutch of eggs.

Molly and McGee’s home has two video cameras installed on it so that there is a continuous live stream view of life inside the owl box.

On March 21st the eggs started to hatch and thousands of people all over the world have been watching Molly and McGee care for their new family.

The owlets will remain with their parents for another 70 days so there is still plenty of time for you to watch this truly amazing combination of nature and technology – inside a simply constructed wooden box atop a pole.

The live video stream – http://www.ustream.tv/theowlbox

The blog site -  http://mollysbox.wordpress.com/

If you would like to have your own owl box, Rocha Construction can build one for you.  Having barn owls living on your property is a natural way to control rats, mice, gophers and other rodents—without the use of traps or poison.   Give us a call!

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You’ve got a hole in your wall that you want to patch and paint.  This is not a huge gaping hole that will require the resources of a building contractor.  This is just a small hole – something that you know you can easily repair yourself with the right materials and a little advice from the pros.  The following procedure will give you a quick patch that you will be able complete and paint the same day.

There are two different “mud” products that you can use:

“Fix-all” – this product gets very hard, very fast but which is very difficult to sand. If you don’t care about sanding your patch or you feel you can apply the mud rapidly and smoothly, this is the product to use.

“Smooth-set” – this product comes in different drying times – 5 minutes, 20 minutes, 40 minutes or 90 minutes.  It is easy to sand or you can even just wipe it with a wet sponge to smooth out the rough surfaces. Make sure this mud is dry before you paint it.

For very small holes – up to 1 ½” – you can just apply the mud directly to the hole.

For holes larger than 1 ½”,  put self-stick fiberglass tape over the hole first.  Then apply the mud to the fiberglass tape.  Use either “Fix-all” or “Smooth-set” depending on which one fits your needs.

Questions?  Give Gilbert a call.  He would love to help anyone who needs advice about a do-it-yourself  project.

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While we here in Southern California don’t have the high energy bills of the colder parts of the country, we do still need to turn on the heat on these colder evenings and early mornings.

A ceiling fan which runs both clockwise and counter-clockwise can help you keep your house warmer.

In summer, the fan runs counter-clockwise causing the air to move around and helping to cool your body.

In winter, however, the ceiling fan must turn clockwise.  In a heated room, the hot air rises and gathers at the ceiling leaving the colder air lower in the room.  The clockwise turning of the fan draws the cold air up and pushes the warm air outward and down the walls of the room where you need it.

This can save you up to 10% on your heating bill.

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Home Remodeling That You Can Do Yourself

Remove the door from the frame unit by removing the hinge pins.

Now fit the door frame unit into the rough door opening in the wall of your house.  You may need someone to help you by holding the door frame steady while you work.

There are two “legs” on the door frame – the hinge side and the side where the door knob mechanism will click into place.

Attach the hinge side of the door frame to the door opening first.  Make sure that it is plumb both from top to bottom and side to side.

Then hang the door inside the door frame by re-inserting the hinge pins.

Close the door and see if the space at the top between the door and the frame is the same as the space between the door and the frame on the hinge side.  Adjust with shims at the top if needed.

Look to see if the space on the knob side of the door between the frame and the door is the same as the space on the hinge side.  Adjust with shims on the knob side if needed.

You want the door to open and close easily.  If the spaces are not the same on both sides and at the top and if the door is not plumb in the frame, then the door will tend to open or close on its own just from the weight of the door.

Use this procedure to install pre-hung doors and save yourself a lot of frustration on your next home remodeling project!

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Kitchen Remodel - Sink

When doing a kitchen remodel or bathroom remodel, granite and other natural stone has become the most popular material in use for counter tops today.

A mediocre kitchen or bathroom can come alive and be transformed with the luxurious look of highly-polished stone surfaces.

Unfortunately, unlike tile surfaces, stone requires special attention in order for it to retain its lustrous shine.  Common household cleaners can permanently damage your stone and, if not resealed periodically, stone counters can start to absorb any liquids that are left on them, causing unsightly stains that cannot be removed.

You do not have to pay someone to reseal your counters.  It is very easy and inexpensive to do this yourself.  There are many products on the market for resealing stone counters as well as companion products for daily cleaning that will not harm these special surfaces.  You can find them online by searching for “granite counter sealers”.

It is recommended that you use a sealer at least once a year to keep your granite and other stone shining just like they did right after your home remodeling project was completed.

Meanwhile, here are some tips for preventing irreversible damage to your gleaming granite or other stone counters:

Don’t place hot items directly on the stone surface.

Don’t use vinegar, lemon juice or other cleaners containing acids or ammonia.

Don’t use abrasive cleaners.

Frequent or over-use of an ammonia solution may eventually dull the surface of the stone.

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For those of you living in the Los Angeles South Bay area:   If you would like to see how easy it is to seal the granite on your kitchen or bathroom counter top, go to Home Depot and get a bottle of 511 Impregnator Sealer from Miracle Sealants Company.  Call Gilbert Rocha at 310-484-4256 and he will come to your home and seal your counter top for you free of charge.  He will teach you how the professional remodeling contractors do it and then you will be able to do it, too.

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Now is the time that people discover any problems they may have with their home not being as water-tight as they thought it was.

Did you find that you had leaks?  Did your ceiling or walls develop water stains?  Did water come into your home around a window or door?

Or did you suddenly have an electrical problem where there was none before with no apparent reason? Water getting into your walls may be the culprit.

If you found any of the above problems, give us a call.

We’ll come out and find out exactly what needs to be done to stop the water from getting into your home and repair any water damage that may have occurred.

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In the event of an earthquake, it is extremely important that you know where your gas and water shut-off valves are and how to turn them off.

The gas must be turned off if  there is a leak in the lines in order to prevent a fire or explosion.

A serious leak in your water lines can cause thousands of dollars in water damage if the water is not turned off immediately.

Through the years, Mr. Rocha has found that these shut-off valves are either inaccessible or damaged and the homeowner would be unable to turn off the gas or water in an emergency situation.

Gilbert will come to your home and find and check your gas and water shut-off valves FREE OF CHARGE.  Then he will show you how to turn off your water and gas in the event of an earthquake.

Contact us today and schedule an appointment for this free service.

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Homeowners in the LA South Bay  who want to do home remodels need to make sure that the general contractor that they hire has a license.  But even if the contractor gives you his license number, how do you know that it is indeed HIS license number?  How do you know if his license is current or active?

All you have to do is contact the California State Licensing Board and enter the license number at this site -

https://www2.cslb.ca.gov/OnlineServices/CheckLicense/LicenseRequest.asp

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