Socal Construction & Consulting Ltd.
200-435 St-Laurent Blvd K1K 2Z8 Ottawa, ON, Canada

WHAT IS A SUMP? Your residence is probably equipped with a sump basin, or sump. It captures the water from the foundation drain that surrounds your house and reroutes it to the municipal storm water sewer. The sump is equipped with a pump to prevent overflow. This pump reroutes any excess water from the basin to the storm sewer, to a retention basin or drainage ditch, or to the surface of the ground (depending on the requirements of your municipality). It is possible that this pump will operate only rarely. You should check it regularly to make sure it still works. Installation of a sump basin falls under municipal jurisdiction. Your house may not have a sump, depending on the configuration of your land and the municipal bylaws. If you do, it will often be found under the stairs or near the mechanical equipment.

5 GOOD REASONS TO WATERPROOF YOUR BATHROOM A bad bathroom waterproofing or lack of waterproofing can be a nightmare. It can destroy interior decorations and in worst case cause a huge mess to the inhabitants of already completed projects. Majority of people will tile or repaint the toilet walls or redo the plasterboards while renovating their bathrooms as a way of reducing cost. But trust me, because these surfaces are not meant to be a damp environment, overtime you face the... same problem again. Bathrooms are classifies as wet rooms for a good reason because they are constantly exposed to water. Therefore they need to be tanked. - Stops Dampness and mould growth - Condensation - Reduced cost of maintenance - Infestation - Increase in the value of your property.

The period of peace that you enjoy with the crisp calmness of fall is the perfect time to prepare for the coming harsh winter weather. Heavy snow, ice dams, and strong winds can really take a toll on your house and, in turn, your wallet. Protect the pipes. Frozen pipes are the number one casualty of cold weather as pipe bursts can lead to thousands of dollars in flood damage. Wrapping basement and crawl space pipes with insulation is an easy solution to help prevent this. If temperatures dip below freezing, help your pipes out by opening cabinet doors to allow warm air to flow around them; let your faucet drip just a bit to keep water moving.

Autumn is just around the corner! So it's time to think about doing some little work and home inspection :) The doors and windows on your residence were manufactured and installed to last for years, as long as you maintain them regularly and adequately. Your builder was careful to apply sealant around the openings to waterproof them where they meet the exterior cladding. This sealant will be exposed to harsh weather, to UV rays, and to the minute movements of the structure. Over time, it will tend to lose its elasticity, to split or peel away. So, twice a year, you need to inspect the condition of the sealant and add to it or replace it if it is damaged or no longer doing the job to prevent any risk of water infiltration.

Useful Tips: 1. Warm your chimney well to create an upward draft when starting a fire. 2. Opening a window slightly when starting a fire can improve the upward draft and enable proper combustion.... 3. Regularly inspect the chimney from inside the combustion appliance as well as from outside. 4. If your chimney is masonry, inspect it every year to check its condition and look for any cracks or black or white stains that could be evidence of deterioration or of some problem that needs fixing. 5. A chimney creates a depressurization effect in your home. The damper should be closed when the chimney is not in use to prevent energy loss and drafts. 6. Have your chimney swept at least once a year. See more

Did you know? Cleanout To allow maintenance of your plumbing... system, a cleanout must be installed near the base of the soil stack (the vertical pipe that receives the wastewater from your fixtures). The cleanout is capped with a screw plug and you must make sure it is always accessible. Cleanouts must be accessible at all times. You may notice access hatches in the finished walls of your home. Do not block these accesses to the cleanouts, and be sure to plan access hatches if you will be finishing your basement yourself.