Parrish Construction

Archive for the ‘Historic Homes’ Category

Q—The brick planter box on our house has a white, chalky stain on it. We have tried scrubbing it off, but it keeps coming back. What causes it, and what can be done about it?

Tuesday, June 21st, 2011 Posted in DIY Home Improvements, Exterior Remodeling, FAQ, Freezing Temp. Problems, Historic Homes, Landscaping, Materials- Construction, Spring, Waterproofing, Winter | 1 Comment »

A—The white stain is called efflorescence, and is caused by salts that have been transported from within the brick and mortar by moisture in the brick, and deposited on the surface by evaporation. The stains are cosmetic, and not harmful. ...

Personalize Your Home to Meet Your Changing Needs

Monday, June 14th, 2010 Posted in Aging-in-Place & Handicap Mobility, Building Trends, Design Tips, Green Building Topics, Historic Homes, Landscaping, Timely Home Upgrades | 2 Comments »

By Larry Parrish- CR, CGR, CAPS, GACP    Don’t be moved by age. According to the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), older homeowners overwhelmingly prefer to age-in-place, meaning to live at home safely, independently and comfortably.    With Universal Design principals, this has ...

Q—We live in an old house. I’m pregnant, and concerned about lead based paint. How can I find out if our house has lead based paint, and how do I remove it?

Saturday, April 10th, 2010 Posted in Advice to Clients, Affiliations, Drywall Repairs, FAQ, Green Building Topics, Historic Homes, Materials- Construction, Paint, Safety Hazards, Ventilation | No Comments »

A—Many homes built prior to 1978 contain some lead in the paint. Prior to 1950, almost half of all paint contained large amounts of lead. In 1978, the Consumer Product Safety Commission banned the use of lead in paint for ...

Leaded or Unleaded?

Tuesday, April 6th, 2010 Posted in Green Building Topics, Historic Homes, Remodeling Concerns, Safety Hazards | No Comments »

  By Annette Parrish- Vice President   If your home contains lead paint and you are considering a remodel, you will be pleased to know that Parrish Construction has successfully completed the training and passed the test to be an EPA, Lead-Safe Certified ...

Q—Every Spring, we get water in our basement. Is there anything we can do to prevent this from happening again this year?

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010 Posted in Basements, DIY Home Improvements, FAQ, Flood, Flooding, Handyman/Small Jobs, Historic Homes, Landscaping, Spring, Structural Issues, Timely Home Upgrades, Waterproofing | No Comments »

A—In my experience, most water problems in basements are caused by improper channeling of surface water away from the foundation. If water from downspouts, roof runoff, or adjacent landscaping is allowed to pond near the foundation, it can saturate the ...

Q—We just bought a home with a septic system. Is there anything special we need to know or maintenance to perform?

Sunday, January 24th, 2010 Posted in Basements, Bathrooms, DIY Home Improvements, FAQ, Flooding, Historic Homes, Plumbing | No Comments »

A—A septic system consists of two main parts. The septic tank is a watertight vault, usually concrete, that receives the wastewater and separates the solids from the liquid, while digesting the solids. The liquids discharge out the top into a ...

Q—Our hot water heat is noisy, and disturbs our sleep. The plumber told us the noise is normal. Is there anything we can do about it?

Saturday, January 23rd, 2010 Posted in Bedrooms, Energy-Saving Tips, FAQ, Green Building Topics, Heating/Cooling, Historic Homes, Insulation, Money-Saving Tips, Noise Problems, Plumbing, Timely Home Upgrades, Winter | No Comments »

A—There are three types of sound that hot water heating makes—hum, gurgle, and pop. Humming is usually caused by vibrations from the circulator pump. I’ve seen this problem with pumps that are larger than necessary, and with pumps that are ...

Q—We have hot-water heat. Can we still install a whole-house humidifier?

Thursday, January 14th, 2010 Posted in FAQ, Heating/Cooling, Historic Homes, Ventilation, Winter | No Comments »

A—Yes you can. While it is easier to add humidifiers to forced-air heating systems, because the fan and ductwork is already in place to distribute the humidified air, there are humidifiers on the market that have their own blowers and ...

No Job too Big or too Small…Handyman Services

Saturday, January 2nd, 2010 Posted in Aging-in-Place & Handicap Mobility, Building Trends, Energy-Saving Tips, Handyman/Small Jobs, Historic Homes, Money-Saving Tips, Safety Hazards, Seasonal Considerations, Space-Saving/Organization, Spring, Summer, Timely Home Upgrades, Winter | 1 Comment »

  In celebration of over 40 years in the Boulder Valley, we are offering a service that our clients have always enjoyed: Handyman Services (for your Honey-do list!) and small jobs for those things like decks, outbuildings, porches, patios, repair work, ...