January 02, 2012 at 10:02 AM

Welcome to a brand new year!  We're excited to start 2012 by hitting the ground running, and our homeowner education initiatives continue to be a major part of our plans for the year.  After all of the holiday parties are complete, and the holiday lights and decor are taken down, you're truly left with a blank slate for your home in 2012.  Here's a few things to add to your list of home improvement resolutions:

• When you take down exterior Christmas lights, take note of your home's gutters.  Are they draining properly?  Are they in good condition, or are the gutters and downspouts channeling water back towards your home?  This is the perfect time to get up close and personal with one of your home's drainage systems.
• When you're storing holiday decor...are you able to keep it in your basement or crawlspace and trust that it will be safe for another year?   Or, is your basement or crawlspace damp, musty...and sometimes full of standing water.  Make a resolution to reclaim that un-usable space and transform it into usable square footage.  Increase the value of your home instantly.
• Do colder winter months have you burning more fires in your fireplace?  Make a resolution for better fireplace safety.  If you haven't called a chimney sweep in a while, now's the time! ( Call our office if you need a referral;  Steve Surrette, one of our project managers, is a former home inspector with great connections.)    Also inspect your chimney from the outside.  Is it leaning away from your home?  This could be a sign of foundation damage to your overall home.

Make this the year you take care of your home by looking for the signs of foundation and water damage.  Taking a simple step now can protect your home for years and years to come.  As always, we offer free estimates for all Indiana homeowners, and we'll help you understand exactly what's happening with your home.