LIFE SPAN			LIFE SPAN
APPLIANCES	(in years)		DOORS CONTINUED	(in years)
Compactor	10		Interior (solid core wood)	30-life
Dishwasher	10		Exterior (protected overhang)	80-100
Garbage Disposer	10		Exterior (unprotected and exposed)	25-30
Dryer	10		Folding	30-life
Freezer (compact)	12		Garage door	20-50
Freezer (standard)	16		Garage door opener	10
Microwave oven	11		FINISHES (Used for waterproofing)
Range (freestanding and built-in, electric)	17		Paint, plaster and stucco	3-5
Range (freestanding and built in, gas)	19		Sealer, silicone, and waxes	1-5
Range (high oven, gas)	14		FLOORS
Refrigerator (compact)	14		Oak orpine	Lifetime
Refrigerator (standard)	17		Slateflagstone	Lifetime
Washer (automatic and compact)	13		Vinyl sheet or tile	minimum 20-30
Exhaust fan	20		Terrazzo	Lifetime
BATHROOMS			Carpeting	11
Cast iron bathtub	50		Marble	Lifetime
Fibre glass bathtub and shower	10-15		FOOTINGS AND FOUNDATIONS
Shower door (average quality)	25		Poured footing and foundation	200
Toilet	50		Concrete block	100
CABINETS			Cement	50
Kitchen cabinets	15-20		Waterproofing (bituminous coating)	10
Medicine cabinet/bath vanity	20		Termite proofing	5
COUNTERTOPS			Baseboard system	20
Laminate	10-15		HEATING, VENTILATION AND AIR CONDITIONING
Ceramic tile (high-grade installation)	Lifetime		Air conditioning unit (central unit)	15
Wood/butcher block	20+		Air conditioning unit (window unit)	10
Granite	20+		Humidifier	8
DOORS			Water heater (electric)	14
Screen	25-50		Water heater (gas)	13
Interior (not perfect hollow core)	<30-life		Forced air furnace, heat pump	18
HEATING, VENTILATION AND AIR CONDITIONING			ROOFING
Furnace, gas or oil fired	18		Asphalt and wood shingles and shakes	15-30
HOME SECURITY APPLIANCES			Tile	50
Intrusion system	14		Slate	50-100
Smoke detector	5 – 10		Sheet metal	20-50
Smoke/fire/intrusionsystem	10		Built-uproofing (asphalt)	25
LANDSCAPING			Built-uproofing (coat and tar)	30
Wooden deck	15		Asphalt composition shingle	15-30
Brick and concrete patio	24		Asphalt overlay	25-35
Tennis court	10		SIDING
Concrete walk	24		Gutters and downspouts	30
Gravel walk	4		Siding (wood)	10-100
Asphalt driveway	10		Siding (steel)	50-life
Swimming pool	18		Siding (aluminum)	20-50
Sprinkler system	12		Siding (vinyl)	50
Fence	12		WINDOWS
PAINTS AND STAINS			Window glazing	20
Exterior paint on wood, brick and aluminum	7-10		Wood casement	20-50
Interior wall paint	5-10		Aluminum casement	10-20
Interior trim and door	5-10		Screen	25-50
Interior wallpaper	7
PLUMBING
Waste pipe (concrete)	50-100
Waste pipe (cast iron)	75-100
Sinks (enamel steel sink)	15-20
Sinks (enamel cast iron sink)	25-30
Sinks (porcelain sink)	25-30

]]> http://www.rmsab.com/articles/home-component-list/feed/ 0 http://www.rmsab.com/articles/edmonton-sun-article/ http://www.rmsab.com/articles/edmonton-sun-article/#comments Mon, 23 Aug 2010 22:16:49 +0000 jim http://testing.odvod.ca/rms/?p=119 Continue reading →]]> By LYNDA PELLETIER

If there were such a thing as a home psychologist in Greater Edmonton, the line of bitter and stressed-out houses seeking therapy would stretch for miles.

“I’m feeling smothered,” the two-storey ’80s model would say. “Can’t they see all this dust and humidity is killing me?”

“If that so-called ‘handy-man’ attempts one more repair, I’ll crumble to the ground,” moans a 1950s bi-level.

Even the recently-built luxury town home would have its troubles. “I don’t understand,” it would sob. “Everything was so wonderful in the beginning, but I’ve realized that, despite all the money and gifts, he never gives me what I really want, which is time and attention.”

Homeowners, meet the new therapists for the housing industry.

Residential Maintenance Services Inc. (RMS) is what can happen when two longtime players from the local construction and renovation scene identify a significant service gap in their industry – and move way past the “just talking about it” phase.

With an accumulated knowledge that spanned decades, longtime friends Bob Schulz and Doug Remin drew on their experience and drummed up the concept for RMS nearly four years ago. Enter Jim Kupczak, who came onboard 1 1/2 years ago. The former corporate finance specialist with a major accounting firm applied his left-brained expertise to the venture to come up with a business and marketing plan. The result: a company that tries to prevent the likelihood of failure in the home’s inner workings and thus, the cost that would be incurred due to major repairs.

It’s hard to imagine, in this electronic age, how a venture between a couple of working stiffs could single-handedly redefine the housing industry by combining good old fashioned customer service with a much-needed market niche. But who better to recognize the inherent flaw in the home maintenance industry – that there wasn’t a home maintenance industry at all.

Schulz says it’s a fact of life rather than indifference that homebuilders can’t ensure every homeowner becomes intimately familiar with their home’s inner workings – and that’s if the owner cares to at all. The eventual outcome, Schulz says, has been a widespread, reactive attitude towards upkeep: the hot water tank or furnace isn’t thought about until the basement is flooded, or the blower motor on the furnace burns out at -30 C.

Considering the average house is a complex patchwork of systems that often interconnect and influence one another, it’s no surprise that even minor aspects can wreak havoc if neglected over time. Consider further that certain neglected elements can have deadly consequences (i.e. fires caused by degraded wiring, poorly-ventilated furnace vents) the dollar aspect becomes moot. Furthermore, maintenance issues are borderless in that they play an integral role in the well-being of every home regardless of age, style or size.

“The traditional model for maintaining your home is ‘wait until it’s broke, then frantically try to find someone to fix it,’” Schulz explains. “We’re 180 degrees from the traditional model.”

Their business mantra is a simple one: a proactive rather than reactive approach to home maintenance, with minimal inconvenience to the homeowner.

Whether you’re a time-challenged professional, a spouse who’s becoming increasingly worried that your so-called in-house “handyman” will eventually incur expensive, irreversible damage, or a homeowner without a cause (i.e. you simply don’t have a clue ) prepare to add RMS’s phone number to your speed dial.

RMS advertises its services through direct-mail promotion. If their pamphlet piques your interest, don’t expect a pushy sales pitch that forces you into an ironclad contract which negotiates long terms and your first-born if you ever want to back out.

“When you sign a contract, it’s to protect you, not us,” Kupczak says.

Every new member receives an initial assessment from an RMS certified home technician – a qualified professional under the terms set by RMS – who performs a top-to-bottom evaluation of the home’s systems. This duty entails notating over 400 pieces of information, so it’s no surprise that this step of the process may take an average of three hours to perform (depending on the size and style of the home).
Old pros like service tech Ray Pittet are extremely efficient. He’s at the point where he can simply “eyeball” a problem as soon as they walk up the sidewalk or into a room. He’s also a perfectionist.

“We only deal with people who have the same philosophy,” Schulz says of the company’s gaggle of trade partners. A professional image is solidified by techs who show up in company uniforms and RMS-marked vehicles.

Within about a week, the owner will be presented with a copy of this printed report, and subsequent “action” items which classify necessary repairs on a scale of importance (from “immediate attention” to simply keeping an eye on the situation). From then on, the technician will perform scheduled “service calls” on a regular basis, to monitor, and deal with problems before they escalate.

RMS keeps a detailed record of each and every subsequent service call and work order performed on the home. Homeowners retain copies of these items and are given a binder in which to store them. This permanent record essentially “belongs” to the home – an attractive selling tool for prospective anyone eventually wanting to sell their home.

The make and model of major appliances are recorded and saved in your file; if a problem with any of these devices crops up, your repairperson will have a heads-up on the machine and parts he’s going to be dealing with without making a house call – a valuable time and money saver.

Don’t expect RMS to provide a dollar assessment of your home, however – or act as a referee between you and a builder if you’re in the midst of a disagreement over workmanship.

They don’t perform the services of an inspection service either, so don’t ask your RMS tech to evaluate a home you’re considering for purchase.

Although there is flexibility, RMS presents two programs to their clients: two visits with full service access at $750 per year; or four visits per year at $1,500.

“CMHC says people should budget between one and three per cent of the home’s value for maintenance, service and repairs,” Schulz says. Considering that dollar figure can read nearly $8,000 for the average home, the benefit of maintenance becomes palpable.

And forget about receiving multiple bills from multiple repair people; or having to make a zillion phone calls to different service providers when something needs fixing. Every aspect of your maintenance program – from invoicing to contacting the appropriate trades for your repair, to requiring emergency service for an exploded water heater – is funnelled through the RMS “mothership.” This information is compiled into a single, detailed invoice that’s sent to the owner on a predetermined fee schedule.

The unsavoury task of finding a reputable, experienced, reasonably-priced repairperson is removed altogether. RMS provides clients quotes for every job, and that list comprises previously hand-picked professionals. If, after all this, you’re dissatisfied with the program (or the work performed) RMS will make it right – or remove you from the contract with absolutely no penalties or obligations.

It’s clear that these local entrepreneurs have taken peace of mind and bottled it, and goodness knows we could use a little of that today.

For more information, call 780-444-1055, or e-mail us.

The following are some excellent guidelines for maintaining today’s wood floors:

• All hardwood floors regardless of how the floor has been finished must be properly maintained to ensure the beauty and life of the floor.
• Every floor must be dust mopped, vacuumed or swept with a soft bristle broom daily, or as often as necessary, to remove grit and dust from the surface. Walking on dusty or dirty floor is the fastest way to damage a finish.
• Place floor mats (carpet runners) at all exterior entrances. This will capture much of the harmful dirt before it even reaches the hardwood floor. Shake out, wash or vacuum mats and area rugs frequently.
• Floor protector pads of soft felt or similar material should be placed on the bottoms of the legs of the furniture. Floor protectors must be kept clean of grit and periodically replaced.
• Keep high heels in good repairs. An unprotected tip will dent any hardwood floor.
• Kitchen floors experience the most traffic in a home. To prevent premature wear of the floor, place an area rug in front of the sink and stove area. Shake out or vacuum frequently.
• Finally, using a humidifier or dehumidifier in conjunction with a furnace or air conditioning system to maintain relative humidity in the home at 30-50% will maintain the moisture in the wood and minimize cracks between the boards.

Urethane Finish Routine Cleaning

Use an alcohol based wood floor cleaner available at most hardware stores. NEVER wax or use oil based cleaner on a urethane finish. Do not generally wet a wood floor with water. When using any wood floor cleaner which requires mixing with water, follow mixing directions precisely. A cloth wetted with water and squeezed dry may be used to wipe up foodstuffs and other spills, provided the area is buffed dry immediately. Heel or scuffmarks and stubborn stains may be removed by lightly rubbing with a cloth and a wood floor cleaner.

Long-term Maintenance

Urethane finishes eventually will show wear patterns from surface scratching. When high traffic areas begin to look dull it is time to recoat or restore the finish. Screening (light sanding) and recoating with same finish every 2-3 years will help maintain your wood floor for years to come. Make sure no oil soaps, and other “contaminates” have been used on the floor, intentionally or otherwise.

If you have concerns or questions about caring for your wood floors, call us to see how we can help.

A humidifier needs a humidistat (counterpart of the thermostat) which can be adjusted as often as necessary to provide the desired level of humidity. The most recent advancement in humidification is a humidiistat that automatically delivers the optimum relative humidity without periodic homeowner adjustment. These humidistats adjust the humidity in the home up to 86,000 times per day.

The amount of humidity required in a home is dependent to a certain extent to the way in which the home was constructed. A well insulated house with vapor barriers in the walls, ceilings and slabs, and properly fitting storm doors and windows may need only three (3) gallons of additional moisture per day. A house of similar size but loosely constructed might require five (5) times as much moisture in the same period.

Properly humidified air can help repel problems aggravated by too dry air, such as asthma or allergies. Dry thirsty air evaporates moisture from your skin, a cooling process that makes you feel chilly.However, with humidified levels raised to recommended levels you can dial your thermostat down to 68° and still feel comfortable.

Heated air dries out wood framing around doors and windows, too. Shrinkage of the wood occurs, leaving spaces that permit cold, outside air to infiltrate the home, lowering the inside temperature and requiring more heating. Proper humidity reduces annoying wintertime static electricity shocks.

The damaging effects of heated, parched air can cause separation of wood in floors, trim and furniture…excessive wear of fabrics and carpets…loss of piano tone quality…cracks in walls or ceilings, it can cause plants to dry out so they droop and turn brown.

Proper humidification provides the protection that is needed.

If you have concerns or questions about humidity issues, feel free to contact us.