Hello,

Window and door leaks is a common problem I run into, especially when it rains.

The first assessment I’ll make is: How old is the house, what condition is your home in, do you have proper window & door flashing.

What drives me nuts, is when homeowners or contractors will do the temporary fix and seal the window or door with caulking! A common mistake, to believe caulking will solve the problem is a big misconception.. In this case, caulking will not do the trick, but only prolong the problem further down the road.

So, to conclude this tip, don’t take the short road to solving a problem. Either have a contractor properly solve the problem or do it right the first time yourself.

Any questions or comments, feel free to ask. You can visit me at www.mbmcarpentry.com and I’ll be happy to come out and give you a free consultation and estimate.

Thank you,

Mike.

Proudly serving the following areas: Bristol county, Ma., Norfolk county, Ma., Middlesex county, Ma.

Here is another vinyl siding tip when installing.

When nailing vinyl siding to your home, it is crucial to let your roofing nail protrude 1/8 of an inch, for expansion and contraction.

Have you ever wondered why some vinyl siding looks wavy on some homes? Well, it’s probably caused from nailing your Vinyl siding tight! So, just remember to always leave a space about 1/8th of an inch to prevent that problem..

Any questions or answers please leave a comment or visit me at www.mbmcarpentry.com for more information, or to have a free estimate.

Proudly serving, Bristol county Ma., Norfolk county Ma., Middlesex county, Ma.

Thank you for visiting!













So, you’ve decided to have or install vinyl siding. With these tips here, you’ll have a smoother and better understanding to installing Vinyl Siding.

Step one:

When considering how to attack this task, one thing to remember is how the final details to the project will look.

Are you going to install the vinyl siding over the existing siding, or will you remove the siding before the new siding goes up?

The reason I ask is, yes it’s cheaper to go over the existing siding, but, what condition is the existing siding in? If it’s rotted you should strip the old siding off. You wouldn’t want the new siding blowing off would you? As an installer of vinyl siding, I know I wouldn’t!

By going over the existing siding, you will create the caved in effect of your windows doors, etc.. Why? Because the siding will project outwards another inch or so, depending on what kind of siding, trim, you may have on your home.

What are other benefits of removing the existing siding before installing Vinyl siding?

Well for starters, if your home is very old, 35+ years, you can inspect your exterior walls for termite damage and rot. Also, before installing you can increase your r-value of your home by installing a foam backer board.

What is a foam backer board? It’s primarily used to increase your homes insulation value and to help straighten your exterior walls out if needed. I always recommend using backer-board when ever I install vinyl siding.

Any questions of comments please feel free to ask or visit me at www.mbmcarpentry.com

Proudly serving

Bristol County Ma., Norfolk County Ma., Middlesex County Ma.,

02703,02048,02760

There’s the wrong way to flash a deck and there’s the right way to install flashing, I will show you the correct way.

When you have figured out the layout of your deck and wonder how you will install the flashing to protect  your house from rot, moisture, water damage, use these helpfull tips I’m going to show you.

Step one: Buy a roll of copper flashing if haven’t done so already. If you don’t have any copper flashing, go to your local home center and pick up a roll. The copper roll wants to be larger in width than the dimensional lumber you chose to build your deck with.

Can I use aluminum Flashing? No, I wouldn’t! It may be a little cheaper, but, when framing exterior decks using Galvanized nails; you will have ” oxidation” of the nails in contact with the aluminum. Oxidation will form around the “nails” and will eat through them, thus, causing your deck to erode from the house and possibaly collapse! So, in other words, don’t skimp and try to save a few buck..

Step two:  Roll the copper flashing out roughly5″ inches past you ledger board on both sides.

Step three: Buy yourself a roll of Grace vycor protection and over lap the copper flashing a couple of inches. Also, make sure the vycor protection start from below the door.

Why do I use this?

Well, this is what I call the ” Double Protection Plan,” you see, in my part of the region the Northeast, we get a lot of nasty weather. In the winter snow storms roll through and snow builds up on the deck. Now with all that snow sitting on your deck, freezing and melting, your siding expanding and contracting, water could find its way through and leak into your house. Starting to make sence?

Use the picture below to get an idea of what I’m explaining. If you have any questions or comments, please visit me at www.mbmcarpentry.com for a free estimate and consultation.

Serving south eastern ma. areas

Thank you.