5 Benefits of Installing Masonry in Your Home Construction

5 Benefits of Installing Masonry in Your Home Construction

Masonry is a type of stonework that involves the process of laying down bricks, stones, or concrete with mortar to create a building or structure. Throughout the years, masonry as a building system has demonstrated its quality, flexibility, durability, and classic aesthetics. That is why it is used in various construction projects specifically in building foundations, columns, walls, steps, and other similar structural components.

Even today, many houses and commercial infrastructures are built through masonry. Many designs and construction methods have been developed to enhance the quality and performance of masonry works. As it continually develops, its benefits continuously improve as well.

Here are five significant benefits of having masonry services for your home construction project:

Benefit #1: It keeps your home safe from damage

As you may know, masonry is solid and durable and can withstand almost any hard impact directed to it. Due to its proven integrity and durability, many commercial, government, industrial, and institutional buildings were built with masonry.

Some of the hard impacts or damaging elements it can withstand include:

  • Hail or heavy snow
  • Thrown pieces of stones
  • Termites and pests
  • Vehicular crashes

Benefit #2: It can limit the spread of fire in your home

Masonry in itself is fire-resistant as the material is non-combustible and highly durable. It can withstand prolonged exposure to fire better than any other construction material. If a fire happens in your home, your masonry firewalls or partitions can prevent further spreading.

Some other underlying benefits of getting masonry services for your home include:

  • It can help protect you and your family from fire and other natural and manmade disasters
  • It can help maintain and keep your valuable property away from destructive elements
  • It can lower the insurance rate of your home
  • It can save you significant costs on the damage that a fire causes to your property

Benefit #3: It keeps your home better insulated

If you want to insulate your home better, you should consider having masonry in your home as its mass helps maintain a constant temperature inside your house. As a result, you will notice that you use your heating and cooling system much less frequently, saving you significant energy costs in the long run.

According to experts, masonry provides better insulation capabilities than other construction materials.

Benefit #4: It can save you costs in the long run

Having masonry services in your home is undoubtedly cost-effective compared to other materials. It can be pricey in the beginning due to the construction materials, but you will eventually reap its benefits in terms of better durability, fewer maintenance costs, and longer lifespans.

Masonry is cost-effective in various reasons, including:

  • It is durable, meaning it would not need much repairs and replacement
  • It offers various textures and designs that you wouldn’t feel the need for additional wall coverings
  • Its design is timeless, and its colour doesn’t fade quickly, saving you costs on restyling
  • It doesn’t rust due to weather, not needing regular maintenance and repainting

Benefit #5: It increases your home resale value

Since masonry has many benefits, as mentioned above, the resale value of your home increases over time. Aside from its beauty and classic elegance, its durability is what charms the interests of home buyers.

More than the aesthetics, home buyers look into the quality, durability, and integrity of the house. They would look for a home that can last them a long time and return the value of their investment.

Conclusion

Masonry can offer many benefits to your home. It can withstand strong direct impact due to natural and manmade disasters, can keep your home better insulated, and is cost-effective and highly durable. Aside from that, it can work to your advantage if you plan to sell your house in the future because masonry can significantly increase your home’s resale value.

If you need an expert and reliable masonry company in Toronto, make sure to get in touch with us at Red Robin Masonry. We are recognized as one of the best masonry companies in the area!

4 Signs of a Faulty Foundation in Your Home’s Structure

The foundation is a critical part of your house that always needs your careful attention. When done correctly, it will keep your home stable through any weather that comes your way. If it starts to fail, however, the effect will be felt in the entire house as it will result in instability. In extreme cases, a faulty foundation can even cause the whole structure to collapse and make the building uninhabitable.

While foundation repair will certainly require the expertise of a structural engineer or a home restoration service, faulty foundations can be rather easy to notice. Before you are faced with extreme foundational issues at home, here are four signs of a faulty foundation that you should keep an eye out for:

1. Long, gaping cracks on the floor

As you should be aware, ground movement is relatively common, and it is normal for your foundation to slightly sink and for hairline vertical cracks to appear during the first two to three years after construction. However, seeing even a quarter of an inch climbing horizontally across your walls can mean that your foundation is experiencing more movement than what is considered normal. If you see cracks at a 45-degree angle, the foundation can be compromised, meaning that you need to seek professional assistance immediately.

2. Uneven floors

While cracks are definitely the most obvious sign, you should also check if there are portions of the house on the same level that feel lower or higher. One way to check is to place a ball on the floor in the center of the room and see if it consistently rolls away in one direction. You can also pour water and see if the puddle moves in many directions. If it flows consistently to one side, you know that your floor is not level.

3. Windows not closing

Because windows are designed to fit with an opening made during construction, any movement within the foundation will show cracks and gaps where the window frame and walls meet. Often, homeowners will notice that the windows no longer line-up or close properly and merely assume it as a faulty installation. However, this can also be a sign of the walls shifting due to an unstable foundation.

4. Doors are not lining up with their latches

Sometimes, doors that refuse to close may be caused by improper installation, but it often is also a tell-tale sign that your foundation has shifted, and your walls are no longer aligned. This is especially true if you see gaps where the wall and the door frames meet. Similar to windows, doors are also designed to fit flush to your walls. A crack or gap on top of the door frame will likely also appear as a consequence of a foundation that has moved.

Causes of moving foundations

There are many causes of a moving foundation. Often, it is a result of subpar construction work, where workers fail to compact a soil properly before laying the foundation. This results in structural failure as the foundation is vulnerable to water damage, and the soil is too soft to support a structure.

However, vibrations can also cause the soil to move. These vibrations can come from nearby construction or earthquakes. Vegetation can wreak havoc on your foundation as well. Tree roots, in particular, will grow around and under your home’s foundation and cause the soil to shift as it looks for water.

Conclusion

While good construction practices will come a long way to ensuring a stable foundation for your home, movements in the earth will often cause structural problems. Remember that cracks will often start small as well. Because of this, it is best to keep yourself aware of any signs of potential foundation issues and contact a reputable home restoration service before the issues accelerate.

Red Robin Masonry is your best option for foundation repair and other restoration services in Toronto. If you want to ensure a safe foundation for your home, get in touch with us today to see how we can help!

4 Reasons It’s Important to Clean Your Chimney Regularly

4 Reasons It's Important to Clean Your Chimney Regularly

Almost every house in Canada depends on fireplaces, wood stoves, and other wood-burning and fossil-fueled heating appliances to keep their homes warm and cozy, especially during winter. These heating systems produce hot air inside the house, keeping you and your family warm.

However, most homeowners forget or neglect to clean their chimneys because, mainly, they do not see the importance of it at that time. They possibly do not know that dirty chimneys can be damaging and increase health risks.

If you have a chimney in your home, here are four reasons why you should have it professionally cleaned regularly:

1. It is energy-efficient

When you use your fireplace often, plenty of additional creosote is deposited in your chimney. Creosote is an oil distilled from coal tar coming from your fireplace. When it accumulates up to the airway of your chimney, the efficiency of your fireplace will decrease, requiring you to burn more wood.

Cleaning your chimney will improve the efficiency of your fireplace and other heating systems and appliances, allowing you to enjoy a more pleasant environment in your home.

2. It is cost-effective

Wood-burning fireplaces can reach a high temperature of 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit or more. This leads to the piling of ash, soot, bits of wood, and other by-products in certain areas of your chimney such as the smoke shelf, flue liner, damper, and masonry.

Replacing these parts after years of usage is time-consuming and expensive. To reduce wear and tear, you should get masonry services regularly. Doing so will help you assess the health of your chimney as well as spot any masonry issues.

3. It keeps your home safe from fires

When you regularly use fossil-fueled appliances in your home, creosote and soot builds up and thickens in the chimney flue and masonry. These by-products can trigger a fire once it is exposed to the heat of burning embers.

They can also pose a hazard to your health by contaminating the air you breathe in. When these particles enter your body, they act as toxins that can severely hamper your wellbeing. As such, cleaning your chimney will allow you to maintain a safe and healthy environment.

4. It keeps your family safe from toxic fumes

In case you didn’t know, insects, rodents, and even small birds can clod your chimney flue, preventing toxic fumes from escaping the chimney. The unsuccessful escape of toxic fumes can increase the risk of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning, sometimes called the “silent killer.”

Carbon monoxide poisoning caused by toxic fumes can cause severe infection or, worse, death. By keeping your chimney clean, you’re helping keep the health of your family protected.

Conclusion

Your home chimney is an important part of your home heating system and your house as a whole. This affects the environment of your home as well as the health of your family. As a homeowner, you should have your chimney cleaned regularly to prevent house fires and carbon monoxide poisoning. Aside from that, cleaning your chimney is also cost-effective and energy-efficient since it can address issues that may lead to further damage.

If you need chimney repair services in Toronto, get in touch with us today. We are recognized as one of the best masonry companies in the Greater Toronto Area as we give the best quality and trusted service!

Home-Improvement Project: 5 Ways to Waterproof Your Home

Waterproofing Toronto

When building or renovating a home, it’s easy to get lost in the excitement of enhancing the exterior or interior improvements. However, it would be best if you also considered overlooked factors such as waterproofing your home.

There’s nothing more frustrating than dealing with moistures in the basement, growth of mildew on walls, and roof leakage every time it rains, all of which can lead to further damages down the line. With that in mind, the tips below are different ways you can waterproof your home:

Tip #1: Waterproofing the Interior

One of the best ways to protect your home from external factors like heavy rain is to start in the interior. Applying sealant coatings effectively prevents condensation from the inside, removing risks of developing moisture in wet areas like the bathroom, kitchen, and basement.

Tip #2: Waterproofing the Exterior

Another obvious way to prevent water damage is to waterproof the outside of your house, which should serve as the primary defence against potential leaks no matter the season. Some of the best ways to achieve this are to coat the exterior walls with a waterproof barrier, include weeping tiles, and ensure that all your drainage systems are in good working condition.

Tip #3: Waterproofing the Basement

Even with sealant coatings inside your house, the basement is one of the most vulnerable areas that can absorb high levels of moisture during the rainy and winter seasons. Snow often causes fog, which can dampen your basement walls and floors.

With that in mind, you can quickly solve the problem by applying waterproofing paint on the interior and exterior walls of the basement to prevent any dampness, efflorescence, and mildew build-up.

Tip #4: Repairing a Faulty Drainage System

Faulty pipes often lead to leaks and flooding in the worst-case scenario, including clogged drains, septic issues, and a myriad of other drainage problems. When you start to notice any signs of wear-and-tear in your drainage system, it’s best to call a professional to inspect the damages and repair them as soon as possible. Leaving small problems unchecked can turn into bigger and costlier issues, after all.

Tip #5: Repairing Cracks in Concrete

Concrete is a high-quality and durable material that can last for years to come, but it is vulnerable to cracking. Once you notice any hairline chips or cracks around the concrete walls and driveways, it’s best to call a professional masonry company to fill in the cracks to keep water out. When the water inside the cracks freezes, it can worsen the situation.

The Bottom Line

Waterproofing your home can reduce the risks of experiencing flooding and drainage problems, allowing you to dodge any unnecessary and expensive repairs. With the tips above, you can improve your masonry and protect your home from being affected by rainwater, high humidity, moisture, and more.

If you’re looking for quality and affordable masonry services in Toronto to waterproof your home, we’re the best in the region to call! Get in touch with us at 416-206-8859 now.

When Is the Best Time of Year for a Foundation Repair – Our Guide

When Is the Best Time of Year for a Foundation Repair - Our Guide

If you suspect a problem or are on the hunt for a new home, it’s important to consider when the best time of year is to have your foundation repaired. Nobody enjoys the expense that comes with a major repair but leaving it too long can cause more problems in the future. In any case, you might be wondering when to get your foundation repaired in the first place. Here’s what you need to consider.

During the Winter

From mid-December to March, the ground is considerably colder, which makes your home foundation more stable and easier to monitor for damage. In most cases, experts believe this is the best time to repair your foundation or tend to cracks. This is because stable soil prevents any damage from worsening. However, getting a foundation repair during this time of the year can mean having to postpone vacation plans, which is usually a big enough deterrent for most homeowners.

During the Spring

From April to June, heavy spring rains can cause cracks and, even worse, make them weep. At this point in the year, while doing spring cleaning, you’ll need to monitor these cracks on a weekly basis. Because foundation problems tend to be more obvious during this time of the year, you might be better off hiring home restoration services to assess the damage themselves.

As Soon as They Come

Though some experts may recommend getting your repairs done during certain times of the year, the correct time to do so is as soon as you notice any problems or damage. Waiting for a certain time of year or for specific conditions to become more apparent only allows your foundation problems to worsen and repair costs to skyrocket.

Remember, there are experts for a reason! What might look to you to be a minor inconvenience may just be the underlying problem to a much larger repair. The longer you put off your repairs, the longer you might have to wait to get an appointment at all. As the damage worsens, you won’t just be paying with your time or money—extreme cases might force you out of your home altogether.

That being said, here are signs of any foundation issues that you’ll want to look out for:

  • Hairline fractures or cracks in your base
  • Sloping, sagging or buckling of your floors
  • Large ruptures or gaps
  • Flaking and crumbling of major foundation
  • Moisture or mold
  • Water damage or soil shifting (soil that is unusually wet or unusually dry for the season)
  • Sagging or warped floors
  • Warped ceilings
  • Cracking, crumbling, or buckling of walls, pillars, moulding, joints, or chimneys
  • Improperly fitting doors and windows due to warped crevices

Conclusion

No, your home’s foundation isn’t going to collapse as soon as you spot a tiny crack—but it can if you leave the damage to worsen. There is no “right” season to get your foundation assessed other than when damages occur. However, you will want to get your home evaluated annually, to avoid any oversights.

Looking for home restoration services in Toronto? At Red Robin Masonry, we’ve got the tools! Equipped with the best inventory and masons in the city, we guarantee quality at competitive prices.