Latest Blog Posts
5 Benefits of Installing Masonry in Your Home Construction
Masonry is a type of stonework that involves the process of laying…
June 30, 2020/by Aaron4 Signs of a Faulty Foundation in Your Home’s Structure
The foundation is a critical part of your house that always needs…
June 23, 2020/by Aaron4 Reasons It’s Important to Clean Your Chimney Regularly
Almost every house in Canada depends on fireplaces, wood stoves,…
June 16, 2020/by AaronHome-Improvement Project: 5 Ways to Waterproof Your Home
When building or renovating a home, it’s easy to get lost in…
June 9, 2020/by AaronWhen 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…
June 2, 2020/by AaronWhat Homeowners Should Know About Parging – Our Guide
It is often said that the home is where your heart is, as it's…
May 26, 2020/by AaronHow to Spot Common Chimney Problems – Our Guide
Chimney problems are serious issues. You must resolve them quickly,…
May 19, 2020/by Aaron3 Signs That Masonry Work Needs to Be Performed on Your Property
In Canada, residential homes and commercial buildings made of…
May 12, 2020/by Aaron5 Steps to Take When Looking for Masonry Contractors – Our Guide
Masonry is generally regarded as a highly durable form of construction.…
May 5, 2020/by Aaron
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:
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:
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:
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
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!