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Repeat Customers In Sacramento, CA

There is a lot of talk about the value of the referrals in providing a service. Getting others to talk about you to their friends, relatives, and neighbors can be a great value to selling homes. But I think the most valuable customer is the repeat customer.

Give me a hand full of repeat customers any day. Those that will call whenever your services are needed. I think of all my past sales, wouldn’t it be nice if all of them called me the next time they needed to repair or improve there home? It is probably best to keep an eye on these people. Market to them over and over. Sure I will probably get new referrals too, but getting the repeat customer should be the ultimate goal.

I have had real estate agents market to me and after buying my home, they disappeared after a few months. I don’t need the fancy newsletter, or to be hammered with postcards for ever holiday, home sale, and open house. Friend me on Facebook, or connect with me on Linked In. Something subtle works best for me. You’re probably already doing it anyway, just include me in that loop.

Kitchen Remodels Add Value To Your Home

You gotta love this kitchen if you are a general contractor or a homeowner willing to make some changes. Changes that will greatly improve the value of your home, be more efficient, and more modern and up-to-date. It would be hard to spruce up this kitchen. Why? Because it is all old and outdated.

I'm not saying that you have to make any changes, maybe you are okay with it the way it is. But if you are a general contractor, your eyes are tearing up with joy. This baby is being demolished. A clean slate, where the owners can have whatever they wish. Counters, cabinets, appliances all must come out. Plumbing, electrical, flooring too. Let's make this kitchen sparkle!

But wont that be expensive? It will cost a lot of money, but its money that will go directly to the value of your home. Think of it as "flipping" a home but you get to live in it.

Can we do it on a budget? You can set any amount that you wish. I wouldn't go with the super-cheap idea. You would probably regret it later on. But yeah a budget makes a lot of sense. This small kitchen will at value to the home when complete. Overspending does not make sense. There is a budget range for all kitchens, stay within the range.

Know anybody with a kitchen like this?

I'd love to talk to them.

Tom Arstingstall

An Uncommon Contractor

Tromler Construction

916.765.5366

Electrical Contractor May Be Needed

Years ago, homes and apartments were designed to handle the electrical needs at that time. Think back before the microwave, before the phone charger, the computer, and all the other power needs we have today. Properties were built with a power supply that is less than standard today. It is not uncommon to see homes with a 100 AMP main breaker or apartments with 30 AMP breakers. In these properties the number of outlets are limited, some kitchen only have one outlet! So what can a home owner do to upgrade their power supply?

Let's make sure that we can not just keep adding to the existing power source. Adding outlets, lights, disposals, etc. will only put a greater burdan on the electrical supply. This means tripping breakers, and even electrical fires. You do not want to add to what you have without increasing the power supply.

It would probably be best to contact a qualified electrician to upgrade your electrical supply to the building so that you can adequately make inprovements to your property. Put together a list of what kind of improvements you would like and discuss these with the contractor for his professional opinion. Many contractors will be more than happy to meet with a property owner that is sincere about doing some improvements to their building.

Good luck in all your home projects.

Check Your Roof And Gutters For Leaf Build-Up

The leaves have started to fall from the trees around your home, now is the time to check for leaf build-up. You can probably see the roof top from the ground.

Are the leaves piling up in the valleys of the roof? Do the leaves fill and top the gutters? This may be a good time to correct this issue. If the rain water can't get to the gutters and downspouts, water will be flowing over the top and possibly creating new problems around the house.

This is something that a homeowner can do themselves, you will need a few common items to do the job. A blower or small rack to clear out the valleys comes in handy. The gutters will need to be scooped out by hand or purchase a scooper designed for gutter cleaning.

If you've neglected doing this for a while the gutters may be filled with moist decomposing debris. It can be a smelly mess, gloves and a mask may help.

Of course there are business that do this sort of thing. Look up gutter cleaning in your local area for help with this.

Good Luck in all your home maintenance projects.

Is Your Tile Roof Ready For The Rainy Season?

While doing a regular annual inspection of this roof, I discovered several broken and missing tiles. Last years storms caused tree limbs to fall onto the house damaged the concrete tile roofing. Luckily we had some matching tiles that made the repairs unnoticable when completed.

Broken roof tiles initially may not show signs of leaking right away. However, constant water flowing under the tiles will probably cause much more damage if left uncorrected. This is something that a homeowner can do themselves, or have a qualified roofing contractor do a visual inspection of the home. Either way, it is important to regularly inspected roof tiles before it is leaking inside the home.

New Paint Can Change The Whole Room

A new coat of paint can change the whole look of a room. You don't need to get to fancy, or hire a decorator. Pick up some colors from your local paint or hardware store and brush on some sample areas. Ask your family and friends what they think of the colors. You may be surprised at their response, they may have some good suggestions themselves. Heck, you may be able to convince them to help.

Shur-Line 500 Premium Paint Edger
How To Paint: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners Covering Watercolors, Acrylics and Oils

My Kitchen Cabinets Are Falling!

I had gotten a call about a problem with the upper cabinets in the kitchen of an apartment. "The cabinets are falling off the wall" the manager said. I thought that was going to be a over-exageration, but promptly got to the property. Must to my surprise - the kitchen cabinets were falling off the wall!

Apparently, the original installer used 6 nails to hold the cabinets to the wall; three missed hitting any wood framing and over time, the remaining three slipped from the weight. The tenant literally had a wood box holding the cabinets up.

We pulled all the original nails, lifted the whole cabinet system and secured the unit to the walls with 3" screws at the top and bottom of each cabinet section.

Replace Dual Pane Windows - General Contractor May Not Be Needed

I had the opportunity to replace some dual pane windows here in Placerville, Cameron Park, and Sacramento recently, it was easier than I expected. As a general contractor in Placerville, I have never been called to replace the dual pane window itself. Usually I get calls to change out the entire window, frame, siding, etc.

I am here to tell you that replacing the dual pane glass is much easier than expected. You will need some simple tools - screwdriver, tape measure, etc. It certainly is not brain surgery. In the worse case, bring the parts to a glass shop and have them finish the work for you.

If, however, you do manage to do this yourself, you can save yourself hundreds of dollars. And if one window has failed, surely others will fail in the future.

Here is one of many web sites to help you with the dual pane window replacement.

Good Luck.

Improve the value of your home with a new shower enclosure.

Got a call about improving some residencial showers in a home.

The bathrooms were a little outdated, in need of repair, and some improvements would add value to the home in the long run. Sometimes it is difficult to justify the cost of the improvement. If this is the case, maybe sitting down with a realtor, or contractor, and get an objective assessment of the added value of the improvement is necessary.

Sterling CI2900A-32S/W Economy Shower Kit Corner Entry 32" x 32" x 72" Bypass Hammered Glass with Wh

Interior Wall Repair in Sacramento

During the rainy season, water damage tends to increase. The problem with that is we can not always assume that the rains have caused the water problem that we see. In the picture above, water has damaged the sheetrock wall in the interior of the laundry room. The area is moist and could in fact be caused by the rains. However, in that same vicinity is a copper plumbing line, that also needs to be checked.
A variety of tests can be done to find the source of this problem but this is my recommendation to the owners. Have a licensed contractor test the walls for moisture with a moisture meter, this will determine if water is running down the wall from a higher location. Once the origin of the water leak has been determined, open the wall to inspect the problem. If it is a plumbing leak, the pipe will be repaired. If the roof is leaking, the roof will be repaired. In either case the wet water damaged walls will be removed and patched.

Plumbing repairs inside apartment wall in Sacramento, Ca

 Some pictures of a plumbing leak, a cracked 4-way fitting, inside a common wall. The repair was in an apartment comunity in Sacramento, Ca.

Pictures shown inset are the fitting as seen in the wall originally, after cut out, and a visual look laying on floor to show how the fitting had cracked. The larger picture is the new 4 way installed and functioning.

Top of the Google search results for Contractors in Placerville

It took some time, but we finally made it to the top of this search list.You can too!

Tromler Construction Holiday Card

Tromler Construction Holiday Card
Originally uploaded by TromlerPics
Happy Hoildays from Tromler Construction!

Thanks for an awesome year, look forward to being of service in the future.

Here are some Remodeling ideas from Amazon.

Gutter Replacement in Cameron Park

The rains are here, are you ready?
One of the things that gets overlooked are the gutters. A visual inspection can do a lot of good. Broken seams and rust holes are common and needs to be addressed. So what is a homeowner to do?

You can do the visual inspection yourself. While its raining, do the gutters leak? Does the water flow down the downspouts? Who do you call. If you need help?

Call a roofing contractor or gutter specialist for longer jobs. A general contractor or handyman may be able to help with smaller repairs. You may even want to give it a shot yourself.

Good Luck!
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Hive Found in the Ceiling - Drywall Repaired

We were working on getting this room completed on schedule. The painter discovered a soft spot in to drywall ceiling while rolling out the room. Inside the room there was no signs of a problem. No stain, no odor, looked fine until you touched it. Paper thin!

We found a 12" section that was "chewed" from the top attic area. My first thought was animals. Rats, squirrels, who knows? It was none of these. We a broomstick we punched open the area to discover a large hive. Not sure what kind of hive. There were honey combs, but also a paperwebing that I had not seen until then.

.

So we got back to work. We cleared the nest area, insulated, patched the drywall, textured and painted. And got done on schedule!

Exterior Door Replacement

Exterior doors that are exposed to the weather can be damaged quickly if not protected.





This door was painted, yet was damaged from the rains. Why? Well, I can think of several reasons.

1. The door was not properly primed before painting. All the surfaces, including the top and bottom of the door should be primed before painting. An oil-based primer is best.
2. Water needed to be diverted away from the door. This door was at the end of the gutter, when the downspout was clogged, water cascaded over the top and on to the door.
3. Maintenance. At the first sign of loose paint, swelling, discoloration, etc. the problem should be addressed. Fixing some loose paint, or checking for door swelling can allow a problem to be corrected early. Correcting a door problem early can at years to the life of the door.

Clean and Dirty Air Filters

Two identical air filters; one is new, the other has been in use for 4 months. Clean your air filters regularly and save money.
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HVAC Air Filters - Keep Air Filter Clean

Heating and Air Conditioning systems make our living spaces comfortable, but the cost of running these systems can be expensive. How can we keep the costs down? Well, the simplest answer may be the air filters.

Air filters catch small debris that can harm the HVAC unit. Over time the air filters get dirty. These filters need to be replaced regularly. How often do you change these filters? It depends. Q

The air filters pictured below are from a home in Placerville. It shows how quickly these filters can get filled with dust and debris. One filter is only 4 months old. New carpet, pets, landscaping, etc can all lead to dirty filters. How often is system is running will also effect the life of the filter.

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Mold on Sheetrock Walls and Ceiling Removed

All of the drywall on the ceiling and upper walls was removed and replaced. The mold had gotten so bad that the it could no longer be cleaned up. The solution to this problem is very simple, get better air circulation in the bathroom.

We see this sort of thing often, usually the problem can be corrected early before the drywall needs to be removed. Here is what needs to be done. Turn on the vent fan in the bathroom, let it run for a while after using the shower. Most people shower, dry off, turn off the light and fan, and leave. This allows the moisture to

stay in the bathroom for a very long period of time.

If possible, open the windows and doors to allow fresh air into the home. Run the fan for a while longer than usual. Clean regularly. Cleaning the walls and ceiling with a light bleach solution before any signs of mildew, prevents the start of this problem.

The picture to the right shows the same shower top after installing new drywall, tape, texture, prime and paint. I looks like a new bathroom. Proper cleaning and air circulation will allow the bathroom to look this way for years to come.