Cold And Damp Houses Are Being Talked About All The Time In The Media But Doing Something About It Can Be Easier Than You Think

For those of you that have not received a Moss Brothers letter from me in the past – Welcome. The reason for me writing and sending them is that if building is an option for you some day then you are going to want all of the help and ideas you can get. What I do is kidnap a subcontractor (or two) and hold them for a ransom (most try to trade their freedom for beer because they like the odd drink) and before they are released I demand information. I then take that information and turn it into easy to read and useful hints, tips and ideas that you should find very useful.

And for those who have received the newsletters before, hi again and great to know you are still reading them and getting some benefit from them – over 2000 homes receive these newsletters.

Damp bathrooms

Up until just recently I was in charge of writing the new house specifications for Moss Brothers. As you are well aware, dampness and damp houses (not leaking houses) do not assist healthy living. As a false economy I was discovering that only 50% of clients would ask to install heated towel rails in their en-suites and only 10% of clients would ask for them to be installed in the family bathroom as well.

The main reason for only a low percentage of clients installing these heating units was generally to save cost as these units were seen as a bit of a luxury. But as mentioned, I believe that decision is a misconception and here are my reasons why;

You may have read in past newsletters; there is only one way to remove moisture from a damp area (a damp area being a bathroom, laundry or kitchen etc); that is by heating the area and adding ventilation and extraction. What happens here is the warmth collects the moisture as it vaporises and becomes airborne ‘clouds’. Once this happens the ventilation and extraction system acts as a conveyor belt and removes the moisture to the outside.

Leading on from this - once you come out of the shower (and maybe more family members after you – but not all in together) what remains is a very damp towel/s. It’s almost impossible to dry towels on a standard towel rail, especially in colder weather. Apart from helping maintain a damp bathroom, wet towels are often smelly and can be very unhygienic.

So, what benefits and advantages can be gained by heating and drying bathroom towels? First of all, warm towels feel fantastic, especially on a cold day. Then of course, the warmth removes the moisture and therefore the damp smell. In your existing house, to assist with extracting moisture from the bathroom, you could leave the window slightly open. (Some window catches are fitted with ventilation or restrictor stays.) This allows the room to breathe. Better still, install a small wall or ceiling extractor fan (these are small and silent and can run for hours costing just a few cents) and the moisture from the towels and the room is removed – simple and effective.

Oh, by the way, after explaining the short-comings associated with not installing heated towel rails, most clients change their minds. And of course, when designing a new house these days, energy efficiency and repelling or extracting moisture are foremost is the designer’s mind. Next month we’ll discuss some of the best solutions available to include in your new home at the design phase rather than, “what can I do to retro-fit”?

Amateur painters - and some professionals

Like every profession within every industry the personal ability and performance of each individual person can differ, mostly because of attitude and ability. Painters are no different and that is why you’ll always hear me preach, ‘if you choose on price, nine times out of ten you’ll come unstuck’. So what is it about painting and painted finishes (especially on houses) that gives it such a bad name and requires higher maintenance?

Well, it all comes back to attitude and ability. If you have the right attitude you’ll gain the right ability. So by thinking about why a painted finish often won’t last the way the manufacturers believe it should, it’s wise to consider the reasons:

The perception to most people of painting a house is that it’s an easy but boring job and they’ll do it if they have to as a way to save money during the building process. Believe me that is the wrong reason and it’s a real heartbreak when we see a beautifully built new home spoiled by (and have its life shortened by) a poorly prepared surface, poorly applied paint, incorrect number of coats and/or paper thin paint finish.

Two more major reasons for paint not lasting are; there is some rubbish paint out there, and it’s cheap - but with a cheap paint comes the cheaper painter and that just doesn’t cut the mustard.

And the last reason I want to talk about is ‘sharp edges’. Paint will not stick to sharp edges and the paint ends up becoming extremely thin on these surfaces. So, what do I mean by a ‘sharp edge’? It’s the place where two surfaces meet at an angle of say more than 45º. In the trade, when we remove a sharp edge it’s called applying an arrised edge. By removing the sharp edge the paint can get a really good grip on the wood, and stays there. What annoys me is that timber product manufacturers know this but almost without exception when you look at what the timber merchant has available for sale in the way of finishing timber, all of the edges are sharp and square. In other words they can’t be bothered setting up their machines to apply the arrised edge.

One could argue that it is the responsibility of the carpenter or painter to remove the sharp edge and apply the arris. But this is a cop-out by the manufacturer as they charge a premium for ‘pre-primed’ timber and the moment the arris is applied the primer is removed, therefore breaking the envelope of primer that was applied to protect the timber. So if the primer is removed the timber is required to be reprimed. This of course is most often never done by the amateur painter or the quick cheap professional painter.

Next month and over the next few months I’ll be able to share the confessions of an electrician. I’ve asked him to research some of the latest gizmos that can save on energy. It should be really interesting as he specialises in solar, lighting and appliances.

Yours faithfully

For Moss Brothers Ltd.
Franchisor

PS: Free Architectural Design Consultation

When thinking about building a new home or construction project, where do you start? Well, it’s very simple, try this. Gather up your thoughts, ideas, and any information you have and come and have a chat with Mark Jerling, our in-house architectural design maestro. The first meeting is free and absolutely no conditions apply. The benefit of doing this means you can pick the brains of an expert to find out if what you propose will work, or how it can be made to work without feeling pressured by a pushy salesperson. After the meeting you’ll be informed enough to either want to keep talking with us or simply walk away – no pressure. It costs nothing except an hour or two of your time. The number again is 0800-66-77-27 for lower third of the North Island and 06-370-2058 for all other areas

Oh PPS: if you’d like me to comment on any concern or query you have about building a new home, any new home, either phone me direct for a chat on 0274-575-373 or email me on moss-brothers@wise.net.nz and I’ll reply you in the next newsletter.