Tips

Mushrooms! One of the greatest dividers of picky eaters and food connoisseurs. The choice of whether or not to use them can be the difference between the best burger in the world or one of the most medium liked kinds of food across the board. Some people like them on pizza, and others detest it. “The texture is the WORST part”, “The texture is the BEST Part”. While this discussion may not be resolved in our lifetime, there is one statement that we can all agree on. Mushrooms do not belong in your carpet.

As silly as it sounds, it is not as uncommon as you may think. Mushrooms are a sign of high humidity or even water leaks in your home. They might just be the reason you find the reason why your water bill was too high, or why that stuffy nose just will not go away. Mushroom growth is also a sign of potential bacteria or mold growth in the immediate area. Mushrooms enjoy dark, damp, low traffic areas, so how do you combat it?

When dealing with mushrooms, mold, or any other kind of bacteria growth, it is vital that you stop the spread by: removing and/or sanitizing all affected materials, making sure all salvaged material is dry, and stopping the cause by fixing the leak, adding ventilation, or whatever else is necessary to prevent more damage. The best way to fix a mold issue is to have a professional remove it properly.

On a nice Saturday morning, all you want to do is wake up, get some coffee, and maybe take a nice walk around the block. However, most people do not understand the joy of walking down into your kitchen to find water raining down from the ceiling! Was there a frozen pipe that broke? Maybe a faulty plumbing job from that guy that said he would run all of your pipes for a hamburger and a soda? Nope! It’s a rat!

You may not expect it, but many water leaks in the Yakima Valley are caused by rats or other rodents chewing holes in pipes. When these pipes get ruptured, even a small pin hole can let a large amount of water pass through and cause unseen damage for a long time. Unfortunately, in a lot of cases, homeowners do not even notice the leak until there are visible signs of damage, and by that time there can already be secondary damage like mold growth. The only way to treat this damage is to get rid of affected material, sanitize and dry the area.

As a homeowner, the best way to avoid this issue is to make sure that all holes or possible entrances from the outside of your home are locked up tight, as well as just keeping the area around your house cleared of debris.

As we get into the Christmas season, most people would say that they would be happy with a new car. However, they would not want it to be delivered through their living room wall by a drunk driver at 3:27 am. As crazy as this sounds, it has happened to people in the Yakima Valley more times than you would probably expect.

When something as chaotic as this happens, what do you do? While you might be tempted to siphon the gas from the tank to pay for your deductible, the correct answer would be:

• Get your family out of the house,
• Call the authorities,
• Get an expert on site to assess the
  damages to the property.

The last thing that you want or need is secondary damage or a secondary injury to occur. Have an expert secure the damaged area and investigate the structural integrity of the rest of the home.

From house floods, to fires, to break ins, and yes, even a Toyota 4Runner traveling at 50mph in a school zone. It is important to make your home or business as safe and secure as possible. Nobody can be prepared for this kind of event, but having a mental plan and an idea of the process is a step in the right direction.

“We thought we could clean it up ourselves.”

“The loss actually occurred last week, but we waited to see if it would dry up.”

“We didn’t realize it was that bad.”

These are just a few examples of what we hear from our customers. When a glass of water is spilled, odds are you can clean it up by yourself, but what about a toilet overflow? At what point do you need help?

When it comes to water damage, time is your most valuable resource. Water needs to be taken care of as quickly and as efficiently as possible. This statement only becomes more true if the water is contaminated by any bacteria or unclean substances. When customers call us a week after the initial loss, sometimes they are shocked to hear that mold growth has occurred even though they “cleaned up” the toilet water.

If water losses do turn to mold damages, the cost of mitigation can go up exponentially, not to mention the cost of your health and safety. Even with “small losses” it is important to call mitigation experts to come and at the very least give a thorough examination of the loss.

At Baxter Construction our team is fully trained and prepared to deal with any problem you throw at us. Our team is certified and ready to mitigate any water, mold, fire, or wind damage. We will work with you personally or your insurance provider to put your home back the way it was or better!

Do you have that family recipe for the perfect stuffing, apple pie, or turkey? Every family claims
to have the best, but most people agree that they vary quite a bit. The one thing that remains
constant is not burning your house down in the process.

As we get bundled up and start preparing for family gatherings and other holiday events, it is
important to remember our safety precautions: keep an eye on your oven, cook with appropriate
materials, keep flammable items away from heaters, and make sure your smoke detectors are
in proper working order. Fire and smoke damages can be devastating, and they are the last
thing that you want in your home.

Luckily Baxter Construction LLC is here to pick up the pieces in your time of need. Our 24/7
team is ready to help you secure your home, mitigate any fire, smoke, or water damage done,
clean all of your household contents, and work with your insurance agents to put your home
back exactly the way that you want it.

Household losses/disasters are like oatmeal raisin cookies, the smaller the better but none of them are good. Whether you have a small leak in your roof, or your sewer backs up and floods your whole house, you are inconvenienced in one way or another. You have the stress of something so small or large ruining an investment that you put a lot of time and money into. Nothing puts a damper on your mood quite like telling your extended family that you need to relocate your long-awaited Thanksgiving dinner to a Denny’s because the main floor of your house had the entirety of the block’s wastewater run through it the night before (yes, it happens).

If any of the above sent a little bit of anxiety through your spine, then I would say you had the appropriate response. If dealing with an endless stream of chunky grey water running through your home doesn’t scare you then I don’t know what will. The good news is you do not have to deal with that kind of stress alone (if the case should ever arise).

Baxter Construction has a full ICRC certified team ready to serve you 24/7, 365 days a year. We will deal with any problem you throw at us, so that when you feel like your plans are going down the toilet, you have a team behind you that you can depend on.