Now that you know what damage not cleaning your gutter can do to your home, we wanted to share some tips with you on cleaning that gutter out.
Keep that ladder out and clean out all the debris that has been left in the gutter. One way to do that is to use a pressure washer. Keep that debris though, it could be used for mulch.- Check all your spikes and make sure that the spikes are properly placed throughout the gutter. You may need to consider getting some new ones, if warranted.
- Use bead silicon sealing to close up any leaks your gutter may have. This sealant will be proven effective against rain, snow, and ice.
- Inspect all the rivets that need to go into your gutter also. It may be time to replace them. Any local hardware store will have the rivets and a rivet gun for you to purchase.
- Before using the pressure washer, make sure your gutter is securely fastened with all the new rivets and spikes.
- If your gutters are rusted out, you may want to consider replacing them with aluminum or vinyl gutters.
Now that your gutters are all taken care of, let’s move onto the next in our home improvement series, chimney repair.
Scurich Insurance Services can help you with all of your homeowners’ insurance needs. Give them a call today.
Content provided by Transformer Marketing.
Source: http://www.diynetwork.com/remodeling/tips-for-cleaning-and-repairing-gutters/index.html
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In an earlier article, we discussed tips to get your home ready for the fall season. These tips are important, so there could be no potential denial of coverage should you need to file a claim.
In this article, we want you to know what happens when you don’t clean out your gutter and the potential damage it could cause.
Leaking gutters. On the extreme side leaky gutters can also cause leaky roofs, mold, and it can rot away at the surroundings.- Leaky roofs. If your gutter is filled with debris, any rain, snow, or ice, won’t be able to go anywhere, causing a leaky (and expensive repair) roof.
- Basement leaks. Gutters usually end up at the foundation of the house. If there is any damage to the run off, then the water can wind up in your basement.
- Rotted Wood. Some houses and/or foundations are made of wood. If the gutter is not properly taken care of, the build-up will cause wood to rot.
- Cracks in foundation. Same principle as above. Any debris left can create cracks in the foundation.
This fall, don’t let your gutter get the best of you. Stay tuned for Scurich’s tips to clean out your gutter.
Content provided by Transformer Marketing.
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The leaves are changing colors and Starbuck’s famous Pumpkin Spice Latte has made its official appearance for the fall season. Everyone is getting ready for fall, so should you.
A major stipulation of your homeowner’s insurance policy is maintenance of your home. It is not uncommon for carriers to deny payment of a claim for any damage to your home, if it has been found that your home has not received the proper maintenance. Here at Scurich Insurance Services, we don’t want to see that happen, so here is your fall checklist of home improvements.
- Grab a ladder and clean out the gutters. Yes, those fall leaves are pretty but if your gutters are clogged with them, any rain or snow could create a bigger problem in the future.
- Get your caulk gun out and start sealing up all the cracks you see around the windows and doors.
- Winterize your pipes. This is the perfect time to do it, before it gets too cold.
- Repair your drive before the winter comes. This is actually a better spring project, but if you didn’t get around to doing it before now, do it now.
- Call the chimney guy. Fall means the start of colder weather. You need to make sure your chimney is clean before lighting your first fire.
- Replace or clean your furnace filters.
For more information about your homeowner’s policy, contact Scurich Insurance Services today.
Content provided by Transformer Marketing.
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Everyone knows that homeowners insurance will cover any structural damage done to your home inside and out. Your roof gets hit by lighting and has damage? Homeowners insurance will cover it. A nasty storm knocked a tree into your kitchen and destroyed it? Homeowners insurance will cover it. But that’s not all homeowners insurance will cover. There are some surprising little known coverages in your homeowners policy. Such as:
- Any mandated upgrades. If an ordinance passed stating that all homes needed to have solar paneling, and you needed to get your roof fixed, homeowners insurance would cover the addition of the solar paneling. Check with your policy, because there generally is limits.
- Food replacement. Yup, that’s right, your homeowners insurance will replace any food that is no longer edible. Most policies will have a $500 limit.
- Are you getting sued for slander? Your homeowners insurance will defend and cover you.
- Did Marmaduke bite the postal worker? Your homeowners insurance will all damages associated with your pooch.
- Did your neighbor hit run over you with her bicycle? Some homeowner’s policies will cover your medical expenses. Homeowners insurance will cover a number of accidents similar to this. Scurich Insurance Services can help you navigate through the specificities of your policy.
- Rough winters. Rough winters can damage your pipes, the weight of snow on your roof can cause damage and other winter damages, can cause you to have to find temporary shelter with additional living expenses. Your homeowners insurance will cover your additional expenses.
To find out everything else that your policy covers, contact Scurich Insurance Services today.
Content provided by Transformer Marketing.
Source: http://www.bankrate.com/finance/insurance/things-your-home-insurance-covers.aspx#slide=1
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People are more active when the weather gets warm. They participate in more sports and recreational activities. Do you have the right type and amount of insurance to be well protected against all of the things that can go wrong?
During the winter there are not as many boats out on the lakes and waterways. When summer comes around, the level of recreational boating increases exponentially. If you own a boat or a jet ski and are planning on taking it out of storage and into the water, you need to buy insurance. You pretty much have all of the same risks when you operate a boat as you have when you operate a car. If you run your boat into a pier, insurance can cover the repairs. If your boat is stolen you will not suffer a huge financial loss. Most importantly, a boat insurance policy can cover valid liability claims should you cause property damage or personal injury to another person while operating your boat.
When the weather is good and the kids are out of school, people tend to drive more. They go to amusement parks, the beach and on family vacations. The roads are more crowded and you may want to have more than your state’s minimum required amount of automobile insurance. If you don’t already have it, consider adding collision, comprehensive, roadside service, towing, and rental car reimbursement to your auto policy.
People get more active when the weather is warm. Whether you are out surfing, playing soccer, hiking, or riding a bike, you could fall and get injured. If you break an arm or need medical attention for some other reason, it is important to make sure that you are covered by medical insurance.
Most summer activities are just fun and work out just fine. However, for those cases when the unexpected happens, you will be glad you bought insurance.
Content provided by Transformer Marketing.
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A sharknado is not a specifically named peril on a standard homeowners insurance policy. But would your insurer pay up anyway if, as in the instant cult classic Syfy TV movie, a giant tornado blew in from the ocean and dumped thousands of man-eating sharks on your neighborhood?
Or, to put it a bit more bluntly, if–in spite of being blown out of its habitat and short of breath–a great white aimed its massive jaws at your left bicep and tore it off, would you get reimbursed?
We asked folks at the Insurance Information Institute, an industry group, for their take on the issue. The considered opinion of several experts, including their chief economist, was yes–for the most part.
“A tornado is a wind event,” says Mike Barry, vice president of media relations. Wind events, including hurricanes, tornadoes, cyclones and other such calamities, are covered under a standard policy. But a falling shark?
“It would be covered, yes, as a falling object,” Barry confirms. In case you were wondering, damage from an errant asteroid would be covered by your homeowners insurance under the same principle.
And if your car insurance included comprehensive coverage, your car or truck would be protected against damage from a sharknado. (Barry notes that comprehensive coverage protects in the event of “contact with animals, such as birds or deer;” but why quibble over details like fur or feathers?)
As for the arm that got munched by that ferocious flying fish, you’d have to file a claim under your health insurance policy. If, however, you owned the shark and it bit someone else, you would be covered by liability insurance through your homeowners policy. From an insurance perspective, it’s not so different from a bite by a really big, finned dog.
What to do afterward
Of course, in the aftermath of a sharknado, there would be so much more to consider. You wouldn’t want all that shark meat go to waste, so you’d need to check out Consumer Reports Ratings of chainsaws and kitchen knives, not to mention freezers. And what better way to celebrate your survival than with a magnificent slab of marinated mako cooked on one of our top-rated grills, accompanied by a cold glass of a best-in-class craft beer?
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