Kelley Home Services

French Doors or Slider?

admin — Wed, 09 May 2012 01:46:05 +0000

I often have people ask me to quote installing a french door to replace vinyl sliding door. People like the look, and the ability to open both doors. We’ve installed a lot of French doors in the Gig Harbor and Tacoma area, but if the application is exposed to a lot of wind and weather, I usually tell people to think twice. A vinyl patio slider, by design, is much more weather tight than a French door. Call us if you have questions about doors or would like a free estimate.

Aging in place

admin — Wed, 02 May 2012 18:35:34 +0000

A growing trend in the housing industry is people choosing to stay in their homes and re-model them rather than moving to a different location. For older customers, this often involves modifying your home to make mobility less of a challenge. We don’t like to think about needing a walker or a wheelchair someday, but if you are remodeling, it often isn’t that hard to incorporate things like grab bars and wider doorways. Features like a walk-in tub, or low threshold shower can make everyday things like bathing a lot easier. Something as simple as a changing your toilet to an ADA height seat can make a big difference and is very affordable.

Kelley Home Services LLC. has worked with several couples over the years in the Gig Harbor and Tacoma area making their homes more functional and pleasant. From rounding off the corners of the sheet rock in the hall for a easier wheelchair use, to installing walk in tubs like this one.

We work closely with our customers to understand what they need, and work tirelessly for our customers to leave them with something they love.

Call us if you’re considering a remodel, we would love to talk with you about it.

What about windows??

admin — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 16:42:12 +0000

Someone asked me the other day what kind of windows they should get. That’s like asking me which truck I like best… It depends. If you are looking for a wood window for aesthetic or historical purposes, it’s hard to beat a Marvin; but they do have their maintenance liabilities and cost can be sobering for most retrofit and new construction applications, vinyl windows have proven to be energy efficient and cost effective. We are blessed in the Pierce county area to have two top rated manufacturers: CDI and Milgard. Both offer excellent quality and good warranty support. Call us if you have window questions, or would like a free estimate! We serve the greater Gig Harbor and Tacoma Area with standard setting quality and customer service!

A little water goes a long way…

admin — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 18:39:11 +0000

We had another water damage job the other day in Gig harbor, homeowner didn’t notice the caulking on the floor next to the tub had cracked, creating a gap that water leaked into over time. A little moisture, over prolonged periods of time, rotted the floor. Nobody noticed until the floor was starting to get soft, by then it was too late to save it. These repairs are fairly expensive, because you usually have to pull the tub, which means re-doing the shower surround the floor, etc. It could have been prevented if they had checked their caulking, and sealed the problem area. Not sure what to look for? Call us, we are here to help.

You often get what you pay for…

admin — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 17:48:38 +0000

We had another call the other day (this happens from time to time) from a customer in the middle of a remodel with another contractor in his Gig Harbor – Tacoma area home. His electrician mentioned he might want to get another opinion on the quality of the work being done on his bathroom… something didn’t seem quite right, so he called KHS on a recommendation. When I got there, the plumbing was already roughed in improperly, and there were some structural “adjustments” that had been made that could have led to a floor failure upstairs the first time the tub was filled with water. The way the plumbing was done, it would have created an open septic situation below the vanity. Everything had to be re-done.

Do you really want a bargain contractor? The really scary part is that if that electrician hadn’t tipped the owner off, he would have been a lot further along before he knew he had problems, and would have had a new baby exposed to very un-sanitary conditions. Anyone can say they are qualified. Check your contractor for being properly licensed, bonded, and insured. Check with the Better Business Bureau before you hire someone.

Dept. of Labor & Industries

Better Business bureau of western Washington

Ramping up for the 2012 Gig Harbor Parade!

admin — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 19:53:35 +0000

We’ve decided to partner up with Food Backpacks for Kidsagain this year. We had a Great time and good turn out last year, so I know it will go smooth this year… (knock on wood) I’ll shoot a couple photo’s as I go so you can all see what it takes to put something like this together. First step you need a vision, and in my case once you have your vision you need to scale it down a bit! Once you have a plan its all about divide and conquer. In this case I’m teaming up with Brit from PCOF (Peninsula Communities of Faith). They are the group responsible for the Backpacks program. Brit is looking into advertising and getting some troops rounded up to help gather food and decorate the float. I’ll be heading up the construction and coordination of all the different aspects of a parade float so that everything comes together smoothly. The Maritime Gig Festival is the first weekend of June, so that gives us about two and a half months… If anybody wants to get involved all you have to do is ask! shoot me an email or give us a call. The theme we are going with this year is “Oldies” focused on the 50′s and 60′s. LET THE COUNT DOWN BEGIN!

Versatility

admin — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 22:33:02 +0000

One of the great things about our crew is their “can-do” attitude. Through the years we have helped some great customers with all kinds of projects that are not in the construction manual! What the heck, we have a fully equipped construction company, why not use it? Like bringing in our equipment trailer and our guys to move a fully assembled sauna so it wouldn’t have to be dis-assembled when our customer moved to Fox Island. It looked like a giant wine cask going down the road! Or building a custom bird feeding station so our customer could feed her friends without getting wet. Then there was the deck we built around our customers prize dogwood tree. Gorgeous!

Have an unusual need/request? Try us! Helps keep us on our toes…

Downspout Protection

admin — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 01:11:14 +0000

A quick note about protecting your Gutters and downspouts in this winter weather. This is especially important if you have an under ground gutter drain system. The leaves and needles that end up down your downspouts can end up clogging your system. They sell strainers you can install in the opening to the downspout, they are cheap and very easy to install! For example; the local Home Depot sells them at the link provided: Home Depot.

Ace Hardware also has them. It is well worth the time, especially if they can save you from a costly drain system repair. If you are unsure whether or not you have these installed, call us (253.858.5844) and we’ll come out and inspect your gutters at *no cost to you.

*In most cases