Protect Your Home While Your Away

Over the last year we have done some major whole-house remodeling projects that were as a result of furnace failure while the owners were out of town. This had prompted us to provide some information for caring and protecting your home when leaving for an extended period of time.

It is a good idea to take some precautions to minimize the likelihood of major damage to your home due to equipment malfunction. We have repaired several homes when during lengthy winter vacations the furnace has failed causing freezing and bursting water lines throughout the house. In the summer a washing machine supply hose or icemaker line can burst and with no one home for days, the amount of water damage is unbelievable.

If you are leaving your home to go out of town for more than a few days it is a good idea to:

1. Shut off your water at the main house shut-off by the meter. If you have a well, shut off the well circuit breaker. Do NOT drain the system.

2. Turn off your water heater, or turn it down to ‘vacation’ setting

3. If you are going to be gone for a month or more, fill all drains with RV anti-freeze so they do not dry out. Dry drains will allow sewer gas to flow back into the house.

4. Have a friend or neighbor check your home on a regular basis (daily if possible).

Other things you can do to protect your home while you are gone:

1. Check to see if your furnace thermostat has a battery. If it does, change it yearly. Some thermostats have a battery power supply and do not control the furnace if the battery dies. If this happens while you are on a two-week vacation you will come home to a house full of frozen burst pipes.

2. There are several models of home monitoring systems. Some have a feature that will call to alert you if the temperature of your home drops below a set level. Others are integrated with a thermostat so you can control the temperature of your home from anywhere in the world through phone or internet connection.
If you have any questions about protecting your home, give us a call.

Outside The House

With a few warmer days of Fall left, you still have time to finish preparing the outside of your home for winter. Here are some tips and suggestions before cozying up inside your home during the snow and cold.

• Clean and store outside items: patio furniture, umbrellas, children's summer toys and other items.


• Wash exterior windows.


• Check caulk around windows and doors and re-caulk if needed.


• Inspect outside doors and garage doors to make sure they close tightly. Install weather-stripping or door thresholds if needed.


• Touch up paint on house trim, hand railings and decks. Remove flaking paint, prime bare wood and paint.


• Drain and store garden hoses. Install insulating covers on exterior spigots. Have sprinkler systems blown free of water.


• Check gutters and downspouts. Clear leaves and other debris if necessary. Here in Minnesota consider installing heating cable to prevent ice dams.


• Have chimneys and flues inspected and cleaned if necessary.

Don’t ignore the signs of water damage!

It’s easy to look past signs of water damage to your home; the ripple in the paint by the window or the rotten siding under your deck because it doesn’t seem to be doing anything. But not taking action can only cause more damage to your home. In a matter of days mold growth can begin. Over a month or two of leakage into your wall, you can have thousands of dollars of repairs to your home.

The photos below show some examples of water intrusion we have found during window, door and siding replacement projects. In every case, there is evidence all around the damage that it has been there for a long time, but did not get the attention it deserved.

Make sure your house is watertight. At IHP, we can test moisture levels for an assessment of potential repairs. The sooner you catch it, the smaller the repair will be. Give us a call.


Complete rot-through framing from improper deck flashing

Rotten Rim Joist from improper door flashing.

Wall structure water damage from improper window flashing

Relax and Enjoy a Porch

Building a porch addition can immediately add value and instant curb appeal to any home. Plus it gives you extra living and entertainment space to the front, side or back of your home.

A porch addition can be as simple as replacing an existing pediment with a roof over the entrance or by adding more with a "shed roof" or a gable roof complete with skylights! In addition to placing a roof over an entrance, a combination front porch and screened room is a great option by extending both the roof and the size to make it a large outdoor living space. Keep in mind, the porch style needs to match or complement the home's architecture. The materials used to build the porch determine if feels like a part of the house or an extension of the outdoor area. The new porch should match your existing home or you can design a variation that complements the original house. The columns should be the primary focus of the design to create visually interest and depth as an integral part of the home.

Don’t forget to consider your lighting needs and electrical requirements as well as design features for the columns, railings, doors, and decking for your porch.

Additional Considerations:
Unexpected elements can really add impact to your porch:
- Fireplace
- Built-in Grill
- Ceiling fans
- Speakers
- Built-in bookshelk
- Bench swing or a hammock

Home before Porch Addition













Home after Porch Addition

Hail and Storm Damage

Hail and storm damage to your home can be stressful. It’s a necessary repair from the unexpected that needs to be addressed immediately to restore your home. Sometimes home owners don’t even realize they have damage from hail - small to moderately-sized hail can produce roof damage and result is not always visible. Hail can affect the life expectancy of your roof and you should have it checked out by a professional.

Damage to siding, gutters, roofing and windows from hail or structural damage from wind should be inspected with a contractor that has set processes in place to handle your storm damage insurance claim. We do at Integrity Home Projects.

The first step is a thorough inspection of your home for qualifying damage repair, next is a meeting with your insurance adjuster. At IHP, we handle the meeting and manage the paperwork, supplemental claims, depreciation recovery, and final distribution settlement. We work to make a stressful situation a process that makes it easy for you.

9 Years for IHP!

Integrity Home Projects was founded in April of 2002 with a vision of creating a remodeling services company that would stand out in the industry with notable ethics and professionalism. We started this company to help people realize their dreams for their home. Integrity Home Projects has enjoyed steady and continuous growth since the start of the company keeping us busy and happy to be working with our customers. With over half of our business based on direct referrals and repeat business, satisfied customers are the key to our success. We thank all of our customers for their business and referrals. We wouldn’t be here without them.

At IHP, we will continue to provide outstanding service for our customers through our professional approach and detailed process-based business philosophy. Thanks for a great nine years!

-Dan & Brian

Home Exteriors

Spring is here. It’s time to refresh and give your home a new look and lots of curb appeal. Changing the look of a home's exterior with a facelift can bring a new modern look to your home or just give you the style you want. Something as basic as using new paint colors can update a home. A plain exterior can be made more distinctive by adding a package of coordinated trim. Or you can go for the truly dramatic by adding porches, columns or dormers to totally change the character of your house. Some ideas for giving your home a new look are:

• New paint color(s)


• New trim packages, colors or accents


• Adding stone to exteriors


• Including columns and archways


• A new patio or front porch Switching siding to hail-proof Hardie Cement board siding http://www.jameshardie.com/

Before Exterior Remodel

After Exterior Remodel & Design

For more ideas that bring a new look to your home, call Integrity Home Projects.