Friday, December 31, 2010

Redneck Smoke Detector

We love all of our friends, clients and family.  So, we'd like to remind you to install a fresh battery in each smoke detector in your home(s).

And, for our special friends in Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi - Please, please give your Jiffy Pop Smoke Detector a good shake to keep it fresh...

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

SAVE MONEY, instantly, on your energy bill.

House A - Good attic insulation - White frosted roof

House B - Poor attic insulation - spotty frost
On an early frosty morning, take a look at your roof and other roofs as you drive through your neighborhood.

Some roofs will be frost or snow covered and others will appears to have melted the frost away.


In our area of Coastal South Carolina, this is mainly due to heat escaping through the ceiling and into the attic because of poor ceiling insulation.  The escaping heat warms the roof shingles & melts the frost & snow.


Be friendly to your wallet. Your local Electric Company is charging more and more for the gas & electricity to heat your home.  When  your heat escapes through the ceiling, you spend more money to replace the lost heat.


An immediate and inexpensive solution to help you keep more of your money is to add attic insulation.


A confident DIY'er can tackle attic insulation as a fairly simple one day project.  If you'd rather hire someone, then use a licensed contractor or insulation company to help you.  (see our website www.strockenterprises.com for the 10 things to know before you hire someone to work on your home).

What are your choices for attic insulation?
You have several good choices for insulation in your attic.
Blown fiberglass - Quick, cost effective, good r-value if installed properly.
Blown cellulose - Same as above, but can compress quickly, especially in humid attics
Fiberglass batt - Good r-value, but more intensive labor required for proper install on existing attics.
Expanding foam insulation - Good energy savings with significant upfront cost and other drawbacks.
Recycled denim & water bottles - Newer "green" products.  I haven't used these yet.


With a little time & money, you can significantly reduce your energy bill.

Note:  The photos above were taken on 12/27/2010 at 8am.  Each roof is the Northern facing roof.  And, each house was built around 1950.  House A has had blown fiberglass installed in the attic within the last 8 years.  House B hasn't had any improvements within the past 10+ years.  The heavy frost seen of House A indicates that heat from the occupied space is not conducting into the attic because of insulation.  The melted frost seen on House B indicates that quite a bit of the heat from the occupied space is conducting through the ceiling and into the attic.  This raises the ambient air temperature in the attic, the roof framing & sheathing & shingles which causes the frost to melt.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

HVAC Maintenance

Changing the air filters in your home air conditioning units is the least expensive thing you can do to maintain your cooling system. Dirt and air pollutants can damage your health and damage the equipment requiring expensive repair or replacement of the system. 


A clogged air filter not only allows more dust to circulate throughout your house it also makes your HVAC system work harder to pull the air through the filter therefore causing your power bill to go up.  There are many different types of filters available now - Everything from the cheap old blue filters to fancy Hepa type filters that are supposed to clean everything out of the air.  If you have sever allergies the expensive filters may be the thing for you...However keep in mind those filters are much thicker than the average filter - therefore causing the unit to work harder to pull the air through.  The filter we like to use, and think is the best thing for HVAC maintenance are actually the chespest ones you can buy.  They do the job perfectly, and still allow air to easily pass through.


Filters should be changed out every 30 days.  It's the easiest way to maintain your HVAC unit.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Something Nice

Every now and then you get a thank you out of nowhere.  It's always a great feeling.  Just wanted to share....See email below


-----Original Message-----
From: Chris Nicholas [mailto:chris@charlestonstumpstompers.com
] 
Sent: Friday, December 03, 2010 11:22 AM
To: trey@strockenterprises.com

Subject: Thank you for the wonderful job

Dear Trey, 

I want to tell you how impressed I am with your company and the job that 
was completed for me.  I could not be more pleased.  

The men who worked on this project could not have done more to make it 
easy and comfortable for me to get through my remodeling.  Herman was so 
kind and helpful, something he obviously has passed on to his young 
workers, as they, too were so nice to have around as they worked.  
Thomas did a perfect job of overseeing things and making it all flow.  I 
could not have asked for a more positive experience. Before running into 
your company at the Home Show, I thought this whole process might have 
been a headache.  It turned out to be a pleasure.  Without hesitation, 
for any future projects, you will be the company I call.

Thank you so much,

Ann McGinnis

We finished this project up almost 3 months ago, so to recieve this email was quite a nice surprise.  We truely do have the most wonderful clients.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Unlimited Possibilities...

Well after several years of studying, test taking, filling out forms, and filling out MORE forms we have a newly Licensed contractor in our midst.  Today Trey found out that the State has finally approved his licensure as an Unlimited General Contractor.  Stay tuned for more exciting news in the coming weeks.  Congratulations Trey!

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Buy Local

Strock Enterprises has always tried to source all of the materials we use from locally owned businesses.  Just to name a few....

Hughes Lumber
Molufs Plumbing Supply
Lord & Evans Paints  
Buck Lumber  
Carolina Lanterns & Lowcountry Lighting Center  
Carpet Baggers
Melcer Tile

We have found that working closely with LOCALLY owned and operated businesses results in getting better products, far superior Customer Service, and creates better community relationships.

Going to the big box nationwide stores just doesn't create that business relationship.  You're just a number in their computers, another face in the crowd, and someone that is in the way of their 15 minute break.   The big box stored may be more convenient, but they are often a customer service nightmare...PLUS for every dollar you spend in a big box national chain store only 14 cents stays in your community!  Thats pretty hard to believe.  The money you spend in a national retail store heads right out of town.  Now when you buy from a locally owned business the average is about 45 cents for every dollar spent stays in the community...supporting local families, and charities.

Another benefit of buying from locally owned businesses is their attention to American Made, and Higher quality products.  National retail stores have to meet a certain price point and the easiest way to do that is to sell goods manufactured in other countries (Mainly China)  It's hard to get away from...but it IS possible...for at least the past 12 years we have not willingly bought anything made in china that we could find made in the USA.   Anytime I am shopping the first thing I look for on any product that peaks my interest is where it's made.  If the label says made in china it goes back on the shelf.   When you start looking at the labels you will be shocked and horrified how much STUFF is made overseas.  It's almost impossible to find shoes made in America!  Okay...I am ranting

In 2007 Lowcountry Local First was founded in Charleston, SC  it's main objective is to educate people on the benefits of buying local products and supporting locally owned businesses.  You can visit their website to learn more at www.lowcountrylocalfirst.org

Just this past week our very own Trey Strock was elected to serve a 3 year term on the board of directors for Lowcountry Local First.  I know that he will work very hard to help LLF grow over the next three years, and looks forward to working with everyone in the organization.  Congratulations Trey!

If you're interested in finding other local businesses in the lowcountry you can go to www.lowcountrylocalfirst.org/directory

Monday, October 18, 2010

Mt. Pleasant Home & Garden Show

I'd like to invite you out this Friday, Saturaday, or Sunday to the Mt. Pleasant Home and Garden Show.  We'll be at the Omar Shrine Auditorium in Mt. Pleasant.  There will be lots to do and see.  If you need a ticket please call my office at 566-0250.  Or, you can click here for more information...  http://hbacharleston.com/index.php?option=com_rsevents&view=events&layout=show&cid=14&Itemid=4   Charity event with food and cocktails Friday night 6PM - 8PM put on by Hero's for Fire Victims to support The Lowcountry Red Cross.  Hope to see you all there.  - Trey

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Peanut Butter

I was thinking this morning about how much I enjoy peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  When I was just a kid, my mom bought Peter Pan Peanut Butter exclusively.  Cause that's what we liked.  Today, I still love Peter Pan.  But, to be honest, I think I like Jif just a little bit better.  I think that Jif has larger pieces of roasted peanut (cause it's all about the crunch).  And, I think the roasted flavor is just a little bit more intense.  You know.  I wasn't bored today.  I've been super busy.  I just needed to take a minute.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

The fall weather calls for a Great Screened Porch

Start Here - No Porch  
Do a little design work...
Do some real construction work...
And, Voila...  The perfect porch for a lowcountry fall.

Friday, September 10, 2010

Bat Entry Point

Bat Entry Point
This photo illustrates how small of an opening a bat needs to gain entry into a home.  This roof ledge is about 12" wide.  The hole where the bat is entering is about an inch, maybe less.  Unfortunately, it's never just one bat.  A good sized colony can be thousands and thousands living in your attic without your even being aware that they are there.  Of course the guano can pile up in the attic over the years, so there's that to deal with too.  If you think you might have a bat problem let us know right away.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Creating an accessible attic

A wonderful client recently introduced us to the Rainbow 'Galaxy' telescoping stair system.  This stair has motors which lower and extend and retract the stairs at the push of a button.  Take a look...

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Small problems turn into bigger problems


Home Inspections are a CRUCIAL part of buying a home. We are currently working with a client who bought his first home a few years ago. One of the Real Estate agents involved suggested a home inspector, and not knowing any better our client trusted this home inspector to find anything of concern.
Exterior of Bathroom
Existing Shower - Notice the sag of the shower floor?


Fast forward a few years and the homeowner starts noticing a sag in the shower floor. Something is going on right? We go out to look at things. Right off we think the shower pan is leaking, causing rot right beneath the shower. We start to demo the shower floor...and it keeps going, and going.

Whirlpool Tub and Shower - Gone


Wood rot at exterior wall

Wood rot at exterior wall from interior
 The entire bathroom ended up being demoed.  After we found so much damaged we brought in a good Home Inspector and had him look through the rest of the house to see if anything else was missed.  Turns out we are going to have to do the same thing in the living room where there is more wood rot.

Unexpected Renovations/Repairs are never any fun for anyone.  When buying a home, or even if you've been living in your home for many years it may be a good idea to hire a good, thorough, trusted home inspector to go through the house and warn you of any potential problems.  And anytime you notice something wrong, or a little 'off' in your house have it looked at right away.  It's more cost efficient to fix a small problem in the beginning rather than ignore it and end up having to do major repairs!

We will keep you updated as this project progresses.

Monday, August 2, 2010

Things to know before you begin your next remodeling or renovation project.

What do I want?
Be very clear about your expectations.


Have I seen work that I admire?
Collect pictures and designs from finished work.


Do I have a payment plan?
Set your budget up front and stick to it.


Do I have an end date in mind?
If there is a large event or some other specific reason for hiring a contractor, make sure that an end date is agreed upon. Reevaluate the end date in light of progress made.


How much use will I get out of my
remodeled space?

Consider seldom used areas of your house, yard and property. Could it be utilized to make your family safer, more comfortable or closer?