A/C MAINTENANCE IS A MUST!!!!!!!!

Schedule Your Window A/C Maintenance

Summer is finally here and before we know it, summer will be breathing hot air down around us. NYC HANDYMAN recommends that anyone utilizing window air conditioners for their comfort cooling needs consider scheduling a maintenance check on their units as soon as possible to ensure the unit is operating to its maximum capacity. A maintenance check will not necessarily stop failures, but it can minimize problems and keep units performing within their maximum operating capabilities. Scheduling early also provides time to resolve any issues that might arise from the inspection before the weather gets too hot.

Maintenance checks include the following elements:
• Cleaning the evaporator and its filter if necessary
• Cleaning any dirt and debris blockage from the condenser
• Checking the discharge air temperature for proper parameters
• Cleaning the drain pan
• Addressing specific reported problems
• Performing an over all inspection of system components

NYC HANDYMAN mechanics will share their professional opinion on whether the unit is repairable or needs to be replaced, and discuss possible options with you. If removing the unit is the only option, keep in mind that air conditioners are considered hazardous waste, and when discarding older units or units that are not repairable, the refrigerant and the oil must be properly recovered and disposed of according to EPA guidelines. NYC HANDYMAN has procedures in place to dispose of your unit properly, avoiding any environmental violations or potential fines.

To prevent an extensive waiting time, NYC HANDYMAN suggests that the departments service their window air conditioners early in the season, rather than wait for mid summer. Those departments who have window units that are exposed to near-by construction work are especially encouraged to get those units cleaned due to the extensive dust and dirt in the air.

To schedule a maintenance check for your window air conditioning unit, submit an online request through the service website www.ezfurnitureassembly.com

NYC HANDYMAN Runs Driveway Seal Coating Special in NYC!!!

NYC HANDYMAN, New York City's #1 Handyman Service is running a 10% Off Special on all their services including Driveway Seal Coating which can make any driveway look Brand New Again!! Visit them today to view all their services & specials!!! www.nychandyman.biz

What does it cost to have my driveway sealed?

The short answer is that it depends. With driveway sealing, there are enough factors to consider that it is difficult to zero in on a price for every different type of driveway in every city. What we can do is provide you with some guidelines so that you know how to figure the approximate driveway sealing costs of your particular home and how often you should have it sealed.

How Often Should You Seal Asphalt Driveways?
If you look around the web you will find differing opinions on this matter. Some say that you only need to seal your asphalt drive every 3-10 years. Others, every year. The real difficulty in determining what's right for you is weather. If you are in an area where you receive a great deal of rain and snow, or in an area where it freezes and thaws often, or in an area where the temperature reaches well over 100 degrees in the summer and your driveway is unprotected from the brutal rays of the sun, then you need to seal your driveway at least every other year. If you have some moderate weather, then maybe every three years.

Let your vision be your guide. If your driveway is cracking or chipping before it is time for a new coat, then have it treated again.

*Note. Do not seal a new asphalt driveway. This material needs to cure for 6 months before treatment is applied.

How Often Should You Seal Concrete Driveways?
Concrete driveways are more durable (and more prevalent) than asphalt driveways, so they don't need to be sealed as often. Even in the harshest of conditions, our contractors tell us that every five years is the right amount, and even longer in moderate climates. However, just as with asphalt, let your vision be your guide. If you notice cracking, even very slight cracking, contact a NYC HANDYMAN who will be able to tell you if you are in immediate need of sealing or if the problem is a deeper issue.

What Does Driveway Sealing Cost?
Driveway sealing costs are going to be different all across the country because of the demand. In New Mexico, the average driveway sealing cost may be higher because the weather conditions don't demand that it to be done that often. In Upstate New York or northern Minnesota driveway sealing costs are likely to be lower because this needs to be done every year to some asphalt driveways.

While we can't really pin down your exact price, here are some general estimates that should help get you in the ballpark on the cost of driveway sealing.

First, if you don't already know the square footage of your driveway, measure it to find out. Most contractors are going to figure the job by the driveway size.

Now that you have the square footage, here are some figures. In the east, the average cost for driveway sealing is typically between $.10-$.16 per square foot. So for a 1000 sq. ft. driveway it will cost between $100-$160. In the upper-midwest, many driveway contractors charge per 1000 sq. ft., typically between $85-$100 per 1000 with a minimum charge of $100. Lucky is the homeowner with the 1990 square foot driveway.

Final Word
Most of the cost of sealing driveways is tied up in prep work. If your driveway is particularly dirty or covered in oil slicks, then it takes more effort and thus costs more to treat. The application is pretty standard. However, the pricing listed above will help you to figure out the range of what this task should cost. If you talk to a driveway contractor who is way over these amounts, get a few more estimates to see if that is the standard charge in your area.

New York City Furniture Assembly Service Adds Handyman Service to Better Serve Clients

EZ Furniture Assembly & Interior Innovations is Proud to announce that we have recentley launched a subsidirary, which is NYC HANDYMAN. When I started this company I had almost nothing but my knowledge and a few hand tools and today we have over 20 employeees between the two companies. The best part is that they share the same goal, keeping customer service #1!

It took a while for the furniture assembly service to take off because many people never knew such a service even existed, but with our 5 Star Rating on Ikea Fans and recent "Superior Service Award" by Angie's list our business have grown greatly. However, many of the technicians I hired were from competiting companies that were paying them peanuts and all they were taught and knew was furniture assembly & kitchen cabinet installation. I had so many customers asking if we could do such things as: paint, install shelves, build closets, install a/c units etc that for a long time I sub contracted the work out. Now I made the decision to form and launch NYC HANDYMAN which does all of the above plus masonry work, tiling, bathtub refinishing, power washing, siding repairs, entire kitchen & bathroom renovations. The list is endless!!!!!!!

I truely believe no matter how many services we offer that customer service must ALWAYS be our #1 service, but if the customer requires these services it's our duty to get them done.'

Please visit us at www.nychandyman.biz or www.ezfurnitureassembly.com

Builders Green up Their Act!

Since we are a company that believes in GREEN, we all try to do our part to see that we can help. I subscribe to so many publications because as President of the company I have to stay a top of what the industry is doing, plus I have a passion for my business and love reading the stories. Anyway, I ran across this grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreat article in "Remodeling Online" and felt a dire need to share it. And to you I say,enjoy!

Chrisstopher Purnell
Founder & President
EZ Furniture Assembly & Interior Innovations, LLC

______________________________________________________________________________________
By Matt Nauman

By Matt Nauman IMediaNews Staff Writer

THE LAB inside Serious Materials' Sunnyvale headquarters resembles a kitchen. There's a mixer, a milkshake-making machine and a row of cake tins on a shelf filled with brown powders of various hues.

Lab technicians -- mostly scientists with advanced degrees -- measure and mix, pour and stir -- all in search of a better recipe.

But not for a cake. For drywall. Greener drywall. One that takes 90 percent less energy to produce and creates less greenhouse gas as a result. And one that could have a tremendous effect on the fight against global warming.

"The amount of CO2 we can impact is greater than any car company," says Kevin Surace, Serious Materials' chief executive officer.

BUILDIBusiness 2 Making drywall is a hugely energy-intensive process, accounting for about 1 percent of U.S. energy consumption and 25 billion pounds of CO2 in the air each year. In contrast, his greener drywall, EcoRock, is a zero-emissions product. The company plans to begin selling it this summer and ramp up to full production by fall.

Three venture capital firms -- New Enterprise Associates, Foundation Capital and Rustic Canyon Partners -- recently put down a $50 million bet that Serious Materials will find a big market for this and other green building materials, such as ultra-energy- efficient windows. That's a huge investment, but they're betting on a big payoff in the $1.3 trillion-a-year U.S. construction industry.

"This is going to revolutionize the (building) materials business," said Ted van der Linden, director of sustainable construction for DPR Construction, a $1.6 billion contractor based in Redwood City.

DPR hasn't agreed to buy EcoRock yet, van der Linden said, but his company will test it. DPR has seen green building projects -- ones that use Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards -- grow from less than 1 percent of its revenue in 2004 to 53 percent in 2007.

Those numbers don't surprise Tom Hicks, vice president of LEED at the U.S. Green Building Council. His organization has certified 1,184 green building projects nationwide, including five in San Jose.

"The annual U.S. market in green building products and services was over $7 billion in 2005 and is now over $12 billion and is expected to continue to increase," he said.

Going mainstream

Five years ago, according to Hicks, consumers and contractors had trouble finding environmentally friendly paints and compact fluorescent light bulbs.

Now even big-box home-improvement retailers offer them and similar products.

As Serious Materials' CEO, Surace brings a high-tech background (Perfect Commerce, General Magic) to the construction business. For a guy who builds and sells drywall and windows, Surace sounds an awful lot like Al Gore.

Ask him about his company and he'll launch into a 20-minute treatise on global warming that focuses on the construction industry -- the materials and shipping used to build homes and offices, and the inefficient operation of those buildings -- as huge contributors to carbon emissions.

The 'big kahuna'

"The big kahuna is CO2 production in buildings," he said, filling a white board with the words: "cement, glass, metal, drywall."

Drywall is made using a process invented in 1917. Gypsum, the main ingredient in drywall, must be calcined, or super-heated, using coal, oil or natural gas as the source of the energy.

Depending on who does the math, anywhere from 25 percent to 45 percent of drywall cost is energy.

EcoRock doesn't need to be calcined. Its components -- the specific formula is a company secret and a reporter was asked not to write down the name of the ingredients on various bins and buckets in the lab -- are mixed.

A foamer is added, the mix heats up, cools down and then is set into a usable block of drywall. Surace expects EcoRock to sell for about

what it costs to buy premium drywall.

Drywall market

In the United States, 40 billion to 50 billion square feet of drywall is made each year.

Serious Materials already has an existing business, the Quiet Solution line of noise-reducing wood, drywall, glue and other products that generates $20 million a year in revenues.

So, as opposed to a startup that must launch both a company and its initial product, Serious Materials already knows the people who buy and use building products. Its products are sold by 4,000 dealers.

Production of the Quiet Solution products was recently moved to Newark. EcoRock and other green products will be made in Sunnyvale as well as at a planned factory in Syracuse, N.Y.

The company is about to launch a new product with new financing at an opportune time. The building industry is facing "more and more pressure" to change its ways, to adopt more green practices and use more green materials, said Tristan Korthals Altes, managing editor of the Environmental Building News newsletter.

That's because, according to the U.S. Green Building Council, buildings account for 65 percent of U.S. electricity use and produce 30 percent of the country's greenhouse-gas emissions and 30 percent of its waste

Originally published by Matt Nauman, MediaNews Staff Writer.

(c) 2008 Oakland Tribune. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.