Ever wonder how our historical understanding of Thanksgiving would be different if textbooks were written by handymen instead of PhD’s? OK, so maybe I’m the only one.
The PhD’s tell us that about HALF the passengers and crew died within a few months after the Mayflower arrived. But would it kill them to mention what kicked-off this tragedy in the first place? Sea water penetrated the ship through failed CAULKING between the timbers in the walls. So passengers became wet and ill, and wallowed in a nasty pool of water filled with humans, animals, and waste of all kinds.
OF COURSE the PhD’s don’t mention that. It would make a handyman with a caulk gun seem more valuable than a highly-paid, overeducated, relatively unproductive tenured professor who owns shelves full of books nobody but he and his colleagues read. Not that I’m bitter or anything.
So now it’s about 400 years later. You’re not trapped like the Pilgrims in a 1,600 square foot room with 130 other people and a few animals short of Noah’s Ark. And your dining room is not dark, rocking back and forth, with water bashing the outside and also finding a way in.
You still may not have any use for a PhD. But you still need a handyman if you want to invite guests over for Thanksgiving and hope they’ll live through the winter. Here’s why:
Leaks from Basement Walls
You’ll need to do something if water is leaking from cracks in your concrete basement walls, or water is accumulating at the base of walls that hide concrete walls. Sometimes this can be controlled without actually doing anything to the concrete walls, like cleaning out or securing loose gutters or downspouts, redirecting water from the bottom of downspouts, changing the grade of the soil that runs up to your house, or adding a French drain on the outside.
Other times you might need to have these cracks filled by a foundation specialist, after which we can follow-up by repairing interior damage. Either way, call Fix St Louis for a free estimate and we can provide you with direction.
Leaks from Roofs
If you are seeing water stains on an upstairs ceiling, chances are there’s a defect somewhere on your roof. Usually the source of the leak can be quickly identified. Hint: It’s usually NOT within a field of shingles, but in a place where the shingles meet a surface like a brick chimney, gutter, or roof vent. Once again, calling Fix St Louis for a free estimate is a good place to start.
Leaks from Doors & Windows
If you have water coming in from the bottom of a door, there are a number of possible causes and Fix St Louis can fix all of them. We can fill gaps by replacing deteriorated trim, caulking, swapping-out the threshold, and changing-out the weatherstripping and door sweep. Similarly on windows, we can fill gaps, patch or replace ledges and trim, caulk, and add flashing so that outside water bypasses the gaps between the window frame and walls.
It’s hard to say why the Pilgrims couldn’t convince even one valuable, productive, hardworking English handyman to take a free trip to the New World in exchange for becoming one non-handy individual’s indentured servant for a year or two. But now that we’re on this side of the pond, Fix St Louis would be grateful this Thanksgiving to be your periodic servant, and keep your home ship-shape.
Dr Steve
Fix St Louis