Another reason why we don't have to spend $$$ on paid advertising.  Quik 'n Fair Quotes when you call Aarre at 647-202-7267.  Thank you Emily to take the time to refer us to your neighbors.

On Fri, Aug 24, 2018 at 8:51 AM Emily Gonzalvo wrote:

Hi,
Just wanted to say thank you for an excellent job you did for our windows! Now they all look so streakless and sparkly clean!!! Aarre and Alaur are both hardworking and very patient and attentive to details. Will be your regular customer from now on! I sent an email to our group here in our subdivision and 2 people already replied and will call you for an estimate. Thanks again!

Emily Gonzalvo
44___ Centretown Way
Mississauga

Management Wants Me Back

This Townhouse Co-Op as 60 units in 11 buildings,   plus 1 office unit in 1 separate building.   It is in Mississauga a short distance west of the South Common Mall.


Many jobs would be impossible without the eaves spoon,  as I couldn't physically safely reach there without one;  it has a thread to put it on a pole as long as 24' long. I use paper lawn bags,  which are accepted by the garbage removal people;  plastic bags are not acceptable for environmental reasons.   I very seldomly throw eaves debris over the side,  unless it is too dangerous to bring a bucket with me to encumber my hands.   Usually the bucket comes with me, and the debris is put into a lawn bag,  which is usually left in front of the garage.  In this townhouse complex,  I was requested to leave all the bags next to the office for pickup.

 

 I feel sorry for the plight of the poor squirrel which got caught in the downspout, and succumbed there;   He plugged up the spout quite nicely (not very nice, actually),  so water would overflow the higher eaves, and come out of the downspout seams above that spot.  Fortunately, this is the first time I have observed this.

Michelle, the On-Site Supervisor, after seeing the before and after photos, asked me to come back.  A fair price for very attentive work is what makes me happy and my customers too.

Some Jobs are Better Left Alone...

Today a customer called for help with a pair of black squirrels chewing through the soffit and fascia of his detached garage.  After checking in on them we concluded that they should be left to nest and have babies until after Spring.  Some jobs are best left undone.

"A Dedicated Person..."

Virtual Assistant: 

"Dear Aarre, how do you see you positioning yourself and Windowshine in the eyes of your potential customers?"

 

Aarre answers:  

"A dedicated person who has a simple wholesome relationship with the customer.  Picky work done to satisfy my own conscience more importantly than to even satisfy the customer.  Ninety percent of the time, I'm more picky about the details than the customers are.   I have to live with my own conscience, even if the customer will never notice something I've done since he cannot get up there with a ladder.  He may not notice whether or not I did it correctly, but more importantly, I noticed it, and have to live with myself.  I am my own policeman and ethics officer. "

Aarre Peltomaa, Windowshine Cleaning Service

647-202-7267

Water Running Over the Top of the Eaves

I recently did an eavestrough diagnosis, cleaning and repair.  Stephen C. had a problem with water running over the top of his eaves and onto the garden near the house.  Excess water shouldn't be allowed near the house wall, as it might leak into the basement.  It could cause slippery ice on the ground in the winter (unauthorized skating rink!) .  

 

He said the problems started when the roofers put new shingles on the house.   Ahaaa!!     I checked, and found that the aluminum sheet in the valley (low spot where two angles of roof come together) projected too far over the eavestrough.  There was only a 1"  gap for the water to get into the trough.   If it was a heavy rain, the water would be going too quickly, and have too much volume, to get a chance to get into the small gap.  Since water is lazy, and takes the path of least resistance, like some humans do, it chose to go over the top.   I cut back the excess sheet metal with snips, and then banged it down a bit more, with a more rounded profile, with a hammer.  I pushed some excessive overlap shingles downward, so that they sloped better into the trough.  The gap is now more like 4" wide.  I checked the

angle of roof to the top of eaves, and it seemed ok.   If the eavestrough was too low compared to the roof, the water might again run over the top.   

 

In an extreme case, like at David R.'s house, the eaves were clean, but the roof was very wide, meaning a large volume of water, and the eaves were too low.  I had a water dam made by an aluminum contractor with a  folding machine.  I screwed the sections in on top of the trough, and they looked gorgeous.  No more overflow problem for David.  One stipulation is to never allow a contractor to put a ladder up against the dam, as the dam will get deformed/bent, and will never look the same unless that section is replaced.  Go up on the ladder in a different spot.  The colours match gorgeously.

 

Aarre

When Does Olde Oakville Clean Their Eaves?

In older neighborhoods like Olde Oakville, and Lorne Park in Mississauga, there are a lot of tall trees which necessitate cleaning the eavestroughs at least once a year, and often, twice a year would be good, in the spring, and in the fall.  In newer subdivisions where the trees don't even reach the eavestroughs, the owner may be able to go five years without cleaning the eaves.  

 

However, new roofing jobs result in a lot of roofing granules coming off the roof, and into the trough for several years after the roof was put on;  This is not much of  a problem for blocking downspouts, but could dam up the water flow for an inch deep or so.  Normally that wouldn't be a big issue, unless the slope of the eavestough is wrong.   In areas with tall trees, the leaves often sit on the downspouts, not letting the water though.  Ninety percent of eavestrough downspout blockages are caused simply by a mat of debris sitting flatly on top.  

 

In the ten percent of the time when the blocked downspout actually is plugged inside, then I have to use a plumber's snake to try and free it up.  If it is severely impacted, then I have to unscrew the downpipe section, remove it, clean it manually, and then re-install it. 

 

Aarre

 

Overflowing eaves can cause the water level to rise up over the spikes, and thus run through the spike hole in the fascia.  The spike has to make a hole in the fascia to penetrate the wood behind it..  The screws in brackets would be the same thing, but a tighter fit than screws, so less chance of water seepage.