Termites

The gulf coast of Florida is beginning to see summer swarms of termites due to a shortened winter and hotter springtime temperatures than is usual for the area. Luckily, Florida's building code requires standard termite protection for new construction which should make infestations less likely to occur and easier to exterminate when they do attempt to set in.

Source: Gulf Breeze News

Hurricane Season

Be prepared. Plywood is a last resort. For safety, you will need to cover your windows with hurricane shutters or replace your windows with hurricane-resistant glass.

Hurricane Shutters
Shutters do require a permit. Permits are used to ensure that your materials are going to stand up to the winds and protect your home. Your homeowner's association may have restrictions to the types of panels you can use. Check with them before purchasing materials. They may also require you to paint your shutters to match your home. The most common shutters are made from aluminum, but there are other materials on the market, including some which are clear.

Hurricane-Resistant Glass
This glass is thick, much like bullet-proof glass, and will require a permit before installation. Many companies are offering this as an alternative to putting shutters up and down each storm season. This can be a time- and money-saver, especially for people who are not able-bodied, such as the elderly who might otherwise have to hire someone to help them protect their home. Also, the glass allows the homeowner to watch the storm in progress and will not darken the house.

Working with your HOA

Before you do any construction on the exterior of your home, check with your Home Owner's Association. Associations are in place to make sure your property value remains high by disallowing mailboxes shaped like giant fish, houses pained 6 shades of neon, and an abundance of trash in the neighbor's yard. However, they may have strict rules as to what type of paint you can use, how many shades lighter your trim can be, what material you need to use on your roof, or the height of your shed or fence. Before you have to undo or redo work on your home, check with your HOA first and get the information in writing.

Friendly Customer Service

We pride ourselves on professional service, but also friendly customer service. You will do business with, and refer to your friends, those you like. We want you to like us, to respect us, and to count on us to get the job done right.

If you feel this is an important characteristic for your business as well, you might like these tips from 1-to-1 Media on how to deliver friendly responses in your social media arenas:

Be yourself

To be successful in social, you need to use a human tone of voice. Avoid corporate speak.

But...be conscious of syntax
It's challenging to convey tone and empathy in 140 characters, and multiple tweets can be taken out of context. Think about when should you link to a longer blog posts or separate article, or need to switch to email or other media to convey more information.

Keep the conversation online where possible
Everything that can be kept on public social networks should be. This is not only where the customer reached out to you, but it also allows you to show the rest of the world that you resolved the issue, boosting your public image. If any part of the conversation must go offline, try to take it back as soon as possible.

Remember that everything can be public
Be aware of what's default public and private (for example the difference between @messages and DMs). But more important, taking something "offline" now doesn't mean it will be private. In social media, anything private can quickly get posted publicly online.

Respond promptly and accurately
People expect a quick response in social. Comcast, for example, aims to get a first response to everyone within two to five minutes. But, it's better to be slower and accurate than to go too fast and say something wrong that can be spread very quickly.

Becoming social savvy takes time, training, and good management. Despite some industry leaders delivering great social-based service to their customers, for most, mastering the challenge is a work in progress. Conversocial conducted research into the performance of top retailers, finding that, on average, 65 percent of complaints and questions on Facebook were missed. There's a long way for businesses to go before they master social customer service, but following these examples should help many companies along the way.

Permit Horror Story

I was hired to assist a client who had a shed built on their property over 10 years ago, but never pulled the permits from Miami Dade County Building Department. The Miami Dade Code Enforcement Department, upon surveying the area or through an anonymous call, triggered a warning to our client because the permits were never pulled to install the shed in their home.  My client was assessed a $510.00 permit violation based on the illegal shed and really needed the help to sift through the complicated process and system. I got to work!

Based on my extensive experience with Shed violations in Miami Dade County, I know the first and most important thing to do is address the issue and look into the details with the County. I immediately followed up with getting survey and zoning details so the compliance work could be submitted. This process can be long and drawn out, and the amount of work needed to process this violation is extensive. Needless to say, I was able to get the paperwork in place, contact the required people to help in the process, and the code violation was closed and resolved.

This violation is very typical in my line of business, for over 8 years our company, Your Permit Solution, has assisted hundreds of residents and business owners with their permit violation, if you or someone you know has received a permit violation and/or is frustrated in resolving a Permit Violation for their shed or an addition to to their home, please contact me at 1-800-9730023 ext. 0 or visit our site atwww.yourpermitsolution.com.

Source: My previous blog, 2011

Is a Fire Inspection Necessary?

The following types of work require a fire inspection :

• LP gas pressure test
• Standpipe and hydrostatic test
• Fire alarm system
• U/G fire lines hydorstatic test
• U/G full bore flush
• Floor penetrations
• Fire retardant spray
• U/G tank installation
• White box final
• Fire pump test
• Fire dampers
• Awnings
• Fire suppression gaseous
• Fire sprinkler final
• Overhead fire sprinkler rough/hydrostatic test
• Building final
• Fire rated separation
• Elevators
• A/G tank isntallation
• Hood/duct assembly
• Fire rated wall penetrations

Source: Estero Fire Rescue

New Building Codes

New building and construction codes went into effect on March 15th, 2012 for Broward County. These codes changed the zones for hurricane resistance, making more stringent building restrictions so that properties will be better protected against wind. Existing properties will not need any changes made to them. Any changes made going forward will need to adhere to the new codes. Any plans already approved will remain approved, but may be out of code by the time they are built. Many builders are redoing their plans so that they will adhere to the new code.