Eugene’s List Blog

Masonry block walls are especially popular in Tucson for enclosing back yards and demarcating home property lines. Typically when a Tucson homeowner is ready to replace wood or chain-link fencing, she will choose a concrete block wall. There are several considerations when getting bids for cinder block walls from contractors.

The first consideration is what kind of materials to use. Common choices are natural stone, slump block, fencing block,  or a standard 8″x8′x16″ gray cement block. Most block walls that are built after the home is built or when a home is remodeled are made of standard block because it’s the easiest to work with and the easiest to apply stucco to. Most new construction homes where the wall is built along with the home use fencing block because its the least expensive masonry fencing material and and can be constructed very quickly. Natural stone and slump block materials are chosen for aesthetic reasons. So for remodeling work, first consider the standard block and then move to other choices if standard block doesn’t work.

The second consideration is whether to stucco or not. Stucco greatly improves the aesthetics of standard block walls and fencing block walls. However, because of cost considerations, fencing block is typically not stuccoed. Slump block and natural stone walls are typically not stuccoed either for aesthetic reasons. If stucco is applied, make sure that stucco mortar mix is used, there are at least 2 coats of stucco, and the stucco texture matches the rest of the house.

The last consideration is the strength of the walls. The city of Tucson requires that any free standing block wall over 6 ft. or a retaining wall over 3ft. has an engineered design (i.e. plans must be submitted to the city with an engineer signed off). For walls below this height, make sure that the conrete footing is reinforced with rebar and is at least twice as wide and as deep as the width of the masonry block. Also, retaining walls should be rebar re-inforced and be at least partially filled in with concrete.

When building a block wall, the right choice of materials and construction will ensure many years of maintenance free privacy and increase the value of your property.

Recently when doing a search on Tucson Roofing contractors, I came accross this screen. Now notice that the website for Navarro Roofing is www.navarroroofingsucks.com . So an unhappy customer created a website airing complaints about Navarro Roofing and Google indexed it as the official website for Navarro Roofing. So at least for the time being, very few customers that do a search online will call Navarro Roofing. This goes to show how far the Internet has dhuifted the balance of power in favor of the consumer.

According to national surveys, Tucson ranks near the top in the country for non-violent crime such as burglaries, carjacking, ID theft, etc. Although I do not have statistics on this, anecdotal evidence suggests that many burglaries occur after a home has undergone some sort of maintenance or renovation work. What most likely is happening is that a contractor hires unscrupulous day labor workers that use the job as an opportunity to case the home and then come back later armed with the knowledge of the home’s layout and homeowners schedule to burglarize the home.
Although there is no fulproof way to make your home perfectly safe, there are things that you can do to mitigate the risk.

• Work with a reputable licensed bonded and insured contractor.
• Have a conversation with the contractor before the job starts about the day labor. Let him/her know that you’re very concerned about the safety of your property.
• During the job, make yourself visible frequently and at random times. Try to vary the schedule as much as possible.
• Restrict access to parts of the property that are not undergoing work.
• If one of the workers looks suspicious, contact the contractor right away and voice your concerns.
• Have highly visible security measures in place such as a dog, security system, and closed and locked gates.

In the end, in these economic times, it is better to be slightly paranoid but safe instead of caution free and sorry.

The horrendous real estate market that we are in today has had as bad an impact on home improvement contractors as anyone else. When hiring a contractor for a home improvement project, additional vigilance is required today as compared to a few years back.
The good news is that there are plenty of contractors looking for work and you can get the job done faster and for less money. The bad news is that many contractors are financially distressed and this may have a negative impact on your project:

• If a contractor has lost his license or insurance, the liability from any accidents that happen on the job may end up with the homeowner.
• If a contractor has bad credit, judgments, liens or debt collectors are after him, he may disappear with your money before a job is finished. At the very least, the job may be delayed because the subcontractors will not extend credit for materials to the contractor.
• Also, if a contractor owes money to the subcontractor, the sub may file a preliminary lien against your property for the debt. This lien is not enforceable, but it is an unpleasant occurrence. I’ve had it happen to me personally.
• Finally, as any other occupation, contracting attracts it’s fair share of people with a shady past. If things don’t look right, a criminal background and sex-offender check may be necessary.

Most contractors are hard working, dedicated individuals who are committed to getting the job done. With some due diligence up-front, the chances of a successful project can be greatly improved.