03 Sep June 2017
Willis Sinclair Homes
Question: What do you call a person who can manage a job, troubleshoot problems, do bookwork and billing, make small repairs, run errands, check houses and even model clothing and jewelry?
(Answer: Abbey)
“The Lowcountry’s Premier Custom Home Builder”
24 Gabriel Road
Lodge, South Carolina 29082
www.WillisSinclair.com
Sales@WillisSinclair.com
843 846 2500
June 2017
Number 40
From the desk
of Abbey …
This is such a cheerful time of year! Everything is budding out, the trees are lush and green and the grass is longing to be cut…again! It is a cheerful time of year, yes, but a little bit sad too because so many of our Brays customers have returned to their summer homes. We will be doing house checks for many of you. My list of homes to check has greatly increased over the years to where house checks are nearly a full-time job. Mandy, my sister, will be helping me with the house checks! The most recent customers I have added will only receive a report if there is a problem. This makes it possible for us to check more homes since we will not have to submit a report for each one. For those customers who find the reports essential we will continue to submit them on a weekly/bi-weekly basis.
We use our summers to try and catch up on the “no-rush” projects, so that when home owners return in the fall they can relax and enjoy their time at Brays instead of being distracted by a to-do list. If there is anything that has been on your mind, that has not made it to your list, please feel free to call, text or email me and I will do my best to get it done for you as soon as possible.
The months of May and June are very special to me because they hold two important occasions – Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. I am especially thankful for my parents. I know it was not easy raising eight children; having to clothe us, feed us, as well as home-school us!
As difficult as it may have been I do not remember hearing Dad or Mom complain about all the things they had to do, what they did without, or anything like that. Now I do remember discussions about the level of noise that we could create! One of my favorite questions was, “How can it sound like a herd of elephants when you come down the stairs?!”
Growing up I did not realize that they were raising us with the end result in mind. They gave me those jobs and set those guidelines because they loved me and wanted what was best for me. They instilled in me the love of God and led by example. They taught me to work hard and do my best at everything I did. Their guidance led me to where I am today and I am so thankful for it!
Often people are so busy finding fault with how they were raised that they do not take the time to see all of the advantages they were given by their parents. No parents are perfect, not even mine, but I know they did their very best and I am so truly grateful to them. That gratefulness only grows with each passing year as I become more and more aware of all that they have given me. Above all they have given me the gift of their Time and Love, which I could never repay.
In recent years my parents have been able to spend more time together doing the things that they could not do when they were raising us. It brings me so much joy to see them able to take that time for each other and do some of the fun things that they put on hold for so many years!
God bless our Fathers and Mothers!
Ready for Hurricane Season?
June 1 to November 30 is hurricane season. The National Hurricane Center is a valuable resource for hurricane preparation and tracking. Much of this information is taken from their sites: www.nhc.noaa.gov Visit it to learn more.
A hurricane is caused by a low pressure area that often begins near the equator. Air tries to rush into the low pressure area. It rushes to the low pressure area much like water goes down a drain when you remove the stopper – in a circular motion. Here in the northern hemisphere, a hurricane always rotates counterclockwise.
This low pressure area can cause all sorts of other problems. Winds from it can spin off tornadoes which can be deadly. Winds in tornadoes can reach hundreds of miles per hour. Thankfully, tornadoes are much smaller than hurricanes, but they often strike with little or no warning.
Hurricanes can cause storm surges from two sources. The low pressure area can actually pull the water up, but this effect is minimal. The big effect is from the wind. If the hurricane passes to the south of you, you will experience wind blowing in from the ocean. This wind will also blow a “pile” of water inland. The tide at the moment will also add to the water surge. Katrina, a category 3 storm produced a 28 foot high storm surge.
While wind is a dangerous part of hurricanes, there are other serious matters to consider.
Hurricane
|
Rainfall can be high especially in slow moving storms. If a storm is dumping 3 inches of rain per hour (not uncommonly high) and it remains over you 1 hour, that is 3 inches of rain. If the storm moves slowly and is over you 5 hours, that is 15 inches of rain. A slow moving storm can linger for days releasing huge amounts of rain. Large amounts of rain can not only cause flooding, but it can saturate the ground so trees that are solid in dryer soil become unstable and can be uprooted.
What can you do? If you have not built yet, be sure to select a builder who takes hurricanes seriously. Of course there are codes and inspections, but realistically how much can an inspector see during a 20 or 30 minute inspection? Tie down hardware is expensive. Some builders might be tempted to take shortcuts. Be assured we at Willis Sinclair are serious. We do not skimp or take shortcuts.
Before Katrina . . .
. . . after Katrina.
(the tree survived)
Katrina was Category 5.
Even with solidly built homes, there can be significant damage from flying debris and toppled trees as we witnessed recently with Matthew. You may need help even with your well built home.
Bolivar Peninsula (in Texas) after Hurricane Ike’s (Category 4) storm surge in 2008.
Call us to make sure you are in our storm queue. When a storm approaches, we have many homes where we apply hurricane protection (cover windows, move patio furniture inside and so forth), but the simple truth is we have a finite amount of time. Our regular customers must come first. If we have any time left, we will happily assist anyone. During Matthew, we were here about 5 hours after the gates were closed and we were to be off the island. Call us and tell us you want to be on our hurricane preparation list. Don’t wait. No obligation and no charge unless a hurricane approaches.
Saffir-Simpson Hurricane
Wind Scale
|
Category |
Winds |
Damage |
|---|---|---|
|
Tropical Depression |
Up to 38 |
Can produce heavy rain and cause flooding. |
|
Tropical Storm |
39 – 74 |
Heavy rains which cause flooding and water saturated ground which destabilizes trees. |
|
1 |
74 – 95 |
Very dangerous. May have roof or gutter damage. Trees may be uprooted |
|
2 |
96 – 110 |
Extremely dangerous. Major roof damage possible. Trees uprooted or snapped. Power loss could last days. |
|
3 |
111 – 129 |
Devastating damage. Major damage possible to roofs. Many trees uprooted and broken. |
|
4 |
130 – 156 |
Catastrophic damage. Loss of roofs and exterior walls likely. Damage from flying debris probable. |
|
5 |
Over 157 |
Catastrophic damage. Many frame homes and trees will be destroyed. Area may be uninhabitable for weeks. |
If you are on our list, we will prepare your home if a hurricane is headed your way. We will also remove and store your protection once the danger is past. Of course, if your home receives any damage, we will provide temporary covering to minimize further damage from the elements. Also, we will be happy to price any repairs you may need.
Hopefully, we won’t have another hurricane this year, but just because Matthew roared through taking out hundreds of trees here does not mean other hurricanes will avoid our area.
If you are able and a major hurricane is headed your way, leave. The average elevation here is only a few feet above sea level. A significant storm surge could occur. Power may well be off for days. Trees may block roads and fall on houses. Wind blown debris may also cause damage. Wind may rip roofs off homes.
To prepare, call us … we can help!
Willis Sinclair Homes
Our goal is your complete satisfaction!
Call Us
843 846 2500
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