In most homes, especially those with multiple residents, showers get a lot of use. Imagine how many times a day a shower is used in a typical home with four family members who shower daily! Talk about wear and tear!

A leak from a shower stall or bathtub usually goes for months, even years, before being noticed. By the time there is visual evidence of the damage (such as mold or excessive mildew), there is already vast water damage to the walls and floors and sometimes even the sub-floors and basic home structure below the bathroom or water pipes where the leak originates. As soon as the leaks and damaged areas are noticed, they need to be immediately fixed since this sort of damage spreads quickly and becomes more expensive to repair as time passes. Are you a general contractor looking to specialize in some area for more visibility? If so, than this is where you come in!

For most people, response time is the most important factor. You will specialize in leaky bathrooms and make yourself available for immediate response to their problems. To do this most effectively, you will likely want to get an 800 number and a visible website for people trying to initially diagnose their own problems. Explain the services you offer and let them know that this is your specialty! For immediate response, you can charge a bit more. Most people would rather pay a little more to get someone out to their home quickly than wait for weeks on someone else, while the problem grows more extensive and costly to repair.

There are many areas of a bathroom that may have been damaged and the first thing you will need to do is to assess the extent of the damage. Has mold penetrated the walls, ceiling, and sub-floor? Perhaps only a little re-tiling will fix the problem. When the rubber seal on a shower stall door is worn out, shower water can end up on the bathroom floor. Water can also seep outside a shower stall if the shower pan at the base of the stall needs repair or replacing. (Let the homeowner know that many homeowners’ insurance policies cover damage from shower-pan leaks.) When the seal at the base of a toilet fails, water will begin seeping onto the floor. These can sometimes be simple fixes or possibly more complicated ones depending on just how long the leaking has been going on. You will want to be sure to check crawl spaces for evidence of more extensive damage and for hints at where the leak is originating.

You may want to also offer to purchase and install some sort of leak detection system to prevent future leaks and water damage from occurring. These devices can detect water flow as little as eight ounces per hour and as high as several gallons per minute. The sensor probes are mounted directly into the main water supply and detect all water flow within the supply side of the structure. If water flows continuously for a preset time without stopping, it triggers an alarm. While initially costly, a system such as this will likely save the homeowner time and money in the long run.

Lastly, you will need to let your potential customers know about you and your services! You may also want to advertise your per-hour services by running a visible ad in local phone directories, list your business with an online business directory, and possibly also print up flyers and post them in places where people in your area who would be more likely to need your services, such as homeowners, would be more likely frequent. Be sure to include popular lunch places and coffee shops too! Most post offices and grocery stores also have bulletin boards that they will allow you to place an advertisement on them. Be sure to take advantage of any public bulletin boards in your immediate area to find the people who are looking for you and your services. In no time at all, you will have built up a large clientele base, many by word of mouth as they witness your professional services in action!

Resources:

www.mischel.com/diary/2005/12/14.htm

globaltowne.com/product_info.php/products_id/218

www.theplumber.com/handbook.html

www.simplehomerepairs.com/Home-Repair-Bathroom-Pipe.html

www.servicemagic.com/task.Faucets-Fixtures-and-Pipes-Repair-or-Replace.40113.html

www.associatedcontent.com/article/583839/repair_a_bathroom_ball_joint_faucet.html

www.askmehelpdesk.com/advice/t-6512.html

www.terrylove.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-449.html

www.homegain.com/info_center/buyer/homedefectguide/plumbing

www.ahahome.com/non/articles/01/012001.html

www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/asktoh/question/0,,350000,00.html

www.thesuperhandyman.com/leak.html