Boxes First

If you are a repeating Redcap customer, you’ve probably heard us say “We’ll start with boxes.” This creates very little wasted space, and is a good use of Mom’s Attic (the small portion located over the cab of the truck.)

Any dead space here can be filled with cushions, pillows, and small, random things that are found along the job.

The Wall

Once the boxes are stacked up, it’s time to find tall things. Think beds, dressers, and armoires. These items will be usually be secured, along with all of the boxes behind them, by using ratchet straps.

The Big Stuff

In front of the wall we’ll usually add some larger, heavier pieces such as sleeper sofas, desks, and more dressers. This helps support the wall and also provides a solid base for some of the lighter items.

Getting Creative

Like a game of Tetris, now it is time to fill the space with what is left. Some of the trickier items tend to be chairs, mowers, awkward shaped furniture, and grills.

But getting it all in there is half the battle. Once items are secured and blanketed, sometimes the hardest part is finding your way out!

Obviously, every moving job is different, so no two packing jobs are the same. Here are a few things you can do to help prevent your items from being damaged.

• Be Accurate:  Give us an accurate description of everything that will be moved. That way we can prepare and bring the material and tools we need.
• Order Blankets: If you are renting a moving truck, we HIGHLY RECOMMEND you order additional blankets. We promise we will use them all.

There’s nothing better than cozying up inside your nice, warm home during these cold winter days, right? Unfortunately, you are not the only one who feels that way. Critters who are trying to escape the cold will make their home in any crevice or hole they can find.This week I’m sharing some photos of some unwanted tenants we’ve found inside our customers dryer vents!

Mud Wasps

Fortunately, the wasps weren’t home!

Birds

To our customer’s surprise, there was an entire birds nest tucked in their driver vent. This happened when lint buildup prevented the dryer lid from properly closing, allowing for the perfect spot for a bird to find shelter. The eggs had already hatched upon arrival, so they must have been there for a while!

Mice

We got a call from a customer who heard rattling in their dryer duct every time they started their dryer. They thought they had a lot of lint build up, but one walk around outside to the dryer vent proved otherwise. The gaping hole and missing flap was an open invitation for a mouse to crawl inside.

Sure enough, upon inspection, there were mouse droppings inside of their duct, yuck!

How Can You Protect Yourself?

One of the best ways to ensure your dryer vents are safe from critters is to visually inspect your exterior dryer vent. If there is any hole in it, it is only a matter of time before something nestles their way in (and remember, mice can fit through a quarter inch hole, that’s roughly the size of a pencil!)

If your vent is inaccessible or on the roof, we are happy to take a look for you the next time we come by for a roof cleaning.

Or of course, you can give us a call anytime and we can conduct a thorough dryer vent cleaning.  

A weekly roundup of what has kept us busy in and around your neighborhood

• Removed, refilled, and delivered a 100lb propane tank for a customer
• Assembled an outdoor storage bin
• Helped a local artist relocate a massive art table

CUSTOMER OF THE MONTH

John and Diane Fisk are longtime Redcap customers. Since 2015, they have hired us for home watch, power washing, landscape debris removal, and solar panel cleaning, just to name a few. Looking back, we have completed over 200 jobs for them!

How did they find us? Way back when, they pulled a postcard out of their mailbox from a company offering home watch services. They gave us a call, and the rest is history. Thank you, John and Diane for keeping us busy over the years!

On one of our recent jobs, we had to get rid of about 50 years worth of junk from a law firm. What did all this junk have in common? Whether it was books, folders, or file cabinets, they were all filled with paper.

After about my 20th trip lugging some heavy hand trucks to the dump trailer, a thought occurred me. Similar to how one tiny snowflake can lead to a blizzard, it was amazing how one seemingly weightless piece of paper can be so heavy when you are holding a big stack of them.

So how much does a piece of paper actually weigh?

One sheet of 8.5”x11” paper is just 0.16 ounces, or 4.5 grams. That’s the equivalent of one metal paperclip or staple. Here are a few other fast facts that may come in handy if you catch yourself at a The Office themed trivia:

• A standard ream of 500 papers is 5 pounds, heavier than your average brick!
• A hardcover book usually weighs between 1-3 pounds
• That aluminum file cabinet that you thought was super light when it was empty? That can be over 50 pounds per drawer!

So what’s the point here?  It doesn’t matter if its paper, tools, shoes, or anything else you are hoarding away. You’ll probably find yourself surprised with how much stuff you accumulate over the years (and how heavy it is to move.) In fact, as was the case with this job, when you finally decide to move it, you may realize that you simply can’t do it by yourself!

The good news? That’s where we come in.

We’ve hauled away everything from one small box of books to literally tons of them. And whether you want to get rid of your stuff all at once or piecemeal, give us a call and we’ll be happy to take care of it for you.

A weekly roundup of what has kept us busy in your neighborhood

• Transported equipment and set the stage for an orchestra at the USCB campus.
• Removed leaves and spread mulch for various customers.
• Got rid of a stained, stinky, and chewed up carpet from a customer with a new puppy
• Taking down Christmas lights and returning them to their resting place in the attic for the next 11 months

Whether you are home for the holidays, or celebrating your Christmas on the racetrack (like we did at our company party this year!), we wish you Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and a happy & healthy New Year.

Here’s a list of what has kept us busy in and around your neighborhood

• Assembling a huge, 15’ trampoline!
• Hanging string lights for an outdoor wedding ceremony.
• Cleaned out decades old (and 3 trailers worth) piles of papers, cabinets, tools, and junk from an office basement.

The gift of Redcap can help your grandparents get their new furniture in and assembled or their holiday decorations out of the attic and set up. A gift certificate put toward organizing the garage is sure to make any spouse happy.

And, if your parents worry constantly about their vacation home in Beaufort while they’re away, our home watch service is the gift that gives year round. Redcap gift cards can be purchased in any denomination and NOW you can even purchase e-gift cards online!  

Our own Tyler H shared his thoughts on why gift cards are the perfect gift. A few years ago, he started asking for gift cards for his birthday or Christmas instead of gifts. Why? He realized he didn’t need any more stuff, and valued his time and experiences. With a Redcap gift card, you are taking something off of your friend’s to-do list, and allowing them to spend time doing something else they enjoy.

And hey, maybe we’ll remove that pile of junk or wash off the grime off their house that you are tired of looking at!

Click here to Purchase Online or if you prefer to send a physical gift card, we’re happy to help!  Call us at 843-882-REDC (7332) or e-mail us at redcapbeaufort@gmail.com.

• Has a positive attitude
• Can lift heavy things
• Is eager to learn and work in a team environment
• And can continue to carry on the Redcap mentality that you have been accustomed to

Then feel free to send them our way! They can click HERE to get in contact with us so we can set up an interview.

November Customer of the Month

We are pleased to announce that Lisa Mykleby and Stephanie Lane, owners and operators of M Home and Garden and Mister, located right here in Downtown Beaufort have donned the Big Red Hat this month! They have been loyal customers to Redcap for a decade, and we are grateful to have been able to help deliver, unbox, and assemble their furniture for their clients.

Make sure you stop at both of their shops and say hello!

Birthday Celebrations

If you’ve been a customer of Redcap for while, you may have noticed a new voice answering the phone. And if you are new, you will have had the pleasure of speaking with Lexi Izzo. Lexi started with Redcap working in the field washing windows, cleaning, and assembling furniture over seven years ago. She has since taken an office position and has been hard at work answering phone calls and scheduling all of our jobs.

Today, Lexi wanted to share her thoughts on some of her favorite memories while working at Redcap.

What is your most memorable experience at Redcap?

“My most memorable experience at Redcap would have to be the day I started. It is what I think about constantly when I consider how lucky I am to be where I am today with this amazing company. It was a simple job packing up a home for a lovely couple, but that one job changed the course of my life.”

What is the craziest job you’ve done working at Redcap?

“The craziest job I have ever done at redcap would have to be “The Mom Van” and yes moms, I am guilty of this as well. This one van would take us over 8 hours to clean, but the satisfaction you would feel after knowing you just helped someone complete a task that would just add to their already busy lives, would make me do it all over again with no hesitation. (Or the house full of fleas haha)”

What has been your favorite part about working at Redcap?

“May favorite part about working at redcap is the connections I have made with not only my work family but the connections and relationships I have made with our customers.

A common expression we get from our customers when we are doing moving jobs or junk removal is “How did I get this much stuff!?” Perhaps you’ve said the same, or maybe it will hit you in a few weeks when you are rummaging through  your attic looking for Christmas decorations.

Either way, here are three tips to avoid accumulating too much extra stuff:

Most people are aware that here at Redcap, we take care your To-Do List. But today we wanted to share a bit of information about one of the less well known services we offer: Home Watch.

Home Watch is something we have been doing at Redcap since the company was founded, 10 years ago. As the name implies, we will have a representative visit your house while you are away to check on your home, providing peace of mind that your home is cared for. Our home watch services can be customized to fit your needs, but typically include: 

• Remove evidence of non-occupancy such as mail, newspapers, packages, and flyers.
• Monitor the temperature and humidity of your home – one of the most common issues we find is mold!
• Coordinate visits with contractors and make sure lawncare is done.
• Water plants and check for leaks, both inside and outside the home.
• Check for foul odors or evidence of pests.
• Remove yard debris to keep property looking nice and HOA compliant.
• Turn your heat/AC on so your home is comfortable when you return.
• And much more! Click HERE to view our full Home Watch page.

Just in time for Halloween…Home Watch (Near) Horror Stories

Over the course of 10 years doing Home Watch, we have about seen it all. Here are a few near horror stories and close calls that we stumbled upon while conducting our Home Watch.  Redcap’s home watch service was the difference between damage and disaster!

• A customer’s stove was on for two days!
• Discovered a leaky water line, which ruined the floors but could have been much worse.
• Found an overflowing air conditioning pan that was causing the ceiling to stain.
• Within a few short days of a homeowner’s departure, we discovered mold formation due to an AC issue.

Redcap Turns 10: An Interview with Operations Manager Steve Akin

In honor of Redcap recently celebrating 10 years of business, we asked some of our earliest members to share some of their favorite moments. Today, Operations Manager (and Home Watch expert) Steve Akin shares his thoughts:

What is your most memorable experience at Redcap?“Favorite memories are always our Christmas party. Jeff goes out of his way to ensure that we have a really great experience. Takes a lot of time deciding where to go, and he hopes that we experience something new every time, giving us a chance to experience things we might not otherwise try. Being a foodie, this is a fantastic experience for me. Also, it’s a great time when we can all get together and not have to work!”

What is the craziest job you’ve done working at Redcap?“I think probably the worst things I’ve done are some of the car cleaning jobs! Some of them were pretty awful. Or… maybe it was after hurricanes, the cleanup was not only disgusting, (rotten food in floating fridges) but a lot of work. Was really sad to see the damage that Hurricane Matthew did to the area.”

What has been your favorite part about working at Redcap?“Having the opportunity to meet many different types of people. Some have become very good friends! I love hearing everyone’s story, how they came to Beaufort, what they did for work, etc. Also, my coworkers, they are all like family to me.”

Speaking of working with Redcap, if you know anyone looking for work who is a natural leader and a hard worker who you think would be a good fit for our company, let us know!  We are growing are are always looking for great people to help us serve more people in our community.  

It’s been a busy Hurricane Season in the Lowcountry, but Redcap is here to help

Our crews are out there still picking up storm debris from Hurricane Helene. And as we are driving through town, there is still plenty to be picked up. Whether it’s this storm or the next one, give us a call and we’ll remove any downed branches, leaves, and moss from your yard.

Owner Jeff Tillapaugh on 10 years of Redcap

Share your Redcap memories with us!

Do you have any favorite memories or experiences working with Redcap? Let us know by leaving a review HERE on our Facebook page!

Celebrating a decade of serving our community

Time flies when you’re as busy as Redcap has been over the last decade!  This September, we are honored to be celebrating ten years of service to our Lowcountry community.  Here’s a look back and how it all started and how it’s going now, as well as a tribute to one very special customer. 

It all started in a bar…

It seems like the best stories begin with “it all started in a bar”.  And the Redcap story did indeed start in a bar… just not how you might expect. Owners Jeff and Lauren Tillapaugh owned and operated Sweetgrass Restaurant and Bar on Dataw Island and saw that many of their customers wished they had assistance at home: an extra set of hands to perform tasks they didn’t want to do or could no longer safely perform themselves.In 2014, they sold the restaurant, and with the help of Operations Manager Steve Akin, Redcap opened in September of that year. Core services in the early days were Home Watch, Mobile Detailing and Concierge, but customers asked for more and Redcap delivered. Pressure Washing, Window Cleaning, Moving (and more) were quickly added to the list of services. 

Where we are today…

Over the past ten years, the Redcap team has grown from a staff of two doing three or four jobs a day to a crew of 13 dedicated crew members, leaders and administrative staff doing 20-30 jobs a day! One thing hasn’t changed though: our commitment to our core values of integrity, helpfulness, efficiency, kindness and professionalism. Redcap is grateful to help the Beaufort community and looks forward to serving for many more years to come!

Redcap’s first customer of the month!

To celebrate Redcap’s 10 year anniversary, we are kicking off a year of recognizing one special customer each month.  Our first VIP is someone who has been with us for almost the entire decade we’ve been in business!  Pam Serianni of Dataw Island calls Redcap for both personal and business needs: utilizing the wide range of our services, including furniture moving, roof and gutter cleaning, pressure washing and more. Plus, Pam is just an all around great person! 

We were thrilled for Pam to don the Giant Red Cap and to present her with a Redcap gift card as a thank you for her continued trust in us!

A sincere thank you

We wouldn’t be celebrating 10 years in business without you, and other loyal customers like you. Whether you are a brand new customer or if you have been with us since day one, we are wholeheartedly grateful for your business. Each one of us here tips our “redcap” to you and we look forward to serving you in the future!