Sunday, May 31, 2009

Metal Roofing Installation - All The Information You Need!

Metal roof installation has not been common on residential buildings up until recently. It has only been the last five years or so that new metal roofing has been placed on homes in residential areas, and even then you may not recognise it as what it is. Metal roofing installation has actually been designed to look like other forms of roofing to fit in with the surroundings of the home but give all the benefits of metal roofing installations.

Whether you desire a slate, shingle or any other type of roof, it can be achieved with the help of metal. Sheet metal is employed in metal roofing installation to help to give the effect your desire in conjunction with an energy efficient and environmentally friendly metal roof!

There are many reasons for the increasing metal roofing installation. Metal roofing installation is known for its durability, longevity, versatility, flexibility and safety value, amongst other things. There are many good reasons to consider it above wall other types of roofing, including the fact that it is both water and fireproof and will not put undue strain on the existing structure of your home. You cannot ask for more than that, but it may cost you for metal roofing installation because most roofers are not trained to do it safely and effectively.

The nature of metal roof installation means that very few individuals are trained to do it and thus do not have insurance in case something goes wrong. As a result, you have two options. You can either do it yourself or pay a specialist to install it for you. The difficulty of the task means that very few people would be able to install it without a hitch and, as a result, people are willing to pay for it!

You can locate a roofer trained in metal roofing installation by asking any manufacturer to recommend one in your area or by searching on the Internet. All contractors recommended by the former will be trained but you would have to thoroughly research those trained in metal roofing installation that you find on the latter. Before you find a roofer though, you must decide what type of effect you want because roofers are often trained for a limited number of metal roofing installation types.

There are different requirements for each individual roof and for each roofing type so your contractor has to be familiar with jobs that are on the same kind of scale with similar requirements. This will not only give you peace of mind, but it will also ensure that you get the best value and job possible for your money. Contractors in your area will also be familiar with local building codes and thus can adapt your roof to them. An out of area contractor might not be.

There are various other factors that you need to consider for metal roofing installation but these are the main ones. As long as you have a contractor that you trust, you will not go far wrong. You will have confidence in the person doing the job and that will result in less worry and stress for you!

You can also find more info on Metal Roofing and Cost Of Metal Roofing. Homeroofinghelp.com is a comprehensive resource to known about metal roofing.

Bathroom Remodeling Problems

Stair Building Video For Great Advice

Stair building tips for installing lights and decking, handrail tips and some deck advice.

For more helpful home improvement information visit: http://www.gregvan.com

Stair Building Tips

Interior Decorating Books
Flooring Books

Increase Home Value Through Smart Renovation

The practice of increasing home value through proper renovation techniques has never been more important than it is today. We constantly hear on the news about poor economy and poor real estate market. Homeowners who plan to increase their home value through renovations should be reminded that the margin for error is slim and a small mistake could easily wipe off their profit or worse result in a total loss.

Slow economy should not scare away homeowners from remodeling their home in order to increase their home value. However, homeowners should only follow smart renovation techniques and be careful not to over-renovate their home. Over-renovation could be a total financial disaster. Prudent homeowners must learn about value engineering in respect to home remodeling if they are serious about profiting from renovation.

The methods and analysis that enable you to determine what specific renovations allow you to benefit most from renovation is referred to as value engineering. In the next paragraphs we are going to briefly point out the steps one needs to follow in order to maximize one's profit and increase his/her home value.

I) Step one is to contact your local real estate office or a qualified appraiser to obtain the current market value of your home as well as the value of renovated homes that are similar to yours within your area. The purpose of this research is to ensure that there is room to profit. If you find that the value of renovated homes nearby is close to the price of your un-renovated home, then there is no point in renovating your home.

Make sure that you only compare your home with homes that are similar to yours and are located a short distance from your home. There is no point comparing your home that is on a 30 x 90 parcel of land to a home built on a 10 acre land or a home that is located in different areas as real estate prices vary from area to area.

II) Contact your local real estate office or a qualified appraiser to find out which renovations in your area add value and which renovations do not. You then need to look further at the renovations that add value and ask your appraiser or your real estate agent to determine how much value each of these renovations bring to your home.

Comparable Market Analysis (CMA) is the method used by real estate salespersons and appraisers to determine home value. Appraisers look at large quantity of sold properties near your home and then adjust the price for your home based on the condition of various parts of your home as well as any new additions or extensions that you may have build to your home. As an example the appraiser knows that a second additional bathroom in your area is very desirable and the sold price of homes with a second bathroom show an increase of $4000 in comparison to those that did not have the second bathroom. In the same way the appraiser may note that a finished basement increase value by $6000 or fireplace has no impact on the value and etc.

III) Now that you know the value of each renovation, you need to find out your cost for carrying out each of these renovations. This step is needed to find out if you are able to make a profit from a particular renovation. To determine your cost for each renovation, you should obtain at least three price estimates from qualified contractors.

IV) After completing step three you are in the position to determine which particular renovation maximizes your profit. You can accomplish this by subtracting the added value each renovation brings as detailed in step three from the cost of that renovation determined in step four. This is especially useful when you have a limited budget and need to know which renovation will give you the maximum profit.

To learn more about increasing your home value through renovation click, Increase Home Value

Visit http://www.homeremodelingguide.ca to find other helpful remodeling ideas, advices and resources.

Build a Hen House Yourself - Good Idea Or Bad?

There are 2 ways to get a hen house for you flock: buy a pre-made one or build one yourself. A lot of people are choosing to build a hen house by themselves and many of them are turning out beautiful and of high quality.

But is building a hen house by yourself such a good idea?

Buying a pre-made coop has its benefits because someone has already done some of the preliminary work for you. But what you need to remember is that you will need to assemble the chicken coop yourself anyway. This is where most of the work comes in.

A lot of people have no idea how to design a hen house and so they believe their only option is to buy a pre-made one. But there are guides on how to build a chicken coop which include various plans that you can follow easily. So, even if you're not that experienced with wood work, you can still construct an excellent home for your flock.

By building a hen house yourself, you can customize it better to your yard and the size of your flock. A pre-made one may be of the wrong size.

I won't go into the joy of creating something yourself. I love DIY projects as they give me a sense of accomplishment. This is something which you may not share with me, but if you do, then there's no reason why you shouldn't make this another project to be proud of.

But the main reason why you need to build a hen house yourself is the cost. By making this coop yourself you can easily save more than 50% of the cost. Imagine that: over 50%. And you can make an even better house than one you would have bought. A lot of other people have done it and so can you.

To discover more tips on how to construct a coop by yourself, click here: Chicken Coop Plans. Jason Draver writes about raising chickens on this website: Build a Hen House

Long Dryer Vent Problems

Affordable Home Insurance - Get Very Cheap Rates

Okay, we all agree that we need to secure our homes and all the valuable contained therein. I would like to think that we also agree that it would also be really wise to get this coverage at a very affordable rate. Getting affordable home insurance simply means you have to take not of certain points when getting a policy.

It is very important to know exactly what amount of coverage you need. Without this knowledge, you could easily over cover which would mean you are practically throwing away money or you could under cover which would mean that your home insurance coverage is more or less a joke since it can not cover what it is meant to cover. So take the time to get to know the exact level of coverage you need.

When you know the amount of coverage you need. You would then want to take the time to find out in details all the factors that can earn you a discount. There are a whole lot of discounts you can miss just because you did not bother to ask. In fact you might actually qualify for some without having to do anything extra.

The interesting thing is that all the things you need to do to qualify for a discount are actually things that would be beneficial to your home. Things like security gadgets, repairs and renovations etc.

If you can afford it, do this two things to further reduce your rates.

1, Opt for paying your rates annually. It helps reduce your rates. and
2, Go for a higher deductible. It also helps in the reduction of your rates.

Finally, you could render all your good work invaluable if you do not compare quotes. This is one of the single most effective ways to save. Get and compare several quotes before settling for one.

It is best to visit abut 4 free quotes comparison sites if you really want to save.

Here two great sites you can start from
Hometown Quotes
Insureme Quotes
Chimerenka Odimba is the publisher Several finance based sites.

Need Help Remodeling In Carlsbad

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Here's How You Can Protect Your Family by Removing All Asbestos From Your Home

Asbestos is a deadly substance once inhaled and needs to be removed if it is contained in your home.

Identification and removal of Asbestos is an important part of keeping your home in top condition to ensure your families health.

To gain a better understanding of the associated risks simply go to Google News and type in "Asbestos Removal". With over 300 articles results of people directly or indirectly affected it highlights the serious issue with Asbestos.

Trained professionals should be the only people to handle Asbestos to ensure the situation is handled in a highly controlled manor. Asbestos that is present in your roof needs to be removed carefully not to expose the surrounding area to the tiny particles that can indeed cause such severe health problems and terminal illness when inhaled.

Where is Asbestos present in Australia -

The Queensland Governments website mentions the following information:

'Fibro' was one of the most commonly used products used in building between 1940s until the late 80s in Australia. Fibro contained approximately 15% asbestos and was generally used in a variety of locations including; wall and ceiling sheeting within houses, businesses and government buildings because of its resistance to chemicals, heat and overall strength.

Asbestos was not only used in Fibro. It was also present in Roofing (known as Super Six Sheeting), ceiling and floor tiles, as insulation for pipes and buildings, as a fire retardant,in fabrics and materials, in cars (gaskets and break lining), and as a chemical and food filter in manufacturing.

Asbestos was once used in insulating homes roofs because of its ability to withstand heat. It was thought of as the perfect material to insulate your home among other products as it was soft and it was practically fireproof.

Why is Asbestos so dangerous?

In 1955 a Scientist named Richard Doll discovered the link between asbestos and lung cancer, but it took an additional 30 years for the real affects to become publicly aware.

Why is Asbestos so dangerous? Asbestos is a silicate mineral. There are many serious health issues (including lung cancer) associated with inhaling of the thin fibrous crystals.

Between the 1940's and 1980's Asbestos was used in the construction of most homes and businesses.

With the discovery of the connection to lung cancer, it was identified as important to remove the substance from a lot of homes carefully not to contaminate the air of the home. This is where Asbestos Removal Brisbane comes in.

Removal of Asbestos is a dangerous job. Trained specialists, to ensure the safety of the workers and the inhabitants of the house it is being removed from, should only handle it. It is important to remember Asbestos fibers are deadly and are the difference between and safe home and workplace.

Metal Technology Roofing are renowned as experts in the Asbestos Removal Game. MTR offers specialist advice on all areas concerning Asbestos Removal Brisbane and other related areas including re-roofing and Metal Roofing.

Installing Windows At A Eye Leve

Is Credit Repair Real?

Credit repair, is it really possible?

The fair credit act allows us, as consumers, to dispute inaccurate and incorrect entries on our credit reports. This has led to thousands of people to request investigations of negative entries on their credit report. This is the basis of any credit repair program or service that is widely offered online and offline.

When a consumer disputes a negative entry on their report, credit agencies are required by law to investigate it thoroughly and delete the entry if insufficient evidence is provided by the creditor who placed the negative entry. Having negative entries deleted from a credit report can increase a consumer's score dramatically if they have some accounts that are in good standing.

Examples of credit disputes:

Negative entries on your credit report can be a result of many things such as identity theft or just plain negligence on your part in failing to pay your bills on time. In both cases, consumers have successfully deleted negative entries from their reports.

In the case of an identity theft, the credit agency will request creditors for evidence of the account information including addresses and signatures. They will compare these with the consumer's actual address and signature. In identity theft cases, the negative entries are normally deleted without any further investigation if the entries are undeniable such as an address in Calorado when the consumer lives in California.

Other known cases include old or out dated debts that a consumer has not paid. In these cases, the credit agency is still required to investigate. Creditors have a poor habbit of record keeping and many of them will be unable to provide the evidence that is requested by the credit agency. These debts are usually bought and sold over and over by so many different collection companies that it will be nearly impossible for them to trace it back to the consumer. These negative entries are also usually deleted upon completing an investigation.

Some investigations require more information:

In some cases where the credit agency requests more information from the consumer or determined that the debt is a valid one, consumers are allowed to appeal that decision. In these cases, although rare, consumers can write a letter of appeal to restart the investigation process and include any further evidence that he or she may have.

The bottom line of credit repair:

Once the disputes have been investigated and a decision has been made, any entry on your credit report that was not verified by the creditor will be deleted. This will result in an increase of your credit score, and in a sense, a repaired credit.

To learn more about credit repair and your rights as a consumer, please go to: Credit Repair.

Kao Saephan

Phanweb Marketing

Deck Stair Building Video

Stair building tips for installing lights and decking, handrail tips and some deck advice.

For more helpful home improvement information visit: http://www.gregvan.com

Stair Building Tips

Power Of Positive Thinking

Building a Home 101

I just want to make a few statements before we get started building.

1. Building a home is not easy, especially if you don't have the slightest clue about construction.
2. Building a home takes a lot of time, if you think you can work a 40 hour week job, and stop by
the construction site to check your contractors progress, you are wrong.
3. Meeting every contractor, and going over as much details as possible is key.
4. Being present on the job site is important.
5. A average home will take 6 months to build.
6. This is just the basics of building a home I did not put every detail in here.

Step 1: Choosing a home blueprint

In my opinion I would not have a custom blue print drawn because it is costly. If you are a real picky person and everything has to be just the way you want it then hiring a architect might be for you, but get ready to pay thousands of dollars. I myself have found many good prints on the internet with prices from $500.00 to $1500.00 depending on the size of home.

Step 2: Finding the land to fit your home blueprint.

The first major mistake is people buying their land before choosing their home plan. I do not know about other parts of this country but Georgia has many different types elevations. Picking the home plan of your dreams, and finding the land to fit will not only make you happy, but will also save you money.

OK you have your blueprint that you are your wife agree upon. Lets just say the home you choose is a ranch style home with a front two car garage, and a full daylight basement at the rear of home. The type of land you will be looking for should slope away from the road or has a relatively flat spot and then slope toward the rear. The slope toward the rear is important for your basement.

Have a Realtor write a contract on the land with stipulations on current survey, soil testing and any other recommendation that he or she may suggest. A current survey will make sure the acreage that you are buying is correct. The surveyor should mark the property pins, the foundation of home, driveway, and well. Marking the house site is not only need for soil testing but for clearing/grading too. Soil testing & well positioning is also needed for pulling a building permit. If you have public sewer and water available then soil testing will not be needed.

Step 3: Pulling building permits

To pull building permits you should first make a phone call to your local government planning/development office and ask for a list of items that they will need. For example home blue prints, survey with marked home site, soil test, drivers license, check book, and etc. Types of permits needed will include grading permit, culvert permit, and home permit. Ask for rules, regulations and inspections, most planning and development offices will have all the information you need.

Step 4: Clearing and Grading

Your surveyor should have marked the property pins, staked out the home foundation, marked well position, and marked the driveway. You and your grader should walk the property and make sure everyone is on the same page. These are the items I would discuss with the grading contractor:

1. Culvert size and price
2. Stone for driveway
3. Clearing home site
4. Clearing for septic system
5. Clearing a buffer around the home
6. Clearing driveway
7. Clearing a well access
8. Money back for harvested lumber (hardwood/pine)
9. Tree stumps (hall off or burn/bury)
10. Foundation walls (8' 9' walls?)
11. Septic tank placement

Note: Before your grader packs up and gets out of town make sure everything is the way you want it. Moving heavy equipment around is costly and you do not want to pay to remove a couple of trees, or maybe a dead tree that was missed. Double check the foundation measurements sometimes contractors make mistakes.

Step 5: Temporary Power

Your electrician can handle temporary power. This is just a mater of installing a temporary power pole and calling the local power company for inspection, then hook up.

Step 6: Well

Meet your well contractor and show him where your proposed site is. If he has any concerns the site can be moved, this is not a big deal as long as you are 100' away from the septic field.

Step 7: Foundation and Walls

As long as the grading contractor did his job the foundation contractor should have no problems. You will have to go over the foundation blue print together. The contractor should recommend wall sizing, wall height, and, 2' x 2' vertical and horizontal re-bar for wall strength. You will need to pick out a mechanical room in the basement, this is a area where your potential HVAC unit, electrical panel, water heater, and well pressure tank will be placed. Tell your foundation contractor this is where your water supply will be coming in and also mention where your septic tank will be placed. In our example home with a walk out basement your septic tank will be at the rear of your home, this can change depending on land layout.

Note: In most cases a foundation inspection will have to be called in before concrete footings are poured.

Step 8: Slab Rough Plumbing

The plumbing contractor will be able to look at your prints and know where he needs to stub his drain pipes. Show him where your mechanical room is and where your water supply will be entering the home, also mention where your septic tank will be placed. If you are planning on a bathroom, kitchen, laundry room, or any other plumbing related item this is now the time to say something.

Note: In most cases a slab rough plumbing inspection will have to be called in before any plumbing is covered with dirt.

Step 9: Foundation Slab

The slab contractor will have to look at your prints. He should know what has to be done to pass inspection. In most counties located in north Georgia your slab will have to consist of a plastic vapor barrier, 4" of crushed stone (#57), and re-bar placed in any load bearing footings. Once everything is prepped call in your inspection.

Step 10: Framing

The first thing to do is go to your local lumber supply store. Give the company a copy of your blue prints for a lumber estimate. Some lumber supply stores offer other products such as windows, exterior doors, roofing, interior doors, interior trim, kitchens, etc. The only items your framer will need are lumber for framing your home and deck/porch material. Some framers offer other services such as installing exterior windows/doors and roofing felt to get your house dried in.

Note: Window & door sizes are important and your framer will need these measurements. Windows & doors is some cases take weeks to get, so planing is key here.

Step 11: House Wrap

Most insulating companies install house wrap. This needs to be done after framing and before windows and doors are installed.

Step 12: Decks & Porches

If your framer does not build decks & porches you will have to hire another contractor for these items. Go over your blueprint and discuss items such as materials, type of deck/porch, handrails, etc.

Step 13: Roofing

Have your roofer set up and ready to go after the framer is done sheathing the roof. The faster you dry in your home the better due to weather. Items roofer will need are felt paper, shingles, roofing vents, power vents and maybe more so check withe your roofing contractor.

Step 14: Windows & Doors

As stated earlier if your framer did not install the exterior window & doors then usually the siding contractor will do this.

Step 15: Rough Plumbing

The plummer will need to meet with you, go over the blueprints, and mark where everything goes.
He going to ask questions such as:

1. Kitchen sink location
2. Refrigerator location
3. Washer location
4. Dishwasher location
4. Types of vanities & sink centers
5. Plumbing fixtures
6. Shower enclosures
7. Jacuzzi tubs
8. Toilets

Be prepared, have items picked out and ready to go.

Note: Get with a kitchen & design company, so you can have layouts and specifications for the plumber.

Step 16: Rough HVAC (heating ventilation & air conditioning)

A licensed HVAC Contractor will calculate sizing of the unit needed for your home. For every 500 sq. ft. of living space you can figure 1 ton of HVAC, so basically a 2000 sq. ft. home will need a 4 ton unit.

Step 17: Rough Electrical

Your Electrician will have to wire the house to code, but if you want more outlets, or specialty lighting the electrician needs to know. Walk and mark the house with your electrician, ask questions as you go.

Step 18: Low Voltage Wiring

Low voltage wiring consists of TV cable, phone, security, alarm, etc. Electricians sometimes provide this service, but if not then hire a low voltage technician.

Step 19: Exterior Siding

Depending on what type of siding you may have chosen depends on installation, but what ever you choose your contractors will know what to do.

Brick
Vinyl
Concrete
Stone
Synthetic Stone
Wood

Step 20: Insulation

Insulation contractors will install to code, if you want sound deading insulation, then areas will have to be specified.

Step 21: Sheetrock

Sheetrock is simple just go over areas that you do and do not want installed.

Step 22: Rough Trim Carpentry

Trim carpenter will need to know what type of materials will be used and what areas will these materials be installed.

Doors
Door Casing
Base
Crown Molding
Paneling
Trey Ceiling
Coffered Ceiling
Entertainment Centers

Step 23: Tile & Grout

Tile contractor what type of materials you are using and what areas the tile will need to be installed.

Step 24: Rough Painting

Painting contractor will need to know types of paint to be used: flat, semi-gloss, gloss, egg shell, etc. Contractor will also need to know were these paints will go. It is a good idea to mark the areas with each paint color so nobody gets confused.

Step 25: Kitchen Cabinets & Vanities

Cabinets and vanities can be installed by your trim carpenter or the cabinet company that built your cabinets.

Step 26: Counter tops

Granite, tile, or laminate tops can be installed by these contractors. Ask/answer questions as needed. Most professional contractors know what needs to be done here

Step 27: Hardwood Flooring

There are many different types of hardwood flooring out there, buy this should be simple if you hire a professional, just show your contractor where it goes.

Step 28: Final Trim Carpentry

This is mainly tyeing in little finish pieces, and installing shoe molding, if you have any.

Step 29: Final Plumbing

This is just installing fixtures such as toilets, faucets, water heater, dishwasher, and so on. All you need to do is have these items available if you supplied them.

Step 30: Final Electrical

This is just installing fixtures, stove, microwave, receptacles, switches, etc. Just have these items available for your electrician.

Step 31: Final HVAC

HVAC contractor will finish installing his system and then start up the unit. Nothing is needed from you except to check the work and make sure you have heating & cooling.

Step 32: Final Painting

Touch up any remaining items, go ahead a mark any areas with blue tape this will help with the process.

You know what? by writing all of this down I just realized how many contractors it takes to build a house, and how much work goes into building a home, Wow!! Do you really want to know the funny part, I am missing details. There is no way I can spell out every detail, way to much unknown can happen when building a home.

Thanks for reading and good luck!

List your Georgia business today! Standard ads are free!
Please visit our website at: http://www.georgia-yellowpages.com

Window Header Framing Problems

Friday, May 29, 2009

How to Repair a Corrupt Windows Registry

You've determined that your windows registry is corrupted and not working properly. How do you fix your registry errors and get your computer running like it should?

First, perform a system restore. A computer with Windows 2000/XP/Vista should allow you to open the following utility form:

Start- All Problems- Accessories- System Tools- Backup (System Restore in Vista)

Once it's running, choose a restore point. If you are aware of the date the problems started, pick a restore point before that date, and then follow prompts.

This should fix your registry, though problems could remain. You may need to go back even further, or there might not be any restore points available if they were never created

At this point, you will need to edit the registry and get rid of the errors yourself. This article will give you instructions on this long process

If you are well-versed on windows registry and know what you are doing, open the registry & make your changes. If you don't know how to open the registry editor, STOP NOW. This could damage your personal computer permanently.

The safest and easiest way to repair the registry, even if you work in IT or you're an advanced computer user, is to use a reliable registry cleaner program like RegCure

A professional registry cleaner will do the following:

* Backup your registry

* Scan your registry for errors and isolate the faulty keys

* Safely fix the problems found

* Get your PC back to normal - even boost its performance!

Jeff Farley recommends a FREE SCAN at Registry Cleaners Review. Click here for more information on how to repair a corrupt registry.

Ceiling Plaster Crack

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Home DIY's And Builders Alike, Please Be Aware

The satisfaction of doing your own DIY can be economical as well as immensely rewarding, especially when you get it right!

But there is an important factor that is mainly overlooked in some areas of the world, and this factor also concerns builders too.

But really, this issue is important to say the least, very important to your heath.

We all know what our lungs are for? And we all should know the importance of using our breathing correctly for our general health, but this aside, the factor that I'm talking about is 'dust'
True, dust is everywhere, there's really no getting away from it, but if your working in an environment that is exceptionally dusty, or if you work in an environment that creates dust, you must take more care of your health.

For example, you may be mixing powdered building materials, or maybe sanding down some woodwork or even cutting wood, the health issues of these tasks are mainly overlooked by most people, and you just get on with the job in hand, ok, many of the hazardous materials have long since been banned or removed by the manufacturers, and even though you won't feel the miserable pain that prolonged dust can have on your lungs, not yet anyway, but maybe the dangers will show later on in your mature years.

This is only a message to make you more aware. You do have a certain amount of your own defense mechanism already built into your body, breathing through your nose would be much better than through your mouth, hopefully the fine hairs layering your nasal interior will block some of the debris, we also have mucus producing cells in our windpipe. Just in case some of this dust isn't caught in our nasal filters, this is usually coughed up and expelled from the mouth. But my point is, many 'diy' enthusiasts and builders are working on 'old building material removal' from their own homes, or even in the workplace, such as the woodwork, walls and the like.

Then again you may be mixing plaster, texture powder or even wallboard adhesive for instance, and we all know what happens to these materials once water is mixed with them, so imagine fine particles entering the lungs, getting lodged there over time, then moisture enveloping the area. So please, take heed and get down to your 'diy' store and buy yourself some dust masks, and don't forget to use them.

Dale Ovenstone 2008

Dale Ovenstone: Creator of 'TEXTURE REVIVAL' unique & amazing, downloadable books & guides for the home 'DIY' enthusiast; so that you can 'have a go yourself'

http://www.lookreadlearn.com

Moisture On Vapor Barrier

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Please Help Us with Your Remodeling Advice

How would you like to help other contractors, home improvement specialists, builders, real estate professionals and anyone else involved in home remodeling. If you have any tips or home improvement advice to you would like to share with our readers, it would greatly be appreciated. Leave all comments below.

Building Contractor Books
Architecture Books

Wood Window Header Problem Solutions

As a building contractor it is my job to assemble the house to meet the specifications from the architect and the structural engineer. I do this by looking at the building plans and installing the specified lumber sizes. I can take it upon myself to install a larger size wood beam or window header adding an additional cost to the job of course. I don't think so.

It's not uncommon for a framing contractor that has an additional 5 foot scrap piece of 4 x 8 left over that he now has no use for. He can then choose to use the 4 x 8 instead of a 4 x 6 for the window header. This type of building is common and acceptable.

If the structural engineer calls out for 4 x 6 window and door headers do not take it upon yourself to replace the 4 x 6 with a 4 x 4. I have seen too many framing contractors or carpenters make an on-the-job judgment like this.

A good example would be a single story house with 2 foot wide windows that require a 4 x 6 window header. As the carpenter builds homes over the years he can come to his own conclusion that a 4x4 will work fine for this application. Again keep this in mind as a framing contractor and a carpenter you are assembling the home not designing it.

Do not change the sizes of any headers or beams.

A long time ago carpenters used a standard rule of thumb, you could go up two sizes larger than the window opening for your header. Let me give you an example of what I'm trying to explain.

A 4 foot wide window opening would require a 4 x 6 window header. A 6 foot window opening would require a 4 x 8 window header. This should give you an idea of what I mean by going up two sizes larger than the window opening to figure out the lumber necessary to use for your window header.

This rule of thumb does not necessarily apply in today's building industry. The reason for this is structural changes from earthquake damage. The structural requirements that are required for building a home require a lot more metal bracing and strapping. Therefore some of the lumber requirements for beam sizes and window headers will be different.

This message is for general contractors, framing contractors and carpenters. When installing a window header and you take it upon yourself to change the size you also assume the responsibility if the building fails. This type of mistake is common and you guys know what I'm talking about.

It's not worth it. Keep in mind you are the assembler and not the designer of the building you are working on.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He is currently working on more Building and Remodeling Library and adding useful content to help solve problems created by the lack of construction knowledge in the building industry.

Visit us and get more information on building and remodeling your homes and House Framing Structural Repairs

Water Damage Repairs
Water Heater Damage

How to Repair Your Own Car

When it comes to repairing your own car, you need the ultimate manual before starting to touch anything - the car repair guide. While the leaflets and books prepared for you by the manufacturer of your car seems all you need, it really doesn't tell there what you are supposed to do if your brake is loose or if the horn doesn't seem to work. Problems like these are not user-repairable, it seems. That means you need to take your car to the repair shop. And sending your car for repair is good as several hundred dollar's worth of cash. With today's dwindling economy, you don't want to spend another dollar on something you can do yourself, right?

If you want to repair your car, you have to first find a good book that would teach you what you need to know. Get something that you can easily understand. Determine the level of your knowledge about cars and start from there. How well do you know anything about cars anyway? Are you a beginner in car repair? Is this the first time you're going to take a look at the insides of your car? Or have you done a couple of minor repairs here and there before?

To get the guide you need, you have to first know the make, year, and model of your car. It would take a whole book to describe how to repair each and every part of your car. So expect to find a book that solely talks about your car's model and nothing else.

When you do get hold of the car repair guide you're looking for, make sure to read it thoroughly before you start digging your car's engine. It pays to know everything head on instead of groping for the manual right in the middle of the repair job. You don't have to read the whole book. Just the section that pertains to the problem of your car would do.

However, don't assume that the car repair guide in your hand is the be-all and end-all of all car problems. Car problems are much like sickness. It requires thorough diagnosis to be able to fix the problem effectively. This is why you need to get a book that's a perfect match to your expertise level. You want something that you can easily understand.

Get car repair guides from the internet or from local bookstores. If you can leaf through the pages of the manual or book that you're going to buy, that's better. By doing so, you can be sure that you are getting exactly what you need. Keep in mind that you're going to repair your own car. You don't want to do something wrong that could otherwise ruin your vehicle.

If your time allows it, it is best that you enroll in a car repair school that can help you greatly in broadening your knowledge about cars. This is perfect for people who want to be car hobbyists. There are many schools that are offering car related courses today. They can certainly help you repair, upgrade, and even build your own car from scratch.

PacificNissan - used cars dealer from San Diego, offering also quality car repair services in San Diego.

Monday, May 25, 2009

Plumbers & Plumbing Contractors Lay Out the Plans For Effective Water & Sewage Systems

Plumbers and plumbing contractors are the forces behind the continuous flow of hot and cold water in your home and office as well as clog-free drainage in your sinks and bathrooms. Without their services, you might find yourself out of flowing water and find your house or workplace flooded. That is why it is important for any building contractor to get the services of established and licensed plumbers & plumbing contractors. Plumbers must have the necessary skills, experience and certification to prove that they can do their jobs while plumbing contractors must have the same qualifications but also need to know about management and finance like any general contractor.

Plumbers are skilled tradespersons whose specialization is the installation and maintenance of systems used for drinking water, drainage, sewage and pipe fitting for heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC), among others. They also install plumbing fixtures such as bathtubs, toilets and sinks as well as heating and refrigeration units. Plumbers usually work for contractors but many are also employed by companies which have plants and factories. Plumbers are assigned to do the maintenance work for them. They may also be contracted to install and connect piping for water, gas and waste disposal in a city or town.

Plumbing can be traced back in 1700 BC in the Minoan Palace of Knossos on the isle of Crete where you can find four separate drainage systems that were made to be emptied into large stone sewers. The pipes used during the ancient times were made of terra cotta and were laid beneath the floor of the palace. These pipe system provided water for the palace's fountains and faucets from where hot and cold water flowed. The Minoan Palace also had the world's first flushing toilet or water closet which had a wooden seat. However, the plumbing system that we know of today was designed by the plumbing engineers of the Old Roman Empire. They were able to build large baths and recreation centers which water supply came from sources miles away from these structures.

In the United States, the first known plumbers were the Hohokam Indians who first made irrigation canals in the Salt River Valley in 350 BC. They built canals with open ditches and gouged out with stone tools and wooden hoes which spanned almost 250 miles. However, the Hohokam Indians disappeared in 1450 AD even before America was discovered by Columbus, and it was only in the 19th century that water and sewage systems were developed. The people responsible for the efficiency of these systems were plumbers, skilled craftsmen of lead, expert bell hangers, blacksmiths, toolmakers, and tin and sheet-iron workers.

Plumbing contractors, similar to other contractors, must be able to present accurate price quotes to clients after studying the building plans and blue prints for the water and sewage systems. After clients accept their bids, they have to solicit the services of other contractors, subcontractors and expert plumbers. Most states require that all workers be licensed beginning with the plumbing contractor down to the plumbers and pipe fitters. Plumbing contractors must also have the required education, skills, experience, certification, and license before working in most states and be able to work independently or under a company.

Zipcodez.com is a widely-used local business listings service and search engine. It features a complementary collection of useful topics and resources from "Arts & Entertainment" to "Wireless & Telecommunications." If you are interested in "Plumbers & Plumbing Contractors," you might also want to read "Installation & Maintenance of Water, Drainage, & Sewage Systems - Plumbers" available at http://www.zipcodez.com/article/featured-articles.htm.

A DIY Guide to Home Building

So you want to build your own home. Have you considered everything you need to in order to undertake this challenge? If you feel you are ready to start home building then read the following eight tips to see if you really are or not. These tips will really help you consider everything that must be considered before you begin building your own home.

Tip #1 Organization

You must be organized in order to build your own home and you need to have everything laid out in a step by step way to help you along the way. Takeoff software will help you stay organized so this is a good investment early on.

Tip #2 Construction Crew

You wont be hammering every single nail and installing every single faucet by yourself, or at least most wont be. So, a construction crew is important. Know who to choose to be on your construction team in order to make your home building project a fun and enjoyable one not to mention one that is successful!

Tip #3 Finances

You need to know how much the home will cost so you know what you can afford in regards to style, framework, style, and the like. Use construction estimating software to help you in this area if you are not good at estimating.

Tip #4 Budget

If you will be applying for a mortgage or construction loan you will need to have a very detailed budget. Your construction estimating software will come into play here as well and help you create an estimate and stick to it.

Tip #5 Style

There are a lot of choices to make when it comes to the style of your home. This includes the foundation and everything else. So, be prepared to choose the styles you like best.

Tip #6 The Perfect Plan

A perfect house plan is important if you are building your own home. You will want to know where you want to go and a guide to get you there. Your house plan will work wonders.

Tip #7 Home Structure

If you have a lot of experience building homes then you are probably well aware of home structure and the internal and external elements. If you are not be sure to do your research ahead of time to avoid all potential problems. It is guaranteed you will run into problems if you are not prepared.

Tip #8 Use Quality Materials

You want to use quality building materials in your home so make sure you are aware of where you can find them. DO a little research to find the best quality materials and the best prices.

Caitlina Fuller is a freelance writer. You must be organized in order to build your own home and you need to have everything laid out in a step by step way to help you along the way. Takeoff software will help you stay organized so this is a good investment early on. You need to know how much the home will cost so you know what you can afford in regards to style, framework, style, and the like. Use construction estimating software to help you in this area if you are not good at estimating.

Pest Droppings in the Attic - Pest Problems

Sometimes I wonder how these large animals can get through such small holes in our homes and into our attics and crawlspace's. A few years ago, I was working on a home that had water damage to the siding that needed to be fixed. The homeowner of course didn't want anymore water damage and this required repairing roof, the original cause for the siding damage.

When I bid the job, I had no idea what I was about to run into. The first day on the job, went smoothly as I repaired some damage fascia board, but the next day I was in for a surprise, as I removed the damaged siding, I found what looked like dog poop in the attic.

I was looking around in the attic and trying to figure out how a dog could of got up there. I know that I shouldn't have, but I walked around the home inspecting it for a large hole, any holes, something that a small dog could have wiggled his way into. I got my latter off of the truck and then went on the roof, trying to find a place where a dog could have got into the attic.

I couldn't find any holes and after wasting about an hour, I decided it was time to get back to work and since the homeowner wasn't there, I couldn't show him my new findings or ask him any questions. I cleaned up the mess and repaired the water damaged siding, but in the back of my head I kept thinking about how in the heck a dog got up in the attic.

To make a short story even shorter, when the homeowner arrived home that day, I showed him my findings and he informed me that he didn't have a dog. He did however inform me that he has been hearing something walking around in his attic for about a year now. He had a pretty good idea that they were raccoons.

I told him, that I had inspected his home and only found one small hole on top of his roof underneath the roof eave, but there's no way that a small raccoon could fit through that hole. He told me that you would be surprised, what these animals were capable of squeezing into and out of.

Well that's about it, the mystery was solved, I repaired the small hole in the attic and have never heard from the homeowner again. Hopefully that meant I did my job well and not that he was embarrassed about the poop in the attic.

Pest Control Ideas, House Pest Pictures

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He has just finished a Home Buyers Guide to take some of the frustration out of home shopping.

I Have A Squeaky Floor

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Comment on Wood Deck Repairs

Do you have any ideas for building or repairing wood decks . We would love to hear from you in the comment area.

Furniture Restoration Books

Ways to Empty Your Drainage

One of the hard things to resolve aside from stains is a clogged drain. It can't be helped. Clogged drains in the kitchen sink are caused by bits of food while hairs clog bathroom drainage. A slow draining sink or bathroom is extremely annoying. Fixing this can create a hole in your pocket.

In a restaurant, there are different types of drains. While some don't even have a proper drainage system which can cause a headache to kitchen staff. It is very important that a kitchen has decent working drainage especially if it is a very large and busy kitchen like those in restaurants and hotels. Cooking activities and preparation at these places are done at large every single day.

Filters' role in a household is very essential. They can cover water system, ventilation equipment, drains and sink. Through these filters, the kitchen can be made safe and comfortable for food preparation. Each day may go on swiftly without any hassle. That also depends on how well kept your house is.

There are natural products and items at home like vinegar, baking soda, lemon and of course, plunger which you can use to resolve your drainage and other kitchen cleaning problems.

  1. Vinegar - All you have to do is mix one third part of vinegar with one third part of water and three drops of dish washing liquid in a spray bottle. This has same function as to a floor cleaner. Simply spray and mop. This is also a good concoction for deodorizing a room especially on tile floors. The drain can sometimes grow plants. If you happen to see roots growing from the kitchen sink's drainage, pour vinegar over it to destroy.

  2. Baking soda - Works almost the same way like your commercial abrasives for scrubbing surfaces. It can also act as a great deodorizer. The smell of meat and leftover foods in freezer and refrigerator can be absorbed simply by a box of baking soda.

    For kitchen sink or bathroom drain, mix vinegar and borax or baking soda. Pour it down the drain and leave for about twenty minutes at least. Foams coming from the drain mean that the solution is taking effect. Pour boiling water afterward. You can use plunger to help agitate the impacted material. Pour boiling water again until there is no more clog.

  3. Lemon - For soap scum, use lemons. A lemon is a good cleaner of brass and copper too. Combination of lemon and baking soda can be a good cleaning aid. How? Here's what you should do:

    • Cut lemon in half.
    • On the sliced part sprinkle baking soda.
    • Scrub lemon on surfaces and stains.

    To make a polishing a solution, combine one cup of olive oil with one half cup lemon juice. Use this to keep your wood furniture shiny and spotless.

    As deodorizer, use lemon or orange peeling. Place them in the kitchen or near the drain.

  4. Salt - Pour salt down into the clogged drain to unfreeze drain pipes. This can be done to flush water during the winter season.

Those items above may be good cleaners, but they can do nothing with rust. For rusty pipes, use natural cleaning products that are meant to remove rust in no time.

For your information, vinegar can cause skin, throat, eyes and nose irritations. There are also other commercially made products that have allergens. You can avoid its contact with your skin and clothing by wearing protective gear. Or buy organic cleaning products that are safe to use with or without gloves.

Clean your drain and the whole house with ease and efficiency with green cleaning products. Because they are safe and environment friendly, you just can't go wrong.

Green cleaning products are proven useful and environment friendly. Learn more about natural cleaning products to get the best out of what effects it can yield.

Building Wood Stairs

Friday, May 22, 2009

Excluding Pest Birds With Bird Netting

Birds can be considered a pest when they decide to roost or nest in areas where their feces and debris can be considered a hazard. Each year building owners and homeowners spend countless hours and money cleaning up after and repairing the damage caused by pest birds. Not only are these problems unsightly; pest birds and their feces can spread 60 plus transmittable diseases. Safety, sanitation and health hazards caused by bird droppings can pose serious liability risks, and left untreated, can lead to accidents and lawsuits. Bird feces, bird nests and debris can also create a bad public image with tenants and patrons. Individuals, companies and government agencies are tired of cleaning up bird feces or repairing the damage that is caused by pest birds and their droppings. Instead they have decided to invest in a Bird Control Solution, which is often as simple as installing bird netting.

Bird netting is used to exclude pest birds from areas such as rooftops, warehouses, airline hangars, overhangs, eaves of homes and other enclosed areas that pest birds are to be kept out of. Netting will provide 100% exclusion of pest birds and is a long-term bird control solution. Netting comes in several different mesh sizes ranging from " mesh for use with all types of birds, to 2" mesh to use when larger birds like pest pigeons and seagulls are a problem. Net comes in several colors as well; white, stone and black. Black bird netting is usually preferred because of its natural U.V. protection and lack of discoloration due to dirt and dust. When installed properly, the netting will be virtually invisible, not interfering with the architectural features of a building.

Choosing the right bird netting:

There are several types of netting available to exclude pest birds. There is knotted polyethylene netting that is considered long lasting and heavy duty. You would use this type where you want a permanent solution to your bird control issues. Heavy-duty bird netting is usually manufactured using U.V. treated twine providing long life. Strength of these nets can be greater than 40 lbs. burst. They will also have a high melting point and flame resistant. This type of netting is ideal for use in warehouses, airplane hangars, canopies, overhangs and other large areas where pest birds are to be excluded.

Another type of bird netting is Polypropylene extruded plastic netting. This is a strong plastic netting used to exclude pest birds from homes and gardens. It is strong yet lightweight, easy to use and install. Plastic net is often used to protect crops and orchards from pest birds. It is ideal to protect blueberries, fruit trees and other garden plants. Hanging plastic netting from the eaves of your home can protect it from such birds as swallows and woodpeckers. This type of net is not a long term netting product; it has about one year of usage.

Netting for birds comes in different mesh sizes. Choosing the correct mesh size is important. You do not want the birds to be able to get into the netted off area and become stuck or trapped. For larger birds such as pigeons and seagulls you can use a 1-1/8" to 2" mesh size. For smaller birds such as sparrows and starlings use a " to " mesh size. When using plastic netting to protect berries and grapes, use a " mesh size.

Installing bird netting:

Commercial installations for bird netting can get complicated depending on the size of the area to be protected and the material that the netting will be attached to. Netting off the infrastructure of an airplane hangar can require thousands of square feet of netting and special equipment such as lifts and power equipment to install the net. It is often recommended to use a professional bird control installer to get the job done correctly. There are bird control installers throughout the country that have experience in installing bird netting in large quantities and complicated jobs.

Installations of bird netting on your home or in your garden can easily be done yourself. For use in the garden you will cover your favorite plants with the plastic net. Draping the " mesh plastic netting over fruit trees will protect the fruit from pest birds. It may be necessary to hire a professional to hang the netting from the eaves of our home, especially in multi-storied houses.

Need help to get rid of pest birds? Contact Bird-B-Gone, Inc. the experts in bird control solutions since 1992. Call today 1-800-392-6915 or visit us at http://www.birdbgone.com

Good San Diego Contractors

I would love to hear your good contractor stories. I'm so tired of hearing about contractor nightmares, is there anyone out there that has a good contractor story. Place it in the comment area underneath this question.

Green Home Building Books

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Tips on Choosing Patio Furniture Cushions For Your Outdoor Furniture

There are many simple solutions on choosing patio furniture cushions for your outdoor living area. In this small guide, I will provide some insight on how you can make this a productive process. Outdoor patio cushions are considered to be a sound investment to the home.

These decorative pieces offer more than just a simple ambiance; they offer functionality and comfort in the outdoor living area. Here, I will provide some simple solutions on choosing patio furniture cushions that can add both ambience and the concept of functionality to your outdoor living area!

The first thing that you will need to do is to take a look at the furniture that you have now, and carefully consider the overall look and feel that you want to accomplish with what you have available. Then, when you go to make your purchase of the cushions that will fit on your outdoor furniture, it will be easier to select a type, color, or design that fits the description of what you need the most, when you need it!

The next thing you want to consider prior to purchasing any type of cushions to go on your furniture is the fact that you have a set amount of space to work with. Do you have a small space that you want to make larger? Do you have a large space that you want to appear smaller? Do you have an area where you want to use a certain design or color?

Asking yourself these questions, and then coming up with an answer for each can help you in making the best choice possible when it comes to purchasing Patio Furniture cushions that you can be satisfied with.

Once you have determined the look and feel that you want to accomplish, it is time to take some measurements. You must know how much of a space that you want to cover with cushions so that you can better decide what the width and length is of the cushions that you require. This will ensure that you have the right size for your needs. Now, you are all set to go on a shopping spree!

There are many different areas that you can elect to shop at that specializes in selling cushions for outdoor living furniture. I suggest shopping out of season and in clearance areas as this will help you save some cash! As you may have noticed here, it is simple to shop for patio furniture cushions!

Daryl Plaza is a regular contributor to CreativeOutdoorFurniture.com a website with resources and information on all your patio furniture ideas

Rear Hot Mop Of Shower Pan

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Walking on Your Roof Safely

Here's some things to think about before walking on the roof of a house. If you slip and fall off the roof you could get hurt seriously. For your own safety if you have no experience walking on a roof use extreme caution. I would even suggest using a ladder and moving the latter around the perimeter of the house if you are inspecting the roof for damage.

Here's some things to keep in mind before walking on a house roof.

1. If the building is above two stories hire a contractor especially if you think the roof has building damage.

2. If the roof is too steep stay off. This could be extremely hazardous to your health.

3. If the roof is severely damaged and has loose shingles or tiles, this could create a safety hazard as you slip on one of these loose shingles and possibly fall off the roof.

4. You should stay off the roof at all costs if there is snow or ice. Ice obviously is extremely slippery and would be difficult to walk on. The difficulty would be increased if the roof has a steep slope.

5. Now last but not least if the roof is wet you should avoid walking on it until it is dry. I have been on wet roofs before and personally slipped myself losing my balance but not falling off of the roof.

Climbing up on a roof and walking around is not child's play and should be left to an experienced professional . If you feel comfortable walking around on any roof please use caution. If you slip in the middle of the roof there is a good chance you will be able to regain your balance or have time to stop yourself before falling off.

I would suggest using caution near the edges of the roof. If the roof is too steep or you don't feel comfortable, why risk serious injury. Use common sense along with the proper ladders to ensure your safety and "Think before walking on a house roof."

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He is currently working on more building stairs books and adding useful content to help solve problems created by the lack of construction knowledge in the building industry.

House Painting Books

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Basement Remodeling Plans - Turn That Boring Room Into a Game Room

More and more people are converting their basements from storage areas into very usable family rooms and game rooms. Basement remodeling plans are sometimes a little more difficult because the sizes of basements and usable space can be a bit tricky. With that said, the advantage of remodeling your basement is the fact that it is going to be used as an additional room and not main living space.

One of the first things you need to do when creating your basement remodeling plans is to decide on a theme that you might want try to and capture with the room. If it's going to be a game room you might want to think about your favorite college sports team or favorite sport for that matter.

Once you've determined the theme and the color scheme that you're going to be using for your new room you need to start thinking about the dcor. Perhaps speaking at a news pinball machine might add a nice touch to the room.

You want to make sure when drawing up your plans that you have an area that will allow you to place the machine, where won't be a distraction for other activities going on the room.

One trick you may try is to contact a few professionals and have them come out and sketch out some basic basement remodeling plans of what they would do with the basement. There's no obligation to choose any certain contractor, but by speaking with them and having them sketch out some plans for you in creating a bid. It gives you some great ideas to go on.

Find more helpful remodeling tips by visiting best-home-improvement-projects.com where you will find helpful remodeling tips, advice and resources to include Basement Remodeling Plans.

Preventing Wood Window Damage

Monday, May 18, 2009

Home Building - Homeowner Tips

Like most people you have heard the nightmare stories from family and friends about the home they built or the remodel they did and how things didn't go right .The project took far too long and ended up costing more then initially discussed. The owner blames the contractor, the contractor blames the owner and it's the same old song and dance. What's the key thing usually missing in the scenario?

Communication between all parties

As an owner builder you may look at the process and think how hard can it be, hire a guy to do this another to do that and it's done right? most likely it's not. There are so many things that can be overlooked or go wrong, and you may be surprised to learn that most people working in the trades simply just don't care about quality nor do they care to work with other trades for the common good of the project. It takes someone to orchestrate, and someone with experience to get the job done right.

You may be hiring an architect and/or building contractor and more often then not they can't seem to get it right either, they simply don't understand that it takes a team working together towards a common goal. The goal being making sure your project comes together as you envisioned it, on time, and on budget. As a building contractor we have built many custom homes and in most cases struggled through the process using plans and specifications that frankly just weren't thought through completely.

Nine out of ten times the building contractor doesn't even see the plans until it is time to put the numbers together for the project.

On average most people looking to build will hand off their plans to about three contractors for pricing before they make a decision. Now let's assume the plans and specifications don't have all the necessary information needed to price the job out correctly, these three contractors now have to call the architect and the customer to get their questions answered, or they don't bother to ask any questions at all and the customer is left with the contractors interpretation of the plans.

We have seen time and time again where the customer says, "I thought that was included" and the typical response from the contractor is, "it wasn't on the plans", and or "you didn't ask for it.

Or how about this one, the customer states to the contractor, "why didn't you tell me I shouldn't use this type of stone in my shower?" the typical response is usually I didn't know, or you didn't ask. So many times the architect will call out for materials in their specifications that they saw or read about in a magazine without understanding the application process, what it takes to be installed properly, or how it will adhere to the other materials surrounding it.

The point is, there is so much to know about building a home correctly, it takes years of actually working with the materials, and doing the installations to understand the what, when, and how.

The bottom line is, if you're thinking about building yourself or decide to hire someone to do the build, hire yourself a consultant first, most likely it will save you time, money, and more importantly your sanity.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

How to Adapt a House and Bathroom For an Elderly or Disabled Person

You may find that as someone gets into their most senior years and/or has a disability that you are now in a position where you need to make some alternations around the home to accommodate them. There are some common alterations that will need to be done around the home in general which we will address first. Then we will look at how to adapt a bathroom for a disabled person or a less-able person; and lastly we will look at who might be able to give you some help and support in the way of planning and financial support.

General & Common Alternations

In order to make the home more suitable and manageable for someone with a disability or someone who is less able, such as an older person, then there are a few general alterations you can make to their home as addressed below:

1. The first thing you need to consider if the person is in a wheelchair is that the corridors and doorways are wide enough to let a wheelchair pass through with ease.
2. All facilities should be at a reachable height. This will include door handles, telephones and most importantly light switches.
3. If the disabled or elderly person can walk a little to reach certain amenities, then a support or grab rail will need to be put in place.
4. If you are living in a two-story building, then there is the stair issue. You may need to consider installing a stair lift. If you can, put the bedroom and bathroom downstairs for easy access, but this is not always feasible.
5. Ramps and general access to and from the home. This could be in the form of ramps and side handles into doorways.

Adapting Bathroom Facilities

1. As mentioned above, if you can, have a bathroom on the ground floor
2. You definitely need grab rails in the bathroom especially beside the toilet and bath-tub / shower area.
3. Basin at a reachable level with taps that are easy to turn on and off.
4. Would a walk-in bath tub or shower unit be the best solution for you? This is the important factor in a bathroom suited to a disabled or less-able person.
5. Think about having a higher than normal toilet
6. A back-rest against the toilet cistern
7. Light switches and all facilities at a reachable level so no distress is necessary

As you can see from the above that adapting a home for a disabled or less-able elderly person is no minor conquest.

It might be better suited if you could find a home that already has all these modifications in place. If not, then this will give you an idea of what might have to be done.

I know what you are thinking now - you are thinking how much will all of this cost?

Yes, it will cost a few thousand $/ but don't despair as there is help at hand.

Help And Assistance

You can get advice and financial help from:

  • Occupational Therapist
  • Community Care
  • Local GP
  • Public Health
  • Local Government for Planning Permission and Grants
  • Care For The Elderly
  • Mobility Aids and Grants

I sincerely hope you found the above of some use to you. I had a close Aunt who became wheelchair bound through to illness, and these are most the of the alternations that my family had to accommodate for her illness.

If you want further advice on adapting bathrooms and specialty bath-tubs, then visit Walk-In Bath Tubs and Showers at http://www.guideitcom.com/bathtubs

Fireplace Books

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Building Lean Muscle Without Steroids

A common myth in the body building world is that to build a rock hard body, you must take steroids and other harmful drugs. This is so far from the truth. Steroids will accelerate building muscle mass, if you want to destroy your body in the process. A far better option is building muscle naturally with a good, healthy, work-out program. In this article we will discuss natural techniques that will get you shredded.

If you are new to the gym or working out, here are a few guidelines to follow. Stay away from working out on the machines if possible. Lifting free weights forces you to control and balance the weight. It promotes a natural motion that builds muscle much more efficiently than machines. Start out lifting light weights and learn proper technique. Once you have a grasp on this, you can add on more weight. Until you strengthen your muscles, you don't want to overdue it. Pushing your body out of it's comfort zone is good, but you should know your limits.

Compound exercises are good because they work multiple muscles. Once again, as you gain muscle mass and get stronger you can do some isolated exercises. In addition, full body work outs are very beneficial. Squats and dead lifts work out all your muscles and build strong muscles.

Equally important as working out, is getting proper rest in between. Your muscles heal and grow during rest! Letting your body recover is key to building muscle mass. Make sure to eat a lot, because food is your bodies fuel. Foods high in protein assist in repairing your muscles. Follow these few tips and you will be ripped in no time. The link I indicate below is the best body building guide I've seen in all my years of training.

For the many inquiries I receive in regards to building muscle naturally, I highly suggest checking out The Ultimate Body Building Guide

Patrick Walsh is considered an expert an in the fields of nutrition and body building.

Patrick Walsh is a highly respected author with over 100,000 published views.

What Kind Of Wood Rot

Designing Your New Home - Forget About Style and Re-Sale

When having my first design meeting with new clients looking to build a new home , two things I try to have them forget about, at least initially, are style and re-sale.

The styles many have come to know and love didn't invent themselves. Each was a response to various input that often had little or nothing to do with referencing earlier styles. Each was a break in conventional thinking at the time to address the current issues of their time and place. To immediately jump into a certain, pre-established "style" is to immediately ground yourself before you've even tried to fly.

Though Frank Lloyd wright is commonly cited, both by professionals and layman alike, as the
single greatest American architect, it seems so many forget some of his most ardent advice about the design of homes, and buildings of any kind, when he wrote-

"Styles" once accomplished soon become yard - sticks for the blind, crutches for the lame, the recourse of the impotent, As humanity develops there will be less recourse to the "styles" and more style,- for the development of humanity is a matter of greater creative power for the individual- more of that quality in each that was once painfully achieved by the whole.

To condense what is a fairly profound and rarely found concept in homes, or other buildings,- Be yourself, in your place and in your time. Your home should be an expression of this on every level.

Start with your site, and don't start your design without a site. Find out how the sun tracks, where the wind comes from, what the seasons will bring and start your space planning there. Where do you want to be when the sun comes up in the morning? Where do you want to be when it is high in the sky, when it sets? And don't assume that just because your lot is tightly packed in with other houses that you don't have options to respond to these conditions.

In a purely intuitive, simple way, cut out some circles of paper that represent the relative size of each of the rooms you think you are going to need and/or want. Accuracy at this point isn't that important. Get a site plan of your property and play with the arrangement of these spaces on your site. Access to and from the site might be another obvious influence to your choices. Try to concentrate on just the relationships of the spaces without necessarily envisioning the shape of any structure. Circles help in this regard, whereas squares or rectangles tend to automatically get you thinking in terms of walls.

Pay attention to how the various spaces may want to be open to each other, or separate and private. Keep playing around with these and try and find the best balance of all of your objectives. The spaces might also have vertical relationships to each other. Maybe even a set of 3D spheres placed in Google Sketchup might help you start thinking more in 3 dimensions instead of two.

From there, you can use some simple rules of thumb championed by such influential architects as Christopher Alexander such as always having windows (however small) on at least two sides of every room.

And as far as re-sale goes, I am always amazed how much importance has been placed on this issue, mostly by real-estate agents. To make the tremendous effort and invest the amount of money and time necessary to successfully complete such a project while gearing the design toward some imagined future buyer has never ceased to baffle me. After over 20 years of designing and building projects for clients, I have come to believe very strongly that the spaces that you spend so much time in, especially your home, effect your every day life, your level of contentedness or happiness, in profound ways that may not always be initially apparent. The highest compliment every paid to me by a client was, "I just live differently now..."

This doesn't happen by fretting over style or re-sale. It happens by responding to some of these very fundamental, human needs and will serve you well when, if ever, you want to sell the house anyway. If you feel it and see it, so will others.

Bryce Engstrom is an Architect & General Contractor with over 20 years of experience in the design and build professions. Free information on all of the main aspects of the design, permit, and build processes is available online here: http://www.central-coast-project-design-planning-guides.com/

Getting Rid Of Horrible Attic Sm

Friday, May 15, 2009

The Parts of the Building Regulations

Summary of the Various parts of the building regulation. Examining the scope of the various parts of the building regs as used in the building industry.

The Building Regulations consists of 14 Different Parts. They are identified using letters of the alphabet, Currently Parts A through to Part P. Each Part Represents a different section of construction. For example Part A represents structure, Part P represents Electrical installations.

In Part P the breakdown of content is as below

section 0 general guidance
section 1 design, installation, inspection and testing
section 2 extensions, material alterations and material changes of use
section 3 information about other relevant legislation
appendix A examples of electrical installation diagrams
appendix B copies of BS and model forms
appendix C older practice that can be encountered in alteration work
appendix D new harmonised cable identification colours

Each Regulation will give a guide to expected standards for its particular area of construction for example in Part P it is stated that a person must be "competent". Part N deals with Glazing and as an example specify s where safety Glass should be used in relation to doors.

For example during the Electrical installation holes have to be made in joists to enable cables to pass through. This process involves changing the structure of the building which would Involve Part A of the building regulations being considered.

Another Part affected would be prevention for the spread of fire due to the introduction of the hole, In this case Part B of the building regulations should be referenced.

As shown in our Part P example above, when any building work is to be considered all area's of the building regulations should be taken into account. At the end of each part of the building regulations the requirement to refer to other building regulations is outlined.

Having trained to become an electrician over 20 years ago I have seen all the training methods, good and bad. I now run an electricians home study training company Part P Home study Electricians Courses

Toilet Wall Damage

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Cost Effective Stair Building

What is the most cost effective way of building stairs? Why do the tract homes use on site methods of construction? When you think of a factory assembling a product on a assembly line you think why not a home. Why do they still build homes on lots or residential home sites?

If homes could be built in a factory cheaper than on site that is exactly what every home builder would be doing. They just haven't quite figured it out yet. When dealing with the large amounts of materials required to build a house and of course the expense of shipping. It is not cost effective to build a conventional home in a factory and ship it over long distances.

This is the biggest problem with cost effective stair construction. Most prefabricated stairs you will notice are spiral stairs. These stairs are smaller than most stairs that are used for multi level construction.

Spiral stairs are hard for your average carpenter to build. These stairs can be purchased from a factory easily and quite inexpensive.

The stairs in your average two story house are going to weigh about 3 times the amount of a spiral set of stairs that could be shipped in a cost effective way. Spiral stairs are not going to be the main stairway in a home and normally go up to a loft or an attic. Most spiral stairs don't meet the minimum building requirements for the main stairway in your home.

When building tract homes the lumber is shipped in bulk directly to the house site where it will be assembled. The lumber and other building materials will be shipped once. If it went to a factory and then assembled it would also have to be sent to the site on which the house was to be built. This added expense in shipping the materials twice is the problem for such a large and heavy item such as a set of stairs.

There are other prefabricated types of stairs that are built locally and the shipping usually is not a major expense. If you are building a stairway that is not to difficult to build for the average carpenter it will normally be cost effective to build the stairs on site. This would require having the carpenter build the stairs as part of the rough framing and then after drywall have the finish carpenter build the stair handrail system.

Visit us now for easy Home Constuction Help

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He is currently working on more building stairs books and adding useful content to help solve problems created by the lack of construction knowledge in the building industry.

The Bathroom Sinks

Bathroom sinks provide an endless amount of individuals with the convenient ability of being able to perform a wide variety of different and necessary tasks. These tasks would include the ability of being able to brush your teeth on a routine and daily basis, fixing your hair, washing your hands every time you are about to sit down and enjoy a delicious meal, shaving your face and trimming your mustache or beard, and a variety of other practical uses that this item is so well known for providing on a continuous basis.

Another benefit that numerous individuals enjoy being able to take advantage of is in the wide range of beautiful designs and unique styles that can be found available in bathroom sinks. Many of the choices that are available on the market today offer a high level of decorative style and character that can enhance the choices in appealing dcor and the specific color tone selections that you have decided to use for the decor of the bathrooms in your home.

It was not so very long ago that an individual only had just a few bland and very boring choices that they could make in the selections that were available in bathrooms sinks. However, this is a frustrating problem that has changed a great deal over the past few years and now numerous people have the benefit of being able to choose from a wide variety of appealing color tones, as well as having several choices they can make in the specific types of materials that are used in their making. There is a wide and varied selection that is available today in such durable materials as porcelain enamel, metal, vitreous china, stone, painted terracotta, cast resin, fireclay or ceramic selections, granite, marble, onyx, travertine, glass, lime, copper, brass, brushed nickel, and stainless steel. As you can easily see, homeowners and businesses alike are certainly not limited in the wide variety of stylish choices that have been made available to them when it comes to being able to select the style that works the best for their individual needs.

It does not matter what specific style or design it is that you plan to use for the bathroom sinks in the bathrooms of your home, you can be assured that you will have numerous to choose from that will offer just the right amount of convenience and enhancement to the design choices you have selected.

If you would like more information on Bathroom Sinks try my site. And I also have a page on Contemporary Bathroom Sink.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Childproof Your Bathroom When Remodeling

While renovating a bathroom can get you excited and can be done in a number of ways, the most important thing to consider is safety of your family. Usually, we view things from our own perspective and take care of problems that we might be facing. But if you've got a small kid or are expecting one in the near future, then it's necessary to consider the child's safety too. Else, you would be renovating again and incurring more expenses at the end of the day.

So when you redesign your bathroom, make sure that it will not only be safer for children to use, but will also not pose any problems for adults. The first step should be to put barriers such that your child cannot enter the bathroom without your assistance. You can move the door knob a bit higher so that it goes out of reach for your kid. If you don't want to move the door knob, then you can install a sliding bolt on top, or you can get a doorknob cover that won't allow your kid to open the latch. Make sure that the doorknobs can be opened from the outside even if you child locks himself in accidentally.

Whether inside the bathroom or outside, water is one of those things that can hurt your baby in many ways. But the slippery floor tiles in the bathroom can significantly increase the risk of your child slipping on it, especially if they are wet. So make sure that your bathroom floor is leveled such that water doesn't stay there; it should rather drain quickly even if you spill a bucket full of water. Moreover, the thermostat should be fixed around 115 degrees Fahrenheit so it doesn't burn your baby's skin. You should further test it on your own hands first to be safe.

Another area which parents usually ignore is the faucets around the bath tub. It's pretty easy for your kid to hit them while playing in water. So buy a spout cover for them while you do other shopping for your renovation. If you have got curtains around your shower, don't use long tiebacks that can cause strangulation. And forget walk-in-showers if you are really conscious about your kid's safety. Their glass doors are too much of a risk and can break quite easily, inflicting serious injuries to your child.

Though it might not be common, there's always the chance that your small toddler can fall into the toilet, which is unhygienic at the very least and can even cause drowning. As a solution, you can buy a latch to keep the toilet lid shut. If you place a stool where your kids can stand to brush their teeth and wash their face, make certain that the bottom of the stool is rough, strong and stable.

A typical toilet has many small products that can be pretty harmful for your child, like razors, chemicals, plungers, etc. Have a small closet where you can keep these out of the reach of your children, and make sure you always keep them locked. And take care of naked sockets and electrical outlets using safety plugs and other appropriate measures.

Although it's nearly impossible to make your bathroom 100% safe for kids and adults, taking the above mentioned measures can reduce the chances of a good number of hazards.

Scott Rodgers has child-proofed numerous bathrooms in his career as a plumbing contractor. If you want help renovating your bathroom, check http://eLocalPlumbers.com

Monday, May 11, 2009

Kitchen Island Lighting - Great Many Options For You

During selection of kitchen island lighting fixtures, you have to bear in mind the two most important principles when applying interior design, functionality and aesthetics. Incorporating these two aspects will give you appropriately-lit but attractive or ambient lighting design over your kitchen island. There are many lighting fixtures that you can locate in the market and through these options you can select the best ones that will complement the entire aesthetics of your kitchen.

What are the options for you?

Your kitchen island is most probably laid out as rectangular pattern. Therefore, having a cluster of kitchen island lighting fixtures in a row seems to be the best choice. Pendant lightings are perfect for this design. Choosing multiple pendants fixture can be a smart decision since it comes available from three to four pendant lights, allowing you more light amounts when needed.

A large tiffany style, another pendant lighting type, is another option. It mounts centered just above the kitchen island, allowing more light coverage. If you choose this kind, remember about spotlighting or glaring effect it could have on some areas of the island. Tiffany lighting style selected must be something that emits soft and diffused illumination for the best kitchen island lighting.

Don't limit your options to pendant lightings. Amongst of the most popular choices include track lightings, recessed lightings, and incandescent lightings. They can also be of great pick, just as long as they meet the requirements in your kitchen island. If you are to choose from these variety, remember the quality of light they emit.

But if you cannot resist the beautiful design feature of their lights, don't worry as they typically come with dimmer switches. They allow the kind of kitchen lighting fixture you are going to install above your island to be flexible enough in such a way that the switches will allow you to adjust the lighting effect into the desired level. Through the switches, you can have brighter lighting as you prepare and cook the food; while more subdued illumination can be preferred as you serve the food and dine.

Now, if you are in the middle of deciding which avenue should provide you these kitchen island lighting fixtures, take lots of time with this task. There are many home improvement stores available in the market, but you can try looking through the comfort of your home. In the internet, you will find online dealers where the best deals for the island lightings can be found.

For kitchen lighting ideas, visit http://www.kitchenlighting101.com

Wasp Information and How to Control Them

Wasps

The wasp is a common problem throughout summer in the UK and other parts of Northern Europe. They are social insects that form colonies inside nests. Nests are often found in soil banks, roof spaces, and in areas within trees and walls.

Biology

The queen wasp will emerge from its hibernation around mid-April time and will search for a suitable site for her colony. The queen wasp will then build the foundations of the nest by using chewed bark and dried timber mixed with saliva. The nest at this point is no bigger than a golf ball in size and within this nest she lays between 10 and 20 eggs. The first brood of adult workers takes over the tasks of enlarging the nest and providing food for subsequent eggs laid down by the queen. By the end of the summer, the nest can contain between 3000 and 5000 wasps and measure over 30 cm across.

Later in the summer, males and young queens emerge and mating occurs. Once fertilised, the queen flies away to find a suitable site for the winter. Once the cooler weather comes, the workers and remaining males become lethargic, and they feed off ripe and over-ripe fruits. This can produce aggressive behaviour to anyone interfering with them.

The onset of the cold weather kills off all of these workers and males, and it is only the queen that survives in hibernation to start a new colony in the spring.

Importance

Wasps do visit bins, waste depots and dead animal bodies and therefore they have the possibility of spreading diseases, but they are mainly known for their nuisance in the late summer.

In the early parts of summer, wasps are too busy collecting food for the nest, however later in the season as the larval rearing decreases, the workers and males turn to sweeter products and they become nuisances in homes, bakeries, offices etc. They also have the ability to sting apparent threats, a habit which increases as the insect becomes more irritable with the onset of the cooler weather, and the feeding on fermented, over-ripe fruits.

Control

Some people are allergic to wasp stings, but nonetheless, it still becomes an irritant if you're not. Wasps are generally easy to control if access to the nest can be achieved. Control of adults in flight alone will unlikely to exert much control over an active nest, however strategic positioned wasp traps, such as Waspbane, will attract nuisance wasps away from sensitive areas for example children play-areas or public parks and gardens.

The main aim should be to disable the nest by applying a residual insecticide to the nest entrance. If the nest in found in a loft space, shed or anywhere indoors, the use of mini-smoke generators is beneficial to knock down the majority of the worker wasps. Wasps re-entering the nests will need to come into contact with the residual dust, and they will naturally walk to product into the nest, thus killing it off.

Nests are often found in loft spaces, cavity walls, behind cladding, in flower beds etc. Be careful when treating wasps in loft space etc. and make sure there are no signs of bat activity.

In general residual dusts are far better then residual sprays. Most residual dusts are ideal, for example, bendiocarb and pyrethriod.

If you are suffering from a wasp infestation why not try wasp traps available from PPC Supplies.

Roof Drain Stain On Stucco