Plumbers Share Tips on Repairing Drains

It may seem like your kitchen and bathroom drains get clogged on a regular basis. Professional plumbing companies offer a complete variety of services and will repair your clogged drains at your home or office, but many recommend some green ways to keep your drains open, without using powerful industrial chemicals that can be harmful to the environment. These products may contain lye or acid, and can be dangerous to the wastewater system, your PVC pipes, as well as your health.

You may want to use a more natural approach to keep your drains from getting clogged. Some health food stores carry bacteria based enzyme cleaners. Pouring a cup of baking soda down your drain, followed by about 3 cups of boiling water may also work, as long as water has not yet backed up in your drain. The chemical composition of the baking soda is changed by the boiling water, making it more alkaline.

If the water is not draining from your sink or bathtub, pour a cup of washing soda down the drain and let it set there for awhile to work its way down to where the clog is. Washing soda is more alkaline than baking soda, so be careful using it if you have already used a commercial drain cleaner, which will tend to be very acidic. This will result in the two chemicals reacting with each other and causing an even bigger problem. Also, washing soda can damage the plastic in your PVC pipes if you use it too often. This is another reason it may be best to call your plumbers in the first place.

Combining baking soda and vinegar, along with boiling water, will cause bubbles and fizzing that can help to unclog your drains. This method works particularly well when it is hair that is clogging the drain. Again, use caution with any of these methods.

If your kitchen drains are clogged, natural living enzyme culture drain cleaners will work well. These enzymes break down any organic matter that is clogging up your drains. This method also keeps your garbage disposal from emitting a strong odor in your kitchen.

Enzymes do not work well on drains that are clogged by hair, so your shower, bath, and bathroom sink drains will not be cleared with this method. These types of clogs are better treated with washing soda and water.

As you can probably see, calling in a professional plumbing company as soon as you have a problem with your drains clogging up is the best way to make sure you are protecting your home and caring for your plumbing system.

And now I invite you to learn more by visiting http://www.LosAngelesPlumbingAndSewer.com to find out how to care for your residential and commercial property plumbing systems

Pest Control by Chemical Means

Pests can pose untold miseries to human kind if not checked timely.Some pests like locusts are known to have wiped out the entire food supply of some African countries in the past.Rats are no less destructive.Birds like parrots and their likes are destructive to fruit orchards.Some pests like mosquitoes are feared for their ability to transmit contagious diseases. Ticks and mites affect cattle to deadly results.

History tells us that even from the early stages of civilization; pest control measures have been given utmost importance.There are evidences that chemical pesticides were used even from 4500 BC.The last century saw a spurt in the development of different chemical compounds for pest control due to the increased need for food and good living conditions.

The readily acting, supremely efficient and highly toxic chemical pesticides were instrumental in making farming sector a profit making service.Food security of many countries was ensured by employing large scale pest management measures.Another added advantage chemical pesticides had over natural means was that a plethora of different pesticides were available for different kinds of pestilence.

However, a lot of negative side effects to the use of chemicals were noticed later.Chemical pesticides are not partial to any creature that comes up, and, friendly microorganisms and other creatures also got wiped out.Ecological balances of many regions altered for the worse.People living in their areas of use developed deadly diseases and disorders.Pesticide residue in the harvested produces has induced genetic and reproductive problems to human beings.

However, all these negative effects have not gone unnoticed by policy makers.Government funded researches to find out safer chemical fertilizers are taking place around the globe.Pesticide companies are also chipping in with their own efforts to find safer pesticides.

But whatever havoc they can wreak in the environment, chemical fertilizers are still the best bet for controlling pests over large, unenclosed areas.The combination of healthy farming practices and judicial use of pesticides can sustain the ecological balance of the world.

If you want to know more about Pest Control measures then it is a good idea to visit Terminix.

What Does a GFI Do

In your bathroom you should have a GFI electrical outlet. Most new homes or newly remodeled homes require you to have GFI electrical outlets in the kitchen. Most older kitchens do not have GFI electrical outlets. GFI stands for ground fault circuit interrupter.

Why not call it a GFCI instead of a GFI electrical outlet? Well it is called a GFCI in some instances. GFI is short and is the most common name used by most electricians and builders for this type of outlet.

GFI 's come in 15 amp and 20 amperage outlets. GFI outlets must be wired properly. Make sure you're using the proper wire size when hooking up the GFI outlet.

How do I know which size wire to use? This all depends on how far away you are running it from the electrical panel. There are charts you can use to figure this out. If you are not running the electrical wire more than 80 feet from the electrical panel you can use 12 gauge electrical wires for a 20 amp GFI. This is a general rule of thumb for most electrical house wiring.

If you're going to be using a 15 amp GFI and you are going to be less than 80 feet away from the electrical panel you can use 14 gauge electrical wires. Again this is just a general rule of thumb for most electrical house wiring.

A GFI is a light duty electrical plug used in bathrooms, kitchens and the exterior of your house. The sole purpose of the GFI is to shut the breaker off faster if there is any moisture or light load problems.

Let's say for instance you have your hair dryer plugged into the GFI outlet. The hair dryer somehow falls into the sink while it is on or plugged in. The GFI outlet will instantly shut off because of the sensitivity of the breaker inside of the plug it self.

The GFI plug has a test button and a reset button on it. If you are continually resetting the GFI you will wear it out eventually. I have had GFI plugs after resetting the button about 10 times break and no longer able to use them.

The GFI electrical plug is a great idea and if you don't have them in your bathroom or outside of your home it would be a great idea to have an electrician install them for you.

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 Home Building Library and adding useful content to help solve problems created by the lack of construction knowledge in the building industry.

San Diego Termite Damage

Flat Tile Hip Shingles

Window Header Framing Problems - Building Problems

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

Wall Repairs

Right Materials with Peachtree Doors and Windows

Homeowners who are looking to redecorate or add a new touch to their home should pay special attention to the kinds of wood used on door and window frames. Doors and windows receive the most punishment from inclement weather, meaning that this wood will be the first to feel the effects of time and wear. Well known companies such as Peachtree are a sure way to find the best quality doors and windows on the market.

When choosing wood, there are many different choices for buyers to look at. Peachtree Doors and Windows is one of the best companies in the market for finding the highest-quality wood to use to protect your home against the elements. A door or window frame that corrodes over time can mean higher energy costs for homeowners. When a door frame allows in heat or cold, it takes more energy to keep a home warm during the winter and cool during the summer.

Also, choosing the right glass for your window or door is another important step in ensuring that your home is as energy efficient as possible. Double-paned glass is often the best choice for a home that is located in an area that sees huge changes in temperature throughout the year. With a double-paned glass, the heat inside the home during the summer has less chance of escaping. This type of glass used on windows and doors can also serve to keep the cold or heat outside, and allow you to enjoy your home in comfort without wasting hundreds of dollars in extra costs.

When preparing to remodel your home, take a look at your window and door frames to determine if they need to be replaced. Wood that is rotting or cracked should be removed and replaced with a new frame to maintain the windows and doors sealed from the elements. Use a sealing component to make sure that your wood is protected and will be maintained for years to come.

With energy prices at record levels, we can all benefit from upgrading our doors and windows to keep our monthly bills down. A new door and window, including the frame and glass, can drop your energy bills by hundreds of dollars per year, making this investment one of the smartest choices that homeowners can make when deciding to upgrade their home. An initial investment of a few thousand dollars can pay for itself in just a couple of years, and any savings after that will go right into your pocket.

Need more on windows and doors? Cal Windows and Doors specializes in windows and doors in Irvine, CA and anywhere else in California. Learn how to prepare your home for sale with upgraded windows and doors and other great tips on how to get beautiful windows for your home.

Right Materials with Peachtree Doors and Windows

Homeowners who are looking to redecorate or add a new touch to their home should pay special attention to the kinds of wood used on door and window frames. Doors and windows receive the most punishment from inclement weather, meaning that this wood will be the first to feel the effects of time and wear. Well known companies such as Peachtree are a sure way to find the best quality doors and windows on the market.

When choosing wood, there are many different choices for buyers to look at. Peachtree Doors and Windows is one of the best companies in the market for finding the highest-quality wood to use to protect your home against the elements. A door or window frame that corrodes over time can mean higher energy costs for homeowners. When a door frame allows in heat or cold, it takes more energy to keep a home warm during the winter and cool during the summer.

Also, choosing the right glass for your window or door is another important step in ensuring that your home is as energy efficient as possible. Double-paned glass is often the best choice for a home that is located in an area that sees huge changes in temperature throughout the year. With a double-paned glass, the heat inside the home during the summer has less chance of escaping. This type of glass used on windows and doors can also serve to keep the cold or heat outside, and allow you to enjoy your home in comfort without wasting hundreds of dollars in extra costs.

When preparing to remodel your home, take a look at your window and door frames to determine if they need to be replaced. Wood that is rotting or cracked should be removed and replaced with a new frame to maintain the windows and doors sealed from the elements. Use a sealing component to make sure that your wood is protected and will be maintained for years to come.

With energy prices at record levels, we can all benefit from upgrading our doors and windows to keep our monthly bills down. A new door and window, including the frame and glass, can drop your energy bills by hundreds of dollars per year, making this investment one of the smartest choices that homeowners can make when deciding to upgrade their home. An initial investment of a few thousand dollars can pay for itself in just a couple of years, and any savings after that will go right into your pocket.

Need more on windows and doors? Cal Windows and Doors specializes in windows and doors in Irvine, CA and anywhere else in California. Learn how to prepare your home for sale with upgraded windows and doors and other great tips on how to get beautiful windows for your home.

Transform Your Bathroom - Home Tips

When you don't have room in your budget to completely renovate your budget, it is amazing what installing a new bath vanity will do for the look and feel of this room of your home. The simple task of changing the cabinetry in the bathroom will make it look as if you have redone the whole room. Simply adding a few different accessories, such as changing the color of the towels of the shower curtains will enhance the effect.

A bath vanity does not have to be an expensive proposition with the many styles of discount vanities available. You do have to look at the size of your bathroom so that you get a vanity that will suit the space you have. For example, adding a large vanity to a small bathroom will make the room look crowded.

The vanities available in MDF are not expensive and require assembly. However, the detailed written and visual instructions that are included will make the assembly quite easy. Even the tools you need to put the various pieces together are included. All you have to buy extra is the sink and countertop, but there are some models that have this included as well.

The bath vanity is the central focus of a bathroom. This is where you will spend time grooming yourself in the morning before you go to work and when getting dressed to go out at night. You do need to have drawers and shelves where all your grooming aids are close at hand.

You can blend the old with the new by using an antique style that has a wash basin type sink that sits on the countertop. You can choose from a wide variety of colors, but the best rule of thumb to follow is to have a vanity that is of a neutral color. You can add contrast in the faucets and colors of linens that you use.

You do have to make sure that the bath vanity of your choice is sturdy and durable. You will not save any money by buying a vanity that is really cheap only to find that you have to replace it in a few years. A lot of the furniture manufactured today is eco friendly using glues that will not emit any harmful fumes into the air when they come in contact with water.

Even the smallest bathroom can have an elegant bath vanity or even a glass sink. A stone vanity, for example, can measure only two feet wide and will make a bold statement in your bathroom as well as make it look larger than it is. A vanity made of stone with teak cabinetry inserted in the center is also a viable option if you are looking for durable construction that will last for many years to come.

When you shop for a new bath vanity you can do so in many different ways by focusing on any of the following aspects:

Size

Shape

Material

Price range

Obviously the price will be the bottom line for you, but you will find that there are vanities to suit every taste. Browse the sites of the many online retailers just to get a glimpse of the wide assortments you can choose from. This will give you ideas to work with when you are contemplating making changes to your bathroom.

Allison Ryan is a freelance marketing writer from San Diego, CA. She specializes in home remodeling and interior design. For a beautiful bath vanity or glass sink for the bathroom of your dreams, please visit http://www.mybath.biz/.

Contractor In Southern California

So you want to make big money making a living as a contractor in the state of California. Well now I bet you have seen contractors on TV or maybe you know someone who is a contractor. You see these men and women playing the part as Mr. or Mrs. Money bags. If you have the slightest thought that becoming a contractor will provide you with a life of riches think again.

Most contractors that I know and have worked with over the years don't think of there jobs as easy. They have to work everyday and a lot into the night doing estimates or meeting with potential clients because they are to busy during the day. The life of most contractors in the beginning will be difficult to say the least. But if successful you will make a great living for yourself and your family.

Now that we got the false illusion of the contractor answering his cell phone all day at some nice golf course having lunch talking about the money that he just made selling his oil stocks. We can start on reality. If being a contractor was that easy everyone would be a contractor. Right..... Well maybe not everyone.

I have been a contractor for over 22 years and in construction for 30 year. I have seen a lot of changes over the years. I remember when a few contractors that I worked for made a lot of money during the late 1970's. These guys had Ferraris and money to burn with one exception they had no idea how to save any of it. These guys went on vacations and bought extravagant toys for them selves. Out of most of the big framing contractors I worked for about 10 percent are still in business or actually saved their money during the good times so that they could make it through the bad times.

These contractors never thought it was going to end. Life on easy street that is. But it did and most went by the way side. I guess that is the nature of business. Especially the current economic business cycles that we seem to go through over the years. If you don't have the money to advertise or carry a payroll. Your business is going to suffer during the bad times. Sure there is credit and bank loans but you still have to pay that money back. IF you can't save your money stash some away for advertising.

Some of the best advice I can give a contractor anywhere especially in the state of California is " Don't Think The Great Times Of Easy Money Will Last Forever". Save some of the money you make just in case you need to get through the bad times. You will thank me for this latter, Some time down the road. Take this advice and put it into action starting right now.

Greg Vanden Berge has over 30 years of experience in residential home building and remodeling. This provides you with the comfort of knowing that you have a professional with the knowledge and skills to complete your construction projects in a timely manner.

Our low overhead along with our new online estimating system will provide you with the most competitive construction pricing in the area. We continue to educate ourselves about the new home improvement books and building systems in the construction industry. If we have any doubt that something might not work we don't use it. We have found some of these products to be the root of some major home building problems.

Click on the Home Remodeling Ideas to get more information and a possible online estimate for your home improvement project.

New Fascia Back Not Painted

Is Your Real Estate Agent in a Hurry?

If any of these statements sound familiar to you, it could mean that your real estate agent is either in hurry or doesn't have an answer to your question. Either way, this could lead to an unpleasant relationship.

Have You Ever Heard the Words:

Don't Worry about a Thing, Will Take Care of You.

Come on That Roof Will Last for Another 30 Years.

I Wouldn't Worry about That, That's Easy to Fix.

How Many Times Do I Have To Tell You, It's Not a Problem.

I'm on Your Side, There Won't Be Any Problems.

With a Little Bit of Caulking, You Won't Even Notice It.

Just Plant Some Bushes in Front of It and You'll Never See It.

The Floor Squeaks, That Gives the House Character.

Or What about the Ever Famous, Are You Going to Buy the House or Not.

Are any one of these experiences familiar to you? Don't be afraid to ask your questions again. Be firm when asking, but please don't be rude and if the answers don't sound right ask someone else to verify or ask your real estate professional if they are positive and know for a fact their answer is correct. It's always good to get a second opinion anyway.

You don't need to do business with anyone that will not answer your questions and is always trying to hurry you along. If you sign a purchasing agreement with a real estate professional you're not getting along with, ask them to let you out of the contract.

With no fees of course, there are other ways to purchase a home if your now old real estate agent doesn't want to play fair.

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

If you're having problems with your real estate professional, you might give some thought to look in at some home foreclosures, and then contacting someone to help you, after you have found the home that you are looking for. Some real estate agents can be extremely unhelpful

Window Framing Repair

Why Choose Home Window Tinting Film

Choosing Home Window Tinting Film can be a very important decision for your homes interior health. Window Film helps keep the sun's damaging rays from entering your home and damaging wood, fabrics, carpets and even furnishings and artwork. Window Tinting also keeps your home cooler and reduces glare caused by the sun.

The new homes built today are filled with windows giving a feeling of spaciousness and beauty, unfortunately with all that glass comes the task of keeping the sun damaging rays out. You really only have three choices:

1. Do nothing, leave your windows wide open and enjoy the beautiful views of the outdoors, plus have all natural lighting throughout your home, your home looks and feels bright. But unfortunately with unprotected windows the suns damaging effects will cost the homeowner a great deal of money in replacement furnishings and even replacement or refinishing of wood and wall coverings.

2. Put up window treatments, this seems like a logical choice but with large great rooms and floor to ceiling windows, window treatments would be the worst choice to keep the sun out. Plus window treatments would have to be raised and lowered during the day, no one wants to live in a dark home, why put in all that glass if you are just going to cover it.

3. Use Window Tinting Film, this is becoming the best choice amongst the bunch. You still can enjoy your beautiful views and you still can have natural lighting throughout your home. The best thing about home window tinting is that you can cut the sun's damaging UV rays by up to 99.9% and reduce the heat entering your home by up to 15 degrees.

The choice is clear, home window film is the best all around choice to protect your home interior.
Our company uses the Huper Optiks line of window films, we carry some of the best window tinting films on the market today. We have a patented line called select, this film actually has gold and silver in between the layers of film, giving it unmatched properties to protect your home and a film that is virtually clear. Contact us for a free estimate and a demonstration of our line of window films.

Mario Kotik is the co-owner of Tinting By Window Genie they service Akron, Canton, Cleveland, Medina and surrounding areas. For a Free Estimate call us at 1-866-966-Tint (8468)

Healthy Humidity - Home Tips

During fall or winter, there are only two words to describe the weather - cold and dry. If you've ever experienced going through the entire season before, you'll agree that the conditions are neither healthy nor comfortable. Your lips get dry, your skin gets flaky and you have to nearly drown yourself in lotion and moisturizer. There's an easy way to make dry conditions more comfortable for you and your household - with a humidifier.

What's a Humidifier?

It's basically a small household appliance that balances the humidity in the air by releasing moisture in the form of water vapor. The smallest portable humidifiers typically use a wick mechanism where there's an absorbent material soaked in water which releases the moisture into the surrounding air to achieve equilibrium. There are also larger units for the whole house, humidifiers that can manage your whole house.

Different Kinds of Humidifiers

Aside from the usual wick-type room humidifiers, you'll also find ultrasonic, cool mist and warm mist humidifiers widely available on the market today. Each type has its own advantages and disadvantages that you may want to consider if you're planning to buy a unit for your home.

Cool mist and ultrasonic humidifiers work similarly in that they both 'throw' water into the air to increase humidity. A rotating disk flings water at a diffuse in a cool mist dehumidifier to disperse the water molecules into the air. Ultrasonic dehumidifiers use a metal diaphragm that vibrates rapidly to shake the water droplets up into finer particles and create a cool fog.

Vaporizer or warm mist humidifiers, on the other hand, have a reservoir of water. The water is gradually boiled to create steam which is then released into the air. Warm mist humidifiers are generally seen as the 'healthier' option because, unlike ultrasonic and cool mist humidifiers, they don't just release water into the air. The boiling process gets rid of the microorganisms and foreign particles that might be present in the water.

The Health of Benefits from Humidifiers

Although comfort is the most obvious advantage of a humidifier, you're actually getting a lot of health benefits along with it. Your body wasn't designed to thrive in dry environments, and your skin reacts negatively to conditions that aren't humid enough. Better, younger-looking skin is the first thing you'll notice after you install a humidifier in your home.

Dust particles are likelier to float around and circulate when conditions are dry. That means it's easier for the dust particles to get inhaled or to stick to skin where they could trigger dangerous allergic reactions. When there's an ample amount of moisture in the air, dust particles tend to get bogged down and safely clump from the floor where they can't cause allergies.

Add all that to the less static electricity and the better indoor conditions in your home. With all those benefits, it's undeniable that a humidifier will definitely be a good investment for your home. Whether you're getting the smallest room humidifier or an extra-large whole house humidifier, it's a purchase that your whole household will be thankful for.

Herman White is an expert author who writes on various topics. He is constantly involved in writing valuable and informative articles with an interesting pitch that makes readers know more about the things. Keep an eye or scribe to read more from Herman White.

Wood Shingle Shed Roof

How Hot is Your Kitchen

The kitchen is a feisty place, a place of sizzling, burning, searing, and grilling, with the whistle of steam and the crackle of oil all combining to create a symphony that's so good you can taste it.

But how hot is your kitchen in actuality? I'm not talking about temperature I am referring to excitement, to inspiration, to passion. Are the walls coated in bare and lonely wall paper, screaming for an accent? Or do they have style, and character, born from a thousand tiny details each expressing the inner you?

The energy in your kitchen may come from the cook, but the cook's energy has to come from inspiration. A kitchen devoid of character will not ignite new ideas, and it won't excite the imagination.

On the other hand however, it is quite possible to get too hot. You don't want to be sweating in the salsa. Over stimulation can lead to mistakes, and mistakes usually taste terrible.

So the kitchen ends up being a compromise. You balance hot against cold, energy against calculation, to form the perfect space for creation. And you judge this balance with the best scale available, your own body.

Everyone has an internal temperature, and a psychological temperament. Some people are always excited, always energetic, while others are calmer, and more calculating.

When you are the cook, it is your job to mold the kitchen to suit the emotional needs of your personality. This can be done by balancing your own heat, and energy, against the stimulus in the room. In this way you can invigorate your calm serenity with some exciting colors, or cool off a fiery temperament with some soothing art pieces.

Conclusion: How hot do you want your kitchen to be? Cool as a cucumber or hot as a tamale? The answer is simple, balance the space against your own personal flame.

Looking to add a unique flavor to your kitchen or bar ware set? Each and every stone beverage coaster offered by PebbleArt is made one of a kind by the natural properties which occur within its surface. These features give each piece its own distinct personality and character.

Tips in Remodeling a Small Bathroom

Being among the top players world-wide in the financial, commercial, entertainment and cultural industries, New York City has become the most densely populated city in the country. With such reputation, the cost of housing soars leaving smaller living spaces a more popular option. Making a home out of these amply-spaced to smaller units is a challenge to many. This includes making important features of the home seem much cozier such as remodeling a small bathroom.

When remodeling a small bathroom, a complete focus on space fused with the right amount of creativity is key to the success of the project. Another important thing to ponder on is that quality does not come cheap. But it does not mean that you would have to always stick with the most expensive service or product, it only means that you should take careful considerations before letting go of your hard-earned cash to be able to give the most value to the money that you spend.

There are various ways to make less space appear much bigger. Enlisted are helpful tips in remodeling a small bathroom:

First off, unless you have significant skills and experience in plumbing, carpentry and electrical works, or the project is not a major one; you should seek the expertise of a competent NYC contractor to help you. Following this first tip in remodeling a small bathroom would save you a whole of time and money in the long run.

Instead of having a tub, maximize the space by having a shower instead. Rather than the traditional shower pan construction, a simple one-piece pan would serve as a much sleeker option as well as a leakproof solution. But if you still prefer a tub over a spacious shower, then go for the soaking bathtubs that are smaller but deeper designs.

In remodeling a small bathroom, choose a lighter and cooler hue for the walls and delicate patters for wallpapers or tiles. Light colors have an airy feel to them creating an illusion of more space. To create a better impact out of these designs, install fixtures offering heavy lighting. Another way to better illuminate the small bathroom is through skylight features. A bay window is a good choice as its alcove may also offer additional storage space.

Two elements have long since been known to give an illusion of more space. Reflection
and vertical objects and designs such as unframed mirrors and tall bathroom products that have shiny surfaces can be used in remodeling a small bathroom. You can have two mirrors installed opposite each other or facing the window. And when shopping, choose a tall but compact model of toilet and either a wall-mounted or sleek sink.

Important considerations when remodeling a small bathroom are the storage of toiletries and room for decorative items. Choose to have spaces cut out into the walls to serves as additional storage or display area rather than having free-standing cabinets or shelves installed into the walls. Lesser things protruding from the walls would help make the space seem larger.

Eugene Makeev has been in the home improvement industry for a while. His skills and expertise, which have been polished through time, are now used to help New York home owners avoid the common pitfalls in home improvements by matching their needs with the right, prescreened NYC contractor. To know more about remodeling a small bathroom, visit Contractors New York

Bathroom Contractor Safety - Remodeling Contractors

This article isn't about contractors using the bathrooms safely, it's about contractors working on someone's house, remodeling a bathroom. When working on any part of the home, a contractor and his workers should think and work safely on any project, but working in a bathroom with more than one person can become a contractors safety nightmare.

I was working in a kitchen one time, with 11 workers. I finally couldn't take it anymore and left the job. This did not make the general contractor very happy but it saved me from getting into a fight with one of the other workers. Whenever you're working in a confined area like a kitchen, bathroom, crawlspace or attic, safety is going to be a priority and should not be overlooked, because someone else wants to get the job done two days sooner.

Most accidents happen working in confined areas because of poor time management or someone else is in a hurry. Whenever you start to speed the destruction or assembling of any part in the house, you're increasing the risk of an accident. Most accidents happen from people in a hurry or poor planning.

As a bathroom remodeling contractor, you should plan properly and only use the minimum amount of people necessary to work in confined areas. If you are tiling the bath tub surround, one to two people is more than enough. If you're tearing the bathroom apart, during the demolition process, a maximum of three people should be used. During the demolition process, make sure your workers are thinking safely and clearly. Ripping a large piece of plaster off of the wall, that has wall anchors in it could grab a hold of something like an electrical wire or plumbing pipe. This of course could cause damage to the home, as well as a risk of electrocution.

Use your head when working in the bathroom and you will greatly reduce the possibility of any accidents. Accidents can easily be prevented my working cautiously on anything.

Bathroom Remodeling Contractor

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

If you're really interested in learning more about remodeling, new home construction, home maintenance, home repairs and really want to get the nuts and bolts of home improvement. Visit our web site and select from the best-selling home building books on the Internet

Roach Exterminator Tips

Roaches are one of the oldest and most primitive insects, surviving millions of years of evolutionary changes. It's no surprise that humans find their fetid odor and destructiveness offensive. Roaches are omnivorous nocturnal insects who hide during daylight hours and feed at night.

They can be found in damp, wet places such as under kitchen and bathroom cabinets, under floors and inside walls. Some have even been known to crawl into ceiling lights such is their ability to access a hiding and breeding place. Most homeowners are appalled to find roach infestation in their homes. For commercial buildings, roaches crawling into personal belongings under desks and in supply cabinets, closets and storerooms exacerbates the problem of infestation.

Generally, the "Do-It-Yourself" homeowner will attempt to exterminate roaches through the use of roach sprays, powders and pastes. The difficulty here is reaching areas with these methods that are hidden and fully infested. Also, there are several other problems that should be addressed: whether these applications are hazardous to humans and pets and long-term contamination from chemicals used for extermination. After several failed attempts, a homeowner may choose a professional exterminator.

Choose a professional exterminator with as much care as you would any residential service representative. Select a company with good business credentials. Check to insure that each exterminator is licensed by a state regulatory agency as well as a business association. This will prevent less experienced individuals from endangering your home to unnecessary exposure to extermination methods that can be harmful to your family's health.

A good exterminator will usually require a quarantine period for extreme or prolonged infestation. This will entail evacuation from the premises for a period of 24 to 48 hours, depending on the infestation problem. If infestation problems are limited, a few hours evacuation may be all that is necessary, followed by a full and complete airing of the premises, just as you would for interior painting or floor sanding.

Most exterminators will provide a complete list of follow-up actions by inhabitants to avoid unnecessary contact with contaminants. Usually, one application by a professional exterminator is all that is required for less resistant infestation. However, most exterminators will provide a second application usually at half the cost or often, free of charge.

Obviously, following the advice of your professional exterminator with regard to roach damage is critical to avoid serious structural problems. As well, your professional exterminator may make recommendations as to correcting possible future infestation such as maintaining plumbing so that moisture is reduced; thereby reducing the fertile environment for roach breeding. Roaches tend to breed egg sacs in dampness. But, certain types of roaches often breed live offspring.

Most helpful is to avoid contact with places that tend to breed these insects and maintaining a home that doesn't invite roach proliferation.

David Wilson is the man behind the Roach Exterminator guide, a site devoted to helping you learn how to kill roaches and more.

Household Mold

Household mold is considered an environmental annoyance that can cause irritation while breathing. It can make the health of asthma patients worse and can cause allergic problems to sensitive persons. The mold may affect children with several problems such as irritation, allergies, and infections.

Household mold comes in a wide variety of species and forms. It differs in colors, including charcoal, grey, and black. There is variation in toxicity for different species. Among the species, six are common in which three can produce toxins. These six common molds are Stachybotris, Aspergillus, Penicillium, Alternaria, Mucor, and Cladosporium. Stachybotris is a toxic mold that can produce more than 200 poisonous substances. These toxins are autoimmune and can affect the nervous system. Aspergillus is an opportunistic fungus that can cause pathological problems to human beings.

Household mold is found everywhere in day to day households. It can grow anywhere, on tiles, grout, food, fabric, plaster, and wood. The mold grows well at room temperature with humidity. Other necessary items for mold growth are adequate moisture and nutrients. These items are obtained from the surface where the mold grows. The mold can destroy the material on which it grows.

There are certain ways to identify and control the presence of household mold. First, check whether there is any sign of moisture or mold at home. A musty smell in a room is an indication of mold growth. If there is any sign of mold, then find the particular surface of the mold growth and clean the surface. Additionally, remove the sources of moisture and keep the moisture content in the rooms at a desired level. Water should not be allowed to stand in drip pans of refrigerators and air conditioners.

Secondly, check whether there is any leakage problem, water stains or water discoloration from taps, especially in the bathrooms and kitchens. If these problems are found, rectify them immediately to prevent the mold growth. Even if the mold is removed, but the water problem is not solved, then the mold will appear again on the same surface.

Mold provides detailed information on Mold, Toxic Mold, Black Mold, Mold Inspection and Testing and more. Mold is affiliated with Toxic Mold Symptoms.

Build a Homemade Windmill - DIY Wind Generators For Under $100

Alternative energy options for homeowners are on the rise, just like the cost of conventional energy. You can build your own homemade windmill, also known as a wind generator and create your own free energy.

If you were to buy a commercial wind generator or solar array, it would cost you thousands of dollars. However, you can build your own wind generator for under $100 and generate over 1000 watts of power!

Homemade windmills are sprouting up all over the country and in areas with wind velocities as little as 6-8 mph. These wind generators create free electricity day and night, 365 days a year.
You can use this energy to power lights, computers, electronic equipment, pond pumps, night time lighting and for emergency power outages.

There is a ton of energy in the wind and the amazing thing is, power is proportional to the cube of speed. Meaning that if you double the speed of the wind, you actually quadruple the power output.
There are many good guides available to build your own homemade windmill, but a few of the things you want to look for are:

1. The homemade windmill plans have to be easy to read and follow.

2. The wind generator has to produce over 1000 watts of power.

3. It is possible to build the windmill for under $100 usd.

4. Not a copycat design of other wind generators.

5. Should be made from readily available materials.

6. It must be easy to build and assemble (even for us women).

7. It must be tough enough to endure heavy thunderstorms.

8. And the finished product has to look good. (Pesky neighbor approval).

If you keep these things in mind when looking for homemade windmill designs, you will not only have a better chance of completing your project successfully; you will also have a wind generator that packs a serious free energy punch.

Although wind generators do not have a huge foot print, they can have a pretty large sky print. The blades could reach nine feet or more from tip to tip and the tower reaches nearly twenty feet into the air. There are designs that reduce the blade diameter to six or seven feet and still produce the energy to make it worthwhile to build, so take your time looking for the homemade windmill best suited for your property.

Want to build your own wind powered generator? Of course you do! You can get a step by step guide at my website showing you how to build your own homemade windmill / wind generator and the greedy tax hungry government can't do a thing to stop you from enjoying FREE energy! Go to http://www.MylaMadson.com/offthegrid

Water Heater Vent Through Plywood

Bring Focus To Your Stained Glass

Patinas are used to color or darken solder lines. The most common patina colors are black and copper. Using patinas brings the focus on the glass and the design of your stained glass piece. This makes the glass colors, textures and designs of the stained glass piece the main focus.

Before you apply patinas, be sure all flux residues is removed. This can be done using a commercial flux remover or washing the stained glass piece with dish soap and baking soda.

Steps for Applying Patinas

Use a brush, rag or cotton ball to dab patina on to the zinc frame. Do not use a brushing action, as this can leave streaking or patchy coverage.

Next, apply patina to solder lines. Be sure all edges of solder lines have been covered.

Then, turn project over and repeat the process on that side.

Lastly, thoroughly rinse the patina off the stained glass piece. After it is completely dry, a minimum of 24hours, finishing compound can be applied.

Tips and techniques for Applying Patinas

Safety - Always wear rubber gloves when applying patina.

If patina appears spotty, use super fine steel wool to clean the area, and then re-apply the patina.

To avoid oxidation, clean and apply patina immediately after project is soldered.

While patina will mask some inconsistencies in you solder lines, others will still be noticeable and take away from the professional look of your piece. With patience, practice and the correct tools and supplies, you can have professional solder lines.

Most patinas come in an 8 oz bottle. Avoid contaminating the liquid in the bottle by never re-dipping your applicator back into the bottle. Pour out a lid full and use this as your re-dip point.

You may experience different end results with the use of different brands of patinas. One common brand and easily found on store shelves and on line is Novacan. It is available in different formulas for different metals i.e. lead vs. zinc. As you experiment with different brands, you will notice that the more expensive ones do seem to shine more. Sometimes simple wax and compound can help this situation too.

Usually, if need be, patinas can be removed by using steel wool and some elbow grease. So don't fret if you think the application has made your art work look bad or if you just don't like the shiny lines dark.

I was not a fan of most patinas; however, I now know that by using this product, you do experience brilliant colorful glass. All attention is quickly turned from solder lines to the subject of your glass creation - the glass.

Another note of concern applies to patinas as well as other chemicals used in stained glass production. That is evaporation. Be sure and keep the lids tightly screwed on your bottles of supplies as some do seem to disappear into thin air. This will also avoid waste if tipped over accidentally.

I started out as a stained glass admirer. After a class in stained glass, I became addicted. At first I made stained glass to decorate my homes, which lead to friends asking me to make stained glass for them. Now I am a full time professional making stained glass as well as instructing others on how to make stained glass. My studio is located outside of Chicago, Illinois. For more information on making stained glass go to http://www.creativity-in-glass.com

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Is Your Small Bathroom Limiting Your Shower Renovation Options?

If you live in a tiny urban apartment or an old farm house that you are trying to update, you may be facing the challenge of putting a new modern shower into your tiny, old bathroom. There are creative solutions to the problem, however, which can help to open up the space available to you.

First of all you might want to consider removing the bathtub altogether. Is it one of those old massive ones that takes up way too much space? By taking it out, you'll have the space you need to install a lovely new shower unit. Can you stand living without a bath? It can be annoying, but it may be a decision you have to make.

By removing the tub, you may also be lowering the value of your property. If you were to sell it, potential buyers are most likely going to want a bathtub. It's just what everyone expects to find in a bathtub. If you have a large bedroom, or an extra one, you might consider adding a sunken tub in one of those areas. That will really make a statement!

If you happen to have one of those delightful old clawfoot bathtubs like are found in so many old homes, you'll be able to create a bathtub shower. Using a long metal extension and a showerhead, if you have enough ceiling height you can put a shower on the wall. If your ceilings aren't high enough, you can always attach a flexible hose with a shower head to your bathtub faucet.

Another choice is to forget about tubs and shower enclosures and just turn your entire bathroom into a shower. By installing stone and concrete walls and floors with a floor drain, you can have an amazing walk-in shower. True, this is an expensive option, but you'll never find anything that looks any cooler. You'll love all the space in your shower, too. You might want to include one glass or Plexiglas partition to protect your toilet, sink, and mirror.

Remember that the more stuff you can take out of a small bath, the bigger the area you'll have for a gorgeous shower. If your ideas get too grandiose, you might be better off to hire a professional contractor to help you out. You'll be amazed at the results you can end up with!

Bathroom Accessory Guide has helpful information on bathroom accessories and bath tub installation.

House Framing

Plumbers - Get Free PR and Grow Your Profits

Most plumbers do not think they will be able to get their stories into the press and so do not bother trying to get any free PR. This is a mistake, PR is a very powerful method of marketing for free and any business can get a massive amount of free PR which would normally cost a serious amount of money if it was done through paid advertising.

PR actually lends a lot more credibility than traditional paid advertising because when your story is featured in the editorial of your local newspaper, TV or radio station it carries a lot more weight.

There are plenty of people who have turned their businesses around just through using PR. Just by sending a simple one page press release to their local media they got a lot of free publicity and interest in their business. Follow the strategy below as one way that you can try to get some free publicity:-

Promote yourself as an expert in your field and make sure all your local media knows about you.
Use the world around you as a backdrop for what you have to say. For instance, the winter is a time when we all need to keep warm but in the current economic climate where money is tight we want to spend as little as possible to do so. As you are a plumber you could write a one page press release about how you can help home owners keep warm and save money at the same time and include tips on insulation and getting the most from their central heating systems etc. You may need to spend a bit of time doing some research, but if you assure the public that you have some genuine information that will help them you will find it is easy to get some free publicity.

Your local media is always on the look out for fresh, exciting and unusual stories to use, so get your imagination working and come up with some interesting stories to get that free publicity that could seriously increase your business.

Plumbers discover very easy to implement marketing and internet marketing strategies to recession proof your business with this free E-Book from Marketing Man. Marketing Tips for Plumbers

Marketing Man has hundreds of Marketing Tips to help you recession proof your business. If you run a small business visit his website today to get instant free marketing tips to help you fight the credit crunch. Marketing Man

Ice Dam Problems And Solutions

Give Your Bathroom a Facelift Instead of Moving

Are you looking for a way to make your bathroom better? With the economy being slow, many homeowners are opting to stay in their older homes and improve them rather than buy a new house. The bathroom is the second most popular room to remodel, because we all spend so much time in there every day. Since we spend a lot of time in this little room, it's quite nice to bring some creature comforts or a touch of luxury to it, because we know we'll enjoy it everyday. Here are a couple ideas for beautifying your bathroom.

1. Invest in a great bath tub. Although this may sound a little trite at first, you'd be amazed at how soothing whirlpool tubs or clawfoot bathtubs improve your bathroom. They not only upgrade the look of your bathroom immensely, they are wonderfully soothing and relaxing space for you to take that bubble bath. Whether you choose a built in model or a free standing type of tub, an antique style or modern design, whirlpool bathtubs are a sure way to upgrade the luxury of your bathroom, and increase your enjoyment of your time there.

2. Get a bathroom vanity to match that new bathtub. You use your bathroom vanity everyday to brush your teeth, fix your hair, and put your makeup on. This is the space we make ourselves look presentable, but if we have an old vanity without enough cabinet space, cracked counters, or a peeling finish, it's time to upgrade! Go ahead and get a nice new bathroom vanity to match your snazzy new bathtub, and your bathroom will be like an entirely new space.

3. Replace the linens and towels. This may seem like a small thing, but it will make you feel like you're staying in a luxury hotel. There is nothing better than a brand new big fluffy towel to wrap up in after your whirlpool bathtub session, and it will upgrade the way your bathroom looks as well. You don't want to have a new tub and vanity installed and then keep using old ratty towels that work, but don't really look nice. Remember, you are taking on this home improvement project to make your bathroom feel like new, so go the whole nine yards and complete the makeover!

If you would like more information on whirlpool tubs or where to find clawfoot bathtubs, please visit the Simply Bathtubs website.

What To Do If Your Home Floods

New Versus Old Lumber - Structural Failure

During my 30 years of remodeling and building new homes. I have ran across quite a bit of structural framing failures. I find myself answering this question a lot when explaining to a homeowner about the structural failure I am repairing on their home, "Why Didn't They Use Better Lumber" or " Why Didn't They Use Larger Lumber." I really have a hard time answering these questions because I honestly don't know the answer.

However I can try to use some logic and reason to give these people an answer that seems to make sense to both of us. Why didn't they use better lumber, quite simply because, with most older homes that were built before the 1970s they actually do have better lumber. Now you're probably thinking how can these homes have better lumber when the lumber is old versus the new lumber used in a brand new house.

Most of the structural repairs I have made over the years has nothing to do with the lumber and whether it was new or old. A large number of these repairs were caused by neglect and poor maintenance.

The lumber in most older houses are from older growth trees. Some of these trees were extremely large and only the premium parts of the trees were used. The premium lumber is cut farthest away from the center of the tree. Now the larger the tree it makes sense that there will be more premium lumber.

A large majority of the newer lumber used in home construction comes from trees about 6 inches in diameter. Now you're probably wondering how can they cut a 2 x 8 piece of lumber out of a 6 inch tree. Of course they cannot, the larger lumber comes from larger trees.

Most 2 x 4's that are less than 8 foot long can be cut from these trees. This scrap or waste that comes from cutting these two by fours will now go into engineered building materials like particleboard, oriented strand board and engineered beams. Another name for an engineered been would be a paralam.

I hope you're starting to get the picture now when it comes to using new or old lumber. There are companies that are going into old logging rivers and retrieving old growth lumber. These were logs that sank to the bottom of the river's and were never retrieved because it was too costly.

The old growth lumber is quite expensive. Who's to say what problems we will happen in the future from the newer products created with modern day technology. When it comes to building houses it is not an exact science and as contractors we have been repairing the damage from poor engineering for years.

When I use the word poor engineering I am not pointing fingers at engineers. We now have more knowledge about home construction then we had years ago.

New versus old lumber, who wins the battle. Only time will tell.

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 Structural Repairs.

Hiring a Contractor For Bathroom Remodeling - Remodeling Contractors

Well here's the age old question, how do we go about finding a decent bathroom remodeling contractor.

Here's some things you will be looking for in a contractor.

1. Is Your Contractor Fair and Honest?

2. Does Your Contractor Have Experience Remodeling and Designing Bathrooms?

3. Can You Actually Find a Contractor Who Will Complete the Job in a Timely Manner?

4. Do You Think the Workers Will Be Able to Clean the Job up Daily?

5. Will the Contractor Show up on Time?

6. Is the Contractor Going to Work At Least Eight Hours a Day?

7. Does the Contractor's Crew Have Experience?

8. Is Your Contractor and His Crew Courteous?

If you find a contractor for your bathroom remodeling project that has answered yes to all questions above, hire that person immediately. Most contractors can sincerely answer yes to half of the questions above. If you're looking for the ultimate bathroom remodeling contractor, you could be searching for quite a while, you're looking for some one that is competent and you feel comfortable with.

When hiring a contractor, look for someone who has your interest in mind first and not theirs. Find someone who is willing to help with the designed process of your bathroom and the remodeling. If you find a contractor to be arrogant or controlling, there is a good chance, your bathroom might not turn out the way you envision it.

When hiring a contractor for your bathroom remodeling project or any home improvement project, the most important thing to keep in mind is, whether or not you feel comfortable with this person or not. Never hire a contractor you're not comfortable with.

If a contractor is referred to you by someone you trust, this does not guarantee you will be happy with the bathroom remodel. Most referrals that I have gotten over the years are like rolling the dice, I believe I would have done just as good picking a name out of a hat.

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 and adding useful content to help solve problems created by the lack of construction knowledge in the building industry.

Bathtub Meets Shower Framing

Stair Building Books

Where do we go to buy stair building books? Do we go to the major retailers like Amazon or Barnes & Noble? I have found over the years the information in most of these books I have purchased from these stores has a lot of fluff with very little common sense stair building application.

I bought one stair building book that had information on handrails. The front cover looked great and I thought this was going to be a great book reading the reviews from Amazon. When I finally got the book in the mail, I would say about one third of it was math tables for building elaborate wooden hand railing's. These tables were not easy to understand along with the rest of the book.

Back when I bought the book on building stair handrails it dawned on me that most of the construction workers I have met during my 30 years of working in the field were not very good outside of basic math. Now I knew a lot of carpenters that could read a measuring tape and use a framing square pretty good. But when it came to advanced geometrical construction projects like a stair hand railing system this was out of our league.

Reading this book or should I say parts of it gave me an idea to write a book of my own, starting with basic stair building I took all the fluff or the hard to understand advanced stair building applications out of my book, How to Build a Straight Set of Stairs.

I put a lot of time into creating an illustration for every possible part of building a simple set of stairs. I have probably built over 2000 sets of stairs during my lifetime and have explained and taught basic and advanced stair building to other carpenters. Understanding what parts of the stair construction process they understood, I was able to improve my skills as a stair building teacher.

Most people do not need advanced stair building skills to construct a simple straight set of stairs. If you are building a straight set of stairs and would like a stair building book with lots of easy to understand illustrations along with simplified directions you have found it.

We're building more stair building books to help contractors, carpenters, handymen and homeowners understand the stair building process.

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.

Water Heater Vent Through Plywood

Do it Yourself Solar Panels - Simple Process to Cut Your Home Electric Bills

Our monthly electricity bill is one of the largest household expenses. We need electric power to run all our electrical equipment. While power demand is expected to rise, the cost of electricity will increase in the near future also. This is due to limited supply of oil needed to generate power by utility companies. One of the simplest ways we can take to reduce our power consumption is by using Do It Yourself Solar Panels. How does the procedure works? This article will shed some light of the science of a home solar power system.

Before you start any home construction project, you have to be well versed with hand tools and ample working space. To build your own home solar energy system, you have to construct a solar array on the roof. A solar array is made from a series of solar cells linked together. The function of the solar array is to collect the sun energy and convert it into electric power. To harness the solar power, the solar array is connected to a charge controller where electric current will be diverted into deep cycle batteries bank. The batteries will be used to store electric power to run our electrical appliances. Since a battery can only store Direct Current (DC), you will need an inverter to convert it to Alternate Current (AC). AC will be used to power our homes.

With proper planning, do it yourself solar panels have the potential to reduce our home electric power consumption. This can be done by slowly changing our home power demand to the solar energy system. With rising energy cost, any idea that can help us to save cost would be a blessing.

Want to know how you can build your own Home Solar Panels to reduce your electricity bill for under $300? If you are good with hand tools, start a Do It Yourself (DIY) project to construct a residential solar array to harness free energy from the sun. What you will need is a step by step instructional guide. Get a comprehensive Solar Power For Homes guide review at http://www.DIYSolarHomes.com/

Kitchen Books

Asphalt Shingle Roofing - The Facts

Is it any wonder why almost 80% of homes in North America use asphalt shingles as the roofing material of choice. The prevalence of asphalt shingles has created a vast assortment of fittings and fixtures designed to work with them. Items such as a multitude of flashing configurations, edge products, and almost every skylight manufactured has an appropriate base configuration for a weatherproof connection with asphalt shingles. All of the material that you need for a proper installation, such as the shingles, tarpaper, nails, vent boots and chimney flashing are available at any home improvement retailer.

The primary attributes of asphalt tiles are:

• reasonably priced (economical),
• require very little maintenance,
• versatile,
• provide excellent protection on steep sloped roofs,
• are weather and sunlight resistant,
• easy to cut,
• can be nailed by hand or with powered nailers.

There are two different types of asphalt shingle base material construction - composition and fiberglass. Composition shingles use a base material termed organic felt, which is a blend of paper and wood fibers. Fiberglass, on the other hand, uses a base that is comprised of a fiberglass mat. In both cases, once the base material is produced it is soaked in an asphalt compound. In numbers sold, fiberglass leads the market. They are less expensive, weigh less because they are thinner, have a longer wear life and have a better fire rating than the composition base shingles.

Average cost of a shingle roof is $50 to $150 per square, installed. Removal of old shingles will cost between $30 and $50 per square.

Both types of asphalt shingles are manufactured with embedded mineral granules. Seeing the granules in your eaves trough (after the initial installation) is a sure sign that you need to repair or replace the shingles.

Where just a few years ago asphalt shingles were only available in simple tab configurations in blacks, grays and browns, the manufacturers have expanded their product lines to include a vast array of colors, profiles and with the use of laminate coatings have created as assortment of eye pleasing textures. Special chemicals are also being blended into the shingles to make them mold and algae resistant. Although these additional features do increase the price per square, asphalt shingles are still the most economical roofing material available.

Drawbacks:

The serviceable life of asphalt shingles is the lowest of all the roofing materials. Although they are available in numerous grades designated by the expected life, from 15 to 50 years they often need repair or replacement long before their supposed life has expired. The hotter the climate, the shorter the life of asphalt shingles. Many of the asphalt shingle problems that are encountered by homeowners are a direct result of two factors:

• poor initial installation
• damage due to sever weather

Poor installation usually occurs in the area of deck preparation, and not providing adequate flashing around items that are protruding through the roof such as vent pipes and chimneys. Other poor installation methods are not using the required amount of nails per shingle and nailing in the wrong area of the shingle. There are many fly-by-night roofing companies that will quote low prices, because they won't be around to stand behind the workmanship. Choose a roofing contractor carefully.

Roof Repairs:

You should inspect your shingled roof and all the flashing at least once a year and after any major storm such as a hurricane. Hurricane winds will remove entire shingles and lift others. Sun and rain can cause asphalt shingles to crack. You should also go into the attic and look up, any sign of daylight means that there is a hole. When inspecting the roof look for shingles that have lost the granule minerals - bald spots, cracked and/or curled.

If you have to make a roof repair, choose a warm day so that the shingles will be flexible and unlikely to crack when lifted. The roofing cements also spread easier in warmer temperatures.

You will know when you have a roofing problem when you see beige spots appearing on ceilings and walls close to the ceiling. Beige spots are a sign of water damage.

Maintenance:

Roofing cement is the equivalent of duct tape for roofs. It will repair most leaks, cracked or torn shingles, patch flashing around vent pipes and chimneys. You can also use the roofing cement to cover nail heads that have been exposed.

Shingles fade with age so any replacement shingles used will most likely be visually obvious. Shingle over damaged ridge shingles, by nailing down all the corners of the old shingle first - do not remove them.

If you have to replace an entire shingle, lift each of the tabs and pry the nails out of the shingle of the one that needs to be replaced. Remove the top corners of the replacement shingle and very carefully, without damaging the tarpaper, slip it under the existing shingles.

Use roofing nails (large head, galvanized) to fix the new shingle to the roof decking. Use roofing cement to cover the nail heads.

Planning and knowledge are the keys to any successful home improvement, remodel or landscaping project!

For additional information on roofing materials for your home or other renovation projects, including landscaping, visit Renovation Headquarters

Advantages of Framing With Steel Studs

I have heard all sorts of stories over the years of the advantages in framing with steel versus wood studs. One time I even heard you could build an entire house with the amount of recycled steel from a large automobile such as a Cadillac. I find this hard to believe unless you're building a very small home.

My personal favorite for framing with steel studs is that they are extremely straight. I have built nonbearing partition walls using 12 foot 3 1/2 inch wide steel studs and after the drywall you can lay an 8 foot level to check it for straightness on the wall with amazing results.

If you use 3 1/2 inch wide steel studs with 5/8 of an inch drywall you will get an extremely durable and sturdy wall. Framing was steel studs is common in office renovations or remodeling. Most of the steel stud framing is done via the drywall contractors.

Steel studs and termites do not mix. You'll never have to worry about these little buggers or other uninvited house pests damaging your walls.

Over the years I have heard stories that steel framed buildings are earthquake and fire proof. They might be more resistant to fire than wood but keep in mind when metal is hot enough it will bend and warp making it unusable.

When I hear people talking about a fireproof building built with metal framing components my first thought is all of the other materials used in building the house that are not fire resistant. Don't get a false illusion when buying a house framed with steel studs and think it is 100% fire proof.

As far as steel framed buildings being earthquake proof this is another story. I really can't comment too much on earthquake damage to a steel building. The problem with earthquakes is they seem to create fires. So even if you're building does survive an earthquake it could get damaged by a fire in the area.

I have framed more wood homes than steel homes over the years and my steel stud construction is limited to nonbearing partition walls usually located in office buildings. I love framing with metal because of its light weight and ease of construction.

I still love framing with wood. There is something about what framing that I have always loved and always will.

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 House Framing Ideas

Build a Sunroom - Important Tips

If you are going to build a sunroom, chances are you are going to go with a kit to make it easy. Well, kits are definitely an easy and wonderful way that you can build the sunroom that you have been wanting. Whether you want to add on to your home to increase your living area or you just want a nice room where you can relax, there are many things to keep in mind. You will find that there are sunrooms in various shapes, styles, and that cost various prices. Wondering how to buy and build the right sunroom for your needs? Well, here are a few tips that can help you out as you work on making this purchase.

Tip #1 - Check Out Showrooms - Before you decide on the sunroom that is right for you, you should definitely take the time to check out some showrooms. This allows you to get a closer look at models that are full size. While you may find that the brochures look wonderful, you'll want to make sure that you can actually see what it is going to look like when it is completed. This is important if you want to get quality sunroom kits, so make sure you actually get to see a completed project before you decide to make the purchase.

Tip #2 - Make Sure There is a Warranty - If you are going to use a kit to build your own sunroom, then you will need to make sure that there is a warranty. Make sure that there is a good manufacturers warranty and how long that it is going to last. Also, figure out what all is going to be covered by this warranty as well. You want to make sure that you know what to do if something does happen to your sunroom. If the company is having someone build the sunroom for you, make sure that there is some kind of labor guarantee as well.

Tip #3 - Consider Insurance Issues - Consider the insurance issues if someone is building the sunroom for you. Some companies actually have sub contractors that are doing their work, which means that there is no workman's comp insurance taken on them from the company. Make sure that the sub contractors have some kind of insurance or you may find that you are held responsible for anything that happens to them.

Tip #4 - Find Out About Energy Star Ratings - You'll also want to find out about energy start ratings when you are looking into a sunroom for your home. This is a program that rates various products on their energy efficiency. If you are going with a sunroom that is made for cooling and heating all year round, then it can be eligible to get the Energy Star rating. Ask about this rating to see if the sunroom you are getting will have it.

Tip #5 - Ensure You Get the Permits and Inspections Needed - Once you are ready to start building, you'll want to make sure that you find out about the permits that you need and make sure you have them in place before you actually start on the instruction. Also, find out what inspections may be needed and schedule them as well so you can make sure that everything is up to code.

For lots of sunroom ideas and information on sunroom windows visit The DIY Home Guide

Flipping Houses Books

Stair Building Books

Where do we go to buy stair building books? Do we go to the major retailers like Amazon or Barnes & Noble? I have found over the years the information in most of these books I have purchased from these stores has a lot of fluff with very little common sense stair building application.

I bought one stair building book that had information on handrails. The front cover looked great and I thought this was going to be a great book reading the reviews from Amazon. When I finally got the book in the mail, I would say about one third of it was math tables for building elaborate wooden hand railing's. These tables were not easy to understand along with the rest of the book.

Back when I bought the book on building stair handrails it dawned on me that most of the construction workers I have met during my 30 years of working in the field were not very good outside of basic math. Now I knew a lot of carpenters that could read a measuring tape and use a framing square pretty good. But when it came to advanced geometrical construction projects like a stair hand railing system this was out of our league.

Reading this book or should I say parts of it gave me an idea to write a book of my own, starting with basic stair building I took all the fluff or the hard to understand advanced stair building applications out of my book, How to Build a Straight Set of Stairs.

I put a lot of time into creating an illustration for every possible part of building a simple set of stairs. I have probably built over 2000 sets of stairs during my lifetime and have explained and taught basic and advanced stair building to other carpenters. Understanding what parts of the stair construction process they understood, I was able to improve my skills as a stair building teacher.

Most people do not need advanced stair building skills to construct a simple straight set of stairs. If you are building a straight set of stairs and would like a stair building book with lots of easy to understand illustrations along with simplified directions you have found it.

We're building more stair building books to help contractors, carpenters, handymen and homeowners understand the stair building process.

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.

Want to Know How to Makeover Your Home For Less? Canvas Wall Art Prints

They say a picture paints a thousand words? We agree, and if your talking modern wall pictures for your contemporary home you cant go far wrong than considering a canvas artwork for your living space or office. There are a plethora of canvas art online galleries small and large out there - all of them offering different services at different prices. This article is aimed at providing a balanced view of what's hot and what's not in the world of canvases. We hope these somewhat abstract words of wisdom will help you in your quest to choose a great canvas art print for yourself.

A canvas print, also known as a stretched canvas or canvas art, is the result of an image printed onto a canvas which is stretched, or gallery wrapped onto a frame and displayed. Many sellers offer canvas art either stretched or unstretched. Stretched canvas takes the hassle out of the process for the buyer. Generally the canvas will be 'wall ready' straight out of the shipping box. However often you can save a little bit of cash buy asking for your canvas print to be shipped unframed, your print will probably arrive in a tube and you will then need to hand build a frame before hanging. I would always recommend spending a little extra of your hard earned cash on getting your canvas print framed. This way your leaving it to the experts to do what they do best.

Historically reproductions of original artwork have been printed onto canvas for many decades using what's commonly known as offset printing in the trade. In recent years the industry has exploded with the ever growing popularity of inkjet printers and digital photographic devices. Modern large format printers can print up to huge sizes up to 60 inches in width. This size and scale of canvas printing has meant an almost endless scope for design and decoration of photographic images and artwork. Walk into any contemporary restaurant these days and you can almost guarantee that you will find a huge macro focused image of the chef's latest culinary delight.

The growth of the internet in the digital age has had huge ramifications for the services that canvas art retailers can offer to their customers. Web 2.0 has meant development of many user generated software packages that allow anyone to load up photos, do basic effects to those pictures and reproduce them as canvas art prints. Some online canvas art sellers do nothing else other than produce artwork generated by users of their websites. Others have huge artwork catalogues that can be reproduced 'on demand' for customers rather than having to be pre made. We always recommend when considering which company to buy your canvas art from to check their delivery schedules before purchase. Some offer services within 48 hours others 2 weeks! Go for the 48hour option as weeks can often run unto months as the work builds up over busy periods.

The process of framing a modern canvas print takes skill and experience to achieve a professional quality finish. Make sure the print is tightly stretched over around the sides of a box stretcher frame when you receive it. Good stretcher frames will be professionally, accurately cut with a sloping profile that minimises contact with the front face of the canvas, preventing the impression marks. Without this slope you may find that over years rather than months the impression marks become so bad as to ruin the actual canvas picture. They should also be adjustable, supplied with tensioning wedges in each inside corner that can be tapped in slightly to allow occasional re-tightening of the canvas. To take the perceived risk out of the 'buying canvas art' equation look for sellers that offer no quibble money back guarantees for a period of time after receipt. Not only can you check out the quality against what we recommend in this article but you can also 'live with' the canvas wall artwork for a few days to check it matches your wall dcor and contemporary furnishings.

So what type of canvas art seller is best I hear you cry? Unfortunately we don't have a finite answer for that question but we have a few thoughts on things to look out for. Most wall canvas sellers come from a printing background... great you might think, what could go wrong? Well have a think, and look at the actual artwork they have on offer and compare it to other canvas sellers. You will see some similarities as they will probably buy images from stock photography sellers. As a piece of 'art' these canvas prints will be worthless over the long term. They lack a little integrity as they wont be limited editions signed by the artist, as there is no artist! Look out for information on artists, limited edition numbers and so forth, this is usually a good sign for the longevity of value for your canvas wall artwork. Make sure your canvas art retailer has one foot in the printing industry and the other dipped into the art world galaxy!

Luke Hollingworth is an artist and business person from a rural area in the United Kingdom. He works for a canvas wall art company called Art By People - http://www.artbypeople.co.uk

Pest Control Books

What You Need to Know About Vinyl Shake Siding

Vinyl Cedar Shake Sidings have some obvious benefits. Otherwise, they would not be preferred over the conventional wooden sidings, which have been serving a lot of home improvement activities for some time now.

With benefits like low maintenance costs and excellent longevity, you would find Vinyl Cedar Shake Sidings increasingly finding favor with a lot of home owners. If you wish to be using sidings for your home or business space, then you should definitely consider some top quality products, for example The Foundry.

Variations in the exterior and the tone coupled with splits along the granular lines are typically some characteristics of cedar vinyl shake siding.

Austere and Simple - Two words for Cedar Vinyl Shake Siding

These sidings are known to grant a very good, old and a rustic look to your home. Though at times, some people may find this a touch too expensive, especially on the lines of some wood shake sidings, but the fact that these sidings allow so many benefits to people make it an excellent prospect to be used in most homes. With that being said, polypropylene shakes allow an extra touch of finesse to the wood shakes and also helps in reducing maintenance costs.

Homes that have these sidings definitely look a class apart. Ask people who stay in the home, and they would tell you that their homes are now calmer and much more pleasing to stay in. In earlier days, wood shakes with cedar finishing used to be done with the rather arduous method of hand sewing. Of course, with time, this has been replaced with much sophisticated techniques to give cedar sidings.

More about Vinyl Cedar Shake Siding

For a moment, think like a termite (Not a creature you would want to think of)! If you really were a termite and wished to have a family, trust you would head for the wooden places to establish your base. The good news with Cedar Shake Sidings is that they do not encourage termites. Bad news for you if you are thinking like a termite as yet!

Cedar shakes that are hand-hewn can be good, but not many people like its appearance. If that really is the case, you should go for vinyl cedar shake sidings, which anyways will impress you with their style and low maintenance costs.

Jim Warren is a consumer advocate who enjoys writing about the right way to purchase and take care of Vinyl Log Siding. Be sure to visit http://vinyllogsidingreport.com for more important vinyl siding tips and resources.

Flipping Houses Books

Termites Can Ruin Your Home

There are three conditions that attract termites to an area:

Water is the first condition that attracts termites to an area. Termites generally cannot survive without a source of water present. Termites will always seek some source of moisture to survive whether it is in the form of a leaky faucet, sprinkler or rain.

Wood is the next thing that will attract termites. Termites will consume any material that contains cellulose. Since wood contains a great deal of cellulose, termites eat wood like no other. If a single piece of wood touches the ground, a colony of termites somewhere will know about it. Some subterranean termites will consume other materials such as vegetation, dung, and humus, but their primary source of food is wood.

The last thing that termites are attracted to is soil. Termites are subterranean, so they build their colonies in the ground. They love soil and will build elaborate tunnel systems, called galleries up to three feet below the surface. Termites will use soil to create mud tubes leading from their underground colonies to above ground food sources such as the wood in your home.

Being aware of the three conditions for termite survival can help you to keep destructive termites away from your home. Termites cost over $1 billion in damages to homes each year. They are one of the biggest contributors to home destruction. With the importation of the Formosan termite from East Asia, the amount of termite caused home damage continues to rise. A termite colony consists of anywhere from 250,000 to a million termites. A single termite queen can live between 30 and 50 years and can lay thousands of eggs per day. That means that a queen can repopulate her colony even after tremendous devastation. The best way to fight termites is to prevent them from ever touching your home.

So if you want to find more about pest control or even about New Jersey pest control or pest control Monmouth new jersey, please click these links.

What You Need To Know About Home Improvement Remodeling

Have a specific plan of what you want done.

Before you even start, it's important to know what exactly it is you want to do. Do you want to completely redo the kitchen, or do you want to put in a new shower in a bathroom? Browse magazines for ideas, or ask friends whose homes you like what exactly they did. From there, you can know whether or not you can do it yourself or if you will have to hire someone.

In addition, planning thoroughly is important because it could affect the outcome of other projects. For example, let's say you want to add siding to your home. You will need to check if there are other repairs or things that could influence the siding, such as windows, paint, and so forth.

You will also want to prioritize your projects. For example, if you only have the budget for one project, and you need a new roof but would also like to redo your master bathroom, the new roof should take priority.

It's also a good idea to check local laws and ordinances before you begin remodeling. Make sure your homeowner's association allows the project you would like to do, so you don't end up wasting money if they don't approve it and you're already halfway finished.

Create a budget.

First, determine how much you want to spend. Then, you can determine whether you can tackle all the projects at once, or whether you will need to break them up and work on one this year, another next year, and so forth.

When making a budget, make sure you take into account not just materials, but labor and clean-up too. Costs you may not think about, like renting industrial vaccums, carpet cleaning, or dumpsters can add up.

That said, most experts will tell you it's a good idea to have a little extra set aside just in case, as many remodeling projects go over budget. Or, the home owners decide they would like to add something new; for example, if they originally planned on replacing countertops and then ended up putting in new cabinetry as well.

Consider timing

The time of year you decide to do remodeling will make a difference as well. Some things are obvious - you don't want to wait until summer is half over to install central air, nor do you want to put a swimming pool in in the dead of winter.

Spring is often an ideal time for remodeling for a number of reasons. The weather is usually ideal, and most people have recovered from the costs of the holiday season.

Home improvement remodeling is an exciting way to add not only value to your home, but to make it a more pleasant place to live. By careful planning and budgeting, you can make the most of your home improvement.

HomeBuildingRemodeling.com is your source for top quality home building, remodeling and home decorating information. For free articles delivered daily by email, visit http://www.HomeBuildingRemodeling.com and enter your name and email under the Free Home Building and Remodeling Updates section.

Preventing Exterior Fires to Your Home

It is important to consider the exterior of your home as a hazard arean and should be a part of your property protection plan. Don't overlook the patio, back yard, roof and garden when making your inspection for fire hazards. These areas are just as important as the interior of your home, especially since there are other factors that can affect a fire's behavior.

Roof Safety

There are many homes lost due to the roof catching fire. If you are building or replacing the roof, ask your contractor about using non-combustible or fire resistant roofing materials, such as Class A shingles, metal, or tiles. If roof of your home is not fire retardant, it can be treated with fire retardant processes to reduce its flammability.

Yard Safety Cleaning

If you have a wood pile in your yard, following some basic fire safety rules can prevent it from catching fire. Always remember that the way you maintain the wood pile can reduce the occurrence, size, and intensity of a fire. Make a safety parimeter around the wood with about 30 feet of clearance. A fresh, green lawn makes a good safety parimeter, as long as it is clear of leaves, twigs, and other fuel for a fire.

When it comes to plants and trees, some are more fire resistant than others. For example, hardwood trees are more fire resistant than pine trees. Remove dry leaves, dead limbs, twigs and debris as they can turn a small fire into a large one. By thinning out your trees to keep a fifteen foot distance between tree crowns you can reduce the chance of fire spreading from tree to tree.

Tree limbs and dead branches should be removed from about 6 to 10 feet off the ground to prevent fires from spreading from the ground to the trees. Trees should be well maintained and pruned near buildings, stovepipes and chimneys.

Outdoor Grill

The best way to keep your outdoor gas grill in good and safe condition is to keep it clean of dirt, grease, and debris. Periodically check the case line for cracks. Propane or natural gas leaking from a cracked hose can be extremely hazardous.

Leo Nov is an editorial staff member of RestorationSOS, to learn more about fire damage and fire and smoke damage cleanup visit RestorationSOS.com or call 1-877-767-2407.