Metal Siding Painting Advice

Painting metal and aluminum siding can become a nightmare if not done right. Over the years I have worked on and repaired many homes with metal siding. Metal siding is real common in mobile homes. Most older mobile homes use aluminum paneling for their exterior siding.

Most painted metal siding seems to last at least 20 years. The reason for this is the paint is baked on in a factory giving it a high quality and nice looking surface. This baked on method is used for painting aluminum and most metals siding that gives the product a long life.

I lived in a mobile home park for a few years and my next door neighbor's mobile home had never been painted and was over 45 years old. He would go out and washed the mobile home once a year with some TSP soap while using a brush on the end of an extension pole to clean the home.

His mobile home might not have looked brand new but it was definitely in great shape. Over the years he had developed a few scratches and some dirt that was hard to wash off but that was about the extent of the damage to the painted metal siding.

Well we painted our mobile home and used an expensive metal primer along with some expensive paint from Dunn Edwards & Co... This paint worked great. We lived there for around four years and never had any problems once the home was painted. Having been in the construction business I knew we had to use a good metal paint primer in order for the paint to stick to the baked on paint process for the metal siding to look good.

Here's my advice to you when painting metal siding.

1. Make sure the metal siding is clean. Use TSP soap along with a scrub brush and scrub that baby clean. The cleaner the metal surface the better the new paint primer will stick or adhere to the old paint.
2. Follow the instructions carefully on the paint primer can when applying the primer. Do not paint below or above the recommended paint temperatures.
3. Make sure you explain to the paint salesman at whatever store you're in that you are going to be painting metal siding. Get the right paint primer.
4. I would love to recommend a paint primer but cannot because I don't want to get a phone call from anyone a few years from now telling me the paint is peeling off of their home. Let that responsibility become the paint manufacturers.
5. Let the paint primer dry for the recommended time as per the directions on the paint primer can. I prefer letting the paint dry at least one week. The reason for this is some paint primer's stay soft for a while and if you paint over them immediately they doesn't seem to bond as good and sometimes will stay soft for a long period of time.
6. Apply your final coats of paint following the manufacturer's instructions on the paint can.

There you have it painting metal siding is all in the preparation of the surface you are painting.

Have fun painting and always read and follow the manufacturer's recommended instructions for the products you are using. These people test their products constantly and know the best way to apply them to any surface.

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 different Types Of House Siding

Brick Design With Oozing Grout
Furniture Restoration Books

Avoid Contractor Scams - Home Remodeling Tips

You might think you have to live in Florida, California or a state where natural weather disasters or wildfires create a cycle of home rebuilding to be targeted by contractor scams. But in fact, anyone who owns a home is at risk for falling victim to unscrupulous contractors. It only takes one bad experience to sour a homeowner, and this is unfortunate for the majority of contractors who take pride in their work and do a good job. To avoid experiencing what can end up being a home repair nightmare, all you need to do is be aware of some common scams and don't be afraid to ask questions, require references, make the effort to check those references, never sign anything that looks suspicious or without reading thoroughly and never agree to anything in haste.

In the springtime everything starts to gear up again. Many potential buyers are shopping for a new home and there are real estate agents hosting open houses. There is new grass, leaves, flower buds, families barbequing and shady contractors cruising the neighborhoods looking for an easy mark. Unfortunately, a sad fact is that older home owners are often targeted the most, but really anyone can be duped by a convincing pitch.

One of the most frequently used lines is that the contractor was in the neighborhood doing work and just happened to drive by and see something wrong with your home. Being the kind-hearted person that he is, he took time off from his busy schedule and wanted to stop and alert you to the problem you have. And even more convenient for you, he and his crew can work you in while they are in the area. Most legitimate builders and contractors do not go door to door like salesmen. Be wary of anyone showing up unscheduled and offering to do work right away with the pitch that they'll cut you a deal because they are already doing a project close by.

The most often used pitch for this scenario is roof repair. Dishonest contractors may tell a homeowner that their roof is in bad shape, not visible to the naked or untrained eye, and by hiring them to replace it now you'll save money in the long run by avoiding water damage from leakage. This is often perpetrated on older residents who cannot keep a watchful on the repair work actually being done. The homeowner will usually end up with substandard roofing materials or shingles that are a lower grade than the ones you originally had on the roof.

Getting your driveway repaved is another common scam. Even if someone two houses down from you just had it done and it looks fantastic, don't assume the guy who shows up at your door offering to do yours is the one who did the other. Most of the time it isn't the same contractor, but another one shadowing the reputable one. This other guy will do a sub par job and you'll be left with cracks in both your bank account and driveway.

Any contractor who approaches you suggesting that with your help they can do repairs for you for free by turning it into your insurance company isn't doing you any favors. What they are doing is making you a partner in crime by having you commit insurance fraud if there isn't any real basis for the claim. And don't think the insurance company won't prosecute, because they will.

Never, ever agree to pay cash, especially up front. You may be tempted by a big discount offered for a cash payment or advance, but those savings and your money will be as gone as the contractor who just left to go get supplies and will supposedly be back tomorrow.

Never sign the deed to your home over to finance repairs. Chances are if you do this, you won't have to worry about repairs because you won't have a home to repair.

Be suspicious of a contractor who claims he has extra or leftover lumber or supplies and can give you a great quote on a project. You should wonder and ask where those materials came from and realize that somebody, even if it wasn't you, paid for those supplies.

Always ask to see identification, especially if a so-called inspector shows up claiming you need work done to meet a code and tries to fine you or make you sign an agreement to have it done. This is not standard procedure and always check with authorities to see if the person actually is who he or she claims to be. You should always ask to see a contractor's license and ask for references, then check those references. Unhappy previous customers or a complete lack of customers is a sure warning sign. And speaking of signs, never sign anything without reading it or having your lawyer check it over. There are a lot of helpful sites out there where you can find more tips, such as About Chicago Real Estate.

If you do find yourself in hot tar, shoddy shingles or crummy carpentry, contact your Better Business Bureau or State's Attorney office to file a complaint and seek help. An old builder's rule is measure twice, cut once. Remember to double check everything and always get more than one quote.

Paula Cherrist writes articles about Chicago condos for sale, home trends and new homes for About Chicago Real Estate.

Exterior House Painting - 5 Tips For Doing a Professional Job

Spring is just around the corner and this article is all about giving the exterior of your house the paint job it deserves. As a professional house painter I would like to lay out five important tips that most people get wrong when painting the exterior of their home.

#1.) House Wash - I like to give the house a good wash before I paint it. I don't wash all four sides at once though. I usually do just one side (the side I plan on painting first) at a time because I'm going to be there for a week or two anyways probably. That way by the time you get to the next side there isn't a bunch of webs or sand or dirt built back up.

#2.) Choosing Colors - Some houses you drive by have weird colors. This is because they picked colors from a fan deck. For best results you should use an exterior house color brochure. Its coordinated color schemes help you to choose normal standardized colors. A standardized color chart will have perfect color matches that you should pick and choose from. Especially if doing two or three color schemes, you want a professional color-coordinated exterior brochure. These brochures are usually found at any paint store.

#3.) Use Quality Paint - I always use name brand paint on all my exterior house painting jobs. Why use inferior paint and waste all that hard labor? Especially if you are paying someone else to do the painting. I like Benjamin Moore exterior house paint. They have good time-tested exterior paints and primers.

#4.) Latex vs Oil Base - I always use latex paint on the outside or exterior of a house. Oil base or Alkyd coating tend to crack and peel. Latex paint can breathe and stays flexible. It lets the moisture out of the house. Oil base paints cannot. That is why you get cracking and peeling.

The only exception is when the you have bare wood. You want to prime it with an exterior alkyd or oil-base primer. Bare wood can cause "bleed through" stains that you can not block as well using a latex primer (Although nowadays some latex primers are actually getting good at stain blocking). But the main thing is that you want to use latex paint on your house's exterior and you want to use a good name brand exterior paint. Especially if you're a house painter and you're doing it for a homeowner. Don't show up on their door step with average name brand paint. People want the best.

#5.) Oil Base Stains - If you plan on staining your house there are many excellent exterior latex stains. Especially solid body stain. Solid body stain looks like regular paint except it's made for rough wood siding. Now if you have a natural wood color siding you will want to use a "semi-transparent" stain that is oil base. I would use an oil base stain in this instance because the oil base stain can permeate down into the natural wood. This is something that should be done every few years to keep the sun and elements from deteriorating the natural wood look. A quick one coat to protect the natural wood siding is best.

Lee Cusano has owned and operated his own successful painting business since 1991. He has also helped many others to start their own painting business with his "Paint Like a Pro Estimating and Advertising System". Lee also offers a new free report titled "How To Quit Your Day Job This Week and Double or Triple Your Income". To get it please go to http://www.Painting-Business.com

Dream Home Checklist - Home Buying

First things first when looking for your dream home. Make a list of all the things you're looking for. With today's computers and search engines on the Internet it makes home shopping by keywords very simple.

Most real estate websites have boxes you can check off, if you're looking for a three-bedroom house with two bathrooms and a swimming pool. You simply check these items off, select the area you would like to search for homes and and you now have a list of homes to look at.

Some of these homes have virtual tours on the Internet, which allows you to go through most of the home before you actually visit the house. Modern technology has made searching for your dream home a virtual reality.

You can now look through the list and select the most appealing homes before you start driving around. Don't let the pictures of these homes deceive you on the Internet or MLS. Some of the descriptions of these homes can also be very deceptive.

When looking for your dream home, used every possible means available to you. This would include your real estate professionals, newspapers, magazines, search engines, internet websites, and don't forget about driving around your favorite neighborhoods. This is actually how we found one of the homes we bought.

Our real estate salesman gave us a list of homes to look at, while we were driving around, we spotted a home that caught our attention and we pulled in the driveway. To our amazement, the real estate saleswoman who listed the home lived a couple of houses down the street and was right there asking if we wanted to see the inside of the house.

Your family, friends, neighbors and people you work with, can also help you with your homebuying quest. You would be surprised at how helpful some of these people can be. I knew someone who found a home they really liked, knocked on the door and told the homeowners, they would be very interested if their home was ever put on the market. Within a few weeks, he was buying the home.

I'm not telling you to knock on everyone's door whose not selling their house, but you never know how or when you're going to run into the house of your dreams.

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 shoping checklist to take some of the frustration out of home shopping

Don't buy a house without visiting, one of the best websites for home inspections. This website has thousands of pictures that deal with home inspection problems. If you're buying a house, check out this section on house inspection cover ups

Missing Skylight Insulation

Repairing a Leaking Toilet - Home Repairs

Let me explain how a toilet works. First when you go to flush the toilet a little arm pulls a rubber flapper up and lets the water drain into the toilet bowl. The water draining into the toilet bowl forces the old water out along with the number two or number one waste and extremities.

If the toilet sounds like it is running there is a good chance that the seal between the rubber flapper and the plastic rain at the bottom of the toilet is broken somehow. The sound you are hearing is water running around this ring and in to the toilet bowl.

This leak is actually causing no damage to the toilet itself but is wasting water. Hence the water bill will be a little higher if you don't fix the leaking toilet. The best way to find out if this is actually your problem is to take the toilet tank lid off. Then stick your hand down into the toilet bowl and press gently on the rubber flap.

If the water stops leaking or starts running faster this is your problem. Turn the water off to the toilet. There will be a shut off valve on the wall under your toilet bowl in the bathroom. After you turn the water off removed the plastic flap and examine it.

You will be looking for a warped toilet flap or of some sort or grooves on the flapper itself. Take the toilet flapper down to your local home improvement store and buy a new one. Go home and replace the new toilet flapper and this should solve 90% of your leaking toilet problems.

There is one more thing it could be. With the toilet tank lid off, check to see if water is overflowing into the little round plastic pipe. This plastic pipe should have a small hose running from the float valve assembly into it.

If the water is over flowing from the toilet tank into this little plastic pipe you will need to adjust the float.

First thing you will need to do is while the toilet is running lift up on the float lever arm. If the water stops you can simply bend the metal arm of the float lever. The purpose of bending the arm will force the float deeper into the water there for stopping the water from rising over the small tube in the center of your toilet.

There are few parts to a toilet and most parts can be purchased at your local hardware or home improvement centers. Toilet repairs like this can be made simple and the parts used to replace are inexpensive.

Happy Toilet Repairing.

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 House 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 Some Great Plumbing Ideas

Spanish Tile Roofing Damage

Before Starting Home Renovations

With talks of recession and the cost of oil skyrocketing, consumers are becoming more energy conscience in their daily lives. The talk around the patio this summer is the low interest rates on vehicles and other promotional items to encourage them to continue purchasing the "typical" gas guzzling vehicle. The conversation may flow towards the new hybrid cars available from various companies. One conversation that happens rarely is how consumer's can make their homes more energy efficient.

Consumers tend to change their old 20 year old furnace when it "konks" out and no longer provides heat. Windows are replaced when the old windows are no longer aesthetically appealing. Insulation in the basement is added when they decide to refinish and the attic insulation is never a concern. Consumer's today have more knowledge of their vehicles than they do their largest investment.

The ecoEnergy Program, launched in 2007, by the Federal Government provides the education that a homeowner requires when making energy efficient decisions. As a bonus, Natural Resources Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Energy provides up to $10,000 in grants when making Energy Efficient upgrades. The education received by having an ecoEnergy evaluation is priceless. Homeowners are educated on how their home operates as a system and how one component is vital to another component in the house. Homeowners must have an initial evaluation prior to performing any Energy Efficient upgrades. This evaluation should include:

* Detailed certified examination

* Blower door test to determine air leakage

* Standby power loss demo

* Tour of air leakage sites

* Analysis of heating and cooling equipment

* Assessment of insulation values

* Comprehensive list of energy trouble spots

* Prioritized energy action list

* Official EnerGuide rating label

* Energy Saving Advice

* Complete report presentation on-site

As with any purchasing decision, it is always advisable to shop around and get three quotes for an ecoEnergy evaluation. Some advisor's provide the ecoEnergy report presentation on site, where others process the report in a central location where it is then mailed to homeowner within two weeks.

Once the preliminary evaluation is conducted the homeowner has 18 months to complete some or all of the renovations recommended. The ecoEnergy advisor returns to conduct another blower door test and document the upgrades performed in the home.

Lastly, the renovation contractor is the last person a homeowner will see when making their investment. It is always advisable to work with a contractor who, not only provides information about their product, but also encourages having an ecoEnergy evaluation performed on their home. A contractor who advises this to the homeowner is not threatened to 3rd party unbiased advice and has provided the homeowner the opportunity to receive the grants available and will put off the installation date (for a reasonable period of time) to keep their homeowner satisfied.

About the Writer

Trina Stewart has been working with Renovation Contractors and homeowners since 1996. She has been intimately involved with various programs including the Window Wise National Certification Program, Energuide for Houses Program, and ecoEnergy. Her reputation as being an information source for contractors, homeowners, local utilities, municipalities, and other organizations has contributed to her success in the renovation industry.

Trina Stewart is the President of Trina Stewart Consulting which offers consulting and virtual administration services to businesses across The Golden Triangle and the GTA. She is currently Marketing Development Specialist for The House Whisperers (http://www.thehousewhisperers.ca), an ecoEnergy Service Organization servicing BC and Ontario.

Before Starting Home Renovations

With talks of recession and the cost of oil skyrocketing, consumers are becoming more energy conscience in their daily lives. The talk around the patio this summer is the low interest rates on vehicles and other promotional items to encourage them to continue purchasing the "typical" gas guzzling vehicle. The conversation may flow towards the new hybrid cars available from various companies. One conversation that happens rarely is how consumer's can make their homes more energy efficient.

Consumers tend to change their old 20 year old furnace when it "konks" out and no longer provides heat. Windows are replaced when the old windows are no longer aesthetically appealing. Insulation in the basement is added when they decide to refinish and the attic insulation is never a concern. Consumer's today have more knowledge of their vehicles than they do their largest investment.

The ecoEnergy Program, launched in 2007, by the Federal Government provides the education that a homeowner requires when making energy efficient decisions. As a bonus, Natural Resources Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Energy provides up to $10,000 in grants when making Energy Efficient upgrades. The education received by having an ecoEnergy evaluation is priceless. Homeowners are educated on how their home operates as a system and how one component is vital to another component in the house. Homeowners must have an initial evaluation prior to performing any Energy Efficient upgrades. This evaluation should include:

* Detailed certified examination

* Blower door test to determine air leakage

* Standby power loss demo

* Tour of air leakage sites

* Analysis of heating and cooling equipment

* Assessment of insulation values

* Comprehensive list of energy trouble spots

* Prioritized energy action list

* Official EnerGuide rating label

* Energy Saving Advice

* Complete report presentation on-site

As with any purchasing decision, it is always advisable to shop around and get three quotes for an ecoEnergy evaluation. Some advisor's provide the ecoEnergy report presentation on site, where others process the report in a central location where it is then mailed to homeowner within two weeks.

Once the preliminary evaluation is conducted the homeowner has 18 months to complete some or all of the renovations recommended. The ecoEnergy advisor returns to conduct another blower door test and document the upgrades performed in the home.

Lastly, the renovation contractor is the last person a homeowner will see when making their investment. It is always advisable to work with a contractor who, not only provides information about their product, but also encourages having an ecoEnergy evaluation performed on their home. A contractor who advises this to the homeowner is not threatened to 3rd party unbiased advice and has provided the homeowner the opportunity to receive the grants available and will put off the installation date (for a reasonable period of time) to keep their homeowner satisfied.

About the Writer

Trina Stewart has been working with Renovation Contractors and homeowners since 1996. She has been intimately involved with various programs including the Window Wise National Certification Program, Energuide for Houses Program, and ecoEnergy. Her reputation as being an information source for contractors, homeowners, local utilities, municipalities, and other organizations has contributed to her success in the renovation industry.

Trina Stewart is the President of Trina Stewart Consulting which offers consulting and virtual administration services to businesses across The Golden Triangle and the GTA. She is currently Marketing Development Specialist for The House Whisperers (http://www.thehousewhisperers.ca), an ecoEnergy Service Organization servicing BC and Ontario.

DIY Bathroom Remodeling - Home Remodels

The first question you need to ask yourself when remodeling a bathroom is can you actually do the work yourself or do you have someone that can help you with the remodeling. If you don't know anyone and can't do the work yourself, I would suggest hiring a contractor with experience remodeling bathrooms.

If you can do the work yourself or think you could do the work yourself, why not give it a shot. Any experience you have in construction or home remodeling, is going to be beneficial to your bathroom remodeling project. There is plenty of information on the internet or in your local libraries on bathroom remodeling and these often prove to be great resources for do it yourselfers.

As an experienced contractor I have gathered a great deal of information through books, at work and watching local home improvement shows. The biggest problem with the show's and quite a few of these books, is they don't provide enough information. Most of the time they provide you with the basics of bathroom remodeling and you could soon find yourself in trouble or seeking the advice from a home improvement professional.

The largest benefit for doing the bathroom remodeling project yourself, could be the money you save, along with the satisfaction of completing the project. It makes homeowners feel good when they've completed a large home remodeling project, like a bathroom remodel.

If you don't have the time, lack the experience or a combination of both, I would suggest hiring a contractor to relieve you from the stress and frustration of your bath remodeling project. The more complex your bathroom remodeling project is, the greater the degree of difficulty, the longer it will take to complete the project. Some of these projects can take up a lot of your time.

If you're working on galvanized water supply pipes or old cast iron waste pipes, you could find yourself hiring a plumber to install your bathtub and fixtures. These old pipes create problems for most do it yourselfers and I would suggest hiring a professional, whenever you run into a problem you don't feel comfortable with.

Choosing to tackle some of these difficult problems yourself, could lead to water leaks and more damage to the home eventually costing you even more money than the original cost of hiring an experienced plumber in the first place. When it comes to water, structural framing and electricity, think twice, especially if you're not experienced in these areas.

My advice to do it yourselfers is to hire a professional if you're not comfortable or seek the advice from a contractor or someone with considerable experience bathroom remodeling.

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 your looking for some more House Remodeling Pictures or home building ideas.

Stair Stringer Fire Blocking

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/.

Stair Building Books and Ideas

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.

Missing Blown In Insulation

Stair Handrailing Or Guard Rail

Before the 1980s most stairways had a handrail and to this day, most stair handrails are not considered guard rails. Well things have changed and now most stairways require a guard rail and it gripable handrail.

What's the difference between a stair handrailing and a stair guard rail, quite frankly about 6 inches. Your stair guard rails have a minimum requirement of 42 inches where stair handrails built before the 1980s had a handrailing for protection with a minimum requirement of 36 inches.

This does not mean that older stair handrails that are 36 inches tall will need to be removed and replaced, because the new building codes have changed. If you were to rebuild the stair handrail or do any work on the stairway that required a building permit, they could have you change your stair handrailing to meet current building codes.

I was helping another guy frame a new house in 2005 and while I was on the job I would mention to the owner, certain concerns of mine with other parts of the job. After a while he realized, that I knew what I'll was talking about and started to pay attention when ever I mentioned anything related to home building.

He asked me if I would be interested in building the stair handrailing system and at the time I was too busy. I reminded him of the minimum requirements for the stair guard rail, it was no longer referred to as a stair handrail and would need to be at least 42 inches in height and include a gripable handrail.

Well as you guessed it, the next time I walked into the home, I noticed a 36 inch high stair handrail. I reminded him and he wasn't too concerned, because he hired someone that knew all about building stair handrails.

The building inspector made him remove and replace the stair handrail, before he would approve the home for final inspection. Don't make the same mistakes, learn a little more about stair handrail safety and don't become another statistic in the home building industry.

Always check with your local building department, whether you're reading articles like this or asking questions to experienced contractors. Everybody makes mistakes and sometimes their information is out of date, according to new home building practices or building codes.

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 interested in building stairs, whether you're a professional or a do it yourself homeowner, you should make your stair building and other construction projects as simple as possible. Check out the latest stair building tools, some of these tools can make even the average homeowner look like a building professional

Peach Building With White Trim

Sauna Bathing Or Steam Bathing - Home Tips

Sauna is the Finnish word for "bath". Finns who immigrated to the United States centuries ago brought with them a unique bathing custom, which is now only beginning to become popular here. Often confused with a steam bath, a true sauna bath is very different, even though both types of baths offer the same therapeutic benefits.

The temperatures in a traditional sauna can actually approach 200 degrees Fahrenheit! The extremely low humidity present in the sauna makes these temperatures tolerable. Properly designed, the sauna's relative humidity rarely exceeds 2% or 3% when operated in the "dry" mode. This permits the copious amount of perspiration produced by the body to dry quickly thus having a cooling effect.

All Scandinavian style saunas have a radiant air heater, which has a container of stones. These stones retain and radiate heat more consistently, which is why the Tylo electric sauna heaters have such a deep stone compartment. The stones can also be sprinkled with water to produce the wet sauna. This creates bursts of steam (called loyly by the Finns), which disappear quickly into the porous soft wood of the sauna. Humidity then climbs from a few percent to 10-15%. This instantly intensifies the sauna's heat as if the temperature had increased drastically (although it may even have dropped slightly).

In contrast, a steam bath makes use of a steam generator. This device heats water directly, not air. The steam room enclosure fills completely with condensed vapor. Clouds of steam envelope the bather. The humidity exceeds 100% and the temperatures are much lower than those of the sauna. Because of their very different modes of operation, the choice of construction materials is critical. A totally non-porous material such as tile, glass, or plastic is the choice for a steam room.

Previously, a homeowner desiring a steam room needed to frame and tile an enclosure and then fit it with a steam door. While this resulted in a beautiful installation, both the labor and materials made this method quite costly. Now, modern plastic technology has made the easy to install enclosure available. It has drastically reduced the cost of installing a steam room in your bathroom or exercise room. The Tylo Steam room enclosures are easier to install and more efficient than their framed counterparts by virtue of their design.

Although the steam room enclosure must be non-porous, the opposite is true of a sauna room. A sauna must be constructed of porous materials (meaning some type of wood), and it often actually employs air circulation through intake and outlet vents. Many varieties of wood are acceptable for sauna construction, but care must be taken when selecting the type and grade.

Whether it's dry heat or clouds of steam, the choice is yours and it is only a matter of taste and lifestyle.

Art Glick - art@almostheaven.net
Almost Heaven Group LLC - http://www.almostheaven.net
304-645-2310

How to Build Your Own Solar Panels

DIY solar panels can convert solar energy into electricity. The sun provides us with free energy everyday. All we have to do is to collect it and turn it into a more usable form and after that we can stop paying thousand of dollars on electricity. Building your own solar panels can help you do just that. Many people believe that installing an alternative power source is expensive, but the truth is that if you decide to do it yourself it will cost as much as one month's supply from your utility company. This way it will practically pay for itself after a few weeks.

Here are the advantages of generating your own electricity:

1. Reduce or even completely eliminate you power bill and save $1000s in the long-term.
2. Create more power than use and sell it to your utility company.
3. Increase your efficiency and never worry about power outages.
4. Reduce dependability on exhaustible resources.
5. Help build a greener, healthier world.
6. Get tax deductions for using environmentally-friendly resources.
7. By installing this system you can increase the value of your home.
8. You can involve your whole family and have fun in the building process.

You can use this panel for all your home appliances (stove, fridge, dishwasher, laundry room facilities and more). Some of the materials you are going to need are: copper wires, an electric stove, a micro-meter, 2 alligator clip leads, sandpaper, table salt and tap water. It will cost you less than $200 to build the system yourself, which would be a better alternative than paying up to $3000 for a ready made panel. Make sure to place the cells where they can receive the largest amount of sunlight available, like on the roof. If that is not possible you can also place them in your garden or backyard. It will only take you a couple of days to complete the project, especially if you follow the instructions of a reliable diy manual. In general, the instructions are very easy to understand and you will be able to build your own solar energy system in no time.

Everyday thousands of people all over the world are learning how to take advantage of the power of the sun and slash their power bills for good.

Do you want to join them?

All you have to do is: Click Here and find out everything you need to know about DIY Solar Panels!

Metal Circular Stairs

Repair Wood Shutters

Learning how to fix wood shutters can be a fun do-it-yourself project. To repair wood shutters, you need to incorporate some long term maintenance along with an understanding of what can cause them to rot. Although wood shutters can rot over time, however, many people enjoy them because they don't look like plastic and they can be installed on operable hinges. The distinct look of functional shutters that come out of the house adds a different look and type of curb appeal that vinyl shutters just don't offer. The problem is the headache that can come every 3-5 years when it's time to replace those shutters. So what can you do to get the most out of your wood shutters? Follow our tips for fixing shutters and how to repair wood shutters and exterior shutters and you will get more life out of them.

The first thing is understanding why exterior shutters can rot. The sun is your biggest enemy, because it will cause your shutters to contract and expand. If your wood shutters are painted dark colors or black and if they get direct sunlight for most of the day then this is even more so the case. Heat from the sun will cause the shutters to expand and split apart. This will expose untreated areas and the rot process will begin as water and insects make their way into the shutters through these cracks.

By maintaining your shutters, you can prolong their life. Paint your shutters every other year. Paint can fade in the sun and as that layer breaks down over time, the rot process can accelerate. You never want to put an adhesive between a shutter panel and the rails that surround it. Common mistakes are the use of caulk or glue to reinforce the panel. Panels have to have the ability to contract, expand, and shift with changing environmental temperatures. Th rails and styles are never glued to the panel for this reason and only serve to hold the panel while allowing it some slight contraction and expansion mobility. A paint contractor can often overlook this minor detail and cause more harm than good for your shutters. If your shutters are starting to split apart at the rails and panels, you need to do a couple of things. First, you should try to paint any exposed wood that's been untreated. And secondly, you should hammer the rails back in place and reinforce the rails and styles with screws. Never screw the panel to the rails or use glue or caulk.

If possible, don't use the color black. Try to avoid colors with dark pigments in them as they will absorb more heat and reduce the lifespan of the exterior shutters. You can also use a vinyl safe paint or a semi-gloss paint to help minimize absorption from the sun. If your shutters are cupping or bowing, then it's likely that the need reinforcement. Overexposure will do this and a long shutter may need a third hinge in the middle to make it more structural.

Keep in mind, that the sun is your worse enemy. If maintenance and repair are not your cup of tea, then have no fear. There is a no rot solution that does still offer the look of wood and functionality of operable shutters and they don't look like plastic. They're also not made from vinyl. What's nice about vinyl shutters is that they are affordable and they don't rot. The disadvantage is that they will always look like plastic and they too can crack and split over time. They're also not hingeable. Many people like wood shutters so that they can be hinged and function as operable shutters. You can consider upgrading to PVC shutters, which look just like wood and can be hinged. They can be an easy way to avoid a shutter maintenance nightmare. With a little bit of shutter repair and preventative maintenance you can prolong the life of your shutters so that they last twice or three times as long.

Matt Buquoi is the owner of Flower Window Boxes, a window box company that specializes in affordable no rot window boxes. They offer no rot PVC shutters that are maintenance free and operable. Visit their website for more information about their no rot shutters and window boxes.

House Pocket Door Problems

Just a few months ago I went over to repair a pocket door that was closing at a weird angle. This was the first time I had ran into this sort of situation and was definitely confused. I got a flashlight and started looking inside the pocket door frame. I had a hard time finding the problem but when I did it was obvious.

As the pocket door was sliding closed it would work perfectly but when you went to open it the bottom of the door would stick out about an inch and a half passed the door jam. The problem turned out to be the track was missing a screw in the very back and as the door slid back into the frame the tracking would hang down at an angle from the weight of the door. There was no way to reach the screw because it was at that very back of the pocket door frame near the framing itself.

In order to fix the pocket door problem I was going to have to remove a good sized area of the plastered wall at the upper right hand corner of the pocket door frame. This was the only thing I could think of and would require a simple wall patch and some paint to make the repair complete.

This job took me about one hour to cut the hole and replaced the screw that had fallen out of the pocket door tracking. I then use some fast setting drywall plaster and some fiberglass drywall tape to repair the wall. This took another hour to finish the drywall properly.

Some pocket door problems are a little easier to repair than this one. Most pocket doors seemed to have problems sliding and eventually are left closed, never to be used again.

Painting the doors over and over again can actually add to the thickness of the door or excessive moisture in the home over long periods of time can also cause the door to swell preventing it from opening properly.

Painting the rollers themselves or the track that the rollers ride in can create a problem with rolling the door easily and effortlessly. If the pocket door rollers or tracking is damaged they will have to be repaired or replaced, obviously. Some people actually spray silicon on the rollers or grease the pocket door wheels and over time the track becomes caked with dried grease and dirt making the door hard to open and close

Here's one most people don't ever think about and yet I have faced this problem more than once. "The Dreaded Picture Hanger". Most people don't realize that the pocket door will not operate very well with a nail driven through it. I have had people complain about their pocket door not operating properly but they can wiggle it a little.

When I come upon a situation like this it usually just requires removing the nail that the picture is hung upon.

I have also seen instances where the home has been remodeled and new floor trim or door trim has been installed. The finish carpenter using his nail gun without changing to a shorter nail has himself nailed the pocket door shut. This could be a big problem because the nails are so thin they could be hard to remove.

Well that's all I can think of for pocket door problems that I have ran into for now. Until the next article have fun remodeling your home.

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 Vista Door Repairs

Pry Bar Removing Plywood

Bath Decor How To Design a Bathroom That Is Truly Yours Through Bath Decor

Bath dcor nothing is more beautiful (to me at least) than a room that is perfect. The correct room design, the correct furnishings and let us not omit its dcor. A room that is pleasing to the senses beautiful, luxurious, a pleasure to be in. A room designed to be lived in. Those are beautiful rooms to me and one than can stand out through its bath dcor is obviously the remodelled bathroom.

A bathroom has such potential for dramatic bath dcor and this is something that can be utilized to increase a homes selling price or increase the joy experienced in living in it.

Some of my favourite examples of dramatic bath dcor are:

1) Skylights Nothing adds more elegance, more panache to a bathroom than a gorgeous skylight contained in a vaulted two-story ceiling. Accentuated with a low hanging paddle fan perhaps.

2) Lighting This often overlooked method can be used to obtain the functional lighting levels that are required in a modern remodelled bathroom but please realize the opportunity you have with the bathrooms bath dcor if you incorporate a stunning light fixture of some kind. Decorative generally works best around the mirror(s) with recessed ceiling mount lighting fixtures providing the utilitarian lighting levels needed for general overall illumination.

3) Plumbing Fixtures These consist of:

a. Your Tub/Shower Unit - is it an antique-looking unit to be accessorized with the same type of faucets and towel bars or modern to be paired with modern accessories?

b. Your Sink Unit Do you want a common sink & vanity cabinet or will you opt for a stunning free-standing pedestal based unit?

4) Wallpaper and paint These are two of the old standbys; utilize them in conjunction with your other bath dcor opportunities and your remodelled bathroom will be a stunning victory over the mundane!

By integrating these different opportunities to make your bath dcor your very own, you can design and create stunning bathrooms for very little money, depending on your exact bath dcor.

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John Mann, "The Electric Mann", has been involved in the residential construction industry for over 25 years. He's worked as an Electrical Contractor and a General Contractor in Residential Remodeling and is an expert on Kitchen and Bathroom Design and Remodeling.

Signup for his "Bathroom Remodeler's Newsletter" and get a FR*EE 7-Part mini-course (Value $67.00 US) called
"How To Avoid the 7 Biggest Mistakes People Make When Remodeling a Bathroom!" by visiting http://www.TheRemodeledBathroom.com

Click Here to Learn More About Bath Decor - How To Make Bath Decor Work for You!

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Books on Home Building - Professional Advice

If you're a do it yourself or or a homeowner who every once in a while, once to tackle a small or large project but doesn't know where to begin, can gather useful information from home building books. I have been using these books for years and may have been worth their weight in gold.

I started my career working for my father and my father worked for his father as a Carpenter. Our job was to frame the house and we built a Lotta homes. I learned how to frame and developed some great carpentry skills from my father and working with other skilled carpenters. Over the years, if you're paying attention, even a monkey can figure out, how to assemble almost anything.

The only problem that I faced, was learning how to build the rest of the home. I would often ask questions to other building trades like plumbers, electricians, roofers and construction superintendents. Some of these people were helpful and others were not. When I was in my early 30s, I purchased my first book on home building. This book lead to other books and soon I found myself with more home building knowledge that my father.

I had about 50 books on home building and soon found myself doing large home remodels, with no formal education. I would attribute almost everything that I learned outside of house framing to books. These books have proven invaluable to me over the years and with a relatively small investment. I couldn't have spent over $200 purchasing these books but have used the knowledge from them to save myself thousands of dollars.

One $20 home building books or home repairs, can save you lots of money, if you're willing to do a little research and the labor to complete almost any home building project.

By the way, if you're interested in learning how to repair a roof, build your own house, interior decorating, structural engineering, building a deck, gathering some more information about home painting or even remodeling your bathroom. An online home building bookstore can save you money if you're willing to do the work.

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 your looking for some more home inspection or home building ideas

High Tech Solution to Calculate Construction Costs

If you are planning to build a house, then the first thing you have to do is to calculate construction costs. Although you can easily ask for estimates from builders and contractors, it is still best if you can determine the actual expenses of materials you will use for the project.

Here is a high tech solution to accurately estimate the construction costs for any house building project.

Using Architectural Design Software

In the past, estimating construction costs was very expensive. First, you need to hire a licensed architect to design the house structure. Professional fees of architects are costly and this could take away significant portion of your budget for the project.

After getting the final blue print of the house design, then you have to ask several contractors to give you an estimate for the construction costs. However, most estimates will exceed your budget which could dent your finances.

By using architectural design software, you eliminate the need to hire an architect and you can easily determine the actual cost of materials for the project. There are lots of user-friendly design applications you can use and some of them you can download for free.

The Process of Computer-Aided House Design

The first thing you have to do is to select a house building and design application that would be easy to use. This way, you will not spend much time learning to use the software.

You have to find a construction design application that has a drag and drop utility. This will allow you to simply point and select the types of building materials you will use and drag-and-drop these to create a house structure.

All the elements of house building will be included in such applications. You can start by creating the structure of the house. Then you have to build walls, floors, windows, and roofing.

Once you created the basic house design, you can now switch to interior design mode. You will be able to select floor tiling, kitchen construction, plumbing, electrical wiring, and other aspects of house building.

If you can master the software, you will be able to create a complete house design with accurate measurements of dimensions in less than a week.

Automating Construction Costs

Now that you have a complete house design, the next step is to estimate the costs of materials you used on your design. You can run a complete inventory check from the software.

The design application will generate an accurate count of materials used for the design. You will get a complete accounting of materials that will be used for the house down to the smallest kitchen tiles.

Once you have the data, simply print out the list and start calling several construction material stores. You can also use to Internet to get different pricelists of house building materials. Base on the prices you gathered, you can now calculate the actual cost of your project.

Estimating construction costs nowadays is easier and faster if you utilize computer aided design software. All you have to do is to add the labor cost and other contingency expenses and you will be able to get an accurate estimation of the entire construction costs.

George Edmondson is an accomplished writer on construction costs estimation. There are numerous articles and resources about construction costs that you can find. Simply visit http://www.aboutconstructioncosts.com and learn how to accurately estimate construction costs.

How to Maintain Home Humidifiers For Their Long Life

Are you worried about the care and maintenance required to keep your humidifiers in good condition? The good news is that this maintenance isn't as difficult as it sounds. These easy to follow steps will help keep your humidifier in tip-top condition with no need to call on professional assistance. Remember, you must not neglect the cleaning of these electronic devices as it definitely affects their performance.

Understand the Instructions By The Manufacturer

Most importantly you must have the clear understanding of the instructions provided by the manufacturer of your room humidifier. If you are not able to understand any particular instruction you must not hesitate to contact the people concerned. Also, remember that warm mist humidifiers might follow different instruction than a cool mist humidifier.

Taking Care of Filters

It doesn't matter whether you possess a furnace humidifier or an ultrasonic humidifier, the filters installed in your humidifier must be protected from any damage. The filters must be removed, replaced if damaged, or washed properly before reinstalling them. Make sure that filters are dried before you reinstall them.

Using Right Disinfectants

The products used for washing and cleaning the humidifiers are available in the form of disinfectants. Choose products which are capable of restricting the growth of germs and microorganisms like moulds and bacteria in the humidifier. Vinegar, specifically the white vinegar, is recommended for thorough cleaning of the humidifier reservoirs. It is helpful in removing undesirable deposits from the humidifier.

A Few Precautions to Follow

* Make sure that the device is unplugged while cleaning it.

* The portable humidifier must be carried with care, saving it from unnecessary wear and tear.

* Use gloves and other safety products while cleaning the reservoirs and other parts of the humidifier.

* When the device is not in use you must uninstall it carefully and store it properly.

* Don't forget to wash various parts with disinfectant before storing it and also when you reinstall it again.

* Look out for any parts that begin to rust and make appropriate efforts to clean these or replace them with a new part.

It is also recommended to get your room humidifier or whole house humidifier examined by experts after long periods of usage. This will prevent undesirable situations occurring because of lack of technical knowledge.

In order to get full value your money you must be ready to take care of and maintain the house humidifier. These devices are designed for your comfort and thus must not be neglected as it may lead to growth of microorganisms or damage of various components of these humidifiers.

The products and information offered at http://www.humidifierinformation.com/ is of great value for investing your money in the right kind of humidifier. You can visit the website to learn about popular humidifier brands and guide your decision for right product.

Yellow Water in the Tub

The problem I am describing here is most common in a large bathtub, such as a whirlpool. Basically, the larger the reservoir being filled with water, the more prominent the discolored water will be. I have, over the years, seen a number of tubs that, after they were filled, had water that was so yellow (or brown) that it looked like "flushing" was in order. In fact, one month I had three tubs in a row like this. I do not see this condition very often so that was unusual. This condition may be be disconcerting to those buying a home and, actually, it can indicate a bigger problem with the plumbing system than what might, at first, be anticipated. Further analysis by a plumber is in order.

Even for an inspector, yellow or brown water in a tub is startling. It is not appealing to crawl into that environment for a refreshing bath. What causes this yellow color in the water? Well, even a yellow tint is probably caused by iron, corrosion or rust forming in the system. It could be an iron fitting somewhere, iron pipes, corrosion in the main underground water line into the home or it could be a failing hot water heater with a rusted liner. For sure, an inspector would look for old galvanized pipes. Realistically, an inspector probably cannot pinpoint the cause of this discoloration, but it is related to iron, rust and it is a problem. Call the plumber.

A buyer needs to be alerted to this concern as repairs could me minor, or costly, and the buyer might be concerned enough that he or she wants the issue fully resolved prior to closing.

Steven L. Smith, owner of King of the House, Inc home inspection is a licensed structural pest inspector and a certified home inspector in Bellingham WA. He has been appointed by the Governor to sit on the State Home Inspector Licensing Board. Smith is the program coordinator for the college level home inspection training program at Bellingham Technical College.

http://www.kingofthehouse.com

Interior Framing Gable Studs

Bathtub Refinishing Fumes - How To Protect Yourself

Bathtub refinishing is being used more by hotels, apartment complexes and homeowners because of a housing downturn, a mortgage-meltdown, and overall depressed and depressing economy as a way to save money in their bathroom renovation. Another interest in re-glazing is being fueled by informed masses who have shown a continued interest in "greening" their homes, particularly in making them more energy efficient. Consumers are looking for ways to save money, and the environment and that is what bathtub refinishing does- provide savings of up to 80% over replacement while sparing the landfills.

But unlike other services like carpet cleaning, plumbing, pest control etc, where consumers know what to expect from their service contractor, tub re-glazing business is unknown to many. And because of this lack of knowledge, many don't know what the process involves, what to expect and what the the final outcome will be. Here is the bathtub refinishing process in a nutshell: A tub is cleaned, fully etched, cleaned, prime coated andtop coated.

The equipments used are a turbine, a sprayer and a big exhaust fan. The protective equipment is similar to what you'll see used in mold remediation or asbestos removal. If the fumes coming out of the bathroom are not healthy for the one doing the refinishing in the bathroom, do you think it is safe for you, your pets and especially younger and older ones in the home?

Many bathtub refinishing companies will tell you that they use a proprietary coating formulated by them and for them. Ask for their sacred MSDS. It contained enough toxic materials to make their technicians suit up as if cleaning a room full of asbestos. Water based coatings are getting better but water condenses in the bathroom and on the tub. Go figure. Every etching product contain some level of acid. The concentration of VOC's is high. Unfortunately, from the biggest bathtub refinishing companies to the small town bathtub refinishing company using exhaust fans to get rid of the fumes and their smell. They leave a lot of toxic fumes and smell that linger for days.

There are air scrubbers that can suck up those fumes and odors and still keep the environment?
These portable systems operate in a completely sealed off bathroom. They are quiet, so that guests and tenants that sleep on while bathtub re-glazing is done next room. In fact, some companies are using hospital grade air scrubbers while re-glazing a tub because of the importance these companies put on the health of their customers and the environmental impact of their work. These portable units are in the bathrooms where the re-glazing is done.

All the fumes and odors are captured and there is no hoses or cords coming out of the bathroom as a safety hazard. The technology is here. Next time you call your friendly bathtub refinishing company, ask them how they are going to mitigate the odor and fumes. If they are still using old technology with its environmental impact in this century, they are not your company. Ask questions, protect your health, and those of your hotel guests and apartment tenants.

The sluggish economy is forcing hotels and hotel chains, to find creative ways to save money and the environment as they remodel their bathrooms. Many are concerned about the effects of over-spray fumes on their guests and their health, the noise created by antiquated bathtub refinishing systems, the impact of old technology on the environment. Ask questions and lots of them before you hire your next friendly bathtub refinishing company.

Wilson Uche Ukah, is the President of Refinishing Stars, a bathtub refinishing company serving the bathtub reglazing needs of homeowners in Atlanta, Chattanooga, Nashville and Knoxville. Refinishing Stars, refinishes bathtubs, sinks, and countertops for hotels and motels nationwide. Wilson writes regularly on green remodeling and is a consultant to other bathtub refinishing companies. He can be reached at http://www.refinishingstars.com or sales@refinishingstars.com

So Many Benefits in Building a Green House

Energy and cost efficiency are two perks of building using green architecture and design. At first the cost of building green may seem steep compared to a standard home, but the savings on utility bills can compensate handsomely. In green house design, electricity is used more efficiently.

Alternative energy sources can be used to actually save money. Using wind turbines can be one way to create electricity in green homes. Solar panels are an additional way to power electricity in a green house. With the cost of gas and coal powered utilities soaring, an investment in green technologies is likely to offset or even eliminate dependency on these limited resources for those building a green house. Installation and materials are the only aspects of solar and wind power that cost the builder anything. Both abundant and constantly renewable, the resources of sunlight and wind are free! Building green houses with wind turbines and solar panels can be both environmentally friend and economical as sources of power.

Another design concept that can be used is the gray water system. Gray water systems are more efficient because they use water from one area of household and recycle it elsewhere in the dwelling. For instance, using a gray water system could allow green home residents to collect water used while showering for watering a garden or flushing toilets! Unnecessary water waste is decreased in recycling water throughout the home from day to day. Reducing the carbon footprint of a home and saving money on water utilities are two benefits afforded by using state of the art gray water system technologies.

Building materials used and design of the dwelling are also key factors to consider when building a green house. Recycled or salvaged materials are an option in building a green house. From insulation to roofing and even flooring, it is possible to use recycled or salvaged materials for nearly every surface in green house designs! Recycled and salvaged materials have the double benefit of being both more cost effective and in many cases, more durable than other kinds of building materials. Using locally salvaged building materials can reduce the carbon footprint of a home even more if they are locally obtained. Since it does not require as much energy to manufacture and transport locally salvaged building materials, less pollution is created building a green house.

Different kinds of architecture can be used in building a green house in order to regulate indoor temperatures. Design which increases exposure to sunlight and heat retention is possible with green architecture and would benefit those building in cold climates. In warmer climates, a comparable principle of design can be used in building a green house. In warm places, residents can minimize sun exposure and harness naturally cooler biomasses beneath the surface of the Earth. The ways to reduce carbon footprints while saving money are truly endless when building a green house!

See more about building a green house at http://greenhomeguide.org

What Is Mold

South Western Shower Curtains

Having a bath is very important. It allows you to feel clean and refreshed. It is therefore important that the bathing area is made as beautiful as possible. South Western shower curtains are based on a theme that involves warm earthly colors. This theme can be used to decorate the whole house. However, you can mix different themes.

These curtains come in charming colors. Some of the colors include: rust colors, colors of oak leaves, silver, brown and golden sand. Your bathroom will look stylish and elegant. South Western shower curtains are available in different designs. The Mexican type of curtains have spicy designs and colors. If you love excitement, this is a choice you should consider taking.

Other types of curtains include the Spring Creek Run type and the Oak leaves type. It is advisable to add matching accessories that will ensure complete transformation of your bathroom. The earthly themes are sure to liven up your bathing experience. Besides, your bathroom will be a place to relax and unwind after a long sweaty day.

South Western shower curtains can be found in shopping malls or a local departmental store. If however you do not feel like going to these places, you can use the Internet. It will allow you to view various designs and compare prices accordingly. You can also order online for the curtains. Some companies can allow you to customize the curtains to whichever design you want. You simply need to contact them. Most companies offer discount especially during the festive seasons. At least your pocket will not have to strain much.

Peter Gitundu Researches and Reports on Shower Curtain. For More Information on South Western Shower Curtains, Visit His Site at SOUTH WESTERN SHOWER CURTAINS

You Can Also Add Your Views About South Western Shower Curtains At My Blog here SOUTH WESTERN SHOWER CURTAINS

Simple Light Switch Replacement

I Asked Myself, Is Tap Water Safe For Bathing and Showering?

I reckon very few of us take time to think about the quality of the water we use at home for non-drinking purposes. Perhaps we should, as I discovered some alarming data which indicates that certain contaminants could be affecting our health and well being.

Is tap water safe for bathing and showering is an intriguing question. A good many of us may have pondered over the cleanliness or purity of our tap water for drinking but never given a second thought to its other uses.

Maybe it's time we took a closer look at what's in our water that some experts say might be detrimental to our health. This article will look at a few of the relevant points.

Surely there is nothing more relaxing than having a nice soak in a bathtub or enjoying a refreshing hot shower after a hard days work. However, such innocent and commonplace activities need one vital thing, hot water, which produces steam. It's what else is in steam that concerns me, namely the chemical chlorine.

It's used extensively by municipal water treatment plants to kill off any bacteria and viruses present and it performs that task reasonably well and efficiently. But by the time that water reaches our homes there is still a residual amount left. So, under hot, steamy conditions like taking a shower or bath any chlorine will evaporate and become gaseous, and this vapor is what we breathe in and our bodies absorb.

Some analysis of this has indicated that we ingest much more of this toxic chemical from showering than from simply drinking tap water. If you have a respiratory condition like asthma or bronchitis it could aggravate the condition. For those of you who would like a solution there is one in the form of fitting a shower head filter, which will remove not just the chlorine but other contaminants.

Peter Foremski is Editor of http://www.water-filter-guide.com and cares passionately about the quality of water that he drinks and uses. He runs an informational website that uncovers the best products and where to buy them with the best discounts. So begin your 'thirst' for knowledge here.

Installing A 32 Inch Back Door

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.

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.

Diagonal Roof Truss Brace

Moisture Against Gravity - Destroying Walls

Well I'm going to start this article with a little information on a job I did once.

I had been repairing a rental house for one particular homeowner for about three years when all of a sudden I got a phone call from him telling me the rental house was destroyed and he had never seen nothing like this. He sounded so upset over the phone I told him I would meet with him immediately.

On my way to the house I was trying to get an idea in my head what the house was going to actually look like. Since I have been repairing rental properties for over 20 years at this point of my career, nothing really shocked me. I had pretty much seen everything that could possibly be done to rental property by the tenants that lived there. There is a lot to be said about taking care of it as if it were your own.

He was waiting for me at the front door and he looked thoroughly disgusted. As I approached him he was shaking his head and yelling at the same time can you believe these people, can you believe what they did to my house. I was expecting to see the front door ripped off and all the windows broken out of the house but this wasn't the case.

As he led me through the home and I could see the usual clothing on the floor, broken cabinets, a few holes in the walls and of course that awful smell of mold and mildew. All of this stuff was nothing new to me because I'm the guy they call to fix it when a renter moves out of the property.

As I entered one of the bedrooms I got my first glimpse of something I had never seen before but heard stories about and could not believe my eyes. Looking at the walls in the bedroom about 3 feet from the floor all the way around the room, the plaster was soft. It actually looks like someone shoved popcorn into the wall somehow.

The homeowner wasn't even looking at this because of the rest of the damage in the home. I started to explain to him I'd never seen nothing like this but I could guess it was water damage somehow since the plaster was soft. I could actually stick my finger into the wall, that's how soft the plaster was.

My first thought was to examine the carpeting a little closer to see if it was wet. Well it was damp but it wasn't as wet as I would've expected it to be with the amount of water in the walls. With a little more home inspecting I had found the culprit, it was a broken water bed. The water bed was now in the backyard looking innocent.

I couldn't believe a broken water bed could do this much damage so I looked around for broken or leaking water pipes and could not find any. The other bad news I had to inform the homeowner was that the water had damage the bathroom and closet walls also. These walls of course were on the other side of the bathroom walls that were damaged.

Well the point of this story is that water will actually wick its way up or worked its way up into a wall. I had to remove 4 feet of drywall all the way around the room. The plaster or drywall actually acts like a sponge pulling the water into the walls. Hard to imagine that gravity in this case seems to reverse. I would've never thought that water would've traveled so far up the walls creating that much damage.

To repair the rental property I had to remove the damaged drywall, remove the carpeting, dry the wood framing out and put the whole thing back together.

I'm still amazed and will remember that project for as long as I live.

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 Water Damage

Interior Framing Gable Studs

Paint Me a Picture - No - Paint Me a Hall, DIY Style

Painting is one of the easiest DIY projects around. Novice DIY weekend warriors often begin with their DIY home improvement projects by repainting fences, hallways, doors, windows and walls.

Important tools

To be able to do painting jobs around the house, you would need the following:

1. Roller brushes of different sizes- you need different sizes, depending on the job. Roller brushes that are more than six inches in length are good for walls. Smaller roller brushes can be used to paint the bottom of walls. Small roller brushes can also be used to paint tables and chairs.

2. Synthetic brushes- synthetic brushes come in all shapes, sizes and colors. However, as a rule of thumb, purchase those that have fine yet durable strands. Synthetic brushes should be at least two inches wide. Larger brushes should have longer handles.

In addition, large brushes are heavier, so you have the option of attaching them to poles for hard to reach areas, such as the corners of ceilings.

3. Supply of old newspapers- you can use newspapers or similar recyclable papers. Use these to protect furniture and other surfaces when you are painting. Use plenty of paper when painting large surfaces such as walls and ceilings.

4. Plastic paint pans- pans can be bought from hardware stores. These specially made pans hold the paint on one side, while uneven surfaces allow you to remove excess paint.

5. Thinners- thinners will allow you to remove excess and encrusted paint on your roller brushes. Hard, encrusted paint can damage your roller brushes in the end. Never use water, as it will take too long to remove all the paint.

How to paint a hall

It seems daunting at first- the idea of painting a hall. But in reality, some tools and a bit of patience, plus lots of fun will get the job done.

The first step is to clear out your hallway. Put all the stuff in your hallway in another room. This eliminates the need to put newspapers all around. The risk of paint spots on your stuff is reduced to zero.

Second step is to clean the walls with a wet sponge and some soap. Rinse the walls and allow it to completely dry. If there is glossy paint, use a sandpaper to make the surface a bit rougher.

With a roller brush, apply the primer. Proceed to applying two coats of paint. Let the paint dry for a day or two.

Start re-adding things to your hallway. Old, useless things like unused golf bags should not be added to your hallway again. This process will de-clutter your hallway.

To beautify this space, consider adding plant life. Potted plants are a good choice. The potted plants need not be real. You can use plastic daisies or synthetic roses. Just make sure you clean your plants regularly with a wet piece of cloth to preserve their color.

If you do not have a clock in the hallway, consider adding a wall clock. Wall clocks can be either modern or completely classical with swinging pendulums.

The author of this article is Benedict Yossarian. Benedict recommends Roof Bond Foam Roof Insulation and Dekorbeton Concrete Stamping for your DIY needs.

Furniture Restoration Books

Salt Water Pool Treatment Facts

While they were once only used sporadically, today, salt water pools are becoming more and more popular for homeowners. However, although many salt water pool manufacturers promote the ease of converting your pool to a salt water system, the pool treatment methods are not any easier than those of a typical pool. Before your convert your system, it is important to understand how it works and why you should (and should not) consider converting.

Salt treatment begins with understanding exactly how salt water pools' chlorination systems work. The basis behind this system is that you do not have to add chlorination for this treatment. However, that does not mean that there is no chlorine. That's actually a common misconception. There are chemicals in a saltwater pool. Treatment is still necessary, and although you do not have to manually add chlorine (in most cases), there is still chlorine in the system. The chlorine, however, comes from the salt itself.

A salt system is not the same as swimming in the ocean. In fact, the water in a pool system is actually still considered fresh water because there is only a very low level of salt in it (there's more salt in your eyes). However, this amount of salt, when put through a control box, can create enough chlorination to keep your pool clean, blue and safe for swimmers.

The control box on a salt water pool treatment system is a device that actually sends electricity through the sale. The longer the electricity runs through the salt, the more chlorinated the water will be. The pool treatment system should automatically control this, but you'll still need to use test strips to test for chemicals often. You can control how chlorinated the water is using the salt control knob. In addition, with the control box, you can tell when you need to add more salt to the system.

Although you will not have to add chlorine as part of your salt water pool treatment program, you will have to continuously check for alkalinity and pH level. It is a good idea to check your water once a week if you use it moderately and even more often if you use it often or get a lot of rain, which can affect the acidity levels. As part of your pool treatment plan, you also need to check the calcium levels in your pool. With too much calcium, your pool water will be "hard" and may leave unsightly build up along the steps and tiles. In addition, excess calcium in your salt water can clog the pump and control box system.

Salt water pool treatment is, for some, a better option than a typical chlorinated pool system. Keep in mind, however, that there are other options as well, and that natural pools are also becoming more popular. Pool treatment is an issue no matter what kind of pool you have, so don't make the mistake of thinking there is no work involved with having a pool.

Please visit us to see the problems with salt water swimming pools and having a chlorine generator

Looking For a Place That Will Help With Tips on Home Renovation?

For many people the prospect of renovating their home can be extremely daunting. It can cost a lot of money and it can take up a lot of your spare time as well as causing you a lot of stress too. However even if you are a complete beginner, there are a number of home renovation tips that could help you. These tips can be found in a number of different places and they can help you renovate on a budget, as well as saving you time too. So, if you are considering renovating your home then looking at various tips and advice beforehand is definitely recommended!

Finding the Best Advice

There are a number of different places where you can find home renovation tips. A particularly good place to look is online.

You can find literally thousands of websites offering you tips and advice on home renovation. This means that no matter what you are looking to achieve, there will be help available. Firstly however you have to have a pretty good idea of what you want to achieve before you can find the best tips to help you. Also, you need to know that you are renovating your home for the right reasons too.

Once you know that you are doing the renovation for the right reasons and you have a good idea of what you would like to do, you may then call in an expert. The expert will be a surveyor who will be able to tell you what kind of a state your home is in. They will be able to say whether the improvements you are planning are worthwhile or whether you should be focusing on something else. Often there is a lot more work involved than you originally thought and so it would be a good idea to get an expert opinion so you know exactly where you stand. Ideally you will also have a good idea of the budget you can spend on the improvements as that will help you to further know what improvements to make.

You can find good renovation tips at your local hardware store. The staff there should be able to answer any questions that you may have and they will also be able to point you to the right tools to use too. They can also tell you if your ideas will coordinate well with your country kitchen curtains. Tips are not just important in the planning stage - they can also really help you throughout the whole renovation process. You could run into a problem along the way for example and by looking at different tips and advice, it could really help you to get back on track.

Forums are a great place to get the advice that you need. People all around the world post their advice and experiences online so that you can learn from them. You should be able to find hundreds of websites that can help you no matter what problems you are experiencing.

Overall online is usually the best source for home renovation ideas. However you can also find useful advice down at your local hardware store. Just remember to research everything before you start renovating and always get an expert opinion beforehand whenever possible.

Ken Morris routinely edits publications on issues similar to catalogs for country curtains. You can have a look at his articles on catalogs for country curtains and country kitchen curtains over at http://www.curtains-drapes-coverings.com

Brick Veneer Wall Damage

Attic Odors and Strange Smells

If you've ever opened up your attic access hole, only to find one of the worst odors you have ever smelled in your whole life, I've been there too. What causes these horrible smells and what can you do about them?

Let's start with the cause of these smells, moisture, dirt, mold, mildew, dead animals, animals that make their home in your attic and the biggest problem of all is normally poor ventilation.

Poor ventilation is the biggest problem with musty smells in the attic. These smells are often caused from moisture accumulating in the building materials over time. If there is enough moisture in the attic, the wood will start to rot but this wouldn't be a normal situation, unless there was a roof or water leak.

Roof leaks can cause a constant supply of water to one part of the attic. This constant supply of water will eventually rot the wood and damage the ceiling. Water leaks from pipes can provide a steady supply of water and the situation can attracts termites and mold. Not a good thing.

One of the worst possible smells or odors in your attic would be a dead animal. Don't under estimate the size of some of these animals, they have found dead raccoons, cats, snakes, large birds, squirrels, rats and mice in some attics. These animals usually enter through damaged access holes or vent blocks, roof vents, large gaps, holes and even fireplace chimneys.

Once these animals die, their bodies start to decompose and produce one horrible odor. Once the body is completely decomposed, the smell usually goes away if the attic is ventilated properly. These smells can seep into the homes living area, often creating a room that no one wants to enter.

Home peststhat make their home in your attics, often create smells from urinating and defecating in the areas around their nest. Large birds like owls can become a problem over time.

Now that we've figured out some of the causes for attic odors and strange smells, what can we do to prevent this from happening and if it's already happened, how can we get rid of the smell.

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 your having problems in your attic, find out more at pest control books and home building ideas.

Leaking Skylight Covered