Create a Kitchen Floor Plan Before Work Starts

If you are remodeling your home or having a new home built, sooner or later you will have to turn to the kitchen. A great kitchen design can add value to your home and make it more attractive to you.

A great kitchen design starts with a great floor plan. Whether you have interior design experience or not, with a little thought and effort you can come up with an effective floor plan.

First of all, think of what you want to accomplish. Will the space have an eating area or is it for cooking only? If you are remodeling, are you hoping to enlarge it? What problems are you having in your current kitchen? Do you need more storage space? Do you need more work space? Do you have enough room to open cabinets and doors? These factors all need to be considered when designing your floor plan.

Pick up home design and remodeling magazines for ideas. Consider what you like in other kitchens you have seen. Consider also what you don't like. The idea phase is one of the most fun in any remodeling project. But d2235on't spend too much time dreaming or you will never put the ideas into action.

Now, take some graph paper and make a grid of your kitchen: each square of the grid equaling one foot of space. Also make cut outs of what furniture, appliances and cabinets you have. (They don't have to exactly match what you have, except for size, so don't worry about how well you can draw.)

Now play with the grid and try to place all the pieces in an arrangement that fits your needs and your lifestyle. Will installing an island block traffic between the sink and the refrigerator? Will the dishwasher fit in that corner? Will an additional cabinet fit by the sink?

If working with graph paper doesn't appeal to you, pick up one of the many interior design software packages. These are easy to use and can give you quite a realistic picture of how the finished kitchen will look. Changes are easy to make too. The software is not very expensive and it is fun to use.

Once you have a floor plan that you think will work, you can either do the work yourself or hire a contractor. Most contractors give free estimates and he or she can give you an idea whether your design will work. Ask around for contractors with good reputations and shop around for a reasonable estimate.

If you have the time and the know-how, doing the project can be a very satisfying experience and can save you a lot of money. Whether you hire a contractor or do the work yourself, you will soon have a kitchen you can be proud of.

The columnist Kurt Schefken is specifically interested in things related to a lot of types of kitchen cabinets. Writing for writings on kitchen cabinets he expressed his skill on the subject.

Add a PVCU Conservatory to Your Home and Create a Unique Living Space

There are so many magazines and television programmes available now2238 guiding us on how we should furnish our homes and what the latest interior design fashions are that it is easy to get totally lost and make a complete mess of fashioning your home. If you are looking to just brighten up your home then you can make this quite basic really, a splash of colour here and there as well as a few new soft furnishings can make all the difference to the tired look of an old fashioned room. But if you are looking to add real value to your home as well as keeping it functional and practical for all the family what options do you have open to you?

Adding value to your home can be a relatively simple process really; you can go out and spend a small fortune on a totally brand new kitchen, complete with appliances as well as renovate your bathrooms adding in all of the latest gadgets. This is all well and good but the trick to adding value to your home is to add a greater value to the property than that you have invested. Sounds simple doesn't it? In reality it is quite easy to achieve this but if you break it down some investments in your home will give you a higher return in value than others.

Bathrooms and kitchens are always a good option to look at when trying to increase a property value but if you have been in your home for any real length of time the chances are that you may have already modernized both of these to your satisfaction and have already reaped the reward of the higher property price.

Adding an extension to your home to make it bigger is another option which can turn out to be very expensive, intrusive as well as very expensive. This will return an increase on your property value but it will take a lot of investment and time to see the return. If you need to increase your living area, as well as trying to increase the value of your property, then why not look to add a conservatory to your home?

A conservatory really is a multi functional room in the home, it can be used as a bolt hole when you want some peace and quiet from the family, to maybe read the morning papers perhaps, you can use your conservatory for entertaining guests over a drink and it can be used as a family room. In many cases you will not need planning permission to build a conservatory although it is always recommended to go through the correct channels to make sure before you start work.

The construction of a conservatory is pretty simple; if you have had any experience at all in the construction industry it should be well within your capabilities to fit it yourself. Even if you have not had any experience in the building trade it is easy enough to pick up as you go along but it may be an idea to get a builder to help you. Generally conservatories are made of an aluminum, Upvc and glass construction but as materials are evolving new materials are becoming available that are easier to work with as well as being stronger. One problem that has been resolved over the past few years is how to keep your conservatory heated in the cooler months and cooler in the summer months. Scientists have resolved this problem by designing a special type of glass that has a very thin metallic reflective coating that reflects the suns heat in the warmer months but keeps the heat inside in the winter months.

This type of glass is proving to be very popular and has solved a problem that put many people off buying a conservatory. Building a conservatory is nowhere as intrusive as building a fully fledged extension on your home either. Most of the construction is done on the outside of your home and then when the conservatory is built the builders knock the wall through, ensuring that your home is kept warm during the construction and minimizing the inconvenience to the family. So there you have it, adding a conservatory onto your home is an extremely cost effective way of adding value to your home, giving you more room within the home as well as giving you a totally unique living area within the home.

For more info on all things conservatory, patio and flooring please visit our site - http://www.patio-flooring.com

PVCU Conservatory

Please feel free to republish this article provided a working hyperlink remains to our site

Harwood E Woodpecker

Building Codes

As many of the readers already know, navigating the building code process in Pennsylvania can be a harrowing experience. Additional requirements with regard to permit fees, inspections, engineered plans, and over-building can add tens of thousands of dollars in development costs to a building project for a small business.

Environmental control plans for soil and water, and even sign ordinances that place directional signs and stop signs at the end of the private driveway to direct 2 or 3 customers per day have many people scratching their heads in disbelief.

It is all about liability. When something goes wrong, the courts are bound to find a party "at fault", and that party is then forced to pay the enormous charges associated with an accident. A legal driver who is unaware to look for traffic at the end of a stone driveway before pulling onto the highway can be hit by a vehicle, and is NOT held liable unless the business owner has stop signs properly placed at the end of the drive? What a world.

However, in defense of the building codes, the public relies on governments to "protect us from ourselves" by enforcing construction that is safe and reli5B4able. Legal codes of this type are not a new phenomenon.

The first building code that is recorded was literally written on stone, and enacted by Hammurabi in Babylon in 1758 B.C. The code established the concept that those who designed and constructed buildings for others were held accountable for their work. There were no standard or specific requirements to the law, but rather it simply stated, "If a builder has built a house for a man and his work is not strong, and if the house he has built falls in and kills the householder, that builder shall be slain." This code did not apply to people building homes for themselves or their families.

After the great fires in London in 1666 and Chicago in 1871, agencies began writing codes that took into consideration the buildings of those around them. More densely populated cities led to the design of building codes that minimized risks to others in close proximity. Problems in existing structures resulted in the development of codes for ventilation, fire escapes, water supply, toilets and sanitary drains, stairs and railings.

In 1905, a U.S. Insurance Group, the National Board of Fire Underwriters, created the National Building Code to minimize risks to property and building occupants. The existence of this code led to the formation of organizations of building officials. By 1940, the United States had three regional code organizations, each with its own code.

It5AB wasn't until the year 2000 that these three codes were consolidated into the International Code Council, which then produced the International Building Code (IBC), the International Residential Code (IRC), and the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), as well as mechanical, plumbing, fire, and other codes.

Knowing the details of the present code is the responsibility of engineers and construction personnel, and it appears to be a necessary requirement in our present-day world. But the days of stone tablets are long past. Putting today's building code on stone would require an erosion and sedimentation control plan to acquire the stone, a permit to place the stone in its new location, prevailing wages for the chisel man, and a complete safety plan for swinging the hammer. And perhaps the greatest challenge of all, mining the billions of stones that it would require to hold the endless detail of today's script on how to lay a foundation, hammer a nail, and set a rafter.

By Tom Clouser

(Information Source: Mother Earth News, Dec-Jan 2007)

Bathroom From Over The Moon - Part One

Thinking over a bathroom remodeling we come to a conclusion that in the first place it should be fashionable and lovely, comfortable and practical in use. Newly refurbished bathroom, fixtures, accessories, furniture must not deteriorated because of the moisture and vapor, which are being indispensable components of this premise. In other words the newly renovated bathroom environment should be at the same time beautiful and comfy, and materials - durable.

Starting installation, try to decide at the very beginning, what would you like to eventually obtain. What are you most interested in: sanitary appliances or entourage? What concerns the latter, the very style of a bathroom might be splendid and grand, in the spirit of the times of "king the sun" Louis XIV, as well as daintily intimate, matching the famous ancient Rome baths' decor. All depends on your taste and on the outlook of your inmates.

Nowadays the abundant market gives you in fact the unlimited freedom of choice while creating a design. The only things that will restrain your fantasy are the sense of moderation, financial abilities and dimensions of the room.

Planning.

The choice of a place for a bathroom and its internal planning are usually determined by certain rules and logic. In many homes today you more often see two or three bathrooms, which all depends on the number of rooms and inhabitants. Of course the most optimal option is the presence of several washrooms. In this case you would not waste your time by sitting in the mornings and evenings and waiting while your inmates have had splashed in bounty. If the planning or the size of the dwelling does not allow to install several bathrooms or its separate elements, then it's necessary to try to arrange so, that the only bathroom in house is connected to all zones: the kitchen, the bedroom, the living room. This way you won't experience any discomfort, in case any guests stay with you. In most hard instances there's a possibility to install two or three doors in the only bathroom, e. g. into the living room and the bedroom.

A great variety of finishing materials - tiles, fluid glass, marble, wood, terracotta and much else, and really enormous choice of fixtures and accessories give wide designing possibilities and allow renovate the space and creating actually comfortable place. The only aspect that must be followed while creating a new design, is a style concept of the whole apartment, or in any case of the zone where the washroom is situated. But if contrasting changes and bright "flares" of color are to your liking, there can be no limits.

Color.

While planning the interior one of the starting points would be the range of colors, for it is intend81Ced for creation of a spirit and also for visual diminishing or enlarging of the room space. For instance, if you wish to widen it, paint the opposite wall by a light color with a hue of grey - and the wall will step back visually. Same "trick" may be applied to the ceiling and wood panels. You can diminish, enlarge or "cut" the space with the help of a border laid in a certain direction, from tiles of bright and contrasting colors.

If the bathroom space is not too big, it's worthwhile using light unsaturated colors - this will add openness and air to the room. Walls decoration of different colors will visually diminish a big bathroom space, making it more cozy. Deep bright colors, such as beige, pink, scarlet, lemon, copper or mahogany tint, will ideally suit for creating a still island for relaxing in a quiet surrounding. Ivory, peach, silvery, sky-blue and all colors and hues of an early morning, loaded with freshness and light will fill the bathroom with joy of a new day start.

Arthur Prudent is a developer of London builders - web site offering all aspects of builders services. Bathroom from over the Moon - Part One

Sauna Kits Or Pre-Builts

Wouldn't it be nice to have a sauna installed in your home? Is the cost of hiring a contractor prohibitive? If you install a sauna kit or a pre-built sauna yourself, you will actually save over half the cost of having to hire a contractor.

If you decide to install a sauna kit or a pre-built sauna in hour house, it may be easier than you think. All you need to have for the job is just a few simple tools. Pre-built saunas are easier to install than kits. They will fit together in no time by just using a simple Allen wrench.

What's the Difference?

A sauna kit is a package that contains all of the precut pieces that are needed to build a sauna. If you want to assemble a kit, it is usually a straightforward process which can be accomplished with only a few simple tools.

What is even easier is a pre-built sauna. It has been assembled into a few large pieces that just need to be connected together. It is just like putting together the piece of a puzzle only not as hard!

One great advantage of a pre-built sauna is its portability. You probably will not want to take it on a weekend trip, but if you ever want to sell your home, you will be able to take your sauna with you.

You will find that a pre-built sauna is going to be more expensive than a comparable sized sauna kit. If time is a factor, you may want to spend the additional money and buy the pre-built sauna. You can have it up and operating in as little as thirty minutes.

To learn more about infrared saunas select one of the links provided.

http://www.all-about-saunas.com

Save 60% On Infrared saunas.

Learn more about the Infrared sauna kits.

Environmentally Friendly Plans

The eB5Anvironment has become a concern in all areas of life including our choice of home design. Taking this into account with your next home is fairly simple and can actually save you money.

The Green Movement is the term given to a greater awareness of the environmental impact of many different areas in daily life. Our choice of dwelling is one of the important things that can have a great impact on the environment. This has often been overlooked in the past as we have looked for environmental culprits further from home. Eco Friendly Home Plans are design concepts for homes that recognize how much the individual home can help or harm the environment.

Energy consumption is one of the major issues of the Green movement. The ever increasing demand for energy has created environmental problems associated with the burning of coal and oil and the transport and storage of these fossil fuels. The eco friendly home will be designed as energy efficient as possible. The use of alternative cooling and heating methods such as solar panels will most certainly be a part of the design. Energy efficient windows and doors and insulation will be used.

The emphasis on energy efficiency in the eco friendly home plan is a win/win kind of a deal for the homeowner. The home that is energy efficient is contributing to the environmental well being of the planet, but it is also keeping money in your pocket through savings in energy costs.

Energy considerations are not the only ones in an eco friendly home plan. The choices of building materials and the landscaping of the area around the home are other considerations that can be done more or less environmentally sound. True eco friendly home plans would pay close attention to the source and content of all building materials from the actual building materials to the paint used to cover them.

In many areas, some of the ideas that have began as eco friendly plans have been moving closer to actual codes and laws. There have also been substantial tax credits offered for following Green guidelines in design and building. It makes a lot of sense, for a number of reasons, to make sure that your new home plan is an eco friendly home plan. It is one of those decisions that helps us now and does a little bit for the future as well.

Aazdak Alisimo writes home articles for http://www.HomePlansPlanet.com

Tips for Any Home Renovation Project

Any person who has decided to renovate a home no matter how large or how small will tell you that this is not in easy task. Even if you hire a professional contractor to complete the work for you, you will have to live with strange people coming in and out of your house until the project is complete. That is not to mention the expense that it will cost you. It is hardly different even when you do the project yourself. You will find that your place is in complete disarray, with tools, table saws, and supplies scattered about until the project is finished. There are ways that you can live with renovating projects, if you follow the following home renovation tips.

Finding the Best Renovating Tips:
The first thing that you will want to do before you begin any home renovation project is to carefully plan ahead. For example, if you will be renovating your kitchen, then you know that there are many things that you will not be able to use until the project is complete. A complete kitchen renovation will put you and your family at a standstill when it comes to cooking and preparing meals in your kitchen. For this reason, plan ahead and know that you will not be able to eat at home for some time. The same is true for any other room in your home. However, if you take the time to plan your project well in advance, you will be for prepared for these inconveniences.

Get Advice from Others:
Other tips that can prove to be very useful during any home renovation project is to talk to others that you know that have been through the process themselves. Your family members and friends who have completed home renovation projects in their own home may be able to offer you useful tips on how to live with your renovation project while it is in the process. If you do not know anyone that has been through this process before, then renovating and home decorating magazines and books are all great sources for tips and ideas about home renovation projects from start to finish. Don't forget to check the Internet as well. You will find that the Internet is a wonderful source of information that you may not find anywhere else. Your home is very important to you and home renovation projects come at a price, both financially and emotionally. Take the time to plan ahead before completing any home renovation project.

The author Vince Paxton is very interested in ideas associated with delta table saw ts350 and best table saws. You might find out more about his work on table saws reviews and delta table saw ts350 at http://www.insidewoodworking.com .

Building Choices That Will Change The Price Of Your Sunroom

Your specific home will have its individual aspects that will make your sunroom construction options and sunroom pricing possibilities different from your neighbor or family members home. However, starting with people who already have a sunroom is a good way to get an idea of what features you want your sunroom to have. For example, if you want an aluminum sunroom with few windows and a solid roof, youre looking at a much less expensive option than a full glass sunroom with wood beam construction. So here are a few factors which will affect your sunroom pricing when you are exploring sunroom construction.

Foundation Considerations That Will Affect Sunroom Prices

When you are building your sunroom, you start with the foundation. However, that foundation must be in compliance with the building codes of your local area. These codes will vary in part due to the climate that you live in. For example, if you have a considerable amount of freezing during winter, then the foundation will have to be deeper than in warmer climates. This will mean more expense in labor and materials. Then you will need to level or grade the area that you are preparing for your sunroom. If you have an existing deck, certain types of sunrooms can be built on top of them, saving you time and money. But again, it depends on your local building codes. However, if you are building an addition from scratch you will do best for stability and insulation to start with a slab foundation. It is a good base for all kinds of sunroom construction. If you cannot grade and level your construction area, then you will need to build a framed foundation, with concrete or cement block outer walls.

Roof Choices and Sunroom Cost

For many homeowners, the roof of their sunroom is not something that they have to think about. They want it to be a solid barrier from the sunlight, allowing the sunroom to get its exposure only from the full or partially glass walls. For others, however, they plan to have a number of skylights in the otherwise solid room. And still more would like their entire room to be made of glass so that they can take full advantage of the room as a potential greenhouse as well as a warm place to spend cool days. The cost of the framing on the roof itself will be done in a traditional construction manner, though the type of material used will affect the price greatly. These material types will be discussed more in the following section. But whats important to remember about the roof is that the more skylights you have, the more expensive the construction will be.

Material Choices for Sunroom Construction

There are a number of choices in materials for building your sunroom. The material you choose will greatly affect the cost of your sunroom not just at construction, but in the future in regards to heating, cooling and maintenance costs as well. The first material is PVC. This is the cheapest material that can be used for sunrooms. It has a number of additional advantages as well; it offers a high level of insulation in order to keep heating and cooling costs lower, it is available in a variety of colors, and it takes very little maintenance. The one drawback is that you will not be able to use it on certain historic buildings. Next in cost is aluminum. An aluminum sunroom is very similar to PVC, but doesnt do quite as good a job at insulating. However, it does have low maintenance issues and can come in a number of styles and colors in order to coordinate with your existing home covering. The most expensive material you can choose is wood. For many people, they prefer wood because it is more traditional, and because they can stain or paint it to custom colors in order to match their home exactly. However, there is one tradeoff besides the higher cost it will also require maintenance from time to time.

A Major Factor in Sunroom Prices Your Windows

Windows in a sunroom are probably the greatest variable in sunroom pricing. Not only does the number of windows that you choose make a difference, but so does the type. If they are fixed, they will be less expensive than if they open. If you choose a size window that is the standard type and size sold, then you will have less expense than if you request a custom-insulation. The type of glaze that you choose to put on the windows will matter as well. You can get windows that control the amount of sunlight that enters, ones that block out damaging rays and even ones that help control the temperature of the room. But the more your windows can do, the more expensive they are bound to be.

Andrew Caxton is a consultant who writes on many consumer topics like house additions and home decorating at http://www.allsunrooms.com . For additional information regarding costs, budgets or patio room designs go to sunroom prices.