Home Selling Books - Real Estate Tips

I was talking to a friend of mine, who had just purchased a new home about two months ago and he was practically yelling at me as he was talking about all the problems that he had with his realtor and previous homeowner. He was so mad, he had forgot about the problems he had with the home inspection. My friend was usually a very easy going and calm individual but this had upset him and almost turned him into an irrational person.

As I was calming him down and trying to get to the core of the problem, it seem like he didn't have enough information about buying or selling homes. He was confused with all the paperwork that was involved during the entire process. His real estate salesperson had him sign a contract that wouldn't let him use another realtor for a specific period of time. He really didn't know what he was signing and according to him, it wasn't explained properly to him.

After a couple of weeks of shopping for a new home, he became irritated with the realtor and wanted to end the relationship. Think again, said the realtor as he explained to my friend that they had a binding contract and his current realtor would get a percentage of the transaction, no matter what for that specific period of time. Was my friend mad, he was practically foaming at the mouth as he was telling me about the real estate professional.

It didn't stop here and they don't want to go into a long story about the real estate transaction from purgatory. My friends pain had come from the fact, that he had purchased a home 15 years ago and it was a smooth transaction and he was under the impression that buying and selling homes was a simple process.

I handed my friend a book called "The Consumer's Guide to Home Buying" and asked him if this book would have been helpful, before he started shopping for a home. I was curious because I build websites and do a lot are writing on the Internet. I told him to take the book home and I would get back with him, in a few weeks.

He contacted me the next day and couldn't believe the information he gained, just by scanning through the book in a few hours. He started to get mad at me for not giving him this book, before all the home buying problems occurred. I informed him quite simply that he had never even told me, he was looking for a home.

Can home selling books save you money, you bet they can.

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

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San Marcos Remodeling

Why Roof Replacement is a Major Home Improvement Project

Roof replacement is a noisy, dirty and very laborious kind of job. The people living in the house have to be prepared to undergo some amount of discomfort if they intend to stay within the house while the repair is being done. Roofing cement is the equivalent of duct tape for roofs. It will repair most leaks, cracked or torn shingles, patch flashing around vent pipes and chimneys. Obviously this is not a good option for the long term and you must take action and plan for the future as soon as possible to avoid interior damage.

Roofing material replacement is costly and quality installation is needed for the roof to last. When inquiring with roofing companies we recommended that you chose a company that will be here for the long run, just in case. Roof repair companies will most likely advise you to replace your roof and pay them to do so. It is wise to investigate alternative sources of information, specifically unbiased sources which are not seeking to sell anything. Roofing systems must also achieve a balance of durability, cost, weight, appearance, manufacturability and ease of installation when being considered for use. Regrettably, previous products have not made use of maturing technologies and advanced material applications now available from the Aerospace field.

Wind direction plays an important role, as well as roof pitch. A direct impact of hail on a shingle is more damaging than that of a glancing blow. Wind blow-off coverage ranges from winds of 60mph to 110 mph. Labor costs for replacing damaged shingles is for three to 10 years. Also, Windows and Doors are components that may need light scraping and painting to appear new and operational.

Roofs with shingling set directly on solid sheathing and where there is insulation packed tightly between the wooden rafters without adequate ventilation run the risk of condensation-related moisture damage to wooden roofing components. This is particularly true for air-conditioned structures. Roofs are subject to extremes of temperature, receiving the full exposure of the sun as well as suffering from the extremes of cold. No other part of the average home sees a wider cycle of temperatures.

Roof replacement is rarely a choice someone makes because they prefer a different color or some other cosmetic change. For most of the world, roof replacement is expensive and an investment that is made when there is no other choice. Roof replacement is a major home improvement project which can be costly. Homeowners want to ensure they use only the best roofing professionals, equipment and materials for their new roof. If a Roof replacement is then required make sure you select a color that you can live with for many years to come.

Roof framing should be designed at 20 pounds per SF, so there is no danger of collapse, however, snow and wind loads may cause deflection. Heavy weight shingles can be 50% heavier than standard or 20-year shingles.

As always just be sure to do your homework when trying to find the best contractor for the job. The lowest price is not always the best way to go and if you choose to make your final decision on just that fact, be prepared to be disappointed most of the time.

DiCicco Building Company has been doing Kitchen Remodeling Auburn Hills for over 20 years. We are also leaders in Bathroom Remodeling Auburn Hills along with being an award winning custom residential home builder. We also specialize in Finished Basements and home additions.

When to Hire a Home Painting Contractor - San Deigo Home Tips

When dealing with home painting, it is often best to consider all options before choosing the best way to go about accomplishing the goals the homeowner has set for him or herself. The homeowner can either hire a professional to handle the work, hire some buddies to help out or can do the entire project alone, without any help from anybody. The last option is often where homeowners get into trouble, but realizing when to hire a contractor can save a good deal of time and money for the homeowner.

Being honest about how complicated a project may be and hiring a home painting contractor to help with the work is often the first step in ensuring a beautifully painted home. Unfortunately, not all homeowners are wise enough to make this decision and instead make poor decisions that end up hurting the quality of the project. Knowing when to hire a contractor and avoid any mishaps that may come about as the result of amateur work will not only save time and money, but can save the homeowners sanity as well.

With less mishaps or mistakes, homeowners will feel less stressed out by the entire project. A home painting contractor will be trained in how to deal with many of these mishaps and can act accordingly when they present themselves. Being able to effectively manage a project and deal with unforeseen problems that may arise may be the best thing for the project. Only a professional contractor has been properly trained in this manner and can offer this skill to his or her clients. A good home painting contractor will truly care about the project as well, putting in the extra effort to ensure that the client is satisfied with the work being done.

Hiring friends to help out with a project is an option that many homeowners choose when deciding to get work done on the house. While this may save money in labor fees, as many homeowners do not pay their buddies to help them out, they will often pay for it by sacrificing quality. Bonding with their friends should be done at a barbecue, and not on ladders when dealing with a complicated home improvement project. If nobody knows what they are doing, then the project will not get done in a way that is satisfying to the homeowner. This can cause even greater frustration and annoyances and can make the experience a negative one.

A home painting contractor will also be able to offer helpful advice when the homeowner is planning the project. Deciding what type of paint to use and what colors complement each other nicely can be a great help to homeowners that may not have had any experience in this aspect of home improvement. Their experience often comes in handy when dealing with the planning phase and can be a great help to the homeowner as he or she develops their ideas. Deciding where they want the project to go is important and involving the contractor will help the two parties get on the same page.

More information on College Works Painting home repair for your home is just a click away.

What Does a GFI Do

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

San Diego Termite Damage

Aluminum Roofing

Stair Tread Brackets - Remodeling Tips

Metal stair tread brackets are used instead of wood cleats and for plenty of good reasons. These often become a safety hazard over time, as the wood starts to deteriorate. Metal, will not disintegrate as fast as the wood it is normally attached to. In most cases the wood stringers and steps will suffer from wood rot or termite damage before the metal brackets become a safety problem.

Metal stair brackets, often require lag screws instead of nails or screws to attach the stair step to the stringer. These lag screws are normally an inch and a quarter for the stair treads, if they are built from 2 x materials. For example a 2 x 12 or 2 x 14 stair tread will require lag screws that will not go through the wood step. A 2 inch like screw will easily go through an inch and a half stair tread. If you're building a stairway, this will be useful information.

Some metal stair connectors have four holes on each side of the metal bracket for the lag screws, while other metal stair brackets have three holes on each side. This normally depends on the thickness of the stair tread and the use of the stairway. Public stairways will normally require the stronger stair tread connector.

During my career of building stairways, I have seen quite a few metal stair tread brackets. Some builders had custom made brackets to meet specific stair tread applications, while others used Simpson products, that are more readily available to home builders and contractors.

One of the biggest problems I have noticed, using metal stair parts is the lag screws can loosen up over time, creating a safety hazard. Warping treads, along with stair steps that split where the lag screw is located, seem to be the biggest problems associated with metal brackets. There are stair building safety codes that should be followed when building or remodeling stairways.

Staircases are normally high traffic areas and should be maintained regularly. Public stairways with high traffic areas should be maintained more often. Anyone walking up and down the stairways should notify the building owner of any problems, to prevent accidents in the future.

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

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Home Maintenance Schedules - House Ideas

If you have trouble remembering when you purchased that new refrigerator, washer or other home appliance, you're not alone. What is probably even tougher is remembering when you serviced the furnace filters, checked the hot water heater or when the stove fume hood was last cleaned.

All of these tasks are made easier if you develop and maintain a simple system of recording when these tasks are done. This record should be added or completed as the last item on the list that's kept with the appliance or in a 'home maintenance record book or file.

Having trouble finding the proper tags or file system? Try the local office products store or office products section of your local grocery or hardware store. A simple Journal book will work to keep a running record of home, yard and auto repairs and maintenance. While this record takes a bit longer to find what was done when, it is recorded in chronological order...all in one place.

Another tip is similar to that used by the fire department to record the maintenance schedule of such things as the fire extinguishers. Various tags and holders are available in hardware or home supply stores that permit you to record the date, month, day and year, of the service or repair. This tag is invaluable for items as water heaters, water and furnace filters or any other appliance that receives periodic checking and maintenance by the home or apartment dweller. Many times these appliances are installed by the owner or delivery person and simply "forgotten about" until something goes wrong!

Then it is not only a scramble to get the fixture back in service, but also a hassle to find out the make, model, last service date etc. If you take the extra minute or two to record the purchase, date, location, date, model, serial number or model number, you know have the information you need to contact the local dealer or service department. Also, if you're not inclined to fix, repair or replace the unit yourself, you have the minimum information to begin the process of finding the help or aid of the local 'Handyman'.

Dennis Bries
http://briespix.com

Home Maintenance Schedules - House Ideas

If you have trouble remembering when you purchased that new refrigerator, washer or other home appliance, you're not alone. What is probably even tougher is remembering when you serviced the furnace filters, checked the hot water heater or when the stove fume hood was last cleaned.

All of these tasks are made easier if you develop and maintain a simple system of recording when these tasks are done. This record should be added or completed as the last item on the list that's kept with the appliance or in a 'home maintenance record book or file.

Having trouble finding the proper tags or file system? Try the local office products store or office products section of your local grocery or hardware store. A simple Journal book will work to keep a running record of home, yard and auto repairs and maintenance. While this record takes a bit longer to find what was done when, it is recorded in chronological order...all in one place.

Another tip is similar to that used by the fire department to record the maintenance schedule of such things as the fire extinguishers. Various tags and holders are available in hardware or home supply stores that permit you to record the date, month, day and year, of the service or repair. This tag is invaluable for items as water heaters, water and furnace filters or any other appliance that receives periodic checking and maintenance by the home or apartment dweller. Many times these appliances are installed by the owner or delivery person and simply "forgotten about" until something goes wrong!

Then it is not only a scramble to get the fixture back in service, but also a hassle to find out the make, model, last service date etc. If you take the extra minute or two to record the purchase, date, location, date, model, serial number or model number, you know have the information you need to contact the local dealer or service department. Also, if you're not inclined to fix, repair or replace the unit yourself, you have the minimum information to begin the process of finding the help or aid of the local 'Handyman'.

Dennis Bries
http://briespix.com

Installing Windows - Home Tips

Most carpenters and construction workers understand one thing about eye level. It had better be straight, square and plumb. My dad could walk into a room take a quick glance at a wall and notice almost every single flaw in that wall. I was always amazed at his ability to find problems so quickly.

I have never quite developed the ability that my father has in noticing construction defects at his level. But I can tell you this most people notice a majority of flaws at their eye level. What does this mean? Quite simply if you are 4'6" tall you will notice every flaw possible between 3'6" and six foot.

If you are 6 feet tall you will notice every flaw between 5 feet and 8 feet. You might not notice the window apron but you will notice the window header if there are any problems.

Now the problem is installing windows at eye level and making sure that the window sill is level and the jambs are plumb. Windows seem to get used a lot and therefore will be looked at often. The more we look at something the more we will notice the good and the bad about that object.

Does the window slide easy, does the window lock easy, does the window close and open with little effort? If the window has grids this could be a bigger problem. If you are sliding the moving panel of the window passed the fixed panel of the window and the window is not level or straight you will definitely see it.

If you are installing Windows above 8 feet you could probably get away with the window being a little bit out of level or plumb. If the window is a two-story house and you can view it from upstairs you could have a problem if the window is out of square or not level.

Keep in mind is very important and not hard to do when installing the windows during construction or remodeling to keep them plumb and level. I know a lot of carpenters and window setters that slapped the windows in, eyeball them for straightness and move on to the next window to perform the same task.

Every person's eye level range will vary. A taller person will notice most mistakes five foot and above. A smaller person will notice mistakes five foot and below. Working at someone's eye level is a mistake. Your work should be quality and when setting windows should be done to the best of your ability.

You might ask why it matters. Because you never know when someone smaller or taller is going to be walking through the house and notice some simple problems that could have been fixed easily during the construction process. Now the window will have to be repaired which could be a costly process.

I like to build things right the first time. Take your time, double check everything and assemble with pride.

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 in Installing Windows in Your Home

Hold Down With Anchor Bolt Done

Eco Friendly Insulating Paint Additive

Eco friendly paint additives are the buzzwords of modern day society. Fueled by constant demands for energy saving products coupled with a psychological desire to limit the damage being caused to our environment through our actions and daily lifestyles. These products promise to be the future answer to some of these problems.

Products of text book marketing theory referred to as "social marketing" for those in the industry. These products are the result of socio-economic demands as an essential component in the complete insulation of homes, building and other premises. Combining the other buzzword of modern day society - convenience, the product ranges are on the whole efficient, effective and very simple to use. Typically applied by adding to paint and away you go, is the claim made by leading manufacturer and distributor Thermilate, based in the UK.

In using such products society will benefit with a win-win situation. Benefits to consumers of such products are the energy saving they promise, which can be as high as 25%. This in turn impacts on costs and provides users with greater control over the temperature in their homes and other buildings where used. The gains for the environment are the resultant reduction in the usage of damaging carbon fuels, one only has to imagine the millions of homes and buildings out there to visualise what the impact on the environment of the absence of such products has been thus far.

These products work by reducing the amount of heat escaping through walls, which many people have yet to realise are a major form of heat loss in their homes or buildings. Social marketing messages to inform consumers across the world about heat loss through windows proved very successful in the 1970's and 1980's backed by multi million pound marketing campaigns. However, in time it has transpired that the messages were incomplete and failed to inform consumers about the heat loss through their walls, which ironically can be far greater than that which takes place through their windows.

How do they work?

Although technologically advanced and safe to use, these paint additives are amazingly simple in their application. Leading eco-friendly additives company Thermilate stated, "they work by reducing the amount of heat escaping through walls via their insulation and reflection properties. The technology has taken years to develop and the resulting product is highly effective."

Heat loss is a fairly simple process - the walls, roofs and flooring are not impenetrable and they allow significant heat loss. These additives are featured in a multitude of journals. Products such as those mentioned above can slow down this process and inhibit this heat loss permanently.

The technology is based on simple micro-spheres, which create an invisible vacuum effect and thus reflect the heat back into the house, creating a double glazing effect for walls. The brand leader in the industry says its products have proved to reduce significant energy losses and energy consumption when these products were utilized. He is very excited about the future of this technology, particularly in its contribution to the global effort on climate change.

Off course the reverse is also true, these products also prevent heat entering a building in hot climates therefore keeping buildings much cooler, which anybody from such a climate will appreciate is a major problem and in doing so saving on air conditioning costs and creating a far more comfortable living environment.

It is recommended that as your first port of call you Google Thermilate. Its many applications are already assisting in the global effort for climate change. The success or failure of the global climate change strategy is hinged upon the cumulative success of individual efforts which will impact on our collaborative environment in the years to come.

Bathroom Remodel Investment If Selling

When you're planning any bathroom remodel, consider the costs of the bathroom remodeling versus the return on the actual investment. According to one of the popular remodeling magazines, the average bathroom remodel throughout the country cost around $16,000.

If you were to sell your house within a few years, you could recoup around $12,000 of your original investment. This would translate into a $4000 loss to your pocketbook eventually.

Using these numbers for your bathroom remodel investment, you would recoup around 75% of your original investment. If you know anything about investing money, this will not be a good rate of return and if you keep investing your money like this, you won't have any to invest, eventually.

Keep this in mind, if you're going to be selling the home within a few years. If the bathroom isn't in good shape and you're not planning on selling soon, you could remodel the bathroom and enjoy it for quite a few years. You wouldn't be looking at this as an investment but as maintenance costs.

If you need to remodel the bathroom, because it's getting a little run down and will create a problem when selling a home, I would suggest minor remodeling, if the toilet, fixtures and bathtub is in good condition, I would suggest changing the sink, cabinet, bathtub surround, flooring and some new paint.

If you're remodeling cost is now at $8,000, you would recoup at least $6,000 and would only lose $2000 on your original investment. Now this still doesn't make any sense, if you're still losing money, why would you even want to remodel the bathroom. Why not sell the home as it is and not lose any money? This is a tough decision to make and keep in mind, these are average costs.

You could recoup less or more than 75% of your bathroom investment costs.

Most real estate professionals will advise you to remodel the bathroom for two reasons, for one the house will sell for a few more dollars, and this will increase their sales commission. The second one is probably the most important for any one selling a home, the home could sell faster.

If you have the time and are in no hurry to sell the home, I would suggest trying to sell the home as is first and then sprucing it up, if you can't sell it within three months.

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.

Large Glass Wall

Bathroom Moisture Problems - Home Remodeling

Right above my bathtub in my master bathroom the paint is peeling off the wall. The area is peeling above the tile in my bathtub and shower combination. I tried to glue the peeling paint back and only made the situation worst.

First things first. The paint is peeling because there is to much moisture in the bathroom while you are using it. Do you have any windows you can open or a ventilating bathroom fan. If you have a window crack it open part way while you are showering.

The water droplets will accumulate on the walls and drip into any cracks. Right above the tile grout is a great place for moisture to accumulate. Oh yeah moisture loves grout and drywall. If you have any unpainted areas or an area that has cracked. Guess what you have now.

Your paint is peeling because the bathroom gets hot and cold. Moist and dry. If you have the door and windows shut. You just created a moisture trap. Most people prefer their privacy and will closes the door when using the shower. Well then open the window and let some cold air in while you are taking a nice warn shower. I don't think so. Most showering fools don't like that idea either.

Ok one more idea keep the windows shut so you don't let the cold air in. Then lock the door so no on barges in on you. If you have a ventilation fan turn it on. This will at least pull fresh air in from under the door and send the moist air out of the house.

But the fan is so noisy and I can't enjoy my nice warm vapor producing shower that will eventually cause me to get sick from mold particles floating around in the air while I am using my bathroom.
Does this about sum it up for you and don't we all do this from time to time. We want to enjoy our shower time, so we close up everything and when we are in our bath sauna environment relaxing our house is getting some damaging moisture that could cause mold and mildew.

Open a window or door a little when you shower. Get some air circulating through the bathroom and prevent damage to your nice house.

Put up with a little inconvenience for you homes sake and your pocket book.

Greg Vanden Berge has been in the home building and remodeling business in California for over 30 years. With this knowledge he has created a few websites that provide useful information for home owners as well as contractors. His main goal is to educate professionals in the home related businesses, dealing with problems that can easily be avoided with just a little bit of information.

His website provides all kinds of answers to remodeling and new house building in North San Diego Home Remodeling Carlsbad Home Remodeling

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Garage Wall Framing Into House

Creating Your Own Ventless Gel Fireplace

Do It Yourself is springing up all over the place. Its a great thing because there really is no reason why a person cant learn to do interesting projects for themselves. If you have an idea for a fireplace but you just dont like the odds you are up against, there really is no reason why you cant figure out how to do it for yourself.

The old way of doing things used to be to call the general contractor and get a quote on a project idea you had. But, there was always a risk that the work wouldnt come out looking like the image you had in your mind. Did you communicate your wants as clearly as you possibly could? Its hard to know until you see the finished project.

But if you have a fireplace idea, there is no reason why you have to go through all that. You have the image in your mind. Do your homework and learn how to do it yourself. Thats the only way you are ever going to be completely happy with an idea you have.

Ventless gel fireplace has fireboxes that help you design your own fireplaces by yourself. The firebox contains the fire, holds your inserts and gives you a safe place to stack your ceramic logs. So, take a second and see how it works.

One project I recently helped complete was the fireplace in the bathroom. Of course, electric wont work. But, the traditional fireplace and a gas fireplace would be very expensive. In comes the firebox.

We knocked a hole in the drywall and cut out a square where the firebox would be installed. I built a wooden structure that would house the firebox. The firebox was installed and I finished the wall with a concrete border and a rock design that added a beautiful touch to the bathroom dcor.

Relaxation in the bathroom is greatly enhanced after you install a fireplace. Taking a bath and feeling the warmth while you are hypnotized by the crackling of the fire is a great way to enjoy an evening. But, its not that common to find a fireplace in the bathroom.

That idea and others are just what Im talking about. You can install your own fireplace in your living room. You can create a patio fireplace if you want. There is no limit to how far you can go to enjoy the fireplace experience anywhere you see fit.

The bathroom project took a day after the firebox arrived at the house. I truly believe anyone can have a fireplace anywhere if they just use their imagination and followed through with these great ideas we all get from time to time. Call for help if you need. I really wouldnt want you to destroy your own home if you have absolutely no construction skills at all. But, its worth the time if youd like to give it a try and learn how to do some home improvement projects on your own.

Jessica Brylan has been a student of construction all her life, under her father who retired in 2004. Her passion strangely enough turned to the design and structure of the fireplace. You can look forward to her newest publication, Pros and Cons of Ventless Gel Fireplaces after it's scheduled to publish soon.

Damp Basement Solutions - Home Tips

A leaky basement can be a nightmare: the pervasive damp can cause mold growth and musty smells, items stored down there can be ruined, and the foundation can even be damaged by persistent water! If you have moisture, drips, seepage, or other water related issues in your basement, you need to get it sealed and dried out fast, before major problems develop. A wet basement isn't the end of the world, though: there are a number of solutions to get your basement dry, and keep it that way.

The first step to eliminating your basement moisture problem is identifying the source of the water. Once you have located where the water is entering the building, you can more accurately resolve the issue. The following basement drying strategies are grouped by the source of the water to help you easily connect the appropriate solution to your particular problem.

Drainage Problems

Exterior drainage issues can be a major source of water in your basement; if water is not properly diverted away from your foundation, it can frequently work its way inside. If you notice water flowing toward your house on rainy days, have blocked or malfunctioning gutters, or observe signs of erosion around your house, you likely have drainage problems. Some drainage issues are simple to resolve: if your gutters aren't working, clean and repair them. Pay special attention to downspouts, and be sure that they are directing water away from your house, not toward it! Other drainage issues can be more difficult to resolve; if your gutters aren't the source of your drainage issue, you'll want to consult a professional basement waterproofing company. They will be able to identify problematic water patterns and correct them with exterior diversion methods, which frequently require grading and installing bubblers and other water redirection systems.

Basement Leaks

Water can also work its way into your basement through cracks or crevices in your foundation. This type of problem usually manifests itself as a visible break or fracture, a trickle of water, or a damp spot. Keep in mind that basement leaks can also be caused by a porous foundation: there doesn't necessarily have to be a split for water to be seeping in. If you've located an actual crack, you can use one of several basement sealing compounds to fill it in. However, if you determine that water is leaking in through the walls of the basement itself, you'll need to take more thorough measures. You have a number of options for waterproofing your basement: vinyl wall sheeting, epoxy wall/floor paint, and exterior membranes are among the most popular. If you're uncomfortable tackling the job yourself, a waterproofing specialist can provide professional basement sealing results.

Flooding

Sometimes, no matter how good your yard drainage or how carefully your basement has been sealed, water gets in. Whether the result of a burst pipe, torrential rains, or a creek breaching its banks, floods happen. If you live in a flood-prone area, or just want to be prepared in case of disaster, you can mitigate the severity of basement floods. While most basement moisture issues are addressed after-the-fact, you'll get the best results if you're proactive with regard to basement floods. For small amounts of water, interior drain tiles will usually do the job: consider this method if you have a toilet that frequently overflows, or a washing machine that leaks. For larger volumes of water, you'll need a sump pump. This small pump will make a huge difference in how fast water is drained from your basement, and since it kicks in as soon as the water arrives, a sump pump can make the difference between a little standing water and a whole lot of standing water. Contact your local foundation repair contractor to have a sump pump installed. If basement flooding is a frequent problem, you may also want to consider a battery-powered back up pump for power outages.

Make sure you address water problems in your basement promptly; instead of going away on their own, foundation moisture issues frequently snowball into moisture and mold crises. Take the time to identify and resolve the source of the moisture-you certainly won't regret it.

And if you're not the DIY type, there are always basement waterproofing and foundation repair companies willing to help!

Matt Gallo is a home improvement hobbyist and the Internet marketing manager for Prospect Genius, a leading provider of online local advertising

What Kind Of Wood Rot

Realistic Rustic Looking Vinyl Log Siding

Thanks to innovative new advancements in vinyl siding, a house can look like a show place. Vinyl siding was first introduced in the 1950's, and the improvements made over the years are simply amazing. Vinyl siding offers a wonderful way to give a home a beautiful face lift.

For those who like the log cabin look, there is the very popular vinyl log siding. The biggest advantage in choosing to use log siding is the fact that it is maintenance free, and easy to install. Traditional real wooden log homes, while quite appealing require a lot of exterior maintenance as well as take quite some time to construct.

Unlike the vinyl siding from the past, today's siding is realistic looking, and requires no maintenance. Log siding gives a home the look of a real log home, at a much lower price, and saves time over traditional log home construction.

Traditional real wooden log homes require a lot of routine maintenance such as staining, sealing, and insect protection in order to preserve the wood. With that in mind,vinyl logsiding is the more attractive choice. This makes that charming rustic look much easier to achieve today than it has been in the past.

Another advantage to using vinyl siding is the weather-proofing factor. Yes, siding is a great way to weather proof a home. It provides total protection from various climates and weather conditions.

While the afore mentioned advantages are all valid and appealing reasons to choose vinyl log siding, there is more! The many choices of wood styles like cedar, cypress, and redwood just to name the most popular choices available, is yet another great reason to consider vinyl log siding.

I personally prefer the rustic log cabin look. The fact that that look can be produced by vinyl log siding that is maintenance free, and can also save me on energy bills, is a big plus. Until I saw that this siding was being used in areas where one would expect to see real traditional log homes, I would not have believed it could look so real.

It looks real because it is embossed with rich natural looking grain textures. The advancements in recent years to vinyl siding, especially vinyl log siding, is astounding. If this is the look you would like to have for your home, consider this option as an alternative to real wood log construction and save time and money.

Learn More about Vinyl Log Siding

Wood Stair Cleats Problems - Stairway Remodeling

I would imagine most people don't even know what it wood stair cleat is, in construction we have so many words that describe the same thing. A stair cleat is another word for a thread bracket. In other words it's the part of the stairway that connects the stair stringer to the stair step. These have been used for years and over time, most of them will develop the same problem.

Most wood stair cleats loosened up and create a safety hazard. If the stairs are located outside in extreme weather conditions, for example, if it rains or snows a lot, extremely humid humid weather, or extremely hot and dry temperatures, your staircase might not last that long, if it is or isn't maintained properly. It's not a bad idea to use steel or concrete for stairways in these climates.

If you're ever walking up a set of stairs with wood cleats and the stair steps feel a little loose or wiggly, make sure you examined the stair cleats for safety. It's not uncommon for someone to be walking up or down a set of wood stairs and having the stair step or tread giveaway because the wood cleats has loosened.

If the wood stair cleats are nailed to the stair stringer, the nails can loosen up, causing it to become loose, as you walk up and down the stairs applying pressure to the stair cleat, this will create movement in between the stair step and the stair stringer. This could cause the cleat to crack, break and separate the connection between the stair step in the stair stringer.

I would suggest using metal brackets instead of wood cleats. The metal brackets will not crack or disintegrate like some wood cleats. Stair building brackets of course can loosen up and should be maintained regularly.

If you decide to use wood stair cleats, I would suggest using screws instead of nails and drilling holes in the wood stair cleats, most of the time this will prevent cracking the cleat. Try to use a thicker material for the stair cleat, for example using a 2 x 4 with lag screws and washers would be better than using a 1 x 4 with nails.

If you're walking up a set of stairs and a stair step feels loose, contact the owner of the property and let them know, they have a problem with their staircase.

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

Roofing Fascia Board Problem

Tips in Remodeling a Small Bathroom

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Home Purchasing Checklists Provide Protection

Home purchasing checklists provide protection for consumers with useful information for future home repairs or current home repairs that will need to be done before the home is sold. Home inspectors often use checklists like these, while they're inspecting the home.

If more home shoppers used home inspection checklist while shopping for houses, we would probably have more satisfied homebuyers than dissatisfied ones. Recently just purchasing a home, we had our real estate professional, the previous homeowner's real estate professional and a mortgage lender, involved in the purchase of the property.

There was a home inspection report from the current homeowners, available for us to look at. It provided us with the damaged parts of the home that were repaired or replaced. Some of these repairs were from termite damage and it was stated so on the report. This was helpful information for us as we walked around the home inspecting it for damage.

The work that was repaired to look satisfactory and the rest of the home had minor damage. Listening to one of the real estate sales people that were involved in the transaction, you would've thought we would get in the deal of a lifetime and they had nothing but good news to say about the product they were representing. I easily understood that, this person could have influenced some one into believing that the home was in great shape, if they didn't have a home inspection checklist with them.

The home had been re-carpeted, painted and was in generally good shape. The problems with the home, were the old windows that were hard to open, the heating unit leaked gas, the tile flooring that ran through the kitchen and a large room addition looked great, except for one thing, they installed the tile over linoleum.

This eventually will have to be replaced as the tile starts to separate from the linoleum. While I'm writing this article, there's about 40 square feet of tile that needs to be replaced, because it's popping up and cracking.

A home purchasing checklist does not guarantee that you will find everything but can't eliminate some of the things that homeowners have the biggest problems with. If you could just eliminate one of these problems, the small price of purchasing, one of these checklists would be worth it.

Home purchasing checklists provide protection for the shopper and I would recommend, never shopping for a home without one.

If your looking for some more home inspection or home building ideas

By Greg Vanden Berge

Cement Rendering And Building Plastering

The purpose of rendering is two-fold, namely to weatherproof the building wall and to provide pleasing finishes of various textures. Plastering is a skilled trade and an expert plasterer should be employed wherever possible, as there are many points that can only be learnt by experience. However, if skilled help is not available, it is necessary to know the elementary principles involved, that is, how to prepare the surface, choose the mix, proportion the materials and apply the plaster.

The proportions of cement, lime and sand to use depend upon the purpose of the plaster and the nature of the building surface to which it is to be applied. A pure lime plaster is comparatively soft and weak and is slow setting, so it is usually gauged with cement to increase its strength and hardness and to shorten the period of hardening. The strength increases and the period of hardening decreases as the amount of cement increases in proportion to the amount of lime, until with a pure cement plaster with no lime, the strength is a maximum and the hardening period the least. However, as the proportion of cement is increased the plaster becomes less workable and more difficult to apply. The proportion of sand should not exceed three times the combined proportions of lime and cement. A stronger plaster should not be applied to weak porous backing or a strong finish coat to a weak first coat.

For external building plastering or 'rendering' on a dense material such as concrete, dense concrete blocks and hard clay bricks of low porosity, the best proportions to use are 1 part cement, 1 part hydrated lime and 6 parts sand by volume. On exposed building walls subject to driving rains the proportion of lime may be decreased and the cement increased to say 1 :: 6 mix or a 1:4 cement plaster to which up to 10% of lime by weight of the cement is added to make it workable.

On external building walls of low strength and high porosity such as low quality breeze concrete blocks the external rendering should not be stronger than a 1:1:6 mix as above and a strong cement mix with little or no lime should not be used.

For internal plastering the best proportions are 1 cement, 1 lime and 6 sand; or 1 cement, 2 lime and 9 sand; or a lime mix only of 1:3 or 4 may be used, remembering that the cement increases the strength and hardness and reduces the period of hardening. For water containers such as fishponds only cement plasters should be used.

The weather during plastering and rendering may have considerable influence on the finished work. External rendering should be started on the shady side of the building to keep it unexposed to the sun as long as possible. No plastering should be done in frosty weather. In cold weather plaster hardens slowly and a longer period of time between coats should be allowed. In very hot weather the successive coats must be kept damp and protected from drying out for at least two days after application. Draughts and local sources of heat may cause too rapid drying out. Gentle heat and moderate ventilation are the best conditions for plastering.

Michael Russell Your Independent Building guide.

Acoustic Ceiling Removal - Popcorn or Texture?

The decision to attempt acoustic ceiling removal is not something most people jump into without a bit of forethought. There are both pros and cons to consider before making a choice to either keep that popcorn ceiling or scrape it off and replace it with some type of wall texture. I have tried to cover the most important issues in this article to help you make the choice best for your situation.

The Pros of Acoustic Ceiling Removal

• The money: Acoustic removal usually increases the value and marketability of your home, sometimes dramatically. A textured ceiling is by most opinions far more appealing and buyers will pay for what they like.
• Removal reduces the nesting places for bugs such as dust mites and spiders. In my experience, it is more likely than not to see spider webs on close examination of an older acoustic ceiling.
• Because the rough acoustic ceiling texture tends to trap light and create a shadowing effect replacing with modern knockdown or similar texture can make the room appear much brighter and more open.
• The new ceiling can be painted the same color as the walls or a different color if you desire. You are not stuck with an "acoustic white" or one of the shades of yellow acoustic tends to turn over the years.
• Cleaning the dust and dirt that accumulates around ceiling vents and ceiling fans is next to impossible with out damaging and/or creating a mess of acoustic kernels on an acoustic ceiling.

The Cons of Acoustic Ceiling Removal

• The money: Removing a popcorn ceiling, repairing the drywall, applying texture, priming and finally painting can be very expensive if done by a contractor.

• Sometimes acoustic is applied because that gnarly texture hides damage. Hidden drywall damage usually means more time needed from the crew's drywall patch masters, along with additional material which of course equals more money out of your pocket.

• The removal process can be a lot of work if done yourself. There is a lot of information out there on the web to help guide you through the process. In fact, our site, BigRehab.com, has a systematic manual on the process. Removal is hard work that requires a certain level of skill, skill that only comes with experience. Before taking on the removal of an entire home, I highly suggest you get started by doing a small bedroom or office to size up what you are getting into. Many errors in coating the drywall or applying the texture will not be seen until the paint is applied and has dried.

• Some popcorn/acoustic ceilings contain asbestos. If your ceiling contains asbestos above the threshold level you must follow your state and local laws regarding removal and disposal of this hazardous waste product. This will include multiple air samples, protective clothing and respiration gear, specialized sealers, portable showers, heppa air filtration, etc. Can you see the dollars piling up yet? Asbestos removal is very expensive.

Popcorn or Texture

As you consider these issues and come to a decision do not overlook one of the most important factors: You. Is looking at those ugly ceilings something you want to do for the rest of the time you own your home? Ultimately optional home improvement projects such as removing your popcorn ceiling come down to what your desire is for the home you live in.

For further information on acoustic ceiling or popcorn ceiling removal, visit the author's website. It is a wealth of information and includes free do it yourself manual that outlines the acoustic removal process in easy to follow steps.

Plumbing Repairs - Money Saving Tips to Help During the Recession

Van Nuys plumbers face a serious challenge during the recession - how to help their clients prevent costly plumbing repairs during tough economic times. Instead of trying to increase the number of plumbing and sewer repairs they typically do, they are spending time educating consumers on how to prevent costly repairs. Here are some ways you can do the same thing for your home or commercial property.

Toilets cause plumbing problems on a regular basis, and a leaky toilet can waste enough water in a year to fill up a swimming pool. To conserve water, save money, and do your part, be sure to have some replacement parts on hand. The most common cause of a leaky toilet is a faulty flapper or tank ball. You need to have a supply connection, fill valve or cock assembly, flapper or tank ball, and a flush lever or handle in order to keep your toilets running in good order at all times.

Most of the homes in Van Nuys are at least forty years old, making it necessary to replace fixtures as they age. Plan to do this annually so that you won't be hit with a larger bill than you had budgeted for. Older homes require more maintenance in general, and your plumbing system is no exception to this rule. Put a few dollars aside each month in an interest bearing account to be better prepared.

Even in Van Nuys, where the weather is typically mild, plan on insulating pipes next to exterior walls in case you experience a colder than normal winter. This will also save you money on plumbing and sewer repairs.

And now I invite you to learn more about caring for your own plumbing system by visiting http://www.LosAngelesPlumbingandSewer.com to see how you can benefit from the expertise of Schuelke Plumbing, a family owned and operated full service plumbing and sewer repair company.

Ceiling Beam With 4 X 4 Post

The Secrets of Ranch Home Expansions

Many people see a ranch house as an unassuming, single-floor house. As such, ranch owners and will frequently implement extensive landscaping of their yards to make their home look special in a neighborhood full of copycats. Somewhere along the line, however, a homeowner might decide to renovate the interior and begin renovations to make the home more attractive and more functional. If you are a ranch owner looking to update your post-war era home, here are some renovation secrets to help you get started with planning.

In general, a ranch home consists of a kitchen, living area, two to three bedrooms, and one and a half bathrooms. Most are built over a full basement, and it is not uncommon to see a garage built on with a door leading into the kitchen. Implementing ranch renovation project can be as simple as building deck that extends from the back of the home, enclosing a patio area in the front yard, or finishing the basement to create comfortable space where the family can unwind.

As you consider a ranch house project, it is essential that you establish what changes are most important in your opinion and the opinions of others living in the home. Think about your experience in the house, and recall any time you found yourself wishing that something was different or more convenient. Perhaps a cozy enclosed space in the back of the house would make it more "homey," along with a back door that opens to a new patio. If you are thinking about building a space outside to be closer to the outdoors, you have many options. You could install a spacious wooden deck, a covered space with a concrete floor, or even a whole sunroom with a bay window where you could relax and entertain guests.

Perhaps you enjoy the overall look of your ranch house, but in your opinion it is important to expand to get some much-needed space. At some point, you might need more bedrooms, or maybe you need to put in a study or den to add to the common area. If you are considering a plan that will not fit into the home's floor plan, you can always partition off the basement to make new rooms.

The basement is where your essential utilities function, like the furnace, laundry facilities and your hot water tank. If you take the step of building walls around these appliances, the remainder of your basement is free to become a space recreational activities, or family room. In addition, additional dividers could be added to partition the space, creating additional areas that could become bedrooms and study areas for your growing family.

Being especially interested in bay window treatments and decorate bay window, Vince Paxton edited plenty of papers in this specific field. You might come across his abstracts on curtains for bay window at different sources for curtains for bay window knowledge.

Building a Storage Shed - How to Figure the Perfect Size

By building a storage shed, you can achieve total organization for your lawn equipment, tools, holiday decorations, and the extra items you want to keep but just don't have the space for in your home. The most difficult part about building a shed is figuring out what size you need. Determining the perfect size should be one of the first steps in the planning process. The following paragraphs detail things for you to consider when deciding on the size of your backyard shed.

Homeowner Association Rules

If you live in a subdivision with a homeowners association, start there when first making your plan for building a storage shed. Many subdivisions require board approval and have special rules you must follow when constructing a backyard shed. Don't go any further in your planning until you know the rules, including size limits, height restrictions, property line issues, setbacks, design limitations, roofing and siding choices allowed, deed restrictions, the process for having plans approved, and anything else you need to know.

Local Zoning Regulations

After checking with your homeowners association, contact your local zoning and building inspection department. Inquire about regulations for building a storage shed, including size limits, setbacks, and the need for permits or special building ordinances.

Finally! It's Time To Determine The Perfect Size

Taking your homeowner association rules and local zoning regulations into consideration, answer the following questions that will help you decide what size storage shed will best fit your needs.

How Much Backyard Space Do You Have To Build Your Shed?

Measure how much building space you have to work with in your yard. Keep aesthetics in mind when placing your shed, as you want it to look nice and complement your yard since a well-placed shed can actually add to the value of your property. In addition, consider the traffic flow of your yard and whether you want your shed taking up a good amount of your backyard space. This lets you know the maximum room you have available.

What Do You Plan To Store In Your Shed?

Many times, the items you plan to store will automatically set the size of shed you need. Consider the small items that can hang on a hook or pegboard, medium sized items that will store nicely on shelves or from ceiling hooks, and the large items that can only be stored on the floor. In addition, keep easy accessibility in mind for items that will be used often, like lawn equipment, and less accessible storage for lesser-used items, like holiday decorations.

Will You Use Your Shed For More Than Storage?

If you plan to use your storage shed for other things than just storage, keep these activities in mind when determining the best size. If you plan to do woodworking and need a workbench, plan where it will go, how big it should be, and add enough room to move before building a storage shed. If you plan to park bicycles in your storage shed, make sure you allow for safe parking and easy accessibility.

Draw The Interior Of Your Shed

After defining the purpose, the items to be stored in your shed, and any restrictions you must work around, you should draw out a plan for the interior of your shed, including shelves, pegboard, cabinets, floor storage space, a workbench, and anything else that will go inside your shed.

Move In Before It's Built

Once you have a drawing, spray paint or tape off the dimensions of your storage shed in the area of your backyard where you plan to build it. Mark off the door and any windows so you have a real visual look at the amount of usable space you will have.

Move the actual items you will store in the shed into the marked perimeter, especially large items. After moving items in, stand in the center and take a look around. Visualize where you will hang shelves, hooks, and pegboard. Walk through the perimeter, establishing an acceptable traffic pattern from the door to every area of your shed to ensure it is easy and makes sense. If it seems cramped, consider enlarging the perimeter, changing the location of the door, or increasing the height of your shed to take advantage of vertical storage space if you can't enlarge the perimeter when building a storage shed.

By keeping these questions in mind, you will be able to determine the perfect size that will fit all of your storage shed needs. Keep the future in mind when building a storage shed. A tiny shed may work today, but you may need a larger one tomorrow as you collect more equipment, tools, and stuff to store.

Stephanie Quinn is an author for Build A Shed Plans. If you want more tips for building a storage shed, check out their free resources and learn about backyard sheds, tool sheds, and more.

Roofing

How to Build a Shower Pan - Shower Pan Installation

With the convenience with which people today can hire contractors and handymen to do all their home improvement projects for them, it sounds out of place to be asking tips on how to build a shower pan. But engaging a contractor or handyman can be costly, and whether you can afford them or not, it's best to engage in a project that will not only allow you to save money, but can boost your sense of accomplishment, too.

Nowadays, you can easily access answers on all sorts of how-to questions on the Internet. Everything you need to know is on the web. However, with all the tips that abound on cyberspace, you can get hit with information overload and end up more confused than ever.

And that is why we've made the research for you and did the challenging task of choosing the most reliable tips on how to build a shower pan so you can have just this one brief, uncomplicated guide.

Our choice is the set of steps provided by Randy Davis. Here it is:

1. Rough-in shower drain pipe
2. Prepare floor and walls for concrete and membrane
3. Install base of drain.
4. Lay thin layer of concrete to create slope
5. Put down layer of roofing paper
6. Cut and install membrane and top of drain.
7. Hang concrete board on walls
8. Pour final layer of concrete with chicken wire embedded
9. Build form for threshold
10. Pour concrete for threshold
11. Tile it.

These tips have been published on the Internet for years now so rest assured that you can't go wrong if you follow them.

If you want to learn how to build a shower pan, I highly recommend you check out Randy's video course. Learn how to tile shower pan from his step by step videos.

Pocket Door Problems

Faucet Filters Won't Fizzle Out

A lot has been heard about faucet water filters. But a lot of queries lurk in the mind of the consumers regarding their functionality, availability, affordability, cost, etc. Faucet filters are essentially carbon filters available in various sizes. You can install it in your kitchen, bathroom, etc where you can remove the impurities found in the water. You can replace the filters in the faucet water filter according to the impurities that needs to be shown the door. Each method used in a faucet filter can combat a specific sort of impurity.

The market has been inundated with faucet filters. But how would you know, which one will the best for you? If you use the price of the product as a yardstick, to judge its quality, then you are truly mistaken. There is a plethora of faucet filter in the market which is touted as the best faucet water filters because of their exorbitant price. But consumers have an opposite take on it. These costly products have failed to prove that they are effective.

The process of choosing the best faucet filter is very simple. You just need to clarify whether the faucet filter is equipped to eliminate the traces of trihalomethane and volatile organic compounds. Trihalomethane can play havoc with your body as they take you a step closer to cancer. Unfiltered water contains considerable amount of trihalomethane which will amplify your chances of contracting cancer.

Perchlorate is one of the most prominent volatile organic compounds found in the unfiltered water. It can hamper your metabolism and children face developmental disorders. Once both the above mentioned factors are taken care of, then you will become the proud owner of the best faucet water filter in town. And you do not need to worry about the prices at all.

Faucet filters are available in the range of one hundred dollars and they are truly effective in nature. You just need to make sure that it is certified to remove all the harmful impurities from the water and then price will not pose as an element of doubt as far as the quality of the faucet water filter is concerned.

Faucet filters are very easy to install and their cost is affordable. You can even take care of its maintenance which just consists of replacing the filter cartridge once in a year. Faucet filters are effective, affordable, user friendly and above all, it acts as a protective shield against all the health problems which takes birth due to impure water.

Shei Tan has been studying the effects of contaminated water for many years, and contributes to http://www.clear-drinking-water.com a site covering the very best methods for filtering and purifying water in the home. Visit the site now to find out more information.

How Tough Are Concrete Epoxies

New Versus Old Lumber - Structural Failure

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hiring a Contractor For Bathroom Remodeling - Remodeling Contractors

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

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

1. Is Your Contractor Fair and Honest?

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

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

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

5. Will the Contractor Show up on Time?

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

7. Does the Contractor's Crew Have Experience?

8. Is Your Contractor and His Crew Courteous?

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

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

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

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

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

Bathtub Filler Wall

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.

Ceiling Beam With 4 X 4 Post

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

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

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

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

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

House Foundation Books

Asphalt Shingle Roofing - The Facts

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

The primary attributes of asphalt tiles are:

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

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

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

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

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

Drawbacks:

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

• poor initial installation
• damage due to sever weather

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

Roof Repairs:

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

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

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

Maintenance:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Get Your Home Wired For Voice, Data And Video With A Structured Wiring System

Being a communication cable contractor for both business and residential I get calls from people all the time about installing cable to support a telephone, computer or a plasma screen TV. The location of anyone of this devises May well be in a room that is inaccessible without a tremendous expense for the home or business owner. Some times it's impossible to install cables in some buildings after the walls are completed. Its so much cheaper to cable a building when the walls are open and the studs are showing.

The time to have your cable installed is not when walls are painted and pictures are hung. Take this tip from me if you are in the process of building that dream home dont forget to have your building contractor include a structured wiring system.

A Structured Wiring System is the cable and connecting hardware (wall jacks, patch panels etc.) in a building that connects telephones, computers, and video/sound devices. Structured cabling system meets standards that make allowance for equipment to be added or change without having to modify the cabling that is in the walls. Structured cabling system by design takes in to account your future needs so cable is ran to every room location that data voice video may be needed. As technology advance and new equipment for faster Internet, better surround sound system, or TV Screens are developed you can be sure your structured cable system will be able to handle it for years to come.

Mike Stephens is president of Net Services Inc a structured cabling company in St. Louis Mo. To find out more about cabling for voice data and video see netservices1.com

Home Repair Books

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.

First Steps in Planning a Finished Basement

Like many homeowners, you might be thinking about adding living space by finishing your basement.

Before you go too far in planning how you will use all of that extra space, there are some steps you will need to take to be certain that space will be healthy for your family. In fact, many of the first steps in planning a finished basement are good to protect the health of your family whether you finish your basement or not.

The first steps in planning a finished basement are these:

1. Inspect for signs of dampness. Look for standing water anywhere in your basement, especially in corners and below windows. Also look for signs of mold or mildew. Mold and mildew can grow on walls, floor, windows, and on the wood beams and framing for the floor above the basement. Mold and mildew inside your home can cause respiratory problems for your family, even if they don't have allergies or asthma. Basement dampness can also damage hardwood floors above, cause warping and buckling of framing boards, cause odors and even increase your heating and cooling costs.

2. Determine the cause of any dampness and correct the problem. Water or dampness in a basement can be the result of cracks in walls or floor, leaking windows, inadequate drainage below the basement and inadequate removal of water around the foundation. Drainage of rainwater is relatively easy to fix, and making sure downspouts are correctly placed and extend far enough away from the house is important both to have a dry basement and to protect the footers beneath your basement. Be sure to check the areas where floor and walls meet.

3. Correct any foundation problems. When you inspect, keep a sharp eye out for large and uneven cracks in walls or floor. These could indicate a foundation problem. You will need to have this fixed before you finish your basement.

4. Have your basement inspected by a professional before you start construction. Particularly if there are cracks in your basement floor or walls, it is a good idea to have a professional check your basement for potentially harmful leaks. You should also have the basement checked for Radon and other gases that could be collecting under your basement. While many homes today are built with drainage systems under the basements, this might not be the case in your locality. A professional can advise you about what you need to do to protect your family when you plan to use your basement for living space.

5. Check local building codes for specific things you must do before you start remodeling. For example, some localities require a set number of windows and doors for emergency escape. There might also be specifications about stairs and ceiling height. Remember that the most important part of finishing your basement is protecting the health and safety of your family.

6. Make plans to install appropriate vapor barriers and adequate insulation. You will probably want to install a vapor barrier of some sort when insulating exterior walls and before installing floor covering. This prevents moisture from penetrating porous concrete. There are floor mat products and insulation with attached vapor barrier that can be used for this purpose.

7. If you have any appliances in the basement that use water, check pipes and hoses for leaks. It will be worth the time and trouble to check bathroom pipes, washing machine hoses and the like to be certain there are no leaks before you start construction. Also check for leaks around your water heater and where pipes penetrate walls.

By taking these first steps in finishing a basement you can be assured that your new living space will be safe for your family and will protect your investment in your home.

Copyright 2008 by ABCD Publishing

Dan Fritschen, the author of this article, is the founder of the websites http://www.remodelormove.com and http://www.remodelestimates.com He is the author of three books on home remodeling.

Home Security Books

How to Repair the Washing Machine Drain Hose

Having problems with your washing machine because the drain hose does not drain? This is one of the most common washing machine problems one can encounter whenever the washer breaks down. Many factors can cause this breakage and age is one of them.

If your washing machine continues to fill itself with water and you can hear the sound of the motor, then it indicates that the washer belt is still functioning properly.

Whenever a drain hose stopped working, there are only two reasons - either the drain hose is faulty or the pump in the washing machine has gone something wrong. In this article, we will share with you what you can do to fix this problem.

First Step

You need to inspect the washing machine lid to find out whether is broken. You can make use of a pencil or a long pointed object to poke against the lid button.

Second Step

Check whether the hose is attached to the pipe hole. If that is the case, unattached it.

Third Step

Choose a replacement hose. Two main types of hose are available. You can either choose the reinforced rubber or the sturdier and newer type - stainless-steel reinforced.

Fourth Step

Turn off the source of the water supply. Remember to unplug the electrical plug for safety reason. There are 3 hoses and you need to disconnect them to do the replacement. You need a monkey wrench tool, pipe wrench and a normal plier to help do the job here. Be careful of the water dripping from these hoses.

Final Step

After you have removed the hose from the washing machine, it's time to replace the old with the new hose. This is a much easier step. Apply a little grease on the faucet and connector and make sure the rubber fits in directly into the hose connector. Complete the job with the hose connector. Take note to not avoid twisting the hose when you setup for new hose. Try to leave some gap behind the washer and wall for the hose.

Visit http://www.washingmachineadvisor.com for more washing machine repair tips, Asko washing machine reviews and other washing machine related advice.