Getting rid of runoff water

Water can be detrimental to your home. Any rain and snow falling on your roof is your home's enemy, and should be eliminated as efficiently as possible. Accumulated water can easily seep into the structure of your home, whether on the roof or the foundation, and result in serious damage. Preventing water from damaging your home is the first step towards a happy home. All that is needed for good surface drainage is a properly angled roof, gutters, downspouts, and downspout extensions. The roof is the first step to eliminating runoff water. It should be appropriately angled according to the environment in which it stands. Higher pitched roofs are common in areas where there is heavier snowfall, as falling snow can easily slide off the roof. In areas where there is a lot of rainfall, it is important that roofs be pitched in a manner that allows rainwater to flow into the gutters. This will prevent water from accumulating on the roof and destroying it. Therefore, most homes in North America are not flat, as it is more difficult to eliminate runoff water. Your roof angles runoff water into the gutters attached along its perimeter. It is important that with faster and heavier rainfall, gutters be larger to accommodate all runoff water. If gutters are too small, water will splash over the sides and still be able to cause damage to your home. Gutters should be checked and cleaned on a routine basis. Any leaks should be sealed with caulking, while debris clogging the gutters should be removed. It may be a time consuming task, but it will save you the grief caused by severe damage that could potentially destroy your home. The vertical piping connected to the gutters are the downspouts. Downspouts forge a path for runoff water to be able to reach the ground. Like your gutters, they should be sized appropriately so that all water can be collected without spillage and be cleaned and checked routinely for leaks. Normally, downspouts are attached at the corners of a house. For surface drainage, a curved connection at the end to angle draining water away from the foundation is common. However, this is not sufficient to prevent water from leaking into your basement and adversely affecting the foundation of your home. Which is why downspout extensions are required. Downspout extensions simply attach to the bottom of downspouts. Extending a few feet away from your home, they collect runoff water and direct it well away. A good downspout extension will also disperse the pressure of draining water so that it does not hit the ground heavily.

The most often overlooked aspect of bathroom remodeling

One of the most often overlooked aspect of bathroom remodeling that you should take special note of is the floor. Most people don't pay too much attention to the floor when remodeling their bathroom. The floor of your bathroom should be one of the first places to start when remodeling. This is because the floor gets much more used than other aspects of your bathroom. That being said, it is also important that you also use the best type of floor that will not only be durable, but also beautiful looking. This does not mean you have to spend fortunes on the floor. You can get stone or ceramic tile for your bathroom floor. Such stone or ceramic floor tiles are not too expensive but are mostly durable. So, you can spend just a little more money and still get good quality floor tiles for your bathroom. I know of people who have these stone or ceramic tiles for their bathroom floors that have lasted for ages. Yours too can. But to get the best benefit of stone or ceramic floor for your bathroom, you have to make sure it is properly installed. So, get the help of a professional to properly fix or install your stone or ceramic tile. If it is not properly fixed, it will not last at all. There was once when I did the mistake of getting an amateur to fix the tiles for my bathroom. Sadly, this did not last at all. I had to get it remodeled after a very short time. I ended up spending much more and wasting valuable time remodeling my bathroom floor. Don't repeat such a mistake. Do it once and do it the right way and you will enjoy your bathroom floor remodeling for years to come!

5 Basic tips when choosing hardwood flooring

: Timeless beauty, clean lines, strength and durability as well as the ease of cleaning and the classic look make hardwood flooring the perfect choice for your home. No matter what your personal style is, there is a flooring choice for you because of the unlimited selection available. But before you rush out shopping for your hardwood flooring, keep these tips in mind. Set a budget for yourself. Having a wide variety of flooring to choose from is great, but the downside is that it is easy to get overwhelmed quickly, and this makes you very susceptible to overspending. Remember to balance style with quality with your budget when you make your final choice. Tip #1 You will be wise to match the room with your choice of flooring, whether hardwood or otherwise. For example, do not try to put hardwood flooring in a bathroom, due to the high levels of moisture a bathroom receives. Tip #2 Different areas of the house demand different types of wood. For example, wood floors that have very light or very dark finishes typically do not fare well in the kitchen. Tip #3 Choose a hardwood flooring that has an appropriate finish to match your lifestyle. A sitting room that is seldom used will let you get away with a lighter finish. However a hallway or living room will get continual traffic and requires a choice that offers a tougher finish that can stand up to a lot of wear and tear. Tip #4 Consider installation - doing it yourself or having a professional installer do it for you? Many people successfully install their own flooring, but only after they have done their homework. It is often easer to hire a professional, but do you due diligence when selecting a hardwood flooring installer. You will want to be absolutely sure that it will be installed correctly. Tip #5 Choosing the color and style of the floor can be the fun part. Choose a hardwood that fits your personal taste and your lifestyle. The comparatively high cost of the flooring and installation demands choosing a wood that will not go out of style quickly.

Bed shopping advice for the tired shopper

It is a fact that the local library may be a good source of advice regarding bed products, advances such as the internet might often make us neglect the various other interior design resources which are all around and freely available to all of us, you should definitely make use of such sources of cost free bed guidance, good bed product info can on occasions be hard to find. If you are mostly shopping for heavy duty bed frames or water bed sheet sets, undoubtedly these types of products might not turn out to be commonly available on a large number of portals, be sure that you use your browser favorites function as you carry out this variety of bed targeted search, your precious info should be treated with the utmost of care. The subject of beds can start to be really perplexing but the number one thing is to try to stay with the item you first wanted to order, you should not set out looking for water bed mattress and end up purchasing , this can easily happen if you get sidetracked. A few beds may not end up being that easy to get, say you want to buy full over full bunk beds it could mean that you might have to buy your product via bed manufacturer, even the top portals can't instantly solve every bed shoppers needs but most bedding products can be purchased somehow. A large amount of bed targeted guides you will locate online are all about assisting people to purchase particular bed products such as wrought iron bunk beds and wrought iron pet beds, searching for this type of bed guidance can often turn out to be very frustrating indeed. You will find home furnishing portals are a relatively useful source of info for numerous products such as twin full futon bunk beds and full size loft beds, these type of websites can be located all over the net. Say you are actually looking for heavy duty bed frames or water bed parts, without a doubt these type of products may very well not actually be widely available on that many sites, try to ensure that you employ your PC favorites button whenever you carry out this variety of bed focused research, your important info should be treated with the greatest of care. Now if you should seek data on antique bed frames it may possibly be better to use the information in a bed website in order to initiate contact with a bed specialist, by doing this you will doubtless get access to a fair amount of bed help for free.

Arming your kitchen with basic cooking utensils

There’s no doubt that having the right tools for the job makes any task easier, and there’s no better place to illustrate this than in the kitchen, where having the right cooking utensils can be the difference between creating good meals and great meals. Many cooks think about major appliances such as the stove and refrigerator when planning to equip their kitchens, but to be a success in the kitchen, you need to have a good selection of cooking utensils in addition to the bigger items. And don’t forget, cooking utensils means more than just spoons; there’s a host of small cooking utensils ranging from cutting devices, juicers, graters and more. Think about what you do in a kitchen and about how different cooking utensils come into play for each task: • Washing and drying fresh produce – always easy to accomplish with a strainer and salad spinner. A vegetable peeler is also an important addition to your cooking utensils closet. • Slicing, chopping and dicing all kinds of food and garnishes – a food processor makes short work of vegetables, but mandolins, knives and graters are also helpful cooking utensils to have on hand. • Measuring – cooking and baking can be a form of art and recipes should be followed as precisely as possible so measuring dishes, cups (both wet and dry measures) and measuring spoons are invaluable cooking utensils. • Weighing – depending on what you like to cook, you may want to add a food scale to your shopping list of cooking utensils. Such a tool can be excellent for portioning meat and other products that have cooking times affected by weight. • Temperature – as important as measures are temperatures, which can affect the success of your kitchen endeavors. An oven or meat thermometer is key to having properly cooked meat that is safe to eat, and should be included in your pantry of cooking utensils. • Mixing – no kitchen would be complete without a cadre of mixing bowls in its cooking utensils cupboard. Having a selection of bowls in assorted sizes is essential to fast, efficient cooking. • Manipulating, poking, prodding, lifting and stirring – perhaps what most often comes to mind when you think of cooking utensils are implements used to move food: spoons, forks, knives, spatulas, wire whisks, pastry blenders, tongs, salad lifters, slotted spoons, wooden spoons, serving spoons and more. By imagining the tasks you do every day in the kitchen, you will get a better idea of the cooking utensils you should consider purchasing. Think about every stage of the food preparation process, from storage and cleaning, to cooking and presenting. Other useful cooking utensils: pastry brush, kitchen shears, rolling pin, salt shaker, pepper mill, cutting board, ramekins, flour sifter, rotary beater, ladles, juicer and a can opener. Cooking utensils come in a range of prices, quality and materials such as wood, metal, rubber and silicone. Regardless of how much you pay, always make sure any cooking utensils that have multiple pieces, fit together securely.

Ten tips for decorating a christmas tree

Now that it’s the holiday season everyone is busy thinking about his or her Christmas Trees. There are tricks and tips to help you create a unique look that fits in your home and adds sparkle to your holiday celebrations. Whether real or artificial, a little imagination can take that blank canvas and turn it into something really magical that will brighten your whole holiday season. You can start by looking for ideas on the trees you see in public places like malls or hotel lobbies. These are great places to get ideas that you can easily bring to your own tree. Here are some great tips for creating a beautiful tree 1.Your tree will stand in you room till the holiday season ends so it should have a visual impact. The space in your room will determine the size of the tree you can have. This is important to consider especially if you want to enhance your ornaments. 2.Decide on the overall look you like. The more branch tips your tree has, the more ornaments and decorations are needed. If you want your tree to have an informal look, select a tree that has long needles and upswept branches. If you want something more formal, select a tree that has down swept branches and with short needles. 3.Pay attention to lighting. There is a general rule in deciding the number of lights for a tree — a one foot tree should have about 40-50 lights. The simplest thing to do is buy a pre-lit tree, no mess and easy storage. But if you do the lights yourself, hang them inside the tree, for a twinkling effect. Stringing the lights on the outer edges, over the tips of the branches won’t look right. Remember to keep the amount of light uniform, without and unfilled spaces. 4.Add garland. Whether you choose traditional garland or beaded garland, you can get a great look. If you want traditional, swag your garland from the top to the bottom, and also around the back of the tree. The swag of your garland will depend on the width of your tree. Twist the garland at the tip and it should be smaller as it reaches the top of the tree. Another style is to double swag your garland and form it into a spiral garland. Some prefer using ribbon that falls from the top of the tree down along to the bottom. 5.Use fillers. You must use fillers in order to give the tree an enchanting look. Some people don’t do this but it is a great way to give your tree a new look. 6.Choose a color scheme. Use a single color or two complimentary ones to give your tree a coordinated, decorator look. Try traditional choices such as red and gold, or something different like pink and white. Use ornaments of these colors and keep the garland in the same color family as well. 7.Dare to be different. Decorate according to what you like, even if it isn’t the “traditional” way. Use your favorite hobby, ornaments collected on vacations, or old style bulbs to create a look that’s truly your own. This will create a unique, personal holiday expression that is sure to be a conversation starter. 8.Don’t forget the handmade ornaments. No matter what style you are trying to achieve, the hand made ornaments of your own childhood, or those of family members can be wonderful additions to any tree, and compliment any style. 9.Cover the base of your tree with a colorful tree skirt so that the gifts underneath will rest on a pretty background. This makes the packages look even more festive, and looks good after the presents are unwrapped too. 10.Top it off. Use a star, an angel or a large bow — whatever suits your individual taste.

Why pay for home improvement when you can do it yourself doen t it make sense

There has been a decline in consumer confidence in the building and construction industry. This may be the same reason why many are now doing home improvements by themselves. Why not? A little knowledge of the technical aspects combined with the eye for creativity is enough to do the home improvement on your own. Why are people turning to do-it-yourself home improvements? Many construction workers who do not have a lot of experience or expertise in construction or home maintenance are out there right now trying to work on these homes across the country. As a result, homeowners are finding that the jobs are not being completed to their satisfaction. Sometimes they are even prepaying for services that do not get done or are not part of the plan. You do not have to rely and pay someone to improve your home. Why not try to do it yourself? You can enhance your home’s existing concrete surfaces using acid stains, acrylic stains, epoxy paints, and scoring techniques. If you are tired of looking at dreary gray concrete, there are some easy projects for the serious home improvement do-it-yourselfer to give your patio, driveway, garage, etc. a refreshing new look. Decorative concrete work costs double or even triple that of regular concrete. This is why many people cannot afford it. There are inexpensive ways to decorate concrete after it has cured without having to pay skilled tradesmen. Acid based concrete stains are becoming more and more popular for coloring concrete surfaces. They chemically react with the cementitious material to produce permanent color with variegated or mottled appearance like that of marble. This results in a natural, elegant looking surface. Water based concrete stains are an alternative to acid stains and are much more user friendly because they’re much less toxic. These stains do not chemically react with the concrete; they are absorbed into the surface pores and act like a dye. The big advantage of water based stains is the wide array of colors available. If you want to venture beyond the basic staining of concrete, consider using some scoring techniques to create patterns on the surface. You can make your concrete look like a tile floor for example. It is up to your imagination. An angle grinder with a 4 inch grinding or cutting wheel is the ideal tool for this. The important thing to remember when scoring is to draw the pattern on the concrete first and make sure you are satisfied with the way it looks because scoring is irreversible. Epoxy paints make an excellent coating for garage floors and basement floors. Many commercial floors have epoxy coatings because of their durability and resistance to chemical spills as well as their appearance. In recent years, however, it has become very popular for residential use with an increasing availability of different colors. This is not a difficult project, but the key to successful application is surface preparation. Epoxy paints have also become available in a water based form making it safe for the do-it-yourselfer and ideal for indoor applications. They cost a little more than stains. For a 400 square foot garage, you’ll spend about $200 for the materials needed for this project. See? You do not have to spend money to have your home improved. You have the capability to do it yourself. With some instructions and a little bit of work, anyone can turn boring concrete into their own masterpiece.

The durability of standing seam metal roofing

The job of your roof. The roof is the one part of the house that takes the most damage when protecting us from the elements. It has to cope with extreme conditions ranging from wintry ice to summer sun and often it can face both extremes at the same time. Many substances simply can not withstand this diverse a range of abuse meaning it is very important to select strong roofing made from a durable and resistant material that will withstand just about anything. Advances in technology have seen various new forms of roofing as well as advances in old techniques and reduces in cost, so the options available when selecting good roofing are wide. Maintenance of your roof. For all of the work that a roof does you would expect that it would be a part of housing and home maintenance that people took very seriously, but unfortunately it is a factor that is often overlooked until the worst happens. Many people do not maintain their roof or even have it checked on a regular basis but prevention is a much better option than cure. By having regular checks on your roof you can prevent costly repairs when things go wrong. Traditional roofing material compared to standing seam metal roofing. Asphalt and modified bitumen have previously been the most common choice when it comes to selecting a material for your roof, however in more recent years standing seam metal roofing has increased in popularity as it has decreased in cost and it’s durability, protection and flexibility have increased. Standing seam metal roofing has much to offer; it is fire resistant, weather resistant, can be easily formed to fit your roof and has become even easier to install. In fact, standing seam metal roofing meets the very highest of standards when it comes to fire resistance and wind and hail resistance. The life of your standing seam metal roofing. Standing seam metal roofing is very unlikely to rot, mould, split or crack. For this reason a standing seam metal roofing system means you can enjoy a long life from your roof with comparably low maintenance costs. It is also usually created from recycled products and is fully recyclable itself so it is a sustainable choice for the ecologically minded amongst you. The options are virtually limitless if you decide on standing seam metal roofing, and not least because of the numerous metals that are on offer. Copper, aluminum, galvanized or stainless steel and a range of other metals are commonly used and each has their own look, feel and uses. Standing seam metal roofing – the environmental roof. Standing seam metal roofing offers a life of 50 years or more making it much longer lasting than other traditional methods employed in many houses. It is usually made up of 50% recycled material and 100% of your standing seam metal roofing will be recycled in the event that it does eventually need replacing. Conversely, asphalt requires a huge amount of oil every year to create shingles that last an average of 15 years. At the end of their life they are then disposed of in landfill sites wasting yet more of the world’s resources. Standing seam metal roofing also means you will use less energy, conserving yet more resources and lowering your summer energy bills. Standing seam metal roofing reflects approximately 70% of the sun’s rays meaning you will spend a lot less keeping your air conditioning unit running.

Bringing the porsche into your kitchen

The beauty and state-of-the-art performance associated with the Porsche is now revving up kitchens in the form of range hoods gifted with clean lines of European design. For years, range hoods have been an afterthought when remodeling a kitchen. Cabinetry, lighting or flooring have traditionally been more important aspects for homeowners to consider. However, the latest range hoods, such as the Best by Broan WM24 range hood designed by F. A. Porsche, may help turbocharge remodeling efforts. According to the Home Ventilating Institute (HVI), kitchens are a main source of pollutants in the home-a result of grease, smoke, moisture and other by-products generated from cooking. Typical family cooking adds more than 40 gallons of moisture to the air annually and this excess moisture can lead to allergy problems and structural damage by encouraging the growth of molds, mildew and bacteria. Unwanted odors also are a byproduct of cooking, lingering for days and soaking into fabrics, carpets and clothing. The solution is to exhaust pollutants to the outside. A range hood is the best way to do this. The WM24 hood features efficient HVI-certified internal or quiet external blower options for exhausting pollutants outside the home. The composite skin of the WM24 helps to reduce noise and is available in metallic red, metallic blue, metallic black and matte aluminum finishes. Cooking also is made easy through the use of many other outstanding features. The hood features particulate sensor technology for detecting particles from cooking, providing selectable automatic operation. Another feature is an advanced air-refresh cycle control that periodically and silently replenishes the environment with fresh air. Additional special features include Heat Sentry™, which detects excessive heat and adjusts the blower speed to high automatically, a four-speed, electronic push-button control and flue extension options for ceilings above eight feet tall.

Luxury duvet covers

A duvet cover is an outsized cover slipped over a comforter in order to keep it clean. It is sometimes referred to as a comforter cover and has an opening at one end with zipper or button closures. It is used as a protection for comforter/duvet investment and helps to to overcome the hassle of frequent washing of the comforter. Moreover a duvet cover is more easily removable than a comforter. People who suffer from allergies benefit largely from the use of duvet covers, since it seals the allergens inside. Therefore you could still enjoy the quality and comfort of a duvet cover unaffected by allergies A duvet cover while being a versatile bedroom accessory, provides warmth during colder climes and provides lightweight cover (with a simple change) during the summer. To get the best use of your duvet cover, it is necessary to have two weights to fit inside it. This enables you to maintain the same look in your bedroom in summer as well as in winter by replacing the light cover for a heavier one. If you are looking for a change in your bedroom, you could perhaps use one duvet with multiple duvet covers A luxury duvet cover is a cover, usually decorative that is slipped over a comforter to protect it from excessive wear, while keeping it clean. Designer and luxury duvet covers are available in many designs, styles and fabrics from silk, microfiber, wood fibres, damask to Egyptian cotton with intricate embroidery, country frills and patchwork. Luxury duvet covers can be found to match with the theme of your bedroom. Hollow fiber duvets are generally available at very low prices while the luxury duvet covers are filled with goose down. These may go up to hundreds of dollars, depending on the variety of goose down selected, leaving a dent in your cashpile. A typical example of a luxury duvet cover may be a reversible chenille duvet cover with tasseled corners together with a breathtaking twisted cord edging providing the ultimate in comfort and luxurious in appearance. This is offset by a beautifully gathered bed skirt in graceful silk and complete with self ruched shams to give the user the best in style and sophistication. The thread count (tc) which is the number of threads per square inch on the fabric determines the quality and comfort of a luxury duvet cover. Thread counts vary from 800tc to 1200 tc. The uncompromised artistry of some of the luxury duvet covers creates an aura of timeless beauty.

Built in home appliances

BUILT-IN APPLIANCES: gives more rest and less work. What does a person want Less work and high output. Till 1980's all the people that were more time-consuming did the household work. Keeping peoples' basic requirements in mind built-in appliances were introduced in the market in order to save time and energy of the people so that people can concentrate on other curricular activities in their day-to-day life. What are built-n appliances In computer, monitor is a part of television and both have the functions of a set-top box so here we can say television and monitor have built-in functions of a set-top box. Similarly the built-in appliances can be related according to the products: * Microwave Ovens. * Dish washers. * Refrigerators * Freezers. * Washing machines and other laundry equipments. * Cooker hoods. * Hobs. These all equipments are related to home built-in appliances where refrigerator is used to store food under required degree Celsius. Washing machines are used to wash and dry the clothes as dryer is built-in equipment, etc. Similarly other appliances work can also be related. Precautions and maintenance: It is good to use these appliances but maintenance and precautions are to be taken. While using these appliances make a point not to turn on the switch until plugs are properly plugged-in because it may result to electric shock, which is harmful. After rechecking the connections switch on the appliance. Appliances should be kept clean and far away from dust and dirt. Maintenance should be taken at least after six months for safety so that the appliance can work for a longer period of time. Overview of built-in appliances: After having some basic knowledge about the built-in appliances we can conclude that they have become a basic necessity of human's life. These appliances save lots of energy and time of a human and give ample of time for some other activities. Some best manufacturers of built-in appliances are Whirlpool who is known best for Home appliances; Smeg and Hotpoints are known for Kitchen appliances, etc. Last but not the least BUILT-IN APPLIANCES gives more rest and less work. Home appliances - For a house that matters Setting up a home includes, apart from painting and colors, bricks and brats, home appliances too. These are the most essential part of running a house, because good home appliances insure good housekeeping. How to choose a home appliance is the main problem, or should I say the trickiest part of the whole process. Before getting to that, here is a brief list of the home appliances that are generally used by us daily. A glance at the list, will give you an idea on exactly what you will have to invest if you are planning to set up a home. Appliances for the home Here is a comprehensive list of the appliances that are generally used or necessary for the smooth functioning of your home - * Refrigerators * Grills and barbeques * Kitchen cooking ranges * Washers and dryers * Dishwashers * Heating and Air conditioning * Home electronics like your television set, DVD player and tape recorders * Lawn and garden tools * Fire place and hearth products * Personal care appliances like hair dryers and irons etc Thus buying these appliances based on your needs, functionality and sense of style is of utmost importance. Choosing a home appliance Choosing a home appliance can be the most tedious trial that one has to go through. This is primarily because there are so many different competitive brands that are available in the market today. But here are some tips that might make the job slightly easy for you. 1. Decide your budget. Don't go over budget but never be stingy and compromise on the quality and the brand name. 2. Durability and warranty are of utmost importance while choosing an appliance 3. Go for an appliance that catches your eye and is aesthetically suitable to your home 4. Choose appliances that are environmentally friendly and save energy, gas in case of cooking ranges and water in case of washers and dryers. 5. While buying refrigerators make sure that they have adequate storage capacity, because if they don't then you will repent later. Consult an expert in the field, or friends who have a good experience with a particular brand. Never go for local or cheaper brands, because they lack the finish, which is of utmost importance.

Choosing the proper frame style when installing new windows

Last week, I told you how to measure for your vinyl replacement windows when replacing aluminum windows. Now that you're ready to order your new vinyl replacement windows, we need to talk about the different frame style options available. In most of the country your choices are limited to either new construction or replacement frames. New construction frames come with a nailing fin to attach the frame to the studs during the construction of the new home. The replacement frame is basically the new construction frame minus the nailing fin. But in the west, where stucco homes are common, manufacturers came up with a third type of frame called a retrofit frame. The retrofit frame has a fin about 2 inches wide, located flush with the outside face of the window. This is the best choice when replacing old windows, but not all jobs will accomodate a retrofit frame application. So let's discuss how to determine which frame is going to work for you. If you have a stucco exterior, retrofit is the way to go. You install the new window from the outside, and the flush fin covers the old aluminum frame that you are going to leave in place. Then you screw the new window in using deck screws through the side channels as well as the top header. We will get into more detail on the actual installation in a future article. If you have a stucco exterior, but there is a wood trim around the opening of the window where the flush fin would normally go, you can still use the retrofit style frame. You would need to remove the wood surrounding the opening, install the retrofit window, then purchase and install new wood trim. The old trim will no longer fit since the retrofit window frame dimensions will be larger in width and height than the old window frame. Another option is to install the retrofit fin on top of the wood trim. You can do this as long as the depth from the face of the wood trim to the point in the house of the innermost portion of the old aluminum frame is less than 3 inches deep. The reason is because a good quality retrofit window will have a 3 inch frame depth from the back of the flush fin to the innermost part of the frame. That innermost part needs to be further into the house than the innermost part of the aluminum frame so that the aluminum frame will be hidden after we apply the inside trim. What if you have brick around the window openings? Or siding? Then what? Well, if you can install the window against the face of the brick or siding and still have the innermost part of the vinyl frame be further into the home than the old frame, then you can use the retrofit style frame. If not, then you have to use the replacement style frame, then use trim to finish the outside. If you are able to get a retrofit frame with a relatively thin fin, you can also trim down the fins so the window fits between the brick or wood. That would eliminate the need to trim out the outside. Some manufacturers of retrofit frames will have grooves in the back of the retrofit fins. You simply run a utility knife in the groove until you are able to break off that piece of the fin. The main point to remember when determining whether or not to use a retrofit frame or a standard replacement frame is that in order to use the retrofit frame there needs to be less than 3 inches from the outside point where the flush fin will rest to the inside point in the room where the old frame ends. If it's less than 3 inches, go with the retro, more than 3 inches, use the replacement frame and add trim to the outside in lieu of the flush fin. Next week I am going to explain the process of removing the old aluminum window.

The faucet a deciding factor

In the design of your new kitchen, the faucet can be one of the largest, most critical aspects of it all. In many cases, you will find that a beautiful one can be the completion of a beautiful kitchen. But how should you decide and what should you look for in the ones that you consider? If you walk into any home improvement store, you are likely to find many to choose from. It can become overwhelming even. Even though it can be somewhat difficult for you to find the faucet that you know is perfect this is only because you have so many choices. It works well to look at several key points when choosing the right one. • First, look at the metals used. For most, stainless steel is the best choice because of its ability to stay clean and to resist rusting. But, it is not your only option. For example, you may want to think about options such as copper as well. This can make a grand statement! • And, that is the next thing to consider. Do you want the faucet to make a statement about your tastes or be simplistic? Do you want it to stand out or to simply fit in? Consider options that fit these needs. • You should also consider the style and design of the element as well. For some, necessity is all that matters. Even so, you can have a great looking choice that is quite functional. • The bottom line, though, is that you should choose the one that fits your needs the very best. It should feel right, look right and be what you want it to be. The faucet that you choose can show your personality and style, or not. It can be whatever you want it to be as long as you love it!

Pole barns eco friendly and simplistic

Building a pole barn has become a much easier task today. With tons of available ready-to-use plans and blueprints, a handy homeowner can build not only a pole barn of two or even six horse stalls, but also add convenient sheds for tractors, feed storage or shelters. The plans can be used to build other kinds of pole buildings, including workshops, storage barns or garages. Simplicity, cost-cutting and durability are the main reasons why people still use poles, the oldest construction technique, to create simple buildings. Poles have been used for centuries to raise huts and shelters all over the world. Poles rooted in earth forming a frame for the covering material, be it animal skin, wood or metal, provided enough warmth and protection, and could be built very quickly from whatever material was available. To build pole barns, people still use this technique, which hasn’t changed much over the years. The materials have changed though, and today pole barns are covered with aluminum, steel and other durable lightweight materials, with insulation and sometimes wooden or brick facades. Pole barns are becoming more and more popular because they allow the building of reliable shelter for animals or storage without money-consuming earth excavation, concrete foundations and general site disruption. The cheapest way to start building a pole barn is with a pole foundation. Pole foundation is actually a pole that doubles as a framing member. Posts or poles are inserted deep into ground so they can bear a lot of pressure, sometimes as deep as 10ft. But that’s almost all digging for the foundation that a pole barn builder can expect. The pressure is distributed evenly around the pole, and the construction becomes very stable and durable. The builder can dig the holes himself or using a power auger. The poles are secured by a small amount of concrete poured into the holes, saving money and labor, as full concrete foundations can be somewhat expensive. The pole foundation gives the construction a lot of flexibility. A pole barn with pole foundation can be raised virtually anywhere, even in places where a traditional concrete foundation is not possible, for example, on a steep hillside or wooded area. Thanks to the pole foundation, a pole barn can be built very quickly without expensive ground excavation. Even coastal, earthquake and mountain areas are suitable for building pole barns and sheds. This way, pole barns leave the best land for raising crops, preserving the natural environment and are generally more environmentally friendly with their minimal construction techniques. Another advantage to pole barns is that you don’t have to make them visually perfect and “manicured”. You can use cheap galvanized steel for the roof and wood sidings, making the whole project very affordable. The only thing that is not worth skimping on, according to experienced builders, are storm clips. These are a valuable investment considering storms and hurricanes are hitting more and more often. Trusses also need to be of good quality as these parts of pole building construction will carry significant weight. Pole barns and other pole buildings will cost somewhere in the area of $3,000 and upwards, depending on the size and materials available in your particular area. With simple instructions and plans, these buildings can be raised in no time, even if you don’t have strong building experience.

Home theaters give you an escape from reality

There's nothing quite so satisfying as being able to immerse yourself in total darkness before seeing a crystal clear studio logo pop onto the big screen while a blast of 5.1 digital surround sound overtakes your senses and rumbles beneath you. You are experiencing the rush of watching a movie in a theater. But not just any theater, it's your home theater. That’s right. No one kicking the seat behind you, throwing candy at your head or talking on the phone during the best scenes; if they do you can kick them out yourself! In many ways the home theater experience far surpasses the big screens of movie theater chains. Not only the annoyances listed previously, but there’s also the factors of cost and convenience. With the price of a movie ticket running somewhere around $10, plus the cost of snacks, you could easily afford your own home theater just by skipping those evenings out for a year or two. Depending on how expensive your tastes are possibly even sooner than that. And there's no need to wait for the 7 o'clock showing or stand in line; you can start, stop and schedule your movie showings whenever it's convenient for you. As true home theater enthusiasts we'd been designing our perfect escape since before we bought our house. We were just looking for the perfect house to fit our dreams. We found it a few years ago and proceeded to design our dream theater with gusto. We had most of our cinema equipment (just needing a few finishing touches like the 5.1 digital surround and more monster cables) so we dug into planning everything from seating arrangement and style, to carpet color and decor, to the large hinged wall with secret escape route (doesn't every kid want one?) By doing most of it ourselves we saved thousands of dollars but it also took about a year to "finish." Well, it's finished enough for us to enjoy, we are always working on the little touches here and there. Many people hire professionals to design and build their theater's, which saves a lot of time (but not always money.) After a long hard day at work, or an evening of frustrating parenting, the need to escape reality can become overwhelming. Being able to drop ourselves into complete darkness and seclusion and then immerse ourselves in a full senses banquet of sights and sounds from Hollywood we can quickly forget our own headaches and get wrapped up in the big screen. Those two hours are sanity savers without ever needing to leave the house (or get candy thrown at our heads).