Deck Construction Advice

Working in the construction business for over 30 years and listening to homeowners, tell me how fortunate I am to have the ability to work on my own home. It kind of makes me feel good to hear them praise me and when I have completed their project, they usually are extremely happy with how it turned out. I've been listening to this for years and came to one conclusion, anyone can do what I do, with the correct information.

I was building a deck and a homeowner and his son were there constantly, watching me work on the project. They would ask if they can help and if there was anything they could do, they would like to learn the deck building process, so one day they could build their own decks. Most of the time, they were in my way and slowed me down. I finally got to a point where I had to asked them if they could watch from a distance, because I was starting to run behind on the project. It was starting to cost me money to educate them. I just didn't have time for this and there was no way, that I wanted to hurt their feelings or make them mad at me.

They agreed and at the end of the day, would have a couple of questions for me. I told the father, that I would bring him a few books on deck building and he could keep them as long as he needed. Him and his son were more than happy to accept my offer and the next day, they were nowhere in sight. At the end of the day as I was putting my tools away, a homeowner and his son approached me and thanked me for loaning them the books, but they were done with them. The son explained to me, that they were going to purchase some of their own books on deck building, because mine were a little out of date.

To make a long story short, I finished the deck, got paid and went on my way. A few months later they contacted me and asked if I had time, can I come over the house and look at the new deck, that they built next to mine. I said I would be glad to, and would be there tomorrow evening. When I arrived at the job site, I couldn't even get out of my truck, the father and his son were waiting for me in the driveway and directed me to drive to the back of the home.

There new deck was about 10' x 10' and matched the one that I built pretty good. They did a great job and after I told them, what a wonderful job they did building the deck, they were like two kids in a candy store. It seemed like, I had just made their day and it made me feel good, and that they felt good.

Sometimes building a deck or home repairs can be performed like a professional, with a little bit of help, from the book.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors.

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

Lower Basement Wall Staining

Types and Functions of Patio Umbrellas

What are patio umbrellas?

The big umbrellas which are kept in the outdoor of a residential building, mainly for the sake of providing entertainment while also keeping away rain and scorching sunrays are called patio umbrellas. It also gives an elegant touch to your garden when properly positioned. They are lightweight and are very easy to set up. Sometimes the patio umbrellas are also called garden umbrellas.

What are the different types of patio umbrellas?

There are many types of patio umbrellas. The commonly used forms of the patio umbrellas are the following;

Wood Umbrellas: The main function of the wood umbrella is to provide optimum protection from the overhead sun. It can be the best accompaniment of the poolside bar where people may drop in during the evening and have light snacks and wines/ liquors.

Aluminum umbrellas: The aluminum patio umbrellas are of various designs. The main rod of the aluminum patio umbrella is made up of aluminum and it can be tilted in any direction you like. Therealuminum umbrellas are more tough and resistant to atmospheric corrosion and is extensively used for various locations.

Wind resistant umbrellas: The main function of the wind resistant umbrellas is to resist the strong winds especially the strong wintry bites which come directly from the polar direction that is the north. They are made in such a style that the gushing wind are mostly eliminated while passing through them.

Offset and cantilever: This style of patio umbrella is usually noticed in elitist homes. They are also used extensively in sea beaches. They have a curved rod (actually consists of two rods which are connected together so that the umbrella above provides optimum protection).

What are the different designs in patio umbrellas?

Striped designs, multicolored designs: The patio umbrellas when used in the sea beaches come with a variety of designs. In the tropical sea beaches the umbrellas with yellow lining in the middle and blue coating on either side would be most effective. There are patio umbrellas which consist of blue and white stripes to match with the colors of the sea waves.

Used in beaches: The sea beaches are flanked with patio umbrellas. They are ideally designed and some of them carry the logo of the company in which they are made. You can choose the diameter that you want and while ordering for the patio umbrella you can tell the designers about your choice. They are made of water and sun-ray resistant fabrics and are ideal for sea beaches and pool locations apart from gardens.

Beachmart provides the largest selection of patio umbrellas with different designs.

Building Safe Stairs

Bathroom Ceiling Moisture Problems - Contractor Solutions

Often when I'm working down by the beach, as in Carlsbad California. I run into moisture problems because of the ocean. As a general rule of thumb, houses that are located near (with any few miles) the ocean seem to suffer from extensive moisture damage. Some of these home have visual signs of metal rusting on the exterior and dry rot around the windows and doors.

Moisture can be a problem in any climate, but in humid, wet or even damp areas of the country, it becomes a bigger problem. If you live in humid or moist areas, you should always be on the lookout for mold and mildew. This could lead to wood rot and of course oxidation if metal is involved.

Bathroom ceiling moisture problems usually arise from more than one person using the bathroom on a daily basis. For example if you have five people living in a house with one bathroom and each one of these people, shower daily, for approximately 10 minutes using warm water, you could have a serious moisture problem eventually. This is the most common problem when you see a damaged bathroom ceiling.

While working on a bathroom remodel in Carlsbad, I explained to the homeowner that they had a problem with their bathroom ceiling because of the moisture, from the steam, while taking a warm shower. The homeowner was convinced, because I'm an expert contractor with over 30 years of experience but that wasn't the actual cause of the ceiling damage. As I removed the drywall, I could see the moisture was coming from the roofing.

The moisture was coming from the top of the roof, otherwise known as the roof ridge and I was shocked. Not only was I wrong with my original evaluation of the bathroom ceiling problem but now had to inform the homeowner of my mistake and show him what the problem really was.

The point I'm trying to make in this article, is that sometimes we assume a logical explanation to a problem like the bathroom ceiling moisture, only to find out that it was something else. As a contractor, try to make a habit of explaining to your clients during the estimate, that this is only your best guess and informed them that only after you remove the damage, will you be able to come to a conclusion.

Evaluating home problems is not an exact science and only as you gain experience will your knowledge increase. I have found books and articles to be an invaluable resource for advancing my education in the construction business.

Bathroom Remodeling Books

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 bathroom remodeling or home building ideas.

Gay Teenager Problems

Pest Droppings in the Attic - Pest Problems

Sometimes I wonder how these large animals can get through such small holes in our homes and into our attics and crawlspace's. A few years ago, I was working on a home that had water damage to the siding that needed to be fixed. The homeowner of course didn't want anymore water damage and this required repairing roof, the original cause for the siding damage.

When I bid the job, I had no idea what I was about to run into. The first day on the job, went smoothly as I repaired some damage fascia board, but the next day I was in for a surprise, as I removed the damaged siding, I found what looked like dog poop in the attic.

I was looking around in the attic and trying to figure out how a dog could of got up there. I know that I shouldn't have, but I walked around the home inspecting it for a large hole, any holes, something that a small dog could have wiggled his way into. I got my latter off of the truck and then went on the roof, trying to find a place where a dog could have got into the attic.

I couldn't find any holes and after wasting about an hour, I decided it was time to get back to work and since the homeowner wasn't there, I couldn't show him my new findings or ask him any questions. I cleaned up the mess and repaired the water damaged siding, but in the back of my head I kept thinking about how in the heck a dog got up in the attic.

To make a short story even shorter, when the homeowner arrived home that day, I showed him my findings and he informed me that he didn't have a dog. He did however inform me that he has been hearing something walking around in his attic for about a year now. He had a pretty good idea that they were raccoons.

I told him, that I had inspected his home and only found one small hole on top of his roof underneath the roof eave, but there's no way that a small raccoon could fit through that hole. He told me that you would be surprised, what these animals were capable of squeezing into and out of.

Well that's about it, the mystery was solved, I repaired the small hole in the attic and have never heard from the homeowner again. Hopefully that meant I did my job well and not that he was embarrassed about the poop in the attic.

Pest Control Ideas, House Pest Pictures

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.

Metal Stair Tread Brackets - Stair Building Safety

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.

Stair Handrailing Or Guard Rail - Construction and Safety

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors.

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

Designer Bathroom Ideas

It is hard to believe that seventy-five years ago most people in the country went outside to use the toilet. In fact there was a dedicated folk-lore attributed to the outhouse or "biffy" and presently there are outhouse museums sprinkled across the country that attest to this interest. Morning washing was performed in the bedroom in front of a basin filled with hot water from the stovetop. The weekly bath was in a tub pulled in the middle of the living and filled in the same way. These scattered rituals were drawn together into one room after the Second World War that became a three-fixture room dedicated to it all.

In recent years the modern designer bathroom has expanded from the basic rectangular ensuite. In fact the different functions of the bathroom have been expanded into two or more rooms that show that bathroom's metamorphosis into an end-use area of the home instead of the transient, functional place. In other words the bathroom area has become a living space.

Relaxation and privacy are two of the new functions along with a lot of other, new bathroom ideas. It is a region of the home that can be completely cut off from the noise and hustle of the other areas like the kitchen and games area. In many ways the new bathroom is the reward at the end of the day's work or workout.

Shower

The early showers were hand-held wands that hooked up to the faucet. The bather sat in a deep tub and held the wand overhead to get the effect. Later the wand was clipped to the wall or a long, vertical extension pipe was attached to the faucet with a showerhead fastened at the top. In both cases a circular, shower curtain bar was also fastened to this attachment so that the bather could stand up in the tub. From the outside-the-wall shower systems to single-unit, fiberglass shower-tubs the new bathroom began to take shape within a generation. The shower of today is an enclosed cabinet that performs basic shower applications but closes tightly to allow for a steam bath and a vaporous, rainfall shower. In addition there are fold-down, cedar seats for two and foot massaging tanks. These functions as well as chromatherapy lighting and an entertainment center are operated from a "smart panel" where each function can be pre-programmed. This makes showering a multi-staged operation with its own soundtrack. In the new bathroom shower the curtains are missing but not missed.

Soaker Tubs

Like showering, bathing has seen a transformation as well. Taking a hint from the Japanese large soaker tubs are replacing whirlpool or jet spas in new bathroom remodeling projects. Rather that shooting torrents of water these tanks operate in a more "zen" application using hundreds of bubbling ports on the bottom of the tub to release hot air. The result is a tingling sensation of millions of bubbles as if the bather is immersed in a glass of warm, carbonated water. Overhead a water feature directs a solid beam of water from the ceiling to the soak tub and chromatherapy lights in side the tub slowly change scenes in a preprogrammed format. And for those who do not want to be entirely cut off from the world and LCD screen is there for movies or sports.

Relaxation Room

After a long soak or steam bath there is a small room complete with a massage table and heat lamps to relax and read or watch television while automated fingers knead and soothe. There also can be a small library or magazine stand in order to get caught up on articles that would be missed during the busy lifestyle. A separate cot or single bed is also an option for a nap and this can double as a guest bed.

Lighting

In conjunction with the chromatherapy lights the ambiance of the whole space can be preprogrammed to dim or brighten at intervals. This "scenic" application adds to the relaxation and is instrumental in providing a complete recharging of the body and mind. So instead of spending money on patios or kitchens homeowners are looking to expand the bathroom area. And in their zeal to get this added space many are not opposed to cannibalizing, that is pushing into other spaces like walk-in closets and guest bedrooms.

For more articles on bathroom remodeling and many others, visit HandyAmerican.com. Your one stop online resource for home renovation and landscaping articles. And a great asset for finding just the right service provider to help with all your remodeling needs. With free project posting services for homeowners requiring the services of a reliable contractor in their locality.