Cost Effective Stair Building

What is the most cost effective way of building stairs? Why do the tract homes use on site methods of construction? When you think of a factory assembling a product on a assembly line you think why not a home. Why do they still build homes on lots or residential home sites?

If homes could be built in a factory cheaper than on site that is exactly what every home builder would be doing. They just haven't quite figured it out yet. When dealing with the large amounts of materials required to build a house and of course the expense of shipping. It is not cost effective to build a conventional home in a factory and ship it over long distances.

This is the biggest problem with cost effective stair construction. Most prefabricated stairs you will notice are spiral stairs. These stairs are smaller than most stairs that are used for multi level construction.

Spiral stairs are hard for your average carpenter to build. These stairs can be purchased from a factory easily and quite inexpensive.

The stairs in your average two story house are going to weigh about 3 times the amount of a spiral set of stairs that could be shipped in a cost effective way. Spiral stairs are not going to be the main stairway in a home and normally go up to a loft or an attic. Most spiral stairs don't meet the minimum building requirements for the main stairway in your home.

When building tract homes the lumber is shipped in bulk directly to the house site where it will be assembled. The lumber and other building materials will be shipped once. If it went to a factory and then assembled it would also have to be sent to the site on which the house was to be built. This added expense in shipping the materials twice is the problem for such a large and heavy item such as a set of stairs.

There are other prefabricated types of stairs that are built locally and the shipping usually is not a major expense. If you are building a stairway that is not to difficult to build for the average carpenter it will normally be cost effective to build the stairs on site. This would require having the carpenter build the stairs as part of the rough framing and then after drywall have the finish carpenter build the stair handrail system.

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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.

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6 Tips For Renovating Older Houses - Poway Home Tips

Tip 1.
Do engage an architect for any structural changes. It is important to find one who will take the time to understand your property. This will ensure a sympathetic renovation. Many city councils that have heritage listed houses will have architects on their books, who specialise in renovating period houses. Some will even provide a free concept sketch.

Tip 2.
Do let the building talk to you. For example, if the old light fittings are gone then you can choose a completely new style rather than commissioning a copy. Often old houses will have already undergone several renovations in their lifetime. Peeling back the layers may reveal a decorating treasure.

Tip 3.
Do use recycled products when restoring an old house. They are more likely to fit in with the rest of your house. This is also the green option. Otherwise go for completely new so that the contrast between old and new is exaggerated.

Tip 4.
Don't be tempted to seal the house up. If possible, steer clear of double glazing. An old house needs to breathe. Don't use cement over old stone. The old stone may crumble away leaving you with an unsound structure.

Tip 5.
You don't need to include every period fitting that you can discover. Not everything from your houses period was in your house originally. Better to stick closely to what your house is telling you. But if you really love it, get it. It will always be a talking point. It just may not increase your resale value. Be sensible about the things you love. An open air Balinese bathroom works well in Bali, not so well in Connecticut, and probably not very well in a period house, unless that house is in the tropics.

Tip 6.
Remember a renovation is always going to cost more that your original quote. It is best to budget for at least 50% more and then aim to stay under the original price. Old houses have a way of throwing up surprises.

For information about Historic house, go to http://www.hht.net.au For help with getting the money for your next renovation try http://www.MavMoneyNow.com

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Home Improvement Tip - Fixing a Squeaky Floor

Question: I have a floor that every single time I step on it I get the most annoying sound. I don't know what it does to me or why it bothers me so much. My kitchen floor squeaks and actually moves up and down if you are standing on it. The whole floor moves. How do I stop it from moving and squeaking. Help Me Greg!

Answer: It sounds like you have a broken floor joist. You are going to have to go under your house. If you have a basement this will be a little easier to fix. It is my guess that you don't have a basement or you would have seen the broken floor joist by now.

Have someone stand on the floor in the spot that squeaks and have them move up and down while you are under the house. Don't have them jump up and down while you are under the house. This could cause more damage to the structural framing of the floor. Once you are in the right position under the floor you can have them start moving slowly. What you are looking for is one of the floor joist that are moving.

If you see one of them moving. Look to see where the damage is. Is it a split, crack, wood rot or a big knot in the wood that has loosened up and fell out. Once you find the damaged floor joist you can now think about repairing it.

If you don't see any floor joist moving. Have the person on top start moving a little bit more and you can even have them jump on it a few times until you see something out of place. If you still don't see any broken floor joist. Start looking at the sub-floor, this will be plywood of some form, 1 x 6 or 2 x 6 materials.

What you are looking for is movement of any kind. Is there a separation or movement between the sub-floor and the floor joist. If you still can't find the problem maybe it is time to call in a professional.

The main thing you are going to be looking for is movement of any kind.

Most squeaky floors are caused from the sub-floor rubbing up and down on a nail. If you have carpeting and you have a squeaky floor you can do your best to locate a floor joist and screw right through your carpeting into the floor joist.

For more help on fixing squeaky floors visit http://gregvan.com/wood_repair.htm

Thanks for the great question. I hope it helps.

Greg Vanden Berge has been in the home building and remodeling business 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 http://gregvan.com provides all kinds of answers to remodeling and new house building issues that could create major damage as well as possible damage to your pocket book.

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How New Taps Can Refresh Your Bathroom

Even if your bathroom is clean, spacious and modern, it may lack that extra zing to make it perfect. You can enhance your old or new bathroom by adding the smallest of items: new taps! But what type of tap do you choose? Can you fit them yourself? The range of tap styles is huge. From minimalist to luxury, modern to traditional, classical to contemporary there are taps to suit your bathroom style. Don't take your taps for granted; there's a lot about them you probably aren't aware of.

History at Your Fingertips

The humble tap has evolved a lot over the last few thousand years. The ancient Egyptians and Greeks were the first to invent simple valves. They diverted water from streams and rivers which was then used for drinking and farming. Water was now under control! The Romans took this idea further and piped water from wells and tanks into homes and public buildings. It wasn't until the late 1800s that the tap we are familiar with today was invented. The modern tap is a simple and very effective device. Inside the tap there is a valve or stopcock which stops of allows water to flow. Most taps have this design. The rest of the tap is just a means of directing water from your pipe. This means that designers have had a lot of fun creating ornate styles without affecting how the tap works.

Types of Taps

Taps are made from a range of materials, some more practical than others. For a bathroom, it's best to choose a hard-wearing tap made from brass rather than plastic. They will stand up to more knocks and have a longer lifespan. The most recognisable tap to most of us is the traditional Victorian tap. It's elegant design fits in with most types and styles of bathroom. Lever taps are very popular with people who like a modern look. They are easier for small children and the elderly to use as turning them on places less stress on the joints. You can opt for traditional sink taps or mixer taps. The advantages of mixer taps is that they save energy and water and allow a constant flow of cold, warm and hot water.

Washer or Ceramic Disc?

There are two ways the inside of a tap works, and both have pros and cons. Washer taps are the more traditional design and have a spindle, valve and washer. They are for use with both high and low pressure water systems, but washers will need replacing. The alternative is a tap that uses ceramic discs instead of a valve and washer. Upon pulling the lever two ceramic discs move apart and allow the water to flow. You'll never have to change a washer, they don't drip, are easy for the less able to turn on and off, and have a very long lifespan.

Fitting and Changing Your Taps

Someone with basic plumbing skills can fit or change a tap. Ease of fitting depends on your type of connector: a flexible hose or a rigid pipe. A flexible hose is easier to work with as it bends into any shape or space but is not as hard-wearing as a pipe. You need to make sure your water supply is turned off before you start! Loosen the nut that connects the pipe or hose to the tap with a spanner or wrench. If the nuts won't budge and space allows, try cutting them with a hacksaw then prising them apart with a screwdriver. Remove the taps. Give the area around the taps a good clean. Check the connectors on the end of the hose or pipe for any damage and replace if need be. Give them a good clean with an old toothbrush. Replace the rubber or fibre washer in the pipe or hose connector. Connect the taps to the pipe or hose using a spanner or wrench. Turn the taps on full to flush out any debris. Turn off the water if you get any leaks and recheck the connectors and replace if any flaws are found. As always, if you are in any doubt about what to do, contact your local plumber.

If you want to bring your bathroom up to date or just fancy a change, shiny new taps are a quick, easy and cheap way to bring new life to your bathroom.

Harry Young is Internet Marketing Project Manager for Tapsnbaths, the online specialists in quality affordable bathroom products. To see our full product range, including taps, baths, and bathroom suites visit TapsnBaths.

Green Home Building Books
Home Siding Books

Moisture Proofing Your Basement

If you are planning a basement remodeling project then the first thing you have to take care of is to see if your basement seems damp. No one wants to stay in a damp basement. Whatever you plan for your basement whether it's a game room, a home theater or a bath or an extra bed room you have to first solve the moisture problem before you can think of anything else. In fact even if your basement seems dry it would be better to conduct a small test to be sure. A basement finishing can't be complete till you have taken care of this problem.

In order to test if your basement has a moisture problem or not take a piece of plastic or a piece of tin foil and tape it to the floor. Seal it on all sides and leave it like that for some days. You might find some moisture on the exposed side but that is ok. It is only the condensation. Insulation and ventilation will take care of that. But if you find moisture in the covered area then there is some moisture infiltration and you need to take care of that.

More often than not, basement-moisture problem is due to improper drainage system. The problem could be lack of gutters like allowing rain water to run directly off the roof. Or it may be due to bad grading i.e. the soil should always slope away from the house but it might be otherwise. There might be a wrongly placed drain pipe that leaves the water near the foundation. Water should always be directed at least 5 feet away from the foundation. Taking care of these areas can solve the dampness problem in your basement.

You can also directly apply concrete water proof sealer to the floor and the walls. There are many different brands that you can find in your home store. Most of them come as a powder that you need to mix with water and apply with a long bristles brush. This keeps the sealer moist for days and allows it to reach into the pores and form a crystalline structure that is able to block moisture.

You'll also need to repair any cracks that are present in the walls. Chisel out hairline cracks at least 3/4" deep and wide. Now fill this gap with some concrete patching material. Treat the cracks in the floor the same way. Chisel them out and fill the gap with some concrete and bonding material. If the matter is not very serious then your basement finishing won't cost much.

Paint Mistake On Wall Register

Refinished Bathtub Cleaning and Maintenance

Bathtub cleaning and maintenance is very important to hotels, motels, schools and others who have just had their bathtubs refinished or have bathtubs installed. Bathtub refinishing, in addition to saving money, time and the environment, restores old worn out, scratched, dulled bathtubs to look like they came from the factory of a bathtub manufacturing company like Kohler or American Standard. The ambiance of a remodeled bathroom is different and your personal experiences there feel different too. You are ecstatic, you have always wanted this day to come. Here is what you need to know about your refinished bathtub.

How long a refinished bathtub lasts depends on the bathtub refinishing company and the hotels, motels, apartments or nursing homes that have just had their bathtubs refinished.

First, bathtub refinishing companies. The most common complaint from people that have had their bathtubs refinished, is peeling. Coatings peeling off of a refinished bathtub after perhaps weeks or months of use comes from how the bathtub was prepared before the spraying, how it was sprayed and the quality of the coatings used. That is the responsibility of the bathtub refinishing company. At Refinishing Stars, we use quality and long lasting superior coatings that are designed to restore your bathtub to its wonderful luster.

Finally, Hotels, motels, nursing homes, apartments, or homeowners who have just had their bathtubs just refinished, need to follow the following recommendations so that they don't void their refinished bathtub warranty and importantly, to get the maximum service from their tubs.
Refinished bathtub cleaning and maintenance

Because the surface of a refinished bathtub is non-porous, we recommend that abrasive cleaners, bleach, or any cleaning solution that contains strong acids not used on the refinished bathtubs or any bathtubs for that matter. Any aggressive rubbing with a rough brush, steel wool, or abrasive pads will ruin your coatings and void your refinished bathtub warranty.

Bathtub mats with suction, will suck up the coatings on a refinished bathtub and should be avoided.

Since you know what not to use in cleaning and maintaining your refinished bathtub, knowing what to use should be pretty easy. We recommend that you use non-abrasive cleaning solutions that you use in your kitchen that are environmentally safe. The best way to care and maintain your refinished bathtub is to wipe it down with a towel after each use.

Waxing a bathtub will make it last longer for the same reasons that a waxed car or boat lasts longer, and we might add looks better than one that is not waxed. Wax your bathtub every 6 months with a urethane polish that you find in your friendly auto store. We recommend polishing a bathtub five days after it has been refinished. Be careful when using a waxed bathtub. They are slippery.

Hotels bathtub refinishing, gives hotels and motels volume discounts on their bathroom remodeling. To get the bathtubs in your hotels', motels, apartments, nursing homes, or homes looking like new is important before the after care. Here are your bathtub refinishing options:

If you are ready to save your hotels, motels or retirement homes, money and time immediately, fill out our bathtub refinishing needs questionnaire.

As soon as we get the information on your bathtub refinishing needs, one of our stars will contact you with a free estimate. Email us: sales@refinishingstars.com

Copyright 2008 Refinishing Stars| All Rights

Wilson Ukah, owns Refinishing Stars, a bathtub refinishing company serving homeowners in Atlanta, Chattanooga, Nashville and Knoxville. Refinishing Stars, refinishes bathtubs, sinks, and countertops for hotels and motels nationwide. Wilson can be reached at http://www.refinishingstars.com or sales@refinishingstars.com.

Kitchen Books
Landscaping Books

Follow Your Instincts When Looking For a Contractor

One of the most popular search terms on the Internet is the word "contractor." People are searching on how to find good ones, recommendations, reviews, and information to back up who the contractors actually say they are. The largest global topic about contractors is "how do I find a good one?"

If you're looking for a contractor, or have recommendations or names, the first step in getting to know someone who's going to be doing work in your home is to call them.

When you call them, set up a sit down conversation about your project. Remind them to bring their license numbers and credentials. Having them provide pictures of past jobs only helps you to see their individual style and how it might coincide with yours. This first meeting is for them to get an idea of the job and for you to feel out your reactions to them being in the home.

My first rule with this is simple: Trust your gut.

If you get a funny feeling having the person in the home, most likely it's not someone you're going to trust to have there and in the long term this can and will cause problems. Not only will they feel like you're trying to "watch their every move" through the whole project, you'll be uncomfortable with the whole process. Avoid this at the beginning, smile and nod, and kindly say "I don't think we're going to be a match."

Second rule: Once you find a contractor you get along with check their license number against the state records.

Simply put, there are many capable people out there who are trained to do your home improvement job the right way. There are also many capable people who don't really follow the rules. To further narrow down the field of people you're going to let do work in your home, compare their contractor license number against state records.

You can easily do this on most State's Public Safety Department websites as well as over the phone. This information will let you know who's up to date, keeping certified and if "everything is in order." Not to say that people who are carrying out of date license numbers are bad, but it means that the state won't protect you against something that goes wrong in the case that something does in deed go "off-plan".

Always trust your gut and always check the information they give you. Just two ways to keep yourself protected, prepared and on your way to finding the right contractor for your job.

Jacob Lee - pioneer basement
http://www.pioneerbasement.com

Mold Under Floor Tile