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Professional Second-Story Addition

On January 31, 2012, in Flooring, Home Additions, Roof Repair, by admin
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With the help of a few friends, a skilled homeowner can build almost any addition – from a bay window  to a two-story wing – beautifully and economically. But in practice, some home additions persuade all but the bravest to hire professional contractors who specialize in room additions and home additions. One of these home remodeling projects is a full second story on a one-story house.

Most room additions are structurally independent of the houses they expand, but a second story depends on the walls below to support it. Moreover, the first floor layout of the house generally must be radically altered to accommodate the second story. To make these alterations successfully, the builder must find the right answers to difficult questions:

If there is no interior bearing wall in the house, what will support the new floor? Where will the new staircase fit?

While such structural complexities can be circumvented with shrewd adaptation of standard techniques, a major practical obstacle remains: to install the new roof for a full second story, it generally is necessary to remove old roof, exposing the house to weather. The family cannot live in the house while the work on home additions of this kind goes on.

Even roof removal may be avoided, of course, if the existing house has a flat or nearly flat roof, more common in the Southwest than elsewhere in the United States and Canada. In such a case, the old roof can be left in place permanently, and second-story new flooring, walls and new roof may be built on top of it.

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Energy Efficiend Windows and Doors Save Money

On December 1, 2011, in Building Maintenance, Doors, Windows, by admin
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Buildings and general structures of all kinds and for various different uses are truly expensive to operate and maintain on a continual basis. There are various different aspects and parts of building maintenance that cause incredible difficulties in keeping safe and protected from outside elements and weather conditions which make it very challenging for building and house owners to maintain efficiencies of all kinds. There are actually quite a few simple techniques of home and office insulation and draught proofing to save money which provides and impressive means cost savings across various different boundaries.

The daily and monthly costs of energy consumption are often an incredible source of cost for most structures out there. These are usually attributed to increased gas and oil prices as well as larger population densities around the planet. These costs continue to provide pressure on personal and business budgets on a continual basis.

There are actually quite a few steps any business or house owner is able to take which helps reduce overall energy consumption. Many of them are free from cost while others are very menial in overall cost of implementation as well. Most of the techniques used for this process are rather effective at reducing an incredible number of costs.

One of the main techniques in this process actually has nothing to do with insulation or drafts. The use of electronic thermostats is actually much more effective at reducing energy consumption of heating and cooling units regardless of draftiness. These are inexpensive to purchase and easy to install with any system.

Energy efficient windows are also an integral step in this process. They are proven to fight draftiness and provide a much greater barrier to outside influences over indoor temperatures. There are also many different tax incentives and incredible reductions in monthly energy costs that often help anyone recuperate the costs associated with window installation.

Windows and doors should also be kept closed and air tight at all times. Houses often are easier to manage in this process than businesses on a continual basis. Businesses often use special hinges and hydraulics to ensure doors are closed when someone enters or leaves the building.

Installing weather stripping on doors and windows is a final step of home and office insulation and draught proofing to save money. These strips are very inexpensive to purchase and even easier to implement on any door system. There are also special caulking materials and screens to place over windows that provide an added barrier to the outside elements.

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Choosing Paving Materials for Walkways

On October 27, 2011, in Home Remodeling Budget, Landscaping, by admin
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Walkways and paths can be made of either hard or soft material. Your choice of paving material will depend on the walkways’s function, your home remodeling budget, and your personal preferences.

Soft paving materials, including bark, wood chips, pine needles and loose gravel, are best for informal and low traffic areas. Inexpensive and simple to install, they settle, scatter or decompose and must be replenished or replaces every few years.

Hard paving materials, such as brick, flagstone and concrete pavers, are more expensive and time-consuming to install, but they are permanent, requiring only occasional maintenance. Compacted crushed stone can also make a hard-surface walk. Durable and handsome, hard paving materials are ideal for high-traffic, “high-profile” areas.

We took a closer look at some of the paving materials and home remodeling budget:

Bark, wood chips and pine needles -

perfect for “natural” look or a temporary path, these loose materials can be laid directly on the soil or, if drainage is poor, on the gravel bed. Bagged materials from a nursery or garden center will be cleaner, more uniform, and considerably more expensive than bulk supplies bought by the cubic yard. Check with local tree services to find the best prices on bulk material.

Gravel and crushed rock -

Loose rounded gravel gives a bit underfoot, creating a “soft” but somewhat messy path. The angular facets of crushed stone eventually compact into a “hard” and tidier path that can, if the surrounding soil is firm enough, be laid without an edging. Gravel and stone type and color vary from area to area within region. Buy these materials by the ton or cubic yard.

Concrete pavers -

Precast concrete pavers are versatile, readily available and often the least expensive hard surface material. They come in a range of colors and shapes, including interlocking patterns. Precast pavers edgings are also available. Most home and garden centers carry a variety of precast pavers, which are sold by the piece.

Brick -

Widely available in a range of sizes, colors and textures, brick complements many design styles, both formal and informal. When carefully laid on a well-prepared sand-and-gravel base, brick provides an even, safe, and long lasting surface. Buy paving brick instead of the softer “facing” brick, which may break up after a few freeze-thaw cycles. If you buy used brick, pick the densest and the hardest.

Avoid brick with glazed faces; the glaze traps moisture and salts, which eventually damage the brick.

Running bond, two brick basket weave, herringbone, diagonal herringbone are just a few ideas to consider.

Flagstone -

“Flagstone” is a generic term for stratified stone, a paving material that can be split to form walkways. Lime stone, sand stone and blue stone are common paving materials. The surfaces of marble and slate are usually too smooth to make safe walkways because they are slippery when wet. Cut into squares or rectangles, flagstone can be laid as individual stepping stones or in interesting patterns (cut flagstone). Paving materials with irregular outlines (irregular flagstone) present other patterning opportunities for walkways.

Flagstones come in a range of colors, textures and sizes. Flags for walkways should be at least 2 inches thick as thinner stones fracture easily. Purchased by weight, surface area or pallet load, flagstones are usually the most expensive paving materials for walkways.

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