Monday, October 5, 2009

How to Plan For a Simple Or Complete Renovation of Your Bathroom

A small thought on the renovation would give you a good nice image or of a partly assembled failure. A structured plan would not only help in completing the remodeling on time but also, give an excellent and attractive result. Initial step would be determining what kind of renovations you want to make for your bathroom.

Alterations on the surface would be the easiest choice which doesn't change the size and layout the bathroom. Changing the layout would be another option which is tougher since the layout has to be moved around different areas. Ultimately, a complete renovation is difficult. The entire structure including the support, should be broken and essentially a new bathroom has to be built from the ground up. Preparing for the bathroom remodeling costs would be the next.

Renovating a bathroom could be very costly. Though the size of the bathroom is small, the requirement to sub-contract and the cost element which is involved make this very expensive remodel project for home. People avail home loans to repay for the renovation done for the bathroom. Different ways for saving money on remodeling of the bathroom can also be considered. The one thing affecting the cost factor is deciding to the remodeling by you or by employing a contractor.

If you plan for simple alterations on the surface of the bathroom and have willingness to do, then this job can be done by you. However, tasks like putting tiles for the shower shall probably be done by the contractor employed. Plan in advance which projects of the bathroom renovation would be done by you and which other task you need to employ a contractor or professional. Ensure to employ a professional who has a correct license. Check if you have application for other permits like building, electrical and any others needed in your area.

Many a times we would end up to see that the renovation needs to be extended to other areas as the moisture is built up in your bathroom. The drywall if it has collected moisture needs to be replaced. Hopefully, nothing would be required to replace beyond the wallboard. Joists and wall stud need to be replaced if the case is so. And if the case is so, then reconsider your bathroom layout. If a complete renovation of the bathroom is needed, then plan to change the layout to the one you like. This would help you avoiding from doing another project in the future.

Adam Peters is the author of many resources on bathroom accessories related topics published at http://www.home-decorating-reviews.com Read additional info on home interiors or interiors of bathroom

How to Protect Foundation Plumbing Pipes?

If you install any underground plumbing pipes, in your concrete building foundation, you will need to protect them, from the concrete. You can use a variety of products and the most common of them will be a Styrofoam wrapping that can be purchased at most plumbing supply stores.

Let's start with the waste pipes, that are made out of plastic. The concrete could actually start to put pressure on the plastic pipes as the concrete starts to expand and this pressure could actually damage your new waste pipes.

You don't need to wrap all of the plastic waste pipes, only the parts of the waste pipes that will be exposed or in direct contact any concrete, but you do need to protect every copper water supply line that will be buried under the ground or exposed to the concrete, with a plastic sleeve. These products can be purchased again at most building supply or plumbing supply stores.

If these pipes aren't protected properly, you could find yourself within a short time, repairing the pipes that are either inside of your concrete foundation or buried underneath your concrete foundation. Either way, this isn't going to be a good thing.

You definitely need to wrap a plastic sleeve around the water supply pipes that are going to be buried or in direct contact with the concrete. This is a must and most building departments will require your plumbing pipes to be wrapped, before it they will sign off on your rough foundation plumbing inspection.

However, for the waste pipes, you can actually use cardboard to protect them. If you're short on funds, why not grab some cardboard boxes, dismantle them and start using cardboard to wrap the pipes, with a little duct tape.

There are plenty of ways to save money in the construction business, buy a few books, read a couple of articles, with a lot of pictures in this can provide you with lots of construction information, from experience building contractors.

Check out some of the best selling Home Building Plumbing Books all on one website

If you're really interested in basement remodeling and repairs, you should click on this link Home Repairs. Get some great home repair advice that can make a big difference on any of your home remodeling projects.

Greg Vandenberge 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.

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Sunday, October 4, 2009

Barcelona Hotels

Barcelona is home to various types of hotels ranging from simple rooms all the way up to five-star luxury suites. Barcelona also offers apartments for tourists to rent. No matter what kind of Barcelona hotel you choose to book, expect the best service. After all they want your tourism dollars and will go to great lengths to keep you coming back.

One of the most popular five-star luxury hotels in the city is Hotel Arts Barcelona, which is owned by the Palace Carlton group. It offers modern, high-quality accommodation right on the sea front.

The Meridien is based on the Ramblas, which is a very central location in Barcelona.

The Palace Hotel Barcelona is only a 10-minute walk to Placa Catalunya, which is an ideal location to explore the city.

The five-star Hotel Melia Barcelona is a little further out from the center than the other hotels. However, it has a metro stop only 10 minutes away, which will take one to anywhere in the city.

The Majestic Hotel is a deluxe 4-star hotel and offers fantastic facilities with high standards, but what adds to the overall excellence of the hotel are the location, tradition and gourmet cuisine it offers. It is located on the Paseo de Gracia, one of Barcelona's most beautiful avenues, and is close to some of the citys main tourist spots.

The Ambassador is a two-minute walk from the sights and sounds of the Ramblas, yet located within a quiet street.

The top three-star hotels in Barcelona are the Abba Sant, Hotel Fiira Palace Barcelona and the Prestige Paeo De Gracia.

Barcelona provides detailed information on Barcelona, Barcelona Hotels, Barcelona Soccer, Barcelona Weather and more. Barcelona is affiliated with Spain Golf.

The Damage One Small Water Leak Can Do

What I'm about to explain to you, cost the homeowner about $1200 and it could have been fixed, with a two dollar rubber washer. When I say two dollars, it could have been even less than that, but we'll stick with two dollars.

The story you are about to listen to, deals with the renters, the owner of the rental house and the water damage repair contractor. The water damage repair contractor makes the money, the owner of the home, loses the money, and the renters, really don't care, because it's not their home anyway.

If you own property, and rent it out, I would like to advise you to, do a walk-through on your properties at least every two months. If this homeowner, would've seen the water heater damage, he could have simply went down to his local home improvement center, or plumbing supply Center and purchased a new water heater connection pipe or the rubber washer, that was leaking and repaired it.

Instead of checking up on the property, regularly, I don't really believe that the homeowner, ever went back to check on the property, once it was rented. I always feel sorry for these guys, I have to repair, all of the water damage, replace all of damaged materials, and the homeowner needs to fork out the money. The water leak ruined the water heater and it also needed to be replaced.

This is the damage that one small leak can do. I often hear people joking about it, and I even seen it on a television show one time, when the entire house collapsed and at the end of the show, the plumbing repair contractor, held up a $.15 rubber washer and told the homeowner's, that this was the problem and if they would've replaced it, their house would still be standing today.

I understand that this is the movies, but things like this really happen. So pay attention, inspect your homes on a regular basis and save yourself hundreds if not thousands of dollars in the future.

If you're really interested in basement remodeling and repairs, you should click on this link Home Repair Advice. Get some great home repair advice that can make a big difference on any of your home remodeling projects.

Click Here To Learn More About Water Heater Damage and Repairs

Greg Vandenberge 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.

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Your Royal Stairway - How to Achieve One

More often than not, most items found in your home serve primarily the purpose of decoration. Take your vases, paintings, and carvings, among others, as examples. However, some items serve for particular functions but may also serve as a decoration. Take your crystal chandelier (it is primarily to give light to your home but also serves as dcor to your ceilings) and your antique mirror for instance.

One thing that is not actually furniture which can be both useful and decorative in function is the stairway. Oftentimes, they serve as pathways from one level of our house to the next. Obviously, this is really a great help in houses with two or more floors. There are also houses which opt to put a stairway's platform in direct vision of a person entering the house from a front door. It gives out this appealing impression. Given this, it is therefore necessary that a stairway is not only sturdy and secure (for purposes of safety) but also must demonstrate "grandiosity" in its own right. Usually, this is attributed to the entire design of the stairway, but can also be tracked down to the specific stair parts, too. You have to remember that even the smallest detail, in this case part, can affect the totality of a whole structure to function and serve its purpose. This goes the same for the stairway and its stair parts.

A stairway may be built in different fashions. It can be helical, straight, or sectioned with a balcony. These final structures usually depend more or less on the materials used for the stair parts. Colossal mansions and castles usually have marble staircases of regal grace and elegance. Suburban homes have staircases of wood. For high buildings and skyscrapers, they have cemented or stone-made staircases. There are also some which have more than two or more materials mixed.

Some stair parts may be made of wood, while the others with cement or steel or other materials. For example, the steps are made of cement, the balusters from steel and the handrail from wood. However, when a staircase is made of marble, it is almost always the only material used for its stair parts, too. Oftentimes, the color of these stairways is usually the same with the rest of the house. This is because a stairway is a part of the entirety of the structure of the house.

There are various designs and materials of stair parts which when combined properly may produce a great look for the stairways. The general consideration is on the structure of your home. Also, consideration is also given to your budget to achieve the one which you like and is fit for your home. Most construction stores and depots offer various stair parts with affordable and reasonable prices.

Stairways, just like any general structures, rely greatly on their stair parts to achieve the final look to be visually stimulating to your guests and visitors and also for its solidity. Be certain that you only get what is best for your stairway to produce the effect of a royal pathway, to the next floor that is.

Eliza Maledevic Ayson writes for Jump2top.com - SEO Company

Saturday, October 3, 2009

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 Vandenberge 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.

Find the Bathtub You Need With These Simple Tips

Your bathing experience should always be refreshing, relaxing, and comfortable. Here are some tips to assist you in finding the perfect bathtub to buy.

If you're getting a new bathtub for your personal use. Comfort is the number one most important thing to consider. Above all, you'll remember the comfort you experience while relaxing in your bathtub. Keeping your needs in mind, you should evaluate all the features offered to avoid regretting your decisions later.

Once you have found one that has the correct depth, the next thing to decide is what size and what shape you want your tub to be. Bathtubs come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. You need to be certain to purchase a bathtub of the size and shape that will fit your particular bathroom space, design and layout. The medium size tub is ideal for those who like to listen to music or read a book while having a bath. If you like soaking with someone, a two person tun will be a great choice.

Having a bath in a comfortable tub can offer many health benefits, including much needed relaxation. Take into consideration any therapeutic treatments the tub can offer, especially if you suffer from any medical issues. Hot baths refresh the body and soothes your mind. This process mimics weightlessness thus lowering the stress placed on the heart as well as reducing blood pressure.

As relaxing as a bath is supposed to be, taxing or stressful movement can lead to medical issues like back or lower limb pain. Your bathtub should be large enough for you to totally immerse yourself. If you have trouble with back pain, you may want to think about buying a tub with built-in lumbar back support.

If there are elderly members in your household consider a walk-in bathtub which will allow them to safely and comfortably enter the tub via a side door. One innovation in bathtubs is one which has a door allowing you to enter and exit in by walking through this side opening. This design is good for the physically challenged and elderly. Walk-in bathtubs are ideal for those who have difficulty getting in and out of a typical bathtub as it requires less effort to enter and exit through a side door than to navigate a high side.

Sally Ritter