Garage Doors
October 31, 2008
You may think choosing garage doors is straight forward, however there are many things to consider, such as whether your garage is adjoining your property, is it a single or a double garage, how much clearance inside and out is needed and so on. Also, the appearance of the garage door can influence what material you use. There are four basic types of garage door and three different materials commonly used to construct these doors. We take a brief look at the four types of garage door which are sectional, roller, side hung and finally the common up and over
The first type of garage door we look are sectional garage doors. These doors open vertically and so are perfect where space in front of the garage is at a premium. They are a versatile solution for a new garage door with the added bonus of aesthetic appeal, which is obviously very important as most garages are located at the front of the house. A sectional garage door has a series of hinged horizontal panels that lift up and lie parallel with the ceiling of the garage when the door is opened. There is no overhang or canopy and it is possible to park a car right up next to the door as there is no protrusion at any point of the operation of opening the door.
Get New Floors And Save A Bundle When You Do It Yourself
October 31, 2008
After years of use, your floor will need to be refinished and that can cost over $1000 for just one room! But if you want to put in a little time and elbow grease, you can refinish the floor yourself and have the beautiful look of warm wood in your home for a fraction of the cost.
Contrary to what you may have heard, the finish doesn’t take weeks to dry. It’s quite simple actually. You can get the supplies for sanding at your neighborhood home improvement store. You’ll need a drum sander and a belt sander. They will be able to advise you on the sandpaper you need, how to use the machine and what kind of stain and finish you’ll need to finish off the floor. Sanding creates fine particles of dust that will get everywhere and on everything so you may want to pick up some dust masks and drop cloths while you are at it.
A Beautiful Rose Is Natures Gift
October 30, 2008
Roses are one of natures most beautiful and splendid gifts. Roses come in a variety of colors and scents, from deep, deep red to the brightest yellow. The many pedals on roses offer a texture and fullness to roses that far outshine any other flowers. Black roses, red roses and white roses have all been used in historical writings. Even Sherlock Holmes paused from his busy work while solving the case of “The Naval Treaty” and said, “All other things ?are really necessary for our existence?But this rose is an extra. Its smell and its color are an embellishment of life, not a condition of it. It is only goodness which gives extras, and so I say again that we have much to hope from the flowers.
It’s interesting that something as beautiful as roses are also equipped with sharp thorns. An interesting play on our concept of taking the good with the bad from nature. The most esteemed of all cultivated plants, are the true roses. Rosa occurs indigenously in the north temperate zone and in tropical mountain areas, usually as erect or climbing shrubs with five-petaled fragrant flowers. The rose has been a favorite flower in many lands since prehistoric times. It appears in the earliest art, poetry, and tradition. It has been used in innumerable ways in decoration. In ancient times it was used medically. But, for many gardeners just being able to grow beautiful roses is reward enough.
Using A Hardwood Floor Sander
October 29, 2008
Refinishing your hardwood floors yourself can be time consuming and a bit scary at first but well worth it in the long run. It can cost a bundle to hire a professional to refinish your floors for you, but if you have the time, you can do it yourself.
The most difficult part is learning to run the sander. Many people are afraid of ruining their floors, and you can really damage a floor if you do not take care in the sanding.
Sanding is fairly easy if you pay attention and the finish does not take as long to dry as you might have been led to believe. You can rent a sander from your local Home Depot or hardware supply store. You’ll need a drum sander, a belt sander or both. They will explain to you how to use the machine and tell you what kind of sand paper to purchase. They will also tell you what kind of stain and finish to get. Make sure you also pick up some dust masks because you will have saw dust everywhere.
Refinishing A Hardwood Floor
October 28, 2008
Want to bring your hardwood floors back to their former beauty, but don’t have the money? Then read on for some tips on how you can refinish the floor yourself.
If you have the time and don’t mind doing the work, then refinishing your floors yourself is a great option but before starting out, it’s not a bad idea to get an estimate from a professional so you can compare the cost of doing it yourself to what they would charge. You’ll get quite a shock at the amount that is charged. It may cost over $1000 to have just 1 room done. You could carpet over it for less, but doesn’t carpeting over beautiful hardwood floors seem, well, wrong?
It is actually rather easy to refinish a wood floor ? if you pay attention to what you are doing. To sand the floor, you need a drum sander and possibly a belt sander which can be rented at your neighborhood Home Depot or hardware store. They can help you figure out which machines you need to rent, what kind of sand paper you should buy and also can help with the type and amount of stain and finish for the floor. You might also want to get some dust masks and plastic to section the room off from the rest of the house. Fine particles of dust will get everywhere ? even if you section off the room, but you may be able to minimize the impact on the rest of the house.
Building A Pair Of Heavy Duty Saw Horses
October 27, 2008
Start out by measuring and cutting all your stock according to the cutting list and set it aside. Take the legs and mark out the tapers. The taper starts 20″ up from the bottom. The leg tapers to 3-1/2″ at the bottom. Repeat for all the legs and cut out.
The legs join the main stretchers at 75°. This cut is best made with a circular saw. Mark your lines, clamp the stock on edge and cut. Flip the stock over to the other edge and make the through cut.
Time for some assembly. On the main stretcher mark a line 1-1/2″ from each end. This is the outer face of the leg. Now make a second mark in from one edge 1″. This is the top of the leg. Do this for each leg on both stretchers.
Apply some glue to the angled side of the leg and position on the marks you just made on the stretcher. Secure with 4 - 2″ screws. Repeat for all the legs.
Position the 3/8″ plywood braces on the outside face of the legs butting into the the bottom face of the main stretcher. Scribe the angle onto the braces with your pencil and cut. Apply some glue to the outside of the legs and secure the braces with 6 screws, three into each leg.
Cultivating Plants In Your Garden…What To Watch Out For
October 26, 2008
There are so many plants available for you to choose from that it’s hard to know where to start. Are you looking for house plants, tropical plants or some beautiful garden plants? Green plants are not only beautiful to look at they also provide a much needed source of fresh oxygen for our breathing. Nature has a way of providing a balance for everything.
Different plants grow in different ways. Some plants, send out long underground stems that produce new plants, often at considerable distances from the original plant. These plants can form enormous colonies of new plants within just a couple of years. The leaves of some plants produce buds at their edges, which then develop into miniature plants that fall off and take root. Specialists in the fields of agriculture and horticulture take advantage of the regenerative ability of plants to produce new varieties of plants.
Indoor plants allow you to cultivate, enjoy and fuss over their growth and development with worrying about the vagaries of the weather. Indoor plants are also a way to start new growths and give them a better chance of survival. A rewarding and tasty plant to grow are strawberry plants. These can be easily cultivated and expanded so that every summer you can enjoy your own fresh strawberries right out of your own garden.
Log Homes - Finding the Perfect Log Home Plan
October 26, 2008
One of the first steps in building a log home is deciding on a floorplan. Many people spends months, or even years, searching for the perfect plan. However, it doesn’t have to be that difficult.
Most log home companies have a portfolio of standard plans that are published in plan books, in log home magazines, and on company web sites. Many companies also have an additional portfolio of modified standard plans that they sometimes don’t promote - but will show if asked. Most have an architectural staff that can help with modifications to standard plans, or development of a completely custom plan.
Don’t restrict your search to plans that fit your desired square-footage range. Small house plans can be “super-sized” and large plans can be “down-sized.” Also don’t overlook potential plans just because exterior drawings of the house are not to your tastes. Exteriors can be easily changed.
Another source of plans are books and magazines containing floorplans for conventional houses. Just be aware that the plan you choose may have to change a little to be buildable as a log home.
Planning Permission Tips UK - Illegal Building Works - Is there an Upside?
October 25, 2008
Many times throughout the year we are called in to assist people who have got into trouble by completing building works without Council permission. This can be either Planning or Building Regulations - often both. Guess when this ‘illegal’ building works is usually exposed - Right at the time when the home owner is under the most pressure & exposure to other abortive fees - you guessed it - WHEN THEY ARE ABOUT TO MOVE HOME!
I am amazed at the blinkered approach most homeowners have to completing building works without the required council consent. They just bury their heads in the sand & think that it will not be exposed - HOW WRONG MOST HOMEOWNERS ARE.
They seem to forget that most purchasers surveyors just love it when they are able to expose any illegal building works that may assist the purchaser in pulling out of the sale (strange I here you say) - you see they get paid for their survey report irrespective of the homes condition & by exposing illegal building works they obtain a ‘get out of jail free card’ - in other words, the purchaser is likely to pull out of the sale & not rely on the contents of the survey and thereby the surveyor reduces their exposure to negligent claims from the purchaser when some other form of defect may be discovered later on.
Planning Permission Tips UK - Permitted Development Allowances - Not the Golden Goose You Imagine
October 24, 2008
There is a perception amongst most folk that every house is allowed a certain percentage of extension development without the need for formal Planning Permission. People seem to think that it applies to them even when they purchase an already extended property.
The Permitted development allowances as contained within the GPDO 1995, Statutory instrument 1995 No. 418 is a minefield of criteria & restrictions with affecting paragraphs & clarifications all over the document which has lead to a vast array of interpretations from homeowners, agents & Planning Authorities, some of which has been challenged in the courts. It is so cumbersome that there is even a government discussion document out at the moment seeking to address these issues that should result in an update or complete new legislation document in the coming months so watch this space.
This News Letter is far too short to go into every issue of what you can & cannot build within the curtilage of a dwelling house without formal Planning Permission (unless you have purchased my MAXIMUM BUILD PLANNING GUIDE OF COURSE???) but it may be advantageous to subscribers of this news letter to highlight some of the more common ‘trip up’ clauses that will prevent you from erecting your extension, outbuilding or alterations to your property as follows:-
