So much goes into home renovations. A lot is dependent on if you are choosing to do the renovations yourself or hiring a professional contractor to do the work. Many people will choose to do some smaller home renovations on their own leaving bigger remodels such as kitchens and bathrooms to the professionals.
No matter what you choose when it comes to your own home one of the first tips I can offer you is to stay organized and keep an eye on the progress of the work. Even if you are working on a home renovation by yourself you will want to keep a checklist on yourself to ensure the project does not drag on forever. Of course flexibility is often needed when it comes to set backs and ordering delays. Don’t let those things throw off the entire timeline of the project. If you are stuck because the flooring has arrived do not let that stop you from completing other finishing touches to keep the momentum.
One great organizing tip I received from a friend is to keep folders for each separate trade. If your project calls for you to have to deal with an electrician, a plumber, and a general handyman you would have three separate folders. In them you then would keep track of contracts, notes and conversations that have taken place. This way if you need to refer back to a conversation you have it at the tip of your fingers. This applies if you are the contractor or if you have hired someone to do the remodel. The great thing is that you will also have at your fingertips these references if you need them later on.
When dealing with different contractors you will want to make sure that your requests are spoken and written. Make sure, for instance, if you hire an electrician they know that so many outlets need to be within a room of each size. It is up to you that if you want them placed in certain areas that you make sure your electrician knows this. If you do not specify what you want they may not place them in locations that are desirable for the way that your room and furniture will be configured.
Another handyman tip is that if you have a painter in to paint the house. Remember that they will not automatically save extra for you to touch up. Make sure that you ask for a container of touch up paint. These are things that your contractor will automatically think of.
There are some areas that will bring you more return on your purchase. These areas include home renovations in areas where the water is such as kitchens and baths. These are areas that people will focus a lot of attention on when they enter your home. Another thing that people look for way before name brand fixtures are is trim work. Money spent on crown molding and trim work done in a professional manner will definitely make your money back in the long run.
Month: May 2011 - page 2
Choosing flooring for your home is often one of the most important decisions you will have to make as a home owner. It combines all aspects of your home and you truly want the flooring throughout your home to blend with the style of the home as a whole. One thing that was odd in the house I grew up is that each room had different color and textured carpet. The kitchen flooring was berber, the living room was a frieze/shag and the bedroom carpet was plush. Another thing was odd is that my bedroom had red carpet, the boys had brown, the kitchen was white/blue/gray and the living area was beige. How did any of that tie our home together? I am sure the people who bought our home immediately tore out the flooring and replaced it.
Flooring does depend a lot on personal style. This is a surface that every day you will use. Family and friends will use the surface for walking on, sitting on, accidentally spill their drinks on and play on. It needs to be durable and practical for your family and friends. If you are the hostess of many family gathering is it really wise to have white carpet throughout your home? As you begin the processes of choosing your flooring take several things into consideration. First you must determine a budget, consider the size of the room, what is the usage of the room, do you have kids and pets and how long do you expect the flooring to last?
Kitchen flooring is always a fun area to consider. There are so many personal decisions to make. Several choices exist, linoleum, ceramic tiles, wood, faux wood and carpet. Carpet is not necessarily a popular choice these days. As with a bathroom, the kitchen takes abuse from moisture, spills and an abundance of traffic. If you are looking into living in this home awhile and hoping for high resale value buck up and spend the money on real hard wood. It is durable and long lasting. It can take a beating the aging looks like a natural progression of a home that is lived in. When you start to miss that new floor it is easy to call a local flooring expert out to refinish it bringing the luster right back into the floor. Linoleum is the least expensive option and ceramic tile is a great mid cost product to use that also holds up well. You might have to have the floor grouted again after several years of use but that is a fairly inexpensive project for your local handyman.
In bathroom flooring it is obvious that you need to consider a material that will hold up against daily use and moisture. Linoleum can be used but it is a short term material. Often linoleum will wear and date itself within seven years of installation. Better long term options are ceramic, limestone and marble. Again this is where budget and personal preference come in to play. Color and texture options are plentiful in any of the above mentioned materials.
Areas such as living rooms and bedrooms are areas that personal preference will take over. I have a thing for the comfortable look and feel of carpet. I think that with my children being small that they spend most of their time playing on the floor. Carpet provides the warm, comfy feel I enjoy in a living are. However many people really like wood floors with area rugs. This is a very good option for longevity but will be pricey to install. Wood can always be refinished which makes it the longest lasting option. Area rugs are inexpensive and can be used to add warmth to any room.
As with most home renovations flooring can increase the market of your home. Take this into consideration if this home is just a mere stepping stone. Don’t spend astronomical amounts of money on a floor that you will not enjoy. If it a home that you are looking to spend the rest of your life in consider the upgrades otherwise choose a mid grade option that will tend to be on the neutral side of flooring options. These will the resale value of your home in the long term. Kitchen flooring and bathroom flooring are areas that will change the perception of your home. This is often what makes or breaks a home sale so consider this before doing something radical like adding carpet to your kitchen like my parents did.
landscape design is more complex than one would imagine. When I was first doing the landscaping at our new house I thought I would go to the store pick out everything I thought was pretty, bring it home, slap it in and it would radiate the neighborhood. Little did I know that what ended up happening is that I bought a lot I plants and shrubs that were pleasing to the eye just not when lumped all together in my flower bed. I always have loved those carefree flowing flower beds but really there is a tremendous amount of work that goes into making them look like they are carefree flowing flower beds.
These simple tips will help you to save money and create a landscape design that not only compliments your home but also makes you the envy of the neighborhood.
The Five Basic Principles in Landscape Design
1) Harmony: This is the most important of all the tips listed. Harmony to any landscape design can be created by repetition. For instance when creating a border for the bed you would not want to layer the bed with a plastic edging and then switch and do another section with wood. It is best to keep the material the same. Another element that is important in creating harmony is to keep the different elements consistent size, texture and colors are all very important. Many people consider themed gardens to help create harmony in their landscape design.
2) Minimalism: This is for all of us beginners. It is important to start small and simple and build on later. For instance pick a plant you love and triple it. Then look around and find a bush that resembles the flower in shape, texture, color shade and chose that. Do not wonder around aimlessly buying every pretty plant that you see that is not minimalism. Start with a few items, come home set them up and begin expanding from there. Simple is for sure a good place to start. Remember that space fills in quickly as your garden matures.
3) Equilibrium: This is what helps create a feeling of balance. It helps your flower bed not to feel like a random jungle. Symmetry is useful in creating balance. Often you will find rows used. Taller plants take up the back and as you move forward the plants tend to get smaller turn into ground covers for edging. Another way to create equilibrium is to use small groupings throughout your garden.
4) Tints and Shades: By now you can see this is a common sense principle in landscape design. It is not important to have every color of the rainbow represented in your garden. Complimentary colors work best in creating a landscape design. Often we become kids in a candy shop when you let us loose in the garden section of a store. Try to resist the urge to mix orange with fuchsia. You get the drift.
5) Effortless Change: Make the transitions from one section of your flower bed to another seamless. What you don’t want to create is separate spaces for your garden. You want it to look and feel like it all flows together as one. You want it to appear that Mother Nature placed the plants in your yard naturally so that you create unity with the landscape design, home and yard.
Hopefully these tips will inspire your next landscape design project. It often helps when moving into a new home or replacing the old to clean out what you don’t like about the old before you go to the store. You might find once the rubbish that is not eye catching is cleared away that a few simple moderations can create a huge difference without spending a ton of money.
The summer time is supposed to be a time of relaxation, chilling out at the lake, spending quality time away from home. Yet with all the lawn maintenance that needs to be accomplished when you own a home your time is spent mowing the lawn, weeding the flower beds and mulching. Times like this I often wonder about getting someone to come in that offers landscape services. I know the expense is always in the for front of my mind but I know that later on when my kids are grown I will not remember all the time spent mowing my lawn but times at the beach I will remember.
So there I went on my quest to find reasonable lawn maintenance. I consider a neighbor buy that was looking to make some extra summer cash but then reconsidered thinking I wanted a professional to come out. They would be able to take care of everything. I did not want to do spring or fall clean up, pull weeds, edge or any of it. I knew the neighbor boy would keep it cut but I wanted to enjoy the space when I was home having weekend bbq’s. I didn’t want to look around and see everything that the landscape services provide still needed to be done in my own yard.
Finding a good landscape services company was not that hard at all. I knew I was looking for someone with reasonable rates, high quality work, references and a service company that would maintain a schedule around mine. I wanted the lawn mowed on Thursday afternoon so that the lawn would be fresh and spruced for us to enjoy over the weekend.
It was important that it was a contractor with references that could vouch for his character. The last thing I wanted was to bring in someone that was not able to work well with the neighborhood. What I mean by this is that he had to be respectful to the community members, be friendly to the children, come to work dressed appropriately and have a general attitude of one that is passionate about their work.
Quality is important to me. I needed a landscape service that noticed the weeds and when the mulch needed a refresher. I wanted someone who would work and be thorough without me standing over their shoulder to tell them what I wanted done. The first time we met for me to interview the landscape company we eventually hired we sat instead of me running the show the gentlemen asked me questions about what was important with regards to his services. He asked about the length I like the lawn kept at. He wanted to know how I like my bushes and trees maintained. It was also important to him that I fir with his style of landscape services.
After I ran a background check on the company and called a bunch of references I liked everything I saw and heard. Many of his clients had been referred to him through word of mouth. I found out he no longer advertised his services because clients were keeping his services year after year because he understood just what his clients wanted and needed. I felt lucky to have found him to care for all of my landscape services. It was a win-win situation for both of us. He can earn a living doing something he loves which is something I don’t desire doing for the time being. Maybe when I am ready to settle down and to use my summer for something other than having fun I will consider going back to maintaining my own yard but somehow I think I could get use to this instead.
Do you enjoy math, science and being outdoors? If these are three things you enjoy then you may want to look into a career in surveying, particularly land surveying. Surveyors are a major player in the development of construction sites. They help make available topographic site surveys, they stake out projects and once a project is complete they help to make certain that the boundaries were followed.
You can break a surveyors job into four sections they include field work, calculating, mapping and placement. I know that many people look at surveying as only field work. This misinformation most likely comes from the fact that we often see surveyors on the side of the road looking through a tripod instrument. Surveyors are brought in for many projects for many reasons. Let’s talk about each section of work a surveying job can be broken down into.
1) Field Work – We all know that this involves being outside taking actual measurements. Field work often involves very active, laborious work. Surveying requires long periods of time on your feet, climbing obstacles with heavy equipment. Weather conditions are often a challenge in the field. Surveyors work in hot, cold, windy and rainy weather.
2) Calculating – In order to calculate different objectives involved in surveying these professionals must use their detective skills. Surveyors look at data from history, the present and make educated predictions about the future to help in making calculations. In calculating it is also important that they decide the best use of technology to complete the field work from their calculations and data from land deeds and preceding surveys.
3) Plotting and Mapping – Surveying is an art that collects and plots out data on a map for lawyers, builders and architects. It is important that analysis is given to each and every detail to make sure it is accurate before a map is created. Any are of inconsistency is just not tolerated. Surveyors must have exact data for each project.
4) Setting – The last part of a surveyor’s job is to set out markers that map out the boundaries of the land and structures that will be placed on it. This is an especially important part of the job because several issues come up with land boundaries and as a surveyor you need to be absolute without doubt to prove that the boundaries you have set are in fact the legal boundaries of the property.
Issues have come about because of inaccurate boundary lines. Land surveying needs to be done in such a precise manner that problems do not arise later disputing land boundaries.
I love water. It is great to drink, swim in, boat through, water flowers with but the one thing about water is that it wreaks havoc in your home. If your home has ever been affected by a flood, a leak, busted pipe, over flow of a washer or toilet or even if you have had a fire put out in your home you know the damage I am talking about. Unwanted water in your home can cause many different consequences. Such as health concerns from mold and mildew and unforeseen damage to valuable art, books and hardwoods throughout a home. It is important to remember when dealing with water that even though it feels dry to the touch that is most likely not the case.
Water extraction is a process that requires meticulous attention and time. The longer you let your home stay wet the more secondary damage you are creating. Moisture that builds up deteriorates the structure of your home. It also breeds mold and mildew which can be harmful to the health of anyone inhabiting your home.
In preventing water damage through water extraction there are several things to consider. First you might be tempted to make this a DIY project but no matter the size of the water damage a professional should be called in. It is not simply a project that can be done with a shop vacuum or any other type of household water removal system you may consider. Standing water can be removed with a shop vacuum until you can reach a professional to come in with specialized equipment to handle the rest of the job.
In order to thoroughly dry a home and prevent further damage from the water a process of drying and dehumidifying is used. You need air flow and dehumidification to reach a state in which actual deep dryness occurs. These are not the same systems that you rent from big box chain stores so trust me in order to protect your home and possessions call in a professional water extraction company.
The process of drying involves circulating air with the use of industrial fans while the moisture is then pulled into a dehumidifier which sends out dry air. While this is all happening it is creating the best environment possible for drying to take place in your home. The equipment is drying your furnishings, carpet, drywall and internal beams. The machines find the hiding spots of moisture and eliminate them.
This process takes time. It is imperative to hire professional immediately. The longer you wait the deeper the water soaks in and creates an unfavorable environment for you to live in. Hire a team of water extraction professional to keep your home and family safe from the side effects of water damage.
Hiring for any position within your company or for any project your company is working on is never easy. Consultants are individuals who give professional advice in a specific area that they are an expert in. Consultants have a vast amount of knowledge on a subject matter and usually work for a consulting firm or are self employed. As a consultant you will work with a vast clientele that will be ever changing. Consultants work best for a majority of businesses because they can retain an expert in many fields without having to actually employ them on a full time basis. Consultants are specialists in their given field and of course this is what companies want to have at their beck and call.
Of course the success of a project comes from the skill level of the people you hire. Consultants are hired for many projects within a vast number of trades. In this article we will focus on Engineering Consultants. Engineering assignments are large in nature and scale so hiring consultants takes a wide range of planning and research. There are over twenty different areas of expertise within the field of engineering. The first task for any individual hiring an engineering consultant is to narrow down exactly what types of engineers are needed for your project to be completed in the most timely, professional, correct manner as possible.
The field of engineering that you decide your project falls within is the field where your research to find the best consultant will begin. Of course if you are building a bridge you aren’t really looking for a chemical engineer you will want to find a consultant in the field of Civil Engineering.
Engineering Consultants are employed to work with a firm to help them devise a plan to convey their production requirements. Civil Engineers are responsible for matters ranging from where the water waste is distributed from to designing a railway system. Engineering Consultants are hired as an expert. No matter what field of engineering, be it Civil, Electric, Chemical or Biological, they belong to the skill set that they offer will be wide. They will be able to offer analysis, design and execution from their skill set to your project.
Hire a good engineering consultantand you will find that they will adapt to the requirements of the job and save you time, money and prevent delay. Clients of engineering consultants should have obviously defined their wants and needs for a particular job up front alleviating any misunderstandings that often arise during projects with several professionals at work.
It is important when hiring any consultant, but especially engineering consultants that you come in understanding one another and the task at hand. When hiring a consultant be precise about your needs and project requirements. This will help the project run smoothly. When business professionals work together and stay on the same page in terms of any project the results are grand.
Many people when looking into replacement windows are looking into the windows with blinds between the glass. I have heard on more than one occasion someone mention that they were nervous about the cleaning and maintenance of the windows between the glass drapery options. I did a little research on the Pella window website because I am also interested and I found out that it is not much more work than regular windows but that it is less frequent.
There are three different types of snap-in between the glass window options. They include raise and lower Slimshade blinds, fabric shades and decorative panels. The first step in the cleaning process is locating the hinges for the glass panel. They are located on the top and bottom interior casement of the window. You need to release the latches by sliding them up or down the channel until you hear or feel them release. Then you will pull the perimeter of the frame and this will open to the panel. So far I am impressed. I like that I do not have to remove the glass panel completely. I would be so afraid of someone falling into it if I needed to place it on the ground.
The panels are very easy to care for. The windows with blinds between the glass need to be in the open position. Next you can remove any dust build up if there is any with a vacuum cleaner curtain attachment. If you see any smudges or dirt you may use a warm cloth to wipe away the dirt. However if a major cleaning needs to done, which really shouldn’t because the blinds are so well encased, take a tray of warm water and mild soap and dip the blinds in. You can then rinse them with clean water and air dry them before placing them back in.
Windows with fabric shades between the glass can be cleaned using the vacuum and drapery attachment. It is important that if you need to use cleaner on the shades that you choose a product that has a non ammonia base. Ammonia will damage the fabric. In order to keep the between the glass fabric shades from fraying check them over after each cleaning. You will want to use fabric repair glue if you see that any fraying has begun on you fabric inserts.
It is important that when cleaning the decorative window panel options for your window to pick a day that is cool and dry. If the temperature is high or the hot sun is out wait to clean them. You will want to dust the dirt off with a soft sponge that has been placed in a mild soap and water mixture. You will want to thoroughly rinse with clean water and carefully blot them dry with soft clean towels. It is important that you never rub the panels for they are easily scratched. It is also important not to use a scraper or squeegee. Another tip is to never leave the panels soaking or never power wash them. It will ruin the panels.
I am starting to love the idea of having windows with blinds between the glass. I love the idea if I ever tire of the blinds I can switch them out and replace them with shades or decorative panels. The feature allows a lot of variety and can be changed depending on your mood, the season or the ever changing décor of a room.
Hiring for any position within your company or for any project your company is working on is never easy. Consultants are individuals who give professional advice in a specific area that they are an expert in. Consultants have a vast amount of knowledge on a subject matter and usually work for a consulting firm or are self employed. As a consultant you will work with a vast clientele that will be ever changing. Consultants work best for a majority of businesses because they can retain an expert in many fields without having to actually employ them on a full time basis. Consultants are specialists in their given field and of course this is what companies want to have at their beck and call.
Of course the success of a project comes from the skill level of the people you hire. Consultants are hired for many projects within a vast number of trades. In this article we will focus on Engineering Consultants. Engineering assignments are large in nature and scale so hiring consultants takes a wide range of planning and research. There are over twenty different areas of expertise within the field of engineering. The first task for any individual hiring an engineering consultant is to narrow down exactly what types of engineers are needed for your project to be completed in the most timely, professional, correct manner as possible.
The field of engineering that you decide your project falls within is the field where your research to find the best consultant will begin. Of course if you are building a bridge you aren’t really looking for a chemical engineer you will want to find a consultant in the field of Civil Engineering.
Engineering Consultants are employed to work with a firm to help them devise a plan to convey their production requirements. Civil Engineers are responsible for matters ranging from where the water waste is distributed from to designing a railway system. Engineering Consultants are hired as an expert. No matter what field of engineering, be it Civil, Electric, Chemical or Biological, they belong to the skill set that they offer will be wide. They will be able to offer analysis, design and execution from their skill set to your project.
Hire a good engineering consultant and you will find that they will adapt to the requirements of the job and save you time, money and prevent delay. Clients of engineering consultants should have obviously defined their wants and needs for a particular job up front alleviating any misunderstandings that often arise during projects with several professionals at work.
It is important when hiring any consultant, but especially engineering consultants that you come in understanding one another and the task at hand. When hiring a consultant be precise about your needs and project requirements. This will help the project run smoothly. When business professionals work together and stay on the same page in terms of any project the results are grand.
Maher Restoration’s passion for people is part of their company’s core values. They understand how necessary it is to have the right team by your side during an emergency. Our dedicated staff pairs compassion and expertise with commitment and incredible work ethic. While they work to return you to normal operations, they promise to live in your world.
Check out the Maher Restoration and their new site today at http://www.gomaher.com.