Wood Does Rot - Home Repairs and Advice

Let me give you some advice right now," All Wood Rots Eventually". I have heard it all when it comes to this wood or that wood lasting this long or that long........ Hello....... All wood is going to rot at some period of it's life.

With that out of the way we can focus on some wood seems to last a little longer under certain conditions.

Teak is a wood that has a lot of natural oil in it. But you won't frame a house with it. Teak is used on boats and expensive outdoor furniture. It is a excellent wood to use when building a ship. The woods natural oils seem to create a protective barrier around it allowing it to last a long time even at sea. Great wood for the outdoors...

Oak is a excellent choice for almost every wood finish inside your home. It is used for kitchen cabinets, entertainment centers, flooring, trim and furniture. Oak is a hard wood and can take a lot of abuse from almost anything except water. I have seen a nice piece of furniture get stained from just setting one glass on it for ten minutes. Great Wood For Inside Your Home.

Poplar is also a great choice for inside your house. This wood is used by many finish carpenters for making cabinets and other built ins for your house. It is also popular not poplar for wood trim . Most of the poplar that is used inside of your home will eventually get painted. So that makes poplar a inexpensive choice of wood for homeowners that want a nice painted finish on their interior wood projects. Great Wood For Inside Your Home.

Douglas Fir is the most common source of lumber used on the west coast of the United States. This is a extremely durable wood product. On the East Coast they use southern pine and the nominal thickness is usually two inches by four inches for a 2 x 4 . With Douglas Fir a 2 x 4 is one inch and a half by three and one half inches to support the same weight structurally. In my opinion one of the best home framing materials.

Douglas Fir can and has been for a long time now. A great source for clear finish materials used inside of the house. You will see a nice orange or brown looking piece of wood stained naturally in some older home. This is Douglas Fir. It can be a bit pricy but really gives a log cabin look to your home.

Redwood is a great choice for inside or outside your home. I love Redwood it has a nice look to it stained naturally. Redwood is used for a lot of siding, fences, decks and out door furniture. The main problem with Redwood is that is is soft and will get scratched easily. Now for the facts about Redwood. It does rot and termites will eat it.

Wood myth number one eliminated. I have heard stories about wood that termites won't eat. Well Redwood is not one of them. I have seen termites tearing this stuff up. Don't get caught up in the hype that this or that wood will last for 5 years or 50 years. Under the right conditions almost all woods will rot at a accelerated rate.

For more information on wood damage, check out wood repair at http://gregvan.com/wood_repair.htm

Copyright 2008 Greg Vanden Berge All Rights Reserved

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. Few Home Remodeling Rules

Ceiling Water Damage
One Step Handrailing

Hiring a Contractor - Remodeling Tips

Do you want to remodel your home? Do you know how or where to begin? Many people who want to remodel their home may have difficulties in remodeling their homes. If you are not familiar with home remodeling, you can hire a professional team to do the work for you. With their experience and skill, they can perform wonderfully for you and give your home a new appearance.

But you should make sure you can find a good contractor. A good contractor can have your interest in mind when remodeling your house. But it is not easy to find such a good contractor. Some contractors may see your home improvement a smaller projects, so they will pay little attention or care. In such case, the result of home remodeling may be unsatisfactory. So a good contractor should do his best no matter how small the project is. Finding such a contractor will do great good for you. He will leave the job looking excellent.

Nowadays, more and more contractors realize that if they do this project well, the clients will recommend them to other potential clients, so they will win the reputation and make more deals. With this awareness, these contractors will take on each project with all the skill and determination towards excellence.

Many homeowners may decide to take on the project themselves, believing that this will save them money in the end. But if you are unfamiliar with this field, you should stay away from this project and leave it to the contractor. Sometimes, DIY will cost more. When your home remodeling is complicated and complex, you would better hire a professional contractor, which is proved to be favorable and rewarding.

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Concrete Form Liners in Architecture

Concrete form liners are used to add texture to what otherwise would be bare walls showing only the imprint of whatever materials were used when the concrete was poured into a mold. Usually made of styrene or ABS plastic, the formliner (the term is also used as two separate words - form liner) is placed inside the structural forming system and then acts as a mold to imprint a specific texture to the concrete. There are a large variety of patterns available, and they can give concrete a brick, block, or rock pattern. Formliners can also generate wood grain textures, flutes or fractured fins. But what is formliners relevance to art and architecture?

The answer is no farther than a look at the magnificent Ahwanee Hotel located in the Yosemite National Park in California. The Ahwanee is a magnificent structure that was built in the 1920s and has been a national historic landmark since the 1980s. Fitting beautifully into the majestic Yosemite scenery, the hotel is constructed from rough-cut granite and wood. When I first saw the Ahwanee I marveled at its beauty, but also wondered if such extensive use of wood in a remote area did not represent a fire hazard. Well, the wood isn't wood. It is poured concrete that was textured with early formliners and stained to look like redwood and pine bark. When you look at the building from a distance, you see horizontal redwood siding and rough, milled timbers.

What architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood accomplished with the Ahwanee Hotel was an intelligent solution to the challenge of designing a building that fit into the breathtaking grandeur of Yosemite with its rock and woods yet was also resistant to fire. It became an architectural masterpiece and also a monument to innovative use of construction materials. By shaping, texturing and staining concrete, Underwood conjured up the natural beauty of wood, yet without incurring any of wood's drawbacks in terms of cost, safety and longevity. Underwood may not have had the type of plastic formliner we use today, but the idea and concept was the same.

While the Ahwanee was one of the most earliest and most famous examples of formliner architecture and its builders had to overcome many challenges, the concept is readily available today to architects, engineers and contractors. It adds a great degree of artistic and architectural freedom to using concrete as a construction material. Colors and textures become part of the design language, the finish of concrete as relevant as its structural properties.

Adding texture to concrete was a major task an expense when the Ahwanee was built. Today, elastomeric and urethane formliners can be specified and ordered right out of catalogs from companies that specialize in them. Hundreds of patters and textures are available, with top-notch formliner makers able to interpret and produce drawings, provide custom patterns and rustications, while adhering to schedules and budgets.

While concrete has been used as a construction material for thousands of years, it's been the fairly recent advent of concrete form liners that has given architects and engineers a powerful new tool to work with this most flexible of construction materials.

Chris Robertson is an author of Majon International, one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing companies on the web.

Learn more about Concrete Form Liners.

How to Install Door Locks - San Deigo Home Tips

Recent reports show that the majority of home burglaries occur due to an unlocked or faulty door. If your door is not safe and secure, you might as well just leave it open and invite the thieves in. No one wants to do that, so the next option is to fix the locks or replace them. You can do it yourself or call a NYC locksmith. If you are good at handy man tasks, it may be no problem to replace security locks.

The first issue you will find in replacing locks is choosing the best ones. There are a wide variety of security locks and styles on the market today. Most of your decision will be persuaded by the type of door you have. If you have an exterior door, you may want to consider a set of security locks. These locks would include a dead bolt. There are different types of dead locks available on the market. You can choose from one that locks internally with a lever, or you may want to go with the type that locks from the inside with a key.

After you have chosen the right type of lock, you will need to choose between a right- or left- handed style. The style is based on which side your door opens from. You will also need to consider if your door swings in or out when opening. For your locks to work efficiently, you will need to know these details. The next step after purchasing is to ensure you have proper tools. You will need basic hand tools like a hammer, screwdriver, and a chisel. You will want to start your installation by first removing the old lock or door knob. Make sure you clean up the surface of the doors and remove any caulk or grime that may be there.

Then it's time to start installing the new locks or door handles. You should first check to see if the new locks will fit inside the holes for the old. If they do not you may need to enlarge the holes with the chisel. You can mark the area with a pencil to ensure the right size. Once you have the new lock in the proper size opening, you will need to read the individual instructions for your new locks. Each type of lock will have its own exact way to be installed. Most are very simple, but some will require exact steps for proper fit. Don't worry, if it gets too complicated, you can always call your local locksmith for a little help.

Rob Hargreaves - An American Locksmith of leading locksmith company named Mr-locks. Call or contact me for all locksmith services.

Repairing a Leaking Toilet - Home Repairs

Let me explain how a toilet works. First when you go to flush the toilet a little arm pulls a rubber flapper up and lets the water drain into the toilet bowl. The water draining into the toilet bowl forces the old water out along with the number two or number one waste and extremities.

If the toilet sounds like it is running there is a good chance that the seal between the rubber flapper and the plastic rain at the bottom of the toilet is broken somehow. The sound you are hearing is water running around this ring and in to the toilet bowl.

This leak is actually causing no damage to the toilet itself but is wasting water. Hence the water bill will be a little higher if you don't fix the leaking toilet. The best way to find out if this is actually your problem is to take the toilet tank lid off. Then stick your hand down into the toilet bowl and press gently on the rubber flap.

If the water stops leaking or starts running faster this is your problem. Turn the water off to the toilet. There will be a shut off valve on the wall under your toilet bowl in the bathroom. After you turn the water off removed the plastic flap and examine it.

You will be looking for a warped toilet flap or of some sort or grooves on the flapper itself. Take the toilet flapper down to your local home improvement store and buy a new one. Go home and replace the new toilet flapper and this should solve 90% of your leaking toilet problems.

There is one more thing it could be. With the toilet tank lid off, check to see if water is overflowing into the little round plastic pipe. This plastic pipe should have a small hose running from the float valve assembly into it.

If the water is over flowing from the toilet tank into this little plastic pipe you will need to adjust the float.

First thing you will need to do is while the toilet is running lift up on the float lever arm. If the water stops you can simply bend the metal arm of the float lever. The purpose of bending the arm will force the float deeper into the water there for stopping the water from rising over the small tube in the center of your toilet.

There are few parts to a toilet and most parts can be purchased at your local hardware or home improvement centers. Toilet repairs like this can be made simple and the parts used to replace are inexpensive.

Happy Toilet Repairing.

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 House Building and Remodeling Library and adding useful content to help solve problems created by the lack of construction knowledge in the building industry.

Visit us and get more information on building and remodeling your homes and Some Great Plumbing Ideas

Missing Stair Light Cover

Finding the Right Types of Paint For Your Home

It is no secret that repainting your home can be a big undertaking. First you have to decide whether you will complete the project on your own or hire a contracted painter to complete the job. Then you have to decide what color you want to use in the painting project and how much the entire project will cost you. However, in the end, nothing can freshen up the look of your home and create jealous neighbors quite like a new paint job.

If you are thinking of having your home repainted, you might be thinking of finding the right types of paint for your home. This can be a very big task if you are going to attempt the painting project on your own, because there are many things to consider when deciding on a type of paint. You will have to think about what brand you want to purchase, how much you want to spend on the paint, and which type is the right one and will last the longest. When you go to the store to buy the paint for this project, there will hopefully be assistants there that will help you with all of these paint questions. Probably one of the biggest decisions if you are going to paint your home by yourself is how much you are willing to spend on the paint. You will probably want to use the highest quality paint that you can afford for this project because it will not only last longer, but will do a better job of protecting your home than other low cost paints.

The benefit of hiring a contracted painter for your painting project versus trying to complete it by yourself is that you will not have to worry about finding the right types of paint for your home. A professional painter should be trained in the correct types of paint to use for your painting project and will be able to choose the one that will work best on your home. Therefore, really one of the only decisions that you will have to make is what color you would like to have the house painted, which can be a big enough decision in itself.

When deciding whether to complete the project on your own or hire a contracted painter, you might just want to schedule meetings with a few painters to discuss how they would complete the project to get a feel for which decision is best for you.

There are many things to think about when it comes time to have your house repainted. If you decide to complete the project on your own, you will have to make many decisions regarding finding the right types of paint for your home. If you hire a contracted painter on the other hand, they will already known which types of paint will last the longest on your home and will help protect your home the best. Either way, hopefully when your painting project is completed, you will be able to take some time to relax and enjoy the fresh look that the new paint job has given your home.

Justin recommends contacting
College Works Painting a long established and professional company for more information on the correct paint used for exteriors or to simply schedule a painting job with College Works visit them online today.

Finding the Right Types of Paint For Your Home

It is no secret that repainting your home can be a big undertaking. First you have to decide whether you will complete the project on your own or hire a contracted painter to complete the job. Then you have to decide what color you want to use in the painting project and how much the entire project will cost you. However, in the end, nothing can freshen up the look of your home and create jealous neighbors quite like a new paint job.

If you are thinking of having your home repainted, you might be thinking of finding the right types of paint for your home. This can be a very big task if you are going to attempt the painting project on your own, because there are many things to consider when deciding on a type of paint. You will have to think about what brand you want to purchase, how much you want to spend on the paint, and which type is the right one and will last the longest. When you go to the store to buy the paint for this project, there will hopefully be assistants there that will help you with all of these paint questions. Probably one of the biggest decisions if you are going to paint your home by yourself is how much you are willing to spend on the paint. You will probably want to use the highest quality paint that you can afford for this project because it will not only last longer, but will do a better job of protecting your home than other low cost paints.

The benefit of hiring a contracted painter for your painting project versus trying to complete it by yourself is that you will not have to worry about finding the right types of paint for your home. A professional painter should be trained in the correct types of paint to use for your painting project and will be able to choose the one that will work best on your home. Therefore, really one of the only decisions that you will have to make is what color you would like to have the house painted, which can be a big enough decision in itself.

When deciding whether to complete the project on your own or hire a contracted painter, you might just want to schedule meetings with a few painters to discuss how they would complete the project to get a feel for which decision is best for you.

There are many things to think about when it comes time to have your house repainted. If you decide to complete the project on your own, you will have to make many decisions regarding finding the right types of paint for your home. If you hire a contracted painter on the other hand, they will already known which types of paint will last the longest on your home and will help protect your home the best. Either way, hopefully when your painting project is completed, you will be able to take some time to relax and enjoy the fresh look that the new paint job has given your home.

Justin recommends contacting
College Works Painting a long established and professional company for more information on the correct paint used for exteriors or to simply schedule a painting job with College Works visit them online today.

Ice Dams - House Remodeling Ideas

There is nothing like winter in Michigan when 12 or 14 inches of snow pile up overnight and its Saturday morning with nowhere to go. But soon there looks like an ice flow from an Antarctic glacier hanging over the edge of your house. Now you start to worry about the gutters you didn't clean last fall because the freezing temperatures came even before the leaves fell. Well good news: Full gutters do not cause ice dams!

Ice dams are caused for two reasons: Heavy snowfall and poor design, insulation and ventilation of the roof and attic of the home. When snow stacks up on the roof and temperatures remain well below freezing, the snow melts from the bottom next to your roof. The heat lost from the house through the roof causes the snow to melt and run down under the snow pack to the eves where it refreezes and starts to stack up and hang over the edge. Water will pool behind this wall of ice and eventually work its way under the shingles and leak into your attic, through your ceilings and even down the walls into the basement! During the winter your gutters are filled with snow and ice and do not drain at all. Many people experience water in the basement when we have a sudden rain in the winter before their gutters have a chance to thaw. The water runs right off the roof, over the gutters and drains down the basement walls.

Many houses were built over the years with short eves, or that portion of the roof that overhangs the wall. Some houses have no eves at all! This type of design does not allow for much soffit ventilation. Look under the eves to see if you have grates or vents installed. Generally the more you have the better. These vents let cold air get sucked into the attic by the warm air heated because of poor insulation in your attic. This air is then vented through roof can or ridge vents. Now look at the roof of your house. How many can vents do you see? A ridge vent instead looks like very thick shingles along the peak of the roof. "Can" style vents are now being thought as better than ridge vents that have been popular recently.

So here are two things you can do to lessen the impact of ice dams: First, check your attic insulation. This is not complex work but very demanding physically. You'll have to be able to crawl and scoot your way around the attic without putting your foot through the ceiling. Lay the rolled, bat or loose insulation carefully but do not block the soffit vents from the inside! Go into the attic and turn off the lights and you should be able to locate the vents by the light coming up through the grates. Wear protective clothing and a breathing mask. Second, increase the number of soffit vents under the eves. This may be a job for a contractor and is not that expensive considering the utility costs you'll save.

So OK, you'll get to that insulation and venting thing ASAP but you have water dripping trough the ceilings now. You need to act right away: First, drill or push a sharp tool through the ceiling where ever you see water stains. This will drain water into a bucket and decrease the amount of damage to the ceiling. The small hole can be patched latter and touched up with paint. Next get some calcium chloride to put on the roof. (Calcium chloride is a salt that will not damage your shingles and be easier on the plants below) Spread the calcium along the top of the ice dam concentrating it in several places to melt a "trough" to drain the water away. You can also pack panty hose with the calcium chloride and lay them across the ice dam (and no, this is not the time to make jokes about your wife's skinny legs! She's mad enough about the ceilings already)

Never go on the roof or allow anyone else to go up there; this is lunacy! Roofs are dangerous, even deadly on a warm dry day, don't take the risk! It will be a mess but throw the salt up from the ground or step ladder if necessary. Never use an ax, hammer or hatchet; this will damage the roof for sure. And never, ever use a torch! (Beyond lunacy!)

Because ice dams are caused by certain weather patterns everybody and his dog is buying snow or roof rakes after a heavy snowfall. If you are lucky enough to find one of these light-weight tools at the hardware you can rake the soft snow from the roof too. This is also a good preventive measure if it can be done soon after a snowfall.

Mother Nature will have the last word but taking action now and being prepared to deal with ice dams quickly and safely will reduce much of the damage and danger to you and your home.

Frank Kalinski is a licensed builder in the State of Michigan and has run a gutter repair service for five years. Now doing home residential rental inspection for property owners he has seen many homes and how people live in them. He sees many products and designs years after construction; some things work well and some not. Simple, basic, tried and true generally last the longest and are most economical. Please visit my new web site at http://frg-s.com/

Fixings Squeaking Stairs

Oh yes the common problem of squeaking stairs in an older house. This could become very frustrating and annoying as you walk up and down the stairs. There seems to be one or two stair treads that are always squeaking. That annoying sound as you walk as softly as you can on your way down to the kitchen in the middle of the night to grab a quick snack.

The number one cause of squeaking stairs is when the nails used to fasten the stair tread to the stair strainers has worked its way loose. Over time as the lumber shrinks in the stair treads and the stairs stringers. You will start to develop a separation or a gap between the stair tread and the stair strainer.

The stair stringer can shrink as much as 3/8 of an inch in just a few years. I was building a home and went to measure the stair stringer that was 11 1/2 inches wide originally. Then I measured it after two months outside in the summer sun it now measured 11 1/16". I was amazed that the lumber could shrink that much in such a short period of time.

As the stair stringer shrinks it starts to pull away from the plywood or hardwood stair tread. As it starts to separate from the stair tread the nail will stay in its original position until the stair tread starts to put pressure on the nail eventually lifting it up a little bit higher than its original position.

As you step on the stair tread the squeaking sound you hear is the nail rubbing against the stair tread. There are a few ways to fix a squeaking stair tread. If you have access to under the stairway you can apply some adhesive along with a 10 inch 2 x 4 under the stair tread and attach it to the stair stringer.

First apply adhesive to two sides of the 2 x 4. The adhesive will be used to glue the stair tread to the stair stringer. You can use screws to screw the new 2 x 4 onto the side of the stair stringer.

If you cannot access the underside of the stairs and you have carpeting you can actually locate the stair stringer and drive a 2 inch screw through the carpeting in to the stair stringer. This will pull the stair tread down and will not allow it to rub up against the nail making that awful sound of a squeaking stair case.

If you have a finished wood stair tread you will not be able to screw through it into the stair stringer without damaging the finish on tread itself. It will be easier to access the stair stringer from below somehow and apply the 2 x 4 with the adhesive to stop the stair squeak.

You can apply these methods to as many stair treads that are squeaking without taking apart the entire staircase and rebuilding it.

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.

Stair Building

Moist Stop Over Window Needs

Easy Remodeling Primer for Flipping Real Estate

If you've ever considered flipping real estate to make some extra income, only to be dissuaded at the prospect of having to self-manage a sizable remodel on a particular piece of property, you're not alone. In fact, many people, though excited at the thought of buying, renovating, and selling an old fixer-upper, think they either don't have the time, and/or the necessary knowledge to even consider such an undertaking.

The reality, however, is that anyone, even a first-timer, can manage a small-to-medium-sized renovation with some thoughtful pre-planning, and a hands-on approach to monitoring your project. I'm not suggesting that you can just step right into a general contractor's shoes and do something that he/she does on a daily basis. What I am saying, however, is that you can manage a successful remodel by simply giving some forethought as to what exactly you want to accomplish, how much it will cost (assuming you have solid estimates from reliable sub-contractors), and if you are able to make a profit once the house is sold. A solid relationship with your chosen subs is always a good thing too.

Again, if you're new to house flipping, and are considering a flip with extensive, whole-house renovation, then yes, you should probably keep looking for an easier project to do (in terms of potential remodeling) instead of taking on a larger project right out of the gate. If, however, you do decide to move forward, consider some of the more important aspects of a major rehab with the following remodeling primer to help you form a working budget, and to provide a doable timetable to execute your remodeling project.

You will be talking with people in the industry such as:

Architects and/or Draftsman
To do any necessary drawings or renderings for your particular remodeling project

Building Inspector
If you are removing and/or erecting interior walls, you will most likely have to obtain a building permit from your local community building permit/code enforcement division

Sub-Contractors/Tradesman
Trades such as demolition, mechanical contractors (HVAC, electricians, plumbing), insulation installation, drywall installers, painters, trim carpenters, cabinet/counter top installers, tile installers (if needed), flooring professionals, roofers, exterior siding, concrete specialists, and landscapers.

Determine what exactly it is you want to do with the house in terms of remodeling. See where improvements/updates can be made for the least amount of time and money. You certainly want to present a professional-looking remodeling job to prospective homeowners so that they feel they are getting their money's worth.

But first things first. If you have a simple remodel where you are freshening up the carpet and paint, along with a few odd and end type things, you're more than likely able to handle that without too many problems. But, if you're looking at a complete kitchen and bath upgrade, for example, you will need to be aware of the need to deal with an entirely new set of sub contractors and professionals that suddenly makes the project a little bigger. Certainly doable, but just broader in scope.

The time to develop a working budget, is after you have received all of the pricing back from any of the subs you want to work with. Get at least two prices per trade, if you can. You can get leads on various sub- contractor trades from the phone directory, internet, or the many local hardware, paint, or home-improvement stores around your town. Many good, honest tradesman advertise with these businesses, so you should have more than enough to choose from.

There will be some personal time involved just getting prices together, meeting subs at the job site, etc., but you want to be as efficient with your time and money as you can be. Once you have a firm budget in place, get with the sub-contractors you've chosen, and set a doable project timetable. Don't be shy about asking a lot of questions. After all, it is you're money on the line, and you want the project to be done in the best way possible.

Tell your subs that you want to keep an open line of communication going so there won't be any surprises and confusion. And lastly, always account for some sort of cost add-ons that typically occur in any remodel. Usually about 3 - 5% of total remodel cost will do for any overages.

If you're relatively new or considering entering the house flipping business for the first time, please visit http://www.House-Flipping-Helper.com for more information regarding all things house flipping and remodeling.

Bathroom Remodel Investment If Selling

When you're planning any bathroom remodel, consider the costs of the bathroom remodeling versus the return on the actual investment. According to one of the popular remodeling magazines, the average bathroom remodel throughout the country cost around $16,000.

If you were to sell your house within a few years, you could recoup around $12,000 of your original investment. This would translate into a $4000 loss to your pocketbook eventually.

Using these numbers for your bathroom remodel investment, you would recoup around 75% of your original investment. If you know anything about investing money, this will not be a good rate of return and if you keep investing your money like this, you won't have any to invest, eventually.

Keep this in mind, if you're going to be selling the home within a few years. If the bathroom isn't in good shape and you're not planning on selling soon, you could remodel the bathroom and enjoy it for quite a few years. You wouldn't be looking at this as an investment but as maintenance costs.

If you need to remodel the bathroom, because it's getting a little run down and will create a problem when selling a home, I would suggest minor remodeling, if the toilet, fixtures and bathtub is in good condition, I would suggest changing the sink, cabinet, bathtub surround, flooring and some new paint.

If you're remodeling cost is now at $8,000, you would recoup at least $6,000 and would only lose $2000 on your original investment. Now this still doesn't make any sense, if you're still losing money, why would you even want to remodel the bathroom. Why not sell the home as it is and not lose any money? This is a tough decision to make and keep in mind, these are average costs.

You could recoup less or more than 75% of your bathroom investment costs.

Most real estate professionals will advise you to remodel the bathroom for two reasons, for one the house will sell for a few more dollars, and this will increase their sales commission. The second one is probably the most important for any one selling a home, the home could sell faster.

If you have the time and are in no hurry to sell the home, I would suggest trying to sell the home as is first and then sprucing it up, if you can't sell it within three months.

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 has just finished a Home Buyers Guide to take some of the frustration out of home shopping.

If your looking for some more House Remodeling Pictures or home building ideas.

Vista Remodeling

Stair Handrailing Or Guard Rail

Before the 1980s most stairways had a handrail and to this day, most stair handrails are not considered guard rails. Well things have changed and now most stairways require a guard rail and it gripable handrail.

What's the difference between a stair handrailing and a stair guard rail, quite frankly about 6 inches. Your stair guard rails have a minimum requirement of 42 inches where stair handrails built before the 1980s had a handrailing for protection with a minimum requirement of 36 inches.

This does not mean that older stair handrails that are 36 inches tall will need to be removed and replaced, because the new building codes have changed. If you were to rebuild the stair handrail or do any work on the stairway that required a building permit, they could have you change your stair handrailing to meet current building codes.

I was helping another guy frame a new house in 2005 and while I was on the job I would mention to the owner, certain concerns of mine with other parts of the job. After a while he realized, that I knew what I'll was talking about and started to pay attention when ever I mentioned anything related to home building.

He asked me if I would be interested in building the stair handrailing system and at the time I was too busy. I reminded him of the minimum requirements for the stair guard rail, it was no longer referred to as a stair handrail and would need to be at least 42 inches in height and include a gripable handrail.

Well as you guessed it, the next time I walked into the home, I noticed a 36 inch high stair handrail. I reminded him and he wasn't too concerned, because he hired someone that knew all about building stair handrails.

The building inspector made him remove and replace the stair handrail, before he would approve the home for final inspection. Don't make the same mistakes, learn a little more about stair handrail safety and don't become another statistic in the home building industry.

Always check with your local building department, whether you're reading articles like this or asking questions to experienced contractors. Everybody makes mistakes and sometimes their information is out of date, according to new home building practices or building codes.

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

If you're interested in building stairs, whether you're a professional or a do it yourself homeowner, you should make your stair building and other construction projects as simple as possible. Check out the latest stair building tools, some of these tools can make even the average homeowner look like a building professional

Diagonal Lattice Fence

Blinds - A Luxury

The word home brings with itself a sense of comfort and privacy. And the idea of privacy sounds complete unless all the beautifully decorative windows round the house are not covered with curtains or blinds. They are majority used to block sunlight along with providing a sense of security. Another trendy choice these days are the vertical blinds & the Panel track blinds

Many people do not choose the vertical blinds as they are a hassle and also a part of the history. They now want panel track blinds that are easy to use and can be fitted easily into you rooms and are very much affordable. These can decorate your house. These types of blinds tend to work in different ways. They improve the entire look of the room, and thus bring about the modern look which you desire. They can darken the room which might make it a bit more romantic. They are a much easier option to use as compared to the vertical blind.

There are several things that a track panel blind can do for you room. Think about windows that have huge width. These are really hard to cover, and also can be costly to put drapes. With the panel tracks, it is easy and they tend to work in a simple manner even though many windows are to be used.

There are many types of blinds available. Woven woods are of one kind. These come in yarn, bamboo and other forms of wood. They bring an exotic look to the room and come in 16 different laces. You can even consider solar sheets. There is a different type of track panels that are fiberglass, PVC and poly. These are available in different colors. There are many, which give an industrial looking steep. They come in a vinyl coating over a woven fiberglass. There are said to be luxurious options. There are several other options that can be considered.

There are many benefits offered by the track blinds first and foremost is that they are easy to use. They also can be a design characteristic in the room. It is important to select the right color and size to match the room when you are purchasing it. Match them with the wood that is placed on your windows. A bit of time needs to be invested in finding a good quality product which can turn your room into an excellent one and thus will make your investment in your home a worthy.

Interested on panel blinds?? Adam Peters is a syndicated writer of http://www.home-decorating-reviews.com Read additional info on shades or exterior shutters.

DIY Projects For Interesting Weekends

People usually do their do-it-yourself projects during the weekends. While some people enjoy fishing or playing golf, many choose to try their hand at do-it-yourself projects around the house.

Easy home improvement projects and the like are a good choice for enthusiasts of all competences.

How to paint woodworks

The first step is to secure the edges of the woodworks around the work area. Use wide masking tape that easily peels off. Mark all the wooden surfaces to be worked on. Begin the painting process with two coats of primer.

Make sure that the color you choose for the final layer of paint would not clash with the overall design of the area. Make sure that there is harmony between the new paint and the old paint.

First paint all windows, before larger objects such as doors. Skirting boards should be painted last. Use fine brushes that easily absorb paint and use even strokes when painting.

The spreading of paint should be done sideways, to save paint and to achieve an even texture on the surfaces. The size of the brushes you will use should be one inch or two inches wide. Avoid overly large brushes as these absorb far too much paint when used.

If you are painting outside your house, avoid painting during windy or rainy days. Windy days will ruin the new paint with flecks of foreign particles.

How to unclog your toilet

Use an old-fashioned plunger for this task. If you do not have one at home, go to your hardware store and purchase the largest plunger available. Plungers are generally inexpensive, and the larger the plunger the more effective it would be.

After you have acquired the plunger, place the plunger in the blocked toilet and flush. The flushing will flood the toilet bowl. As the toilet bowl slowly fills with water, move the plunger up and down.

Make sure that you are consistent with the up and down movement. If you have done it correctly, the vacuum created will dislodge the blockage from the pipe.

The extra water that had been flooding the toilet bowl will slowly recede and will help carry away the blockage. If it is a hairball, add another wave of water to the receding flow by flushing the toilet again.

Next time, avoid flushing kitchen towels and similar kitchen implements to avoid further blockages. People should also avoid flushing cotton swabs, as these will eventually accumulate.

Wallpapering

Hanging wallpapers is easy, as long as you clean the surfaces well before attaching the wallpaper. With sandpaper, smoothen the wall to level the surface. If the surface of the wall is glossy, use the same sandpaper to roughen a bit. Making it rough will make the wallpaper stick better.

Use a table when applying the adhesive to the wallpaper. From the top of the table, roll down wallpaper and apply the adhesive evenly. A soft brush may be used to make the application easier.

To ensure that the wallpaper would be evenly distributed, use a plumb line. The wallpaper should be as even as the plumb line when the two are placed parallel to each other.

The author of this article is Benedict Yossarian. Benedict recommends Roof Bond Foam Roof Insulation and Dekorbeton Concrete Stamping for your DIY needs

House Framing

Garage Conversions - Safety and Value Issues for Real Estate

Occasionally a garage conversion will be carefully done so that the exterior of the conversion closely matches and harmonizes with the rest of the home. The only giveaway is the presence of the driveway leading right up to the home. The quality conversion interior will be on par with the rest of the home, be adequately insulated, heated and cooled and will feature adequate windows and an exterior door to allow natural light, access and ventilation. By contrast, the cheap conversion will have few or none of these amenities.

Safety is a prime concern due to the possibility of fire. A garage conversion with no windows or exterior doors is a fire hazard since anyone caught in that area when a fire blocks their way into the rest of the home can be killed. And since garages are very often adjacent to the kitchen where most fires begin, the potential for disaster is very real and every second counts. Each room in a home must have a way to escape a fire. At a minimum, there must be a window that can be easily opened and is large enough for an adult to slip through in a hurry. A door opening to the exterior is a prudent addition.

An additional consideration is the quality of wiring and the type of heating in the garage conversion. Faulty wiring and/or unsafe use of appliances can start a fire. Free-standing unvented "space" heaters pose a threat from carbon monoxide poisoning.

A garage conversion creates a lack of covered parking space and usually results in decreased storage space. Only when the site is large enough, and building setback lines do not interfere, can additional covered parking be physically and legally provided.

Value Considerations Stemming from the Above

It stands to reason that a good quality garage conversion will bring more value to a home than a cheap one will. The very cheap conversion where the overhead doors have been blocked off and some inexpensive floor coverings added is probably best converted back to garage space, since the cost should be minimal to once again offer a garage. This minimal restoration cost can be offered as a price concession if the owner is unwilling to make the restoration prior to closing. But even the good quality conversion poses the problem of a lack of covered parking if a separate garage structure or at least a carport is not present. The owner and agent should anticipate a reduction in value for this factor. How much reduction to expect is a matter of patient research.

A garage conversion should always be inspected carefully by a qualified real estate inspector, and this will normally be included as part of the whole-house inspection process. In Texas, such inspectors are required to be state licensed. Such an inspection should reveal health, safety or structural problems and the cost to do the repairs can also be offered as a price concession unless they become a lender requirement as a condition of making the loan.

Harry E. Davis is a Texas state certified residential real estate appraiser in Texas and is webmaster of the FHA Appraiser Directory Appraiser and appraisals are available at Austin TexasAppraiser

Framing Wood Shower Pans - Bathroom Remodeling

Whether you live in a home that has a bathtub or a shower, there is a good chance that structural framing could be damaged if there was any water leaking around the plumbing fixtures. The damage should be repaired before framing your pan.

If you're replacing a bathtub and installing a new shower this is going to require constructing a wood shower pan. Now building a wood pan will require a level floor surface, shower damn and blocking.

Now let's start with building the shower damn. You're probably wondering what is a shower damn and what does it have to do with the wood shower pan. The shower damn is actually the area you climb over when entering into the shower. This part of the shower pan enables the water to flow off a shower curtain or door into the shower pan and down the drain.

The shower damn needs to be at the least 6 inches tall and would be best if it was at least 8 inches. You can use a 4 x 6 or a 4 x 8 for the wood shower damn.

Next we need to block the perimeter of the pan area in the wall framing that we will use for our shower walls also. These blocks should be at least 12 inches high. This would require using 2 x 12 lumber for blocking.

After you block the perimeter of the shower pan and installed the shower damn you are ready to have to shower water proffed with a process known as hot mopping the shower pan or using a vinyl liner.

Well I hope this gives you a better idea of what's involved when framing shower pans during the house framing process.

Greg Vanden Berge has been building and remodeling for over 30 years and his information has proven valuable to most contractors and homeowners all over the world. He usually tries to write at least two articles a day on home improvement or remodeling problems.

Greg is in the process right now of working on a home inspection website that will revolutionize the home inspection business. He is also working on a book to help homeowners and contractors as well as other home related professions in dealing with the home inspection process.

You can visit the home inspection website currently under construction at Home Inspection Help

Composition Shingles Loaded On R

Storage Rentals Make Remodeling Easier

A person may need storage rentals for a variety of different reasons. They can make many unpleasant tasks a lot easier. It isn't just individuals renting these storage containers. In fact, a number of retail businesses and even sports teams rent them for temporary storage of equipment and inventory. For the homeowner, some of the most common reasons to rent a storage container are when one is remodeling the house. From tearing down walls to adding a new bathroom, a remodel can become a messy affair. It is good to have a safe place in which to put all of your valuables.

It is just as handy for other, smaller jobs you are doing on the house. If you are going to take out the carpet and replace it with hardwood floors, or if you are repainting, you may want to use storage rentals to secure your belongings while you work. You will need to call the storage company and tell them the date on which you want the container delivered. Depending on the amount of material that you need to move into the container, you may want to have it delivered a few days ahead of time. This ensures that you won't have to rush the procedure.

Although there are many companies that offer storage equipment on the Internet, you should find one that has been in business for a while and has a professional staff. These professionals will listen to your needs and can help you with the proper storage container solutions. Learn more about a professional storage rental company by visiting ABRichards.com.

A.B. Richards, Inc., is a company that offers great storage rentals. To look at the available storage options, visit http://www.abrichards.com.

In Search of Vintage Bathroom Vanities

Do all things with a nostalgic echo stir up some wonderful memories in you? Do you earnestly believe that classic pieces are defined by unparalleled elegance and charm, and that one must celebrate their timeless intrigue?

Thankfully, you are not alone in your attempts in taking a trip down memory lane. And before you are convinced that your dreams of recreating that magic of yesteryears will remain nothing but a black hole, take time off to admire some simply breathtaking vintage bathroom vanities.

They manage to infuse life into bathrooms that seem to be floundering for breath with impeccable refinement and unmatched sophistication.

That Unmistakable Regal Touch

Antique looking classy bathroom vanities are crafted from solid antique wood, with a detailed china top. That's really the secret to their intriguing, almost bewitching beauty. Modern-day advances ensure that the magnificence of exquisite, intricate carvings and etchings are protected with the help of chemicals.

If there's even an iota of doubt about the quality of these vanities, here's a pronouncement that is sure to gladden many hearts. The quality of these antiques is exemplar par excellence, as they are carved from high density fiber board that is further enhanced with a superb stain finish. Antique water faucets and antique brass and ceramic hardware only add to the ethereal appeal.

And before you make snap judgments about the functionality, or rather the lack of it, these vanities surprise you with an enormous amount of storage space.

Selecting One Could Take You Ages

You may find it rather hard to resist the exceptionally beautiful appearance of these bathroom vanities, but there's something else that you are sure to find more arduous. Just try your hand at picking your favorite, and you'll be able to comprehend the enormity of this decision.

There's the Antique Oak Record Cabinet for bathroom vanity that takes your breath away with its sawn oak construction, smoldering bronze faucets and pristine white sink. It is a spectacle that promises pure, unrestrained happiness. For those that believe in uninhibited opulence, the Marble Top French Dresser is both unique and rare.

Whatever you choose, you are sure to have a bathroom that will become the cynosure of all eyes.

Here's exactly how you can generate 100's or even 1000's of positively brilliant Bathroom Remodeling Ideas... FAST ! And you could easily increase your home's value by several $1000s fast with these 25 street-smart tips for Dirt Cheap Home Improvement

Missing Metal Flashing

Resolving Home Remodeling Problems - Remodeling Contractors

Your thinking about remodeling your home. You have asked everyone you know if they have a good contractor they trust or do they know anyone who does. You might have read a few articles like this or visited a couple of web sites to get as much information as you can about dealing with contractors during a house remodel.

Now the time has come for you to take the first step and call one of the contractors. You have spent some time looking through books and magazines to find just what you want done to your house. You have a idea of how much money you are going to spend if the job can be done exactly how you envision it.

You have called the city or county building department in your area to find out what is required from them in the way of building permits. If you have done some of these things you are ahead of most homeowners. There are a few of you that do know what can be done with a rough idea of how much the project will cost. A ball park figure lets say.

Most of the home remodeling Anxiety is caused from the miscommunication or no communication. The biggest problems I have had are from some sort of communication misunderstanding. I have been very lucky with having less than a handful of what I would consider a major home remodeling problem.

Do your best to explain what it is that you want done to your home. This also means understanding what it is exactly in writing what you are going to have done to your house. If you or the contractor do not understand this could lead to a possible anxiety attack and a problem.

Once you hire a home remodeling contractor the next step is to let them do their job. This doesn't mean. If you are watching them tear into a wall and the picture on the other side is about to fall off. Don't bother them. Of course stop them and remove the picture. We all make mistakes. If you see something isn't working out, talk to your contractor about it.

Don't be afraid of your contractor. If you see that what you had in mind isn't working out to your satisfaction. Explain the problem calmly and be to the point. I don't like it when someone beats around the bush and I never get to the problem. I would rather have them yelling at me, telling me what a jerk I am than taking two hours to make a point I have to drag out of them anyway.

If you do come to a problem that neither one of you can solve or you think the other one is at fault for whatever reason. You can contact the Department of Consumer Affairs and explain your situation to them. There is a good chance if you need a arbitrator they will set up a time and day for you and your contractor to meet. The arbitrator will come to a final decision for the both of you and that will be final. Of course their is always the Supreme Court... Well we don't want to go that far do we.

Most of the time if you have everything in writing in the form of a contract you shouldn't have any problems. If you do there is a great chance they will be able to be resolved quickly.
Doing major remodeling to your home can be extremely stressful at some points. Listen to your contractor when he is giving you advice on how to deal with the stress. He is a good source of wisdom especially if he had been doing it for years.

Resolving home remodeling anxiety will be a little more difficult during the construction process. It is very important to think the remodeling project through all the way to the end if you can. Try to think about worst case scenarios and figure out the best possible solutions before they happen.

Flying off the handle sometimes causes hammers and humans to lose their heads, as well as their effectiveness. William Arthur Ward

For more helpful home improvement information visit: http://www.gregvan.com

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.

Visit us now for Home Improvement Tips

Window Blinds May Be Useful For Tough Windows

Many homeowners and designers adore the appearance of window blinds, while others, however, may opt for a different type of window covering. Still, the challenge is controlling the amount of light that comes through the window. Some varieties of windows can be problematic for window blinds and shades. While it may seem possible to have window blinds, they may not be the most practical choice. This article will examine specific types of window problems with a light control solution presented for each. Window blinds may be the solution for some, while an alternative may be suggested for others.

One window that can present a difficulty is a sliding glass door. Not only are they large, but may sometimes they let the light just pour in. Window blinds can fit well in sliding glass doors but their size can make window blinds somewhat of an awkward choice. To compensate, count the number of glass panels you have and split the window shade accordingly. On a sliding glass door, one section stays static while the other moves freely. The best solution here is a two on one configuration. This is particularly true if many people will be using the door frequently, such as during summer parties and gatherings. This is an excellent choice if you prefer not to use window blinds for a larger space.

Another difficulty you may encounter is French doors. While window blinds look terrific on French doors, the door handle can sometimes prevent the vertical blind from working properly. In this situation, there are a number of options available. All products designed with a low profile head rail will work for this purpose. You will also require a device that will keep the veins of the vertical blind or other material to remain near to the door. In this way, any interference from the door handle will be minimized.

Bathrooms can be a tricky place to hang window blinds. Bathrooms are often rather damp, moist spaces. While you need ventilation to prevent the build up of mildew, you'll also want a sufficient amount of privacy while in your bathroom. Some window blinds may warp and crack over time as a result of the moisture in a bathroom. Obviously, you'll need to have window blinds that are able to withstand conditions such as these.

Nowadays there are skylights in a lot of homes. Skylights are a popular way to incorporate natural light and heat into your home. But at times, they can let in an overabundance of light, resulting in homes becoming too bright or overheated. The position of skylights could make fitting window blinds a challenge, but it can be done. One option offered by several companies is blinds that can be mechanically controlled. One such company is Sky Rise Skylight Systems. They stock shades and blinds that offer manual or motor control. These are an innovation that makes light control much easier, allowing you to get the most out of your skylight.

Some of us enjoy spectacular views out of large windows. But this scenery sometimes must be compromised in an effort to block the sun. Choosing window blinds that offer an abundance of width between the slats would be a great solution to this problem. These help to block the sun when necessary while preserving your home's amazing views.

It may be difficult to fit window blinds to the archways and other unusual shapes over doorways that allow light to pour into our homes. Some companies will make window blinds to fit your specific needs while others will need to be cut down to the appropriate size. They are now available with a pole-style control instead of more traditional cords. This is particularly useful when one part of a window is difficult to reach.

But you can find window blinds to fit nearly every window, although many of us may prefer something different. But window blinds are perfect treatments for windows and skylights. They can be custom made to fit any location you have in mind.

Today, window blinds are an easy to install home accessory, and to this end, Judith Persit has been writing about their selection and how wood blinds can be an attractive element for many buyers.

Building a New Home Basics

Building

Building a house is a complicated project and utilizes dozens of subcontractors, workers and suppliers. Building or supervising a construction project requires a minimum of knowledge, but equally important, a tried-and-true method. Keep in mind that home design, plans and homebuilding can be quite time consuming, and may be quite a strain on you and your family if you try to do too much yourself. It is a big job in itself just to do the new home plans, oversee construction and deal with the numerous, sometimes complex, situations involved in home designs and housebuilding. Plans for every aspect of building your home is the key to a successful project.

Project

Plans for every aspect of building your home is the key to a successful project. With good blue prints, by the time construction begins, you should be able to supervise the project from in front of your TV. You want to be very clear about the overall costs to ensure that you can afford to finish and maintain your project.

Finding Contractors

Unless you are buying a house that is already standing or in a subdivision tract, you will most likely need to choose and employ the services of an architect and/or builder. Individuals who perform the function of a builder are often referred to as Owner Builders. Here are the things you must know in order to be on equal footing with your home builder: How to avoid the model home trap used by every big builder. How to prevent your builder's assembly line construction techniques from getting in the way of the quality and craftsmanship you deserve. How to discover if your new home builder is telling the truth about claims of superior quality and customer satisfaction. How to prevent damaging mold growth that has become common in new homes. The tactics used by new home sales people to "up-sell" and persuade you to unnecessarily spend thousands of extra dollars. How your builderys attorneys are working overtime to make sure they have the upper hand.

Cost

By acting as your own general contractor you can expect to save from 15 to 40percent on the cost homebuilding. How much a house costs, how it looks, how comfortable it is, how energy-efficient it is--all these things occur on paper before you pick up even one tool. The result is houses end up being more costly and less energy-efficient than they should be. It is important to estimate how much it is going to cost you to buy the land and build the house.

As mentioned in order to build a new home you need to be organized and patient. Make sure you look at the Building Home Checklist. This is a must have tool considering building a new home.

Wishing you the best

http://CBMalls.BlogSpot.Com
The leading iMall for all of your informational needs.

Sean McAlister is a leading marketing and sales professional with over 15 years in the industry. A leading and trusted resource for product reviews and product research.

Drywall Repair - DIY Vs Hiring a Drywall Repair Specialist

Drywalls are common finishes used in the interior of homes whether in New York, or other cities in the U.S. No modern home could ever have been built without it. Though the building material has been manufactured to be tough, it is still not totally safe from any damage. Different levels of finishing, thickness and treatments that come with it offer various levels of soundproofing, fire resistance as well as impact tolerance. The extent of the drywall repair will be dependent on the degree of damage.

Also known as gypsum board, any damage to it is commonly remedied through homeowners doing the drywall repair themselves or hiring a pro. Though both options do have their benefits, they also have drawbacks. So when faced with any damage, it pays to carefully consider which alternative is best for your circumstance.

DIY Drywall Repair

Other than saving on the overall cost of the project, what drives many homeowners to do things themselves is the feeling of satisfaction upon finishing off the task successfully. Resources on the topic are abundant and you can easily look up helpful articles ad instructional videos about it in the World Wide Web, and even offline through magazines and books. The task is fairly easy if you are dealing with minor drywall repair involving slight dents, or small holes.

Just like other home improvement and maintenance project, the problem you would have to face if you try to handle the drywall repair on your own is the risk. Without any experience and skill, the risk of committing any mistake and thus sacrificing the quality of the result is huge, especially in cases where the damage is extensive. So if you think you are not up to the job, then better let the pros handle the work.

Drywall Repair Specialist

The factor that makes many homeowners cringe at the thought of acquiring professional help is the cost of labor, making up for the considerable difference when you think about how much the materials would cost. A hired drywall repair specialist, though, would save you time which you could choose to spend doing more important things. Equipped with the right tools and quality materials, you would not have to bother rummaging through the shed to look for tools.

In areas where guests are entertained like the living area or the kitchen, it pays to maintain their attractiveness. The smallest flaw could really take a toll in the area's appearance, and what more if there is a gaping hole on the wall? With a drywall repair specialist to do the job for you, the project results would be seamless and noticeably better; and a lot faster letting you enjoy the results in the shortest wait.

Drywall repair takes some practice and ample skills to produce results wherein the damage would seem to not even have existed. So when faced with any drywall damage, you have to weight your options carefully. The thing that you think might save you more could even cost you more.

Eugene Makeev of Craftsmen Network helps New York home owners avoid the common pitfalls with Brooklyn, NY drywall installers by matching their needs with prescreened drywall contractors NYC.

Please feel free to use our drywall estimator.

Window Header Framing Ideas

As a building contractor it is my job to assemble the house to meet the specifications from the architect and the structural engineer. I do this by looking at the building plans and installing the specified lumber sizes. I can take it upon myself to install a larger size wood beam or window header adding an additional cost to the job of course. I don't think so.

It's not uncommon for a framing contractor that has an additional 5 foot scrap piece of 4 x 8 left over that he now has no use for. He can then choose to use the 4 x 8 instead of a 4 x 6 for the window header. This type of building is common and acceptable.

If the structural engineer calls out for 4 x 6 window and door headers do not take it upon yourself to replace the 4 x 6 with a 4 x 4. I have seen too many framing contractors or carpenters make an on-the-job judgment like this.

A good example would be a single story house with 2 foot wide windows that require a 4 x 6 window header. As the carpenter builds homes over the years he can come to his own conclusion that a 4x4 will work fine for this application. Again keep this in mind as a framing contractor and a carpenter you are assembling the home not designing it.

Do not change the sizes of any headers or beams.

A long time ago carpenters used a standard rule of thumb, you could go up two sizes larger than the window opening for your header. Let me give you an example of what I'm trying to explain.

A 4 foot wide window opening would require a 4 x 6 window header. A 6 foot window opening would require a 4 x 8 window header. This should give you an idea of what I mean by going up two sizes larger than the window opening to figure out the lumber necessary to use for your window header.

This rule of thumb does not necessarily apply in today's building industry. The reason for this is structural changes from earthquake damage. The structural requirements that are required for building a home require a lot more metal bracing and strapping. Therefore some of the lumber requirements for beam sizes and window headers will be different.

This message is for general contractors, framing contractors and carpenters. When installing a window header and you take it upon yourself to change the size you also assume the responsibility if the building fails. This type of mistake is common and you guys know what I'm talking about.

It's not worth it. Keep in mind you are the assembler and not the designer of the building you are working on.

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 and Remodeling Library and adding useful content to help solve problems created by the lack of construction knowledge in the building industry.

Visit us and get more information on building and remodeling your homes and House Framing Structural Repairs