Posted May 2nd, 2012 by chen wenjie
Building a deck is a home improvement project that the average homeowner is more than capable of doing. It generally involves a series of simple sequential steps and involves basic carpentry skills. Deck building has become much simpler with the advent of home improvement retail outlets that offer how-to-do-it clinics, a wide variety of deck related building materials, tool and equipment rentals and even free deck design consultations. Because the construction process of deck building takes ...
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Filed under:Home Improvement
Posted May 1st, 2012 by chen wenjie
Are you looking for greenhouse plans so that you can give your seedlings a head start in the spring? Would you like to create a warm environment where you can keep your pot plants and hanging baskets during the winter? And how about growing your own organic vegetables? All of this can be achieved in a greenhouse.
Just as if you were building a house, if you want to build a controlled environment for your plants you'll need to start with greenhouse plans. There is more to a greenhouse than ...
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Filed under:Home Improvement
Posted April 30th, 2012 by chen wenjie
What's happened to the term energy efficient home? I read the best definition of an energy efficient home by Dennis Crook. He's built energy efficient homes since the Carter Administration in the 1980's. His definition of an energy efficient home follows:
"The energy-efficient home acts as a smooth-functioning machine in which the equipment produces as much, if not more energy capacity than needed to operate the ideal human environment, including air quality, moisture conditions, temperature, ...
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Posted April 29th, 2012 by chen wenjie
My immediate answer would be, probably not. The long answer
would be something like this:
It depends on a number of factors. Most people who contract the
job themselves are trying to save the amount of money the
contractor would have grossed on the project. I guarantee you,
they will not have a joyous time doing it.
No different than trying to sell your house without a real
estate agent. I can't speak for the Realtors but I can speak for
the contractors. Contractors gross do not ...
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Filed under:Home Improvement
Posted April 28th, 2012 by chen wenjie
As a maker of house signs it never ceases to amaze me at how few house sellers consider the importance of having a decent house sign on the properties they are selling.
We are told that the first ipresssions are so important to prospective buyers that the decision whether to buy or not, can be made if the first minutes of a viewing. If that is true, hanging a decent quality house sign on your home must be conidered as a small but important part of your selling strategy.
Consider if you will the ...
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Filed under:Home Improvement
Posted April 27th, 2012 by chen wenjie
b>Razing the Cottage
With new house plans and permits in hand, subcontractors hired
and a Septic Design in process, it was now time to raze the
existing cottage. I considered employing the local fire
department to burn it down, however I chose the demolition route
instead. Though I did not contact the Fire Department, I was
convinced that this route would have led to multiple delays and
pitfalls, as I would have been at the whim of several town
employees and weather conditions. The demolition ...
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Filed under:Home Improvement
Posted April 26th, 2012 by chen wenjie
b>Exterior Framing Continues
With the home's sub-floor down and the exterior walls framed and
up, the framing crew was on to the roof. Though the roof was
rather simple in structure with just a 12/12 pitch and no
valleys it was a significant framing undertaking due to just the
size and height of it. The house was 32 feet wide by 44 feet in
length, and the exterior side walls stood 11 feet tall in the
great room. This exterior wall height of 11 feet translated into
a roof ridge that was 27 feet ...
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Filed under:Home Improvement
Posted April 25th, 2012 by chen wenjie
Choosing The Right House Plan
Everybody would like to live in a mansion or a sprawling ranch
but there are many factors to consider when choosing a house
plan. There are also a few pitfalls that can be avoided by doing
your homework and making the right choices.
Before you commit to buying a stock or custom house plan, you
should know how much of a house you can afford to build. A good
place to get this information would be the bank that you might
use to get your loan from.
Once you know what ...
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Filed under:Home Improvement
Posted April 24th, 2012 by chen wenjie
One of the most rewarding home improvements I made to my house
was to build a garage addition. For years I contemplated
building a garage addition while I scraped the ice and snow from
my cars and waited for them to warm up during the winter months.
About 5 years ago I finally made the decision to build a garage
onto my home.
The first big decision I had to make after deciding to build the
garage addition was to determine how large to make it. I wanted
a large enough garage to fit two cars ...
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Filed under:Home Improvement
Posted April 23rd, 2012 by chen wenjie
1. Think of the project as a new diet. Who doesn't want to lose
at least five pounds? This is one way to do it. Between running
to stores all day and evening long, meeting with contractors,
inspecting the work, searching the Western world for the perfect
light fixture, who has time to eat? Provided you don't sabotage
this new, unorthodox diet plan, with McDonalds drive through,
you're good for losing five pounds. If you are a masochistic
type who does some of the work yourself - whether it ...
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Filed under:Home Improvement