Protection With ICFs, Flame-Resistant Roofs, and Cement Fiber Siding Kelly Smith Aug 31, 2009 Each year, California wildfires destroy homes. When techniques like firebreaks are prohibited by environmentalist activists, fireproof houses are a protective measure. While it’s true that no home can be truly fireproof, measures can be taken that will come close to reaching that ideal. Even structural steel beams will turn to spaghetti when exposed to sufficient heat. As an analogy, a water-resistant diver’s watch can’t survive the Mariana Trench but no damage is sustained during a normal dive. Building a Fireproof Exterior Put simply, a fireproof exterior is simply one that...
Helen Stephens Whether you have just moved in to a new home or have been settled in one for years, it is important to keep up with termite prevention. Termites are focused in their pursuits, they are abundant in number, and they are probably nibbling on your home right now. One of the few insect colonies to eat continuously, a typical single termite colony can completely consume 2.3 linear feet of 2×4 pine in a single year. If that does not sound like much to you, consider the seriousness of the situation if that 2×4 was also one of the supporting beams of your house. Keep in mind also that where there is one termite colony there are usually others, clustered together in pursuit...
Cost effective and proven perfect for home use. This is the reality for pex plumbing pipes. Made from a flexible plastic material, pex pipe is actually more like tubing. It is much cheaper than the stalwart copper piping and less expensive. Pex is easy to install and is proven to perform well in most any residence. New homes built will often use pex plastic tubing over traditional metal pipes. If you have an older home and have plumbing repairs or plan to replace all the plumbing in your home, pex piping is the best choice because of its cost efficiency, easy installation and functionality. Pex Piping Most Cost Effective Choice Around When it comes to plumbing home improvement, materials can...
Ah, a clogged toilet. Everyone knows that sinking feeling when the flush just doesn’t sound right and they turn to see that the water is just not going down or that the water is all gone and there is a clump of toilet paper in its place. Dealing with a clogged toilet is never pleasant, and it can be extremely annoying, especially since it only ever seems to happen when you are expecting company. However, it is usually not a job that requires the expertise of a plumber. Clogged toilets can often be fixed relatively easy with a few tricks and techniques. First, here is what NOT to do. Don’t keep flushing and flushing, hope that this will be the time the toilet magically repairs itself....
If you’ve got plumbing questions or need plumbing help, be sure that others have probably encountered the same issues. Take a look at the following Q&A’s, which address a variety of common plumbing problems. Q. What should the water pressure be in my home? A. 40 to 60 pounds is “normal.” Over 80 is too high and will cause problems with your plumbing fixtures and water heater. You can buy an inexpensive test gauge that attaches to an outside faucet. Just be sure to run the water a bit before hooking it up so you do not get a false reading from air trapped in the gauge.Q. I am doing a new bathroom my second floor. On the work permit the approver wrote “no...
Four Important Tips You Need to Remember Marissa Sayno Aug 31, 2009 Storing Christmas decors can be an easy thing to do with these four important things that you need to keep in mind when cleaning up the mess of the holiday cheers. The Christmas Season is full of fun until the new year begins and you find yourself staring at a huge, colorful mess that’s making you feel more sluggish than your garden slug. You sit across your dearest Christmas tree, watching those golden balls and shiny ribbons, as you reminisce those minutes to hours of painstaking work, of beads of sweats on your cold skin as you make your holiday masterpiece. Walking outside of your charming home, you smile at...
The house is in California. Read More →
I am buying a home and the basement has mold on bottom half of walls and all over the floor. I will take out carpet and put up new drywall- scrub all down with bleach. But what do I put on cement floor carpet again? Peel and stick? I want something that will do well in a place they might have moisture and in possible flood. Read More →
Giving Extra Sleeping Comfort for Everyone Marka Charalambous Aug 31, 2009 Memory foam is a perfect material for giving individuals the rest they need during the night. The material, originally developed by NASA as part of their space program, is visco-elastic pollyurethane resilient foam. The resilient feature allows for complete adaptation to the size of the head. Very soft and light, it is also nice and firm under the head, not to mention the fact that it is a very durable material, as it is very dense. No wonder, since the material was originally created to give extra comfort to the astronauts during their take-off and re-entry which would impact their bodies to extreme. Benefits of...
We have a 100+ yr old house that we have remodeled. The foundation is brick and the mortar is in terrible shape. The basement leaks, not terrible, but enough that there is water around the edges after it rains. Tuckpointing seems like an impossible job. What would it cost to have the basement waterproofed by a professional? Any ideas that I could do at home on a small budget? Read More →