Saturday, October 3, 2009

Plywood Roof Sheeting - Roof Framing Trade Secrets

Most framing contractor's look at the building plans and order all of the material, according to those that are specified on the plans. This works out fine, and can often save you money, but rarely produces the best home that you could possibly frame.

As a professional framing contractor, I would like to share one of my house framing tips with you. Most plans require half-inch plywood or oriented strand board as their roof sheeting. This product is fine and if you're building a lot of homes, you're not going to have the choice. Ordering larger sized plywood could cost you thousands of dollars, especially if you're building a lot of homes.

However, if your framing or building a home for someone or even yourself, you might want to take my advice and think twice about it, before ordering the roof sheeting. Half-inch plywood, works okay for 16 inch on center roof rafters or engineered truss roofing systems. It doesn't work well on 24 inch on center roof rafters spacing.

It is usually flimsy and weak at the center point, directly in between the 24 inch roof rafter bays. If you're going to use the half-inch plywood, I would recommend using plywood clips that are relatively inexpensive and can be placed in the direct center of each roof rafter bay on each sheet of plywood. These can be purchased at most home improvement centers or lumber yards.

The other alternative, and this is what I recommend, would be to use 5/8 inch plywood. This plywood works great for 24 inch on center roof rafters and you will have a nice sturdy roof to walk on, while roofing your home.

I have actually seen people step through the flimsy plywood, while lifting heavy roof tiles and bundles of composition roof shingles. Experienced roofers try to walk directly on top of the roof rafters, when loading their roof shingles or even carrying them on the roof.

If you're a home builder and your concern is about making a profit, you will need to use the half-inch plywood. If you want to build a superior roof, use the 5/8 of an inch plywood.

If You Live in Northern San Diego County or South Orange County, and You're Looking for a Great Contractor, Click on This Link House Framing Contractors.

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:

Greg Vandenberge 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 excellent home inspection checklist to take some of the frustration out of home shopping.

Thanks For Reading My Articles

Different Types of Showers

Electric showers have gained more popularity than other types of showers due to its functional superiority. Stored water is not required for operating one. These showers comprise of an inbuilt system, which draws water from an inlet to feed the heating device. However, maintaining equilibrium in water pressure at the inlet is important to achieve maximum benefits from these showers.

Thousands of different shower models have swamped the market these days. Of these, Mira electric showers and the Triton showers stand out due to their added features. Irrespective of the model you prefer, it is of paramount importance that water supply pipes are fixed properly below the surface of the wall or the floor before installation. A separate electric circuit dedicated for the electric shower unit is an additional security feature advised by most designers and architects.

Many new innovations have come about. Standard fixed showerheads are being replaced quickly by the more convenient hand held ones. Large top showers with several sprays placed at different angles to treat different parts of the body at one time are also gaining popularity. These outlets can be activated or deactivated as per requirement.

If you are planning to buy showers for your house, several aspects need to be kept in mind. The heating systems already in place, the plumbing, electric supply lines and connections, the space available in the bathroom and moreover the tastes of the inhabitants should be evaluated. Once installed, these showers can turn bathing into a fulfilling and invigorating experience.

Written by James Chapman, a director of Bella Bathrooms Ltd who supply Showering products across the UK.

Bella Bathrooms is an online retailer formed by 2 plumbers from the North East of England. Having hands on experience of custom bathroom installation and products has enabled Bella Bathrooms Ltd to only select quality bathroom products for their online shop. They sell bathroom furniture, bathroom suites, showers and bath related products for consumers through the United Kingdom.

Friday, October 2, 2009

Building Codes - Stairway Construction

The stair building code was created for building safety. Before the building code and local city enforcement (Building Inspectors), anyone could build a house. This meant Uncle Earl who had just watched a couple of his friends build a house down the street construct some sort of a dwelling. The next step for Earl would be to help these guys for a day and now he is a professional home builder. You get the point.

Stair Building Codes create the safety needed for one of the most hazardous areas of your home. You might know someone who has fallen down a stairway?

I lived in a house I built for 15 years and I redesigned the stairs from a winder design to a T shaped set of stairs. Both sets of stairs were built using the local stair building code for my city.

Wow I could not believe how many times my family members fell down the stairs. I even fell down once. I was amazed. When I switched from the winder to the T shaped stairway there were less accidents. My point is that even using the stair building codes this is a dangerous part of your house.

Having a professional stair builder install your stairs is great advice. Take it. For example this happened to me on quite a few jobs. I get a set of plans from a architect who has been designing houses for over 40 years. I looked at the stairway to find out that he has designed a stairway that is too small for the length of this part of the home. If I build the stairs using the plans that by the way were approved from the local building department, I could have a problem.

You are probably asking yourself how does this happen. Aren't these people experienced professionals. Of course they are. They probably have the U.B.C. (Uniform Building Code) in their office somewhere. Everyone makes mistakes here and there but this is one area of the home where safety is a big concern.

Just look at it like this. The stair building code was designed to improve the safety and reduce the number of accidents while using the stairs. Over the years I have seen stairs poorly designed and constructed. These stairs create problems for the owners of the buildings not just the people that use them. Did I mention lawsuits. This is one area where a lawyer will have a field day.

As a building professional I advise you to use the stair building code first for safety and second to avoid lawsuits. Get an idea from some of the pictures I have taken over the years on problems with stair building.

Use common sense while building or remodeling your home. It goes a long way.

Greg Vandenberge 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 Articles

How to Find a Good Benidorm Apartment

The coastal town of Benidorm is located in the province of Alicante in Spain. A lot of tourists visit the place since it offers a wide variety of exciting activities to take pleasure in. It is because of this that there is no wonder why a lot of visitors have considered renting an apartment for them while in Benidorm.

Benidorm Apartments are like every other apartment. Before renting one for you, there are many things to consider. The things that you are looking for in an apartment should be well thought of. The price that you are willing to pay is also important. The services and facilities that you are looking for in and apartment should also coincide with the amount of money you are willing to spend.

The price of an apartment in Alicante depends on a lot of things like location, views, services offered and many more. If the apartment that you want to rent is located in the heart of Benidorm and have a scenic view, you can expect that it will cost you more than the usual. Apartments also offer discounts from 5% to 10% even more, especially during peak season.

The amenities that the apartments offer also affect its renting price. Many prefer their apartments to have access to pools, bars, restaurants and laundry services. These services are made available to make the guests feel comfortable and enjoy their vacation.

As most of the apartments there are regulations to be followed. If you break any equipment you are expected to pay extra to cover the damages that you have caused. A good advice for every visitor is to know the regulations of the apartment building to know what are allowed and not allowed and to avoid unnecessary problems to occur.

A Benidorm apartment comes in different sizes. There is the single apartment, twin or double apartment and for family. The size of the place you want to rent can also affect its price. Some apartments allow two people to sleep in a single room. That is one person on the bed and the other one in the sofa. Please remember that the administrator of the place can only allow a number of people that can stay in one room.

Spain is a tourist magnet especially the province of Alicante. It is no wonder that there is a surge in the number of hotels. You might have second thoughts about renting an apartment or going for a hotel. Selecting an apartment over a hotel gives you several advantages. Apartments usually are closer to the place where most visitors likely to visit. Also, it's not only cheap but you get to have your own space and can invite your friends over. Many apartments are in close proximity of restaurants and markets, so there will be no problem finding a place to eat out or go shopping.

There will be no problem getting to Spain but you might want to know how to get to Benidorm if it is your first time to go there. You can take a taxi from the airport to take you to Benidorm. Buses are also available to take you from the airport to your hotel or apartment. Some travelers have their tourist guide with them so there should be no problem with that. You can also ask the people working in the airport where to take a bus or taxi going to your place. The airport personnel are willing to help you in any way that they can.

Being especially interested in apts in benidorm and apartments for rent benidorm, Ken Morris published quite some news stories on this particular subject. You can have a look at his publications on benidorm apartment at http://www.alicante-spain.com

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Add Value to Your Home - Home Tips

Basement bathrooms are possible, but be prepared for a sizable project.

Basement bathrooms can be installed in the same manner as any other bathroom with a few wrinkles. Since there are no windows, although an exhaust fan is usually a good idea to handle the moisture and special arrangement may be needed if your basement bathroom is below the level of the utility lines.

Basement bathrooms can be a real pain in the neck without the proper insulation. Let's just say that the toilets can get really cold! Basement bathrooms are possible, but be prepared for a sizable project. Basement bathrooms tend to be large, busy places with a dozen or more stalls and no place for your partner to hide. Bathrooms on upper floors tend to have less traffic. Basement bathrooms can be a real source of mold and mildew buildup. Clean the bathroom regularly and properly ventilate the room so the moisture doesn't have a chance to collect.

Suspended tile basement ceilings are easier to install, surprisingly cost-effective, and their removable tiles allow continued access to HVAC ducts, plumbing and wiring. Easy access to these important systems in your basement ceiling will be important over the years. A suspended ceiling is another option, especially if you need access to shut offs such as gas and water valves and if you can install this under pipes and have your 763 finish height.

A bathroom wall that won't encourage mold and mildew, or be damaged by condensation, is hard. Because concrete in contact with the ground is always cool, it can become a condensing surface for water vapor in the warm air escaping from a finished basement bathroom.

Installing tiles is a long, tedious, and involved project. After installation, they will need to sit for at least two days without being used in order to seal correctly on to the floor. Installing a basement bathroom is a great idea, and it pays back for itself by 80% or more when the home is sold.

DiCicco Building Company has been a Macomb Township Home Remodeling Contractor for over 20 years. We are also leaders in Bathroom Remodeling along with being an award winning custom residential home builder. We also specialize in Finished Basements and home additions.

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Plywood Roof Sheeting - Roof Framing Trade Secrets

Most framing contractor's look at the building plans and order all of the material, according to those that are specified on the plans. This works out fine, and can often save you money, but rarely produces the best home that you could possibly frame.

As a professional framing contractor, I would like to share one of my house framing tips with you. Most plans require half-inch plywood or oriented strand board as their roof sheeting. This product is fine and if you're building a lot of homes, you're not going to have the choice. Ordering larger sized plywood could cost you thousands of dollars, especially if you're building a lot of homes.

However, if your framing or building a home for someone or even yourself, you might want to take my advice and think twice about it, before ordering the roof sheeting. Half-inch plywood, works okay for 16 inch on center roof rafters or engineered truss roofing systems. It doesn't work well on 24 inch on center roof rafters spacing.

It is usually flimsy and weak at the center point, directly in between the 24 inch roof rafter bays. If you're going to use the half-inch plywood, I would recommend using plywood clips that are relatively inexpensive and can be placed in the direct center of each roof rafter bay on each sheet of plywood. These can be purchased at most home improvement centers or lumber yards.

The other alternative, and this is what I recommend, would be to use 5/8 inch plywood. This plywood works great for 24 inch on center roof rafters and you will have a nice sturdy roof to walk on, while roofing your home.

I have actually seen people step through the flimsy plywood, while lifting heavy roof tiles and bundles of composition roof shingles. Experienced roofers try to walk directly on top of the roof rafters, when loading their roof shingles or even carrying them on the roof.

If you're a home builder and your concern is about making a profit, you will need to use the half-inch plywood. If you want to build a superior roof, use the 5/8 of an inch plywood.

If You Live in Northern San Diego County or South Orange County, and You're Looking for a Great Contractor, Click on This Link House Framing Contractors.

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:

Greg Vandenberge 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 excellent home inspection checklist to take some of the frustration out of home shopping.

Thanks For Reading My Articles

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Subfloor Damage From Poor Bathtub Installation - Read Bath Tub Fixture Manuals

You should never under estimate the amount of damage that water can do to your wood subfloor. Especially if this wood is underneath your bathtub. If the bathtub is not installed properly, you could find yourself replacing the wood underneath, within a short period of time. This repair is not uncommon and as more homeowners and handyman seemed to be doing projects like these, without the proper experience, it's becoming even more common.

I wish I had a solution to the problem, however, I don't. The best advice I could give anyone who is going to be involved in any home remodeling project, would be to get some books on what ever task you are about to undertake and read all of the information that you possibly can about the products you are going to be installing. This is extremely helpful for anyone who has never installed a bathtub or any bathtub fixtures.

If the product fails and was installed properly, the manufacturer should be responsible for the water damage. I have been reading the manufacturer's installation manuals for quite some time now and every once in a while, I find something that is of great value to me and I get to pass it on to my readers. That's what I'm doing right now.

Whether you want to remodel your bathroom to save money or you want to accomplish a task that you haven't done yet. I would recommend, taking the time to understand, exactly how the water flows off of and on to another section of the bath tub or shower on its way to the drain. Understanding the basics of bathroom remodeling can save you big money in the future.

Save yourself some money and make sure that you install your bathtubs properly. Taking a little time before you start to read the bath tub fixture manuals, can save you some money and grief in the future.

Find More Facts On Home Water Damage.

Greg Vandenberge 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.

Check out These Amazing Home Damage Videos.