roofing-8

How to build a hipped roof

A hip beam extends diagonally downward from the crest of the top of the roof at the corner of a building (the top of the plate is a horizontal 2”x4” or 2”x6” joining the upper ends of the studs). Neither plan view (looking down from above) nor elevation view (looking at the building’s outer wall) shows the actual length of the beam hip or indicates the angles of cuts required at each end of the beam hip. However, you can calculate the length and angles with measures taken in the plan and elevation views, and then use this information to reduce the beam to the needed length and angles.

Instructions

  1. Draw a vertical line “b” down the crest elevation of the top plate in the front view of the architectural drawing.
  2. Draw a diagonal line “a” from the top deck of the corner of the building until the end of the ridge in the view of your architectural drawing.
  3. Measure “a” and “b”. Multiply “a” to itself (“a” squared) and multiply “b” to itself (“b” squared) and add the two valued together to find the value of “c” squared. The formula is “a” squared plus “b” squared equals “c” squared, and is called the Pythagorean Theorem. This way you can find the value of “c” (the square root of “c” squared) on a calculator and that is the length of your beam. But using the Internet, there is an easier way.
  4. Find the value of “c” looking at any number of online math URLs, like Paul Hsieh’s page, Square Root. Put the value for the sum of “a” squared plus “b” squared and it will tell you what “c” is equal to. This is the maximum length of your hip measurement beam from the top.
  5. Cut the hip beam to length with a rotary saw and carefully cut both ends precisely at right angles.

Determine the angles of cuts at either end of your beam

  1. Mark the two lines describing these angles on your beam with a carpenter’s square. Cut the beam to right angles with a rotary saw.
  2. Make two side cuts, one on each side of the upper end of the hip rafter, which allows it to fit the space formed by the intersection angle of the beams that rise at right angles toward each other to join the ridge. This sounds more complicated than it is. There are online calculators that will determine these angles for you, but in practice, if you extend the hip beam in its approximate final position, you can get close enough just take a look, checking your framing square and making two cuts with a rotary saw.
  3. Make two similar lateral cuts at the lower end of the beam, unless your building will have an overhang. If so, leave the beam the correct length after placing it.
carpet-cleaning-technician

Deep cleaning your carpet

Cleaning your carpets can allow your carpet to look new again. For wall to wall carpeting, we recommend washing them with shampoo instead of spot cleaning. Cleaning machines spray a hot solution of detergent and draw out dirt while cleaning the carpet. Here are a few steps to get your carpet looking like new.

Instructions

  1. Buy or rent a carpet cleaning machine also known as a steam cleaner at a hardware or grocery store. When you rent the machine, the cleaning products needed are usually included or you can buy them at the rental store.
  2. Completely spray the carpet.
  3. For really dirty areas you should increase the amount of cleaner used.
  4. Fill the hose or tank of the machine with hot water tap.
  5. Use the machine and carpet shampoo as directed by the manufacturer.
  6. Empty the dirty water from the machine tank as needed.
  7. Check the carpet with your hand to make sure it appears clean.
  8. Wait overnight for the carpet to dry before walking on it. To dry completely, open windows and use fans.

Tips & Warnings

  • Special solutions are available to treat stains and pet odors.
  • Saturating the carpet can cause water to seep through damaging the floor underneath.
bedroom-remodeling-4

How to arrange furniture in a small bedroom

Arranging furniture in a small bedroom is something that presents several challenges. You have to make room for a bed, wardrobe and other personal items without crowding the area. Here are some tips for arranging furniture in a small room.

Instructions

  1. Start by selecting furniture suitable for the room size. The bed should be as small as possible for those who will use them. This means that for one person the bed should not be bigger than a twin and a couple should consider a double size bed.
  2. Use modern, neat straight lines which take up less space than traditional furniture and accessories.
  3. Put one of the sides of the bed near or against the wall. For a couple this means that one side of the bed will have enough room for a bedside table. This will give people enough room to walk around the bed.
  4. Use vertical space. Use high closets and armoires that do not occupy much space while maximizing storage space.
  5. Seize the hidden space. For extra storage space, use drawers and containers that can slide under the bed. Some people can creatively make bedside tables made of metal trash bins with a wood top and a tablecloth where laundry can be stored.

Tips & Warnings

  • Eliminate non-essential items in the room.
concrete

Concrete disadvantages

For centuries, one of the most common materials used in construction has been concrete. Formed from hardened cement, concrete has been used for everything from roads to foundations for houses. However, as technology is advancing, concrete is no longer the ultimate construction tool. It has a variety of disadvantages which must be considered before use.

History

The use of concrete dates back to many ancient civilizations such as The Romans, who used concrete for everything from buildings to aqueducts. The Romans were also among the first to experiment with the mixture of additives in concrete. They understood that mixing it with certain things makes it water resistant and less prone to cracking under pressure.

Function

Concrete is still known for its durability and longevity. As with any building material, it has its share of fully acceptable alternatives. Wood is often designed to be load bearing, especially bases, and can be treated to resist the negative effects of moisture and termites. Steel is strong and profitable, and can be ideal in areas infested by insects. Insulated steel panels are also often used instead of concrete for building walls.

Considerations

A major disadvantage is that all concrete structures crack eventually. Concrete may also break as a result of the contraction, which occurs when it dries. These cracks develop within days of the start of the structure. This usually does not limit the durability of a structure.

Effects

Another disadvantage of concrete is its low thermal conductivity. As concrete is typically used as a layer of fireproofing between the walls it can be seriously damaged when exposed to intense heat. Concrete helps contain the spread of fire, but in the process becomes useless.

Caveat

Concrete also corrodes easily when exposed to seawater. Take quick action if the concrete is completely submerged for extended periods of time. Concrete can be worn by the waves and sand and other oceanic materials.

duct-cleaning-5

Comparison of metal and plastic on air conditioning ducts

The duct system or ventilation of a building is essential for comfort. Without it, the building can’t be heated or cooled properly. In some regions of the United States, houses may not need heating, but do need air conditioning (which is why the vast majority of households have some type of ventilation system). However, there are many materials that can be used for the conduits, including plastic and metal. When choosing a material for replacement or repair of an installed system, it is important to know the differences and similarities between the two materials.

Metal ducts for air conditioning

Metal ducts are the most common types of ventilation systems, and are made of metal sheets that have been bent to the desired shapes. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) indicates that today many systems of air conditioning ducts consist of mixtures of fiberglass and sheet metal, sheet metal or some other type of plastic. The change in the composition allows the best energy conservation, reducing condensation and causing greater control of the desired temperature.

Plastic pipes for air conditioning

Plastic conduits for air conditioning are made of many materials: PVC, plastic polymers and even plastic reinforced with fiberglass. Regardless of the type of plastic used to make pipes, they work the same way as the metal. However, instead of bending metal sheets to shape, liquid plastic is poured into molds of various shapes and sizes. In addition, regardless of the composition chosen by the manufacturer, all plastic pipes are designed to withstand hot and cold temperatures commonly encountered within heating and cooling systems.

Similarities

Regardless of the material chosen for the ducts, they all work the same way; they will be a transport system for hot or cold air. The air is directed through the system and released at various points leading to the building. Both types of conduits can be insulated, usually using additional plastic or glass fiber. In addition, according to the Consumer Energy Center of the California Energy Commission (Center Energy Consumption of California Energy Commission), all lines, regardless of what material they are, have the potential to develop leaks that may go unnoticed for years.

Differences

There are a few differences between the two types of air ducts, the main materials used. But according to the US Department of Energy, metal ducts tend to be less efficient because these are heated or cooled in areas without a temperature control system in the house, like the attic or basement. This results in air to be heated or cooled again by the system. However, adding proper insulation can help solve the problem.

fences-11

Choosing the Best Brick Fence Design

Homeowners build fences for many reasons such as protection, privacy and aesthetic. A brick fence can provide all this, but choose the design carefully because they are costly so give a good look at your home and your budget before deciding what type of fence to build.

Instructions

  1. Determine your reasons for putting up a fence. If privacy is your main concern, choose a design of solid brick and one that’s high. Pet owners who want a yard for a small dog can build a smaller, solid wall.
  2. The design should combine closely with the appearance of your home. Choose poles, arches, and colors that blend or complement each other and your home. Fences and walls made of stone, brick and stucco enhance Craftsman style and English Tudor houses.
  3. Allow your garden and home design to be shown. Choose spaces that will frame the beauty that is inside it, rather than cover it.
  4. Combine other materials with brick for an aesthetic appearance. Build designs with steel, aluminum or include a wrought iron gate between the posts. This design enables you to watch inside your property, while providing security.
  5. Choose a color that compliments your home. Bricks come in shades of red, white, gray, brown and orange. Select bricks that have multiple colors within them or bricks that have a more uniform appearance. Use a color scheme for a custom design.

Tips & Warnings

Discuss the plans for the fence with neighbors, they maybe are worried about their views being blocked. Investigate local building codes before building a fence, determine whether a permit is required.

chimney-2

Clogged Chimneys and Maintenance

As winter draws closer, the last thing that you want to happen is to lose the normal use of your chimney for any reason at all. If you have a blocked or non-functional chimney, you will not be able to use the chimney to warm your home in those cold winter months. At worst, using a problematic chimney could put you and your family in danger. In fact, you will often find that the gas company will also turn off your gas if it is found that your chimney has a problem.

What’s the cause of your chimney problems?

Due to the warmth produced and the design of a chimney, the chimney is an attractive spot for birds and other small animals to find some comfort. Birds build nests at the top of chimney systems and small animals like squirrels and bats either find their way down your chimney either on purpose or by accidentally falling in.

Additionally, debris carried by wind can easy get lodged in your chimney so that leaves and small pieces of rubbish and rubble will easily clog your chimney. What’s more is that all these creatures and debris can easily accelerate the damage to your chimney by loosening the mortar which can further clog the chimney. As you can see, all sorts of things can easily cause your chimney problems and more specifically, get your chimney blocked.

What dangers does a blocked chimney pose?

When your chimney gets blocked, one of the biggest dangers is carbon monoxide failing to escape through the chimney and instead getting trapped inside your home. Carbon monoxide is produced when wood, charcoal or any other carbon based fuel is burned. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless and non-irritating gas known as the ‘silent killer’ simply because a person cannot easily detect its ill-effects on the body. By the time you notice its effects on your body, you will often not be in a position to get away since the gas will have already made you unconscious.

How to avoid chimney issues and dangers?

To avoid all issues related to your chimney, there is a very simple solution. Through regular care, maintenance and inspection you can easily avoid losing the functionality of your chimney and avoid any danger to you and your family.

As a rule of thumb, having the chimney inspected at least once a year should be done, with a bias for inspection just before winter. This should be done to ensure that your chimney will be in perfectly working order in the colder months of the year when you are likely to use it the most.

Hiring a chimney sweep

Hiring a chimney sweep to do the job for you is often your best solution since besides cleaning your chimney, they will also:

  • Ensure that your home has an efficient cooling and heating efficiency
  • Determine whether your firebox and chimney are in good working order and that there is no damage
  • Ensure that your chimney isn’t susceptible to chimney fires caused by creosote accumulation
  • Ensure that there is no carbon monoxide blockage
  • Ensure that you are not causing environmental pollution through your fireplace.

When hiring a chimney sweep, ensure that they are certified and that they are members of a professional body like CSIA or the Chimney Safety Institute of America. This will ensure that you are hiring among the very best service providers available to you.

gutters-8

Damage Caused by Gutter Blockages

Rain water can easily cause a lot of damage to your home if it is not channeled away through the proper means. For a home with a roof that is 1,500 square feet, one inch in, ‘depth of precipitation’ or rain produces 1,000 gallons of runoff. If all this water is not channeled away safely, it could easily cause a lot of damage to your roof and to the rest of your house including the foundation and close surrounding areas. This is why having well designed and properly installed gutters is important for every home.

Importance of maintaining gutters

Even when you have well designed and built gutters, it is still essential that you make sure that they are always in perfect working order. The biggest issue that gutters face is blockage caused by debris that renders them ineffective or at least, not as efficient as they should be.

When blockages happen, the weight of debris and still water (caused by the blockage) can easily cause damage to the gutter itself.

This is why ensuring regular maintenance and inspection of your gutter system is important. The last thing that you want to happen is for your basement to flood or for your house’s foundation to be compromised due to lack of proper gutter maintenance. To say the least, it will cost you much less to maintain your gutter than it will to repair your houses foundation or basement. So why not just get it done immediately?

Signs that your gutter needs immediate attention

If you have not been maintaining your gutters, or if the job has not been done well, the following signs should signal you that you need a skilled professional to come and do the job for you.

  • A saggy ceiling and a leaking roof.
  • Mold, moss and or dampness on the outside of your walls
  • Paint or wallpaper damage on the inside walls of your house
  • Unsightly cosmetic damage to the side of your house caused by rainwater splash back damage.
  • Rotten fascia boards
  • Cracked foundations and
  • Damaged landscaping

What to do when you notice damage

If you notice any of the signs listed above, the immediate thing to do is to call a gutter professional to come and diagnose whether the damage could be due to gutter damage. What you should avoid doing is fixing the symptoms of the larger problem caused by gutter damage. If you simply fix a wall or re-do the painting, the problem is still very likely to happen again, since you will not have fixed the cause of your problems which is a damaged, poorly installed or badly designed gutter.

insulation-1

Benefits of Insulation

If your home is not insulated, then you should take action as soon as possible because you can benefit quite significantly from making the necessary changes. Some of the benefits of insulating your home are as follows:

Advantages of insulating your home

First and foremost, you will gain immediate cost savings if your house is not already insulated. These will be on account of better energy efficiency of your entire house due to less use of electricity in heating and cooling of the house.

Secondly, insulation will regulate the temperature of the house so that it is fairly constant and therefore more comfortable to live in. This is especially important for places with extreme weather

Third, insulation can filter out noise from outside the house and increase privacy in rooms by keeping sound within rooms. This is achieved since insulation creates a sound barrier.

Fourth, insulation keeps away allergens and environmental pollutants from getting into the house and thus creates a barrier to keep your family healthy.

Fifth, insulation can prevent condensation which causes dampness. Dampness from condensation can results in mold and mildew which are a health concern. Dampness can also cause the weakening of the structural integrity of your house which can cause a lot of damage to your entire home.

Which areas of your home should you insulate

If you want to fully benefit from insulation, your entire home should be insulated from roof to basement. With insulation, the efficiency is as good as the weakest link and therefore a comprehensive strategy should be the most ideal goal for you to benefit from insulation.

That being said, some of the specific areas of your house that you should pay close attention to include:

  • The attic
  • Duct systems
  • Ceilings
  • Exterior walls
  • Floors, especially those above unheated spaces like garages
  • Foundations and basements
  • Doors and windows

Hiring an insulation contractor

Finding the right insulation contractor is critical if you want to achieve maximum insulation efficiency of your home. In order to find the right insulation contractor, you should follow the following steps:

  1. Ask for the insulation contractors certification and training competence and whether they are affiliated to a professional body where you can verify their certification
  2. Confirm that they have good references from other customers and from professional bodies and authorities like your local government, Chambers of Commerce or the local Better Business Bureau.
  3. Inquire about the materials that they use for the job. Materials should be discussed in terms of R-values for clarity and not just according to thickness of materials used
  4. Ask about the cost of the service and how payments should be made
  5. Ask whether the insulation contractor has insurance and a guarantee for the services rendered
waterproofing-3

Causes of Dampness and Benefits of Waterproofing

If you have a house that you are trying to sell, then you should be well aware of the fact that dampness can affect your chances of ever selling the home. At best, you will probably sell the house for about three quarters of its value and definitely not for its full value.

If you are still living in the house, dampness can have a lot of ill effects including encouraging mold and mildew which can have negative health effects. Dampness could also ruin the structural integrity of the house.

If you have a basement, keeping it dry through waterproofing can be useful for making the space more habitable and therefore increase the usable square footage of your home.

What causes dampness

Dampness in houses is mainly caused by absorption of moisture into the building material. This can be further accelerated by capillary action that assists the moisture to travel across the building material. The moisture can initially get into the rest of the building from defective or substandard materials, from poor workmanship or from faulty designs in basements, foundations, walls, floors or the roof.

Poor design can also cause condensation which also contributes to the building material becoming damp. Condensation is caused when there are differences in hot and cold air. For example, when warm air in a room gains contact with cold walls, the warm air loses moisture in the form of condensation.

Other cause of dampness are as follows:

  • Wetness in the ground and from the foundations can rise up through the walls to the upper levels of the house mainly through capillary action.
  • Water splashing on the sides of the walls, for example through rain or poorly designed gutters can also cause dampness in walls.
  • Penetration of rain water directly through building materials,
  • Condensation in the atmosphere can be absorbed by building materials causing dampness and
  • Leaks from bathrooms, water closets, kitchens and other wet areas with poor plumbing can easily find their way into building material

Damage caused by dampness

Dampness in the building materials will eventually result in some or all of the following defects in your house:

  • Plaster will easily soften and crumble
  • Electrical fittings deteriorate and can then cause short circuits and other dangers related to faulty electrical wiring
  • Mosquitoes, termites and other pests and insects begin to thrive in areas of your house and cause pest and insect damage including ruining the structural integrity of your house
  • Metallic areas of your house begin to corrode
  • Timber areas in your house; warp, buckle and rots and
  • Paint begins to flake and acquire discolored patches

Preventing dampness

Waterproofing can prevent the causes of dampness and wetness mentioned above. Surface treatment, to fill up pores that encourage dampness, should be done immediately dampness is noticed.

To do all this, it is important that you find a professional who can get the job done thoroughly and immediately to prevent any dampness from spreading and causing further damage.