Tips For Getting an Affordable Exterior Paint Job

There are several very important steps to take to ensure you receive the most for your money when having the exterior of your house painted.

ESTIMATES

Promise yourself to hold off making any decisions, signing any contracts or spending any money until you have received at least three and preferably five estimates from reputable painting contractors. To gather five names, start first by asking friends, acquaintances and neighbors who have recently had their homes painted. If you see someone having their house painted and the people doing it look neat and reliable don't hesitate to stop and ask the homeowner about their experiences and get a business card from the contractor.

WHAT TO ASK THE CONTRACTOR

There are some very important questions to ask each contractor when they come to give you an estimate.

Does my house really need to be painted? If so, why?

Is there any wood, trim, or siding that is rotted and needs replaced?

How many coats of paint do you think it needs?

What paint do you think is best and how will it be applied? Will it be sprayed or applied by brush? If so, which is best and why?

Will you pressure wash first?

Will you remove the shutters and/or downspouts and screens prior to painting?

Will you open the windows from both top and bottom prior to painting the trim?

Will you caulk thoroughly?

Do I need mildew treatment in the paint?

How long will it take?

How many people will be here working on the house?

Will you provide me with a written contract and include everything that is covered by the price?

Do you have liability insurance?

Do you have a business license?

How long have you been in business?

Can you provide me with a list of three recent references and their addresses so I can look at their homes?

Do you offer a guarantee and if so what does it cover?

Use this list of questions as a master and ask each contractor the same questions. In the process you will learn a great deal about the condition of your home and the contractor and how he/she works. In the end, it is not always the cheapest price that will secure the best, longest lasting paint job. Quality products and workmanship can provide a paint job that will last as many as ten years whereas poor workmanship and cheap products can require a re-paint within several years.

HOW TO DECIDE

In the end, this information will help you make your decision. Consider your budget, consider how long you plan to own your house and find a contractor you feel comfortable working with. If this is the first time you have had your house painted, you may have sticker shock at first, but securing multiple estimates will give you a good idea of the going rate in your neighborhood and you can adjust your thinking accordingly. Keeping your house well protected will save you money in the long run by avoiding the extra expense of extensive prep work and wood repairs when paint has begun to peal.

http://www.durhampaintingcompany.com - Professional Residential Repaints

Types of Foundations - San Diego Construction

The foundation is the first part of a home that is constructed. It creates a base for the rest of a home's parts. If a foundation is not good, the rest of the house will have problems. Because there are options for choosing a foundation type, builders and home owners have an important decision to make. Any decision concerning a foundation should be made while keeping in mind the cost, market demand, soil composition, and weather conditions of the area.

There are three main types of foundations: full-height basement, crawlspace, and slab-on-grade. All of these foundations do a more than adequate job of supporting a house.

Full-Height Basement

Full-height basement foundations provide an accessible space between the soil and the bottom of the first floor of a home. This space can be finished to provide extra space for a family or left unfinished and used primarily for storage. This type of foundation provides more head room for individuals than a crawlspace will allow.

This foundation type is typical in an area with a colder climate where the foundation needs to be below the frost level. A foundation needs to be below the frost level to prevent it from cracking.

Crawlspace

A crawlspace foundation creates an accessible space with limited headroom between the soil and the bottom of the first floor. This type of foundation is predominantly used in areas with heavy clay content in the soil.

The crawlspace foundation does not provide a new room for a family to use but it does allow for ample storage.

Slab-on-Grade

Slab-on-grade foundations are the least complicated of the foundations. It is just a structural concrete slab poured directly on the dirt. There is no accessible space between the foundation and the dirt because the foundation sits on the dirt.

This type of foundation is popular in areas that have a high water table. The water table is the depth to which an individual must dig before he or she can find water.

All of these foundations are generally constructed from concrete. There are options to concrete though. The two main ones are Concrete Masonry Units (CMUs) and Insulated Concrete Forms (ICFs).

Concrete Masonry Units (CMUs) are hollow, concrete blocks similar to cinder blocks. The hollow portions are filled with concrete from top to bottom to hold the blocks together and to hold the wall together.

Insulated Concrete Forms (ICFs) are rigid foam insulation forms into which concrete is poured. The insulation forms are made of a mold, hardware, and any necessary bracing a wall or foundation could use.

After the concrete hardens in the form, the outside, the inside, or both forms are removed. This type of construction is common in areas that have building codes which require insulated foundations. The biggest benefit of this type of foundation is that the homeowner or builder can immediately finish the basement without adding studs.

Joseph Devine

If you would like more information concerning foundations or the home building process, please visit http://brchomes.com/article_choosing_a_custom_builder.aspx. Their team will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have concerning foundations or any other aspect of your home

Important Facts on the Electrical Wire Log Homes

Electrical wiring for a new log home is always a thing that worries owners. As wood is organic it can easily get burned and so a perfect kind of electrical wiring is needed for a material like wood. The electrician performs his main task once the dry-in phase of construction is complete. The electrician should be contracted and he also should be consulted early in the construction process to approve and supervise wiring in the second floor system, roof system, and in the log wall system. All the wiring practices are to be approved by and supervised by your electrician.

In order to wire the outlet boxes many holes would be needed and so they should be drilled and this is to be done when your log erection crew is installing the logs and not later than that. The construction crew will want to mark the location of the holes when they drill these holes on the sub floor. You need to make sure the drilled holes go all the way through the sub floor. The outlet box holes are to be cut then.

A very good way to notch out an outlet box is something you should know about. That is to mark the outline of the box on the log wall, using the actual box as the pattern. Then you would need to drill a series of 1-inch to 1-1/2-inch holes within the perimeter of that outline using a butterfly bit or hole-saw bit. Cleaning the holes is to be done with a chisel. Then plunge the wiring hole to remove chips and sawdust with a stiff piece of wire. The dry in process is to see the holes being drilled and the outlet boxes being cut.

The wires need to be drilled through the rafter or rather the ridge beam when it comes to light fixtures and these wires should hang directly underneath the rafter. A block of wood is needed for rafters that run at an angle to mount to the bottom of the rafter. Even this block is to be cut at the angle of the roof pitch. This is done in order to create a bottom flat surface that is level with the house floor. At the bottom of the block is where the light should be mounted.

When it comes to the wiring for cable and phone lines as well as burglar alarms and so on you would need to consider the process of the wiring before and throughout the construction process and wiring runs coordinated with your electrician. All this wiring is normally run under the sub floor with legs branching upwards at windows or the doors, stud walls etc.

Wiring to overhead lights under a the roof system can run from under the sub floor, up through exterior door jambs and for that you would need to drill through logs above doorway, or interior stud walls, or over the top of the roof decking to the proper location, then down through drilled holes to the light fixture location.

Check out Christi Sealey's website. It will provide you with easy to understand information on building or buying your own Log Home or Log Cabin. Check it out at Your Log Home Guide. Don't make the same mistakes others have made that cost them big!

Environmental Construction Products

Trends in sustainable and environmentally friendly construction continue to inch towards the mainstream, with new products being introduced almost daily that are more cost effective and efficient than ever. Here are some products and trends in environmental construction:

Walls

Use of alternative building materials, including reclaimed woods, recycled metals and non toxic materials are making homes more green from the inside out. Even insulation is becoming more green, with wider usage of a mixture of recycled cotton and denim materials instead of toxic and dangerous to install traditional insulation.

Flooring

There's a wide range of environmentally friendly flooring options. From concrete to stones, recycled metals, recycled tiles, recycled glass, reclaimed woods, sustainable woods, bamboo, cork and even more environmentally friendly linoleums.

Paints and Finishes

There is now a large amount of paints and stains available for your interiors, including walls, floors, bathrooms, staircases and all your surfaces. These new products are either non-toxic or use much less toxic chemicals, making the eco-friendly choice also the most healthy choice for environmentally sensitive people. In addition, these less toxic paints and finishes are much easier to dispose of.

Carpeting

Traditional new carpeting uses a lot of chemicals to produce. In addition, the installation of new carpeting will typically fill the indoor air in your home with what are called "VOC's" or volatile organic compounds. These compounds include chemical carcinogens like benzenes and even formaldehyde. That new carpet smell is actually a cocktail of chemicals you are breathing. These chemicals can take several years to dissipate from your indoor air. By using eco-friendly carpeting, you are eliminating or severely decreasing the amount of chemicals you are bringing into your home. Also, the materials used in eco-friendly carpeting are typically recycled or sustainable. Most carpets need padding and these too can be loaded with chemicals. Instead, homeowners can choose new environmentally friendly carpet padding that is made from recycled cotton.

Cabinetry and Countertops

Even kitchen and bathroom cabinetry and countertops can be eco-friendly. New cabinet options include cabinets made from completely sustainable woods using non-toxic finishes. For countertops, new non-toxic composite materials including quartz and recycled glass chips are available. Even the glue used to adhere the cabinets to the countertop can be an eco-friendly water based glue product.

Whether you are building a new home, remodeling or simply performing some upgrades, you won't want to ignore the many eco-friendly options.

Lydia Quinn writes for Brandon Safety Lights, a leading provider of solar barricade lights, barricade light accessories and traffic safety supplies. Visit us at: http://www.brandonsafetylights.com

Building Projects With Treated Wood - Home Remodeling Ideas

Building with treated wood and the idea that this project will last forever because of the wood you used is not necessarily true. Over the years I have seen contractors and homeowners use treated wood for projects like building decks with this idea in mind.

I just met with a homeowner that was asking me about vinyl fencing. The homeowner approached me with some facts about vinyl fencing. She started to explain to me how long a vinyl fence would last verses a wood fence. I reminded her that the vinyl posts usually slip over metal or wood building materials.

She proceeded to inform me that treated wood will last a lot longer than wood used when building a wooden fence. It took me a while to change her mind and reprogram her with a few picture this from my website. I know this is hard to imagine but wood rots and steel rust.

All you end up with is a vinyl fence that is in pretty good shape if taken care of properly laying down in your yard with broken or rusted fence posts.

Do you know that some people use treated wood for countertops and food preparation areas when building certain projects like an outdoor barbecue? Do you know people build outdoor furniture with treated wood and then sit in it with a chance of toxic chemicals entering into your body? This is where Redwood comes in as a natural building product or other nice looking woods. Redwood is classified as a softwood and if used for a countertop and a barbecue kitchen area you will have to protect it from heavy pans and people using the countertop for a cutting board.

Do not use treated wood for a projects that will be used for food preparation later.

It's a good idea to wash your hands after handling treated lumber. It's a really good idea to wash your hands after using treated lumber if you are going to eat something or make something for another person or yourself.

For all the homeowners and building contractors that use treated wood and bury it in dirt. Or build a low lying deck right above the ground I would like to share something with you. I have been repairing and replacing your work for over 30 years now. You guys keep me busy and I want to thank you for all the years you guys have been in business.

I still can't believe the amount of work I see being done using treated wood with the illusion that it will last longer than regular construction standard wood. I don't know how else to put it except to say treated wood will rot fast in the right conditions.

Treated wood does need to be protected from rain, snow, heat and other elements of the weather. It cannot sit in the dirt or lay in water for long periods of time without slowly disintegrating. Oh yeah one more thing termites will eat sections of the wood that is not completely treated.

Use treated wood properly when building and inform other people about some of the stuff you learned in this article. Reread this article later and save it for the future.

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 Vista Structural Home Repairs

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What is Injection Waterproofing?

Injection waterproofing is often used to fill and seal cracks and crevices. The material is most often made from a polyurethane compound. The compound is lightweight and expands up to twice its original size when applied to a surface. Many non-toxic and environmentally safe products are available at home improvement stores nationwide. Injection waterproofing is used mainly in foundation crack repairs.

In most foundation cracks, a polyurethane injection can seal the opening. In some smaller cracks it may be apparent that a sealant was used because it may be difficult to evenly inject the compound. Single caulking style cartridges and the dual side-by-side cartridge systems are the types of injection waterproofing compounds available for retail purchase. Both of these are manually injected and easy to pump.

When using an injection waterproofing method, it is important to keep the area dry. Temporarily block any flowing water to the area, and clean and dry the area as needed. Experts say that in the case of water flowing through a hole, you can temporarily caulk the hole with candle wax, modeling clay or plumbers putty. If the cracks are in narrow or hard-to-reach places, you can use a flexible hose attached to the injector nozzle.

Whatever waterproofing system your leakage problem requires, be sure to do your research. If you choose to make this a do-it-yourself project, make sure you know where your leaks are coming from and the proper method to repair them. When purchasing waterproofing materials you should make sure you are buying the appropriate product for your needs. The National Association of Waterproofing and Structural Repair Contractors (NAWSRC) has tons of information on waterproofing. Whether or not you decide to hire a contractor, this organization can help you from beginning to end.

Waterproofing Info provides detailed information on waterproofing systems, including injection waterproofing, foundation waterproofing, concrete waterproofing, deck waterproofing, basement waterproofing, and waterproofing basement walls, as well as waterproofing contractors and consultants. Waterproofing Info is affiliated with Business Plans by Growthink.

Leveling Your Floor - Home Repair Tips

If you've ever been in a building where you feel like you are getting pushed to one side and you can't seem to stand up. You have either been drinking too much alcohol or the floor could be sloping. I was just in a store the other day that was full of antiques and glass but I could hardly stand up because the floor was sloping enough to create what I would consider a liability issue to the store owner.

Sloping floors are not going to be that easy to fix and repair. Repairing these floors will require a little skill and it would be a good idea to hire a professional to repair the damage. This is not going to be a simple fix and this is probably the main reason most people never choose to fix their sloping floors.

Fixing these floors will require either pouring a new concrete slab, replacing the wood floor framing members or replacing the actual building foundation itself. No matter how you look at it the sloping floor is going to be a costly item to repair.

What causes a sloping floor? Termite damage or dry rot destroying the wood framing or it could be as simple as a water leak over a long period of time causing the building foundation to sink and become out of level. Poor soil conditions with either too sandy or an expansive clay soil could be the culprit also.

Sloping floors can be damaged from incorrect landscape drainage. This would involve water settling around the foundation of your home and over a period of time the weight of the house along with soil problems can create the building to start sloping to one side.

The number one contributor to a sloping floor again like most damage done to a house is going to be water. Do your best to keep the water away from the house using roof gutters and landscape drains. These items are relatively inexpensive compared to the costs involved in repairing sloping floors.

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.

Find out more about Water Damage.

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