Both old and new homes should incorporate cat5 cable. This new house wiring standard is low voltage cable that provides options for networking appliances, telephone lines and computers all in one. Cat5 provides for future additions of these electronic devices-- and others we may not even have heard about yet!
If you are remodeling and have major roof and attic modification underway, now is a smart time to upgrade and add some other projects. Consider additional insulation, wiring, ventilation and wire conduits for starters. Adding one of the great central vacuum systems will also make your home more efficient and pleasant.
Ask your builder about special roof trusses that will gain storage space for your home. You can mix standard trusses with scissors, attic, or storage trusses, and avoid losing valuable space that is paid for but unusable. Call in a pro engineer before converting a traditional roof to a vaulted version.
Skylights bring light, stars and the outdoors in to other parts of your room. Constructing a skylight with a flared, rather than straight, shaft will gain much more light with a simple expansion. Consult a professional structural engineer before tearing into your trusses, however!
Dust control in the average home can be hard. There are many sources of dust. Paper, carpet, clothes, cardboard, flour, wood, etc. all can be sources of dust. Exterior wind-blown dust also enters through cracks and windows.
Your walls can fool you. Posing as an innocent non-load bearing wall, an interior wall may, in fact, be a prime load bearing wall. Check this photo.
These photos are typical of load bearing walls you will find in your home. Study these details to learn how loads are distributed and carried in a load bearing wall.
Natural stone is a highly desired construction material, but one that can empty the wallet with high labor and shipping costs. Cultured Stone® has been used for over thirty years and is much improved from its early days. Even with close examination, today's manufactured stone, made from concrete, can be very difficult to tell apart from natural stone. Except for the lack of weight and sans the hole in your pocket, cultured stone veneer products will fool the most discerning eye and can be used to create many exciting projects in and around your home.
Cultured Stone® is basically concrete mixed with aggregate and color pigments and shaped in special, detailed, molds to produce a real stone look and feel. Quality stone veneer products are, therefore, durable and made with solid color to avoid discoloration over their long service span. Maintain and clean artificial stone with common sense and these tips, and your Cultured Stone® projects will outlast you.
If you winterize your home, you can save lots of money. But beware of the scams that promise big savings if you spend money on large-scale improvements. Always do the math to make sure you can start to save money quickly. Some energy-savings projects may take many years before you start to really save money.
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