Home Improvement Tip - Fixing a Squeaky Floor

Question: I have a floor that every single time I step on it I get the most annoying sound. I don't know what it does to me or why it bothers me so much. My kitchen floor squeaks and actually moves up and down if you are standing on it. The whole floor moves. How do I stop it from moving and squeaking. Help Me Greg!

Answer: It sounds like you have a broken floor joist. You are going to have to go under your house. If you have a basement this will be a little easier to fix. It is my guess that you don't have a basement or you would have seen the broken floor joist by now.

Have someone stand on the floor in the spot that squeaks and have them move up and down while you are under the house. Don't have them jump up and down while you are under the house. This could cause more damage to the structural framing of the floor. Once you are in the right position under the floor you can have them start moving slowly. What you are looking for is one of the floor joist that are moving.

If you see one of them moving. Look to see where the damage is. Is it a split, crack, wood rot or a big knot in the wood that has loosened up and fell out. Once you find the damaged floor joist you can now think about repairing it.

If you don't see any floor joist moving. Have the person on top start moving a little bit more and you can even have them jump on it a few times until you see something out of place. If you still don't see any broken floor joist. Start looking at the sub-floor, this will be plywood of some form, 1 x 6 or 2 x 6 materials.

What you are looking for is movement of any kind. Is there a separation or movement between the sub-floor and the floor joist. If you still can't find the problem maybe it is time to call in a professional.

The main thing you are going to be looking for is movement of any kind.

Most squeaky floors are caused from the sub-floor rubbing up and down on a nail. If you have carpeting and you have a squeaky floor you can do your best to locate a floor joist and screw right through your carpeting into the floor joist.

For more help on fixing squeaky floors visit http://gregvan.com/wood_repair.htm

Thanks for the great question. I hope it helps.

Greg Vanden Berge has been in the home building and remodeling business for over 30 years. With this knowledge he has created a few websites that provide useful information for home owners as well as contractors. His main goal is to educate professionals in the home related businesses, dealing with problems that can easily be avoided with just a little bit of information.

His website http://gregvan.com provides all kinds of answers to remodeling and new house building issues that could create major damage as well as possible damage to your pocket book.

Visit us now for Home Improvement Tips

Impact Of Christian Mentors

How to Build a Room in Your Garden - Home Tips

Need extra living space but don't want to move? Building a room in the garden is a clever and cost-effective solution. Creating a separate room in the garden gives you a great getaway for work, hobbies, or just some piece and quiet.

'A garden room adds appeal to a house, making it attractive to all types of buyer, and a real draw for families,' says James Redington from Foxtons.

What are my choices?

The simplest cabin or summer house is similar to a shed, with either shiplap walls and cedar roof shingles or a log-cabin construction. These are usually supplied in pre-fabricated panels and, if you're a skilled DIYer, you could put one up yourself. More advanced ones, with sliding glass doors or a deck, for example, will need to be built on site by a specialist. Once the concrete base or piles are in, installation can take from one day to two weeks.

Limitations and security

Avoid positioning the garden room near growing trees, and ensure there's access for maintenance. You'll also need to think about access for delivery, though panels could be carried through the house.

As for securing your garden room, it's best to fit locks on doors and choose toughened glass. Check that the locks comply with your home insurance requirements. It's worth considering external lights, a burglar alarm and Venetian blinds to prevent anyone seeing in.

Can I use it all year round

If you insulate well and fit double-glazed windows, you'll be fine for the colder months. An electrician can run a cable from your house to the room to power lights and heating. In some cases, downlighters, sockets and wiring may be pre-installed in the panel walls.

How to use your garden room

Plan your room to ensure it's fit for purpose.

Home office Companies such as Henley will kit out your office with fitted furniture.

Gym Equipment can be bulky, so you'll need a large room. It's also an investment, so ensure your security is up to scratch.

Games room

You'll need plenty of space to play table games - L247cm x W153cm for a table tennis table, for example.

Music room

Use a company that specialises in sound-proofing.

What permission do I need and how much will it cost?

If your building is away from the house, takes up less than 50% of the garden and is smaller than 15sq m, or in some cases 30sq m, you're unlikely to need planning permission or Building Regulations Approval. However, there are exceptions - such as if you intend to use the room for sleeping - so check online at planningportal.gov.uk, and consult your local council's planning department.

Prices start from 439 for a Buckingham summerhouse (H213cm x W198cm x D205cm) from B&Q to around 22,600 for a bespoke design from Inside Out.

You can find more information on interior design ideas at house to home, helping you create a look you'll love.

Drywall Manufactured in China is Not Dry - Neither is it Safe

Respiratory issues, other health problems and frequent appliance failures are only a few of the problems claimed to be caused by "Chinese Drywall". Drywall is a flat board made from gypsum plaster. It is used to create interior walls for its economical cost, smooth appearance and fire-resistance. However, it seems that many Florida homeowners are having problems in homes where drywall manufactured in China has been installed.

The housing boom in the early-mid part of the decade has been noted as the beginning of this problem. Normally, drywall is bought from domestic producers, but the boom caused shortages, so some home builders, particularly in Florida, purchased drywall shipped in from China. Only a few years later, in 2009, there appears to be something rotten in the State of Florida.

Home owners have reported everything from sore throats to unexplained personality changes in their pets. Everything in between includes: respiratory problems, headaches and nosebleeds, pet ill health, nasty sulfur odors with no apparent source and a general feeling of malaise. Homeowners with young children or those who are expecting are refusing to return to the houses they bought, for fear it might damage their children's health.

Despite the Florida Department of Health's assurance that there is "no immediate health threat", homeowners remain unconvinced about the "un-immediate" health threats lurking in their homes. The experience of some homeowners, who felt 'miraculously' better when traveling away from their residences for an extended period of time, has convinced many that the problem lies within the homes and could constitute a threat to their continued health and safety.

One theory is that the drywall isn't gypsum at all, but a less appetizing mix of waste from power plant scrubbers. This would explain the high content of sulfur-based gases that are being emitted from some of the drywall examined, and for the rapid deterioration of electrical connections and household appliances. Some gases named as being present in tested board include hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide, carbon disulfide, and carbonyl sulfide. Fumes from hydrogen sulfide can cause severe respiratory distress and death.

Sulphur-based gases produce something else when they come into contact with moisture: sulfuric acid, which eats away at many materials like a beaver in an aspen grove. This can explain while many people have gone through three or more appliances in five years when the appliance itself should be lasting for ten or twenty. Air conditioners, TVs and other common household appliances are being affected as well as medical equipment. While not having a TV working can be an annoyance, not having one's dialysis machine or heart monitor functioning can be serious or even fatal.

The drywall problem, combined with other issues relating to toxic materials found in other items produced in China is leading to a demand for tighter regulations and inspections. Also, for provisions that address the needs of homeowners faced with homelessness because they dare not re-enter their homes due to health concerns. Some home builders are addressing this by relocating families while they conduct tests, but many homeowners are fighting with their home builders who say that there is no appreciable health risk.

The "Chinese drywall" problem is something we are likely to hear more about in the very near future. For now, it behooves those who are purchasing new homes to find out where their drywall comes from and avoid anything with a "Made in China" label.

Jerry Clifford has received the prestigious 100% Club award for his success as a real estate agent in the Minneapolis real estate area. He is certified as an ePRO and prides himself on attention to detail. If you need help in your search for Plymouth Minnesota real estate, visit JerryClifford.com.

Developing Wealth Building Habits

If you want to be successful, you need mentors or in other words find people that have succeeded. These people can include the ultra rich like Bill Gates or Warren Buffett, but don't forget about the people around you that have created good wealth building habits.

Some of the people have great advice and will need to be listened to very intently, while others need to be put on a list and never spoken to again. If you're going to be developing wealth building habits, you're going to need some advice from wealthy people. Let me make myself clear, when I'm talking about developing wealth building habits, I'm not talking about spiritual, knowledge, Biblical or religious wealth. I'm talking about making money, as much money as you desire or feel you need.

Wealth building habits start with you. Ask yourself this question "how bad do I want or desire wealth?" Really, really, really bad or are you the kind of person that would like to be rich, but that's as far as it goes. Developing any of these habits does not include sleeping in until 11 o'clock in the morning and then complaining the rest of the day about your finances.

Bill Gates used to work 16 hours a day. How many days a week did he do that? These are the questions you're going to find the answers to. If you're interested in making $50 million, you need to find someone who can teach you, how to make $50 million.

It won't be necessary to contact Warren Buffett but I would advise you to gather as much information about him as possible. Wealth building habits start with learning about wealthy people. If they get up at four o'clock in the morning and read the newspaper until six o'clock, then exercise for 30 minutes and start working at seven o'clock, you need to start doing this also. Developing good wealth building habits over time are what most successful businessman and women have been doing for years. Study their habits and start changing yours.

If you do something every day, it will usually become a habit within 30 days.

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development.

Greg is currently working on a self help video library filled with great movies on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion.

Are Your Prayers Being Answered

Your Blissful Life - Your Definition

The beauty of your blissful life is the simple fact that it is all yours! You, and only you, define exactly what it means to you, in every part of your life. There have never been two individuals wanting exactly the same thing in every part of their lives. While they may share some common desires, they will have unique meanings for their respective blissful lives. Just as each of us are a unique beautiful people, so is our definition of our blissful life! As you execute the process of defining your blissful life, you are creating a work of art that is all you. Your work of art is you in all your beauty and glory.

How can each of us have such a unique definition for the same object of our desires? Let me explain;

As I discussed in earlier articles, we are all made up of many components or parts. Recall also that all of these aspects or parts are unique to each and every one of us. It is because of this that we all place different values on our various parts. l place a certain value or importance on my professional career while you place a completely different value or importance on yours. You may place greater importance on your relationship with your friends (your friends part) as opposed to your professional career. Everyone you know such as your significant other, mother, father, and siblings, acquaintances etc. will all place various parts higher or lower on their importance scale when compared to yours.

The importance that we each place on our various parts uniquely defines not only who we are and how we act; it also uniquely defines your blissful life. The reason that you are currently reading this article is you, for some reason, feel a need to redefine, re-rank, resolve a conflict within or between your parts, or to define new parts and integrate them into yourself. This is your unique definition. This is how you identify, compare, and take action on a daily basis, in every moment. Everything you do is driven to satisfy and achieve the definition you have for your parts which, when combined, define yourself as a person.

After completing my this and my next two articles, you will have identified all of your parts, ranked them in order of importance to yourself and your life, and what you want your blissful life to look, sound, and feel like to you.

For me, your blissful life means a balance between my parts that allowed me to assist others in achieving their goals while providing a satisfactory standard of living. It also means that I have the freedom and permission from myself to continue to grow and discover more about myself and the world I live in, no matter what! To me this means that there are no silly or ridiculous ideas or paths. I have given myself permission to explore all of them, no matter where they might lead. I have learned that in order for me to live my blissful life, I must be true to myself, my ideals, my thoughts, my intuition, and my feelings. When I do this, I can do anything, be anything, and discover anything I desire. When I am doing this and helping others enrich their lives that I am truly living my blissful life.

Take some time now to reflect;

Review your list of parts my previous article Your Blissful Life: The Struggle Within.

Review all of the parts you identified after reading the article.

Have you discovered any other parts? If so, note them here.

Mr. Timothy A. McGinty is the published co-author of the highly regarded Wake Up... Live the Life You Love series. This series is a collaborative effort with such inspirational leaders as Tony Robbins, Dr. Wayne Dyer, Brian Tracey, Steven E, and Lee Beard.

Mr. McGinty is also the author of "Your Blissful Life", a book which takes the reader by the hand and walks them through a process for defining their "Blissful Life" and the action plan for achieving it.

Imagine Yourself... is an organization focused on enabling clients "breakthrough" in achieving their success. Mr. McGinty has helped many organizations and individuals discover their passion, define the life balance they seek, develop strategies for achieving that balance, and held them accountable for reaching their goals. His clients have been so successful that Mr. McGinty is known as "The Breakthrough Guy"

Imagine Yourself...
13477 Prospect Rd. Suite 204
Strongsville, Ohio 44149
Telephone: 440-236-6519
Web: http://www.timothymcginty.com
E-mail: tim@timothymcginty.com

Before Starting Home Renovations

With talks of recession and the cost of oil skyrocketing, consumers are becoming more energy conscience in their daily lives. The talk around the patio this summer is the low interest rates on vehicles and other promotional items to encourage them to continue purchasing the "typical" gas guzzling vehicle. The conversation may flow towards the new hybrid cars available from various companies. One conversation that happens rarely is how consumer's can make their homes more energy efficient.

Consumers tend to change their old 20 year old furnace when it "konks" out and no longer provides heat. Windows are replaced when the old windows are no longer aesthetically appealing. Insulation in the basement is added when they decide to refinish and the attic insulation is never a concern. Consumer's today have more knowledge of their vehicles than they do their largest investment.

The ecoEnergy Program, launched in 2007, by the Federal Government provides the education that a homeowner requires when making energy efficient decisions. As a bonus, Natural Resources Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Energy provides up to $10,000 in grants when making Energy Efficient upgrades. The education received by having an ecoEnergy evaluation is priceless. Homeowners are educated on how their home operates as a system and how one component is vital to another component in the house. Homeowners must have an initial evaluation prior to performing any Energy Efficient upgrades. This evaluation should include:

* Detailed certified examination

* Blower door test to determine air leakage

* Standby power loss demo

* Tour of air leakage sites

* Analysis of heating and cooling equipment

* Assessment of insulation values

* Comprehensive list of energy trouble spots

* Prioritized energy action list

* Official EnerGuide rating label

* Energy Saving Advice

* Complete report presentation on-site

As with any purchasing decision, it is always advisable to shop around and get three quotes for an ecoEnergy evaluation. Some advisor's provide the ecoEnergy report presentation on site, where others process the report in a central location where it is then mailed to homeowner within two weeks.

Once the preliminary evaluation is conducted the homeowner has 18 months to complete some or all of the renovations recommended. The ecoEnergy advisor returns to conduct another blower door test and document the upgrades performed in the home.

Lastly, the renovation contractor is the last person a homeowner will see when making their investment. It is always advisable to work with a contractor who, not only provides information about their product, but also encourages having an ecoEnergy evaluation performed on their home. A contractor who advises this to the homeowner is not threatened to 3rd party unbiased advice and has provided the homeowner the opportunity to receive the grants available and will put off the installation date (for a reasonable period of time) to keep their homeowner satisfied.

About the Writer

Trina Stewart has been working with Renovation Contractors and homeowners since 1996. She has been intimately involved with various programs including the Window Wise National Certification Program, Energuide for Houses Program, and ecoEnergy. Her reputation as being an information source for contractors, homeowners, local utilities, municipalities, and other organizations has contributed to her success in the renovation industry.

Trina Stewart is the President of Trina Stewart Consulting which offers consulting and virtual administration services to businesses across The Golden Triangle and the GTA. She is currently Marketing Development Specialist for The House Whisperers (http://www.thehousewhisperers.ca), an ecoEnergy Service Organization servicing BC and Ontario.

Decorative Mirrors - What's More to Mirrors Than Its Face Value?

Every homeowner aspires to improve the look and feel of their homes. The main motive of this is the need to make our homes stylish, more appealing to us and enticing to our guests who visit our humble abode.

One of things that you might want to consider to add more flare to your home is to make use of decorative mirrors. "Why use mirrors you may ask; is there really more to it than its face value?" The answer to that is a definite yes! More than mirroring image, they too can be used to jazz up your home and add that stylish touch to it. More and more people nowadays have been looking into and making use of decorative mirrors in augmenting the aura in the room and that splash of fashion to their interior design. Most people would even tell about how decorative mirrors as pieces can be also useful in different ways.

Decorative mirrors may just be that extra piece that you need to spice up that room. Their affordability and simplicity fits your pocket and addresses that need to decorate. There are two basic uses of the mirror which you may consider -- usefulness and its decorative function. Mirrors serve vanity purposes and they may also create the illusion of spaciousness. Another thing to consider is where the decorative mirror will be placed. Identifying the spot it will be occupying in your home is essential in helping you figure out the right move and the ideal positioning it would take there.

Matching may come as challenge most especially for existing fixtures which are painted or stained. Mirrors from different produces come in different varieties posing difficulties in getting the best fit to it. Instead of matching, mixing by trying a different color is rather suggested instead. Going for an unusual overall finish allows more room in achieving a fixed and focused look. Smaller rooms work best with decorative mirrors which are mounted on walls or placed on table tops. With the right positioning, they can open up the room and help create that feeling of a larger space or bring in some affinity with nature by reflecting the outdoors. It is important though that in mixing, one should be cautious about blending that of the modernist from that of conventionalist as you may not achieve the look you are aiming for and would end up confusing the patterns.

The next question to ask yourself though is, how much are you willing to spend for this fixture? Price ranges of mirrors may vary anywhere from $100 to $1000. Once you've made up your mind on the features and specifics of what you are looking for, the hunt for the perfect item will come easy. To all its essence, decorative mirrors definitely have a way of giving that added touch to your dwelling.

Allison Ayson writes for Jump2top.com - SEO Company

Surviving As A Contractor In California

So you want to make big money making a living as a contractor in the state of California. Well now I bet you have seen contractors on TV or maybe you know someone who is a contractor. You see these men and women playing the part as Mr. or Mrs. Money bags. If you have the slightest thought that becoming a contractor will provide you with a life of riches think again.

Most contractors that I know and have worked with over the years don't think of there jobs as easy. They have to work everyday and a lot into the night doing estimates or meeting with potential clients because they are to busy during the day. The life of most contractors in the beginning will be difficult to say the least. But if successful you will make a great living for yourself and your family.

Now that we got the false illusion of the contractor answering his cell phone all day at some nice golf course having lunch talking about the money that he just made selling his oil stocks. We can start on reality. If being a contractor was that easy everyone would be a contractor. Right..... Well maybe not everyone.

I have been a contractor for over 22 years and in construction for 30 year. I have seen a lot of changes over the years. I remember when a few contractors that I worked for made a lot of money during the late 1970's. These guys had Ferraris and money to burn with one exception they had no idea how to save any of it. These guys went on vacations and bought extravagant toys for them selves. Out of most of the big framing contractors I worked for about 10 percent are still in business or actually saved their money during the good times so that they could make it through the bad times.

These contractors never thought it was going to end. Life on easy street that is. But it did and most went by the way side. I guess that is the nature of business. Especially the current economic business cycles that we seem to go through over the years. If you don't have the money to advertise or carry a payroll. Your business is going to suffer during the bad times. Sure there is credit and bank loans but you still have to pay that money back. IF you can't save your money stash some away for advertising.

Some of the best advice I can give a contractor anywhere especially in the state of California is " Don't Think The Great Times Of Easy Money Will Last Forever". Save some of the money you make just in case you need to get through the bad times. You will thank me for this latter, Some time down the road. Take this advice and put it into action starting right now.

Greg Vanden Berge has over 30 years of experience in residential home building and remodeling. This provides you with the comfort of knowing that you have a professional with the knowledge and skills to complete your construction projects in a timely manner.

Our low overhead along with our new online estimating system will provide you with the most competitive construction pricing in the area. We continue to educate ourselves about the new home improvement books and building systems in the construction industry. If we have any doubt that something might not work we don't use it. We have found some of these products to be the root of some major home building problems.

Click on the Home Remodeling Ideas to get more information and a possible online estimate for your home improvement project.

Does God Make Mistakes

Employee Motivation Games

Every year at the major company event there are employee motivation games to play. Most of us dislike these games because the majority of them seem silly and pointless. Why waste our time with this is what employees usually complain about.

However, help is on the way. Out of all the employee motivation games played this one seems the favorite. Try a company scavenger hunt. The nice thing about this game is it does not have to be done during a major company event, although right before yearly inventory for smaller companies seems to be a good time. This will work for all companies. Large and small alike. You just need to have a set of company information for the employees to find out.

The reason the scavenger hunt is my favorite of all employee motivation games is that it is easy to set up and easy to play. It is also relatively fun. First, get a list of company information that you want the employees to find out. It can be date of incorporation, date the first product was sold/manufactured, who was the founder, what is the best selling product, and the list goes on. Once you have a set of information you divide the employees into teams. You can set departments against each other or you can have other ways of making teams. Set a time frame, especially if some of the items are hard to find or locate. Have everyone meet back at the designated time and declare the winner or winners. Be sure to have a prize for the winning team or teams.

This is a great game because it is different from the usual employee motivation games. The game is actually educational in nature. Instead of wasting time with seemingly pointless tasks, it actually teaches the employees about the company they work for. The more knowledge employees have about the company they work for, the better they are able to understand and relate to its mission statement and vision. By empowering employees with knowledge, you are inviting them to stay. Isn't this a fun and interesting way to help improve employee retention rates

For more employee motivation tips, please visit our site:

Employee Motivation

Also available at: http://employee-motivation-about.info/Employee_Motivation_Games.htm

What You Need To Know About Home Improvement Remodeling

Have a specific plan of what you want done.

Before you even start, it's important to know what exactly it is you want to do. Do you want to completely redo the kitchen, or do you want to put in a new shower in a bathroom? Browse magazines for ideas, or ask friends whose homes you like what exactly they did. From there, you can know whether or not you can do it yourself or if you will have to hire someone.

In addition, planning thoroughly is important because it could affect the outcome of other projects. For example, let's say you want to add siding to your home. You will need to check if there are other repairs or things that could influence the siding, such as windows, paint, and so forth.

You will also want to prioritize your projects. For example, if you only have the budget for one project, and you need a new roof but would also like to redo your master bathroom, the new roof should take priority.

It's also a good idea to check local laws and ordinances before you begin remodeling. Make sure your homeowner's association allows the project you would like to do, so you don't end up wasting money if they don't approve it and you're already halfway finished.

Create a budget.

First, determine how much you want to spend. Then, you can determine whether you can tackle all the projects at once, or whether you will need to break them up and work on one this year, another next year, and so forth.

When making a budget, make sure you take into account not just materials, but labor and clean-up too. Costs you may not think about, like renting industrial vaccums, carpet cleaning, or dumpsters can add up.

That said, most experts will tell you it's a good idea to have a little extra set aside just in case, as many remodeling projects go over budget. Or, the home owners decide they would like to add something new; for example, if they originally planned on replacing countertops and then ended up putting in new cabinetry as well.

Consider timing

The time of year you decide to do remodeling will make a difference as well. Some things are obvious - you don't want to wait until summer is half over to install central air, nor do you want to put a swimming pool in in the dead of winter.

Spring is often an ideal time for remodeling for a number of reasons. The weather is usually ideal, and most people have recovered from the costs of the holiday season.

Home improvement remodeling is an exciting way to add not only value to your home, but to make it a more pleasant place to live. By careful planning and budgeting, you can make the most of your home improvement.

HomeBuildingRemodeling.com is your source for top quality home building, remodeling and home decorating information. For free articles delivered daily by email, visit http://www.HomeBuildingRemodeling.com and enter your name and email under the Free Home Building and Remodeling Updates section.

New Versus Old Lumber - Structural Failure

During my 30 years of remodeling and building new homes. I have ran across quite a bit of structural framing failures. I find myself answering this question a lot when explaining to a homeowner about the structural failure I am repairing on their home, "Why Didn't They Use Better Lumber" or " Why Didn't They Use Larger Lumber." I really have a hard time answering these questions because I honestly don't know the answer.

However I can try to use some logic and reason to give these people an answer that seems to make sense to both of us. Why didn't they use better lumber, quite simply because, with most older homes that were built before the 1970s they actually do have better lumber. Now you're probably thinking how can these homes have better lumber when the lumber is old versus the new lumber used in a brand new house.

Most of the structural repairs I have made over the years has nothing to do with the lumber and whether it was new or old. A large number of these repairs were caused by neglect and poor maintenance.

The lumber in most older houses are from older growth trees. Some of these trees were extremely large and only the premium parts of the trees were used. The premium lumber is cut farthest away from the center of the tree. Now the larger the tree it makes sense that there will be more premium lumber.

A large majority of the newer lumber used in home construction comes from trees about 6 inches in diameter. Now you're probably wondering how can they cut a 2 x 8 piece of lumber out of a 6 inch tree. Of course they cannot, the larger lumber comes from larger trees.

Most 2 x 4's that are less than 8 foot long can be cut from these trees. This scrap or waste that comes from cutting these two by fours will now go into engineered building materials like particleboard, oriented strand board and engineered beams. Another name for an engineered been would be a paralam.

I hope you're starting to get the picture now when it comes to using new or old lumber. There are companies that are going into old logging rivers and retrieving old growth lumber. These were logs that sank to the bottom of the river's and were never retrieved because it was too costly.

The old growth lumber is quite expensive. Who's to say what problems we will happen in the future from the newer products created with modern day technology. When it comes to building houses it is not an exact science and as contractors we have been repairing the damage from poor engineering for years.

When I use the word poor engineering I am not pointing fingers at engineers. We now have more knowledge about home construction then we had years ago.

New versus old lumber, who wins the battle. Only time will tell.

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 Structural Repairs.

Ask And You Might Receive Or Ask

Small Bath Tubs For Small Bathrooms

Most home owners are faced with the dilemma of how to install bath tubs in a small bathroom. You have two options to solve this dilemma. Either you do away with bath tub installation or you can use small bath tubs that will fit in your bathroom.

Small bath tubs can offer numerous benefits for you. That is why you have to make sure that a bath tub can be installed in your bathroom. Here are the advantages you can get from them and some tips on bath tub installation.

Health Benefits

Bath tubs have dual functions. You can use them to take a bath but they can also provide many healthy benefits. By soaking in a warm bath, you can effectively solve muscle pain problems and muscle soreness.

Muscle pains are common problems of most working people like you. It is not always advisable to take pain relievers because you can develop dependence on these medicines.

A warm bath every night is an effective alternative for taking pain relievers. And you can only achieve full body muscle relaxation if you have a bath tub at home. This way, you will feel reinvigorated and your pains can go away.

Warm bath is also very helpful for those with arthritis, rheumatism, and other types of joint pain problems. Soaking in a warm bath therefore can improve the quality of your life.

Use Small Bath Tubs to Save Bathroom Space

Using small bath tubs is a practical alternative to big and bulky tubs. You can save a lot of bathroom space if you use them. In fact you can install an overhead shower above the bath tub so you can take a bath immediately after soaking in the tub.

Most small tubs are short so you can easily install them in the corner area of your bathroom. This way, your tub will not hamper your movements in the bathroom.

How to Choose the Perfect Small Bath Tub

When buying one, always choose a deep soaking tub. A deep soaking bath tub will allow you to fully soak your body in it. Remember, these are shorter so if they are not the deep soaking types, they would be very difficult to use.

You must also find a small bath tub that has a built-in seat. This seat will allow you to comfortably recline inside the tub for a full body soaking. Without a built-in seat, it would be very uncomfortable to lie down inside the tub.

It is also best if you can find a walk-in small bath tub. A walk-in tub has a specially designed swing-in water tight door. This swing-in door will allow you to easily enter and get out of the tub.

A walk-in tub will be very useful for the elderly who have difficulty climbing in and out of the tub.

When you have a small bathroom, then there is no reason why you cannot install a tub. Just utilize small bath tubs that can fit perfectly into a corner. Because of its many benefits and advantages, you will not regret your decision to install one in your bathroom.

George Edmondson is an accomplished writer who specializes on small bath tubs help and advice. If you want to learn more about small batch tubs, simply visit http://www.bathtubsguide.com.

Best Seller Books on Relationships May Make a Fool of You, Read This Before You Decide

If a break up happened between you and your ex, you may be interested in reading books on relationships. But how do you determine which books are really worthy of your time and money you will spend on them, and there are many books there in the marketplace?

In this article, I will give you some general advice that will help you choose the most suitable books on relationships. So be ready for the facts that few people know about.

First thing you have to do is, not to be fooled by well-chosen words that come in the letter after the author's name. Actually many authors consider school and classrooms as their sanctuaries from the tough life outside. As a result, they end up with a lot of letters after their names when they hit are still young, but they don't have real experience from engaging with people and realize the real situation on the ground. They use the certificate and degrees to make you feel they are real life expert while the truth are they are experts behind the luxurious desks and their range of expertise is highly theoretical. I doubt this kind of expertise will work in a real life situation.

Instead, you should look for books on relationships by authors who have survived their own dilemma and break up situations, or have helped people form their own close circle do the same. Or they just give you a general advice and charge you for their fifty minutes hour as a relationship therapist.

Next, you don't want to find books that simplify the whole situation to "work on yourself for 30 days and leave your relationship aside." This is not a good recipe, although it is popular in the relationship books and reports. Many of the e-books on the market make this as their main idea and they surround it with a 50 pages of fluff and filler, these types of e-books don't deserve your hard earned money to spend nor your precious time to read.

Instead, you should search for a book that will give you fresh ideas, things you had never heard of before, things that will entice the positive change deep in your soul.

For instance, will these books tell you what the woman think of most when you break up with her? Will it give you a simple real life coaching and give you specific things to do and to practice? Will the book show you how to save your own heart and mind after an unsuccessful affair? Will it give you some proven-to-work techniques to end your pain and enjoy peace of mind?

Finally, look at the recommendations of the book. Do the testimonials seem genuine and from the heart?

You want to find books on relationships that helped a wide range of people, from all paths of life, and representing all the social levels if it looks like both a 20 years old guy from South Africa and a 35 years woman from Missouri have used the book and were impressed, chances are this is a useful book.

The marketplace is over-saturated with these kinds of books. Unfortunately, most of them are twaddle because they were not written by someone who has a real life experience.

Finding the best books on relationships is considered as a research and a quest. Actually you will need hard work and determination to maintain a successful relationship. Should not you invest the time and money to find out what is the best of the best from them?

Ayman Dweck has survived a broken relationship and healed his broken heart, he had helped many people around him to do the same, you can read about his experience in this Free Squidoo Report.

And to read more about the best books that can help you survive a break up situation and continue with a successful plan to get your ex back you might want to Check this knol page

Planning Your Bathroom Remodel Budget - Home Improvement Ideas

As a bathroom remodeling contractor, I get calls from people, that have no idea what they want or how much anything is going to cost. Here's some simple tips that can be very helpful when planning a bathroom remodel budget.

Bathroom Remodeling Investment

In 2008, the average mid-range bathroom cost around $16,000 and you could recoup around $12,000 of your original investment upon the sale of your home. According to a popular remodeling magazine, larger bathrooms using expensive fixtures, tile, bathtubs, woodworking, toilets and showers had an average of $52,000. Upon the sale of a home, you could recoup around $36,000 of your original investment.

Finding out How Much Things Cost

My first suggestion, would be to visit your local home improvement center, lumber yard or plumbing supply warehouse. Larger stores like Home Depot and Lowe's, seemed to provide you with value pricing but don't have a large selection. While doing some research on the Internet I noticed that some of their pricing is outrageously, outrageous. Some plumbing supply warehouses can provide value but beware others won't.

Create a List of Bathroom Remodeling Parts

You can get a good idea of your bathroom remodel costs for your budget by making a list of bathroom parts with pricing and then adding them up for a grand total. If you're a total bathroom remodel budget is $15,000 and you have a $6,000 bathtub with $4000 worth of tile, you could have a budget problem.

Figuring out the Labor

You will have to contact a contractor to get an actual cost for the labor. Sometimes you can double the cost of your bathroom remodeling parts to get a rough idea. If you have a list or a couple of lists and a few pictures of some sample bathrooms, this will make the contractor's job easier and often they can give you a labor price within a few days.

Give Yourself a Cushion

I would suggest leaving yourself a small financial cushion for any additional remodeling items. For example, you could see a different toilet, or instead of painting the walls, you now choose to wallpaper, you could incur additional expenses that you haven't planned for. If you know exactly what you want and stick to the original bathroom remodeling plan, you shouldn't need the cushion.

Financial problems often transfer into construction problems, so spend some time figuring out, how much money you want to spend on the bathroom remodel and try not to go overboard on the budget. I hate to see homeowners struggling with home improvement loan payments. Try to create a bathroom remodeling budget that is realistic and will not create a financial burden upon you or your family.

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 has just finished a home buyers guide to take some of the frustration out of home shopping.

If your looking for some more bathroom remodeling or home building ideas.

Ask And You Might Receive Or Ask

Self Help Technique to Developing a Stronger Vocabulary

We all know that people who have a stronger command of the English Language are considered smart and intelligent. This means more people are willing to listen to them and hear their words, even confide in them with problems and ask for solutions. If you can increase your vocabulary, you will find yourself and your career moving up in the world.

But how can one go about increasing their vocabulary, isn't that an awful lot of work and rote memorization you ask? Well, yes it is some work and yes, you will have to memorize many new words to insure that your new vocabulary is proficient and yet if you will apply a tactical program to combat this problem and a long-term approach, you will find yourself well on your way.

The best way I have found to increase my vocabulary is to take one page in the dictionary each day and read those words 10 times throughout the day, and make sure you use each word twice in a sentence or an email throughout the day. You will have to get rather creative to do this, but that makes it fun. I recommend you get a small dictionary with no more than 365 pages.

Believe me there will be plenty of new words you can add even in a small dictionary. The words that are hardest to use in a sentence are the words that are least likely used and thus, you will actually remember them much easier. Please think on this self-help technique and strategy to assist you in developing a stronger vocabulary and please start today!

Oh and if someone asks you why you are carrying around a dictionary all the time, tell them, they may also need to increase their vocabulary and will surely thank you later, they always do.

Lance Winslow - Lance Winslow's Bio. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/.

Applying Programming to Life

I never knew I would be doing so much programming professionally. I grew up wanting to be an artist. Drawing was my thing; I drew a lot and loved doing it. I loved Disney cartoons and comic book superheroes. I didn't care about the great European painters. My parents would always say that artists didn't make any money and that I'd starve to death as an artist. I was way too young to care much about money so that didn't mean anything to me.

Life progressed and I basically fell into programming. I only learned how to code to make games--I also only drew because I wanted to make comic books and cartoons. I don't really do much programming outside of work these days and drawing has fell completely off the radar. I'm mostly engaged in politics, economics, money, and business now. But, I have been programming for a good many years professionally and on my own and there are a few incredible parallels to life that I've discovered.

You Don't Need to Know How

This is the single most important idea from programming that applies to life. You don't need to know how you'll get something done, you just need to believe you can do it. Very often when I am making a game, I have no idea how I am going to implement a feature. Either because I've never done it before or I've never heard of or seen anyone else do it. The latter is highly unlikely as I don't really do cutting edge stuff. The former is quite common. I consider this part of my job rather exciting--some people would have heart attacks. I'm not a veteran at making games and I never went to school for games or programming--my degree is in Marketing but, I can code.

In all the programming I've done, be it for a game or an application, there has been no feature that I've not been able to implement. It has very little to do with how good I am--I don't think I'm that good. Once you believe you can, your mind has this incredible power to find the means to get it done. I strongly believe that this is also true in life. Don't worry about how you'll reach a goal and absolutely don't think that you cannot. Just believe you can and as if by magic, you'll find a way to do it. There are a multitude of things in life that I've managed to accomplish without knowing how. I mean, I'm making games for a living. It had been a dream of mine to do that and like most dreams, it seemed far-off and almost impossible. I didn't know how I was going to do it and I didn't question it--after all, I was just a kid. I set the objective, believed it would come to be, and set forth towards it.

I know that this blind faith is ludicrous to some people. There isn't any other way for me to explain it. I know it works since I use it all the time. Of course, it doesn't mean things will all happen smoothly with no bumps along the way. To compare it to programming again, I'm often stuck for hours or days trying to figure out how to do something. It gets frustrating and almost impossible but, I keep at it trying different ways and thinking differently and then I find the answer. Always.

The problem lies more in the fact that we are more likely to give up on our own life objectives than on finding a solution at work. Think about it, I'm sure you have managed to solve a seemingly impossible problem at work by simply believing you can or because there was no other alternative; your boss wanted it done. We don't have a boss to make sure we reach our life objectives and so it is easy to put it on hold or just give up on it. So remember: you don't need to know how, you just need to know you can.

It Can't All Be Perfect

There are times when I spend way too much time trying to write super efficient code when the brute force method works just as good and takes much less time to write. Granted, computer programs today seem to be written more and more poorly. My web browsers--FireFox and Internet Explorer-- are always crashing! New applications run slower on newer computers than their old counterparts on older computers. There is a nice middle ground between writing super lightweight efficient code and slow resource-hogging code. The key is to know where the middle ground is.

I have no magical formula to find it. A lot of it has to do with experience and intuition. In life, we don't always need perfection but, at the same time, we can't always have everything half-assed. Just from being alive, we have learned what is and isn't important in our lives. For those things that we care about, we should try to be as perfect as we can. They are important and so they deserve the extra attention. Just as we only have so much computing power to use, there is only so much time in a day. Pick and choose what is important and focus on those or we'll never get anything done.

Think By Not Thinking

Every so often, there are bugs--defects in a program--that are impossibly stubborn. I'll look over the code as carefully as I can several times and everything looks fine. I test and debug to try and locate the source of the problem and I can't find it. These problems will drive you insane, especially when you finally solve it later and find out that it was something ridiculously silly. How do these problems usually get solved? I do it by not thinking about them. As illogical as that sounds, it is probably the best way to find the answer. You just forget about it, go do something else, and all of sudden the solution will come to you. I assume my subconscious mind goes to work on it once I stop consciously thinking about it. The subconscious has the incredible ability to see details we miss.

If it is one thing we have too much of in life, it's problems. Problems from A to Z and it never seems to end. Sometimes they are small and sometimes they are not so small. Some people take small problems and make them big problems. The size of the problem is in the eye of the beholder. I take all problems and make them small problems. That way, I don't worry about them. Often, I have a problem that I don't have a good solution for so I put it aside for a while. I don't spend every waking moment focused on it. I'm aware it is there and I let my subconscious take care of it. These are generally non-urgent problems but, even the urgent ones might be best solved by making them small problems and letting your subconscious find the answer--it can work pretty fast too.

So how do we make problems seem small? Actually, we are just putting them into perspective. I read this in Whatever You Think Think The Opposite, by Paul Arden, and in one part it describes a son telling his father that he had a problem so his father asks if someone was trying to kill him. He says "no" and his father says, "Then, you don't have a problem." That is how I look at it. If no one is trying to kill me and no one is going to die, the problem isn't that big of a deal. Don't spend all your energy trying to find a solution to all your problems, you'll just go crazy from over-worrying. Relax, give it to your subconscious, and you'll be fine.

To wrap it up: you don't need to know how, you just need to know you can do accomplish things, everything can't be perfect so we should choose the important things to focus on, and our subconscious can handle a lot of our problems better than we can. Who knew such universal ideas could be found in programming?

Tommy Leung
http://www.supertommy.com

Record Your Home Improvements

Will that new HDTV and home entertainment center fit in your existing space, or will you have to remodel the room to make it fit? How can you communicate the size available vs. the size needed? Do you know what's there now and what was there previously?

What did your living room look like before you remodeled it? What will it look like after the furniture is re-arranged? Your inventory and photo records help make the job of moving furniture matching wall colors, and shopping for new wall and floor coverings a lot easier!

Begin by looking through the old photos taken during the holiday seasons or other occasions. They will help you put together a more detailed sketch of what the rooms looked like at earlier times. These will give you an idea of how the room looked at that time. They may also reveal before remodeling issues like walls or doorways that have been changed.

Now is the time to update views of your rooms. Take photos of various directions of the room. The color photos may even be taken without flash to give you a better idea of how natural window lighting impacts overall view and shadows in the room. Take photos at eye level when standing in the entry, seated in your favorite chair and from a child's eye view.

Copies of these photos can then be added to the room inventory that you develop and maintain from now on as you make changes and update room furnishings. Some of the current photo storage and software options permit storing the file off site. This can be extremely valuable if you ever have a flood, fire or other disaster.

A more valuable benefit of these records comes during the shopping phase prior to purchase of window coverings, wallpaper, paint, art, furniture or floor coverings. These references should also contain reference measurements like room width, room length and ceiling height. While you're measuring, don't forget to measure door widths and sketch out the locations and measurements for wall electrical outlets, hearing and air conditioning vents and registers.

With the current schedule of communication changes, especially HDTV, many consumers are purchasing new, larger screed HDTV units. While the sales people are very helpful at suggesting a larger screen format, you may find that it is just too big for the space available!

How do you plan to upgrade the present equipment and furnishings? Can you do it yourself? If you plan to have someone else do it like a local handyman or interior design or home furnishing company, your planning, outlined above can greatly reduce down time, cost and ultimate satisfaction with the finished job.

Dennis Bries
http://briespix.com Home and Yard Improvements don't 'just happen' they need to be planned.

Change Your Thinking About Life

What do I do when I get down and out. Well that use to happen to me often and I seemed to suffer with some minor depression. It would seem like time would stand still. I would look at the clock and notice the time. Let's say 2:23 in the afternoon. I would look back to see what time it was about fifteen minutes latter and it would be 2:26. Wow what in the heck is going on with this clock.

I just couldn't believe it seemed like the day would never end. I would just sit there and think about all the stuff going on in my life, good and bad of course. This seemed to last until I was in my early twenties. I just didn't want to feel like this any more. I made a Conscious design not to get depressed period. I never wanted to feel like that again.

I read a book on ESP and in the book it described visualizing a rose as you went to sleep. I started doing this every night and while I was doing the exercise it seemed to make me feel relaxed in a way I never had felt before. The reason for the exercise was to teach you to visualize something peaceful. This in turn would put you in a peaceful state of mind.

Then a thought came into my noggin. What if when ever I start to feel bad or seem to be going into a sort of depressive state of mind I change my thoughts. It worked... I would start to visualize something else that made me feel comfortable and give me a peaceful feeling. Man was I surprised with my results.

Keep in mind I didn't think of this all on my own but I did put the pieces of the puzzle I needed to together that I needed to change my life. It seemed like I could use this form of self control in different parts of my life. If I was at work and someone made me mad.... Well this didn't work all the time... I still got mad. Let's pick something else OK.

I would worry about something on the job that wasn't going right. Then I would get irritated over something else that wasn't even related to what I was worrying about. Why did I take it out on the other person when what I was really mad about was something else. We do this all the time in our lives. We seem to get mad, get even or give up. Why do we do this and what can we do to stop it.

My main point to all of this is we can change our thinking and change our lives. We can learn new things to change our thinking. We don't need to give up hope that we will always be like this. Change the things you don't like about yourself. Do it today. If you need some help there is a great book that will help you change your life for the better.

You can find it at http://www.live.spiritualideas.com This book has a lot of tools to create the change in your life you want to have a more full filling life.

Most people give up just when they're about to achieve success. They quit on the one yard line. They give up at the last minute of the game one foot from a winning touchdown. Ross Perot.

Start Living Your Dreams Today and Create a Wonderful Life For Yourself And Your Family. Greg Vanden Berge is one of the best inspirations on the planet. You will be hearing a lot about this guy in the future. You can count on it.

Nothing Will Be Impossible

Condo and Apartment Remodeling

With an urban area that is among the largest in the world not only in terms of size but in growth of most every industry, New York is 'the place to be' for many people. The ever increasing sprawl in the Big Apple has caused the housing costs to be well beyond the economic reach. This brought rise to the popularity of apartment and condo complexes. In the life of these living units, changes may be needed. Remodeling condo and apartment complexes is ideal not only for tenants wanting to boost property value but also for new owners wanting to inject their own style into their living space and those already living for years and want something new without the hassles of moving into another place.

Condo and apartment remodeling is not an easy task, especially if you are aiming at a project involving the exterior. Such real estate pieces makes use and share common facilities such as heating systems, elevators, hallways and other areas outside personal spaces. Changes on such facilities are generally not permitted.

For larger projects with planned exterior renovations, you have to consider several paperworks before getting on with the condo and apartment remodeling job. First off, researching on the governing rules imposed by the home owners association with which your space may fall under is vital. As these types of living spaces consider a harmonious look an important aspect in the selling point, some changes may or may not be permitted. Not following these rules may lead to higher costs including added maintenance in adapting the original facility design or liability to the association. Other documents that need to be acquired for large, external remodeling may include the architectural blueprints, building contract and a city's permit application.

Typically, minor NYC condo and apartment remodeling that involves only the interior including changes in the non-structural walls does not pose any issues with homeowners associations. As spaces in these living units are often limited, there are certain renovations that may be done to make the area seem larger and keep things better organized. Creatively adding new cabinets can help in minimizing everyday clutter. Recessed lighting can also add to the illusion of having a much spacious area. There are many things that you may do to your condo or apartment to match it with your lifestyle and taste. This includes soundproofing an area or the whole living unit, repainting, adding conventional appliances, renovation of kitchens and/ or bathrooms, and lighting.

In condo and apartment remodeling, another important thing to consider is hiring a reputable NYC contractor. Whether the project would be big or small, letting competent hands handle the dirty job would prove extremely beneficial especially if you are not a contractor yourself or have no idea and experience at all about fixing things. You would be saving more time and would be able to enjoy the changes in the littlest time of wait possible. Money is always a big issue, but with an able NYC contractor, you are assured of lesser mistakes, minimized risk of having back-jobs and lesser costs in maintenance.

Eugene Makeev has been in the home improvement industry for a while. His skills and expertise, which have been polished through time, are now used to help New York home owners avoid the common pitfalls in home improvements by matching their needs with the right, prescreened NYC contractor. To know more about NYC apartment and condo remodeling, visit Contractors New York.

When to Hire a Contracted Painter

Professional help is something that all homeowners should look into when remodeling their home. The skill and training that these contractors possess can make a project go very smoothly and with relative ease, something that many projects are in desperate need of. When considering home improvement, it is important to remember how difficult and complicated the work can get.

Finding a contracted painter can be the saving grace that a home improvement project is screaming for. Many homeowners get in over their heads when it comes to remodeling their house and bite off way more than they can chew. Avoiding this scenario is obviously the best advice for homeowners, but when avoidance is no longer an option, calling a contracted painter can help to smooth things over and get the project back on track. Often times, this is what homeowners need to ensure that the project is completed in a timely manner and with the best quality possible.

Getting in way over their head is a practice that many homeowners unfortunately grow accustomed to. When things seem bleak and they do not know what to do, it is a good idea to call somebody who does. Usually this is a professional contractor with the experience necessary to get a project out of deep water and back on the right track. When things get too hairy for the homeowner to handle themselves, finding a professional that knows what they are doing and perhaps has dealt with similar situations before will get the homeowner out of trouble and can save the project before it goes down the drain.

Obviously, the best way to avoid situations like this is to be completely honest about the skills the homeowner possesses. If the project is out of their ballpark, they should consider hiring a contracted painter from the get go. Too often do homeowners think that they know what they are doing and that painting is something that anybody can pick up in no time. They quickly find out, however, that exterior painting is much more complex than many may think. It can get out of hand quickly, and for many can become a nightmare if they do not know what they are doing.

Planning the project may help to alleviate some of the stress many homeowners feel during the project. A well-laid plan often means a smooth project. Developing an idea to the point that both the homeowner and the contractor know where they want the project to go will help to move things along nicely. If all parties are on the same page, then everybody will be able to work towards a common goal. Knowing where things are headed is often the key in making the correct call when things get out of hand or problems present themselves.

Hiring a contracted painter is one of the smartest things homeowners do when dealing with home improvement and remodeling projects. Having a good contractor handling the painting, homeowners can focus on other areas of the project or can just sit back and relax knowing their remodel is in good hands.

More information on http://www.collegeworksestimates.com College Works Painting home repair for your home is just a click away.

Structural Framing Beams

Let's start with the beams. They can be Glulam, Parallam, Microlam or even wood beams. What are all of these and why do I need them in my house. The beams are used to hold up parts of the house and are located in your walls, roofs and floors. Beams are used to transfer a load from one point to another.

Structural framing beams allow the architect to create large openings, floors and roofs in your house. The beams are also used to support the weight over the doors, windows and other openings in your home. These beams support massive amounts of weight in some cases and are even made of steel if needed.

Another growing problem is the lack of old growth trees in the forest. If we just used wood beams with out using the new engineered beams we would have to cut down a lot more of the bigger trees. So you can add these guys to your Christmas list. The lumber or wood engineers have come up with all sorts of alternatives for new building products. These new beams are just some of them. Keep up the good work guys...

Glulam is a engineered wood product comprised of wood laminations, or 2 x 4s that are bonded together with strong, waterproof adhesives. If you use a Glulam beam on the buildings exterior you will have to order a exterior Glulam beam. In this case the manufacture will use special exterior rated glues for the beam.

When ordering any wood engineered beams specify to the lumber yard what you are using the beam for. Exterior or Interior of the building. If you use a interior glulam over time there is a good chance of the beam delaminating or cracking apart.

Parallam is made from almost all of the wood on the log using veneer strands that are aligned parallel for maximum strength. The end product is a rectangular beam; which is longer, thicker, and stronger than solid-sawn lumber. They are often used as beams, headers, columns, and posts, among others uses.

Microllam is an engineered wood product that uses multiple layers of thin wood assembled with adhesives. It offers several advantages over typical milled lumber: it is stronger, straighter, and more uniform. It is much less likely than conventional lumber to warp, twist, bow, or shrink due to its composite nature. Made in a factory under controlled specifications, Microllam products allow users to reduce the onsite labor. They are typically used for headers, beams, rim board, and edge-forming material.

These beams come in all sorts of different lengths, widths and heights. They are engineered to hold amazing amounts of weight. They really are great engineering marvels.

Tip: I have had to replace almost all of these types of beams over the years due to some form of damage. Like anything else in your home if it is used improperly there is a good chance your are going to have some sort of failure. I have seen people add weight to these structural beams with no thought of them ever failing.

If you are planning on building a room addition, rebuilding your roof, adding a floor or any other type of construction where you are adding a addition load to your house. You might want to consult with a building contractor or structural engineer.

Thanks Greg For Another Super Article On Home Building. For more great articles visit Greg at http://gregvan.com/

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. Causes of Structural Failure

When Do We Get To Meet God

How You Can Easily Get a Walk-in Tub Installed

Imagine this scene- a person tired and weary after more than 13 hours in the office, rushes back home. It is a long, long drive. It had been an exhausting week and the person just craves a slow, relaxing bath. At home there is a spa installed with all the soaps, lotions and perfumes readily available. On reaching home, the person settles into the self-promised bath. A content smile touches the person's lips as he/she finally gets to relax the tired bones. Bath is just heavenly!

Not all people have this kind of luxury. Taking bath is not a divine experience for many. There are those who consider getting into a bathtub nothing short of a torture, and with good reason too. To consider their trauma, now consider this scenario:-

Imagine a person in his or her mid eighties. The stiff joint and the weakening knees are constant sources of pain. This person cannot move a muscle without a sigh. He/she needs a bath too, but just cannot think of enduring the pain of entering a bathtub. Once inside, there is yet another challenge- getting out. There is no way the person can mange this without help. He/she has to face the indignity of being carried and then lowered into the bathtub with specialized equipment!

The elderly, the ones on wheelchair, the physically challenged and others who do not have the freedom of movement due one or the other problem, find themselves in such a position everyday. Bathtub is a nightmare to them. But it need not be so. They can opt for walk-in tubs and baths.

Getting into a walk-in tub is very much like getting into a car. There is door, which open and the person can walk right in and sit. These days there are even special seats in the bathtubs for this purpose. Once the door close, there is no way the water can escape as it is both air and watertight. There are also special handle to facilitate the exit from the tub. With these facilities, walk-in tubs bring back the joy of bathing to those who suffering from different physical problems as well as the normal individuals (especially kids). Previously, the caretakers had to heave and sigh, while lifting their ward to the bath. They also can heave a sigh of relief as the days of carrying the defendant to the bath are over.

It is possible to change the normal bathtub to a walk-in tub. Within US you could purchase these from the store that sells other bath fixtures. Many of the bigger retail stores like Home Depot and other room stores have bathtubs that can be installed by you. These come with detailed guidelines. You could also opt for help and make use of the installation team, you may be charged a little extra for this. These teams are reputed to be very efficient.

Another alternative would be to hire a handyman. They might take a fee but a handyman takes the hassle out of installation.

Looking for information about walk-in tubs and showers

Theodor Cartman recommends different types of walk-in tubs and showers as the best option when buying.

Concrete Mixing & Techniques

Once you have established a basic understanding of a simple concrete mix you can begin to learn more about new concrete technologies and the true limitations of this incredible building material - hint, there are not many!

By changing the volume and type of aggregates that you use in your cement mix you can create many different types of concrete suited to different applications. In general the goal of substituting aggregates is to have the concrete remain consistently strong as a finished product. Some examples of concrete advanced techniques are:

1) Color or dye in the concrete
2) Lightweight concrete
3) High strength concrete
4) Decorative concrete

Even all of these options are just the tip of the iceberg for what concrete is capable of. The extreme limitations of current concrete technology being researched and developed are transparent (translucent actually) concrete which will show a silhouette through concrete that is meters thick! Limitations of concrete strength is self supporting concrete which does not require the mechanical assistance of steel grid work. Concrete strength used to be measure is PSI however mPa or mega Pascals is the current unit of compressive concrete strength referring to the amount of force the concrete can ensure before failure.

Coloured Concrete
You can add powder or liquid pigments to your concrete to achieve interesting and dynamic colors. Common colors would be brown, red, dark grey, tan and other similar earth tones. To get more vibrant concrete colors you can use pure white Portland cement in place of regular cement, as well as pure white sand instead of regular sand. This white mortar mix will react well to more vibrant colors and pigments. The amount of pigment or dye that you use will depend entirely on the brand that you choose. The best method is to purchase from a specialty concrete supply store which will have a far better selection of quality concrete color additives than your local hardware supply store.

Lightweight Concrete
You can replace all or part of the sand in a 3:1 mortar mix with aggregate materials that are much lighter in nature than sand. The result will be a concrete that is much lighter, but also vastly weaker than a 3:1 sand mortar. There are many applications for lightweight concrete with many of them being decorative such as planter pots or garden statues. The most common lightweight aggregate material substitutions for making concrete are:

Vermiculite - which is a mineral and often sold as "pool base" in larger quantities from pool stores which will make a relatively strong, but compressible concrete. The insulation value of vermiculite is very high, more than ten times as high as sand, so vermiculite concrete mixes are often used for sound dampening and insulating.

Peat Moss - Using peat partially in place of sand will result in a concrete that is much weaker than traditional 3:1 mortar and even much weaker than vermiculite concrete. The texture of the concrete is somewhat earthy and finishing and detail work con be slightly difficult by comparison with other mixes.

Saw Dust - This is another readily available and cheap aggregate substitutions used to achieve a lightweight concrete. In addition to providing a rough and inconsistent texture to the concrete, the wood ingrained will often stain and discolour creating an interesting and unique pattern. Too much sawdust can make the concrete unacceptably weak very quickly - more so than vermiculite and peat moss.

Perlite - This is commonly used for gardening and is recognisable in that it is completely white and very similar in texture to styrofoam beads. The main advantage of this aggregate choice is the fact that it is white. It has a similar overall feel as vermiculite however the concrete produced with vermiculite is much easier to work and finish than concrete made with perlite.

Usually you can replace up to two of your three buckets of sand with an alternative aggregate. Vermiculite can be mixed with straight cement without sand and still remain strong enough to suit several tasks such as swimming pool floors. The other aggregates will yield a concrete that will break under its own weight.

High Strength Concrete
The current strength for concrete is measured in mPa with the average sidewalk concrete being 10-15 mPa where as foundations for homes usually start at 20-25 mPa. High rise commercial concrete is closer to 35 mPa as is swimming pool construction concrete.

The strengthening of concrete over and above what a 3:1 mortar mix will yield requires engineering and testing. If you order concrete from a ready mix or bath plant you can specify precisely how strong you want the concrete to be. If you are mixing it yourself and want to make the concrete as strong as reasonably possible there are a few things that you can do.

Glass Fibres - Glass fibres and fibreglass are two different additives which you can put into your concrete to help make it cohesively stronger as well as minimize hairline cracking in the concrete during the curing process.

Water Reducer - is a liquid that you can put into the concrete in place of water. The water reducer will increase the viscosity and workability of the cement dramatically without affecting the finished strength negatively. The more water that you put in concrete the weaker the finished product will be. In place of water reducer you can also use the absolute minimum water possible to get the concrete workable to make it as strong as possible.

Powder Additives - Combinations of highly dense powders such as silica fume and fly ash can potentially help to make concrete stronger by filling in some of the microscopic spaces left in regular concrete by the larger sized aggregates. These tiny aggregates are dangerous to work with because the airborne particles are small enough to damage your lungs should you breathe them. Most of these powder additives will be hard to locate for the average DIY enthusiast.

Decorative Concrete
In place of sand you can also add just about any other substance such as glass or coloured beads, pieces of plastic or metal, rubber or anything else you can think of. Most commonly you would use this concrete to create an exposed aggregate where loose aggregate is imbedded into the top of partially cured concrete. Exposed aggregate with small coloured stones is very common and you likely have seen this before. Exposed aggregate with marbles and microchips is less common to be sure - but not any less possible.

With some basic practice you can learn to create incredible things such as statues, pool decks, artificial rocks, ponds, waterfalls and decorative art.

Canadian author and second generation swimming pool expert Steve Goodale has written dozens of online tutorials for swimming pool and artificial rock construction, renovation and repair

http://www.ArtificialRock.ca - Tutorials on how to build artificial rocks, ponds, waterfalls, statues, planter pots and more

New Home Buyers Beware

Ican't believe how many homebuyers purchase a house, with very little information and a Lotta hope. I'm a general contractor and often work on these homes, after they have been purchased and a homeowner has their money, the real estate professional is no longer involved in the transaction and the new homeowner is starting to experience the pitfalls from buying the home, that they sincerely believe was in good condition.

It's usually somebody like me that gets involved with the new homeowners after everyone else is out of the picture and chooses not to return their phone calls or explains to them quite simply, it's not our responsibility, you're the new homeowner and we really feel sorry for you, please call us again if we can help you with anything.

You couldn't even help me with that, why would I want to call you again if I had a problem. I never could understand this thinking but have ran into it often. It sounds like an oxymoron when someone refuses to help you but offers you help in the future. What ever!!!.

If homebuyers had something else to rely on besides their real estate salesperson, home inspection service, mortgage or insurance professional, I believe they can eliminate some of these problems. Where do you start and how do you get the information. You can gather information from reputable people, books, the Internet and so on.

The problem is how do you know these people are reputable and the books on the Internet have good information. This brings us to another problem, but I've got the solution that will help eliminate some of the grief. I'm not going to remove all of the grief from your life but have a suggestion for you that will eliminate some of the pain when buying a home.

Arm yourself with a good home inspection checklist. You can search the Internet and they have quite a few good home inspection checklist to work with. These checklist can provide you with things you might not have thought of, and this is where you can eliminate some of the problems.

If you took one of these checklists with you while you were shopping for a home, you would be aware of some of the problems with the home. You might not find all of the problems but these checklist will help you with some of the problems.

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 has just finished a Home Buyers Guide to take some of the frustration out of home shopping.

If your looking for some more home inspection or home building ideas.

When Do We Get To Meet God

Raising Children With Love

I myself was a product of a child brought up in a Christian home, even though I would not consider my parents strong Christians. Both of my parents did what they believed was right and raised me and my siblings to the best of their ability. I sincerely believe my mother and father did the best they could with the information they had available at the time.

Were my parents inspiring me to become a better person, morally with discipline and obedience, or were they manipulating me to become a better person through religion and schooling. As children we don't have a lot of free will and as adults it seems like we have even less, the more we become controlled by our government, religion, family, friends or even our workplace, where we seem to spend most of our waking hours.

I believe we need to inspire our children through education and as a good parental example. This means we need to quit telling our children what to do and how to act and start doing so ourselves. Just because you go to church or your place of worship, does not make you a good person.

Manipulating our children with religion and raising them as products of our society, is often like farmers raising animals to have their lives sacrificed for others to benefit from. The minute we raise our children to fit into society, instead of questioning it, we are basically surrendering our free will and fitting into society to follow the laws and guidelines created by our governments.

Whenever someone in America says they are free, or this is the land of the free, I often look around at the people who have very little say in the lives they lead. Sure you get to choose whether you want to buy an ice cream or take a walk down the street but we are still blinded by the control placed upon us by our society.

I don't believe our children benefit from manipulation and control. I feel our children would do better if we acted as stewards towards them instead of owners. I have always viewed my children as individuals and often guided them through inspiration instead of manipulation.

I'm not asking you to let your children run wild through the grocery stores, raise your children with guidance and discipline but don't impose your will or beliefs upon them, we often do more damage in the long run creating a race of followers instead of thinkers. It seems like spoiled children become menaces to society eventually.

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development.

Greg is currently working on a inspirational video library filled with great movies on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion.

Here is a rare thought is apparent, why don't you learn to be a good example for your children.

The Three Cs of Marriage.

Marriage & Relationships. Ephesians 5:20-5:33 The Three Cs of Marriage The three Cs that aid in a successful Marriage Ephesians 5:20-33 There are many different ways according to the scripture to have a successful marriage, here are the Cs in Marriage

1.Commitment, to give, to care for, to entrust, trust,etc.
2.Conversation, to speek to another, to communicate,talk.
3. Christ, The Anointed, The Anointed One. Lets take commitment first, in Ephesians 5: 25, The Bible tells us that the Husbands must Love their wives, even as Christ also loved the Church, and gave Himself for it..., We all know the basics of a commitment to a wife, but did you know that there is no where in scripture that tells a wife to love their husbands?

Well take the men first. A husband must CARE for his wife as Christ cared for the church, not only in the short term but in the long term as Christ instructed. When Jesus cared for the church ,He set a plan into existence that He knew, would last for eternity. He GAVE Himself for her so that she would live. He ENTRUSTED others to look out after Her as He did His Mother Mary at the Cross. And He put His TRUST in the Disciples to carry on the nurturing of the church to build Her up to maturity. A husband must be Committed to his wife with no longing for another, giving himself fully to her and trusting in her to support his efforts to provide a suitable living, not only for her but their children, which is good and acceptable to God.

There was a humorous story, that I heard a Pastor tell a while back, about a husband and wife that were talking one day of how much one loved the other, after the wife finished her side the husband said, "Honey, I love you so much, I would die for you." and the wife look at him with a serious look on her face and said, " John, Ive heard you say that for twenty years now, and you've never done it" It seems that women today have a different outlook on what a marriage is supposed to be. So it is often , good to look at what God says a marriage is supposed to be. If a man allows his wife to rule over the house, then they are dealing with witchcraft, and God will not be a part of that union. So men, we haft to be very careful to rule the house as God instructed, for the Scriptures say, if a man cannot rule his own house, then how can he rule the House of God ?

Now remember a husband is not ruler or lord over the wife but she is subject unto him as Sara called Abraham Lord out of respect for him. We are not to enslave the wife or abuse her, for the scripture says that, there is no man that has hated his own flesh...., or would we harm our own flesh, and since husband and wife have become one body, we protect and nurture her as we would ourself. Ministers today and in the time of Paul, cared for their congregations as they would care for their own children, lovingly and with patience. If a man abuses his wife, he also condemns himself , being in transgression of Gods word.

Now lets take the same word and delegate it ,to the women or wife. A little while ago, I said that a wife, in scripture, was not told to Love her husband. Ephesians 5:21 states to the wives, "Wives SUBMIT yourselves unto your own husbands , as unto the Lord. lets look at the word submit first, as the Hebrew and Greek translation states it, To surrender, to yield,to obey and to subordinate. As unlike the world, a Christian wife must be yielding and submissive unto her husband, and not as head of the house or him. This is as with the woman and God, having a humbleness and a Godly fear or we would call it a respectful attitude toward the stronger of the two.

The Bible states that the wife is the weaker of the two, in strength and probably because of the transgression of Eve at the garden of will. Being an easier target for Satan and his deceptive powers. A wife must not only be a lover but also a friend to her husband. In my relationship to my wife ,we are best friends. Its good most times before marriage that a man and woman become friends first. Wives, TRUST in your husbands, knowing that as he has committed himself to you ,he has also committed himself to God to fulfill scripture in his relationship to you.

Care for your husbands ,as one who cares for Christ in all things. GIVE yourself to your husbands, knowing that he is the one who has promised not only to you but to God himself, before wittinesses, to Love, Honor and Cherish you. So as you can see the "C" or commitment for the husband also applies equal for the wife. So wives, you must, Trust, Care and Give yourself to your OWN husband as God has instructed. If you look at that verse again, it tells a wife to submit to your OWN husband, stating that you are no longer under submission to anyone save him, whom you have married. End of Part 1

Temple of Spirit & Truth Ministries A.R.Smith Ministries http://www.ourchurch.com/member/a/arsmithsermons/

Painting Contractor Tips For a Clean Job

Interior and exterior both paintings require close monitoring for a clean job. Contractors provide great help to get the job done however, the issue is that you requirements may be miss-conceived by the contractors for that matter at every step of the painting process you have to work close to the contractors so that you can paint the house according to your specifications.

Before specifying the requirements consult the color scheme and the paint material to be used with the contractor. That help you to build a friendly relationship with contractor and they feel more motivated working on their own proposed solutions. Also involve the whole family in decide the color scheme and the texture of the paint so as to minimize the conflicts after the job.

First and the most important job is to review the initial estimate, as the contractors work according to the job and requirements specified in the initial estimate. Check for all the work that has to be done before painting e-g repairing cracks, leakage, broken nails, small holes and bores. You may get this work done by the painting contractors free of cost if you request them in initial estimate. These small jobs will make you pain job perfect. Painting the house without repairing these cracks and holes will affect the overall look and life of the paint. Working carefully on initial estimate will eliminate delays in the painting job. Make sure that the house was trimmed before the paint and all the dirty surfaces have been cleaned, it will help the paint to form a strong bond.

Once the work starts, monitor the crew staff closely because it would be difficult to fix the odd patches after the job. To get the job clean and exclusive, make sure that the crew staff is working with new equipment. Especially the rollers have to be in good working conditions. Paint the trim first, then ceiling and wall in the end. Starting with walls will waste the paints, and will also affect the looks of the paint negatively. Once the wall has been painted, the trim paint will appear on the wall paint, same is the case with ceiling.

Once the paint job is done; closely examine the edges of the walls and ceiling. As uneven and poorly painted edges affects the life of the paint badly. Since it is very difficult to deal with the plastic drop sheets, try to use cotton drop clothes.

When the job is finished, keep the contractor with you to examine the house. To ensure a safe and good looking paint job, several coasts are used to cover the surface. Any uneven coat or bleed through of the fresh paint should be fixed there and then. To inspect the paint properly have a look on the walls, ceilings and window frames from different angles and distance. This will give you the clear picture of the painting.

Painting contractors are professionals, they know the job better. All you have to do is to clearly communicate your requirements and limitations. Any miss-conception about the job will result into a conflict at the end. To make the paint job good experience, try to work closely to the contractors.

Bio: View my profile for more articles about San Diego Painting Contractor

David Hay is the owner of 858 GRAPHICS in San Diego, California. 858 Graphics designs, builds, prints and installs almost any type of graphics. For all your Trade Show Display, Wall Murals, Outdoor Signs, Poster Printing and Vehicle Wraps needs, please visit http://www.858graphics.com

Bathroom Moisture Problems - Home Repair

Right above my bathtub in my master bathroom the paint is peeling off the wall. The area is peeling above the tile in my bathtub and shower combination. I tried to glue the peeling paint back and only made the situation worst.

First things first. The paint is peeling because there is to much moisture in the bathroom while you are using it. Do you have any windows you can open or a ventilating bathroom fan. If you have a window crack it open part way while you are showering.

The water droplets will accumulate on the walls and drip into any cracks. Right above the tile grout is a great place for moisture to accumulate. Oh yeah moisture loves grout and drywall. If you have any unpainted areas or an area that has cracked. Guess what you have now.

Your paint is peeling because the bathroom gets hot and cold. Moist and dry. If you have the door and windows shut. You just created a moisture trap. Most people prefer their privacy and will closes the door when using the shower. Well then open the window and let some cold air in while you are taking a nice warn shower. I don't think so. Most showering fools don't like that idea either.

Ok one more idea keep the windows shut so you don't let the cold air in. Then lock the door so no on barges in on you. If you have a ventilation fan turn it on. This will at least pull fresh air in from under the door and send the moist air out of the house.

But the fan is so noisy and I can't enjoy my nice warm vapor producing shower that will eventually cause me to get sick from mold particles floating around in the air while I am using my bathroom.
Does this about sum it up for you and don't we all do this from time to time. We want to enjoy our shower time, so we close up everything and when we are in our bath sauna environment relaxing our house is getting some damaging moisture that could cause mold and mildew.

Open a window or door a little when you shower. Get some air circulating through the bathroom and prevent damage to your nice house.

Put up with a little inconvenience for you homes sake and your pocket book.

Greg Vanden Berge has been in the home building and remodeling business in California for over 30 years. With this knowledge he has created a few websites that provide useful information for home owners as well as contractors. His main goal is to educate professionals in the home related businesses, dealing with problems that can easily be avoided with just a little bit of information.

His website provides all kinds of answers to remodeling and new house building in North San Diego Home Remodeling Carlsbad Home Remodeling

Visit us now for Bathroom Ideas

If I Hate My Brother