May 25, 2008 at 1:29 am · Filed under Home Improvement Parlor
Happy New Year!
I hope you enjoyed the holidays and had some quality rest and relaxation. I know I did. I also spent some time contemplating my new year resolutions. My wife would probably classify the effort as more like planning my new year home projects, and she is probably more accurate, but no matter. Planning and setting goals are always a good thing to do at the start of a new year, regardless of what they are.
On the top of my list of new year resolutions (a.k.a. home improvement projects) is re-shingling the roof. It is followed by re-siding the home with vinyl siding. I am still contemplating this idea, as I have never been a big fan of vinyl, but after years of painting I am getting more wetted to the idea of vinyl. This may be the year I break down.
Third on my new years resolution list is replacing a couple of all wood windows with vinyl clad windows. I did this on a number of other windows on my home already, and have been thrilled
with the look and performance of them.
In addition to my top three resolutions, I have a number of other items that I am also still contemplating for 2006. They include: installing a Hot Tub, re-surfacing a deck, and landscaping.
Over the next week I will sharpen my pencil and cost out each of the “resolutions” and try to maximize the resolutions with the allowed budget. A must task for every home improvement Do-It-Yourselfer.
I know 2006 is already shaping up to be an exciting year in our home. I hope it is the same for you.
Over the past 20+ years Mark Donovan has been involved with building homes and additions to homes. His projects have included: building a vacation home, building additions and garages on to existing homes, and finishing unfinished homes. For more home improvement information visit http://www.homeadditionplus.com and http://www.homeaddition.blogspot.com
May 2, 2008 at 11:43 pm · Filed under Home Improvement Parlor
A home for the 21st Century is not about the latest in gadgets
and wireless alarms, internet connections or top of the line
intercom system. It is about strength, comfort and energy
efficiency.
Baby Boomers are buying their last home and they know what they
want.
Enter a new type of home. A home that stands up to fire, noise,
sun, wind, rain, snow, bugs, mould and inevitable acts of God
like, earthquakes and hurricanes; a home that gives you
unprecedented comfort and a breath of fresh air 24 hours a day;
a home that can resist hurricanes in Florida as well as sub
artic temperatures in the Canadian North.
Imagine an airtight, steel reinforced concrete cube with about
3 inches of styrofoam insulation on both sides of the wall and
body temperature heated floors.
Fresh air from the outside enters the house through a series of
pipes buried 5 feet below the ground where there is always a
constant temperature - 8 Degrees Celsius.
If you really wanted you could open high efficiency Low-E Argon
filled windows, but why would you want to?
During the summer the incoming air is pre-cooled; during the
winter it is pre-warmed. The flow is strictly controlled,
pre-conditioned and filtered for a breath of fresh air - 24
hours a day.
Computer modeling of this type of air pre-conditioning shows
that just this one idea saves 11% on heating and cooling costs
comparable to conventional venting system.
This new type of luxury home is built as a combination of some
of the newest technologies in modern home building: Insulated
Concrete Form (ICFs), radiant floor heating, a tank-less water
heater and a low energy consumption air conditioning system
(that that you may need to use but very rarely). The outside
walls, which are built out of steel reinforced concrete make
this home wind and fire resistant, bug and mould resistant and
provide excellent protection from hurricanes, tornadoes and
earthquakes.
Outside voices, traffic noises and police sirens are muffled by
the walls thickness which allows you to sleep soundly every
night. Gone are floor squeaks, drafts and the rattling of glass
in your china cabinet.
Because of the exceptional insulation of insulated concrete
forms, there is significant ongoing savings in energy costs and
greatly increased comfort levels for the homeowner. The savings
are anywhere from 35% to 60% depending mostly on the style of
home and the size and type of windows.
Features, such as a high (92%) efficiency tank-less water heater
heats the whole home, while providing an endless supply of
potable hot water. It turns itself on when you turn your hot
water tap, therefore there are no standby losses as with a
conventional hot water heater. This equals approximately 25% of
energy savings just to heat your hot water.
It is also easy to incorporate a full solar heating, so you can
achieve a complete independence from the grid.
This type of home costs only about 10% more than a comparable
wood framed home and considering a long term savings, comfort
and security why would anyone build homes differently is a
merited question.
If you are thinking of building, or simply want to see for
yourself what all the fuss is about, the model home can be
viewed on Jan 15, and every Saturday after that until the month
of April. It is located on 252 Pearson St. by the golf course in
Meaford, Ontario.
April 5, 2008 at 7:58 am · Filed under Home Improvement Parlor
What is cabinet hardware? Are you looking to remodel your
kitchen or bathroom cabinets? Do you want a new look in your
kitchen? You can change the look in your kitchen without
completely remodeling. So if you plan on changing your cabinet
hardware, how do you know what to choose? Well, first you need
to know about the different types of cabinet hardware and what
is available to choose form. You can do this by doing some
simple little research on cabinets and hardware.
What Types of Cabinet Hardware?
There are many different types of cabinet hardware. You can get
knobs, handles and pulls in many different designs and styles.
You can have themed cabinets according to whatever your
interests are.
Choosing Cabinet Hardware
When choosing cabinet hardware, cabinet color and design should
be the two main things you consider. Cabinet knobs and pulls can
bring together and entire room and make it look truly unique. It
can be daunting to try to pick just one style out of the
thousands of available colors, sizes, and styles of hardware.
For most people, narrowing down your decisions to a few
different pulls that fit your needs can help them to make the
right decision. Then trying out a few of the ones you chose, to
see how they fit into your home. Obviously these are not
permanent changes being made, and if you decide to change them,
it’s as easy as taking out a few screws.
Hardware and your Personality
Hardware for your cabinets can speak volumes about your
personality. For instance having a sport themed set can tell
people that you enjoy sports and are an athletic person. Some
people choose to have all the same knobs throughout their homes,
however, other people like to have different themes in the
kitchen and bathrooms and anywhere else there may be drawers or
cabinets.
