Building Safety Week Promotes Fire Protection Codes

Building Safety Week in the United States is May 5 - 11, 2008, to promote the achievements and benefits of building and fire protection codes. I'll bet some readers right now are rolling their eyes at what appears to be another marketing ploy of creating a "recognized" day of the year (in this case an entire week) to get you to buy something. I understand the sensitivity, but let me share with you why I am jumping on the bandwagon to recognize and even promote Building Safety Week. (I promise there are no greeting cards or gifts required) Building Safety Week was first observed almost 30 years ago in 1980. Since that time, local governments, building departments and fire departments have dedicated this week to raise public awareness on best building safety practices and to recognize the important role that building and fire prevention codes have in standardizing building safety for everyone.

The theme of this year's program is, "Building Safety Where You Live, Work and Play." This theme is intended to send the obvious message that most people spend a majority of their time inside some type of structure so the topic of building safety deserves a moment of your time. For most people, when you enter a house or building you're not thinking about whether it is properly constructed and safe. This fact alone is a testament to the high level of trust we place in our building and fire prevention codes and the assumption we have that our public servants are properly updating and enforcing these codes.

The sponsor of Building Safety Week, the International Code Council (ICC), along with other code development associations like the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), create the building safety and fire prevention codes that address all aspects of construction. This includes items such as structural soundness of buildings, reliability of fire prevention and suppression systems, plumbing and mechanical systems, and energy efficiency and sustainability. To ensure buildings are safe requires the active participation of property owners, building safety and fire prevention officials, architects, builders, engineers, and others in the construction industry.

This year's Building Safety Week is especially meaningful to supporters of residential fire sprinkler use as the International Building Code (IBC) is at the center of attention with proposed code changes pending that would require fire sprinklers to be installed in all residential structures. The recent US Fire Administration's official endorsement of these residential fire sprinkler requirements has fueled the intensity of this debate.

In greater numbers than ever before, fire prevention departments across the United States are utilizing Building Safety Week to raise public recognition and support for the use of residential fire sprinklers. Although we have achieved a high standard for building quality in the United States, there are still some proven fire protection benefits commonplace in commercial buildings, that are still missing from that building we value most...our home.

To learn more about home fire protection and other articles by Ryan J. Smith visit - ResidentialFireSprinklers.com

Ryan J. Smith - Prior to working directly in the fire protection industry, Ryan spent six years working in the property insurance industry working closely with homeowners and insurance underwriters. In 2003 Ryan joined the senior management team of what is now one of the largest and most successful fire protection companies in North America. During this time he became intimately involved in the serious hazards resulting from uncontrolled fires and the dependable benefits of properly designed, installed and maintained fire protection systems. In 2008, he retired from his position to focus on improving home fire protection. As a husband and father of four, residing in Arizona, he is committed to educating the public on the pros and cons of residential fire sprinklers so that informed decisions can be made at the national, state and local levels. As a former business executive in the industry he is committed to the professional training and certification of designers and contractors working with residential fire sprinklers.

Bathroom Remodeling Problems

Screening Contractors

When you have a project on a time line, you need to protect yourself and do everything you can to make sure things go as they should and within your budget. When investors run into problems it is usually because they don't understand what a project entails and they are not as prepared as they should be.

Here are some steps you can follow to avoid these issues right from the beginning.

Network for References - Aside from getting references from contractors (which you should always do) network with others on your power team for personal references.

Not only are you better off getting more reliable contractors, there are a lot times you can get a discount as a "referral". When you get references, check to see that the quality of work matches what you want done. Someone's idea of a "good job" may be very different from yours.

Interview Several Contractors - Bids for a project can differ dramatically from one contractor to another. Though higher bids help for negotiating purchase price, we all know paying more for work does not necessarily mean higher quality workmanship.

Some contractors will provide steeper bids based on their workload, your lack knowledge or even your pocket book. Along with checking references, make sure they are specific with how they came up with their numbers and what they will do to complete the project. If the numbers, whether too high or too low, don't add up and they can't seem to explain it, it should be a red flag to you.

Obtain License Information - Make sure they are registered, licensed and bonded with the state and provide you with copies of such. You can also check with the state Bureau of Consumer Protection or Consumer Affairs to see if any complaints, lawsuits, or judgments have been filed against them.

Communicate Clearly - Make sure you communicate what you want done and make sure they have the same understanding. If you have a difficult time communicating with a prospective contractor in the beginning; that should be a red flag to look elsewhere for help.

Additionally, while the work is being completed, it is important to meet regularly to follow up on progress, payments, and to tackle any issues before they arise.

Get Everything in Writing - I'm sure you have heard this before, and there is a good reason for it! Even if you hit it off with someone and they seem like a person you can trust, don't depend on a verbal agreement (This includes the little things).

Though I feel most people have good intentions, what one person sees as "moral and ethical" may be very different to someone else. Unfortunately, contracts with a "handshake" don't mean what they used to. There are a lot of people now who will rationalize an obligation later if they are not legally bound by a written contract. For more extensive projects it is also good to have an attorney look over anything you plan to sign to make sure your rights and assets are protected.

Utilize Payment Phases - Never pay a large down payment on any project. Some may require you put down 10% or 20% depending on the scope of work involved, however, any more than this should be a big red flag. This is one of the biggest mistakes I see people make when hiring out work. You can avoid this by arranging payment phases and including them in the terms of the agreement. Also, before making the final payment on large projects, get a completed lien release from the contractor or crew.

Overall, if you follow these steps your experience with contractors for real estate investing will be much more smooth, positive, and productive. In turn you will avoid a lot of the nightmares you hear and read about. Hopefully these guidelines will give you some added protection to help this aspect of your business, as needed, to run more smoothly!

Copyright 2007-9 Creativerealestatehelp.com

Matthew Sorensen has trained thousands of people around the country for many large organizations. He is a leading authority in risk free, creative real estate investing techniques.

You can visit his website at: http://www.creativerealestatehelp.com to receive more information on how to maximize profits safely for changing market trends.

Materials For Stair Treads

Keep Your Windows Sliding - Home Tips

If you're having problems with your Windows opening and closing, you can apply a little wax on the tracking. It's been a long time since anyone has used this trick, I thought I would share it with homeowners and professionals alike. My grandfather was a master Carpenter and he always had a small candle in his nailbags or toolbox.

I personally have tried wax, grease, silicone lubricant, oil, vegetable oil and wax seems to work about the best. I sprayed silicon lubricant on my windows and within a few months there was a nice collection of dirt, where I had applied the lubricant on the tracking and it was gummed up around the operating parts of the window. The dirt eventually made the window harder to slide and needed to be disassembled, cleaned and reassembled.

I've used silicon lubricant on quite a few things and had the same results. Wax can also attract dirt but somehow doesn't seem to collect as much of it as oil, grease and other lubricants.

Wax used as a lubricant often works best on horizontal sliding windows, these are windows that slide right to left and you will need to lubricate the tracking that the wheels roll on. Some windows have teflon inserts on the section of the window that slides. Either way you can apply the wax to the bottom of the window track and soon you will have a window that slides back and forth with ease.

If you apply the wax and it doesn't help the window slide easier, you could have a problem with the rollers on the window, teflon inserts or the tracking. Sometimes the window tracking and rollers just need to be cleaned in order for the window to slide effortlessly.

Home Window Ideas

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:

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 advice to take some of the frustration out of home shopping.

Split Stair Balusters

The Good News About Internet Marketing!

Forecasts of inclement internet weather are rampant these days. People being scammed and hyped and taken advantage of. Being literally raped and left for dead is a common occurrence on the net it would seem.

The good news is...it does not have to be that way at all!

There is nowhere on this planet today more possibilities, more endless means of making significant money, more joyful experiences in marketing than on the modern internet. With all the attention being focused on the bad these days, in the world and on the net as well, there is even more good news...

People have a choice as how to live their lives!

All can live with bad news, terrible disasters, storms, upsets, plagues etc., but the fact of the matter is, the world has always been this way. All human beings have a choice as how to react to the outer environment. Choosing pleasure above pain, ease of living as opposed to stress, good news instead of bad is a choice.

If one were to tune the TV in on any given channel, one will be subjected to doom, gloom, foreboding feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, and a dizzying array of negative bs. The choice is, the individual must decide here and now how that their life is to be led.

There have always been wars and rumors of wars. There have always been catastrophic occurrences on this planet...and guess what...there always will be.

Making money on the net is as real as one wants to make it. There need be no hype, no bs, no nonsense, just a few simple rules and a strategic plan for success is all that is needed. One need to spend an inordinate amount of money to accomplish this either.

The simple fact of the matter is, that each person has a niche. Exploring that niche to the fullest, and surpassing all the negative influences, and being not so concerned with making money, as enjoying the journey to that prize, makes for amazing living.

All people have that choice!

The job, the journey is consistently working towards that result. There is nowhere else today that a person can meet amazing contacts than on the internet. It literally spans space and time, and even though one is not physically seeing the other person, it is just as real as being able to touch them.

The time is now to learn incredible skills in marketing and enjoying this journey called life. Remembering that one's true nature of giving, loving, receiving, creating and making a difference is all entirely possible on the internet today.

The trick is..."will you get out of your own way?"

http://ButchHamilton.com

Butch Hamilton is an SEO|SEM Specialist. Living on the internet has become a way of life...a succesful way of life. His talents for obtaining top positions on the search engines have led him to the point in his life where he has always wanted to be.

"Life-What a Ride!"

Says Mr. Hamilton, "Writing has always been my passion. Gone are the days when I placed blatant ads on the internet for exposure. I have found my life's work in writing articles.

Reliable and credible information is what the internet is all about to Butch Hamilton. His experience as a self employed building contractor...steel fabrication...has led him on an incredible journey.

He now resides in his beautiful home in Texas with his wife. Writing is the passion behind his successful promoting ability on the net.

Butch Hamilton's Quote: "What we think-is what we become."

http://ButchHamilton.com http://butchhamiltonsbestdomains.com

Carpet Cleaning For Your Home

I have two young children and two dogs that wander our household, we are in constant need of a carpet cleaning machine. Weve tried all different paths, from spot cleaners to renting large pull machines, and each has its pros and cons.

Site cleaners are the newest trend and the easiest and most very easy to use carpet cleaning machine. These cleaners are like hand held Dirt Devils and are geared towards cleaning small places, and not an entire room. Their cleaning solution and suction reservoirs are rather tiny, so if you've got several small places to clean you may need to empty and reload the reservoirs on a small carpet cleaning machine ordinarily. Nevertheless, these compact spot cleaners are wonderful for every day use on things similar pet stains and juice spills which are quite common by using the pets and children in our residence. It seems as though every day I'm dragging out our compact carpet cleaning machine to use and it has been a lifesaver on many occasions.

Also available for purchase are full size machines. These pull along machines are not very practical for everyday use on spills and pet stains, but they do labor well for the occasional overall room cleaning that isnt targeting places and stains. The full size carpet cleaning machine tends to be bulky, but to be able to do his or her jobs they need to be. If you clean your carpets often and have storage space, paying for a full sized carpet cleaning machine may be the way to go as you will save money in the long run over renting machines or hiring services.

Another option is to rent a full sized carpet cleaning pull ago machines. These are available for rent from home improvement stores, some drug and grocery stores. Generally, you rent these carpet cleaning machines for a twenty four hour period for approximately twenty dollars. You do need to purchase the cleaning solution, as it is not included in the rental fee. These are also bulky, and are also inconvenient because you need to go to the store to rent one and then return it as well. Nevertheless, if you do not have storage space or do not clean your carpets generally, it's a great deal.

We have found the number one solution for our needs to be a fusion of a spot cleaner and renting a full sized carpet cleaning machine every six months. Examine your particular needs and make your acquire or renting decisions accordingly.

By Brian Ward author of Home Cleaning Tips .

Is it Possible to Successfully Promote a Website Both Cheaply and Effectively?

Programs designed to drive massive traffic to a website will be the focus of this article. The huge question remains, is it necessary to purchase a program that will assist in the successful promotion of a website.

Newbie marketers, as well as seasoned veterans will be well advised to know that the answer to the above is question is a flat NO!

No program, no seemingly flawless system, nothing that promises great rewards on the internet is needed to actually promote a website successfully. Most programs, while seemingly appealing to people to become highly successful on the net are designed to do just one thing...make the owners of such programs a huge amount of money while providing basic information in return.

The great news here is...absolutely anyone, breathing that is, has all the tools they need for successful internet marketing before them when they look in the mirror. Yes, the individual has, if they have the ability to write has all the tools necessary. No program is needed, money can be saved and pressure relieved by this statement.

The consistent act of writing effective press releases and EzineArticles is actually all that one need do in order to gain top positioning on Google. This system in and of itself is known as organic position techniques for website promotions. This is by far the most effective way to promote a website on the net today.

While pay-per-clicks may be effective for some, the simply fact is that unless one has the financial resources to consistently pay money for hits, this can and often does lead to no success...and a huge amount of money spent, usually for no gain.

So, in terms of dollars and cents, actually how much does it cost to submit press releases and ezine articles?

How about $0? Is that cheap enough?

Now the only reasonable excuse is thwarted. What else is the hindrance here?

Most people will not learn this valuable lesson and will continue to spend needless money to so called internet marketing gurus. Their pockets will be further lined with gold and the process continues because of people's unwillingness to believe in themselves and what they can accomplish on their own!

Rule for day...Go To Work!

Butch Hamilton is an SEO|SEM Specialist. Living on the internet has become a way of life...a succesful way of life. His talents for obtaining top positions on the search engines have led him to the point in his life where he has always wanted to be.

"Life-What a Ride!"

Says Mr. Hamilton, "Writing has always been my passion. Gone are the days when I placed blatant ads on the internet for exposure. I have found my life's work in writing articles.

Reliable and credible information is what the internet is all about to Butch Hamilton. His experience as a self employed building contractor...steel fabrication...has led him on an incredible journey.

He now resides in his beautiful home in Texas with his wife. Writing is the passion behind his successful promoting ability on the net.

Butch Hamilton's Quote: "What we think-is what we become."

http://ButchHamilton.com
http://butchhamiltonsbestdomains.com

Marketing Tips for Building Contractors

Being a building contractor is a great job because you really get to make a difference in the buildings that are going up. However, it can be hard to sell yourself because building contractor marketing tips aren't exactly growing on trees. There are plenty of big companies that are operating now, so I've got plenty of competition for my building contractor business. However, I need to focus on my own building contractor tips so that I know that I can bring in customers and do my work.

The first thing that I focused on when it came to building contractor marketing was my website. Everyone wants to be online nowadays and I knew that if I didn't have a great site people would simply pass me by. In fact, lots of people make their decisions based only on what a website looks like. So, I made sure that mine was clean and easy to read, and that it looks neat and spiffy. I also make sure that I keep it regularly updated with photos of new projects I've done, and new information about my work. I know that people want to see updated information, so I am always sure to keep doing that. I also knew that one of the biggest building contractor marketing tips I could ever give was to simply get my name out there into the public eye so that they 'd think of me when they needed my services.

It was hard to do at first, but I realized that the first thing I had to do was narrow down my customer base. No use targeting little kids, or people who weren't going to need my services. I figured out who I was looking for, and who my potential customers were. Then, I was able to find advertising ventures that I knew would get my name and website into the hands of the people who would really become my customers. I think one of the most important building contractor marketing tips is to spend your time and money focusing on the individuals who will be your actual customers. There's no use in spending lots of money on ads for people who won't use me, that's what I always think.

Something else that I always try to remember when I'm focusing on my building contractor marketing tips is that if I can offer anything that my competitors can't, I should be advertising that. I did a quick look into what my competitors were doing, and then I realized that there were a couple of things that I offered that they didn't, or at least things that I offered in a slightly different way. What you have to do is make this into a positive thing, and proclaim it. I knew that I gave out free estimates, while most of my competitors charged a fee for theirs, so in my advertisements I made a big deal out of the fact that you could get a free estimate with me. Let me tell you, doing something different from the competition, and proclaiming that fact proudly, was one of the best building contractor marketing tips I ever found.

David Ledoux is an author, speaker, trainer and mentor to entrepreneurs. His newest report The Small Business Death Sentence can be downloaded for free at http://bigmoneyfreetime.com