Roofing Material

A fine roof is an essential element of a well planned home. Employing experienced workforce and use of high quality equipment is important. Rates, simplicity of setting up and appearance are all deciding factors in selecting a roofing material. It is important to examine a roof structure before deciding upon a material. Walls, beams and structures must sustain the weight of the roofing material, which are available in wide varieties.

Composition shingles are reasonably priced and offer a fresh look. These are hardwearing, have low maintenance costs and are fire resistant. Shingles maybe made of recycled material. However, they usually have a short life span and can be blown away by strong winds.

Roofing tiles are a more modern and long lasting alternative for roofing. They are fire and rot resistant and cannot be destroyed by insects. This type of roofing needs little maintenance, hence is a popular option.

Wood shakes wear, over time, but it is a natural look and the wood allows a house to take in air. Unfortunately, they are also susceptible to mold, rot and insects. This roofing requires appropriate repairs and renovation. Standing-seam steel, aluminum or coated steels are popular metal roofing varieties. These are strong, fire resistant and need low maintenance. Mostly made from eco-friendly material, they weigh less and maybe installed over existing roof structures.

Slate, although a costly option, offers an extremely natural appearance and great fire resistance. Slate roofing requires low maintenance and is not at risk from insects. They are also heavy, brittle and cause difficulties in rooftop repairs and drainage cleaning. Concrete includes a variety of fiber-reinforced cement products. They are durable, long lasting and need low maintenance.

Purchasing high priced materials does not always mean they will be superior and not all products are suitable for the needs of all homes. It is vital that homeowners choose the right material, ensure correct installation and conduct timely assessments, which provides longevity of roofs. If the right selection is made, a roof may survive for 20 to 50 years, and at times, much longer.

Roofing provides detailed information on Roofing, Metal Roofing, Roofing Contractor, Roofing Material and more. Roofing is affiliated with Asphalt Shingles.

The Types and Features of Sunrooms

A specially built room enclosed mostly with glass to afford maximum exposure to sun is what is called a sunroom. If properly planned, the sunroom can be as comfortable as any other room in your house.17B2 The best part about building sunrooms is that it is quick and easy to build, unlike the traditional mortar and brick houses. It provides you the twin benefits of enjoying both outdoor and indoor surroundings. This benefit serves as a perfect retreat for nature lovers as they can sit comfortably in a homely atmosphere and watch and experience the beauty and thrill of nature.

Why Adding A Sunroom?

If you have the traditional rooms, then what is the use of adding a sunroom? The answer to this is simple since the sunrooms provide you with ample benefits. The traditional rooms are incapable of allowing light into the room other than from the doors and windows. With sunrooms, you can fill you room with natural light. They can be installed at any place you want to and add space to your house. If you love to stay outdoors and couldnt do so because of unfriendly climatic conditions, insects and other invasions, the sunrooms provide you the best year-round solution.

You need to select sunrooms properly so that it keeps you comfortable even during the chilly winter nights and the scorching summer months. It provides the perfect place for the family members to get together for cups of early morning and late evening coffee. They lend a sophisticated touch to your house and your lifestyle. They can be built easily and quickly within just a few weeks and does not disrupt your home and life.

Beautifying Sunrooms with Sunroom Furniture

The sunroom is not complete if it is not properly filled with appropriate furniture. The type of sunroom furniture will depend on the reason why you have built it. If it is built in the attic, you can fill it with recreational furniture with comfortable sofas, music system, television sets and exercise equipments. If built in the bathroom for a spa experience, it needs to be properly decorated with bath and shower fixtures, perfumed candles, potted plants and soft carpets. If it is your bedroom, fill it up with a master bed with rugs, cushions and plants.

Similarly, a sunroom built as a den or a study can have wooden shelves to accommodate the books with cushions, lamps and rocking chairs. For dining purpose, you can have a center table with similar chairs surrounding it with a chandelier hanging in between. You can use it as an enclosed patio filled with sofas, chairs, floral vases and shelves to accommodate drinks and food. For kitchen purpose, you can fill it with a side table facing the glass with ovens, fridge, cutlery, flower baskets and chairs. Likewise, depending on the reason it is to be used, whether as an office room, private spa or recreational room, you fill in the furniture accordingly.

The Common Sunroom Plans

There are a number of factors that you need to consider while preparing your sunroom plans. You need to check out for planning permission. Cooperate with the constructors. According to your budget, buy the best sunroom you can afford. Prior to building it, collect information on the construction material and glazing options. Place the furniture before designing the sunroom to have an idea of the size that you require. Make sure that you calculate the size of internal floor and consider the quotations before making the purchase.

Try to use colors that match the color of your house. Make sure that there has effective insulation, glazing and roofing system. Make the height of the floor same as that of your house. Do not build the dwarf walls high as it can restrict your garden view. Build it in a room that is well used. Always select a style and shape for your sunroom that will not only go well with your room, but also enhance the overall appearance of the house.

As far as sunroom style is concerned, there are four basic styles Straight, Curved, Cathedral, and Conservatory. The patio sunroom enclosure brands can have aluminum finishes with wooden beams, with a straight, solid, insulated roof. The elegantly curved solarium designs are provided with balanced graceful lines adding a sophisticated look to your house. The Cathedral sunrooms are provided with vaulted ceilings and both side slanting roofs, offering both modern comfort and traditional style. The Conservatory style makes use of a number of glass pieces merging into a single beam on the roof. They can be styled in Victorian and Georgian models to lend a classic touch to your room.

The solariums are energy efficient. They offer low reflectivity and high visibility. The sunrooms offer you peace of mind as you sit amidst nature and indulge in you favorite pastime. It is not only healthy for the mind, but also for the body as the sunlight streaming in boosts the production of Vitamin D. The sunrooms provide you with 365 days of comfortable and healthy living, allowing you to enjoy both outdoor and indoor environment, all year round, which are better called Four Season Sunrooms

Andrew Caxton is the webmaster of http://www.allsunrooms.com, Your online resource for achieving the sunroom of your dreams. With ideas, tips and designs for different house styles. If you want to read more about patio furniture, insulated glass, kits or even how to find a sunroom contractor you should visit his website.

Pressure Treated Lumber

If you are building a deck, retaining wall or a swing set for the kids it is highly likely that your material of choice is pressure treated lumber.

Pressure treated lumber, if installed properly, should provide a 40 year useable life. However, there are some things about pressure treated lumber that you have to know, in order to obtain that life and not have your project fall apart in a few years.

To create pressure treated lumber, raw lumber is impregnated with two waterborne compounds that are copper based chemicals. The amount of copper basically determines the usage and all pressure treated lumber, sold in the US, is supposed to have a tag stapled to the end of the board signifying its pounds of preservative per cubic foot of wood product:

0.25 Above Ground

0.40 Ground Contact

0.60 Permanent Wood Foundation

2.50 Salt Water

Because the lumber is impregnated with Copper, the choice of fasteners becomes very important. When two dissimilar metals come in contact with one another a galvanic reaction is created, the outcome is that the materials corrode and disintegrate. The higher the levels of copper in the lumber the faster that the corrosion will occur.

Although most people realize that they must use corrosion resistant fasteners and connectors many do not consider items such as flashings and light poles that are also in contact with the pressure treated lumber. Of course the best metals to use for fasteners, flashings and anything else that comes in contact with the deck is stainless steel or copper whenever possible. Stainless steel is expensive and copper is not conveniently available at your local lumber supply so the next best material is steel that has been galvanized.

Galvanized fasteners come in different grades (the thickness of the coating), better manufactures mark the box with a G rating. The higher the G rating, the more zinc used. You shouldnt use less than a G-90 rating and engineers are now suggesting the use of G-185. If the box is not marked it is probably a G-60 or less and this will not provide enough zinc coating to prevent galvanization from occurring. Cadmium plated nuts, bolts and screws do not provide any protection from corrosion whatsoever.

Some manufactures have created composite coatings for use with pressure treated lumber. Read the label on the box and make sure that what you are buying is suitable for the job.

Do not use aluminum flashing, deck flashing must be stainless steel, galvanized or copper. Aluminum corrodes very quickly when in contact with copper. This also means that metals items that come in contact with the pressure treated lumber must also be protected, items such as outdoor furniture, and barbeques should have rubber or vinyl feet or wheels.

For additional information on pressure treated lumber for your home or other renovation projects, visit Renovation Headquarters.

Garage Door Rough Openings

One of the most confusing aspects of homebuilding can be the rough opening for an overhead garage door. It is one of the most frequent questions I am asked.

The rough opening for a garage door, simply put, is the actual size of the door itself. For example, if the garage door is a 7'0" x 16'0", then that is the size the rough opening should be framed to. This is also what the opening in the Foundation should be. The studs and cripples will then stop right at the edge of the Foundation.

The Foundation usually drops 8" to allow the concrete floor to be poured over the top of it. This has to be accounted for when figuring the length of the cripples to get the right height of the overhead door header. Normally the floor is poured 3" below the top of the Foundation wall. If the overhead door is 7' then 4 and 1/2" is subtracted from that height. This is the 3" drop and 1 1/2" for the bottom plate. Your total cripple length would be 6' 7 1/2".

Once the floor is poured, the door jambs can be installed. The width of these jamb pieces vary with the size of the wall and what the wall is finished with (brick, siding, dryvit, etc). The header piece is installed first, then the two side pieces. These go from the header to the finished concrete floor. Once the jambs are in the door can be installed. With the door installed the door stops are then put on either with or without weatherstripping.

If you know the door size of your overhead door, you know the rough opening. From there its determining where to start and stop your framing.

(c) Mike Merisko www.sawkerfs.com

About the Author: Mike Merisko has been a carpenter for 26 years. Most of those years were spent in the homebuilding and remodeling industries. He was also in business as a carpentry and general contractor. While that is his forte, he also has experience in bridge building, commercial construction, and exhibit building which is how he earns his living these days. You can browse through articles by him and others at his website http://www.sawkerfs.com or visit his blog at http://www.sawkerfs.blogspot.com

To See or Not to See-Bathroom Mirrors

Even in bathrooms, mirrors are an important piece of the dcor. The choice of your bathroom mirror can create completely different looks in the same room. Mirrors can reflect light to make the room look larger or to reflect a particular decorative piece to create emphasis on it. The frame, size, and shape will have an affect on your most private room.

Frame

Since bathrooms are usually smaller, you will need to choose mirrors that are light framed or frameless for a more delicate style. Wrought iron can be delicately woven to provide a light touch. Other light frames could be made of thin bronze or polished nickel frame. Frameless mirrors will often have beveled or etched edges for light decoration. Just remember the goal is to create a lighter room to add a sense of depth and dimension to the small space. Avoid heavy frames that will only crowd the small bathroom space even more.

Size

The size of your bathroom mirror will depend upon the size of the room and the size of the vanity or tub you will put it over. Never allow the mirror to extend over the edge of the vanity or tub because it will create an unbalanced look in the room. For a double-sink vanity, you can use one large rectangular mirror from edge-to-edge. This will perfectly reflect enough light to increase the impression of more open space. You may choose to have two separate mirrors for each sink, but you will probably need to add more lighting aro85Cund each. For an inset tub, placing a wall-to-wall mirror above it will also add airiness to a space that would otherwise feel too enclosed.

Shapes

The shape of your bathroom mirror will be affected by the style you are trying to achieve and the purpose the mirror will serve. Large rectangles over a double-sink vanity create a great deal of light for shaving or applying make-up. For a stand-alone make-up vanity, you may want a Victorian style oval mirror to frame the lady's face perfectly as she applies her make-up or arranges her hair. A full-length dressing mirror may be appropriate on the back of the door or as a part of the shower door.

The style of your bathroom mirror will help you to achieve your own personal touch in your bathroom. Traditional styles will best be complemented by light framed oval mirrors. Contemporary styles will favor the frameless beveled mirrors. If you choose a framed style, you can blend it with the cabinets in the room. Bathroom mirrors are as varied as people, so only your imagination will limit you.

Janett has worked as a home interior decorator for more than 10 years, so she knows the importance of a well placed mirror in your bedroom or your bathroom. Janett will give you a list of answers to questions on http://www.mirrorguide.com , in order for you to find the best contemporary mirrors that is best suited for your room.

Materials and Practices in High Performance Homes

In my last article I defined High Performance Homes; A High Performance Homes is one that uses sustainable materials, is energy efficient, and uses value added green building practices that causes it to be friendlier to the environment. In the next few articles we will look at some of the materials and practices used to produce the High Performance Home.

The single biggest heat sink or energy robber in a home is the windows. There are several things to consider here. First and foremost is the total square footage of windows. Ive never had someone come to me and say Ronnie build me a home thats dark and doesnt have many windows. Always it goes like this,I want a home that is light and airy. Then of course the buyer covers all of the windows with blinds, shades, shutters, drapes, curtains, or heaven forbid foil and seldom opens them due to excessive heat, cold or allergens in the air.

What should you do when designing or selecting a new home? Be realistic. The more windows, the bigger the windows, the bigger the utility bills. If you can, keep your windows down to 15% or so of the exterior wall square footage. Strategically place them to maximize views and limit the direct exposure to the sun. Keep the windows from facing the East or West this will help tremendously. If the windows can be located under a porch or patio so that it has a large overhang protecting them they will perform much better. Also, a larger Cornish overhang will help protect windows as well as shade the exterior walls.

There is an organization that evaluates windows and scores them as to how you can expect them to perform; giving the consumer a chance to be sure they are getting the best product for their money. It is The National Fenestration Rating Council. They subject windows to testing and prescribe how they must be built to obtain a certain score. The scoring speaks to the ability of the windows to block the transmission of heat and ultraviolet rays.

Look for windows that have a low U-Factor score. This score indicates the windows ability to block heat. A lower score is better. Many builders are using good windows with scores in the .50 range. I like those that are .35 or lower. The next score to look at is Solar Heat Gain. Again many windows are being installed with a score around .50. We install those with a score of .32 or lower. Lower is better here as well. Then, the window coverings mentioned before will add additional protection from heat and ultraviolet penetration.

Let me briefly mention doors. Most doors today are made of steel, fiberglass, wood or glass. Nothing insulates like insulation. Hollow doors like steel or fiberglass can be filled with insulation. Wood is not a particularly good insulator and glass is worse. Generally I prefer steel with fiberglass a close second. These doors dont rot or warp and provide the most security and energy efficiency.

Try to avoid sliding glass doors, after all, what are they but large windows and therefore a big heat sink. And double French doors are hard to keep from leaking heat in or out of your home. If you need that look think of placing a window close to a door or 2 separately cased doors close to each other.

In my next article we will continue to explore best building materials and practices and talk specifically about insulation.

Copyright 2007

Ronnie Godfrey, Certified Graduate Builder
For more information about this article and other energy saving tips, visit our website http://www.RGodfreyHomes.com

Sauna Kits Or Pre-Builts

Wouldn't it be nice to have a sauna installed in your home? Is the cost of hiring a contractor prohibitive? If you install a sauna kit or a pre-built sauna yourself, you will actually save over half the cost of having to hire a contractor.

If you decide to install a sauna kit or a pre-built sauna in hour house, it may be easier than you think. All you need to have for the job is just a few simple tools. Pre-built saunas are easier to install than kits. They will fit together in no time by just using a simple Allen wrench.

What's the Difference?

A sauna kit is a package that contains all of the precut pieces that are needed to build a sauna. If you want to assemble a kit, it is usually a straightforward process which can be accomplished with only a few simple tools.

What is even easier is a pre-built sauna. It has been assembled into a few large pieces that just need to be connected together. It is just like putting together the piece of a puzzle only not as hard!

One great advantage of a pre-built sauna is its portability. You probably will not want to take it on a weekend trip, but if you ever want to sell your home, you will be able to take your sauna with you.

You will find that a pre-built sauna is going to be more expensive than a comparable sized sauna kit. If time is a factor, you may want to spend the additional money and buy the pre-built sauna. You can have it up and operating in as little as thirty minutes.

To learn more about infrared saunas select one of the links provided.

http://www.all-about-saunas.com

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Learn more about the Infrared sauna kits.