Are Your Ducts Making You Sick?
September 28, 2006
If you have a heating or cooling systems that uses air ducts, you could have a problem.
There are many duct systems that are poorly designed and installed that have the ability to bring pollutants into your home.
Some are ducts are located in wet or damp crawl spaces and basements.
I’ve seen some of these areas and some look like an open sewer.
Having ducts that are not properly sealed or insulated in these locations can draw moisture, mold, bacteria and even carbon monoxide into the building.
Unsealed ducts have the same effect as opening a hatch to these ares, the only difference is that you don’t see it and the fan from the heating or cooling appliance will force more of the pollutants into the living space at a much higher rate.
Ducts located in attics can bring in cold dry air in winter, and hot, humid air in summer, dust, dirt and fibers from the fiberglass insulation that is there to keep your house warm in the winter and cool in the summer.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
10 Home Decorating Ideas To Quickly Update Any Room
September 28, 2006
Not all home decorating ideas require a heavy investment of time and money. If you’re looking for a few affordable home interior decorating ideas to freshen up a room over a weekend, try these ten:
1. Rearrange The Furniture- Pull your furniture away from the walls. Try positioning it at intriguing angles. For example, a sofa arranged diagonally across a narrow living room will make the room look wider.
2. Paint A Wall- Paint one wall your favorite color and make it the focal point. Hang interesting art on that wall and move a nice piece of furniture there. (Note: Make sure that the color is one that is shared with several other objects and fabrics in the room.)
3. Bring In Plants- Greenery always adds a breath of fresh air to a room. If you don’t have a green thumb, try silk plants and trees. The quality has gotten so good that its hard to distinguish them from the real thing.
4. Lay An Area Rug- An area rug is a wonderful way of defining a conversation area. Try one that complements the room. Lay it at an angle beneath your coffee table.
The Advantages of Both a Liner Pond and a Preformed Pond, Rolled Up Into One Box!
September 27, 2006
INTRODUCTION
So you’ve decided to build your very own backyard water garden. You are in the process of actively planning out your design, and you’re visualizing the end-result. But have you paused to consider what kind of pond construction you will be using? Do you know what kind of pond constructions exist? The majority of garden ponds utilize one of two types of constructions: a preformed shell, or a pond liner.
PREFORMED POND VS. LINER POND
Traditionally, preformed ponds are large shells, which are extremely burdensome and difficult to transport. For example, a typical preformed pond kit would come in a box that is 60" x 48" x 24", which is too large for many car trunk sizes. Liner kits, on the other hand, present many difficulties for the beginner pond gardener. Since every liner pond shape is different, pond gardeners must customize their own pond and ensure that it is level, and that it does not have excessive wrinkling.
INTRODUCING FOLDING PREFORMED POND SHELLS
Algreen Products Inc.* has helped leverage both these problems by introducing a flexible preformed pond, as part of their 2005 catalog. According to Melissa Mulligan, a sales coordinator with Algreen Products Inc.,
How to Paint Your Own Artwork - And Save Money
September 27, 2006
Everyone wants to save money. Don’t you? Well, painting your own, color matched art can be a lot easier than you might think!
Usually the picture that you want for your room will have an outrageous price. Or maybe you just can’t find anything that matches your new color scheme?
There is a simple way to paint your own pictures and save a fortune. Not only will you save money but you can exactly match your décor as well. Use this easy method and you can make your own unique pictures.
First decide what size of picture you want and buy a suitable stretched canvas. It needs to be suitable for acrylic paints which are water based. Some canvases are only suitable for oil based paints, and will not work for this project.
It will be easiest to choose an abstract theme. Abstract art will look good in most rooms. You can include shapes from any of the patterns in the furnishings. Use a basic shape rather than trying to copy the shape in detail. For example, just use a simple leaf outline rather than showing every vein in the leaf as it is depicted in the curtains.
What You Dont Know About The Real Estate Process, Some Inside Secrets
September 27, 2006
Some people in the real estate industry have a terrible reputation. Why, because they deserve it. A lot of hard earned money trades hands and if things go wrong that leaves a very bitter taste in the injured parties mouths.
In real estate most people stay in the house for a long time. If they don’t, many times they sell the house themselves or quite often deal with different professionals the next time around. This doesn’t always mean they were dissatisfied the first time. Sometimes a new agent sells him or herself. Believe it or not sometimes the property will be listed and a seller and buyer meet. Then when the listing expires, guess what.
The mortgage company is usually the one that profits most from the transaction. Sometimes the seller makes a pretty nice profit. In my opinion agents and brokers usually make too much money for the service they are supposed to provide. For example a broker can make $18,000 or more on a $300,000 house which is no more work, in fact usually it is less work than a $50,000 property. The other professionals, excluding the mortgage company, charge a very small set fee. An appraiser only gets $300 to $400 which is regulated by VA (for VA loans) and the market. The attorneys, surveyors and inspectors get even less. If they charge more, most agents will use someone else.
Reuse Works for the Workshop
September 27, 2006
The workshop is a great place for reusing items formally destined for the landfill. Even if you do not have a shop or craft area you can always donate the items mentioned in the following paragraphs to friends, schools, shops, youth centers? The concept of reusing is as limitless as your imagination.
Screws, bolts, picture hooks, plant hangers, curtain hooks, and hinges are common hardware items used in most homes. Although not overly costly when purchased a few pieces at a time, they can add up over the years. Salvage any reusable hardware and parts from old cabinets, furniture or mechanical items before discarding. These can easily be organized and stored in plastic containers of different sizes. Shop with this in mind and purchase items like peanut butter or mayonnaise in clear plastic containers.
These are our favorite as they are recyclable, sturdy and you can easily determine the jar’s contents at a glance. When buying screws and bolts avoid the small plastic packages and try to find a store that sells these items out of bulk bins. You save money and packaging too.
The Joy Of A Patio Awning
September 26, 2006
Some people will dream of the perfect patio. They dream of having the perfect place just outside, in the back garden or on the patio, where they can sit and relax, enjoy the weather and just enjoy the day. However, before they were lucky enough to have nstalled their awnings, they would find themselves moaning that their patio just doesn’t quite come upto the mark, that their patios really are not what they intended them to be when they dreamed about their idyllic spot.
One of the biggest issues most folks have regarding their patios involves that in certain seasons or at certain times of the day, it becomes completely unbearable. This occurs when the sun hit’s that certain spot in the sky and floods the patio in bright, brilliant , yet unpleasant sunlight for it to remain comfortable. While most people quite rightly love the sunlight, the combination of the wooden decking or concrete pavers used on the patio, in conjunction with a direct hit from the sun itself, often makes the patio unbearable.
Storm Damage and Mature Tree Pruning
September 26, 2006
One winter evening I was working on the computer when the power went out. The freezing rain that had been forecast must have been the culprit. It was getting late so I went to bed figuring we would have power again by morning.
Thunder and lightning woke me a couple times, but then I heard something a little different. An explosive popping sound followed by what seemed to be a shower of sparks. In my minds eye I tried to picture the cause of this sound. An exploding power transformer with hot lines arcing around it? There is nothing like a puzzle to keep me awake; but I didn’t want to get up and lose the warmth I had built up under the blankets. Just drifting off again I heard the sound repeated but up the hill behind my house and more distant… more crackly sounding but still accompanied by the sparkling shattering sound my ears were now more tuned in to analyze. Suddenly realizing the impact this freezing rain was having I shot out of bed and ran to the window. Large tree limbs were on the ground. Major branches were bending under the cumulative weight of the ice; then noisily busting sending thousands of 3" icicles to break with a sparkly shattering sound.
Decorating Ideas to Make Your Living Room more Livable
September 26, 2006
Above all else, the furniture in the living-room should make it livable. It should be grouped so that it offers centers of interest, convenience and comfort. Look for upholstered seating with homespun-type fabric, or toss a pieced quilt over plain fabric or leather. An old rocker is a great addition.
By the time you are ready to choose the furniture for the living room, the walls and floor coverings should be in place so that the choice of furniture will be merely the selection of the best out of several possibilities. Of course, the quality, shape and color of furniture varies, and the quantity will as well.
Can one imagine a more livable living-room than one with a large, soft sofa in front of a fireplace, behind it a long table filled with books, while holding a lamp at either end. Or else, at the end of the sofa, a small table for the reading lamp and on either side a pair of comfortable chairs?
The main essentials are a comfortable sofa, a table large enough to hold books, magazines and lamps, and at least two comfortable, upholstered chairs and a smaller table.
Decorating a Childs Room - 8 Simple Strategies to Make You Both Happy!
September 26, 2006
When it comes to decorating a child’s room, your approach should be much different from decorating an adult bedroom.
For kids, their bedroom is where they play games, read, listen to music, day-dream, or just go to be alone sometimes. So use these eight strategies to help create a space that will make you both happy:
1. Talk to your child. Find out what activities and fantasies he or she enjoys; what their favorite color is; and what’s unique about their personality that a theme could be built around.
2. Allow your child to help. Let them have a say about colors, fabrics, and how they want to display their collectibles.
3. Make the room multi-functional. Since children use their room for many activities besides sleeping, it should have several different zones, such as a play area, reading area, and entertainment area.
4. Make storage a priority. Try shelving, large decorative wicker baskets, plastic see-through containers, and closets that contain plenty of shelving and racks.
5. Keep window treatments simple. Avoid long draperies. Shades, blinds, and shorter curtains are safer choices. The fabric should be versatile, and patterns should be repeated in other items in the room, such as in pillows, quilts, lampshades, bed ruffles, etc.
