Drywall Repairs Made Simple - House Remodeling Ideas

By the time you finish reading this article, you will be able to perform basic repairs to damaged drywall. There are some basic tools that you should keep around the house, if you have an active family and are prone to get dings in the walls. This article will not provide enough information to do major repairs to drywall. Major repairs are simple, but you must learn the basics first.

Here is a list of some tools you will need. Your local big box can supply you with some basic tools. They run in price range from cheap to professional quality. They have plastic putty knives for less than a dollar all the way up to stainless steel that with care, will last a lifetime. If you expect a very small number of repairs, the plastic will suffice. Also, get a carriage bolt, a small hammer, a can of drywall joint compound, 150 to 220 grit sandpaper and a paint brush. These basic tools will repair most small dings and dents in drywall.

An example of a ding would be where the locking button on a door knob has left an impression in the wall behind it. This is typical of a quick and easy repair. Look at the damage. Is there anything protruding above the wall surface? If so, use the carriage bolt to push the protrusion below the wall surface. Use the hammer to help persuade the protrusion to go below the surface of the wall and round the edges. Next, take the putty knife and some joint compound or as it is commonly called, drywall mud, and fill the hole. Wait until the mud dries, sand lightly and fill the hole again to bring the material to the same level as the wall. Sand the surface again until the wall is smooth and level. Do not over sand. This will rough up the drywall allowing the paper to fray and requiring more mud to seal the rough surface. There should not be any differences in the surface. Several small applications will last much longer than one large application and give you better results.

Is everything smooth? If not, apply some more drywall mud to even the wall surfaces. Sand again. When the wall is smooth, apply the paint primer. When the paint primer is dry, apply your regular wall paint. The paint primer is to seal the wall so the new paint does not dry too quickly allowing the patch to be visible.

That is the basic method of repairing damaged drywall.

For more in depth instructions on basic drywall repair visit http://www.single-family-home-remodeling.com/drywall-repair.html

Install a Wet Bar

Built in wet bars or butler's pantries serve as handy little entertainment areas that allow you to serve beverages and hors d'oeuvres without crowding the kitchen.

Bars aren't limited to rec rooms; they are commonly installed in dining rooms, next to kitchens, home theaters, or even outdoors on the patio. The only real requirement is access to plumbing in order to connect to a waterline.

Here are some of the more popular types of bars and some of the basic requirements for installation.

Butler's Pantry Bar

These are commonly built into buffets or cabinets, and camouflaged as a piece of furniture. They might hold glasses, ice makers, wine racks, and have a counter or preparation area.

Requirements

Access to electrical circuits and voltage capacity is key, especially if a small fridge, blender, or microwave is to be installed in the unit. Easy access to a waterline in the case of a small sink will also be needed.

The Pull-Up-a-Chair-Bar

This is your typical high counter bar with stools that can tuck away when not in use. They may contain a sink, fridge, and cupboards for glassware.

Requirements

Along with the plumbing and electrical, keep in mind that whatever you finish the outside with should stand up to shoe scuffs. You may want to cover with stone, wainscoting or brick. When making allowances for space requirements, allow two feet per stool with a bar height of 42 inches and a 12-inch overhang for the stools

The Wherever-it-Works Bar

Since you may be a slave to your waterline, this bar is an existing closet or cupboard that can be easily converted to a wet bar because of its convenient location. It should have a large enough counter to do some minor preparation and room for a small fridge or cooler, liquor storage and glasses.

Requirements

As above, ensure electrical capacity and availability, and allow for the ability to tap into an existing waterline and running of a waste line.

Portable Bars

These units are becoming more and more common, and as a result are available in a myriad of styles and price ranges. Designed for small spaces, you can place them wherever they conveniently fit. They neatly organize glassware, bar supplies, wine and liquor bottles, and have small preparation areas.

A member of the RE/MAX Hall of Fame, Bob Nachman is an award-winning Arizona REALTOR. To learn about buying or selling property in the Arizona real estate market, visit MoveToArizonaHomes.com.

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

Uncover The Truth About A Hunter Air Purifier

The homes we live in now days are so air tight, that they can actually be harmful to our health. Since they are such an enclosed area, we end up breathing the same air over and over again. A hunter air purifier can help bring fresh air into the home. They can help filter the air of unwanted particles that are floating in the air. Most people don't even think about what they are breathing, especially in their own home, because after all, that's your own safe place. Why would we be thinking of it as an unsafe place to breathe in. This article will uncover the truth about a hunter air purifier and the benefits of using an air purifier in your home.

Most women like to think that they keep a pretty clean home. They may spend hours vacuuming, dusting, mopping, and scouring only to find a few hours later that the end tables are dusty again. What's up with that. A hunter air purifier can help get rid of the dust that already has begun being stirred up. An air purifier is designed to draw the dust into it's filtering system. It then releases the filtered air back into the room so you will have cleaner, fresher air to breathe. Most vacuums release a certain amount of dust as you are vacuuming because, even though you are cleaning up debris on the floor, dust is also being stirred up, and you can even see it floating in the air at times. A hunter air purifier will help trap the dust that is found floating about.

If you suffer from allergies, then you know that dust, dust mites, pollen, mold spores, pet dander and tobacco smoke can very easily stir up an allergy attack. A hunter air purifier will help trap any of these things and leave them in the filtering system. The air purifier will then blow back into the room the new clean air. I'm sure you can see the benefits of using an air purifier in your home. There are many sizes and styles to choose from and a hunter air purifier can be placed in any room of the home. An air purifier for the home is usually a portable unit that just plugs in to any outlet. A little research can help you decide what you are looking for on a hunter air purifier. Don't hold your breath on this, because if you are one of the many asthma sufferers, every day of breathing bad air can be devastating to your health.

For more information on Air Cleaners and Purifiers for your home or business try visiting air-cleaners-and-purifiers, a website that specializes in providing helpful tips, advice and Air Cleaners and Purifiers resources to include Hunter Air Purifier and more.

How to Build a Shower Pan - Shower Pan Installation

With the convenience with which people today can hire contractors and handymen to do all their home improvement projects for them, it sounds out of place to be asking tips on how to build a shower pan. But engaging a contractor or handyman can be costly, and whether you can afford them or not, it's best to engage in a project that will not only allow you to save money, but can boost your sense of accomplishment, too.

Nowadays, you can easily access answers on all sorts of how-to questions on the Internet. Everything you need to know is on the web. However, with all the tips that abound on cyberspace, you can get hit with information overload and end up more confused than ever.

And that is why we've made the research for you and did the challenging task of choosing the most reliable tips on how to build a shower pan so you can have just this one brief, uncomplicated guide.

Our choice is the set of steps provided by Randy Davis. Here it is:

1. Rough-in shower drain pipe
2. Prepare floor and walls for concrete and membrane
3. Install base of drain.
4. Lay thin layer of concrete to create slope
5. Put down layer of roofing paper
6. Cut and install membrane and top of drain.
7. Hang concrete board on walls
8. Pour final layer of concrete with chicken wire embedded
9. Build form for threshold
10. Pour concrete for threshold
11. Tile it.

These tips have been published on the Internet for years now so rest assured that you can't go wrong if you follow them.

If you want to learn how to build a shower pan, I highly recommend you check out Randy's video course. Learn how to tile shower pan from his step by step videos.

Checking the Building For Square

The most important thing when building a home is the ability to keep everything as square, plumb and level as possible. Starting with the foundation, if the foundation is not square or level, the rest of the house is going to be out of alignment.

You've probably heard the saying, start with a good foundation. This applies to the building industry as well. There are quite a few ways to build a square foundation, it all depends on what kind of tools you have, to build it with.

Some of these tools can be quite expensive but it used every day can save you a lot of time and of course time is money.

You don't need expensive tools to build a square foundation. You could actually build a square foundation with less than $100 worth of tools. It might take you a little longer but could be done.

Let's start with the 3 - 4 - 5 rule.

Okay lets see if I can explain this in layman's terms. If no West side of the foundation is 3 foot and the north side of the foundation is for foot, then the diagonal measurement from the southwest corner to the northeast corner would be 5 foot. Out of square building can create foundation problems

This can also be done using 30' x 40' should equal 50 foot. You can use this if the building is large and you need to check it for square.

By measuring the foundation diagonally from each corner, the measurement should be exactly the same. If it isn't, the building is out of square and should be adjusted before the concrete is poured. This measurement should always be checked before you get too far along in the form building process.

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 having problems in your attic, find out more at concrete contractor basics and home building ideas.

Effects Of False Prophets

Which Towel Warmer is Right for You?

If you are like me you have recently found out about towel warmers and couldnt wait to get your hands on one! However once you started looking into them, you found there are a few different types of towel warmers and werent sure which towel warmer is right for you. This article will look at the difference between Electric Towel Warmers and Hydronic Towel Warmers.

Hydronic Towel Warmers

The difference between hydronic and electric towel warmers or drying units is the source of heat. Hydronic towel warmers need a hot water supply and generally utilize hot water circulating from the central heating system. Many hydronic towel warmers are floor or wall mounted so they can be connected to your home plumbing. However, because they are used in conjunction with the central heating, their operation is limited to when that central heating is running. It is possible to use a special pump and separate heating tube system so that hydronic towel warmers can be used during the summer months. Hydronic towel warmers tend to be more expensive and typically require a plumber to install. There are no electrical restrictions on the placement of a hydronic towel warmer. This makes them ideal for putting on the pool deck or at the end of a walk in shower.

Electric Towel warmers

The majority of electric towel warmers are oil filled. Once the electric towel warmers or heating racks are plugged in, the oil begins heating it. Most oil filled towel warmers have a low wattage heating element, making them safe and economical. Electric warmers are selfcontained with an electrical heating unit built into the warmer that heats the fluid circulating through the unit. Electric towel warmer are available as soft wired (plugged into the electrical outlet) or hard-wired (wired into the bathrooms electrical system). It is possible to use oil filled towel warmers with timers so that you can preheat your towels based on your schedule. Oil filled towel warmers can leak especially if not maintained regularly to ensure the seals dont perish. The other problem I found with oil filled towel warmers is that if you find a good quality oil filled towel warmer they can take up to an hour to heat up and can be expensive.

Warmrails FilathermTM Towel Warmers

There is a new electric towel warmer from Warmrails that utilizes a dry element technology called FilathermTM. This element is similar to the technology used in radiant under floor heating. FilathermTM is energy efficient, costing only cents a day to operate and will reach operating temperature in only 15 minutes. It provides safe operating temperatures, consistent throughout the unit so there are no hot spots. Warmrails FilathermTM technology is guaranteed not to leak, so there is no risk of damage to wall and flooring or risk of injury.

Warmrails towel warmers are not designed to heat a room but will reduce humidity and assist to deter bathroom dampness and mildew. As such, they can be used year round without adding heat to rooms. The towel warmers can easily be self-installed and do not require upgrading the electrical circuit. The towel warmers do not come with temperature controls however you can use a timer if desired. Warmrails towel warmers are designed to run safely and efficiently 24 hrs a day and many find the comfort and convenience appealing.

Shelley Moore has spent over 15 years in the health and wellness industry. She is a certified Personal Trainer and Health and Wellness Specialist. Her website http://www.e-smartliving.com provides healthy, safe home products that help people lead a life full of energy and vitality.

Home Improvement Software

Colors play a very important role in your home improvement project. They widely express your nature and influence your mood. Deep and dark colors, for instance, depict deep and energetic feelings while light smooth colors develop a calm environment. But often times, you are confused about what color to choose. People don't know what colors would be best for their hallway, bedrooms, dinning rooms or bath and the kitchen. These are the people who ask for professional advice even when they have to paint their walls themselves.

This problem can be solved very easily with the help of home improvement software. It saves you the hassle to do and redo your home; and it brilliantly extends your visions. If someone has selected a color that doesn't seem to satisfy his mood, he will have to repaint his room with a new color and possibilities remain the same if the person is not very creative or if he has lack of experience. All this hassle will cost him a lot more than the budgets. Wastage of time is another related story. However, things are completely different when it comes to home improvement software.

With home improvement software, you can simply do wonders. You don't need any professional advice; you don't need anything else as well. All you are going to need is a piece of sharp brain and basic computer skills. From your bedroom to you kitchen and garage, take a preview of everything you want or do not want using home improvement software. One of the most acknowledged features of home improvement software is that you can adopt eclectic decor style and paint your room with different colors. If they suit you fine, get yourself working on them from out of your computer.

This software is simple in use and anyone can be able to decorate his/ her room, in fact, entire home with the help of this software. Besides being a magnificent tool for consumers, home improvement software has also been widely accredited among the contractors, builders, architects and designers. Because it's not just for colors, its uses are manifold. So, if you are planning any home improvements, get home improvement software in first chance.

For more about painting, designing, remodeling and everything that links together to result in a perfect home improvement, you can visit http://www.theyarelocal.com/articles/home_improvements/index.php

Dangers Using Wood Stair Cleats - New Stair Construction

I would imagine most people don't even know what it wood stair cleat is, in construction we have so many words that describe the same thing. A stair cleat is another word for a thread bracket. In other words it's the part of the stairway that connects the stair stringer to the stair step. These have been used for years and over time, most of them will develop the same problem.

Most wood stair cleats loosened up and create a safety hazard. If the stairs are located outside in extreme weather conditions, for example, if it rains or snows a lot, extremely humid humid weather, or extremely hot and dry temperatures, your staircase might not last that long, if it is or isn't maintained properly. It's not a bad idea to use steel or concrete for stairways in these climates.

If you're ever walking up a set of stairs with wood cleats and the stair steps feel a little loose or wiggly, make sure you examined the stair cleats for safety. It's not uncommon for someone to be walking up or down a set of wood stairs and having the stair step or tread giveaway because the wood cleats has loosened.

If the wood stair cleats are nailed to the stair stringer, the nails can loosen up, causing it to become loose, as you walk up and down the stairs applying pressure to the stair cleat, this will create movement in between the stair step and the stair stringer. This could cause the cleat to crack, break and separate the connection between the stair step in the stair stringer.

I would suggest using metal brackets instead of wood cleats. The metal brackets will not crack or disintegrate like some wood cleats. Stair building brackets of course can loosen up and should be maintained regularly.

If you decide to use wood stair cleats, I would suggest using screws instead of nails and drilling holes in the wood stair cleats, most of the time this will prevent cracking the cleat. Try to use a thicker material for the stair cleat, for example using a 2 x 4 with lag screws and washers would be better than using a 1 x 4 with nails.

If you're walking up a set of stairs and a stair step feels loose, contact the owner of the property and let them know, they have a problem with their staircase.

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 stair building books and adding useful content to help solve problems created by the lack of construction knowledge in the building industry.

Nothing Will Be Impossible

How to Develop a Positive Mental Attitude

Why develop a positive mental attitude?

Well, if you look around at the high achievers in this world...in any field, you will find nearly always that they display a positive mental attitude to their field of success. They may do this knowingly or otherwise but simply put you will get much more success if you do the same.

Here are a few qualities that successful people with a positive mental attitude display which you can emulate with a bit of effort:

1) The word failure does not exist and therefore has know power over successful people. Look for the positive possibilities in every situation. What other people would term 'failure' should simply be translated into a sign of what not to do the next time you attempt to do it, and believe me successful people will always try again...

2) This neatly brings us to the quality of perseverance. If something is worth doing now, then you will likely still want to achieve it next month, next year or whenever, so why stop trying? If you desire your goal there is no reason to stop trying until you have attained it, come what may. Know before you start that success won't be immediate, accept this, formulate a realistic plan, write it down, follow it through, make modifications if necessary but keep going. Writing down your plan immediately gives you a confidence boost as it allows you to see exactly how you can achieve your goals which in turn stimulates your motivation as well.

3) Take responsibility for your situation and actions. Most successful people acknowledge that they created their current circumstances due to their previous actions. Their current situation is believed to be merely a reflection of their previous thought patterns. If you have this the opposite way around then you will seemingly feel the victim to circumstance rather than the controller of it and the deliberate creator that you can be.

By taking responsibility there is therefore know attempt to blame others or for you to hide from the fact that you might have made a mistake which created your situation. By being honest in this way it is easy to make amendments to your thoughts and actions to create future success.

4) Be committed. Develop a 'whatever it takes' approach. This mentality is an extremely important part of a positive mental attitude. Life is full of stories of people with less natural talent becoming more successful than their more talented counterparts. They go the extra yard to be successful, they do the extra training, stay behind after class, run a few more minutes on the treadmill and so on. In short they make life pay the price. Often this part of displaying a positive attitude can feel frustrating. However successful people realize that success is just on the other side of frustration and use it as a good sign post towards future success.

5) Focus your energies on what you do want and not what you don't want. Energy is always creative, particularly your thought energy so don't waste it on negative things. Remember, what you resist persists. So, by seeing the negative in a situation you are actually fueling it and making it into a greater problem. Simply, if you have what you term a negative situation look again and focus on the positive possibilities and give them your thought. These areas will subsequently expand in your mind with avenues that could lead to positive solutions to the initial problem. These thoughts will naturally lead you to more successful thoughts and the spiral continues.

6) Be decisive. Successful people with a positive mental attitude make decisions and stick to them. If they decide they will achieve a certain goal then they will not go back on their decision regardless of how fruitless their task can seemingly appear to be. Remember Thomas Edison the famous inventor of the light bulb. 9,999 attempts and no success commented that he had achieved 9,999 ways not to invent a light bulb, before actually doing so. Imagine if he had given up after 2, 3 or even 500 attempts!. His decision to invent a light bulb was made and remained unchanged until he had done so.

The above are just a few of the main ways in which you can adopt a positive attitude which only you can develop through your efforts and through being persistent. Make a conscious effort each and everyday to be positive and it will naturally become a habit and lead you to success.

Author Tim Ryan provides FREE guidance and training on the power of positive thinking. View positive thinking articles, profiles tips and more by simply clicking: Personal Development or Positive Steps now.

Types of Flooring You Might Like to Install in Your Home

Your home reflects your personal traits, tastes and lifestyle. As you give importance to every aspect of your home like the furniture, furnishings, walls, doors, ceilings, so also your flooring needs special attention. You need to choose the right type of flooring for each room, for example tiles are the best flooring solutions for your bathroom as this area is wet all the time and tiles do not get spoilt. Similarly the flooring in your bedroom should be something which is attractive. The walls should also be in tandem with the flooring. Thus it is necessary to select the appropriate wall color to match those of your floor color.

Hardwood Flooring

Hardwood is one amongst the various types of flooring. You can get several patterns to adorn your house with such as the zigzag style, square and circular ones and lots more.

Carpeting

This is a preferred type of flooring for cold climates. In cold places walking on the carpets gives warmth and adds comfort to the total ambience.

Bamboo Flooring

Bamboo flooring is very durable and eco-friendly. It also adds to the beauty of the environment. You can use beautiful patterns, natural or carbonized colors. Bamboo flooring is being widely used in offices, retail outlets and fashionable condominiums.

Wood Flooring

If you want to give a classy look to your house you can use wood flooring. This flooring is difficult to maintain as they could get ruined easily. Careful handling of your wood flooring will make it last longer. Keep water away and use wax to clean the floors. You specially need to wax generously the most frequented areas like the stair landings, the entrance of the rooms, the work areas and other parts.

Slate Flooring

Slate is becoming highly popular as one of the types of flooring because of its durable, slip-resistant, low-maintenance and stain free nature. These were used for offices previously but now are being used in homes as well. The various shapes and colors help in enhancing the beauty of your flooring. You can also create a wonderful combination of the ones having smooth finishes with those having rough finishes. Slate flooring is preferred for kitchens, bathrooms, driveways and pool walls. The Slate flooring is long lasting and does not peel off easily or look faded after some time like vinyl and linoleum.

Marble Flooring

Marble flooring is very easy to clean and does not require any maintenance. It is long lasting as well. This stone is stain free as well. Just use your mop and water to remove the dirty stains and see how they vanish to give you a sparkling floor.

Granite Flooring

Granite is a costly material and thus is used sparingly in commercial buildings but is used prevalently in homes. It is durable and scratch resistant and stain resistant as well. You should use a neutral detergent to clean granite flooring.

April Kerr owns website How to Install Flooring which has further details of flooring types such as natural cork flooring and rubber flooring.

Stair Lighting Problems

Walking up and down the stairs in the dark could become a safety issue. If the stairs in the house are not that old, there should be a light switch at the top and a light switch at the bottom of the stairway. This is a three way switch and is designed to allow you to turn the stair lighting on as you walk up the stairs and then turn the stair lighting off, once you've safely reached the top of the stairway. And vice versa as she walked down the stairs.

If you don't have a light switch, there are motion sensor lights that are battery operated and can be installed easily in the stairway. These lights can provide you with peace of mind, while protecting your family from accidents.

Stairway accidents are nothing to joke about, I lived in a two-story house with four other people and was the last one to fall down the stairway. None of us got seriously injured and the stairway was built to meet local building codes and was inspected by a building and safety inspector. The stairs were built correctly and the stair lighting was no problem, but people still fell down the stairway and it always happens in the evening.

During the day time there were two windows that let plenty of light into the stairway and in the evening the stairway became quite dark, rarely was the stair lightning ever turned on. This could have been outright laziness but nevertheless, it was rarely used and eventually became a safety issue.

Lighting your stairway might not end all of your problems but it can and some of your problems. There are plenty of stair lighting systems available on the market today and some of the battery operated stair lighting systems can be installed by most homeowners.

Think safety always and do your best to solve your stair lighting problems as soon as possible to prevent injuries or accidents.

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 building stairs or home building ideas.

Effects Of False Prophets

Religious Freedom For Life

In the United States of America, we believe that we have this freedom, and it gives us the choice to belong to any religious organization in the country. We can even make up our own religions, if we want to. I have the right, in this country to start a new religious movement, without any persecution from the government. The government might choose not to persecute me but I would imagine, that other religious organizations will.

First Amendment to the United States Constitution - Freedom of Religion, of Speech, of the Press, to Petition, and to Assemble.

This must have been very important to our founding fathers. A lot of people left England to come to America, before the United States Constitution was ever thought of. Before there was even a United States of America. People have been coming to the English colonies for over 150 years before the First Amendment was even signed. Often escaping religious persecution.

Religious freedom was very important to America's ancestors and founding fathers. We can only study history to find out how important religious freedom actually was. In the United States today, we really don't give it much thought. What religious freedom really means and the hardships and battles throughout history. They sacrificed, so that we could reap the benefits today.

Freedom of religion isn't the same today as it was 300 years ago. The country's leaders often dictated what religion you could belong to. This was the end of your religious freedom but today things are different. Organized religions have become extremely influential and powerful in today's world, often influencing governments and world leaders. When will these large religious organizations become powerful enough to take away our religious freedom. Do you honestly think things are getting better, or are we soon going to have one or even a few religions throughout the world.

How many Christians do you know that do most of their business with other Christians? How many Jewish people choose to do the same thing? I don't consider this religious freedom. In the State of Utah, it's well known, that if you're not part of the Mormon Church or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, you're probably not going to prosper, unless you convert to their religion. This might sound like, something you would expect back in the stone ages, but it still goes on today.

Religious freedom is a lot more than just being able to choose your own religion. It's becoming a choice economically, politically and of course socially. At what point do you financially make a decision to become part of a large religious organization, out of necessity. The simple need to feed your family. I believe religion is going to become a bigger problem in the future than it ever was in the past as we see more financial and political power forming in these religious organizations.

I'm not trying to scare anyone, I'm simply suggesting that we start associating with people from other religions or spiritual beliefs. We could learn a lot if we just open our ears and close our mouth. Become part of the solution and not the problem.

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. Check out one of his recommended authors, Norman Vincent Peale Books

Greg is currently working on a self help library filled with great subjects 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

Solutions to Anger

Some of us have difficulty recognizing our anger; some of us find it so troublesome to acknowledge our anger that we deny it and turn it inwards on ourselves. Hmmm. Sounds painful. It is! Anger turned inward is called depression. (I can hear some of you, maybe even health professionals, typing away at a rebuttal.) That's okay, do whatever you need to do to deal with your anger issues. It is much healthier to take some action, provided it does not harm anyone including yourself, than to turn your anger in. Writing is a very constructive outlet for anger. And don't tell me I am opposed to antidepressant medication. I am not, if it is used as part of the solution. If we take a pill, legal or not, and collude with the prescriber, (or collude with the patient if we are the prescriber), saying the pill is the solution, we do a great disservice. Medication can be an enormous help in bringing one up to a level of functioning to effectively deal with the anger, fear and depression. Still, one does have to deal with the anger, fear and depression. Sorry, there is no magic pill and my magic wands have been on backorder for years now.

And, if you believe you have a "chemical imbalance" causing your depression, start balancing it with resolving your old anger. There is no harm in trying...it just might work. It's a chicken and egg deal...think about it.

So how does that anger stuff work? In an earlier article, we talked about children, (you?) who are brought up without being taught a constructive way to deal with normal anger. Watch a toddler get frustrated (angry) with trying something new, which they do about every two and a half minutes. If they are helped through both the something new and the frustration by another person, their anger (frustration) gets resolved. What's going on here? The toddler is angry because he cannot do or get something; he is fearful he will not be able to do or get something he wants. Take away his toy. What happens? He is angry because he has lost something. If he is helped to do or get what it is he wants, his anger goes away; if he cannot have whatever it is, but is coached through his feelings, receives empathy and hugs, and has his needs met, he moves on, not needing to hang onto the anger...someone has understood and helped him feel better in spite of not getting what he wants.

As adults, we have the same emotions: we get angry because we are afraid of losing something we have, or not being able to get or do something we want. For those with a history of being abused, this is very serious; you may have lost all trust in other people, all sense of self, have no self-esteem and be angry with God, if you believe there is a God. You, too, can heal. It just takes a lot of hard work.

If we agree that anger is an expression of fear, then part of the solution is to allow oneself to identify and feel it. Becoming vulnerable enough to experience the fear then allows us to look for a solution. Here's where it gets sticky. What is the fear about? Example: if it is real time and there is real danger, protect yourself. If you are angry and afraid of being thrown out of your apartment because you owe back rent, get a job. Get two jobs, sober up, stop spending money on entertainment and pay the rent. Then you don't have to be fearful and angry at losing your place.

People who are willing to look carefully at underlying fear usually find that they need to trust. Trust the process, trust the universe, maybe even trust that there is a God who is in charge and can help. Example: big business deal depending on decision by other party...you cannot control other party, are fearful of losing deal so are generally pissy with everyone, family and friends as well as your office manager. Not cool. If you have done everything you can, acknowledge your fear, then trust. Try praying, not for everything to go your way, but for acceptance; it can't hurt.

If your anger (fear) is based in old stuff, perhaps childhood neglect or abuse, abandonment or frequent frustration, the solution to your current feelings will require some sorting out. Most of this stuff is too much for anyone to do alone...your brain is not always your friend. Therapy can help, as can support groups, but you have to really use them; writing or journaling about old stuff is therapeutic. Physical activity to discharge some of the anxiety and irritability is the best medicine I know and changes brain chemistry to actually produce internal antidepressants called endorphins.

For those of you in a recovery program, you have access to tools, called steps, to deal with old stuff. Write your fourth step! For those who are not in recovery, similar "steps" provide the solution; they include reading, writing, talking with others, especially those who have been there, listening, and praying.

Get to work. It is not useful to carry around old fear and anger to make you depressed and no fun for your family and friends!

Dr. Dawn Obrecht is the only MD addiction medicine specialist on the western slope of Colorado. She is a Fellow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine and her office is in Steamboat Springs. She does consultations and referrals anywhere in the country and can be reached at 970-846-8479 or through http://www.docdawn.com

Room Acoustics & Home Cinema Rooms

Room acoustics play a huge role in creating a successful home cinema. The best home cinema hardware in the world will fail to perform at its best in a badly designed room.

The main issue in a home cinema tends to be excessive reverberation time - this is the time taken for a sound from a speaker to decay by 60dB below its original level - i.e. the amount of time it takes for a sound to dissipate in the room.

If you can imagine standing in a completely empty room with hard floors and ceilings and clapping your hands, the sound will echo for quite some time and therefore take a long time to decay (it reflects off the walls and floor). Now imagine standing in a carpeted bedroom and clapping your hands, the sound would not echo as much and disappear quite quickly (the bed and the carpet would absorb some of the sound). The bedroom has a lower reverberation time than the original room.

In a home cinema it is generally good to have a shorter reverberation time as if the reverberation time of one syllable overlaps the other it can be difficult to make out speech. The same thing happens with sound from the surround sound speakers - one effect overlaps another resulting in a muddle of sound.

Home Cinema Treatments

There are several ways to treat excessive reverberation time - changing the shape of the room is one. Imagine a square box, a wave comes out of the speaker hits the back wall and comes back 180 degrees on itself - muddled sound. Now imagine a complex shape like Octagon, some waves will still bounce back at 180 degrees but the majority will bounce off in different directions - the sound still exists but all the bouncing will reduce its energy quite quickly (and therefore volume) and keep the sounds distinct.

The other way to treat excessive reverberation is to absorb the wave - acoustic panels consist of acoustic substrate finished in fabric. This tends to be the most practical way to improve the sound in your room and the finishing fabric can be almost any design - improving aesthetics at the same time as the sound. Manufacturers such as Cineak and Cinematech have products available in a variety of sizes and shapes to cater for most situations.

Written by: Dave Chester

Custom Controls

http://www.CustomControls.co.uk

Custom Control & Entertainment Solutions - Home Cinema, Multi-Room Audio Video, Home Automation & Lighting Control. Premier Dealers for Crestron, Kaleidescape, Lutron and Bowers & Wilkins.

Removing Interior Walls

Here's a word of advice for any contractor, Carpenter, handyman or homeowner that is planning to remove an interior wall from your home or someone else's. Beware of removing interior walls, to eliminate your fears of the house collapsing. Some of the interior walls inside of the house are important structural components of the building.

Some of these walls hold up floors, roofs and other loadbearing sections that could create safety problems within the structure of the house itself. This is an area where an expert with framing skills should be consulted. What is the definition of someone with excellent framing skills? Some one with at least 10 years as a master framing carpenter.

My home building experience consists of three decades for over 30 years of assembling some of the most difficult sections of a home. During these years I have seen damage done to houses from removing structural interior walls. Most of this damage could be repaired with a little structural engineering. Some of the damage could not be repaired and caused other damage to different sections of the house. The damage caused in some cases to the floor and the roof framing had to be completely rebuilt.

I'm not telling you about every single thing I have ran into but you would be surprised if I started to make a list of all the homeowners and professionals in the building industry or home selling and buying business that contacted me to remove a structural component of a building. There have even been a few of these people that told me everything was going to be okay just go ahead and remove the structural building component.

Needless to say I would leave these people very irritated but I'm sure they found someone to do the job. The bad news is I was normally the person they would hire to go back and repair the damaged building after these people were gone and out of business. There have been cases where people have removed an interior walls against my better judgment and over the years of driving by in these homes I personally got to witness the structural damage that was occurring on the outside of the house.

I have no idea what the inside of the house looked like but could only imagine. My advice again when removing interior walls is to hire an experienced contractor or at least get some advice from an experienced framing carpenter. This does not include your basic know it all that has basic construction experience like your father in law, parents, friends, golfing associates or people you work with that tell you not to worry about it, just do it, everything will work out just fine.

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 What Does A Shear Wall Do

Was Jesus A Good Example

Benefits of Underpinning - Construction Tips

In the construction world, underpinning is a process in which you strengthen and also stabilise a foundation of a building which could be potentially dangerous if no action was taken. What are the benefits of underpinning a building or structure the building really need the work doing to it? These maybe a few of the question you may ask yourself if a surveyor tells you that your building needs underpinning. A few of the reasons and benefits you should consider are as follows...

1) The existing foundations are not strong / stable enough - underpinning will correct these problems.

2) The use of the building has changed - Possibly you have changed the purpose of a building, maybe from a house to a shop - underpinning will allow the building to take more pressure.

3) The soil properties that the building lies upon have changes - there could have been some movement in the ground, perhaps through subsidence - underpinning will help strengthen the building in this case.

4) New buildings or structures added to the surrounding area. If a new house is build next to an existing property, then underpinning maybe needed to strengthen the first property.

5) Land cost has increased. If the price of land increases by a great deal, it maybe cheaper to use underpinning with a view to improving the existing property (perhaps adding a new floor) rather than purchasing more land.

As you can see, there are many different reasons why you should consider underpinning rather than neglecting the reasons for using it.

Underpinning foundation Engineers
Underpinning foundation

Practical Affirmation - Focused Action

Everybody knows what an affirmation is, right? A little recitation you say a few times in the morning to make the mirror happy. Positive thinking. A gimmick. A cynic might perceive affirmations as naive self-deception or even as lies.

Sometimes it seems that way, doesn't it? You've chanted the phrase, "I am abundance and prosperity" a boatload of times and still have trouble paying the bills. You've affirmed, "I am the possibility of energy and vitality" and still you're exhausted. You've ranted, "I love and believe in myself!" with the best of 'em, but your self-esteem just doesn't take off.

Yet we also hear the magnificent success stories. Is there a trick to this affirmation game?

Yep. Sure is. And you're about to learn what it is.

Besides the actual language of the affirmation, there are a few more things that need to happen in order to bring the deal to life. Today, we'll be looking at action. Sometimes people get this part backwards, as I hope the following snippet will illustrate:

Me, to wellness coaching participant: So how has your self-image project been coming along?

Participant: I haven't done anything.

Me: We wrote out your action steps for the past week in your planner. Did you follow them?

Participant: Nope. Haven't even opened it.

Me: Why not?

Participant: Low self-esteem.

No amount of affirmation is going to overcome the refusal to take action. The average person, once they say they're going to do something, will set an internal expectation that they're going to do it. Sometimes something happens and it doesn't get done -- ever.

Typically, at that point the person will make up a story in their head about why they didn't do it. Next time a similar situation comes up, something like this will begin to play on their internal tape loop: "I didn't feel like doing it last time, so I didn't. I'm still alive. I survived without doing it last time. Guess I can survive without doing it again now. I'm off the hook!"

Off the hook, yes. Happy? Not a chance.

The person who gets caught in this feedback loop has just conclusively proved to himself that he is a liar. He said he was going to do something, and then let himself off the hook without following through. He is still alive, but he feels like a schmuck.

He also doesn't have the tangible outcome that the action would have produced.

This is what happened to Joe, who was recently laid off from his job as a carpenter. Things are tight. But his sister told him not to worry. She even helped him out by suggesting a calming affirmation:

"My family is securely provided for. All our needs are fulfilled."

Joe started saying the affirmation, just like his sister told him. The next night while spacing out in front of the TV, Joe got a brainstorm. "We've got a big backyard," he thought. "I'll plant a vegetable garden! At least we won't be hungry."

Next time Joe was at the store, he picked up a few seed packets. When he got them home, he read the directions on the back. Plant in well-prepared soil.

Joe, not being an experienced gardener, wasn't sure how to prepare the soil. He never got around to figuring it out and didn't plant the seeds. Now, 2 months later, he's short the cash he spent and has nothing to show for it.

"These affirmations don't work!" he moans. "I said it and nothing happened! Still no job, and we've about tapped out our savings."

As I tell the story here, it's pretty obvious that the affirmation really could have worked. Joe had the insight he needed. He just didn't follow through with action. To make matters worse, his mind is now telling him, "You're a guy who doesn't follow through. No point thinking up any more bright ideas, is there?" The door to creative solutions has slammed shut.

Oh yeah. Joe's job counselor says he has low self-esteem.

Had he planted the garden, chances are that Joe's self-esteem would have weathered the storm just fine. How come? Well, instead of eating frozen chicken nuggets and popcorn for dinner, he'd be fat and happy on fresh garden produce. The nutrition alone would have given him a boost. But that's just the beginning.

Had he planted the garden, Joe would have earned the right to think of himself as a resourceful individual who seizes inspiration, trusts his instincts, and follows through. That mental state would most likely have him think of a few other things, too, beyond the garden. He would most likely have followed through on some of those inspirations as well. Might even have gotten himself another job by now.

Focused action is one of the key factors that brings affirmation to life. Why not make a plan and try it?

Elizabeth Eckert coaxes, cajoles, and gently guides the creation of healing intent. She's the founder of http://www.wordcures.com and author of Word Cures: How to Keep Stupid Excuses From Sabotaging Your Health. Align your whole self for health ... starting today! Share "Arielle's" real-life success story and optimize your own natural healing energy.

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.

Personal Development

The Juice is Worth the Squeeze

Have you ever considered that there are two main motivators in life? There is the pursuit of pleasure. And, there is the avoidance of pain. Some might argue that the two are one and the same. I don't think so. We'll talk about that as you read further down.

Success has a price attached to it. Failure has a price tag attached to it. To experience either one, you will pay the price.

Success has a price tag on it that you get to have control over. Failure's price tag comes from default. It automatically shows up.

The price tag of success is paid up front. The price tag of failure is paid later on. The price tag of success gets easier with time. The price tag of failure keeps on costing you for the rest of your life.

Let me begin by saying that failure is never final unless you quit. The only way that you can 'be a failure' is to quit. And amazing advantage that those have who have chosen to quit is, at any moment, they can choose to get back into the game.

You may find yourself sitting at the end of the bench in the game of life. You might have chosen to go sit in the stands and be a spectator. You may have chosen to leave the stadium all together. The great news for you is, the game is still going on and you are welcome to come back. You probably won't come back as the starting quarterback, but there's still room for you on the team.

Why pay the price of success? Well, that's pretty much a no-brainer. There's a reward for success. Why stay in the game and not give up? Well, there's a result of a lot of pain if you give up.

Think about it. The man who has given up. The guy that got in his car, left the stadium and sits and does nothing. Is he happy or sad? Glad or mad? Feeling good about himself or bad? Gets along well with others and enjoys his family and friends? Or is he at odds with the world? Hopeful about things getting better in the world and his own life? Or hopeless, negative and in psychological turmoil? Grateful to others in his life or blaming others in his life?

Its pretty obvious isn't.

Did Michael Jordon make the first shot that he ever took? Probably not. How did, year after year, Michael's stats get better and better? Because he could magically fly? Well, it took a lot of sweat, determination, commitment and work for Michael to learn to 'fly'. : )

What is the price of success? Just hard work? Let's talk about it.

Hard work is definitely involved. However, hard work isn't 'the key' alone. If it were, then everyone who worked hard would be wealthy, right?

There's more involved.

It takes a goal. It takes concentration on your goal UNTIL it is achieved.

It takes awareness. Knowing what's working. And, knowing what isn't working then making adjustments.

It takes managing the negativity of others. Some of whom you might value highly in your life. Vision is said to be, 'you seeing what others can't see.' Just because you have a vision and are excited and passionate about it, doesn't mean that others are going to 'get it'. Let's face it. Its YOUR vision. Not theirs.

It takes facing obstacles, dead ends and sometimes, all out attack on you and your efforts. Yet still, being able to keep going. Keep pursuing. Keep believing.

It takes detractors and even enemies being right about some things, but you still keep believing in yourself, your goals and your vision.

It takes dealing with negative self talk. Learning how to subdue it and counteract it with positive self talk.

You see, no one is born with the Midas touch of creating success effortlessly. You weren't. Nor was I. No one else on the planet either.

The key is using your will to do the thing that you've imagined for your success. Recognizing that there will be a price of time, willpower, opposition, obstacles and even mountains you might have to climb.

BUT, the price for success is worth it. You get to HAVE more, DO more and BECOME more along the way. You won't be the same person in the end that you were in the beginning. You'll change. You'll change FOR GOOD. For the good of your life. For the good of your family. For the good of others.

Make a choice now to pay whatever price you must in order to live the life that you've dreamed of and imagined for yourself. You'll be very glad that you did.

Michael Murphy
Author of 'Powerful Attitudes', 'Powerfirmations', 'Faithfirmations' and new book yet to be released. Michael is a recognized expert on building powerful, positive self esteem and success. Get his gift of 9 FREE self empowerment classic ebooks by going now to http://www.powerfirmations.com/home.html

How to Choose Vinyl Replacement Windows

I will provide a very useful answer on how to choose vinyl replacement windows. If you read the article right to the end you will gain a lot of information including examples of some of the companies to consider.

There are several factors that affect the choice on vinyl replacement windows. Let me provide this in list form below.

First of all you need to consider the price: If you can get more windows for a small price then go for it. Most of them cost between $350 and $ 600 when retrofit installed. You can try silverstone, which is made by Anderson - a reputable company.
Energy efficiency: This is another consideration to make. These can obviously save you a lot of money in the long-term. In addition they tend to make the house a lost quieter. I know that Amerimax vinyl windows are good for this.
Dissipation: This is another important issue to consider on how to choose vinyl replacement windows. Some people have had Argon dissipating from double-paned windows within five to seven years. In some forums people claim it dissipates faster in wood clad aluminum. I cannot be too sure I have never tested this theory.
Must pass the NFRC standards and must be approved by Energy star.
Must provide a warranty: The best company should not be afraid to offer a warranty. The longer the better - as it shows the confidence they have on their product. You can check out Alpha Windows to see the kind of warranty they offer.
Best quality: the windows must be sturdy and reliable. I can only mention Tri-State and Alpha as examples to check out here.
The supplier must be within vicinity - this will help you save a lot of money on transport costs as you call them over and as they frequent your house to do the job.

Find a replacement window company near your area at:

http://www.findreplacementwindowcompanies.com

Finding Homes Using the Internet - Home Shopping

You can simply type the words real estate or homebuying into any search engine on the World Wide Web and you will come up with hundreds, maybe even thousands of websites that are extremely helpful and full of great information. Like the one you're on right now.

Finding homes with the internet, combined with a skilled real estate salesperson, provides you with the most effective technology available today. Most websites start out, having you select a state you would like to search in and then, select a city, with your price range.

By answering their questions, this narrows the search down to all of the homes available in the area. The internet has made home shopping very simple. Considering what you had to go through in the 1970s. You found a realtor or by looking in the yellow pages, sometimes you found a good realtor and if you are lucky, maybe you would find you a good home.

Most of the time, the first homes you would look at, were owned by the real estate professional you were working with.

There are however a couple of problems with using the internet to find your dream home. Some of the verbage used and photographs taken can create a wonderful illusion of a tropical paradise but the reality, it's a regular home in a decent neighborhood.

Some of these photos are taken by skilled photographers who take advantage of every angle and tend to give an illusion of grander. When you actually start driving around and looking at these homes, only then will you get a reality check, of what the home actually looks like. You'll get used to it.

After you've looked at a few of your future dream homes, you will get a better idea of what I'm talking about with these wonderful pictures and the extraordinary home descriptions like "Beautiful Three Bedroom House with an Ocean View." When reality it's a two-bedroom house with an extra closet for the third bedroom and the ocean is 45 miles away, but you can see it on a clear day if you actually climb to the top of the largest tree on the property.

Take your time when searching for your dream home and don't let any one push you into making a decision if you're not ready. If you find your real estate professional a little too aggressive or pushy, get out of your contract, if you've signed one and find another, more helpful real estate salesperson to help you with your home purchase.

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.

Find other real estate tips and great advice, from another one of the Internet's best website creators.

Was Jesus A Good Example

Residential Home Improvement Contractors - Home Advice

As I say so frequently that I'm beginning to bore myself, "most remodeling contractors are honest and reliable individuals who want to do quality work at a reasonable price." Unfortunately, there are just enough contractors out there (or people who claim to be contractors) who take advantage of their customers that some reminders and tips are helpful if you want to do everything possible to protect yourself and your property during home improvement.

1. Don't make assumptions about referrals. Exercise the same due diligence in evaluating and checking out all contractors. You might have friends or relatives, co-workers or neighbors referring you to contractors they have used with good results. Many people are also simply trusting recommendations from home improvement stores. Even when you are referred to a contractor, check him or her out before you sign a contract. Consumer Reports recently released findings from a study of people who hired contractors to whom they were referred by the two leading home improvement stores. Their survey indicated that people who used these referrals had more problems and were less satisfied with the work than people who used other contractors.

2. Build your remodeling budget in a way that creates a 20% cushion for unexpected surprises. Although the National Association of the Remodeling Industry suggests an allowance of 10% to 20%, I think you are safer to budget for a 20% cost overrun due to surprises. There are literally hundreds of things that can happen or that can be discovered once remodeling begins that will result in a cost overrun. It is not uncommon, for example to discover termite damage, dry rot, damage from leaking pipes, outdated wiring, etc. My point is that you should not use your entire budget on the basics. You will be much more comfortable with your budget if you leave room for surprises.

3. Get a contract - don't deal with a contractor on the basis of a proposal. If at all possible, get a contract that states a final price for the work, not an estimated cost that can go up or down. Your contract should be as specific as possible and as detailed as possible. It should also contain some kind of warranty for both the installation and the products or materials. You can also specify in the contract that all materials used will be new materials and meet the standards outlined in the contract. It should also state that any changes made during the construction period will be authorized only by written change orders that explain the difference in cost up front. If a contractor is unwilling to sign a contract stating the final price of the remodel, find another contractor.

4. Know what your insurance covers and take out a liability policy if necessary. It is usually easy to call your insurance agent and ask what is covered in terms of damage to your property, loss of property or possessions, and injury or death of a worker on your property during the construction period. You should also be certain that the contractor carries workman's compensation insurance and liability insurance against injury or death of a worker and against damage or loss to your property or possessions. If you have any concerns about adequate coverage, discuss it with your insurance agent and consider taking out an additional policy during the construction period.

5. Monitor all liens placed against your property during construction (construction liens) by any contractor or subcontractor and ensure that they are removed when the project is finished and the contractor is paid in full. There are unscrupulous contractors who accept payment for a job and then do not remove the liens. In most of these cases, the homeowner is not aware of the lien until some time later when trying to sell the home or take out a loan for further improvements. When homeowners try to resolve the issue, the contractor claims that the bill or part of the bill was never paid and demands payment before removing the lien.

6. Never do business with someone who comes to your door offering their services.

7. Never pay a contractor the entire bill up front. Work out a payment schedule that reflects work completed, and put the payment schedule in the contract.

8. Specify the quality of workmanship and the quality of materials to be used in the remodel or addition in the contract. Not only should you specify materials quality, you should check materials to ensure compliance with the terms of the contract as they are delivered to the construction site. Insist that the costs of all building materials be specified.

9. Include all job specifications in the contract. The more specific the description of the work to be done, the more protection you have. Job specifications state exactly what work is to be done, how it is to be done, the quality of materials to be used, when it is to be complete, and that it must pass inspection.

10. Check all licenses, permits, proof of insurance, and state or local certification before you hire a contractor or subcontractor. Check to be certain the contractor has or obtains all necessary permits, licenses and certificates. Check with issuing agencies or insurance companies to confirm that insurance and licenses are current.

11. Insist that the contractor show you proof of bond coverage for the total replacement cost of the project.

12. Be sure the contract includes the appropriate information about how conflicts will be resolved, when and how the contract will be or can be terminated, and that lien releases will be provided upon payment.

13. If you give the contractor a key to your home for use during the construction period, change the locks as soon as construction is completed.

14. Take the necessary steps to protect your property and your possessions. Put away all valuables in a safe place. Define the construction area for everyone - tell your family not to enter the area during working hours; define limits of access to the rest of your home for the work crew. Protect your landscaping by covering shrubs if necessary and taking other steps to reduce accidental damage. Seal off the construction area from the rest of the house to confine dust, etc.

15. If you are remodeling an old home, make sure any work with potentially hazardous materials is done under the safest conditions and that hazardous materials are completely removed from the work site immediately and disposed of as instructed by your local government. Be sure any lead paint is properly removed; be sure any asbestos is removed and disposed of correctly; be sure old horse hair plaster (that could contain arsenic) is disposed of properly.

These tips will help you protect your family, your property and the people working on your remodeling project. Residential home improvement contractors should be very willing to cooperate on all of these points.

Copyright 2008 by ABCD Publishing

Dan Fritschen, the remodel-or-move guru is President and Publisher at ABCD Publishing and operates three very popular websites, including http://www.remodelestimates.com which provides information and insight for homeowners planning remodeling projects. He is the author of three books on home remodeling.

Prepare For New Trends in Bamboo Shades

As the growth of any product increases, there will be a deepening of the available options out there. Often, the newer choices will be the best. Imagine the time when the re were only a few choices of personal computers. Later, even now, there are so many options. Given this inevitable flow of new options for products, one should not be surprised that there are so many new choices of window treatments available. In addition to the wide range of product choices, there is a deep and wide range of style and design with each category. This article will focus on the options available for bamboo shades. The old style of sticks interlaced with threads, which may have had only a few color choices, but not many design options, is the past. Now, perhaps due in part to enhanced production methods, as well as a desire to match almost every design plan, has led to a time which may well be the renaissance of bamboo shades.

The new trends in bamboo shades have included a movement towards the unconventional. Traditional American consumers have gone for basic white in window treatments. While there have always been sales of white bamboo shades, woven woods consumers have usually trended more toward the unique patterns. This will include different types of slat materials as well as new weaving and interlacing of threads.

Basic stick design has been replaced by more bamboo looking materials. The bamboo shades which use tortoise shell patterns are now increasingly common. These bamboo shades sometimes are colored differently, including black or red, which makes for a different type of color splash compared to the traditional greenish brown colors. Other designs use different sections of the split bamboo as the base. Much of this material was considered not attractive enough for bamboo shades, but now, with new production techniques, as well as the other new trends discussed in this article, these former scrap discards are being used in a productive way.

While the basic brown, beige, or white threads are still available, the trends here are towards more durable threads, which will last longer under strong exposure to the sun light. Bamboo shades also use newer colors, including green, red, and chocolate, and this range can allow for a design that may have looked commonplace to now look rich and new. This slight change is usually not noticeable as to the cause, but upon close examination of the threads, one will notice that a simple difference in color is the cause of the style enhancement for the bamboo shades.

The third most common way in which bamboo shades patterns are evolving is a new style of weaving the threads. The traditional shades had a simple drop in the threads, with a weave that mimicked plain flat fabric. However, the newer designs include braids, macrame, and twists. The woven threads themselves are beautiful enough to make a window treatment. However, the blending with old and new bamboo sections makes for a new and crisp treatment, worthy of a design award when used in a fashionable living room.

As the trends for higher fashion design ebb and flow in bamboo shades, consumers will be offered a fine new array of exquisite styling. Consumers should try to learn more about these new designs, all of which are available in real bamboo for prices similar to the less expensive and less design focused plastic options. The online retailers are the fastest to the market with these choices, but the unfortunate loss in ability to touch the real material is worth the trade off when realizing such great high fashion bamboo shades for one's spaces.

Judith Persit works from home in a design studio and writes about bamboo shades Learn about shades at her website.

Volatile Organic Compounds - Home Advice

What are VOC's?
VOC's are harmful to everyone, not just children - and they can be extremely damaging to the environment. So, what are these VOC's? Volatile Organic Compounds are generated from cleaning fluids, paints, building materials, furnishings, carpets and tobacco smoke. It may be hard to believe, but there are up to 300 VOC's just within our indoor atmosphere. In actual fact, the air we breathe is riddled with air bourne contaminants. Most of us spend a large percentage of time indoors, and any doctor will tell you that good air quality is vital for our health.

VOC's And Paint
Paint, unfortunately, is one of the top contributors of this kind of indoor air pollution, and it's prudent to note that some paints can actually give off fumes for up to five years after their application!

In a study in the USA, the EPA found concentrations of VOC's in indoor air to be 2-5 times greater than in outdoor air. Incredibly, during certain activities, indoor levels of VOC's may reach 1,000 times that of outdoor air! The EPA also identified VOC's as carcinogenic, and highlighted the associated health risks which include lung diseases such as asthma, bronchitis and emphysema. Similarly, an Australian study into the effects on asthmatics of exposure to a conventional water-based paint and a VOC free paint, concluded that Zero VOC paint appeared to be less likely to cause a worsening of respiratory symptoms than conventional acrylic paint, and that some asthmatics would derive a useful symptomatic benefit from using Zero VOC paint. Higher exposure to VOC's from paint (for example, among artists and professional painters) has been known to lead to permanent respiratory, nervous system, liver or kidney damage.

Of real concern are the short-lived bursts of very high exposure, such as those experienced while painting or using solvents.

Ingredients and Additives in Paint
Many paint companies now designate certain paints as being "low VOC" or "low odour" (which should NOT be confused with non-toxicity!). Although low VOC paints are certainly a lot safer than conventional paints, they still contain harmful chemicals that can irritate the eyes, nose, throat, skin and lungs. And it's important to note thar "Low Odour" is not the same as "Low VOC" because fumes from VOC can be masked by other chemicals! Even ZERO VOC might not necessarily be non-toxic due to other toxic ingredients being present such as Ammonia, Phthalates, Heavy Metals, Toluene and Glcol Esters! Ammonia can cause respiratory problems and eye irritation. Toluene is a common solvent in paints and it can damage the heart, kidneys & nervous system when inhaled. It's also known as Methyl Benzene. Phthalates are toxic to the eyes and skin, heavy metals like Cobalt and Cadmium can damage the kidneys an liver, as can Glycol Esters.

When you consider that many paints contain binders, pigments, fillers, extenders, thickeners and additives, it becomes clear just how many potentially damaging elements can be in your paint.

Product Recall
There have been many recent product recalls as a result of high levels of lead and chemical compounds.

VOC Labelling System
Although the impact of interior paints on atmospheric pollution is relatively small, most manufacturers are now of the mind that the amount of VOC's should be reduced and consumers given the choice of using lower VOC containing products. B&Q notably introduced a labelling system in 1996, which shows the VOC content of each paint product. Minimal -(Zero - 0.29%). Low (0.30 - 7.99%), Medium (8-24.99%), High (25-50%) and Very High (More than 50%). Between 1996 and 2005 the average VOC of paint sold in B&Q has reduced from 191g/l to 97g/l.

Zero VOC, Non-Toxic, Non-Solvent paints are often more expensive than conventional paint, but using products in your home that are safe for your children and kind to the environment is worth the additional cost.

A Breakthrough In Glow In The Dark Technology
Until recently, there was no such thing as a Zero VOC Glow In The Dark Paints. However, July 2008 saw the successful release of a ground-breaking new Glow in the Dark paint. The paint is a world-first in terms of safety and following rigorous testing has been deemed 100% safe for use by both adults and children alike. Taking more than a year to develop the new generation of glow in the dark paints are seen as a major step forward in paint technology.

The launch came just days after the department store Harrods were forced to recall hundreds of souvenir teddy bears after tests found potentially harmful levels of formaldehyde, just one of an increasing number of chemicals and lead compounds being found in products causing them to be removed from the market.

The new generation glow paints are zero VOC's and has been developed by a leading scientist whose life's work has focused on Glow in the Dark technology. Now for the first time ever a glow in the dark paint is available that is totally safe and free of any formaldehyde. Important to note is that the new paint is fully compliant to EU toy safety regulations EN71 part 3. The paint is also beneficial to asthmatics and sufferers of allergies.

Superstarz Glow In The Dark paint comes in four colours: blue, violet, green and aqua. The paint is primarily used to transform a children's bedroom ceiling to a truly amazing out-of-this-world cosmic night sky scene. The paint is charged by daylight, UV and artificial light and appears invisible with a milky white appearance in the daytime. At night time however the paints glows for up to 12 hours. Ceilings painted with Superstarz paint have been proven to help children sleep. A 60ml pot of Superstarz costs just 15.99 (including postage and packing). The company have also produced a complete DIY kit, Starz 'Cosmos in a Can'. The kit enables anyone to create their own cosmic ceiling at a fraction of the cost of having a professionally created cosmic ceiling, and includes step-by-step instructions as well as all the materials you need to create incredible effects such as 'The Black Hole', 'The Milky Way', 'Shooting Stars' and 'Constellations' in a galaxy of glittering colour. Perfect for children or a romantic gift for a loved one the kit is available at just 49.99 (including postage and packing).

For further information on this exciting breakthrough in paint technology visit the Starz Ceilings website at http://www.starzceilings.co.uk

When We Choose Misery Over Happiness

I am not one to feel sorry for most people. They seem to have a unique ability to cause themselves the most damage during certain parts of their lives. I have met some pretty self destructive people in my life. Being raised by a mother that lived in misery and love.

My mother had a difficult childhood. It seemed as if every corner she turned there was a obstacle either right in front of here or waiting just around the corner. Her father died when she was 12 year old. He was a farm laborer and didn't make much money. In other words they were poor...... She got sent to live with a few foster families and according to her she was molested by one of the fathers she lived with.

Soon her older sister invited her to live with her. My aunt was married to the owner of a pottery business and had 2 children about 10 years younger than my mother. My aunt soon realized she had a live in baby sitter that allowed her to stay out drinking most of the day.

My Uncle was what you would call a drunk back then, now we call these people alcoholics. Well any way I think you are starting to get a picture of my mothers life up to this point. It is probably safe to assume that this isn't the ideal life for a young woman.

The next event to happen in my moms life was for my uncle to fall in the shower one night after tying one on that night. He died soon after but my aunt seemed to make a another good choice and ended up marring the owner of the bar that they spent most of their time in.
The Grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for. Allan K. Chalmers

By this time my mom was in High School and met my future father. It wasn't exactly a marriage made in heaven. My dad was always an easy going man. He seemed to let most stuff go in one ear and out the other.

As you guessed it they had a few children. Nice one Dad and Mom. According to the books I have read on Angelic beings. People that believe in the after life and angels. They tell me I had a choice and was able to choose my parents....... What was I thinking...... I should have choose someone with some money and a couple of parents that were deeply in love .

How did I end up here in this situation.

I ended up loving my parents like most of us. They seemed to be doing the best that they could possibly do raising me, my bother and my sister. My mom and dad ended up getting a divorce and I went to live with my father.

My Father is remarried to a wonderful woman that seems to bring him a lot of happiness.
I haven't seen my mother for a while now. She lives with a life of excuses and misery. Her childhood was not the greatest but that doesn't give her the right to bring misery into other peoples lives. She has made a conscious choice to live what seems to be a painful life. Maybe her choices in life have made me choose happiness over misery.

I have always wondered what it is that motivates someone to live a life of true unhappiness when it takes the same amount of energy to live a life of joy. Life is meant to be full of joy and happiness so start today by making the right choices to live a fulfilling life of happiness.

If you are reading this and can't make up your mind what kind of life you truly want to live visit me at http://live.spiritualideas.com/ . Change your thinking and change your life.

Greg Vanden Berge will help you create a new approach to life and discover talents you never knew you had. We can help you get the most out of yourself all the time. Start developing your innate strengths and abilities to start enriching your life TODAY !

Does God Make Mistakes

A Unique Christian Idea and Big Evangelism by Christian Company

If you are a Christian, it is important for you to understand that you have been created in Gods very image according to Genesis 1:27 which states, "And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male AND female He created them." You are beautiful person and should always hold your head up high.

One Christian company that understands this is Beauty 4 Ashes Christian Health & Beauty Co. They are using the Word of God to set millions of people free from the bondage of low self-esteem. Their hair care products for ethnic and non-ethic hair only contain natural ingredients produced by Gods green earth.

This company is growing fast and quickly gaining international acclaim for their heavy usage of scriptures and Gods word with all of their products. The company is also unique because it takes no credit for the amazing results its customers receive from their hair growth and acne products. Instead, they give all credit for any customer success to the power of God to heal those who dedicate their lives to His perfect will and way.

If you are a Christian, you should use your dollars to support Christian companies that spread the word of God openly. Although, there are many Christian nonprofit organizations that exist, there are few for profit organizations that openly proclaim the power of Jesus Christ and do not fear losing profits by marginalizing it customer base. Beauty 4 Ashes is one of these companies.

If you have dry, brittle, or damaged hair, you should try their GodHead Silky Smooth products, if you have eczema, acne, or stretch marks, then you should try their No More Shame products, and if your have hair growth needs, you should try their A Double Portion super hair growth product. Please visit this companys website at www.discoverb4a.com

Christians, recognize that as Paul said in Acts 17:29, we serve an awesome and mighty living God, not one of gold, silver, or stone. If you are battling with hair care and skin care issues, you need to place your faith in the Word of God and not chemicals, surgery, or facial peels to get quick results. If you just remain faithful and devote your life completely to Him, He will reward you for your obedience.

For the bible states that God is a rewarder of those who seek him diligently and the bible also states that if you delight yourself in him, he will provide you with the desires of your heart. If you really believe these words are true, then exercise patience and continue to exercise full faith in the unchanging word of God. Beauty 4 Ashes Christian Co., Lifeway Ministries, Chick-fil-a, and Zondervan Publishing are just a few companies who are not afraid to stand on the power of God when operating their companies. So lets support these companies!

God has given every man and woman free will. Use your free will to show what the love of Jesus Christ looks like to your fellow man. Use your free will to volunteer, to help others in nursing homes or homeless shelters. Use your free will to support the few Christian companies, such as Beauty 4 Ashes Christian Co. who promote the word of God internationally, without fear or the repercussions from other religions, companies, countries, or individuals. Remember, you are made in the image of God. Your actions need to always reflect that fact.

Life is Love and Love is Life. He is a writer, father of three little girls and living testimony of God's power to overcome illness.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Solar Power

Solar power is starting to go main stream. While this technology has been around for some time, many people are just starting to learn about alternative fuels such as these. They have been getting a lot of buzz because of high oil costs. The inability to afford rising fuel costs, have forced some individuals to think of new ways to run their homes. One way is to use energy from the sun. There are advantages and disadvantages of solar power. Let's discuss the advantages first.

There are many well noted benefits of sun energy. The ones that are most often discussed include cheaper energy costs, clean fuel and less dependence on oil.

In recent years, utility bills have gone through the roof in many parts of the world. Oil prices are skyrocketing and global supplies are diminishing. This trend is not going to cease worsening. Some people have been unable to pay their bills, while others have had to cut back drastically in other areas of their life affecting their lifestyles to a great measure. There have been many families who have had to go without heat simply because they could not come up with the money to pay their utility bills. Because the sun is a free fuel source, it is now possible for us to cut back on costs.

Sun energy is also good for the planet. It does not emit any harmful gases. It also makes people who use it less dependent on oil. Their monetary outlays are also not dependent on oil prices.

As noted earlier, there are advantages and disadvantages of solar power. We have already discussed the advantages, now let's discuss the disadvantages.

The biggest disadvantage of tapping on sunlight as a fuel source is the high cost of purchasing the panels and then having them installed. Thankfully, there are online guides that will give step-by-step instructions to build and install your own. For around $200 worth of materials, you can do everything yourself.

As you can see, there are both advantages and disadvantages of solar power. Sun power can replace oil based fuel. As a result, an individual can save money and do something good for the environment. The main disadvantage of using sunlight to provide energy is that it can be costly if you pay someone to install such a system for you. However, you can save a ton of money if you create and install the solar panels yourself.

Tired of high electric bills? Discover how thousands of families are using homemade solar power systems to power their homes!

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.

Are Your Prayers Being Answered