Archive for July, 2011
How To Design Bathroom And Remodel Bathroom?
What’s the best bathroom is that the bathroom is fit for you and you enjoy it. Here 5 essential steps for a new bathroom remodeling:
1. Measure the space of your bathroom.
2. Learn which products you ‘ll need. Here you must know what’s the parts of the bathroom.
3. Draw up a plan of the bathroom with the measurements on the paper and plan your bathroom budgut.
4. Position bathroom products you want.
5. Contact an experienced professional designer to remodel your bathroom. The bathroom is made of bathroom vanities and sink tub bathroom cabinets bathroom organization laundry hampers bathroom mirrors bathroom faucets bathroom lighting and wastebins.
We see the overall influential factor of bathroom remodel is the color the materials and space setting.
Bathrooms are typically assigned less space than any other room in the house so one of the biggest design challenges is finding all the parts of the bathroom. Toilets tubs showers and sinks each require a minimum amount of space above and beyond their actual physical dimensions in order to be used properly.
You must know what’s the parts the type the cost of bathroom and how to design a comfortable bathroom and save your money at the same time. You can see it on http://www.personalbathroom.com.
If you want to change the layout of bathroom when you’re remodeling you must know what’s the parts of bathroom so you can do it wisely. And You should know what you like and the cost of it making a bathroom budget you can download the bathroom budget free from http://www.personalbathroom.com/content/howmuchcostbathroom it will help you design a more comfortable bathroom and save more money. Then you can do it yourself skilfully.
Good lucky for you!
About the writer: http://www.personalbathroom.com
How To Build A Serious Picket Fence
Drive across any city in the U.S. and you will see a broad range of ideas on what constitutes a picket fence. This is true because so many people are given information on the fly about building fences. The result is usually the same a sagging snaking tonguing or leaning fence. With the cost of the average fence at about 22.00 per foot this is a sad result that no homeowner should have to live with.
One of the first design flaws in fence building is to believe that the vertical supports usually 4x4x8 treated pine can be set on eightfoot centers. This never works unless cross braced which adds additional cost to the design. The load is too great for the span and the fence eventually sags. Always set your fence on sixfoot centers with at least 2.5 feet of concrete at each vertical. We will assume your fence is on level ground since hilly ground usually requires a professional.
Now lets line out the material we will need to build a 30 foot fence as an example. The entire frame of our fence will be cut from 2x4x12 treated pine TP . We will allow four sixfoot lengths which will be explained later between each vertical so we will need to buy two 2x4x12s for each space between our verticals. If your fence is running 30 feet you will need 30/6 = 5 spaces x 2 = 10 2x4x12 TP for the frame and six 4x4x8 TP for the verticals. Your count is one more vertical than the spaces between verticals. Always sketch your construction design before getting material. A picture is definitely worth a thousand words.
A good estimate for your cement is one 80 lb sack of ready mix or sacrete for every two verticals. However it is better to under cut this amount so that you dont lug those 80 lb bags back to the lumberyard. You can always figure what you need easier than you can return what you dont need and storing cement is never a good idea. Below is the procedure for building a fence that should last 30 plus years. Every piece of wood should be TP treated pine.
1. Your initial fence vertical layout center should be about six inches off of your property line. This allows 1.75 inches of 4×4 backdrop plus .75 inches of your picket width backdrop toward the property line. This gives you 3.5 inches left away from the property line. Always check your local ordinances to find the minimum distance from the property line and if you need a permit. Also make sure you call your local utilities to mark any lines that might be in your digging path. I have found it is better to talk with your neighbor and discuss your fence beforehand so they can give their feedback before you invest so much money and time.
2. Layout your fence using a strong nylon twine that can handle a sturdy pull. The layout is done by using stakes that you can purchase premade or make yourself from 2×2 pine. Just cut an angle end on a twofoot stake and drive it down using a small sledgehammer. You will need enough stakes to run the length of your fence with one at every 30 feet. The twine will be stretched between stakes and used to mark the vertical 4×4 edges while maintaining a straight fence. Once the twine is secured go to an end and line sight your twine making sure it is straight. Your eyes are accurate to 1/32 of an inch longwise and about 1/8 of an inch front wise.
3. Your vertical 4x4s will flush right to the edge of the twine without touching it. Given the width of a 4×4 the twine acts as a way of keeping each vertical perfectly flush with each other. Remember flush means that if you where to look down a line of verticals they would all become one at the same time. That is they are all in the same plane. Plumb means vertically level with gravity requires two directions of leveling and level means horizontally level with gravity. So our fence must be plumb level and flush to look right like most things in construction.
4. We have staked out our fence line with twine checked property distance to the line and got an okay from utilities to start digging. Measure 2.5 feet from the bottom of your posthole digger up and mark a good visible line on the digger to indicate the depth of your holes. Remember your twine is running across the centers of your holes. Cut several pieces of twine to tie to your stretched line at sixfoot intervals thus marking your hole centers or use a black marker. Tip: It is easier to lay your 2x4x12s end to end directly under your twine place your measuring tape at one end and layout where your hole centers will be on the wood. Now walk the line and tie your pieces of twine to the stretched twine directly above each layout. Once you have your string pieces tied to the line remove the wood to dig your holes.
5. Place your digger directly over the marked line at center and drop your posthole digger with a little force to mark the ground where the hole is to be set. Make sure the digger is turned in such a way as to not cut the twine. Remember we are flushing the verticals to the center of the holes so the hole should be large enough to backset the vertical by 1.75 inches. A good rule is to dig more hole toward you so there will be enough hole to move the vertical. Use a single stake to keep the line away from the hole while digging. Start your dig slowly scribing the hole as exactly as possible. Remember the posthole digger is being directed by gravity so let it drop straight down while you add your speed to it. Dig all your holes and drop a vertical into each hole they will lean against the holes. Check each vertical for flushing to the line and plumb vertically level in two directions making sure you have enough hole to move your post if needed. Re measure the distance between each hole with a single 2x4x12 by laying it inside the hole edges and make sure each hole is in the right position. It is also a good idea to walk to one end and view the holes longwise to see if everything looks straight.
6. Now we set the verticals. You do have a wheel barrel right? You will need a medium sized barrel. One that can hold about four 80lb bags of cement mix. You wont be putting 4 bags in the barrel at a time but with the water you will need about the same volume. Wet the bottom of the barrel with about 2 inches of water and put one bag of ready mix concrete mix in the barrel. Wet the entire bag with water and take your hoe and split the bag while spraying a small amount of water on the bag. This keeps the concrete dust to a minimum. Dump the bag slowly into the barrel and turn it over to remove the remaining paper. The hoe is a very necessary tool that you will use to rake the concrete while applying the water. Work the cement with the hoe making sure to get the bottom and edges of the barrel while spraying your water. The consistency of the mix should be wet enough to pour but dry enough to shovel. Use a pointed shovel and dump one shovel at a time of mix into the hole while shaking the vertical. This makes the cement flow evenly around the vertical and level with the hole. A very necessary tool to have when needed is a long pry bar about 25lbs that you can insert between the vertical and the hole at the bottom of the hole to flush the vertical to the twine. Ideally the vertical should be plumb vertically level in two directions level from the south and level from the west opposing 90 degree angles . Dont get confused with plumbing vs leveling. A plumbed object points toward the center of the earth and a leveled object is 90 degrees away from plumb or plumb is straight up and down and level is straight across plumb. Your verticals will be set right when they are about 1/8 of an inch from the twine parallel to the twine flush and plumb. Put enough cement to fill the hole and surround the vertical slightly piled up. Smooth the cement with the back of the shovel around the vertical. If your verticals are set right they should all become one when viewed longwise. Let the cement setup for about three days or so.
7. Framing your fence requires building load and wind sheer support. Load is the weight of the fence straight down and wind sheer is the force exerted by wind directly against the fence. It stands to reason the load will always be the same but wind sheer depends on where you live. If your fence is set in a windy environment then wind sheer plays a big factor in shaping the fence. Inadequate wind sheer support causes a snaking effect when looking longwise down the fence. Seen a lot of snaked fences in my time and so have you. Another adverse factor confronting your fence is what I call cupping. Have you ever seen a fence picket that looks like a spoon that is the picket bows vertically and takes on a spoon look. This is caused from improper nailing or picket fastening. Well Mother Nature will cup any wood just from repeated wetting and drying overtime. So regardless of low or high wind sheer it is better to supply cross frame support for your fence to prevent the snaking effect of wind or rain.
8. There are two methods of laying out pickets that I have used in fences string leveling at the top and 1×4 leveling at the bottom. The string method is best when the ground is level since it guarantees each picket is at the same height. The 1×4 is better used on unlevel ground since you can stair step the pickets off of each 1×4 regardless of the terrain. So we will use the string method for our fence.
9. You should have about 5.5 feet of 4×4 above ground to work with. We are assuming your ground is level which is seldom the case so the cuts made on each vertical will be level. Start at one end of your fence and set a picket against the vertical to get the height of 4×4 cut. The picket is 6 feet long but it is better to use an actual picket than measuring. The picket should be only 6 inches above the horizontal top 2x4x12 and about 1 inch off of the ground so use the picket to find where the 4×4 vertical must be cut to ensure along with the top 2×4 that it is 6 inches higher. Refer to picture 1 for a look at the frame side of the fence. Once you have the height you want mark an arrow pointing to it. We will pull off of this mark to level all of the verticals. Drive a sixpenny nail on the mark to hold enough twine tension for about 30 feet with 20 lbs of pull. Set your twine on the nail and run about 30 feet of twine level against the verticals. You can purchase line levels for very little. Get four or so to show levels down the length of the line. Note: It is always a good idea to view any line longwise from one end to ensure no sags. Once your twine is level mark each vertical where the twine crosses it. This will be the cut to make all verticals the same height. Now remove the twine and using a trisquare make square marks 90 degree off vertical in two opposing directions on each vertical where your marks were made. You can skill saw the square marks to cut the verticals or chain saw them. Using the skill is better since you must get a flat surface on the top of the vertical. It takes some practice but turn your skill perpendicular to the vertical cut one square mark at full saw depth and then cut the other square mark at full saw depth. This will leave a small amount of 4×4 that you can hand saw out to remove the excess 4×4 top. Make sure you get a flat level cut since your top rail 2x4x12 will be placed face down on the vertical tops. Finish all of the verticals and view them longwise to see if they are flush that is they disappear from view at the same time.
10. If everything is right each vertical will support your top rail plumb level and flush. Place your 2x4x12 on top of the verticals face down and make necessary cuts to overlap the top rail at the center of the verticals. If you have a perfect layout you should not need to cut any of the top rails but this is not usually the case. Once the top rails are set on the verticals end to end fasten them down with 3.5 inch deck screws or 16 penny galvanized nails. The deck screws are more expensive but will not move out with age whereas the nails will. The only nails I use in fencing are those holding the pickets against the fence. If you use deck screws make sure they are the inset hex head type since you will need a lot of torque to drive them down. Depending on which side your pickets will go flush the top rail on the picket side to get good surface for the pickets. The top rail is part of the wind sheer support for the fence to keep it from snaking. The pickets will ride just six inches above the top rail thus preventing what I call tongue effect. Tongue effect is when you can look down a fence longwise and see one picket top headed north and another headed south caused by allowing too much picket above the top rail.
11. Now may be the time to ask yourself which side of the fence to put the pickets on. It is never a good idea or look to reverse a fence unless it is against another fence or impossible to picket. It has become somewhat popular in the last 20 years to reverse fence sheathing showing the frame side to the public. This not only depreciates the value of your property but it gives ready access to anyone to climb over the fence with little effort. Remember the purpose of the fence is to provide not only privacy but security as well. Another reason to keep the frame side on the property side is that it allows the owner access to the frame to handle repairs and load problems in the future. From the point of decor your property has much better curb appeal and the frame rails running on the inside allow you to use them for potting plants party cup holders or just about anything you need.
12. Getting back to the frame we have the top rail finished so the next important rail is the loadbearing rail just under the top rail. This rail runs edgewise underneath and against the top rail. Its purpose is to provide loadbearing support to the pickets keeping the top rail from bowing with gravity. Measure between each pair of verticals and cut a 2x4x12 to fit snug against the verticals edgewise. You should get two rails per each 2x4x12. We will use the excess from the 2x4x12 cuts as jackleg supports. The complete top rail including the load support will look like an I beam with the exception that the load support is set flush with the picket side of the fence. This gives added wind shear and nailing support to the fence. Toenail 3 deck screws at each end of the load supports making sure you countersink the heads on the fence side. This allows the pickets to flow against the rail smoothly. Once the load rails are secure drive screws through the top rail and into the load support rail drawing them together as one. Use the remaining left over cuts from the top rails as jacklegs that will go under the top rail load supports. Again secure your jacklegs underneath each end of the load rails with three deck screws at cross patterns. The complete top rail is virtually impossible to overload since it is actually a truss. It also is a sheer support from cross winds and drying that would eventually turn your fence into a snake.
13. The next important rail is the middle load bearer. This rail runs exactly like the top load bearer between every two verticals. It runs flush with the picket side of the fence to support the pickets. This rail not only adds load support but great nailing surface and some sheer support as well. Use your jacklegs at each end of the middle rail with the same deck screw pattern.
14. The final rail support is the bottom sheer support rail. This rail runs between verticals turned face down just like the top rail. Run the bottom rail about six inches off the ground level. It is supported by jacklegs and toe nailed deck screws. Remember to flush to the picket side of the fence which is the same for all rails.
That is the complete frame for our picket fence. The next job will be sheathing the frame with our pickets.
15. We will use the string method to picket our fence. Your picket will be fastened at one end of the fence about 3/4 inch above the ground with 1.5 inch galvanized wood screws. Use only two one at the top and one at the bottom. You may need to adjust your picket and the screws are easy to remove. Before you fasten the picket plumb it with your level placed on one side of the picket lengthwise. As you fasten pickets to the frame you will need to occasionally check plumb to ensure your course is running correctly. Like most wood pickets are at times cut irregularly which forces the builder to make necessary adjustments. Adjustments to correct pickets are done gradually. That is if you check plumb and find out that your last picket needs to move left at the top to correct the run then you move the bottom of the next picket slightly right. Continue to do this until the course of pickets return to plumb. This is why you should always check your plumb about ever 4 or 5 pickets.
16. Drive a sixpenny nail straight down through the top of your fastened picket leaving enough nail exposed to tie your twine to. Tie the twine to the nail and drive the nail down until the twine touches the top of the picket. The twine will be your top guide while laying out the pickets. Unravel enough twine to run about 30 feet of pickets and fasten another picket to the fence the same as the first. Make sure it is plumb and set about 3/4 inch above the ground. Drive another top nail into this picket leaving enough nail exposed to tie the twine to. Loop the twine around the nail twice and with your left hand if you are laying out left to right pull the twine while pulling the loop with your right hand. The twine should be taunt enough to be straight when view longwise. Usually about 20 lbs of pull does the job. Place your line levels at different locations along the twine to check level. Adjust the line to the proper level and tie it off on the exposed nail. Since we are using top line to level our fence don’t worry about the ground below the fence if it drops at different points. You will just need to add more dirt to low areas after your fence is finished. If the ground is too high at areas you will need to shovel the dirt away to allow the bottom run. If it is a dramatic change in ground level then reset both pickets until you get what you like. Sometimes you just have to split the difference between digging or resetting the pickets. Visualize what your completed fence will look like and then make your decision.
17. It saves a lot of work to have a nail gun when hanging your pickets; however whether by hand or by nail gun you will work from your starter picket to the finish placing three nails through the pickets at the top middle and bottom rails. If you are using treated wood for your pickets they must be set tight against one another to ensure a privacy fence. Treated pickets will shrink over 2 years some 15 to 20 percent. This will increase your fence gap dramatically. So unless you are using completely cured TP pickets you must set them tight against one another no gap. I have seen homeowners gap TP pickets about a quarter inch only to have a 2inch gap result in 2 to 3 years! Hardly a privacy fence! Set each picket about 1/16th of an inch below the top line making sure to never touch the line since this will change your level.
18. After setting your pickets it is a good design to run a 1×4 footer directly over the bottom of the fence placing a single screw through the footer into each picket. This accomplishes two things. It draws the bottom of the fence into a nice tight single plane and it also protects the bottom the fence from weed eater wear. You can use this banding technique anywhere you wish on the fence to straighten tongue effect or draw pickets into a single plane using a 1×2. Just be careful to use the proper length screw. You should never have exposed screw ends on the other side of the fence. This becomes an accident waiting to happen. Check the opposite side of the fence for any exposed nails or screws.
19. Thats it for your fence. Except for capping off the last vertical with trim. A single picket can be used to trim the last vertical if needed. Dont forget to treat your fence with a good water sealer after it dries. This is usually about 2 to 3 months after install. Finally if you used completely dry TP pickets treat the fence before it rains since they will swell with moisture. To see pictures of our fence please visit http://alphalane.com.
About the writer: Paul is a retired contractor with 33 years experience in all phases of construction. His specialty is in landscape and exterior decor. You may contact Paul by clicking on his mail for questions about exterior decor. Paul writes for AlphaLane.com.
How Does Your Calgary Garden Grow?
Having a beautiful garden is one of the surest ways to surround your home with a fundamental element of luxury. But if you want to have a gorgeous garden and you’re faced with a short growing season like we have in Calgary you have to work a bit smarter than you do in say California. With this in mind here a few tips to help bring out the best in your yard.
The Quicker the Better
The growing season in Calgary is relatively short amounting to about 170 frost free days a year. So whatever you plant make sure it gets to the point quickly. Fast growing plants are the way to go if you want to be surrounded by greenery and flowers this summer.
As Beautiful as the Day is Long
Fortunately Calgary gardens have a distinct advantage when it comes to the growing season. Though there may not be many days for growing those days are long. In the summer the sun shines from 5 am to 10 pm with dusk stretching as far as midnight. In fact at the height of summer it never really gets dark for long. While we’re on the topic Calgary is actually one of the sunniest places in the county with an annual average of 2400 hours of brilliant sunshine.
Everything’s Coming up Roses
It’s easy to have a rose garden if you stick to wild roses. Hardy and abundant the prairie rose makes a great border that blooms early and provides colour all season with very little help from you.
Rock On
Rock gardens are a go in Calgary. Use local rocks for the best effect they look better and cost you nothing. Did I also mention they look better? Fortunately most of the plants that grow in a traditional alpine rock garden will also do nicely in Calgary. Visit the Reader Rock Garden for a supreme example of how beautiful this type of garden can be.
Turn Your Face to the Sun
Before you plant a thing in the ground turn your attention to the sky. Figuring out where the sun is going to hit your little patch of paradise and from which direction should be the first thing you consider when planning your garden. A north facing yard will call for shade tolerant plants while a south or southwest facing yard will soak up the rays. If you want vegetables plant them in the sunny spot. You’ll also want to look for elevations and slopes when you are making your site selection while avoiding depressions and low areas that allow water to pool.
Everyone Knows it’s Windy
The first thing you need to know about the prairies is that they’re flat. For gardeners this means that unless you intervene there will always be days when there’s nothing to stop the wind from whipping itself into a frenzy and making your garden shiver with wind chill. Nothing that is unless you create a windbreak which you definitely should do. Windbreaks stop the wind from lowering the temperature on the property which is good for the garden good for your house and good for you. Fences are the quickest way to enjoy the benefits of a windbreak and open fences picket style will always do better than solid fences which just seem to make the wind angrier.
Satisfy Thy Soul in Drought
Though you can stand outside everyday watering your lawn to make it green hopefully you have better things to do with your time. Besides it’s always wise to accept things for what they are and Calgary’s climate is dry. Choose drought tolerant grasses and ground cover. Save money on your water bill. Be at peace.
A Snowball’s Chance
Your garden your yard and your view don’t only exist from frost to frost. Give your garden and your family the full benefit of the seasons by making this space a fun and beautiful place all year round. Plant trees and bushes that will not only survive the winter but will add colour and interest. There’s nothing nicer than red berries contrasted with white snow in February. Evergreens and conifers are another classic choice. Pay attention to shapes and silhouettes when you are planning your winter garden. There’s also nothing more deliciously defiant than hanging out in the hot tub when the thermometer has dipped well below zero. Saunas out door fireplaces and heated spas all make the cold months a bit warmer and open up a whole world of possibilities when it comes to winter parties. If you have children or even if you don’t you might also want to consider allowing space for a backyard rink. Forget the tarps and the flooding if you want to go this route. There are some great portable skating rinks on the market right now that just need to be unrolled and filled up for a season of ice skating fun times.
And finally if you’re really serious about turning the yard around your Calgary home into an abundant wonderland there are some great books that deal specifically with gardens in our climate zone and plants that do well here. The Calgary Horticultural Society is also a fantastic resource for local green thumbs.
About the writer: If you’re looking to relocate to Alberta be sure to check out Justin Havre’s Calgary Real Estate Site. Visit JustinHavre.com today for the latest information on your Calgary home search.