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Showing posts from September, 2017

Rebuilding a Historic Building

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Rebuilding a Historic Building Every building holds some sort of historical significance. According to www.nps.gov , choosing an appropriate treatment for a historic building or landscape is critical and depends on a variety of factors. This includes the property's historical significance, physical condition, proposed use, and intended interpretation. Here are a few important details to remember and follow when preserving a building. Historic buildings are used as an example below. Some Points to Remember Relative importance in history- Is the building nationally significant? Ask yourself if an important event take place there. National Historic Landmarks, designated for their "exceptional significance in American history," or many buildings individually listed in the National Register often warrant preservation or restoration. Physical condition- What is the existing condition, or degree of material integrity, of the building before work? Has the original for...

Different Style Playhouse’s for Your Kid’s

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Different Style Playhouse’s for Your Kid’s Morning Chores - As a kid, I had a great time building clubhouses with sheets and our pull-out couch that weighed a ton. Or finding old sheets of plywood and pallets to build a fort we could not exactly stand up in. No matter what it was awesome. But never did I imagine my dad building us a playhouse that had four walls, an actual floor, or multiple rooms. Well as a parent myself, my boys bothered me to build them a clubhouse that had a second story, zip line, and twisty slide. Say what!!! I did just fine with a three-sided fort with a dirt floor. Besides, I do not know the first thing about building, basically, a “home” for my boys. I bet they are going to want working plumbing as well! After spending a few hours on the internet, I realized that forts, treehouse, or playhouses do not have to be so elaborate or difficult to build. There are several ideas and plans available to us. So, now I am on a mission to build them what I can but I p...

The Plumbing Code- Useful Information

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The Plumbing Code- Useful Information theplumber.com is a useful online handbook that is your go-to source for safety information, news, and articles. Whether you are a professional plumber or a homeowner with a DIY bone in your body, the Code outlines the best and most modern methods to be used in plumbing installations. Any private or public building is a part of the community water and sewage disposal system. So, it is vital that any type of installation should not be left to the discretion of irresponsible individuals. A plumbing or sanitation code set of Rules and Regulations imposed by cities, counties, and states on anyone who undertakes any work involving the installation of drinking water, sewer or toilet facilities in homes, offices, factories, schools, and hospitals. The public’s health and safety are of great concern when it comes to drinking water. Failure to follow sanitation codes can result in widespread disease, which can be crippling and deadly-to the community ...

Ways to Save During a Remodel Pt. 2

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Ways to Save During a Remodel Pt. 2 thisoldhouse.com - Like we said before, any home remodel can take a toll on a homeowner. It requires long hours- even late nights after working a full day, and can take a toll on your finances. This Old House has a few more tips to help you save and little and a lot of money and make better choices on projects. Just a Few More Tips Make sweat equity count by handling your own demolition, or at the back end, by doing some of the finish work yourself. "If you want to save money, dig in and start helping out," says Tom Silva. "You can insulate, you can paint, you can sand." Helping with the cleanup every day instead of paying someone can save you hundreds of dollars. Do your own schlepping- in other words, nix the delivery fees and do it yourself. No pickup truck? For a few hundred dollars, you can purchase a nearly new single–axle utility trailer online, which you can tow behind your SUV. Use it for a few hundred trips,...

Ways to Save During a Remodel

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Ways to Save During a Remodel thisoldhouse.com - Remodels can be stressful. Sure it looks easy on television, and every now and then the homeowners freak out about going over budget. When that happens, it’s hard to tell if it’s a real struggle or something for the show. Well we understand that a “real” remodel can have it’s not so happy surprises. You can follow advice This Old House has come up with in the past- build in a 20 percent cushion to cover the nasty surprises, get contractor references and check them, banish the words "while you're at it" from your vocabulary, and so on. There’s a way to achieve your dream home without going over budget or going the cheap route. Here are a few ways, big and small, you can save some money here and there. Ways to Save Blowing out the walls in your kitchen may not need to happen. You can get the most out of your kitchen if you reorganize and equip your kitchen for maximum utility. Start by replacing space–hogging shelves...

Why Concrete Cracks

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Why Concrete Cracks ConcreteNetwork.com - I know so many people who ask why their newly poured concrete has begun to crack. You can see cracks hours after it has been poured and sometimes it can take years before you see anything. Some might think it’s from shoddy work that was done on purpose, but there may be other factors to consider. Here are three possible reasons to think about. No One Likes Cracks There could be too much water added to the mix. Concrete does not require much water to achieve its maximum strength. But a wide majority of concrete used in residential work has too much water added to the concrete on the job site. It’s typically added to help install the concrete easier. But with that, the excess water weakens its strength. Shrinkage is the main cause of cracking. The concrete shrinks as it hardens and dries. This happens when the excess water evaporates, so the soupier the mix, the greater the shrinkage will be. The bottom line is a low water to cement rati...

Finding the Best Builder for Your Needs

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Finding the Best Builder for Your Needs The Telegraph - There is an obvious reason why people look for builders and not do the work themselves. DIY building is hard work and has safety and legal aspects, and is time-consuming and can become costly if amateurs make mistakes. So finding a good builder with experience in work and offers competitive rates is important. But, finding a trusting builder can be stressful and a pain. Everyone has their recommendations, someone who is a friend of a friend, or you look online and find someone with good reviews, but they turn out to rip you off. We typically have a problem with workers taking their time. Now we understand it takes time to get the work done, and unforeseen incidents can arise, but when it takes 8 months longer than quotes, it’s just unacceptable. Here are the top ten tips to help you find a reliable builder: 1. Check a builder is in a trade body - the Federation of Master Builders , the Guild of Builders and Contractors ,...

Types of Welding Careers

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Types of Welding Careers work.chron.com - Welding is joining metal parts together using torches, this creates a greater bond. The metals are bonded on a molecular level. The welding process has come a long way. Forged welding was the norm until 1886 when resistance welding using electrodes was invented. Forged welding is the hammering of two pieces of hot metal until they fuse together. With other methods of welding being developed, along with the technology, types of welders had also expanded. Here are a few types of jobs that are highly specialized. Of course, there are the welders. You can see them in the manufacturing and construction industries and are over 100 different welding processes for specific applications. Some welders are certified in more than one technique; stick welding, MIG welding, and TIG welding. They may lay pipelines and work to build and maintain power plants and refineries. Welding machine operators weld with machines instead of welding by hand. This ...

Portable Air Compressors

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Portable Air Compressors Every Single Topic - An air compressor is a machine that uses kinetic energy for various tasks like inflating tires or powering pneumatic tools. There are several air compressors on the market and come in two main categories; stationary and portable. Both types are useful, but the portable is more popular because it offers more advantages. Choosing the right compressor can make any job easy and done in a timely manner.  Here are a few advantages of a portable air compressor you should consider. Some Advantages Well, the obvious one is portability. They can be used around one job site, meaning they can be moved around and be used for several tasks. They are easy to work with and are highly efficient machines. Stationary compressors are set to one spot and can’t be moved easily. You can use the compressor with an air nozzle to blow debris away also. Portable compressors come in a variety of sizes. They come in a small, lightweight size, because of...

Rebuilding

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Rebuilding Mental Floss - There have been a number of disasters that have destroyed homes, businesses, and people's livelihood. When you have lost everything, rebuilding may seem like an unattainable endeavor. But it is possible, it will take funds, volunteers, the right equipment, and time. America has seen its share of disasters; Great Chicago Fire and San Francisco’s 1906 earthquake. But one thing is for sure, we have always come through. Here are a few cities that have pulled through.    Standing Strong On September 8, 1900, Galveston, Texas was hit with a category 4 hurricane. It killed thousands as a result of poor meteorological reporting and townspeople who dismissed evacuation warnings. It destroyed almost 4000 homes, took out bridges to the mainland, and telegraph lines. Because the island was completely cut off from all communication with mainland Texas, it took two full days to send news to President McKinley that the city was in ruins. Nearly four days la...