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

How Tough Are Concrete Epoxies

When concrete epoxies first came out I was working on a church remodeling the sanctuary. We were building a set of stairs that was two steps in height and 75 feet long. The steps were going to get a hardwood covering along with the rest of the sanctuary flooring.

I had used redheads in the past and noticed that over time these redheads would loosen up. I could never figure out what caused the redheads to do this. Was it the concrete that was expanding and contracting or was it the steel redheads contracting and expanding.

Either way I can never figure out what was up with the redheads. Another name for a redhead would be an anchor bolt. Red Hed is actually the company's name that makes the anchor bolt used to fasten materials to concrete or masonry surfaces.

Finding out that Simpson building products had made any new epoxy and all it required was drilling a hole 1/16 of an inch larger than the all thread you were going to use . After drilling a hole you would clean it with a plastic brittle brush. This brittle brush was pretty strong but it was not made from metal like I have thought. I was thinking it would have been a nice metal wire brush.

After drilling and cleaning the hole you would insert the proper amount of the epoxy into the hole you had drilled out with a masonry bit. As you slid the cut to size all thread bolt into the hole the epoxy would ooze out of the whole. This would tell you there was enough epoxy in the hole.

After that I cleaned the leftover epoxy off of the wood that I had inserted the all thread into to remove the extra epoxy that had oozed out. I waited 24 hours and the next day came to work with my electric impact wrench and wanted to put this epoxy to the ultimate test.

I put the washer and nut on the all thread and started to torque the heck out of it. As I was tightening the nuts and washer it started to work its way into the wood.

I was simply amazed after 24 hours the epoxy had held that good.

That was then and today Simpson epoxy requires drilling a hole an eighth of an inch oversize and filling it with epoxy. I still can't believe and to this day am a firm believer in concrete epoxies.

Read the instructions, clean out the holes properly with the recommended brush, insert the proper amount of epoxy, and rotate the all thread slowly into the hole as the epoxy starts to ooze out of it. Do not touch or move the bolt for the next 24 hours.

Concrete epoxies are here to stay and will keep improving as time goes on.

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 a great 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 in San Marcos Remodeling

What Property Market Slump?

While the world screams "recession", inflation spirals out of control and property markets fall into a slump the world over, some of the most ambitious construction projects are underway in some of the biggest cities in the world. Some label these projects foolhardy, and believe that they are destined to fail, or at the very least be completed years beyond the projected deadlines at billions of dollars over budget. Others believe that there projects foretell of rising confidence in the property market over all, and are indicative of a firm belief in consumer confidence.

In an article for The Wall Street Journal Online, Alex Frangos, looks at some of these large-scale projects and the implications for the world at large, as well as the companies directly involved in the endeavors. The five biggest construction projects are planned for New York City, London, Milan, South Korea and Los Angeles and cost a total of $64.8 billion (32.63 billion or R490.8 billion).

The cheapest of the projects is Garden Avenue in LA, at $3 billion. It is intended to revitalise the flagging downtown area and includes a 16-acre park, residences and a hotel. Phase one of the project is expected to be completed in 2011. Next is Porta Nuova in Milan at $3.6 billion. The "New Gate" will be built in the vicinity of the Garibaldi Train Station. The project was designed by 25 architects and will include a cultural centre, park, offices, homes and stores. Completion is planned for 2012.

Stratford City in London will cost an estimated $7.9 billion. It was initially planned for the 2012 Olympics, but completion of all the phases is only expected in 2020. It will consist of 180 acres, of which 5 million square feet will be devoted to offices; there will also be space for 5,000 residences. Hudson Yards in New York City is designed to optimize the limited space within the city by building a platform over the trains on the Hudson River. The platform will occupy 45 million square feet and will be devoted to office space, residential towers and a 'green space', presumably so that people don't go insane surrounded by all that concrete. The project is estimated to cost $20 billion and is expected to be finished in 2020.

The most ambitious project, Songdo City in South Korea, has been under construction since 2005 and is expected to be completed in 2014. 1,500 acres of land near the Incheon International Airport will be built into the first city in the world dedicated to being an International Business District. It is expected to house 300,000 workers, 65,000 residents and is budgeted at $30 billion.

One of the reasons for the skepticism surrounding these projects is that banks are cutting back on commercial real-estate loans, which means that capital-rich large-scale projects will struggle to find the cash to keep construction going. But most companies that tender for mega-projects such as these are well-aware of the inherent risks, and are willing to go forward anyway, because if they are successful, their reputations within the construction industry will be made.

In a time when many construction projects are being abandoned due to floundering economies and various belt-tightening initiatives, it's comforting to know that there are still people out there who are willing to stake billions of dollars on the hopes of an economic upturn. Perhaps the property market isn't in such dire straits after all.

Recommended site:

http://www.realestatejournal.com/buysell/markettrends/20071227-frangos.html

Sandra wrote this article for the online marketers Trafalgar property managers leading specialists in property management, residential letting and property insurance.

Fixing a Hole in Your Wall Home Repair Video

Great video on how to fix a hole in your wall .

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.

Rusting Ceiling Sprinkler

How Can Financial Counseling For Credit Repair Help?

Many people who have poor credit seek the professional help and advice of a financial credit repair counselor. But how can financial counseling really help you? Here are some ways that a specialist can help you with your current financial situation.

Remove Negative Items From Your Credit Report

Debt specialists can negotiate with creditors to remove negative items from your report, which will help raise your score. Some of the things that the financial specialists may be able to have removed from your report include:

Late payments
Bankruptcies
Collections
Charge offs
Repossessions
Foreclosures
Tax Liens

If any of these negative items are present on your report, a financial credit counselor may be able to have them removed.

Design A Payment Plan You Can Afford

If you have credit card bills and loans that are piling up and you are struggling to make even the minimum payments, a financial counselor can help you. A debt specialist can negotiate with your creditors to design a repayment pan that you can afford. Don't continue to make the minimum payments or acquire late fees because you have too many bills to pay. Talk with a financial counselor to help you find a way to make your payments on time.

Give Professional Financial Advice For The Future

A credit repair financial counselor can help you improve your credit score and can also help you make sure that this will never happen to you again. It is not only important to have a good credit score, but it is also important to plan for the future.

Some ways that you can improve your credit score include:

• Pay Your Bills On Time: Having late payments can negatively affect your credit score, so be sure to make your payments on time.
• Don't Close Old Accounts: Closing old accounts won't help your credit score; it could actually hurt it. Closing old accounts can lower your available balance percentage.
• Pay Off Your Debt: paying off your debt will help improve your credit score. This is an area that a credit repair specialist could help with.
• Don't Open New Accounts: If you need to improve your credit score, try not to open any more credit card accounts.

A credit repair counselor can give you the knowledge and resources you need to manage your credit and finances responsibly and improve your credit score.

Rusted Electrical Box Exterior

Build Safety Into Your Home

Many safety precautions take place due to concern for children.However, the parents have accidents almost as frequently as their children.To avoid accidents in the home, consider these simply safety features.

• Scalding from hot water can be severe.Set your hot water heater to a temperature of 110 to 120 degrees.
• Store your liquor, chemicals, cleaners, and medicines in cabinets (out of the sight of children) and put locks on the doors.
• Also put locks on cabinets where you store plastic garbage bags.
• Eliminate (or cover) sharp corners on countertops, tables, and hearths.
• Put safety stops on your drawers.
• All outlets within 6 feet of a sink should be a GFI (ground fault interrupted) outlet.
• Put outlet covers in other outlets that small children can reach.
• Have fire extinguishers fully charged and handy (especially near the kitchen).
• Have smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors installed.
• Use night lights.
• The range in the kitchen should have controls on top - not on the front.
• Make sure the flooring near tubs, shower, and sinks is slip-resistant.
• Select hardware for bathroom doors that can be opened from both sides.This applies to children's bedrooms as well.
• Any glass at shower or tub enclosures should be safety glass, or acrylic.
• Have grab bars in the tub and shower.
• Soap dishes should be recessed so elbows or heads don't bump into them.
• Post emergency numbers, including the National Poison Control Hotline (1-800-222-1222) by each phone.
• Keep a stocked first aid kit near the kitchen and workbench areas.
• When working outdoors, use the heavy duty, UL rated extension cords; make sure your ladder is stable before using it; and wear safety glasses when using weed- whackers, hedge clippers, or other tools which will throw debris in all directions.

There's a report that is issued every year called the State of Home Safety in America report.It stipulates that more than 300,000 emergency room admissions each year are the result of injuries at home.Be diligent about home safety, and protect your loved ones from serious injuries.

Charles Gueli

Home Helper

http://www.continuous-home-improvement-help.com

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Ten Tips To Find And Hire The Best Contractor For Your Remodeling Project

One of the most frequently-asked questions on my forum is "How do I find the right contractor for my remodeling project?" There are many important steps and considerations in choosing and hiring a contractor for a remodeling project. There should be a lot of research and checking information before making a contractor choice.

Here are the top ten tips I offer to homeowners about finding and hiring the best contractor for a remodeling project.

1. Look for a contractor with a strong track record of success in your community. This person will have survived and thrived in the community. The business will be well established in the community, and people will know the contractor and his or her work.

2. Look for a contractor with knowledge and experience in the kind of work you want done. Experience is important. You need a contractor who has experience and knowledge of the specific kind of work you want done. For example, you don't want to hire a roofer to do an electrical job. When interviewing contractors for your project - ask them what projects they are working on now. They likely are doing several - if one or more is a project similar to yours, that's a good sign.

3. Check vital information on the contractor. Check with the state or local licensing board if contractors are required to be licensed in your area to ensure that the contractor is properly licensed to do the kind of work you need and that the license is current. Also check on the contractor's insurance. Ask contractors you are considering for the project to show you their insurance certification. Then call the insurance company and check to ensure the policy is current.

4. Check the contractor's record. Check with the Better Business Bureau, local courts, and search on the internet to find out if there have been any complaints or court cases involving the contractor. Also consider performing a background check. Many companies on the internet offer this service.

5. Develop a clear description of the project, including your workmanship expectations, materials and quality of materials before you discuss the project with a contractor. Your ability to be clear and specific allows the contractor to offer informed opinions and accurate estimates. It is also wise to be open about your budget from the outset, and if the cost is a major concern for you, ask the contractors you interview for their advice on how to minimize the cost.

6. Ask for and then check professional references. Ask for the contractor's standard references, and then ask for several references from projects that contractor is working on currently, as well as several references for projects the contractor completed recently that are very similar to yours. When you talk to the reference ask all the standard questions. Also ask what went wrong and how the contractor made it right.

7. Organize your project and the interview process. Make or buy an organizer to manage the business cards, literature, quotes, estimates and notes that you will accumulate during your search. A good organizer is The Complete Remodeling Workbook and Organizer. Use an interview script for both the contractor and references and a standard list of questions that you answer after the interview so you can compare contractors objectively.

8. Ask a lot of questions during the interview about the contractor, the project and the estimate. Not only do you need answers to specific questions, you need to evaluate your ability to communicate with the contractor. This is also an opportunity to decide whether you do or do not trust the contractor to be in your home and around your family.

9. Carefully compare and evaluate all estimates. I usually recommend that homeowners get at least 5 estimates. You will then need to compare the estimates, including all the details, in order to decide who to hire. Ensure that all of the estimates reflect the same workmanship, finished work, quality of materials, and schedule. If you are having difficulty comparing estimates, ask the contractor to help you make the comparison. If a contractor isn't helping you with this, then he/she probably is not the right one for you to work with.

10. Get a good contract. Get a contract that is based on the total final cost of the project (not an estimate). Be certain that everything is included in the contract. Sample contracts are available at http://www.remodelestimates.com If any changes from the details in the contract are made during the work process, ensure that all changes and costs are put in writing with a change order.

Dan Fritschen, the author of this article, is the founder of the websites http://www.remodelormove.com and http://www.remodelingorganizer.com He is the author of three books on home remodeling.

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