Incorporating Storage Systems Into Basement Remodeling Projects

Posted on October 13, 2010 by MaryJo

Basement remodeling is primarily a means of adding livable space to a home without requiring more physical square footage of land. Most homes have a basement or cellar area that can be remodeled, sealed, painted, upgraded, carpeted and made into a spare bedroom, bathroom, studio, office, children’s play area or a bar or entertainment room. In homes where the floor plan of the upper levels is large, the lower level may actually double the home’s floor plan, or at least double one entire floor. However, in smaller homes, the basement may be a small cellar, not able to be converted into an entire floor with bedroom and bath and living area. What then? The best basement remodeling ideas for using smaller spaces will revolve around storage. Cellars can be wine storage centers, used for a freezer or to keep canned goods cool. But the problem with most small cellers and basements is that they’re damp, sometimes wet, and not very well organized, not to mention dark and dungeon-like.

When planning a project, keep basement storage as a main focus. Sealing walls, keeping it dry and secure, painting it bright and cheerful and adding lights will all come naturally if you use a good contractor, but deciding where to put shelving and how much storage is needed is often left to last or not thought about at all. Yet space and storage is what a small basement is all about. Decide the best space for organizing the following items to eliminate clutter upstairs and make the lower areas more useable:

1. wine and liquor storage – simple pine shelves in the coolest area is enough
2. tools and small equipment – special basement storage pegboards for tools are a cheap means to get clutter off the floor and away from counters or work tables
3. linen cabinets can be built in the driest areas, perhaps under the stairs – if you have a spare bedroom or bath you need extra towels, sheets, comforters and a place to put heavy quilts during summer months
4. basement remodeling should include toy boxes, drawers for games and shelves for CD and DVD organizing.

Decorate With a Farmhouse Table for a Country Feel

Posted on June 27, 2010 by MaryJo

For anyone wanting to decorate their home with country furnishings, there is quite a selection of country decor available. The right type of furniture can give a home a cozy, welcoming atmosphere that will invite all guests to feel relaxed and content upon entering the premises. And for the family members, nothing beats that down home feeling that comfortable, casual furniture will create.

A farmhouse table is one item of furniture that can lend a homey feel to nearly every dwelling. It will most likely have matching chairs, which may consist of just wood or be decorated with fabric cushions on the seats and/or backs. For country style flair, a farmhouse kitchen table may be oak, pine or some other type of wood finish. It can be modeled on a very simple design or be fabricated using a more elaborate style. A plain farmhouse setting can still be very attractive in the room. It does not need to be fancy to create a comfortable, country feeling. In fact, sometimes the more basic, the better.

photo credit: jbrownell

For those who like to take on do-it-yourself projects, an unfinished furniture piece can be purchased and then either painted or stained and topped with a durable poly finish. The item can be made to look exactly as desired, rather than searching to purchase something that has already been finished by the manufacturing company.

A trestle design looks very appropriate in a country home. The item can even have a drawer or two for storage. Kitchen furnishings in the country style may also consist of benches in the place of chairs for a really countrified, boarding house look. And tables with a removable leaf are available so that the size may be changed to accommodate varying numbers of people.

A country atmosphere is relaxed, laid back and simple. Back to basics is the theme of the day, and the right farmhouse kitchen table and chairs can complete the country look wonderfully.

Acoustic Insulation for a Specific Room

Posted on May 18, 2010 by MaryJo

Acoustic insulation on its own cannot fully reduce all noises by itself. The wall framing style and materials in the space will determine just how hard the existing room will be to achieve good soundproofing. Building a new room that requires sound proof insulation allows for off setting the studs. The off-set stud wall style stops vibrations sound waves from being transferred directly by hard dense materials like wood or metal studs that connect directly to gypsum board, also called sheetrock, on each side.

Acoustic sound insulation creates space where the sound vibration has trouble crossing. The wider the space the harder it is for sound to cross. Less dense materials also cause disruption of sound transfer. Hit a wood table with a hammer, you get a loud sound. Hit a mattress on a bed, you get little sound. A wall with offset studs and a continuous layer of uninterrupted sound proof layers on the inside is good a great noise reduction design.

Ceilings can cause special problems when retrofitting a room. Ceilings may not have windows, but many mechanical systems come through them like air conditioning ducts and outlets. If your room is required to be extremely quiet these systems will have to be either shut down or isolated. You never know how noisy a rattle in a light fixture can be until it rattles in your sound proof room. Various sponge tape and pressurized cans of foam can help dampen these little nuisance noises like light fixtures, wall plugs, and wall switches. If you use spray foam space fillers, it is extremely important to check the fire resistive capabilities before applying it to electrical devices.

Acoustical insulation applied to the surface of existing walls and ceilings will certainly help make your quieter. Doors and windows cause another special problem because the goal in sound proofing is to achieve a continuous uninterrupted barrier to block the sound. If you can cover the doors and the windows either permanently or temporarily, you will achieve a quieter space.

Sliding Folding Doors Glazing Options

Posted on April 23, 2010 by MaryJo

Sliding doors are very popular nowadays especially in the home. The types of door systems available are sliding in line or folding type. Sliding in line doors are mounted on two or three parallel tracks that allow the door panels to slide left or right alongside each other and park to the side. Sliding folding doors consist of a row of door panels connected to each other with hinges and all mounted in a single track. To open the folding door system you simply open the slave door and start pushing. The pushing sliding action will make all of the doors collapse onto each other, concertina style, bunching them together to one side. A useable opening of up to 90% is achievable with this type of door system when in the open position.

No matter what type of sliding doors you plan to install, make sure that the glazing meets with building code. The building code rules for glazing in buildings concerns safety and thermal efficiency. Safety in glass is obviously very important and the rules state that all glass panels between floor level and 800mm above must be safety glass. There are two types of safety glass mainly used. The first is toughened glass. Standard glass is put through a special process that basically hardens the glass. This hardened glass is quite tough to break but if it does, the glass will shatter into small blunt pieces that are relatively harmless and reduce the possibility of injury. The second type is laminated glass. This consists of two panes of standard glass with a layer of plastic film between to form a sandwich. Again quite tough to break but if it does the glass is held in position by the plastic film, preventing large chunks of glass falling out of the frame and causing injury.

Folding sliding doors can often be quite large therefore thermal efficiency is a very important consideration from a heat loss and heat gain point of view. To reduce heat loss double glazing units are installed. The air space between the layers of glass is hermetically sealed, which improves the thermally efficiency of the glass units. In addition, the glass is also coated with a special coating that reflects heat produced internally back inside, keeping the room warm in winter time reducing heating costs. In the summer time when the sun shines, the glass works in reverse by reflecting the suns heat outwards to reduce heat gain.
photo credit: william_hines

The Diversity of a Loft Ladder

Posted on April 21, 2010 by MaryJo

A loft ladder is a stable and diverse piece of equipment that can be installed by the homeowners themselves. They have become so diverse in fact, that some companies have become inclined to include them in the stairs selection of their home improvement range.

In the past, there was usually a separate stepladder, summoned from the nearby closet. Today, sophistication and ingenuity of design have taken over, and they come in such a range that there will always be one that will suit the individual need of the homeowner.

First, they economize on space, as they are able to be stored either by a spring or folding mechanism inside the loft itself. This is achieved by attaching it to the hatch, meaning it is automatically lowered in the process of opening when the hatch itself is opened, ensuring easy access and maximum use of space.

The loft hatch is often included as part of the overall installation and its role has played a large part in the improvement of the equipment, making its overall use more attractive.

The variety owes much to the variety of the user, and this is reflected in these designs and materials used. Wooden ladders tend to be the most popular traditionally, but aluminum designs have increased due to their ease of weight. They are also manufactured in steel, built for the durability and support of heavier weight for the more industrial user.

For others, it is easier to simply use the loft ladders as if they were a flight of stairs, and the scissor design that allows for the gradual extension of the loft ladder itself increases the use to all ages of the family and eradicates the danger of the more conventional design.

Its evolution is clear when comparing the diversity that exist today and what existed twenty years before.

photo credit: timmyjimi

Compliment Your Home With Sideboard Furniture

Posted on April 18, 2010 by MaryJo

If you want to add to your home’s beauty with complementary types of furniture, you might consider adding a sideboard to your dining room or kitchen. A sideboard, or buffet, can be a good place for storage and also a beautiful piece of furniture.

Sideboards come in many styles and designs. You can find one that will fit right in with your other furnishings. Buffets come in various wood finishes, from mahogany and oak to cherry and pine. They are also available in black and white, which would be great for a kitchen.

If you want your sideboard furniture to be mostly for storage, you can find items that have a good deal of storage space. There are models with doors, shelving and pull-out drawers or baskets. Kitchen sideboards are available, made of steel and wood, that are like a baker’s rack and will hold all of your cooking and baking supplies in one handy place. You can even find a sideboard with a wine rack for storing all of those special wines.

photo credit: absentbabinski

Decorative sideboards can include a beautiful hutch with lighting to display all of your china and special dishes and also have room for storing table linens and other articles. This type of sideboard is especially attractive in a dining room.

When choosing sideboard furniture, you might select a basic design with simple lines or an ornate piece with scrollwork. It can sit directly on the floor, like a credenza, or be raised up on legs. It can be made entirely of wood or have a combination of wood and glass, such as glass doors. You can keep the top free of any type of ornamentation and use it for placing extra dishes of food when having guests over. Or you can decorate the top of your buffet with candles or a tasteful floral arrangement.

Whatever you decide, your sideboard can be a lovely furniture item in your home, functional and stylish.

The Green Home

Posted on October 13, 2009 by admin

Environment effects are something that have close relation to our living. We get our basic staples and needs from our natural environment.human and living creatures are very depended on it. That’s why the issue of global warming should make us more aware to pay more attention on our beloved mother nature.

Is This Home Green?

Conservation is needed to protect our environment from the worse impact of modernisation. though we need to conservate our environment, we have to admit that modernisation has given us many advantages. For example is the exploitation of fossil fuels. Fossil fuels take a big role in our daily life.most of the energy that we use on our daily life using fossil fuels. we are very depended on fossil fuels. Some innovations are made in order to be an alternative energy source.

A house may consume many energy which are sourced from fossil fuels, for example is electricity. we can reduce the energy consumption by making an efficient concept of housing. green housing concept is not only share effectiveness but also eco-friendly ideas. This concept put a deep concern on effective energy usage and eco friendly materials. It is sometimes share the alternative energy source usage such as the solar system.

Lightning system and air circulation on green housing concept usually exploiting sun ray and free air. ventilation and transparent materials are used as many as it could in order to reduce the usage of electric lamps and air cooler. Some materials are also using certain specifications in order to absorb sun heat so that the usage of warmer might be reduced. the result is a room which cool at day and warm during night.

Housing materials in green housing concept are usually eco friendly and recycled. though it is recycled, the quality is as good as the new one. Reclamed or salvaged lumber can support the roof construction. It is also as tough as the ordinary lumber. recycled carpet and linoleum flooring are some of the example of green materials. Linoleum flooring is actualy made from natural raw material which are degradable. Water conservation is also an important aspect of green housing.

The key to green housing concept is actualy efficiency. we need to be efficient on using what nature have served us so we will get the more benefit and still be eco friendly.

Home Renovation and Design

Posted on October 13, 2009 by admin

It is rightly said that “Home is where the heart is”!
We all want our homes to be the best possible place that we can live in. It is necessary to note that making a home beautiful involves careful planning and clinical execution for getting the perfect internal design, furniture, lighting, ventilation,colors, etc.

Comfortable and casual design

For renovating our house, it is necessary that we contact a professional architect and make our expectations clear to him/her at the start itself. It is good to give a fair bit of our idea to the architect
so that we get what we want from him/her. The architect will be able to pay attention to all the minute details that we may miss out. And since the architect is being paid, it is obvious that he/she would do the best possible job. Once, the design/layout of our dream house is ready, it is important to get the right kind of workers who would ultimately structure the house as per the design of the architect. The most important part that can make our house look amazing follows this i.e. Painting with the right choice of colours.

It is good to choose a light sober colour for the drawing room and our favorite bright colours for the bedroom.
In the bedroom, the latest trend is to have 3 walls painted with a slightly lighter version of the chosen colour and having one wall painted with a dark contrasting colour. It would make the bedroom very unique. Also, we can choose to have the fall ceiling painted with multiple colours to add zing to the bedroom and drawing room.

Next step is to get the best possible furniture made for our house. It is good to have a sofa-cum-bed in the drawing room apart from the regular sofa setting. Also, a bean bag would serve as an added attraction in the drawing room. Dining table should be accommodated in one corner of the drawing room itself. It is necessary that we don’t clutter the bedrooms with a lot of furniture. It is good to have the furniture made rather than buying anything ready-made. After getting the furniture ready, next important things are to choose the right kind of lights that would make the colours of each room to shine more brightly followed by the choice of antique paintings and flower vases to decorate the house further.The main objective is to make the house look a complete package.

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