Important Do-It-Yourself Home Remodeling Advice

Often I'm asked by homeowners, if they think that they can build something on their own. Often I end up explaining the process to them and it's pretty confusing. I would like to give some homeowners and construction handyman some do-it-yourself home remodeling advice, about projects that I think they should avoid and the reason why.

1. Working on Electrical Service Boxes

I really don't recommend, anyone who lacks experience working with electrical, to be working on it at all. When it comes to the electrical service box repairs, if you don't have any experience working in this specific area, I am suggesting this to all homeowners and do-it-yourselfers, stay away from electrical service power boxes. Electricity can be extremely hazardous to your health, so take my advice, this is coming from an expert on the subject.

2. Plumbing Water Supply Lines

I don't recommend, anyone who doesn't have any experience working with plumbing water supply lines, because if they break, or if your repair, doesn't hold properly, you could destroy a large portion of your home. Picture this, you just got through putting a new faucet in, everything looks great, but it's time for you to go to your baseball game. You come home about four hours later and the entire house is flooded with water.

This kind of stuff does happen and you need to take the advice of an expert here. It has even happened to me and I understand the process, pretty good. If you plan on fixing any plumbing water supply lines, make sure that you can spend the time, keeping an eye on your new home repair. If you're going to have any problems with them, they will usually happen within the first few hours of use.

I hope this helps, sometimes it's better to pay a professional, but I can understand, every intelligent person, is interested in saving a few dollars and learning new skills.

If you're really interested in basement remodeling and repairs, you should click on this link Home Repair Pictures and Advice. Get some great home repair advice that can make a big difference on any of your home remodeling projects.

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Greg Vandenberge 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.

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Coconut Lagoon

Coconut Lagoon is an enchanting holiday resort nestled along the backwaters of Kerala. Though in the country side, the resort is not stripped of the comforts that you take for granted in the cities. You will be pampered with all the niceties that you crave for in a holiday. Situated at Kumarakom, a charming island surrounded by the backwaters, this plush resort offers a mix of privacy and luxury. The resort provides the dual accommodation facilities of bungalows and cottages. You can go for the one that suits your needs and fits into your budget.

The ancient science of architecture called 'Thachu Shastra' has played a pivotal role in the construction of this resort. Coconut Lagoon derived its present form by combining the traditional "tharawads" that once existed in various parts of Kerala. These ancient homesteads were dismantled from where they belonged and put together neatly. The structure that now stands tall as the reception area was originally an 'illom', a Brahmin dwelling built around two centuries back.. The 'Naalukettu' model of the illom will surely take you back in time. Abundant space, supreme service and high standards of quality are what you get when you stay here. The large and spacious bedrooms at the resort are attached with open-to-sky bathrooms. These distinctly styled bathrooms are created with the purpose of rewarding you with a pleasant holiday close to nature.

Lunches and Dinners at Coconut Lagoon is a real feast . Sample the typical Kerala cuisine that goes well with this kind of village holiday . You can also check out the multi-cuisine restaurant here which offers a wide range of continental and Indian dishes. There is a well-stocked bar and an impressive Ayurveda centre. Take some time out from all the fun activities you get to do in Kumarakom, and embrace Ayurveda. There can be very few better ways to enrich your holiday. A treat to the body and mind, a massage here can work wonders to uplift your mood and soothe your senses. When you staying along the backwaters , its only natural that you want to explore it. Coconut Lagoon will arrange sunset cruises in the evenings for the amusement of the tourists.

Coconut Lagoon

Building Codes - Stairway Construction

The stair building code was created for building safety. Before the building code and local city enforcement (Building Inspectors), anyone could build a house. This meant Uncle Earl who had just watched a couple of his friends build a house down the street construct some sort of a dwelling. The next step for Earl would be to help these guys for a day and now he is a professional home builder. You get the point.

Stair Building Codes create the safety needed for one of the most hazardous areas of your home. You might know someone who has fallen down a stairway?

I lived in a house I built for 15 years and I redesigned the stairs from a winder design to a T shaped set of stairs. Both sets of stairs were built using the local stair building code for my city.

Wow I could not believe how many times my family members fell down the stairs. I even fell down once. I was amazed. When I switched from the winder to the T shaped stairway there were less accidents. My point is that even using the stair building codes this is a dangerous part of your house.

Having a professional stair builder install your stairs is great advice. Take it. For example this happened to me on quite a few jobs. I get a set of plans from a architect who has been designing houses for over 40 years. I looked at the stairway to find out that he has designed a stairway that is too small for the length of this part of the home. If I build the stairs using the plans that by the way were approved from the local building department, I could have a problem.

You are probably asking yourself how does this happen. Aren't these people experienced professionals. Of course they are. They probably have the U.B.C. (Uniform Building Code) in their office somewhere. Everyone makes mistakes here and there but this is one area of the home where safety is a big concern.

Just look at it like this. The stair building code was designed to improve the safety and reduce the number of accidents while using the stairs. Over the years I have seen stairs poorly designed and constructed. These stairs create problems for the owners of the buildings not just the people that use them. Did I mention lawsuits. This is one area where a lawyer will have a field day.

As a building professional I advise you to use the stair building code first for safety and second to avoid lawsuits. Get an idea from some of the pictures I have taken over the years on problems with stair building.

Use common sense while building or remodeling your home. It goes a long way.

Greg Vandenberge 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 stairs books and adding useful content to help solve problems created by the lack of construction knowledge in the building industry. Stair Building Articles

A Tile Shower Pan is the Great Mystery of Home Repair

A tile shower pan is one of the great mysteries of home repair or construction. Anything to do with tile showers is left to the pros. But actually many handy people install showers themselves once they see the mysteries revealed.

See the real trick to a tile shower is hidden below the floor. You can't actually see the tricky part from the top of the shower or from underneath for that matter. Not too long ago my tile shower started leaking. I finally saw the cracked grout down near the floor, but I thought there was a shower pan under the shower so why was it leaking?

Here's the scoop.

Tile floors are not waterproof. Water seeps right through tile showers, mostly through the grout. Grout is porous masonry so water slowly goes through grout. So the shower pan is actually a waterproof liner below the surface of the floor that catches the water.

But then where does the water go?

Ah, another trick. A tile shower has a special drain with two layers of drain holes. The bottom layer is actually below the floor, and that's the one the waterproof layer sends the water to. So the shower pan is built in three layers so all the water is captured and routed down the drain?

Three layers?

The bottom layer is a sloped layer of masonry built on the subfloor or concrete. It's sloped to help send the water toward the drain. The bottom layer is flush with the bottom drain holes. The second layer is the waterproof liner which is a tough vinyl sheet that's glued to the drain base to make a waterproof pool to catch all the water that seeps through the floor. The top layer is another masonry layer that's poured and sloped above the liner. This is the base for the shower floor.

That's the trick to a shower - the sloped layers and liner route the water to two layers of drain holes.

Now you have other choices when building a shower. Several materials can be used for bases, but the traditional construction is hard to beat for price and performance. Plus you can learn to do it yourself if you want to.

Get more tricks to building or repairing a tile shower pan at our site.

Al Bullington invites you to visit http://www.InstallingCeramicTile.net for answers to your tile questions.

What Does a GFI Do? - Electrical Problems

In your bathroom you should have a GFI electrical outlet. Most new homes or newly remodeled homes require you to have GFI electrical outlets in the kitchen. Most older kitchens do not have GFI electrical outlets. GFI stands for ground fault circuit interrupter.

Why not call it a GFCI instead of a GFI electrical outlet? Well it is called a GFCI in some instances. GFI is short and is the most common name used by most electricians and builders for this type of outlet.

GFI 's come in 15 amp and 20 amperage outlets. GFI outlets must be wired properly. Make sure you're using the proper wire size when hooking up the GFI outlet.

How do I know which size wire to use? This all depends on how far away you are running it from the electrical panel. There are charts you can use to figure this out. If you are not running the electrical wire more than 80 feet from the electrical panel you can use 12 gauge electrical wires for a 20 amp GFI. This is a general rule of thumb for most electrical house wiring.

If you're going to be using a 15 amp GFI and you are going to be less than 80 feet away from the electrical panel you can use 14 gauge electrical wires. Again this is just a general rule of thumb for most electrical house wiring.

A GFI is a light duty electrical plug used in bathrooms, kitchens and the exterior of your house. The sole purpose of the GFI is to shut the breaker off faster if there is any moisture or light load problems.

Let's say for instance you have your hair dryer plugged into the GFI outlet. The hair dryer somehow falls into the sink while it is on or plugged in. The GFI outlet will instantly shut off because of the sensitivity of the breaker inside of the plug it self.

The GFI plug has a test button and a reset button on it. If you are continually resetting the GFI you will wear it out eventually. I have had GFI plugs after resetting the button about 10 times break and no longer able to use them.

The GFI electrical plug is a great idea and if you don't have them in your bathroom or outside of your home it would be a great idea to have an electrician install them for you.

Greg Vandenberge 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 Home Building Library and adding useful content to help solve problems created by the lack of construction knowledge in the building industry.

San Diego Termite Damage

The Grand Hotel Des Bains

Venice is a city with many great hotels and it is difficult for the tourist to select the best or the nicest one. With Hotel Des Bains, you can't go wrong. Located along the beach of Venice Lido, this five star hotel can best be described as beautiful. To get to the hotel, it takes a delightful 15 minutes boat ride from the Marco polo airport. Another 15 minutes and you are right in the heart of the city of Venice - St Mark's square.

The hotel has 191 full suites, each fully furnished with both modern and traditional Italian dcor. Each room has all the usual daily living amenities and is tastefully decorated. From the rooms, the view of the lagoon at night is simply spectacular. The surroundings of the Hotel des Bains offer a peaceful setting where one can relax in pure Italian style and elegance. For those who want to remain active, there is tennis, sailing, wind surfing and swimming.

The hotel is not far from the Lido Shopping center, the Grand Canal, Rialto Bridge and Piazza San Marco. All round this area, one can view the ancient Italian architecture. For those who love cappuccinos and like to see people, just sit outside one of the many cafes in the area. After a long day in town, come back to the hotel and go for a swim in the large garden size pool where you can have a snack or drink some wine.

Those individuals who are on business or those who want to plan something more exciting like a wedding need not fear, Hotel Des Bains has a fully staffed conference hall with all the necessary furniture and equipment.

Everyone who goes to Italy dines on Italian food but almost every type of international cuisine is available here. At the Pagoda, one can sit outdoors, relax, watch the sunset and eat some of the best home made Italian pizzas around. The hotel does have a bar service and also a lounge where one can have cocktails and snacks throughout the day.

For the tourist who wants to keep away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Venice and also want grand opulence, there is nothing better than Hotel De Bains. Not only is the food great, but the service is unbeatable.

Veraz is a blogger and freelance writer who writes travel articles for various travel sites and blogs. After travelling extensively in Italy, she began her own site on Venice luxury hotels

Find out more about luxury hotels Venice Italy at her own site. A great reference tool for those who love to travel in luxury.

Window Safety Checklist - Homeowners Must Read

Broken glass is definitely a health hazard, for anyone who is near it, when the glass is actually broken. After the glass is broken and is laying on the ground in pieces, people can still get hurt. Here's a basic window safety checklist for homeowners that everyone must read. It will provide you with some simple tips that could prevent a loved one from getting seriously injured in the future.

1. Contact your local building department or fire department, to get the basic requirements for using your window as a fire escape. Your windows can be used to jump out of, if there is a fire inside your home.

2. Make sure that young children avoid playing around windows. You should always teach your children, never to throw large objects or balls in the house.

3. You might think about installing a window ladder, if you live in a two-story home, which could be made of rope or chain. These latter's can be thrown out of the window, while latching onto the window sill, in case there's a fire. It would provide you with an alternative from jumping out of the window. Don't under estimate these fire ladders, they can be extremely difficult to climb down.

4. If you leave large sliding glass doors open on a regular basis and clean them spontaneously, others might not realize they're closed, because they're so clean. Simply put a piece of tape on the window to prevent other people from thinking there open. You would be surprised how many accidents happen, from clean windows.

5. Last but not least, one of the most important problems with windows. Think security, if you leave your windows open and leave the house, someone now as easy access. There are plenty of ways to make your windows secure, using locks that clamp on to the side of the window. This will allow you to leave the windows open about 4 inches, leaving you the desired ventilation and preventing burglars from entering your domain.

If a window is cracked, or broken it should be replaced as soon as possible. Try to avoid fixing broken glass your self if you don't have any experience. Plenty of people get hurt every year, simply underestimating how sharp broken glass can actually be.

Home Window Ideas

Greg Vandenberge 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.

Looking for some new Home Improvement Ideas