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A Guide To Residential Bridges
Do you have a need for a residential bridge? Custom
residential bridges are a good way to enhance your property
and connect certain areas.
Residential bridges may be appropriate for those
with gardens, ponds or small streams. You will be able...
Chainsaw Manufacturers Have Excellent Safety Records
Chainsaw manufacturers have excellent safety videos available.
Always make sure you check safety features such as chain brakes,
safety chains, and deadman switches. Chainsaws provide all the
convenience of a Chainsaw, even in enclosed areas and...
Cleaning Carpets : No-Nonsense Real-World Carpet Stain Removal
Regardless of how hard we may try to keep our carpets in
top-notch condition it seems an inevitable fact of life that we
will all be faced with the problem of carpet stains.
Carpet stains are even more unsettling to those who have
recently...
Embellish Your Garden Trees with Movement, Music, and Light
If you'd like to bring some whimsy and fun to your garden,
consider adding wind chimes, birdhouses, or other ornaments to
your trees. Items should be hung from sturdy branches with soft
but durable cord or coated wire. Your trees will thank...
Funniest Pond Stories - Part 1, May 2004
Get ready for some gut-wrenching, laugh out loud hilarious pond stories from all over the world... (Continued from May Issue of PondStuff!) We had some hilarious, truly gut wrenching, laugh out-loud stories sent in by some of you. Here...
Got Attic Mold? Lets Talk Energy Conservation!
It happens to countless homeowners around the end of the year – you make the annual visit to your attic to collect the holiday decorations and what do you find? Spots and blotches covering the bottom of the roof sheathing. Worse yet – it turns...
How To Select Scraped//Distressed Hardwood Flooring
Hand-scraped and Distressed hardwood floors are becoming a popular choice in today’s upscale homes and commercial buildings. These floors are a newer trend but are rooted in history. Before today’s modern sanding methods, floors were hand...
Keep Your Home's Steps Functional
Does your home have indoor or outdoor steps and staircases? Have
you spent much time cleaning and maintaining these on a routine
basis, or are you trusting to luck that they will hold up
indefinitely, or at least until you have more time to give...
Prefabricated Homes Primer
This is by no means an exhaustive list of what's available in the area of prefabricated homes and buildings. This article is to introduce you to the world prefab. If you're in the industry, you'll probably be cringing about now at the word "prefab"....
Winterizing a Vacation Home
Unlike winterizing your main home, winterizing a vacation or summer home effectively means closing down the home for the winter. However, winterizing a vacation home or summer home really only involves a few basic tasks that can be completed in...
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Finishing your Basement Can be Very Rewarding
Transforming your home's basement into a finished space can prove to be very rewarding. Frequently the additional living space is used for a variety of entertainment functions including: Recreation Rooms, Bars, Gyms, Billiard Rooms, Home Theatres and Family Rooms. In addition, Bedrooms and Bathrooms are also incorporated into the floor space. Typically the square foot cost of finishing a basement is significantly lower than other floors within the home.
Planning is critical before starting a Finished Basement project. From a financial standpoint, first determine how big your budget is and how you will finance the project. Will a mortgage be required or can you refinance or obtain a home equity loan?
From the project standpoint, carefully consider what you want to use the space for. As part of this consideration, consider ceiling heights, existing pipes, Oil Tanks, and Heating and Water systems. Also consider lighting. To make a Finished Basement cozy, warm and comfortable, the number and kinds of lights to install is key. In addition, consider natural lighting. Can additional windows be installed and will they be appropriate for the finished space?
Installing a Bathroom in a basement can be a challenge, particularly if
a pump-up system is required. It is important you meet with a plumber before you start any work, as they will have many questions and requirements for your bathroom. Potentially the most onerous aspect of installing a Bathroom may be the removal of some of the cement flooring. This is a very dusty and messy job!
Also consider heating. Does your existing furnace have the capacity to support the additional space? If not, you will need to consider putting in a bigger system or creating a secondary heating system.
Finally, and probably the most important aspect to consider, is dealing with moisture. A finished basement will quickly loose its charm if water problems create mold and mildew. Basement floors and walls should be sealed and insulated to reduce moisture content in the basement. Even with these precautions, a dehumidifier may be required.
About the Author
Me_Donovan@comcast.net
www.homeadditionplus.com
Over the past 20+ years Mr. Donovan has been involved with building homes and home additions. Mr. Donovan's formal education & profession have been as an Electrical Engineer & Marketing Manager.
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