How to Shingle a Roof - Don't Rack Your Brain Or Your Shingles!

If you're looking for "how to shingle roof" information, you've come to the right place. One of your first decisions is which pattern to use. You basically have two choices...

How to Shingle Roof - The Racking Method

Running your shingles straight up the roof in columns, is called "racking". It has been around as long as there have been three-tabs, which were designed to be lined up nice and straight. When they're not, they look just awful and you don't have to be an expert to notice it. Even your neighbor, (who doesn't know anything about roofing), knows those tabs are supposed to be straight!

Racking is the best way to keep them straight. When a shingle is out of alignment, it is easy to spot and can be corrected on the very next column.

But manufacturers' don't like racking. This goes back to the days when quality control of the granule colors wasn't as good as it is now. Slight variations in shading were less apparent when the stair step method was used, so that is what they specified then, and they still do,

Although racking is a common trade practice, it occasionally becomes an issue. Since the manufacturers' installation instructions specify the stair step method, some inspectors demand that they be installed that way. That can be a real problem after the new roof is installed!

Your best bet is check first with your roofing inspector first to see if you can rack them, or just use the stair-step method.

How to Shingle Roof - The Stair Step Method

The problem is that it's tough to keep three-tabs in alignment using the stair step method. Perhaps the best solution is to upgrade to an architectural shingle. Sometimes called "dimensional" or "laminated", these were designed to be installed with the stair step method. There is no fussy vertical alignment to contend with.

And when you consider that architectural shingles are typically larger than the three-tab variety, they are much faster to install. They also last longer because they don't have the side gaps, which are the "Achilles Heal" of three-tabs. That's the first place they wear out.

But just because there is no fussy vertical alignment with the architectural type, it doesn't mean you can install them any which way. Follow the directions on the wrapper when creating the steps rather than making your cuts in a random manner. And be sure to watch your nail placement. You don't want any seams to fall within three inches of the nails in the course below.

Of course, there's a lot more "how to shingle roof" information you need to know. To make the job easier and help you avoid big mistakes, go to: http://www.roofingsecrets.com

John C Bishop is the author of "Roofing Secrets: How to Avoid Leaks and Save Thousands of Dollars!"

Creating the Perfect Home Remodeling Priority List

Home remodeling is one of those projects that can be fun or a pain in the -- you know what. It is best to start your home remodeling plan with one room at a time and decide on the value of each room to prioritize where to save and where to spend. This article will look at the value of each room to help you deiced the type of home remodeling project you may consider.

The big debate on what room is the most used room in the house could go on forever. Some say it is the kitchen others say it is the living room while others say the master bedroom. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and you can use some basic rules to see what the highest priority is for you.

If you have kids then you probably spend more time than you like in the kitchen cooking. If you have a smaller family maybe the kitchen is just a place where you are in and out. If you cook allot then the kitchen should get some very high consideration for your home remodeling project.

Do you like to play games and watch TV? If you find yourself or your family watching television often and you perhaps enjoy family night games then you should place the family room at the top of your list. Maybe it is time to add family room to your home remodeling ideas. Perhaps you could remodel a spare bedroom or add a new room to the house.

Do you have guest spend the night often? You may want to think about making a nice guest bathroom with all the luxuries of a five star hotel for your guest. Do not do this unless you love to have people stay awhile and come often. They are likely to really enjoy visiting you.

When planning your home remodeling ideas you will find that they become much easier with a good priority system. Once you know which rooms are the most important to you and your lifestyle then that is where the money should be spent on nicer upgrades. On rooms that are not high on the list, but still need some fixing you could use less expensive things to fix them up.

Find more helpful remodeling tips by visiting http://best-home-improvement-projects.com where you will find helpful remodeling tips, advice and resources to include Home Remodeling.

11 Tips for Stripping Wallpaper: How to Get Rid of Ugly Wallpaper!

I broke my promise to myself and stripped wallpaper again. The only reason I did this is for $100,000 profit. My family and I did not have time to wait for professional help. We sold our investment property before finishing the work and needed the home ready for appraisal.

While stripping the wallpaper, I realized that many homemakers get wrong advice for this horrendous task. After years of experience on over 30 houses, I offer my tried and best tips:

1. Use a clothes steamer or rent a professional steamer

2. Soak a large section of the wall

3. Run a "Paper Tiger" scoring tool across the damp section

4. Steam the section again

5. Spray the section with fabric softener and hot water

6. Score the section with the paper tiger again

7. Steam again

8. Remove any curling edges (sometimes large areas peel off)

9. Scrape with a six inch sheetrock blade

10. Repeat the above steps on the section until most scrapes off easily

11. Scrub with hot water, TSP, and a sponge with a scratchy surface

Cautions: Use the Paper Tiger gingerly so you don't scratch or gouge the walls. Use gloves with the harsh chemical TSP.

Don't live with ugly wallpaper any longer!

P. S. Please email me if you have any additional tips on stripping wallpaper that would help others!

Copyright 2005 Jeanette J. Fisher. All rights reserved. (You may publish this article in its entirety with the following author's information with live links only.)

Jeanette Fisher loves to help home makers create homes for glorious living. For free ebook on Interior Design Psychology go to http://www.joytothehome.com

Construction Cleanup Contractors

Working a construction job is a lot of work, with a lot of materials coming to and from the job. Metal pipes, nails, rebar, cuttings from two by fours, and worse all accumulate at a construction site. Getting them cleaned up is the job of a Construction Cleanup Contractor.

It used to be that you could clean up a construction site by showing up with a pickup truck and drive everything to the landfill. In today's more environmentally conscious age, that's no longer an easily attainable option. Construction cleanup contractors are well versed in the environmental, recycling and disposal requirements of construction materials in their jurisdiction.

In particular, a number of construction materials need special disposal. Copper pipe, and anything with lead in it (such as solder) need to be carefully policed to avoid contaminating any groundwater near the area. Likewise, fiberglass stocks (in particular, fiberglass insulation) and treated and tempered glass need special disposal permits to meet with environmental regulations. Your construction cleanup contractor will know how to do this.

A well run construction site has several phases of a project, from laying the foundation, all the way to finishing the interior walls. At each phase of the construction process are waste materials that need to be removed and placed off site for recycling or disposal. A construction cleanup contractor will help you with this critical part of the job, including improving your worksite safety and reducing the environmental impact of your construction job.

If you're considering becoming a construction cleanup contractor, the definitive book on the market to help you get started is Construction Cleanup: A Guide to an Exciting & Profitable Cleaning Specialty (Paperback), by Don Aslett. It's available from Amazon, and goes into great depth, covering what to clean, how to clean it, what stages of a project require which items of cleaning equipment, where to find construction cleanup jobs, how to bid on them, and over 16 pages of checklists for each phase of a construction job, so that when you do it, you leave no stone unturned, and turn your customers into repeat customers. Aslett is also the author of the Cleaning Encyclopedia, which is an alphabetical listing of how to clean just about anything - from industrial spills to getting cat urine out of carpet; in the final phases of a construction cleanup contractor's job, you'll want to know how to get the smells of paint and the like out of a job site, and the Cleaning Encyclopedia will help considerably.

In conclusion, whether you're building a home, or are looking to be a contractor constructing homes, knowing the phone number of a good construction cleanup contractor is an important part of managing any large project. Even better, if you're looking for a job with lifetime earning potential and the ability to be your own boss, working as a contractor, becoming a construction cleanup contractor is a pretty lucrative business to get into.

For more options on construction cleanup visit http://constructionfactsrus.com/

An Introduction to Awnings

Awnings come in a variety of colors, styles and functions. You can find traditional retractable awnings, awnings for residential homes and even sleek and modern designed awnings. Awnings can serve as a way for a business to advertise locally, to provide shelter from heat or cold for energy efficiency, to simply make a home more beautiful, or a combination of all of these. Awnings have begun to gain more and more in popularity over the past decade or so, with many homeowners recognizing the benefits of having an awning installed.

Placing an awning over a window, terrace or balcony can add beauty and value to a home. Awnings can add curb appeal to nearly every home without blocking views from the windows. Awnings are even great for patios, decks and doorways. You can choose from either stationary or retractable awnings; whatever meets your design and efficiency needs.

Many people enjoy having awnings installed on their decks and patios. One of the most popular types of awnings to install in these places is the retractable awning. On hot days, the retractable awning can be opened to provide shade for those sitting outside as well as for the home itself; blocking out most of the direct sunlight from windows and doors can yield tremendous savings on utility costs.

Thousands of awning companies are doing business across the country. Because the competition is fierce, you can get great deals on multiple awnings or even deep discounts on a single awning. You can call around to local installers to find out what their specials are and compare the savings around town. Simply stated, awnings can make a wonderful addition to nearly any home and in many cases can increase the overall value of the home.

Awnings Info provides detailed information about retractable, canvas, window, RV, patio, aluminum, deck, and commercial awnings. Awnings Info is the sister site of Gazebos Web.

Remodeling Green Takes the Right Mindset

To a real estate investor remodeling green may mean the money they are going to make from renovating that ugly house they just bought for a SUCH A DEAL price. To others, it means they want to preserve the earth and not waste energy, building materials or resources when they remodel their home. Some homeowners and contractors look for and use only products that are advertised as being green, or being manufactured in a way that is as non-toxic as possible. They may put in new appliances and HVAC units that are energy efficient. And build new properties with an eye to energy efficiency in the construction methods applied. That's all good.

Another way to remodel green is to think about what may be thrown in landfills when it could be used again. Some demolitions are done too quickly and roughly to save much of anything. Taking some time there can keep hundreds of pounds of good building materials out of the waste stream. I once had someone tease me on a job site because I was taking some time to remove a few nails from lumber. I had found some 14 foot long hardwood 2x6s with no knotholes and two or three nails in each of them. Hey, I'll spend 15 minutes any day to save $100 worth of wood from being dumped. I doubt you could get lumber that good anymore in most places without paying a stiff premium price. Bring me a truckload, please. You woodworkers know what I'm talking about. Yes, there IS wood pretty enough to admire and remember. Think about each component that you are removing, or working on, during a renovation and decide on a way to remove it with the least damage. Someone may want it if you don't. Haste DOES make waste!

One of the tricks I've done is to keep the area of a countertop that has to be cutout for sinks, etc. I install legs using common items I may have recycled from somewhere else and add those little caster wheels that can be bought cheaply in most large home improvement stores. The ones with locking mechanisms are nice. All you have to worry about is smoothing the cut edges and installing edging or simply routing the edge into a nice shape. You can have a matching rolling portable countertop space without spending much time or money. Oh yeah, don't forget to see if someone can use the old countertop and sink for a garage parts washing basin, garden potting center or maybe a fish cleaning station for the outdoors folks.

If you cruise the tool aisles, I'm sure you know about the great numbers of handy dandy gadgety items for sale. Nail sets are nice, but if you don't have one, try using a nail with a slightly larger head than the one you are driving. A tap or two with the nails head to head and your nail is set. Ever seen one of those plastic nail holders that keeps you from banging your fingers and waking the neighborhood cats with your wailing? Try a small piece of cardboard instead. A little notch and your fingers can be protected. Or the plastic spreaders sold to apply many materials. You can use the plastic lids found on many food containers in the grocery store. You can cut a round lid in half and have a nifty spreader of a custom size. Or the plastic pans sold to hold a small amount of the liquid materials for outrageous prices. Try one of those plastic tops they use on bakery cakes, or the microwave convenience food plastic bowls instead . Instead of buying a sanding block, why not try using a small scrap piece of wood from your projects? Egg cartons can be used to organize small items. It's my mission not to let any plastic have only one use in my household. Only problem is, if it is a while before you need them, these saved treasures may change your nickname to pack rat, but multiple use recycling is remodeling green so who cares? You get the idea. Go for it!

For more interesting information and resources visit us at: http://www.mynetmagic.com

Planning Your Bathroom Remodel Budget - Home Improvement Ideas

As a bathroom remodeling contractor, I get calls from people, that have no idea what they want or how much anything is going to cost. Here's some simple tips that can be very helpful when planning a bathroom remodel budget.

Bathroom Remodeling Investment

In 2008, the average mid-range bathroom cost around $16,000 and you could recoup around $12,000 of your original investment upon the sale of your home. According to a popular remodeling magazine, larger bathrooms using expensive fixtures, tile, bathtubs, woodworking, toilets and showers had an average of $52,000. Upon the sale of a home, you could recoup around $36,000 of your original investment.

Finding out How Much Things Cost

My first suggestion, would be to visit your local home improvement center, lumber yard or plumbing supply warehouse. Larger stores like Home Depot and Lowe's, seemed to provide you with value pricing but don't have a large selection. While doing some research on the Internet I noticed that some of their pricing is outrageously, outrageous. Some plumbing supply warehouses can provide value but beware others won't.

Create a List of Bathroom Remodeling Parts

You can get a good idea of your bathroom remodel costs for your budget by making a list of bathroom parts with pricing and then adding them up for a grand total. If you're a total bathroom remodel budget is $15,000 and you have a $6,000 bathtub with $4000 worth of tile, you could have a budget problem.

Figuring out the Labor

You will have to contact a contractor to get an actual cost for the labor. Sometimes you can double the cost of your bathroom remodeling parts to get a rough idea. If you have a list or a couple of lists and a few pictures of some sample bathrooms, this will make the contractor's job easier and often they can give you a labor price within a few days.

Give Yourself a Cushion

I would suggest leaving yourself a small financial cushion for any additional remodeling items. For example, you could see a different toilet, or instead of painting the walls, you now choose to wallpaper, you could incur additional expenses that you haven't planned for. If you know exactly what you want and stick to the original bathroom remodeling plan, you shouldn't need the cushion.

Financial problems often transfer into construction problems, so spend some time figuring out, how much money you want to spend on the bathroom remodel and try not to go overboard on the budget. I hate to see homeowners struggling with home improvement loan payments. Try to create a bathroom remodeling budget that is realistic and will not create a financial burden upon you or your family.

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 bathroom remodeling or home building ideas.