The Do it Yourself Basement Remodeling Guide

There are certain basic thing to remember when you plan to do a do it yourself basement remodeling. It is good to remodel your basement according to how it is going to be used. It will also allow you to enhance the appearance of the basement itself.

1. What are you going to use the basement for?

Planning for a do it yourself basement remodeling, should always begin with deciding what you are going to turn the basement into. Is it going to be a play room for the kids or a wine cellar? Will you be adding a bathroom or a fire place?

2. Fix any existing problems.

Existing problems in your basement should be remedied at this point. Make sure that your basement is free from leaks. Check the walls and the foundation for any cracks or holes. Make sure that you seal the cracks and fill in the holes properly. If not, all your hard work will be destroyed by water or moisture that leaks in. The foundation should also be in top shape. Make sure that it is not bowed.

3. Make sure that the basement is insulated and well heated.

Check the existing furnace if it is able to heat the basement efficiently. If not, you should probably consider replacing it or adding another one. Insulating your walls will also help in keeping the basement warm. Some companies offer electric floor heating that will not only keep the room warmer but will also fight off the growth of mold and mildew. You may also add a fire place to help in maintaining a warm room temperature but make sure that it is compatible with how your basement is going to be utilized.

4. Design your basement.

Design your basement according to its use. If it will be a recreational room, bring down that home-theater system. If you will use it as a workshop, put shelves and cabinets to store your tools. A painting studio will definitely need natural light. Add windows. For a kids play room, choose bright colors and make sure that the room is kid-friendly. The visual design of your basement will depend on your personal style.

5. Don't forget the lights.

Adding windows to a basement that is partially above ground is a good way to let natural light in. Regardless of having basement windows or not, it is important that you also put artificial lights in your basement. Strategically place the lights around the room. Choose from different kinds and sizes of lights that match your basement design.

These do it yourself basement remodeling tips will definitely turn any dark and old basement into a bright and lively room that is going to add another exceptional room to your home.

Are you spending beyond your means for basement remodeling? Save precious dollars by getting practical advice on basement remodeling ideas.

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.

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Building a Shower Pan - In Six Layers by My Count

Building a shower pan is usually left to the pros. That's because you must get the construction right or the shower will leak. A leaky shower is a potential disaster. Now there are tile ready plastic pans that you can use as a base to lay tile on. But the traditional masonry shower pan works great and still is the most common way to get a tile shower built. It's tricky to build, but it's just built in layers from the bottom up.

You see a tile shower floor contains a hidden ingredient. The tile you see on the floor is not waterproof. Neither is the grout. Water goes right through grout and through tile even, so that's why the pan is more than you see. Here's how it's built from the ground up.

The ground being the base which may be concrete or a subfloor. Whatever it is, it must be stable and not bouncy. Often that first layer is a layer of cement board with maybe some tar paper over it. The paper is to keep the masonry that comes next in place until it dries. Meanwhile you have the drain in place and a special drain it is. The drain has two layers of drain holes. The top of the drain is set at the height of the finished floor.

Over the first layer goes a layer of masonry. Now it's a special formula and it's not too watery, but just right. This layer is sloped toward the drain, to the lower drain holes of the special drain actually. That's a secret ingredient. The water that seeps through the floor is heading for the lower drain holes.

Over the first masonry layer goes the next layer. That's in the form of a special thick vinyl sheet. That's what stops the water for good and moves it to the drain holes below the surface of the floor. And how do the drain holes stay open if they're below the surface? It's another trick.

Then over the vinyl membrane goes another layer of mortar. This layer is sloped to the drain too, but such that the finished floor will be at just the right height. This is the base for the tile. Over this base you lay the tile and slope up right to the drain which you see in the shower floor when it's finished. Grout the tile and you're done.

It takes six layers in a tile shower to build the shower pan. A shower built properly will last for many years. The real key is getting the drain in right and getting that vinyl membrane put in just right and sealed so it's really waterproof. This is a lot easier to understand if you can see it done at least once. Building a shower pan isn't complicated, but it's a bit tricky.

You can get access to video tutorials showing the professional tricks to building a shower pan including how to tile shower walls and put in accessories too.

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

Subfloor Damage From Poor Bathtub Installation - Read Bath Tub Fixture Manuals

You should never under estimate the amount of damage that water can do to your wood subfloor. Especially if this wood is underneath your bathtub. If the bathtub is not installed properly, you could find yourself replacing the wood underneath, within a short period of time. This repair is not uncommon and as more homeowners and handyman seemed to be doing projects like these, without the proper experience, it's becoming even more common.

I wish I had a solution to the problem, however, I don't. The best advice I could give anyone who is going to be involved in any home remodeling project, would be to get some books on what ever task you are about to undertake and read all of the information that you possibly can about the products you are going to be installing. This is extremely helpful for anyone who has never installed a bathtub or any bathtub fixtures.

If the product fails and was installed properly, the manufacturer should be responsible for the water damage. I have been reading the manufacturer's installation manuals for quite some time now and every once in a while, I find something that is of great value to me and I get to pass it on to my readers. That's what I'm doing right now.

Whether you want to remodel your bathroom to save money or you want to accomplish a task that you haven't done yet. I would recommend, taking the time to understand, exactly how the water flows off of and on to another section of the bath tub or shower on its way to the drain. Understanding the basics of bathroom remodeling can save you big money in the future.

Save yourself some money and make sure that you install your bathtubs properly. Taking a little time before you start to read the bath tub fixture manuals, can save you some money and grief in the future.

Find More Facts On Home Water Damage.

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.

Check out These Amazing Home Damage Videos.

Build a Shower Stall That Doesn't Leak

Many different approaches have been used to try to build a shower stall that doesn't leak. Shower pans of lead and copper were used for several years. Mixing metal, cement and water often lead to failure, maybe at twenty years, maybe sooner. Then some installers used hot mopped asphalt over concrete with varying success. Some installers still use each of those methods.

Today there are several methods to build a shower pan that promises a leak proof shower for a long time. The promise looks good and time will tell how these various methods work.

Tile Ready Shower Pans

Three companies including Tile Redi, Schluter and Wedi build systems that use polyurethane or foam and waterproof membranes to build bases upon which tile is then set. The only mortar used is as a base for the shower pan included as part of the system.

These systems all eliminate some of the skill required for building a masonry shower but at a cost. The cost of these systems is higher than a conventional shower, but the shower goes together faster which is a distinct advantage in some situations.

Fiberglass Pans

Consider a fiberglass or acrylic shower stall. You don't get the look and feel of a ceramic shower, but the cost is less. The cheaper shower stalls wear fairly quickly and don't have as long a life as a tile shower, provided the tile shower doesn't start leaking.

Conventional Masonry Showers

Most ceramic showers are still built using masonry construction. A masonry shower pan is built in this manner. A solid base or subfloor is required. A shower drain is rough set in place. The shower pan has two sets of drain holes, a lower set and an upper set. Then a layer of mortar is put down sloped to the bottom drain holes. Pea gravel or broken tiles are placed over the drain holes to keep them open. Then a special vinyl sheet is placed over the mortar layer and glued to the drain base.

The vinyl membrane is the key to the shower base. You must realize that the tile and grout surface you see on a shower floor are not waterproof. Water seeps through the shower floor and migrates down to the membrane and then down the sloped membrane to the bottom drain holes.

Above the vinyl membrane, another layer of mortar is poured to serve as the base for the ceramic tile. After that base cures, the tile is set and grouted on top even with the drain. The construction of the curb is critical too. Around the curb and in the corners of the floor are places where the membrane can crack and leak. Then the walls and ceiling are built.

Some of the modern systems available today will continue to change the way showers are constructed. Most make shower construction simpler. It still seems that for the immediate future some form of the conventional shower will still be the standard. When carefully built using modern materials, a conventional masonry shower will work perfectly for many years.

Puzzled about how to build a ceramic tile shower? Need more information? Visit our site for more tips on how to build a shower stall.

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

Retaining Walls Suffer From Moisture Problems

Whether you're driving down the road or through a neighborhood and you notice a retaining wall that has large cracks in it, or is severely discolored, or one that has white calcium deposits from moisture covering the entire wall, you've got problems with moisture.

The retaining wall is designed to hold the dirt back, that's it's sole purpose. It's not going to hold any moisture back unless someone has installed a waterproofing membrane to separate the soil from the concrete block wall. If the soil isn't ever going to get wet, then you probably don't need to waterproof the retaining wall.

However that's normally not going to be the case. So we need to waterproof the interior of our retaining walls to eliminate future moisture problems that could eventually, deteriorate as moisture starts to accumulate, inside of our block wall for a longer periods of time.

If you don't know anything about waterproofing, I would suggest that you hire a waterproofing expert. Waterproofing looks easier than it actually is, and might be out of your scope of work.

I'm not going to suggest that you use waterproofing paints, because I haven't seen great results with these products. However, if you're not that concerned about your retaining wall and are looking for a cheaper way to apply any waterproofing materials, these paints might not be a bad idea. Sometimes, Something is better than nothing.

If you live in a relatively dry climate, it might not be necessary to waterproof your retaining walls. But if you live in a damp or moist area, especially an area where the ground is moist all year round or more than six months out of the year, I would suggest that you waterproof the back of your retaining walls.

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

Dryer Vent In Basement Window.

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.

Thanks For Reading My Articles

Amsterdam - A Beautiful City With Cheap Hotels

The summer has started and many of us are planning to visit some cool and chill destination, may be with family or group of friends. Amsterdam is among the few wonderful cities in Europe, which promises the cool nature beauty with spirit of true tourist destination. The beautiful small city is famous for its canals, museums, and historical sights. It is considered as one of the most romantic and beautiful cities in Europe.

It is a city small in size but have all the advantages of a big city: culture, nightlife, quality restaurants, good transports, and luxurious or budget hotels in Amsterdam. Although city has a strong public transport system, but biking and cycling make the city tour more enjoyable and authentic experience.

Amsterdam is mainly popular for its museums and historical monuments. The city houses over fifty museums which attracts millions of tourists each year from all over the world. Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum, and Stedelijk Museum are most popular museums among many others. Royal Palace, Stopera, Kalvertoren, AEX, Beurs Van Berlage, Oude Kerk Church, Artis Zoo, and Central Station are some other very popular tourist attractions of Amsterdam.

Being a world class tourist city, Amsterdam also provides quality accommodation to its guests. Every area of the city houses some wonderful hotels from luxury hotels to cheap hotels categories. These hotels provide all facilities according to their grading. The neat and clean room with all basic amenities, parking space, in-house restaurants, and quality services are some facilities provided by these luxury or cheap Amsterdam hotels.

Hotel Atlanta, Hotel Neutraal, Hotel Bastion Hoofddorp, Hotel Manofa, Hotel Plantage, and Hotel Rembrandthplein are some good cheap hotels in Amsterdam. These cheap hotels provide all quality services in very reasonable charges. You can book your rooms in these hotels directly or through online services, which is provided by Hotel's own website or through other reliable tourist or hotel websites.

Looking for Budget hotels in Amsterdam? We have best hotel room rates for cheap Amsterdam hotels Select from thousand of hotels available to book online. Pay less for more comfort at cheap hotels