Online floor plans for your dream home

There are various websites on the internet that allow you to view some of the finest floor plans. Some of these sites charge you a nominal fee to download the exact specifications of the online floor plan that suits you while others offer the most popular online floor plans for free!

The benefit of browsing through a website that offers online floor plans is that a whole new world of possibilities will open in front of you.

All of us have a dream house in mind that we would like to build and live in some day. In fact, many of us work towards a fine house where we would like to relax in. Sadly, the rising costs of living and even inflation have ensured that this house remains a dream for most.

The same is the case with me. I dream of a fine house with a lavish garden where my family and I can relax and enjoy life. And although I don’t have the means to afford the house right now, I am pretty sure that one day I will be able to afford it. Meanwhile I continue to source out various aspects of the dream house. And recently, I stumbled upon a goldmine – online floor plans!

Speaking for myself, when I went to one such website looking for online floor plans, I was confronted by a mind boggling range of online floor plans for literally any kind of house. This particular website had floor plans that could be searched by any or all of a combination of key words. For instance, I could search for online floor plans based on number of rooms. I could also select to view online floor plans based on the style of construction.

If I knew what I wanted and more or less how I wanted it to look, I could opt to see online floor plans based on the area of the construction or the material best suited for the online floor plan of a particular type of construction. Why? I could even view online floor plans for futuristic and designer homes!

While most of these floor plans are very basic, unless you decide to buy a complete online floor plan with drawings, scale sheets, blueprints etc, they still offer one a wealth of information about the kinds of construction taking place.

And once you browse through the comprehensive collection of online floor plans, your dream house will look that much better and you will be motivated to build and live in it that much sooner. Trust me! I still continue to browse through online floor plans. And my dream home is getting better by the day.

Building your dream home - part 3

:
Exterior Framing Continues

With the home’s sub-floor down and the exterior walls framed and up, the framing crew was on to the roof. Though the roof was rather simple in structure with just a 12/12 pitch and no valleys it was a significant framing undertaking due to just the size and height of it. The house was 32 feet wide by 44 feet in length, and the exterior side walls stood 11 feet tall in the great room. This exterior wall height of 11 feet translated into a roof ridge that was 27 feet off the floor of the great room. Consequently staging was required to install the ridge pole and roof rafters. In addition, since the span from the top of the walls to the ridge was so long, heavy 2x12s were required for the roof rafters. Within a week, however, the team had completed the installation of the roof rafters and the house began to take on real shape.

I should comment briefly about the sub-floor and exterior walls before I move on.

I decided on using ѕ” tongue and groove plywood for the sub-flooring rather than OSB/particle board as I was concerned that the OSB was too sensitive to moisture. I was concerned about this, both from the construction phase and from normal home use. I was concerned that during the construction phase that snow and ice could potentially lead to damage such as warping. I have seen this before when OSB was used on sub-flooring. I was also concerned that during the life of the home, that there could be water incidents, e. g. a leaking dishwasher or washer machine that also could also lead to water damage to the floor. I also believe that plywood is stronger and that it would provide for a more solid and rigid floor.

Regarding the exterior wall framing I used 2x6 construction. This is typical in New England as the additional wall depth allows for higher insulation factors; a must in colder climates.

Sheathing the Outside of the Home

In order to get plumbing and electric contractors onto a site typically they want the home “buttoned up”. This includes the roof shingled and the doors and windows on. Thus my framing crew moved onto the exterior sheathing once the walls and roof framing were complete.

As with the sub-floor, I again chose plywood for the exterior sheathing for the same reasons mentioned earlier. On the exterior walls Ѕ” exterior grade plywood was used. On the roof 5/8” exterior grade plywood was used. I know many builders today use OSB for both the walls and roof, however, I still believe for stronger construction plywood is the way to go.

The sheathing effort took about a week to complete. During this time exterior doors and windows showed up on the site. Staging the delivery of material reduces theft and insurance risk as well as keeps a less cluttered construction site. However, as I have indicated earlier, communication is critical when you are doing “Just-in-Time” material delivery.

Installing Exterior Doors and Windows

The installation of the doors and windows was a major undertaking for this project as the lake side view of the home was literally a wall of windows; 32 feet in width and 27 feet in height. A great deal of engineering had gone into the window design so that the 10 large custom windows would fit together like a jig saw puzzle. This said, when the windows arrived on site and were inspected, it was determined that some of them were not built correctly to the dimensions specified. After much debate with the framing crew, the window vendor and me we reached a compromise on sharing the cost of fixing the windows. The window vendor took back the improperly sized windows and the framing crew began the installation of the doors and what windows they could install. Fortunately the window vendor was able to return to the site with the properly sized windows within a few days and the construction phase did not miss a beat.

Completing the Interior Framing

With the doors and windows installed, the framing crew proceeded to complete the Interior Framing. This was an exciting time, as the rooms began to take real shape. You could now walk down hallways and into bedrooms and closet areas. Within just a few days the interior walls were complete and the framing crew proceeded onto the roof for the shingling.

I should note that 2x4 construction was used on the interior walls as insulation was not required on the interior walls.

Shingling the Roof

The last task to complete before the house could be classified as “Buttoned Up” was to install the shingles on the roof. Fortunately my framing crew was also able to do this task, thus eliminating the need for yet another subcontractor.

I chose a 30 year architectural shingle due to the quality and look I was trying to achieve on the home.

Though relatively a simple roof, it was quite large and the weather was less than hospitable. Consequently it took nearly 2 weeks to complete this task. However, with the roof complete, my electric and plumbing contractors were now able to begin their work.

Also, with the main house now structurally complete, the framing crew moved onto the garage framing and construction phase. As a result of staging the garage behind the main home construction phase, I was able to have subcontractors work in parallel without getting in each others way.

Rough Electric and Plumbing

With the house “Buttoned-Up”, my Electric and Plumber subcontractors showed up to begin the roughing in phase of their respective tasks.

Rough Electric

I had met a few days before on site with the Electric subcontractor to discuss the placement of all the wall outlets and switches, as well as where the light fixtures would be situated. During our discussion he marked the wall studs for the placements of the electric wiring boxes so that we could visualize the entire electric wiring scheme. We also marked where the telephone and cable boxes would reside.

During the electrical rough in wiring phase, the electrician installed all the wiring boxes and ran wire from the boxes to where the main circuit panel box would reside.

Rough Plumbing

As with the Electrical Subcontractor, I had met several weeks earlier with the Plumbing Contractor. During this meeting we discussed the form of heat for the home, as well as where the bathrooms and kitchen were to reside in the home. We also discussed types of bathroom fixtures including tubs, sinks and toilets. Consequently, when he showed up on site he new exactly where to run main drain and supply pipes and vent stacks. He also roughed in all of the plumbing for each bathroom and kitchen plumbing fixture.

Within a week both the Electrical and Rough Plumbing contractors had completed their tasks and had successfully passed their respective inspections.

To Be Continued ….

In Part 4 of “Building Your Dream House”, Electric and Plumbing continue and the Kitchen Design is explained. Stay tuned...

For more help on building a new home, see HomeAdditionPlus. com's New Home Construction Bid sheet. The New Home Construction Bid Sheet will help ensure that your new home construction project goes smoothly and is completed on time and budget.

How to find a contractor

How to Find a Contractor

Everyone has heard horror stories of contactor projects gone wrong. There are many contractors dedicated to the highest standards and committed to the success of individual projects. Finding a qualified professional contractor for a home improvement project doesn't have to be a difficult task. By following the guidelines stated below, you will help ensure that the selection process is easier and that you are prepared to make an informed decision.

Where to Find a Contractor:

o Get referrals from friends and family. They are the best place to start because they will give honest feedback about the contractor’s performance. Before rushing into a job, make sure the referred company has experience with the project. For example, some contractors may be experts in kitchens and baths but lack experience in building new additions.

o Use online resources that provide certifications and references from previous jobs. Also, contractors listed with online sites show that they take pride in their business

o Ask for referrals from engineers and architects. They work with contractors everyday and know the industry very well.

o Source multiple bids. It is always a good idea to speak to as many contractors as possible. This will not only help you find the best person for the job, but will also ensure that you are being charged appropriately.

o Avoid using the yellow pages and bulletin board ads.

What to Ask For:

o When you think you have found a good contractor, ask for their credentials. They should be bonded and insured (general liability and worker’s compensation). Ask for the name of their insurance agency, look up the number yourself, call the insurer and ask for a copy of the Certificate of Insurance.

o Ask for the contractor’s portfolio and references. Keep in mind that a contractor will probably only show you their favorable work and comments.

o Call the local Better Business Bureau and make sure no complaints have been filed against the contractor.

o Find out how long the contractor has been in business and how long they have worked with their crew.

o Find out if the contractor will be working on simultaneous projects. If working on multiple jobs, will they be able to devote enough time to your project.

When Starting Negotiations:

o Begin by making a list of projects that need to be completed. Then do research online to find out the average cost of that job. Make sure the jobs done fit into your budget and make allowances for unforeseen situations.

o Create and sign a contract. Make sure to include the following:

 Completion date. Some contractors do not like completion dates because weather can be unpredictable. Take into consideration their concerns and come up with a reasonable completion date.

 Budget: be sure to take into consideration overages that might occur due to unforeseen situations.

 Negotiate terms, for example: 30 percent up front, 40 percent due at mid point, 20 percent due upon completion, and 10 percent due upon inspection.

o Federal law requires a contractor to give you written notice of your right to, without penalty, cancel a contract within three business days of signing it.

o You may also want to consider a binding arbitrations clause, which may enable you to resolve disputes without litigation.

o Also consider a warranty, which may cover materials and workmanship. The warranty must be identified as either "full" or "limited." You must include the name or the party that will insure the warranty, as well as, the period of time the warranty is guaranteed.

Remodeling your home should be an enjoyable experience. Make sure you follow the steps above, leverage online resources that certify online contactors, and ensure that they are experts in their field.

Walk in showers advantages and uses

Walk in showers are becoming more and more popular in recent years for their contemporary look and feel, as well as their unique convenience.

Walk in showers have been popular for quite a while in certain commercial applications, such as at gyms. A walk in shower allows individuals to quickly duck into the shower after working out, and rinse the sweat and dirt off.

Walk in showers have recently become popular in home bathroom designs as well. They offer a unique brand of convenience, flexibility, and style.

Walk in showers are convenient as they allow you to quickly and easily duck in the shower for a quick shower, without having to mess with a stuck shower curtain, etc. They are what you might call a minimal, integrated design.

As far as flexibility is concerned, walk in showers are about as flexible as showers can get. You can create a walk in shower anywhere in your bathroom you can get the correct plumbing to. You can put it in a corner, or even in the middle of the room if you wanted.

Once you do decide that a walk in shower is what you want, you have some great design options. You can create a wet room, which is basically just a corner of your bathroom surrounded by some glass panels to contain the water. This gives you a very flexible design, allowing you to make the shower the right size to fit your specific needs. For example, you could easily make a handicapped accessible shower this way.

There is really no limit to the designs you can create for your walk in shower. You can buy the glass panels separately and create your own unique design. If you can come up with a design, you can probably create it - It's all up to you!

Empire furniture for home decorating

Choosing up the hardwood floor or the home decorating plan or idea that better fits in with Empire furniture can be a little bit difficult. There are some very good books of designs to base your decor idea. You can then get from them interesting complements and ornaments for all the corners of your house, of course based on the colonial style. One the most famous books at the date was the - Illustrated history of furniture, by Frederick Litchfield. You can read some tips from that book along the following paragraphs. We want to encourage the readers to follow its ideas because they can help you to find your own style.

Materials And Ornaments For Careful Finishes

On secretaries and tables, a common ornament of this description of furniture, is a column of mahogany, with a capital and base of bronze (either gilt, part gilt, or green), in the form of the head of a sphinx with the foot of an animal; console tables are supported by sphinxes and griffins; and candelabra and wall brackets for candles have winged figures of females, stiff in modeling and constrained in attitude, but almost invariably of good material with careful finish.

The bas-reliefs in metal which ornament the panels of the friezes of cabinets, or the marble bases of clocks, are either reproductions of mythological subjects from old Italian gems and seals, or represent the battles of the Emperor, in which Napoleon is portrayed as a Roman general. There was plenty of room to replace so much that had disappeared during the Revolution, and a vast quantity of decorative furniture was made during the few years which elapsed before the disaster of Waterloo caused the disappearance of a power which had been almost meteoric in its career.

What Books To Consult

The best authority on Empire Furniture is the book of designs, published in 1809 by the architects Percier and Fontaine, which is the more valuable as a work of reference, from the fact that every design represented was actually carried out, and is not a mere exercise of fancy, as is the case with many such books. In the preface the authors modestly state that they are entirely indebted to the antique for the reproduction of the different ornaments; and the originals, from which some of the designs were taken, are still preserved in a fragmentary form in the Museum of the Vatican.

Classic Designs And Ideas

An arm chair and a stool, together with that of the tripod table which are favorable examples of the richly-mounted and more decorative furniture of this style. While they are not free from the stiffness and constraint which are inseparable from classic designs as applied to furniture, the rich color of the mahogany, the high finish and good gilding of the bronze mounts, and the costly silk with which they are covered, render them attractive and give them a value of their own. By reading the books proposed above you definitely can break the look of the interior design of your house, and will learn how to include empire furniture into home decorating ideas and plans.

Adjustable beds are stress busters

Adjustable beds are stress busting wonder machines. Quite a statement to make until you sit back and examine precisely what stress is and how an adjustable bed can help you cope with it. The first thing to keep in mind is that there are millions of people who have absolutely no stress at all and have no need whatsoever for an adjustable bed. You can find many of them by visiting any cemetery. These people do not suffer from stress because they are all dead. You see, life and stress go hand in hand and the amount of stress you are under is a great indicator of exactly how alive you actually are.

We all need a certain amount of stress in our lives in order to function normally. Stress is a form of natural conditioning from way back in the days of old when an adjustable bed meant moving rocks and boulders around and our primary daily concern was evading predators that wanted to eat us. There is little that I can think of that would elicit the natural fight or flight reaction than coming face to face with a hungry pack of lions. Like our ancestors, today’s stress factors make our heartbeat speed up, our blood pressure increase and our breathing quicken.

Most modern day stresses, however, do not call for either fight or flight. In the world of today, the scariest thing we will probably ever come across will be an angry, demanding boss or an overzealous tax collector. Our experience of stress is generally related to how we respond to an event, not to the event itself. When you feel out of control or under intense pressure, you may experience the physical, emotional, or relational symptoms brought on by negative stress. Anything we can do to alleviate negative stress will greatly improve our lives.

Adjustable beds are crafted in such a way as to lighten the aftermath of stressful, everyday situations. After a hard day, all you need to do is just lie down in an adjustable bed let the built in features pamper your body and mind back to normal. Adjust the head and foot levels using the remote control to the most comfortable position for your body. If you have no other feature on your adjustable bed, the sense of comfort you will experience by doing this alone should make you feel like a different person.

If your adjustable bed is equipped with heat and massage units, you are fortunate enough to be in a position to blow your stress back to the Stone Age. Turn on the vibrating feature on your adjustable bed and you have thousands of tiny, invisible fingers kneading away any tension built up over the day. Many adjustable beds have auto shut off motors that will turn off the vibrations after a set time, just in case you get too comfortable and fall asleep before you really wanted to. However, if your day was especially stressful, and you need a little more help to unwind, turn on your heat unit on the adjustable bed to add an additional level of mind-numbing comfort.

The massage unit on adjustable beds, or perhaps I should use the term electric adjustable beds, can also save you a lot of money over the course of the year. It could get rather expensive if you were the type of person who would go to the local spa for a full body massage whenever you needed to unwind. With an electric adjustable bed, you never have to book an appointment and it is always ready to administer that massage you need, whenever you need it. Sorry Inga, I really don’t want to take business away from you. I am just telling it as I see it.

The best thing we can do to help us cope and prepare for the stresses of modern times is to get good nights sleep. Once again an electric adjustable bed is the perfect instrument for providing an environment conducive to safe, long lasting, re-energizing, stress relieving sleep. An adjustable bed is the perfect antidote to that poor sleep robbing excuse for a bed many people spend one third of their lives in at night. After a good night sleep on an adjustable bed you will feel sharper both mentally and physically providing you with the ammunition you will need to get you through the day.

In conclusion, I would like to re-iterate that stress is an everyday sign that we are alive and doing the best we can. The only thing that I can recommend is not carrying harmful stress levels with us longer than we have to. Get the best adjustable bed you can afford and boot your stress levels as far away from you as possible. If you need an added giggle to help, just imagine our cave man ancestor adjusting the boulders and rocks for the first adjustable bed in history. We have come a long way.

Home improvement ceiling fans

Ceiling fans come in a wide variety of styles and colors to match any homeowners interior design wishes. They come with and without lighting. Three to five blades. In colors of black, white, brown, made of wood, covered with animal print fabric or styled with carved leaves.

Ceiling fans have come a long way since the industrial revolution where they were dreamed up by sweating factory workers. These workers attached wooden or metal blades to the overhead whirling shafts that were used to drive the machinery they worked on.

Ceiling fans are a great way to keep cool in the summer on those nights when you don't have to run the air conditioner. Ceiling fans are much less noisy and obtrusive than box fans that sit on your floor or in your windows. And, you know that heat rises, right? Well, in the winter months running your fan on low and in reverse speed will bring down the heat that accumulates up in at the ceiling, helping you to feel warmer.

Before you purchase a ceiling fan you'll need to consider the blade sweep. You don't want to overwhelm a smaller room with a ceiling fan that's too big, but, you also want to make sure that the ceiling fan will be able to displace enough air to cool you off in a larger room. Another consideration before purchasing a ceiling fan is the length it will drop from the ceiling. A home with an 8 foot ceiling would probably use a three inch down rod for a ceiling fan, and a room with a fifteen foot high ceiling would need at least a one foot down rod, up to a five foot down rod. It is suggested that you have at least seven feet of clearance from the floor to avoid accidents.

Installing a ceiling fan yourself is a fairly easy job for most do-it - yourselfer's. There are many online sites available to help you if you have any problems or questions.

Save money by improving hot water usage

Nobody likes cold showers, particularly early in the morning. Take the following steps, however, and you can save serious cash on your water heating costs.

Save Money By Improving Hot Water Usage

To the surprise of many, heating water is the biggest energy expense in the typical home. Most people think the highest cost is heating or cooling the interior air, but this simply is not true. Fortunately, taming your energy use for water heating is fairly simple if you take some basic steps.

One of the reasons heating water is such a big expense has to do with time. Simply put, your water heat works 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year. When you wake up in the morning and take a shower, the water heater fires up to keep enough hot water in the tank. Obviously, this is necessary. What is not necessary, however, is the number of times the tank fires up during the day when everyone is at school or work. How about at 2 in the morning when everyone is asleep? When your water heater uses energy to keep the pool of water in the tank hot during these periods, it is a pure waste of energy and unnecessary expense on your utility bill.

To defeat this problem, there are two basic steps you should consider. The first is to go with a solar water heater. Unlike solar panels systems for your entire home, water heater are much smaller and more efficient. They produce plenty of hot water throughout the day, so you should be fine. If you take a lot of baths and showers, they can be supplemented with electrical power drawn from the utility company. Even if this happens, you are still using far less utility power than before. The other alternative is to go with a tankless system. These on demand water heaters are more efficient because they do not use energy to heat water in the middle of the night or during other off hour periods. Look for an Energy Star rating to get the most efficient model.

There are other practical steps you can take to cut buck on your energy use without changing your water usage. First, turn down the thermostat on your water heater to 115 degrees. Second, insulate your water heater with a pad you can buy at any home improvement store. Third, insulate the pipes carrying the hot water. Fourth, replace all faucets with low flow products. Fourth, take showers instead of baths – the water usage is much less.

The average residence in the United States uses more than 700 gallons of water a week. Making minor changes to your energy use can go a long way.

What features does a good cleaning supplies website contain

There are so many different topics when it comes to cleaning. The first question you have to ask yourself is cleaning what? We clean everything, as human beings we are taught from our early childhoods to keep every thing clean and put things away when we are done with them. The question then becomes why? Why do humans need everything to be neat and clean, and in order. I believe as a species, human beings need direction and routine to maintain a healthy lifestyle. If things are not clean and organized this can disrupt our daily routine. How does this come into play with what makes a good cleaning supplies website? Well first, before you can sell something to an individual it always helps to give them good information on what they are buying and how to use it. A majority of cleaning and janitorial supply websites just list products and hope that you will purchase their items. When I make a purchase I want to know what I'm getting, how to use it, and how does it compare to other products that are similar. Am I getting the best deal, and is what I am buying the right product for my situation. In the cleaning supplies industry there are a lot of chemicals that are sold to help us clean. Some cleaning chemicals are dangerous and others not so dangerous, it is a good idea to read cleaning chemical instructions from start to finish before using them.

When you as a cleaning supply website owner sells a product individual it is your responsibility to give the customer as much good information as possible, so that the product sold is not used inappropriately. Mixing certain cleaning chemicals can be dangerous if not life threatening and someone could end up hurt or even worse. A good cleaning supplies website should include and have posted MSDS literature on every chemical they sell. An MSDS page or sheet is an acronym for material safety data sheet. This literature states what ingredients go into a cleaning chemical and what to do if an emergency arises related to the chemical. Certain laws make it illegal for some businesses to use a chemical without having a MSDS cleaning sheet at the location but with the private use of a cleaning chemical this is not true. When using cleaning chemicals for your own private use it is a smart idea to have a cleaning MSDS on hand for your own safety and well being.

Another good trait of a successful cleaning and janitorial supplies website is to include cleaning forums and cleaning directories. Cleaning supply forums are a great opportunity for your customers to share ideas and let each other know which cleaning supplies work for certain situations. A good cleaning site webmaster will also give input on these forums and help answer perspective buyers questions. By offering a cleaning directory cleaning services and individuals who operate cleaning related businesses can promote their services which help them to sell more which in turn helps your website to sell more.

As the webmaster for many cleaning supplies websites for over 3 years I implore other janitorial sites to give good and accurate information to their clients. By providing cleaning safety information and knowledge about the products you sell is a cleaning supply site webmasters responsibility. Help make the world a cleaner and safer place and give your clients the one thing the internet is about - good and accurate information.

Better have file cabinets than clutter

If you have tried locating a misplaced piece of paper for hours and have not succeeded or if you have scoured the stack of files locating one single document and was frustrated, this article is for you.

The most common error for misplacing an object is dropping it at a place that is convenient during the time. A regular space for keeping important objects and documents makes it easier for anyone to locate them when the need to remember them arises.

This is why filing cabinets are special tools for safekeeping that when used regularly is the best way to track documents and important objects not only at work but also at home. A good filing system can save you hours and even money, without which would otherwise have been frustrating.

Filing cabinets are constant fixtures in any workplace that requires safekeeping and tracking of documents despite the rise in the electronic data keeping systems. Choosing one will require more than just deciding on the number drawers. There are subtle differences in filing cabinets that are adapted to particular requirements.

The two main types of filing cabinets

The vertical file cabinet is the traditional type where you can have anywhere from two to five drawers. The drawers are designed to fit the legal sized files and are stored facing the front of the drawers. Vertical file cabinets are space savers that make them the preferred choice in offices where rents are at a premium.

The other option, although not as commonly used are the lateral type files cabinet. These file cabinet types are much wider than standard designs. The files can be stored side to side or front to back. The design is not as deep as the vertical file cabinets that it can also be used as a wall partition or a wall divider. The lateral file cabinets have more versatility in terms of file storage and takes up less wall space.

The quality of the file cabinet is also one area that is to be given good attention. The best way to examine the quality of the file cabinet is the suspension system. A good file cabinet has strong suspensions that enable it to carry weights and still close and open smoothly. Some file cabinets have built in safety features that allow only the opening of one drawer at a time. Usually safety feature includes counterweights or internal locking devices. File cabinets that do not have this feature can accidentally tip over when all the drawers at the upper part are open.

Good file cabinets have to be built to take some abuse. It is important then that file cabinets be made of quality and thicker metals so that it protects the internal parts preventing it to be easily damaged.

Because of the valuable material that could be stored in a file cabinet, many are made to be fire and impact resistant. Fire resistant cabinet can maintain inside temperatures less than 350 degrees (most paper burns upward of 350 degrees Fahrenheit) enough to prevent the burning of its content even when outside temperature rises to 1700 degrees.

File cabinets depending on the feature, design, materials and number of drawers are priced starting from $20 to about $1,800 dollars for the top of the line option.

File cabinets also come today in designs and color that are veering away from the traditional types. Newer file cabinets can no longer be the ugly steely types of cabinets. They can come in a variety of decorative colors, materials and designs that can be blended with your furnishings.