As Gardeners we all understand that at times there is a need to use chemicals in our garden to protect and improve our crops.
The most common chemicals we use are chemical based fertilizers and soil conditioners like lime that improve the health of our plants. Often these chemicals are safer for the home or small gardener and cheaper for larger farms then the alternative of organic products.
When it comes to pesticides, fungicides and anti bacterial products …
Its not every day that you shop for new doors for your home and your garage door is probably last on your list for replacement but either through age and wear or through damage there are times when you will need to replace your garage door.
Getting the best deal on a new garage door means you need to understand what your options are and how you will get to the overall price. Although Garage Doors …
While most people in Northern States have heard of Pool Heaters that allow you to use your pool early in the spring and later into the fall months there is an opposite problem for people that live in warmer climates and thats hot pool water.
Water will naturally hold heat and it is often used in home heating systems to store hot water from solar panels to warm homes.. This is a big problem …
The following chart provides the distances and sizes of lumber necessary to build the beams that support your deck.
The size on the left column describes the size of the beam necessary.
For instance the left column may say 2-2×10″ which means you need to use Two – 2 inch x 10 inch boards that are nailed together to build the beam that supports your joists.
When in doubt use a larger size beam meaning go up …
To reduce the cost and size of beams required in residential construction glue laminated products have been designed to reduce conventional framing.
Glue laminated beams may be used in variety of locations including but not limited to rim joists, stairway and window and door headers. They can be used alone or they can be used in built up beams.
Because of their higher structural strength glued laminated beams can replace steel in many locations however in …
Although normally signing is applied over exterior she then which has been protected by a vapor barrier some contractors to make use of single wall systems.
In a single wall system the exterior sheathing is the finished product. Where normally the vapor barrier would be applied over the exterior sheathing the plywood siding is applied directly to the studs. This means a vapor barrier must be applied from the interior of the home.
Because plywood siding …
There are a variety of different tree species types used in home construction. Although from their visual appearance you may not consider framing grade lumber to be hardwood it is.
Most consumers consider woods such as oak, walnut or mahogany when they are thinking of hardwood however pine, spruce, Douglas fir and other woods are considered hardwood and used in the framing process.
When selecting hardwood for framing and using structural span charts it is important …
There are a variety of locations within your home where plywood is used. Plywood can be constructed of either layers of wood that are glued together or chips of wood that are oriented to obtain a specific structural strength.
Standard plywood is made of layers that are glued together. When logs go through a plywood mill a thin layer of wood is stripped from the logs in a similar method to a pencil sharpener. These …
There are three main grades of lumber that are commonly used in structural framing. A fourth category may be found in pre-made trusses but this material is not normally available to the general contractor.
The first grade of lumber is light framing. This grade of lumber is considered utility grade lumber and should not be used for framing walls or used as joists in either residential construction, commercial construction or where structural support is required. …
Every spring trays of flowers appear in front of almost every store and gardeners around the country buy up dozens of six packs to fill the beds around our homes but with a little planing and preparation you can grow a garden of flowers for about 10% of the cost of store bought flower packs.
The good thing about growing your own flowers is that you have a much wider selection of plants you can …