How Many Bathrooms Do You Really Need? Building New Homes

When my dad was a kid, they lived in a two bedroom house with one bathroom and the family consisted of him, his two brothers and his mother and father. When I grew up, we have it a little bit better. We had the same sized family as my father did, but we lived in a three-bedroom house with two bathrooms.

How many bathrooms do you really need? Think about it. Here's what I would like to suggest, if you have more money than you know what to do with and would love to help the economy, then you should put as many bathrooms as you need in your home.

If you really need to tell your friends, that you have a 250 bedroom house with 275 bathrooms, and you have the money to pay for it, do it and knock yourself out. However, if you are building a new home, I would like you to consider, this question. How many bathrooms do you really need?

If you want each one of your children to have their own bathroom, then go for it. It will require more cleaning, more money to build these bathrooms and is it really necessary.

Here's what I would suggest as a guideline for deciding, how many bathrooms you really need. One bathroom for two or less people, two bathrooms for five or less people and three bathrooms for eight or less people. You could actually add one bathroom for every three people as a general rule of thumb.

Don't get carried away and start installing bathrooms all over your house, it doesn't make sense. Bathrooms are expensive and I have been in the homes, where I was the only person that used at bathroom. Some bathrooms might not ever be used.

Click here if you are looking for some more Bathroom Remodeling 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.

Click Here If your looking for some great Bathroom Ideas or Bathroom Remodeling Contractors

Pictures of Bathroom Designs - What a Great Way To Get Inspired!

Pictures of other people's bathroom designs are a very good way to become inspired as to what you want in your own bathroom remodeling project. I know I was inspired to wanting a really high-tech shower/mini-steam room enclosure for my next "full-blown" bathroom remodeling project after seeing pictures of a friend's new bathroom designs.

He found a very nice unit for sale on eBay. See details of the shower unit and even bid on one yourself if you're interested on my website.

Pictures of bathroom designs are really worth the proverbial thousand words! You'll see fixtures that will excite you just as I did with my friend's shower enclosure. You will see color schemes that click with you in pictures of different bathroom designs. You will be amazed as to just how much inspiration can be obtained from pictures of bathroom designs that you come across either online or from magazines or through other means.

I have posted a number of pictures of bathroom designs on my website for you to view. These are different bathrooms that I've either had a hand in building or that I've found here & there. I really love good design in architecture and because of my eye for what works and what doesn't, I've put together quite a portfolio of different pictures of bathroom designs. Check them out for yourself at my website.

You can also do a search on Google images
for "bathroom pictures" or "pictures of bathroom designs".

The thing you need to do at this point is to start organizing your pictures of bathroom designs into a system where you will have all of the details about where you found the picture and what interested you about it.

Then you can file it in a manner that will allow you to find it again at a moment's notice. This way your initial research about pictures of bathroom designs will be as fruitful and efficient as possible.

This truly can be a very fun and inspirational time period - using pictures of bathroom designs.

=================================================

John Mann, "The Electric Mann", has been involved in the residential construction industry for over 25 years. He's worked as an Electrical Contractor and a General Contractor in Residential Remodeling and is an expert on Kitchen and Bathroom Design and Remodeling.

Signup for his "Bathroom Remodeler's Newsletter" and get a FR*EE 7-Part mini-course (Value $67.00 US) called
"How To Avoid the 7 Biggest Mistakes People Make When Remodeling a Bathroom!" by visiting http://www.TheRemodeledBathroom.com

Click Here to Learn More About Using Pictures of Bathroom Designs as Inspiration for Your Own Bathroom!

=================================================

How Wide Should I Make My Carport? Planning Your Next Project

Whether you live in a home with or without a garage, you might be thinking about building a new carport. You've came to the right place and by the time you're done reading this article, you should have acquired a little more valuable information for your next home remodeling project.

Some homeowners install carports in front of their garage, on the side of their homes or even in their driveway. Car ports can be built anywhere on your property, as long as you have enough room and access to these areas for a car to be parked safely.

The most important thing to remember, when building a carports, is the width that will be required to park your vehicle underneath it. You will need to allow plenty of room, so that you will be able to access your vehicle comfortably.

There are plenty of carports, all over the country that are built right next to something, like a retaining wall, the side of your home or even another garage. I myself have parked in carports that were too small and over a period of time became an annoying inconvenience.

The minimum width that I would build any carport would be 10 foot wide, if you're going to build your carport next to a building, I would suggest that you park your car, open your door and measure the width of your car, with your door open.

This will give you a comfortable width for building your new carport. This is the best advice I could give anyone, who is planning on building a carport.

Garage Building Tips

If you're thinking about building a garage and San Diego County, we would be glad to help, for more information click on this link San Diego Garage Building

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.

Home Bathroom Design

First thing before you start a new home bathroom design is to picture how you want it to look like. Picture yourself in a nice calming environment, what do you see? So you see the ocean? Perhaps a nice field of green grass? Whatever it may be, think about it as it is sure to make your home bathroom more personalized. Remodeling your bathroom's design shouldn't be a stressful process at all as long as you already have a concrete idea of how you want it to come out in the end.

A great tip is to cut out pictures from a magazine or download some from the internet. These pictures would serve as an inspiration and help you clearly see your vision. This would not only help you see what will work and what wont, the pictures would also help show the people you'll hire exactly how you want the home bathroom design to look like. Look at home design magazines and websites and make use of some of computer software's that are now available to aid you with the design. These programs help make it easier for you to come up with design and layout schemes without the hassle of drawing it up.

Next is to come up with a nice color scheme. Bathrooms tend to be painted in very light and breezy colors such as whites or pale yellows. This is mainly due to the fact that a lot of people look to their bathrooms as a place to relax after a long day. But don't be afraid to mix and match colors. A great tip to bring life into a monotone home bathroom design is to add some flowers. Orchids always look best. You can also add color through the bathroom fixings as well as in the towels. By having a neutral toned bathroom would allow for more experimentation with the fixings as well as in the accessories.

You should also consider the space and how big your bathroom is. Balance is a key and you would want a free flowing space in your home bathroom design to prevent it from becoming too small and cluttered. Maximize your space, if you have a small one, by bringing in all the necessary items first and be creative with storage. Imagine putting a wicker chair in your bathroom when hardly anything else fits in. Prioritize function before aesthetic appeal. To create the illusion of space in a small bathroom, try installing some mirrored tiles.

It is also wise to make sure that the items and accessories you're bringing into the home bathroom design are all bathroom-friendly. Meaning, they are suited for an environment that is constantly moist. Don't bring in fabric covered seating unless you want to sit on damp sofas. The addition of plants would also help bring a sense of calm to your home bathroom design. A couple on each corner would do, if you have a small bathroom, a small one right by your sink or on the toilet would be a great addition. Remember, the design is all up to you. Just be creative and utilize the space well.

Aikaz Run - Bathroom Design Advisor

For more information on how to design your bathroom to be amazing look, visit our Bathroom Design resources at http://www.bathroom-share.com

Plumbing Problems and Solutions - Repair Manuals

If you've owned a home for over 20 years, there's a very good chance, that you've had a water pipe break, a drainpipe clogged, a toilet that wouldn't flush right, or a water leak that damaged part of the home. If you don't know, what you're looking for and you have no idea what damage can be done, over time, this could mean trouble for the homeowner.

Plumbing problems like these have been around and will be around for many years. Knowing what to do about them, how to repair them and what materials will be needed, can be found in plumbing repair manuals for books. How would you like to have a professional plumber to advise you on your plumbing repairs. What if I told you that you could have a plumbing professional on hand at all times. Is this something that you might be interested in.

Well I can't guarantee that, so let's forget about what I just said and go to the next best thing. Plumbing repair manuals are full of tips and advice that when needed can sometimes be priceless. If water is leaking from the ceiling in your home and you have no idea, where the water is coming from or how to stop it from leaking, any information could be priceless and I mean priceless.

Plumbers, usually charge over $100 an hour for emergency service. I've seen plumbers come to peoples homes, turn the water off to the house, stop the water from leaking and now it is no longer an emergency. The plumber quickly pulls out an invoice for the plumbing repairs and it could be over $1000, if you decide that this is ridiculous and choose not to pay it, the plumber can hand you a bill for stopping the water leak. Some of these bills are what I would consider quite ridiculous, for just shutting the water off.

You're not paying the plumber for the amount of time it took him, you're paying him for his knowledge. If you knew where to shut the water off, you wouldn't have an emergency situation and could contact a plumber during normal hours. This could save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars.

With a simple home repair manual or a home plumbing book, you could prepare yourself for a situation like this and other plumbing problems. Most home repair manuals have general solutions and advice and can solve most of the problems around your home. If they can't solve all of the problems, they can probably save you from major catastrophes like a water leak.

Most of the time it's not the water leak that will cost the most money, it's the damage the water will do to your furniture, carpeting, wood flooring, walls or ceilings. A little information and preparation can save you a lot of money in the long run.

Home Plumbing Books

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:

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.

Fire Damaged Indoor Air Quality

During a fire damage heat, smoke, and the depletion of oxygen interact, exerting themselves as serious hazards. Smoke alone consist of particles (such as soot), gases (such as carbon monoxide), Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) of a variety of complexities, aerosols, and free radicals that can have an effect on the building and occupants' health long after the fire is extinguished.

Something else to consider is water and its contributing affect on poor indoor environmental quality during fire damage. Water is a product of combustion. During a fire water droplets can serve as a vehicle of transport for absorbed acids, such as hydrochloric acid, making it a contributor toward smoke-inhalation injuries. Additionally, residual moisture, left behind during the fire-extinguishing processes, can contribute toward the development of microbes, such as mold and bacteria, when not processed quickly and adequately enough.

So, as you can see the pollutants found in fire and smoke damage can be numerous, and can come in any chemical state (solid, liquid, gas, or vapor), including but not necessarily limited to:
• "Particulate Matter (PM)"
• gases
• humidity
• "Bioaerosols"

"Particulate Matter (PM)" is a term used for a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets found in the air. Some of these PM are large or dark enough to be seen, like the soot and smoke concentrations you see settled onto your furniture and building components, while other PM are so small they can be detected only with an electron microscope. PM can be organic (carbon based matter like baseboards and door and window components) or inorganic (such as fiberglass and asbestos).

Some of the gases associated with fire and smoke damage are carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfuric oxides, and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs). Many of these gases can be colorless and odorless; thereby, unnoticed during the fire and smoke damage, its cleaning, or reoccupation.

"Bioaerosols" is a term used to describe airborne PM that are living or originate from living organisms including microbes, fragments, toxins, and particulate waste products. Bioaerosols are very small and range from one micrometer (0.00004") to one hundred micrometers (0.004"). Bioaerosols are easily manipulated, transported by air currents, insects and moisture.

Health consequences vary with the size, mass, concentration and other contaminants which interact with one another. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has found that respirable particles at concentrations of 250 to 350 micrograms per meter increase respiratory symptoms in compromised individuals. What this means for you is that when faced with a fire damage it is important to make sure qualified people are contacted to identify and remedy any potential pollution hazards in your home or office.

"Where can you find a qualified fire-damage restoration technician to clean and repair your home?" I'm only familiar with one organization that trains, evaluates, and certifies cleaning and restoration technicians in this area. While there may be more, the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning, and Restoration Certification is the one I am familiar with. For inspection most especially concerning the indoor air quality look for a Council-certified Indoor Environmental Consultant or Council-certified Indoor Environmentalist either at the Indoor Air Quality Association's website or the American Indoor Air Quality Council's website.

As with any damaged environment understanding the condition of that environment is key to providing for the health and safety of occupants as well as restoring the structure to its safe and sound structural integrity and normal ecology. Sometimes the damage goes beyond what you can see. Sometimes cleaning isn't enough. In those cases or in cases where you and/or your doctor suspect a pollutant that may be triggering symptoms in you or another occupant, contacting a Council-certified Indoor Environmental Consultant (CIEC) can help you and your doctor make decisions on treatment based on our inspection, testing, and analytical report. Most can also help write a scope of work that will reduce and/or eliminate the pollutant(s). The Indoor Air Quality Association and the American Indoor Air Quality Council have a list of Council-certified Professionals on their websites for your reference.

For additional resource material on understanding hazards associated with fire and smoke damage we would like to recommend this book, "Fire and Smoke: Understanding the Hazards". There you will find more specific information on some of the pollutants discussed on this page.

The American Red Cross has a good resource as well: "PICKING UP THE PIECES AFTER A FIRE".

The founder of SOLUTIONS Indoor Environmental Consulting, Jason Yost, has been in the cleaning, restoration, remediation, and indoor air quality industries for over sixteen years, doing everything from carpet cleaning, installation and repairs; water and fire damage inspection, consultation, and restoration; microbial inspection, consultation, and remediation; crime scene remediation and restoration; as well as been an educator to private and public groups through various business network groups, classrooms, seminars, and news programs.

Jason currently holds four of the most prestigious board-awards in the industry, awarded by the American Indoor Air Quality Council:

Council-certified Indoor Environmental Consultant

Council-certified Indoor Environmentalist

Council-certified Microbial Remediation Supervisor

Council-certified Microbial Remediator

Additionally, Jason holds a certification as a Water-damage Restoration Technician from the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC).

Jason volunteers his time as a member of the American Indoor Air Quality Council's certification board, and is an Individual Member of the Indoor Air Quality Association. For more information you can review Jason's IAQA PRO.FILE at http://www.iaqa.org/profile.asp?id=223 or visit his website at http://www.SolutionsIEC.com

Prefabricated Shower Stalls

Installing a prefabricated shower stall often turns out to be a tricky and time-consuming job that takes great practical skill, yet with sensible pre-planning and the right tools for the job, a professional result can be obtained by the average home-handyman. Allow 3-4 days to complete the work and brush up on your carpentry, plumbing, wall-preparation and finishing skills because you're going to need them all!

To begin with, make sure you have the right equipment and tools before you begin the job. Importantly, purchase the shower stall before building the frame it will fit in in order to get accurate dimensions.

You will need: a prefabricated shower, electric drill, plumb level, tape measure, caulk, screws, hole saw, shower/tub adhesive, tape, pencil, leather work gloves, hammer, work boots and an adjustable wrench. Protective eye-wear is also highly advisable (wear when using power tools.)

Getting the prefab shower into position can be the tricky part. You will need to fit it through an existing doorway or an outside window. In some instances, part of an exterior wall may have to be removed in order to get the unit inside; seek professional advice first if required.

Because prefabricated shower stalls have watertight walls, cement-based backer boards are not needed.

It is advisable to install insulation between the studs in order to reduce plumbing noise.

When drilling holes in the unit's walls to fit the faucet and shower arm, measure carefully in advance and always wear protective eye-wear when drilling.

Position parts carefully and attach the unit to the framing. The drain piece, shower handle, escutcheon, and shower-head all need to be fitted correctly to prevent leakages and future problems. All seams need to be caulked efficiently and a thorough checking of any leaks needs careful attention; later corrections to any plumbing faults can be difficult to carry out.

Finally, finish the walls and fit a shower door or curtain bar. It is vital that you seal the joints between the bathroom walls and floor and shower enclosure with a good quality silicone! Installing water-resistant drywall around the top edge of the shower stall can be a wise, long-term investment; tiling the top edge is also a great idea as it will likely last a lot longer than wallpaper or paintwork.

If you aren't adept in skills like demolition, plumbing and drywalling, you may be best served by employing a qualified professional to carry out these tasks.

As a final reminder, installing prefabricated shower stalls can be quite fiddly and time-consuming. The plumbing especially has to be completed with some expertise in order to have a sound unit. Yet having said all this, a successful shower installation is achievable if you take your time, check well for any leaks and consult an expert for advice if the need arises.

Good luck!

For articles by the same author, on a variety of subjects, please visit: http://fatherspirit-mydailybread.blogspot.com [~ MY DAILY BREAD ~ ; Telling, not selling!]