About Home Repair
Home Repair
28 Aug 2010 at 4:46am
Enjoying your deck in summer is part of our American suburban culture. But if If you're building or replacing a deck board this summer, then you'll be faced with one of the oldest questions in deck construction.
Should the boards be placed bark side up or bark side down? This is important because wood deck boards will cup and then you wind up with tripping or splintering problems.
Understanding why wood warps and cups and how grain of the wood affects this behavior is helpful. There are lots of opinions are out there about which way to orient wood decking but I'll try and shed some light on how to place your deck boards so you end up with a great looking deck!
And don't forget that refinishing a wood deck is a great summer project that will improve your outdoor living space and extend the life of your deck. And your deck is a significant investment in your home.
Deck refinishing includes several steps such as:
inspection,
basic deck board repair and replacement (if needed),
initial deck board cleaning / brightening,
deep cleaning with a power washer,
sanding,
staining / sealing and
and of course, the celebration Labor Day BBQ!
There are several tricks and tips I outline for you in How to Refinish a Wood Deck to make short work of this project and get you professional looking results. I'll give you specific product recommendations and lead you through a very detailed and photo packed tutorial of each step in the refinishing process.
So this Labor Day, fix those warped or splintered deck boards and celebrate the holiday on your new refinished wood deck and enjoy the rest of the summer! Replacing Deck Boards to Minimize Warping Problems and Refinishing Your Wood Deck originally appeared on About.com Home Repair on Saturday, August 28th, 2010 at 09:46:03. Permalink | Comment | Email this
About Gardening
Gardening
2 Sep 2010 at 8:01pm
One of the great pleasures of summer is the abundance of fresh herbs and their fragrance as you pick them. For many of us, summer is just about over. But there is one herb that truly loves the chill of fall, rosemary.
Rosemary isn't hardy outdoors in cold climates. It can take a slight frost, but not a chilly, snowy winter. You'll need to move it indoors at some point, unless you live in Zones 8 or higher. But for now, let your rosemary luxuriate in the fall air.
If you don't have a rosemary plant, why not? It's such a luxurious indulgence for so little money or effort. You really should try growing rosemary.
Photo: fantax / stock.xchng Featured Plant of the Week: Rosemary originally appeared on About.com Gardening on Friday, September 3rd, 2010 at 01:01:12. Permalink | Comment | Email this
About Landscaping
Landscaping
3 Sep 2010 at 2:29am
When it comes to hydrangea flower heads, there are basically two things people look for:
Color
Size
'Incrediball' hydrangeas live up to their name, producing incredibly big, rounded flower heads. They can reach a size even larger than those on 'Annabelle.' The branches supporting those large flower heads are supposed to be stronger on 'Incrediball' hydrangeas, but I, personally didn't find them strong enough: Branch snapping occurred on mine during a heavy rain this summer.
That's the problem with focusing on the size of the flower head with hydrangeas: It's a double-edged sword. Sure, large flower heads look wonderful when the sun is shining. But they trap rain; and if enough water builds up in them, they flop over. 'Incrediball' hydrangeas were designed with an eye to fixing this problem. But as far as I can tell, the issue remains unresolved.
Read article: Incrediball Hydrangeas
'Incrediball' Hydrangeas Live up to Their Name originally appeared on About.com Landscaping on Friday, September 3rd, 2010 at 07:29:27. Permalink | Comment | Email this
About Home Renovations
Home Renovations
3 Sep 2010 at 6:38am
Does a green, eco-friendly home have an inherently higher resale value?
It's easy to trumpet the wonders of the eco-friendly home under the same owner. But what happens when you decide to sell? There are no easy answers.
Murrye Bernard tells us that while green remodeling is trendy, and trendy often equals marketable, you also need to factor in geographical location and the "comps" (comparable values of neighboring houses).
Helping Your Green Remodels Retain Value
Expensive green remodeling may have practically zero value in a location where such remodels are non-existent.
It helps to have your home LEED-certified. Then, you have "tangible evidence to buyers that they'll get what they pay for in terms of 'green.'"
Engaging a green remodeling-savvy Realtor helps push the sale forward.
What's the Short Answer?
Unless you live in an area where green issues are sacrosanct and green remodeling is expected, you'll need to take steps to ensure that your green remodels increase your home's resale value.
Yet I'm not sure where green remodeling is really expected. I live in one of the crunchiest-granola places of all, Seattle, WA, and even here green remodels are not expected--yet.
Seattle, Portland (OR), San Francisco, San Luis Obispo (CA), Santa Cruz (CA), Boulder (CO), some Washington DC suburbs, and probably another 8-10 other U.S. metro areas are places where green remodeling is making huge advances, and where it will first become expected.
Svilen Milev
Does It Pay to Be Green? Green Remodeling Resale Value Examined. originally appeared on About.com Home Renovations on Friday, September 3rd, 2010 at 11:38:10. Permalink | Comment | Email this
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