10 Things a Homeowner Won't Tell a Contractor - Common Courtesy

I've been a contractor in the state of California for over 20 years and there are some things that a homeowner won't tell a contractor. These are a few things that a contractor might want to hear, but a reluctant homeowner, might have second thoughts telling their contractors how they really feel.

1. We are happy with all of the work that you did in a timely manner and we appreciate your services.

2. We are happy with the way you performed your construction tasks, efficiently and we appreciate your services.

3. The work was done by a true professional and we would recommend you to any one of our friends.

4. The payment plan that you created in the contract worked out perfectly and never made us feel uncomfortable. It never seemed like you had too much of our money or we were putting you in a bad spot financially.

5. Thanks for keeping the job clean, it meant a lot to us, because we have seen other construction jobs that look like a tornado ran through them.

6. Thanks for helping us with our design. Working with your contractor on a daily, weekly or monthly basis can be frustrating or joyful. Let the contractor know either way how you are really feeling.

7. You and your crew are extremely hard-working and we appreciate the simple fact that you didn't come to work late or leave early.

8. Thanks for the reasonable priced estimate on our project. You helped us say a lot of money and we appreciate that sincerely.

9. Thanks for doing the extra work at a reasonable price. You could have gouged us at certain times, but you chose to be fair and work things out, in a way that would benefit both of us.

10. This one is the most important and often overlooked by homeowners and it's simple and easy to do. Thanks for doing what you said you were going to do and actually doing it.

Just a simple thank you and paying them on time, for a service well done is enough for most contractors. However, a little common courtesy can go a long way, even in the construction industry.

If You Live in Northern San Diego County or South Orange County, and You're Looking for a Great Contractor, Click on This Link Home Remodeling Contractor

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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Make Your House Seem Bigger With Great Basement Finishing Ideas

Aside from adding a new floor or wing to your house, great basement finishing ideas can make your house feel bigger. It is more practical to utilize space that you already have than having to build the extra space.

If you are like most people, you have a basement that you do not use at all. It's just there rotting away, probably with the washing machine and dryer. Or if you are like other people, the only use you have for your basement is to store all your junk. You should know that your basement could be more than that.

Make sure you acquire the proper permits when you are about to start remodeling your basement. Call your local government center for your city or state requirements or you could always check online, most have their building requirements posted on their websites.

Here are a couple of basement finishing ideas that could help you out if you want to make the most of your basement:

1. Make your basement ceiling appear taller

Basement ceiling usually have pipes and ductwork hanging from them. This can become very unsightly especially if you transform your basement into a place where you would like to entertain friends and families.

There are three solutions to this problem:

- Working around the ductwork by boxing in the pipes
- Re-ducting your ceiling to accommodate the basement design
- Use a vaulted ceiling to give off the illusion of taller space

2. Use light colors

When you are finishing up your basement, you should avoid dark colors. Heavy and dark-hued colors will make the space seem smaller. Choosing light colors for the walls and ceiling will really brighten up the room, making it seem bigger and more cheerful.

3. Use functional items in the basement

As much as possible, everything in the room must serve a function. Space is precious in the basement and you don't want non-functional items taking up space.

4. Use proper lighting

The right kind of lighting will do wonders for your basement. When done properly, it can highlight the best past parts of the basement finishing ideas that you used.

Looking for ideas on how to remodel your basement? Find more tips and advice on basement finishing ideas.

Searching For Your Dream Home - Buying Property

First things first when looking for your dream home. Make a list of all the things you're looking for. With today's computers and search engines on the Internet it makes home shopping by keywords very simple.

Most real estate websites have boxes you can check off, if you're looking for a three-bedroom house with two bathrooms and a swimming pool. You simply check these items off, select the area you would like to search for homes and and you now have a list of homes to look at.

Some of these homes have virtual tours on the Internet, which allows you to go through most of the home before you actually visit the house. Modern technology has made searching for your dream home a virtual reality.

You can now look through the list and select the most appealing homes before you start driving around. Don't let the pictures of these homes deceive you on the Internet or MLS. Some of the descriptions of these homes can also be very deceptive.

When looking for your dream home, used every possible means available to you. This would include your real estate professionals, newspapers, magazines, search engines, internet websites, and don't forget about driving around your favorite neighborhoods. This is actually how we found one of the homes we bought.

Our real estate salesman gave us a list of homes to look at, while we were driving around, we spotted a home that caught our attention and we pulled in the driveway. To our amazement, the real estate saleswoman who listed the home lived a couple of houses down the street and was right there asking if we wanted to see the inside of the house.

Your family, friends, neighbors and people you work with, can also help you with your homebuying quest. You would be surprised at how helpful some of these people can be. I knew someone who found a home they really liked, knocked on the door and told the homeowners, they would be very interested if their home was ever put on the market. Within a few weeks, he was buying the home.

I'm not telling you to knock on everyone's door whose not selling their house, but you never know how or when you're going to run into the house of your dreams.

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 buying checklist to take some of the frustration out of home shopping.

Don't buy a house without visiting, one of the best websites for home inspections. This website has thousands of pictures that deal with home inspection problems. If you're buying a house, check out this section on home inspection cover ups.

Brilliant Bathroom Upgrade Ideas

For some people DIY is just an experiment, it's not guaranteed to work. Some DIY projects may be successful, but others may be a complete failure. DIY is scary for a number of people however it's still a good idea to do these fairly simple projects by yourself as the professionals earn a lot of money in this country.

If the job is more difficult than simply hammering a nail in then it can be very scary for a great number of people. However as with everything else practice makes perfect, an ideal place to practice is in your bathroom, there's nothing that you can really do wrong. With good planning you should be able to accomplish any bathroom upgrade.

If you are at all worried about your bathroom upgrade then you can ask in your local hardware store for some recommendations. They may also be able to offer you a fantastic deal for the parts that you need. A number of bathroom upgrades simply involve changing tiles and taps. However it is possible to do more complicated tasks by yourself, and they don't really require that much more work. Improving the storage space in your bathroom can make huge improvements.

You've got to be brave it's bound to all come together!

You should create a thorough plan to help you with your bathroom renovation ideas. Include every task that you think you may need to do, including stripping out the old bathroom units and installing new ones. Make sure you know the exact dimensions of the room so that you can efficiently lay out your new bathroom.

Renovating your bathroom isn't as difficult as most people assume, it's mostly a lot of manual labor. This general muscle work can be carried out by a local builder, if possible try to find a tame builder that won't charge you an arm and a leg for such simple tasks. Alternatively you could try and get one of your relatives to help you do this. However you should always try to get stuck in, as you're never going to learn unless you actually do something. Treat your bathroom upgrade tasks as an educational experience, learn from it!

If you do get someone else in to help you then make sure you ask lots of questions, ideally next time you want to be doing it yourself. After this you can start to make sure you know where everything is going in your bathroom.

Anyone can have a dream about how they want their bathroom to look, however you have to bear in mind your budget. You could virtually spend any amount of money upgrading your bathroom, but everyone has limits somewhere. You should be sure to work out the exact costs that you will be spending, remember to include the prices of all the fixtures. Then you can start to look at which toilet, sink and bath you want to purchase.

Bathroom renovations can take quite a long time to complete you should make sure that you have enough time to complete the task before you start. If you are working full time then you will probably be working on it after work and at weekends, in which case it could take quite a while to complete.

Ray Walberg's online reports are published on different online sites associated with circular swing saws. Through his reports, the writer demonstrated his skill on information dealing with best table saw

I Can't Wash the Mold Off the Walls - Mold Repair

If you have mold growing on your bathroom walls, ceilings or any other walls in your home and can't seem to remove it, that's probably because it's underneath the paint. This might not make any sense, but if the mold continues to grow back, it's probably growing between the paint and the drywall or plaster.

This is real common around moist areas like your bathroom or even behind your stove if you do a lot of cooking with pots that are releasing steam, you could have a moisture problem and moisture attracts mold and mildew. If the steam is condensing on the back wall, behind the kitchen stove, you could find yourself stripping the paint or even removing the drywall to fix the problem, correctly.

If the mold is growing behind the paint, the only way you will be able to fix this, right, is to remove the paint and treat the drywall for mold. This might sound like a lot of work, but there is a simpler way, but not a more effective way.

You can simply clean the wall with chlorine or bleach, leave the area that you treated alone for a few days for until its dried out thoroughly. Then you can simply paint over the area with a semi gloss or high gloss paint. Flat or satin paints could actually absorb enough moisture to start growing the mold again. A semi gloss or high gloss paint will act like a water resistant barrier and help to prevent moisture from soaking into the wall.

Now here's the bad news, the mold hasn't gone away, you're just sealing it in the wall or ceiling. Eventually you could start to see a dark spot under your newly painted wall repair. This will tell you, that the mold is growing underneath the paint, that you just applied and probably even underneath the layer of paint, you painted over.

If you're having problems keeping the mold away, there's a good chance that it's growing underneath the paint. Clean it the best you can with bleach or chlorine, read the directions thoroughly before using these products and if the mold keeps coming back, you can paint over the mold or remove the drywall, re-plaster it and then paint over it. You have a couple of choices.

Always try cleaning the mold with bleach first and if the problem is in the bathroom, you could always leave the door open while you're showering to prevent moisture buildup in the bathroom. Open a window or turn a fan on, keep the moisture out until you know for sure mold is gone.

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Greg Vandenberge is a General Contractor, published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing and personal development.

What You Might Not Know About Your Bathroom Needs

If you are thinking about tackling a contemporary bathroom remodeling project, there are a lot of things that you need to consider. While you might already have ideas in your head as to the style and colors that you want, there are plenty of other options to consider along the way. For example, choosing the right modern bathroom vanities will allow you to maximize your storage capacity as well as your style. But it is the little details that you might not recognize that will really pull the bathroom look together.

Vanity cabinet ideas you can use for space concerns

Traditionally there are two different kinds of modern bathroom vanities: European style and face-frame. With the European style, you will be able to construct a more contemporary look with the frameless design. These kinds of vanities will also give your contemporary bathroom remodeling project hidden hinges and extra storage for your various bathroom needs. Or you can choose the face-frame style that is more traditional, but still immensely popular. These are the box-type styles of cabinets that have panel doors that can either have visible or hidden hinges. These cabinets can also provide you with ample storage, though they tend to look more bulky in size.

When you are trying to create an antique vanity look

If you cannot find what you are looking for at contemporary bathroom remodeling stores or in catalogs, you might want to go to an estate sale or antique shop to find bathroom sink cabinets from the time period that you want to capture. These cabinets may need some additional work to look modern and polished, but this is easy to do. At your local hardware store, you should be able to find knobs and pulls for the piece of furniture that match or can replace the existing pulls. If you are looking to really match the antique look, you may end up spending a lot of money for these small modern bathroom vanities accessories. However, when you have saved money by buying a used vanity, this might not be a problem for you.

A counter offer for your vanity

Modern bathroom vanities now come in a variety of materials for their countertops, each with its own advantages and disadvantages:

• Laminates: easy to clean, budget friendly, needs to be replaced when worn
• Ceramic tile: difficult to install, long lasting, easy to clean, grout can get stained
• Stone: heavy and hard to install, long lasting, can become stained
• Engineered stone: heavy and hard to install, long lasting, solid surface, not porous
• Solid Surface: engineered. Clean look, can sustain cuts and stains, not porous
• Stainless steel: easy to maintain, can be expensive
• Wood: beautiful finish, but need to be maintained to prevent mildew and warping
• Concrete: very durable but can become stained and crack

While installing most of these surfaces is simple for the homeowner, it can be a problem when it comes to maintaining the surface, as you can see. What you might want to realize is that you do not want to spend more time maintaining your contemporary bathroom remodeling project than actually completing it.

There are plenty of things that you need to do when it comes to your contemporary bathroom remodeling project. From choosing the right modern bathroom vanities to the material of your countertop, no detail is too small in this important remodeling project.

Dave Robert is a VP at Discount Bathroom Vanities Publishing, and an avid fixer-upper who's been restoring old houses for more than twenty years. Readers can tap into Dave's knowledge about home remodeling, and kitchen and bathroom design, at: http://www.DiscountBathroomVanities.com

Tile Grouting Tips For Your Bathrooms, Kitchens and Floors

Isn't tile grouting supposed to be simple, if you read the directions and watch a couple of videos? What could make tile grouting so difficult? Grouting your tile isn't that difficult, by the time you're done reading this article, you should have a pretty good idea how to grout your floors, bathrooms, kitchens and anything else that requires tile.

I used to have problems grouting tile, but after I read the directions, I became a grouting wizard. This sounds hard to believe, but after reading the directions on the tile grout bag, I became a grout master. I know, you the type of person who never read the directions, you simply add water, mix and start grouting.

It's time to change your thinking about, whether or not the directions will be helpful. Whether it's about grouting your bathroom floor or putting together your home barbecued. I read one thing on the grout bag and it changed my entire grouting career.

The grout should slake. After you're done mixing the grout, you should wait between five and 10 minutes to let the moisture soak into the grout mix. Do this once, and you will never go back to mixing your grout and applying it, as quickly as possible after it has been mixed.

For more information on grouting, remodeling or home repairs, I would recommend reading books on home improvement and home repairs. Some of these books can make a big difference in your home improvement abilities as a handyman. I would also recommend reading more articles, there's plenty of information about tile and grouting, all over the Internet.

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

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

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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23 Days in the Shower

Anyone who has a family member that suffers from a physical disability knows that showering is one of the major tasks of the day. It takes me about 1.5 hours each day to get my partner ready in the mornings. The majority of this time is spent in the shower.

I sat down and calculated this time out last week and to my amazement I will spend 23 full days in the shower in the next 12 months.

Well that really motivated me to carefully consider the design of the showers in our new house. The house is being renovated using the principals of Universal Design so that it is suitable for both able bodied and disabled people. The principals of Universal Design are:

• Principle 1: Equitable Use - The design is useful and marketable to people with diverse abilities.
• Principle 2: Flexibility in Use - The design accommodates a wide range of individual preferences and abilities.
• Principle 3: Simple and Intuitive Use.Use of the design is easy to understand, regardless of the user's experience, knowledge, language skills, or current concentration level.
• Principle 4: Perceptible Information - The design communicates necessary information effectively to the user, regardless of ambient conditions of the user's sensory abilities.
• Principle 5: Tolerance for Error - The design minimizes hazards and the adverse consequences of accidental or unintended actions.
• Principle 6: Low Physical Effort - The design can be used efficiently and comfortably, and with a minimum of fatigue.
• Principle 7: Size and Space for Approach and Use - Appropriate size and space is provided for approach, reach, manipulation, and use, regardless of the user's body size, posture, or mobility.

So using these principals we put some thought into designing the ideal shower that is going to save time and reduce effort. Here is the checklist that we developed:

Size - The shower needs to be larger than normal. It needs to accommodate a shower chair with plenty of room so an aid can circulate without having to be a contortionist. A double shower is ideal.

Floor - The floor needs to be non slip when dry and wet.

Drainage - Gutter drains are better than central drains. A gutter drain allows you to have the fall on the shower floor to fall only one way rather than two. The advantage of this is that a shower chair will sit on a floor with a one way fall without wobbling.

Approach - The approach to the shower should have no sill and there should be clear delineation between what is shower and what is bathroom.

Shower head - The shower should have both a fixed head and a hand held components.

Shelves - You can never have enough shelves for towels. Make sure they are within easy reach of the shower. Heated towel rails can save days of washing in the average year.

Doors - None is best. You can design a shower that does not need doors or curtains.

Faucet - A single mixing faucet is best. This can be operated with one hand.

Thermostat - Make sure your hot water system has a safety thermostat installed to avoid any nasty accidents.

Easy clean - Talc's , creams and lotions can make areal mess. Being able to wash or hose down the entire bathroom floor is a real time saver.

Designing our new shower to incorporate these features will not only save me days a year but make the task of showering more pleasant for all concerned.

Alex Cochran

Making life more accessible through Universal Design.

For more practical ideas on renovating using universal design principals visit:

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A hands on account of the trials & tribulations we encounter renovating a house for disability access.

Plywood Roof Sheeting - Roof Framing Trade Secrets

Most framing contractor's look at the building plans and order all of the material, according to those that are specified on the plans. This works out fine, and can often save you money, but rarely produces the best home that you could possibly frame.

As a professional framing contractor, I would like to share one of my house framing tips with you. Most plans require half-inch plywood or oriented strand board as their roof sheeting. This product is fine and if you're building a lot of homes, you're not going to have the choice. Ordering larger sized plywood could cost you thousands of dollars, especially if you're building a lot of homes.

However, if your framing or building a home for someone or even yourself, you might want to take my advice and think twice about it, before ordering the roof sheeting. Half-inch plywood, works okay for 16 inch on center roof rafters or engineered truss roofing systems. It doesn't work well on 24 inch on center roof rafters spacing.

It is usually flimsy and weak at the center point, directly in between the 24 inch roof rafter bays. If you're going to use the half-inch plywood, I would recommend using plywood clips that are relatively inexpensive and can be placed in the direct center of each roof rafter bay on each sheet of plywood. These can be purchased at most home improvement centers or lumber yards.

The other alternative, and this is what I recommend, would be to use 5/8 inch plywood. This plywood works great for 24 inch on center roof rafters and you will have a nice sturdy roof to walk on, while roofing your home.

I have actually seen people step through the flimsy plywood, while lifting heavy roof tiles and bundles of composition roof shingles. Experienced roofers try to walk directly on top of the roof rafters, when loading their roof shingles or even carrying them on the roof.

If you're a home builder and your concern is about making a profit, you will need to use the half-inch plywood. If you want to build a superior roof, use the 5/8 of an inch plywood.

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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 excellent home inspection checklist to take some of the frustration out of home shopping.

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Replacing Shower Faucets - Avoid the Traps - Get Expert Advice

It's the same old story all over again. The drip-drip saga of your shower faucet threatens to rock the boat. Tired of those countless fitful bouts of sleep, you have pulled out all stops in repairing that wretched fixture. But, to no avail. The constant, and now extremely grating leak, has wrecked havoc in your life.

Now before you begin to sound like the protagonist of a Shakespearean tragedy, you better put an end to this Himalayan battle. And how does one achieve that? Does replacing shower faucet sound like a plausible solution? It may be music to the ears of faucet manufacturers and suppliers, but it's the only way you can enjoy the soul-stirring silence of solitudes all over again.

Eight Tips That Attenuate Concerns

But replacing an old shower faucet is not something that one greets exultantly. And the grounds for this kind of trepidation are not that risible too. The possibility of replacement of the valve from behind the wall or through the closet or even a change in the surround is enough to deflate the optimism of a seasoned veteran.

But things are not as complicated as they seem. Here are a few tips that ease your concerns quite a bit:

• Don't select the new faucet in haste. Remember the saying, size does matter?
• Be very clear about the measurement of the holes for the fixture. Take the old faucet along when you venture out to purchase the new one.
• Style is not something you can be utterly cavalier about either. Make sure the new fixture manages to get you out of your blue funk.
• The instruction manual must be treated like the Holy Grail. Follow it religiously.
• While dealing with that recalcitrant old faucet, make sure your efforts are ably buttressed by the right tools. So a pipe wrench is used only on pipes.
• Switching from iron pipes to copper or plastic is a nifty choice since they come without any kind of threading.
• While bathtubs have a two-valve faucet assembly, a two-valve shower assembly is common place among showers. This means the installation of the faucet is detached from the taps that supply water.
• However, the internal mechanism of tub and shower faucet assemblies is strikingly similar to those installed in sinks.
  

With the faucet replaced, you better get used to the silence that resonates from every pore.

Learn exactly how to generate 100's or even 1000's of positively *BRILLIANT* Bathroom Remodeling Ideas ... FAST ! And here are 25 Dirt Cheap Home Improvement Ideas that could increase the value of your home by several $1000's ...

Building Codes - Stairway Construction

The stair building code was created for building safety. Before the building code and local city enforcement (Building Inspectors), anyone could build a house. This meant Uncle Earl who had just watched a couple of his friends build a house down the street construct some sort of a dwelling. The next step for Earl would be to help these guys for a day and now he is a professional home builder. You get the point.

Stair Building Codes create the safety needed for one of the most hazardous areas of your home. You might know someone who has fallen down a stairway?

I lived in a house I built for 15 years and I redesigned the stairs from a winder design to a T shaped set of stairs. Both sets of stairs were built using the local stair building code for my city.

Wow I could not believe how many times my family members fell down the stairs. I even fell down once. I was amazed. When I switched from the winder to the T shaped stairway there were less accidents. My point is that even using the stair building codes this is a dangerous part of your house.

Having a professional stair builder install your stairs is great advice. Take it. For example this happened to me on quite a few jobs. I get a set of plans from a architect who has been designing houses for over 40 years. I looked at the stairway to find out that he has designed a stairway that is too small for the length of this part of the home. If I build the stairs using the plans that by the way were approved from the local building department, I could have a problem.

You are probably asking yourself how does this happen. Aren't these people experienced professionals. Of course they are. They probably have the U.B.C. (Uniform Building Code) in their office somewhere. Everyone makes mistakes here and there but this is one area of the home where safety is a big concern.

Just look at it like this. The stair building code was designed to improve the safety and reduce the number of accidents while using the stairs. Over the years I have seen stairs poorly designed and constructed. These stairs create problems for the owners of the buildings not just the people that use them. Did I mention lawsuits. This is one area where a lawyer will have a field day.

As a building professional I advise you to use the stair building code first for safety and second to avoid lawsuits. Get an idea from some of the pictures I have taken over the years on problems with stair building.

Use common sense while building or remodeling your home. It goes a long way.

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 is currently working on more building stairs books and adding useful content to help solve problems created by the lack of construction knowledge in the building industry. Stair Building Articles

Option of Built in Or Stand-Free

When you have made up your mind to redecorate your bathroom the most important thing you have to consider is what kind of bathroom vanity are you going to use. After considering all the choices available decide on the one that is suited to your style of bathroom and your taste. You will find two types of bathroom vanities and they are either the fixed kind or freestanding.

The built in kind is one that stands against the wall and has a solid counter top and looks a part of the bathroom structure. If you are looking to give your bathroom a modern look then the option of free-standing vanity is ideal. There is a wide variety of contemporary designs available which are unique and suitable for people who want a more sleek look. One advantage is that you get visual space if you go for free standing ones.

The most commonly used bathroom vanity top comes in marble, ceramic, or granite. The sink and the top are combined into one unit which is the most common of all styles.You also find vanity tops that come with a cut-out so that you can fix a sink according to your choice. Some manufacturers offer custom made tops at reasonable prices This gives you the freedom to place the sink where you want besides the shape of the bowl.

If you decide that you want to do it yourself then you would have to consider the hassle of connecting the supply lines and the drain, etc. Although the modern sink and faucet are easy to install oneself but still connecting to the exact supply points could be a difficult part.. In fact you can face a problem while fixing because the base of the vanity cannot be moved in order to reach the water lines and you might find yourself not able to move so easily even for tightening a nut.

Before you go to make purchases for your bathroom vanity it is important that you take the time out to look around all the stores in your area that sell bathroom accessories to know exactly what common options are available. If you are not satisfied by what the stores have then you you can check online to look for more variety of styles. But if you have already purchased then you would be stuck unless you decide to spend some extra for something more. So it is better to be careful how and where you choose from when you want to buy bathroom vanity.

Adam Peters is a syndicated columnist on different resources like http://www.home-decorating-reviews.com Read additional info on bathroom design ideas or discount bathroom vanities

Garage Conversions - Safety and Value Issues for Real Estate

Occasionally a garage conversion will be carefully done so that the exterior of the conversion closely matches and harmonizes with the rest of the home. The only giveaway is the presence of the driveway leading right up to the home. The quality conversion interior will be on par with the rest of the home, be adequately insulated, heated and cooled and will feature adequate windows and an exterior door to allow natural light, access and ventilation. By contrast, the cheap conversion will have few or none of these amenities.

Safety is a prime concern due to the possibility of fire. A garage conversion with no windows or exterior doors is a fire hazard since anyone caught in that area when a fire blocks their way into the rest of the home can be killed. And since garages are very often adjacent to the kitchen where most fires begin, the potential for disaster is very real and every second counts. Each room in a home must have a way to escape a fire. At a minimum, there must be a window that can be easily opened and is large enough for an adult to slip through in a hurry. A door opening to the exterior is a prudent addition.

An additional consideration is the quality of wiring and the type of heating in the garage conversion. Faulty wiring and/or unsafe use of appliances can start a fire. Free-standing unvented "space" heaters pose a threat from carbon monoxide poisoning.

A garage conversion creates a lack of covered parking space and usually results in decreased storage space. Only when the site is large enough, and building setback lines do not interfere, can additional covered parking be physically and legally provided.

Value Considerations Stemming from the Above

It stands to reason that a good quality garage conversion will bring more value to a home than a cheap one will. The very cheap conversion where the overhead doors have been blocked off and some inexpensive floor coverings added is probably best converted back to garage space, since the cost should be minimal to once again offer a garage. This minimal restoration cost can be offered as a price concession if the owner is unwilling to make the restoration prior to closing. But even the good quality conversion poses the problem of a lack of covered parking if a separate garage structure or at least a carport is not present. The owner and agent should anticipate a reduction in value for this factor. How much reduction to expect is a matter of patient research.

A garage conversion should always be inspected carefully by a qualified real estate inspector, and this will normally be included as part of the whole-house inspection process. In Texas, such inspectors are required to be state licensed. Such an inspection should reveal health, safety or structural problems and the cost to do the repairs can also be offered as a price concession unless they become a lender requirement as a condition of making the loan.

Harry E. Davis is a Texas state certified residential real estate appraiser in Texas and is webmaster of the FHA Appraiser Directory Appraiser and appraisals are available at Austin TexasAppraiser