Preparing for Your Roof Replacement

If you own an older home with the original roof, eventually the roof shingles are likely to need replacements. Although some roofs can last as long as 50 years, most roof replacement projects must take place every 20 years or so.

Whether you plan to do the work yourself, or hire a roofing contractor to do the job for you, it is important to plan ahead for this type of home repair. A roof replacement must be done correctly and quickly, as your home is exposed to the elements during the project and vulnerable to damage if it rains before the new roof is complete.

3 Important Things to Do Before a Roof Replacement:

• Have all supplies and materials on site. Don't assume that needed materials like nails, roofing felt, or shingles are just a car ride away at your local hardware store. If you are caught short on materials, the whole roof replacement project can come to a grinding halt, which means your home is exposed to changing weather. If you have special-ordered roof shingles, open the packages upon delivery and confirm that the order is correct.
• Create a safe working environment. Make sure you have properly sized ladders and scaffolding for your project and know how to use these essential tools. Steep-pitched roofs require the use of safety ropes and a harness.
• Make arrangements for project clean up. Save time by having a garbage dumpster in place before you remove the old roof shingles. They can be tossed from the roof right into the garbage.

Most importantly, stay organized and work safely and efficiently. A roof replacement can be challenging, but proper planning helps smooth the way for a successful roofing project.+

Want to save 10% on your next roof project? Check out this source for saving money: Lowes Coupon

Roofing Cost: What Should You Expect?

When roof replacement comes knocking, the prospect of the roofing cost can strike fear in the heart of any homeowner. Depending upon the size and condition of your roof, you might be looking at a job that ranges into the tens of thousands of dollars.

What to Expect from Roofing Cost

Many factors go into the final roofing cost of your home, so only a professional roofing contractor can give you a clear estimate. However, there are ways you can determine whether your roofing cost will fall at the lower or higher end of the cost spectrum:

• Materials. The materials you choose for your roof will be the bulk of your roofing cost. Three-tab asphalt shingles are by far the least expensive choice. Wood shake or slate are both pricier, but look fantastic for years. Metal roofs are gaining in popularity, as are synthetic rubber roofing materials.
• Roof Pitch. The pitch of your roof will determine not only which kind of materials you use, but how much of them. Very steep roofs are more suited to slate or wood shake than flatter roofs.
• Installation. If you are very handy with a hammer and know a great deal about roofing, you can cut your roofing cost by doing the job yourself. However, if you are uncertain of your skills or want to replace your roof quickly, turn to a professional roofing contractor.
• Repairs. Once the original roof has been removed, you might find significant damage underneath. This calls for repairs that can push your roofing cost even higher. Hopefully that won't be the case, but it always helps to put a little extra money into the roofing budget, just in case.

Yes, roofing costs are expensive, but the investment in your home is worth the money!

Six Steps to Fixing Stucco

Stucco siding eventually becomes damaged by weather, age and man-made causes. Here's what to do to fix it.

Six Steps to Stucco Siding Repair

• Remove loose stucco. Use a hammer and chisel to knock off the loose stucco and reach undamaged siding. Remove and replace damaged wire lath base. If there's a masonry base, scrub it with a wire brush to clean it off. You'll need a shop vac or forced air to clean up the area.
• Dampen the masonry base. Not all stucco has a masonry base. If your stucco does, dampen the exposed part of the base.
• Apply the scratch coat. Trowel the scratch coat into place nearly flush with the surface and let it dry for about a half hour. Scratch the application with a rake or a special tool called a scarifier to about 1/8-inch deep. Let it dry for a day or two depending on humidity.
• Add the brown coat. Level it with a board. Keep the area moist while it sets for a couple of days. Protect it from direct sun to prevent premature drying.
• Mix the last coat. Mix 3 ½ parts sand and 2 ½ parts of masonry cement. Add dry pigments to match the original pigment. Mix water into a test batch and let it dry for a day or so to see if it's faded. When your test is successful, mix in enough water to allow spreading the pigmented final coat.
• Apply the last coat. Dampen the surface and then brush on a thin layer of the final coat. Use a long bristled brush to flick on the mixture for texture. Use a trowel to flatten any large splatters to match the original stucco siding.

Stucco siding repair is labor intensive. Contact an expert if you're not comfortable doing it yourself.

Try Fiber Cement Siding for a Low-Maintenance Exterior

A lot of exterior sidings are fairly low maintenance, but fiber cement siding not only talks the talk, it walks the walk. Cement is probably one of the main components of your home's foundation and is trusted to hold your house in place for many years, so it should last a while as your exterior siding, as well. Fiber cement has the key addition of cellulose fibers which improves the tensile strength (reducing brittleness) of the material, making it a suitable siding for home exteriors

If You Want Low Maintenance, It Doesn't Get Much Better than Fiber Cement Siding

Fiber cement siding is available in several styles and looks so much like wood siding that a carpenter might not be able to tell the difference. There are several options available, from a style similar to traditional wood-lap siding to a rustic-looking fiber cement shingle siding. You may even want to combine the two styles, with fiber cement siding on the main part of your home and fiber cement shingles in the gables.

Fiber cement board siding can even be installed with a baked-on color finish so you don't have to paint the siding after it's up, and some manufacturers offer a 15-year labor and material warranty on color fading.

If your home is an elegant colonial, you may want to use smooth-faced fiber cement siding, or you can give your house a casual exterior by using an option with a wood grain.

Fiber cement siding is resistant to:

• Rotting
• Cracking
• Termites and insects
• Fire
• Wind
• Water damage

Fiber cement siding is available from manufacturers like James Hardie, and the Minnesota Green Building Guide lists it as one of the better exterior siding products in terms of life cycle and durability. If you want an exterior siding you can install and forget about maintenance, take a long look at fiber cement siding.

Modern Glass Sliding Doors: Have You Seen Them Lately?

If you were raised in the last quarter century, you've been exposed to glass sliding doors that open on patios. They were a fabulous innovation for their time, opening up your living room or bedroom to easy access to a garden area or pool. They brighten your interiors and lend a spacious feeling, even in a smaller family room or den. But are they still among the better new door options available for your home?

Advantages of New Glass Sliding Doors

The advantages to using sliding glass doors have been known for a while. But in recent years, homeowners have become concerned about the insulating qualities and energy efficiency from the doors that came with their older homes. Today's unbreakable glass sliding doors answer your concerns.

1. First, you can still open the new doors if you have a screen, and allow for ventilation on days when a breeze will suffice instead of powering on the air conditioner.
2. Even better, today's new sliding door options include coatings that block ultraviolet rays that can damage furnishings and flooring.
3. The selection of framing colors is wider than ever before and double-glazed glass sliding doors can really help curb runaway utility bills.

Insulating New Glass Sliding Doors

There is more than one way to insulate a modern sliding glass door. New, innovative track systems glide easily without the need for high maintenance and have a snug fit to keep air from blowing in or out. Many homeowners back exterior glass sliding doors to the patio with shades, curtains, or sliding window treatments that offer privacy as well as additional weather and sound-proofing characteristics. You can even buy pet doors that fit into side panels of the sliding doors.

Insulated glass sliding doors can also serve as solid new door options for the interior of your home, separating a home office from household noise while providing light and a view of the kids' activities. Sets with two or three leaves are available in a concertina mode, folding open and closed. Other models slide conveniently into a pocket, freeing up interior space. Glides, rollers, locking mechanisms, and other hardware on today's glass sliding doors offer greater ease of use and security than those on your parents' old hinged patio doors!

Window Treatment Ideas: Ten Ways Exterior Shutters Add Low-Maintenance Charm

Do you love exterior window shutters but shudder at the maintenance involved? Before you sand, repair, and repaint those old shutters again, look at today's replacement shutters. They replicate those wood shutters of yours in everything except maintenance.

10 Advantages of Today's Shutters

1. Materials: Lightweight vinyl shutters have color throughout the products. Aluminum has strength and rigidity. Premium fiberglass composite shutters are strong and, depending on style, add insulating capabilities. The material alone doesn't determine quality.
2. Styles: Various louvered styles, planks, raised panel, Colonial, board-and-batten, arched, sloped, and many other standard styles can restore a fresh look to old windows or add appeal to new replacement windows presently without shutters. Choices are extensive for color, shape, and finish.
3. Shutters as a custom window treatment: Many manufacturers can make custom sizes and shapes to your specifications.
4. Strength: For simply decorative shutters, light weight vinyl or aluminum work just fine. Choose premium aluminum or fiberglass for operable, hinged, wind-resistant shutters.
5. Durability: Warranties range from 3 years to lifetime, depending on the grade and material with which the shutter is made. In high wind areas, look for hurricane-rated shutters.
6. Privacy: If the lower part of a window invites prying eyes or has an unattractive view, install louvered shutters just tall enough to create privacy. Let in light above them.
7. Light control: Louvered shutters let you control light and glare from sunlight, street lights, or headlights.
8. Heat control: Unless you have tinted or double pane windows, solid operable shutters help prevent excess heat buildup from east and west-facing windows. Fiberglass composite shutters do this without the damage to paint and fibers that occurs on wood shutters. In very cold climates fiberglass provides one more layer to hold heat in your home.
9. Installation: Ground-level shutters are easily installed by homeowners. Call a contractor for higher windows.
10. Prices: From inexpensive, easy-care vinyl to the finest fiberglass composite shutters, you can find shutters for every budget. A pair of 14" x 48" panels range from under $35 for vinyl to over $500 for a premium fiberglass composite set. There are lesser and more expensive choices in all materials, depending on design, style, wind resistance, and other factors.

Historic districts accept today's easy-care, low maintenance shutters for their excellent replication of wood. And you can choose from endless standard styles or have fun designing a custom window treatment. Sure, you can still get wood and composite wood shutters, but take a break from the upkeep. You've got better ways to spend your time!

Washing Machine Mold Smell

Ever wonder why your new front-loading washing machine smells like mold and mildew? One of the biggest complaints today against these new energy saving washers is a battle between fresh smelling clothes and moldy mildew smelling ones.

If you're interested in learning more about washing machine mold smell then head on over to HCI for more information. They have advice on how to prevent mold and mildew smell from getting into your washer and advice on how to remove mold and mildew smell from washers.

Motorola Droid Smart Phone

I recently started using the Motorola Droid phone for work and it's quite impressive! Being in the construction and engineering business it's not hard to see how powerful a phone like this can be with respect to business. I'm able to check email, use the GPS system, read documents including Word and Excel files and even PDF's. The phone includes a great voice recognition system and a super 5 megapixel camera.

If you're trying to decide which phone is best for you in the Android arena then I recommend you read: Android vs Incredible. It has a great simple comparison of the two phones and some links to other resources. You can read a detailed review of the Phone Droid and learn all about it's features.

If you end up going with the Android phone system I'm sure you'll be glad you did!

Home Improvement Coupons

Are you looking for ways to save money this summer on your home improvement projects? Like most people the economy has put a serious damper on our projects so finding ways to save money is key. Below are some links to sites with home improvement coupons and deals.

• Lowes Coupon
• Home Depot Savings Center
• Sears Outlet

If you know of other coupon or savings links please let us know.

Driveways

As spring approaches it's time to start thinking about paving your driveway. Paved driveways benefit home owners in a number of ways including aesthetic value, maintenance and property value. Homes with paved driveways tend to sell faster and for more money than homes without paved driveways.

Today driveways can be paved with several different materials and applications. Asphalt and concrete driveways are by far the most popular option available today. However, you can also have asphalt and concrete driveways with designs such as stamped designs and even painted or stained designs.

If you're going to pave your driveway this summer consider reading more about it at Driveway Cost. Also check out information about sealing a driveway.