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Anyone who has ever hung traditional shower curtains will agree on one thing: hooks are a pain to use. You get one side hung and the other side comes unhooked. While you’re reattaching that side, three hooks fall off. You fumble, you drop things. Before you get the whole thing hung, you are quite tempted to throw the curtain — and the hooks — out of the nearest window. There is an easier way.

Several different varieties of hookless shower curtains are now available. Though they all attach by different methods, each works with your existing standard shower curtain rods and they all eliminate the hooks.

One such hookless shower curtain is available for $19.99 from AmeriMark. Equipped with a built-in flexible split-ring system, it simply fits over your curtain rod.

Another type of hookless shower curtain is one that utilizes ties. While each tie does have to be individually tied, you do not have to fumble with hard-to-use rings. One example is the Watershed Shower Curtain from Plow & Hearth. In addition to being hookless, this shower curtain also repels water, eliminating the threat of mold and mildew.

Some other hookless shower curtains use buttons, snaps, or Velcro to attach to the rod. While all of these methods have their own drawbacks, they do away with a lot of the hassle of dealing with hooks.

Hookless shower curtains are available at a variety of outlets. Try your local department stores, such as Target and WalMart. Many home improvement stores, like Lowe’s and Home Depot, also sell shower curtains. In addition, they are available at bedding and home d

There are many ways to use your garden shed other than for gardening. You could use it as a workshop for building small pieces of furniture. Or, you could use it as a craft room for creating all of those wonderful things that are fun to make, but make too big a mess in the house.

Some of the garden sheds are come very simple and basic. They have a door a few windows for light and little else. You get to fill up the walls and floor however you like. Some come in fancier designs with tables, shelves and cabinets, so there is plenty of workspace and storage space.

The key to getting the right garden shed is to figure out what you will be using it for. Are you an artist who needs a place to draw, paint or sculpt? Are you a woodworker making small furniture and birdhouses? Are you a craftsperson who makes jewelry or small knickknacks? The answers to these questions will help you figure just what you want and need as far as size and design of your garden shed.

Do you already have a garden shed that you want to convert into a small workshop or craft room? With a little bit of creativity and hard work you can do that. Just clean it out and scrub it down. Put in any tables or shelves might you want and maybe a few chairs and you are ready to start using your new room.

You want the appearance your shed to reflect something of your personality and what you are all about but, you should always check with your local government offices to make sure your garden shed will be in compliance with the building and zoning laws of your community.

Martin Smith is a successful freelance writer providing advice for consumers on purchasing a variety of Buying Garden Sheds Online His numerous articles provide a wonderfully researched resource of interesting and relevant information.

[tags]Garden Shed, buying Garden Sheds[/tags]

Will it really be legal?

It can’t be done legally! I’ve heard it literally hundreds of times, yet in my concrete cutting business, one that is crucial in the conversion process, I have seen it done hundreds of times. How you may ask? It’s actually not any more difficult than most major home renovations. And if you ask what are the benefits? That is a simple one: it can increase the value of your home by 50% and sometimes double. It also allows you to legally rent your new apartment(s) out to cut your personal living expenses.

Still sound impossible? Well, if you call your local building department and ask if it can be done, you may get laughed at but depending on your city or town’s local by-laws you may be surprised to find out that it isn’t at all uncommon. However, there are several conditions that must be in place before a building inspector would even consider handing you an application for a building permit. You may or may not already meet the criteria for this undertaking, but if you don’t, you may be able to easily make the necessary changes.

These conditions in most cases are/but not limited to:

* Ample parking for each unit - usually two parking spaces for each unit are necessary depending on the amount of bedrooms. If space permits, parking can easily be increased on your property with some excavating and/or by adding concrete retaining walls.

* Ceiling height - If the basement or attic is to be converted to an apartment there are limits to how low the ceiling can be. Lowering a concrete basement floor can be accomplished, in most cases, by cutting and removing the existing concrete, digging the dirt out and pouring a new concrete slab.

* Egress - This is the ability to enter and exit the new unit. There must be a set amount of windows and doors of certain widths and lengths. This is where our expertise comes in to play. We are a professional concrete cutting service. We cut egress windows and doors into concrete foundations and openings for the installation of basement stairs and bulkheads.

* Each unit must have a bathroom and kitchen in order to be considered legal.

We once cut in some egress windows for a woman in Revere, MA who already had an “illegal” in-law apartment that she easily converted it to a “legal” apartment. She had been asking $259,000 for her single family home but couldn’t sell it. After seeing her neighbor convert her home into a two family she did the same. She completed the conversion and ended up selling her property for $379,000.

I remember doing a job for a man in the prestigious community of Brookline, MA in Boston. He owned a condominium in a six unit building which each came with a storage unit that was one sixth of the basement of the building. He told the other five-condo owners that he needed additional storage and that he was willing to pay them to purchase their storage units. He ended up buying the other five storage areas for $15,000 each, 1,200 sq feet of prime real estate for a total of $75,000. We ended up cutting and removing the concrete slab and cutting in a doorway in the foundation for him. He lowered the basement floor and converted it into a beautiful condo and sold it for over $1,000,000.

These examples are evidence that anything is possible. By checking with your local building department and doing your homework, you too may be able to convert your single family into a multi-unit property.

(c) 2006 New Hampshire Concrete Cutting and Core Drilling, All Rights Reserved

New Hampshire Concrete Cutting and Core Drilling provides concrete cutting and core
drilling services to the contractor and homeowner in New Hampshire or NH. Visit our
website at http://www.affordableconcretecutting.net for more information on concrete
cutting and core drilling.

[tags]concrete,basement,home improvement,remodeling,homeowner,real estate[/tags]

Nowadays, there are plenty of shower screens out there to be had for pocket change. At the same time, at the top end of the market, you can pay hundreds for something truly luxurious. So what, exactly, is the difference?

Let’s look first at the very cheapest shower screens available. They are nearly all made in China with low-quality parts, and they can have all sorts of problems. The glass will often be flimsy and easy to break, and the frame may quickly start to have trouble sliding. You might even find that it moves on its own!

At the higher end of the market, you will see ingenious solutions to every problem a shower screen could have. The glass will be toughened and could be as thick as half a centimetre. The guides for the Shower screen will be silent and easy to move.

As well as these technical features, pricier shower screens will also be much better looking than their cheaper counterparts: the manufacturers will have put some time into coming up with designs that are pleasing to the eye. After all, you have to see the shower screen in your bathroom every day, even if you’re not using it.

However, expensive shower screens can also come with features you don’t need. They are often more adaptable to different styles of shower, which saves you finding out which one you need, but also means that you’re paying for adaptability that you might never use. Also, in practice, there is little difference between 5mm toughened glass, for example, and 2mm toughened glass, apart from a huge increase in cost.

So what should you do? Overall, it is worthwhile spending a little extra to get away from the cheapest end of the market, unless you want to replace your shower screen once a year or even more - you’ll save more than what you spend over the long run by getting something good-quality. However, as you get into the higher price ranges you need to spend much more to get more. So buy cheap but not too cheap.

John Gibb is the owner of shower screens guide, For more information on shower screens please check out http://www.showerscreens-resources.info

[tags]shower,curtain,screen,bath[/tags]

Decorating a kid’s bathroom can be fun. There are so many possible themes, such as Disney characters, animals, the ocean, and geometric shapes, just to name a few.

When decorating a kid’s bathroom, an important consideration is color. Many children enjoy bright, bold colors such as bright blues, reds, and yellows. Others prefer more subdued colors such as pastels. Some prefer a mix of many colors, while others prefer that one or two colors predominate.

When deciding on a theme and color scheme for a children’s bathroom, you might want to first shop for shower curtains. In many bathrooms, the shower curtain is the most prominent feature. If you find a shower curtain you particularly like, it is usually easy to decorate the entire bathroom to match.

Kid shower curtains are available in most of today’s popular characters, such as Hello Kitty, Barbie, Disney princesses, Sponge Bob Squarepants, and Bob the Builder. If you do not wish to use character decorations, many other kid-friendly themes are available as well. Ocean themes are popular choices for bathrooms. They can be fun and funky or simple and elegant, depending on colors used and the types of prints. Other well-liked styles are jungle prints, sports themes, rainbows, clouds, and nature scenes.

Another consideration is how long you need the d

Nails can only be used in fibrous material hence you cannot use a nail to hold anything to metal or plastic. The reason a nail works is that when it penetrates the fibrous material, the fibers bend in the direction of the penetration and literally grip the nail. It takes more force to remove a nail then it does to drive a nail.

Although nails come in hundreds of shapes, in this article we will discuss the two most popular; common and finishing nails.

Common nail, used for rough carpentry as the head always shows. Common nails come in sizes from 1 to 4 inches have a smooth shank and a diamond shaped tip. The longer the nail, the thicker it is and the bigger the head. The rule of thumb is that a nail should be three times longer than the thickness of the item that you are attaching. For general 2 x X lumber use a 3.5 or 4 inch nail. 3.5 inch when nailing side-to-side, 4 inch when nailing to an end grain. When nailing two 2 x X pieces of lumber together use a 3.5 inch nail and angle it so that it does not penetrate the second piece of lumber. Nails that penetrate all the way through a board provide less grip than a nail that is buried within the lumber. If a nail penetrates, the penetrating end should be bent over for two reasons, increase the strength of the joint and safety. An improved rough carpentry spiral nail is now being manufactured which provides greater holding power. The spiral nail is twisted and turns as it penetrates the lumber (similar to a screw). Do not use spiral nails for temporary nailing as they are much more difficult to remove than a smooth shank common nail.

Finishing nail, used for finished carpentry as the head can be conveniently recessed and the material filled so that the head does not show. Finishing nails come in sizes from

A great start to decorating a nursery for baby is basing the design on a theme. Once you have one in mind, in the form of trim, wallpaper, a themed crib, bedding, drapes, or even a picture, build on it by picking colors and designs from the theme. Don’t forget to include the furniture in your theme. Great accents include the frames of the door and window, shelving, the closet, and the crib. Let your imagination soar, and baby’s will too.

Boy theme ideas

• Bugs, Lizards and Frogs: Friendly ants, green frogs on lily pads, geckos, yellow and black bees, and dragonflies. These themes are full of interesting and contrasting colors, and are great to acquaint baby with the creatures he’s going to share his world with. Match accent paints to the theme, such as yellow and black for bees, or green and brown for lizards.
• Sports: Lots of action, shapes, and color. Football, soccer, hockey, baseball. Extend the theme, such as buying a baseball-shaped lamp, sports pendants for the walls, and a crib painted with soccer balls.
• Race Cars: White and black checkered flags, metallic blue and red cars, and bright yellow dotted finish lines are a great, exciting choice. Look for pictures of race cars for the walls, perhaps a race track pattern for the carpet, and shelves with toy cars.

Girl theme ideas

• Fairies and Elves: Gossamer wings and friendly, feminine faces - though Legolas fits this picture, we’re thinking more of a Victorian flower elf theme! Wands with sparkling magic, waterfalls, and fairies flying between lilies would make great wallpaper. Soft pinks, frosty blues, lavenders and glitter makes great accents. There are many fairy and flower-themed cribs available.
• Pink Princess: Always a favorite. Silver crowns, tiaras flowing gowns and glass slippers. One idea is to design the nursery as a room in a fairytale castle, complete with a decorate canopy crib, soft stone walls with stenciled vines, and furniture accented with gauze.
• Butterflies and Bees: The multiple hues of butterfly wings and metallic colors of dragonflies make a great theme. The lush greens of trees, red flowers and blue water compliment the room. Make or buy butterflies to stick to the crib, the curtains and the lamps.

Themes for both boys or girls

• Sports and Activities: Soccer is great for both boys and girls, as well as swimming, softball and horseback riding. Pick a theme and build on it. For soccer, think of the geometric shapes of the ball, for swimming think of water, goggles and the lines of a pool, and for horseback riding think of the stirrup and natural colors of the outdoors.
• Moon and Stars: Sprinkle the room with yellows and whites, and think of moon cutouts and the glow of moonlight. There are lots of moon and star bedding sets, so send your imagination into outer space!
• Teddy Bears: Always a favorite. Create borders of teddy bears, have plenty of the stuffed animals on shelves, and paint the room in browns, yellows, blues and reds. Think of bowties, stripes, polka dots, and teddy bear stencils.

If you don’t feel like any one theme, just use color! Stripes, geometric shapes, borders, checker patterns, polka dots, and whimsical designs. Balance it with a calm background, and your nursery will be the perfect sanctuary, and baby will be stimulated by the wild colors and designs.

Chris, a new dad, is the author and owner of Good-night-baby.com. Find tips, information and resources on baby cribs, bedding, and nursery design.

[tags]baby nursery, theme, design, redecorate, decorate, girls, boys, infants, cribs, furniture[/tags]

Finding and hiring the right home remodeling contractor for your home remodeling project can be daunting and confusing. You can easily search the web or look in the yellow pages and find many home remodeling contractors listed in your area but the question remains - which one do you hire for your home remodeling project. Which one will perform quality work, charge a fair price and get the job done on time.

To reduce the risk of hiring the wrong home remodeling contractor you should first do a little preparation yourself for the home remodeling project. Sketch out and write down what you want remodeled. Provide a copy of this information to each prospective home remodeling contractor as this will help to minimize misunderstandings of requirements.

If you are adding a home addition, use stakes and string or even spray paint and mark the area on the existing lawn/ground.

Next talk to your local building inspector to understand what permits and building requirements are necessary for your home remodeling project.

Visit home improvement centers such as Lowes and Home Depot, and look at materials expected to be used on your project (e.g. lumber, doors, windows, appliances, countertops, roofing material, etc.). Make note of their costs so you will be able to compare material costs proposed by prospective contractors. While visting home improvement centers also talk with some of the employees about costs and lead times for particular products of interest. For example, there are many types of doors and windows and frequently there can be significant lead times for deliveries.

When you start calling prospective contracts ask for references and previous work that you can visit.

Finally, make sure you get multiple quotes and make sure that they are in writing. Also ask how long the quotaion is vaild.

For further help in hiring a home remodeling contractor for your next home remodeling project visit HomeAdditionPlus’ Home Addition Bid Sheets. Home Addition Bid Sheets include the tools and information you need to ensure you hire the right home remodeling contractor for you home remodeling project. Each bid sheet contains a comprehensive checklist of questions to ask prospective contractors, as well as cost and timeframe estimates. Home Addition Bid Sheets help ensure that your home remodeling project will be accomplished on time and on budget.

Over the past 20+ years Mark Donovan has been involved with building homes and additions to homes. His projects have included: building a vacation home, building additions and garages on to existing homes, and finishing unfinished homes. For more home improvement information visit http://www.homeadditionplus.com and http://www.homeaddition.blogspot.com.

[tags]home remodeling contractor, home remodeling project, home addition, bid sheet, home improvement[/tags]

For those of us who get the recommended 8 hours of sleep a night, we will spend a whole third of our lives on top of our mattress. Because this is such a significant amount of time, the last thing we want to be is sleeping with chemicals; most of us would rather sleep with the fishes. But, the truth is many of us may be sleeping on mattresses containing chemicals and not even realize it.

Chemicals, by textbook definition, are explained as being something made of or generated from substances produced by reactions involving atomic or molecular changes. In the dictionary of modern day life, chemicals have become synonymous with disease, particularly cancer, and therefore many of us do not want to be sleeping with them, not even if they buy us dinner first.

Mattresses don’t strike most people as something stuffed with chemicals; a black cloud doesn’t surround them like it does smoke stacks or a semi-truck. They seem, to the average sleeper, perfectly harmless. But, because manufacturers of consumer products have found that they can save money by cutting production costs and replacing natural materials with materials that are petroleum based or made of synthetic chemicals, mattresses are becoming cheaper, but possibly at a more expensive cost.

Health wise, chemicals are not viewed as a good thing. Whether they are ingested, or inhaled, they can be dangerous; the human body would benefit from a “Do Not Enter” sign placed around its perimeter. For these reasons, many people are turning to more natural ways to sleep.

A Natural Latex Mattress, as the name insinuates, provides not only a natural way of sleeping, but undeniable comfort. Conforming to the body, disallowing for the build up of pressure points, and providing natural back support, the Natural Latex Mattress provides both short term and long term benefits.

Unique to other mattresses, the benefits of the Natural Latex Mattress are all given on an organic, synthetic-free basis. This makes the mattress highly recommended for all those who want to remove all unnatural materials from their bed.

With solid comfort, and natural ingredients, the Natural Latex Mattress allows both the body and the mind to rest more comfortably.

Jennifer Jordan is a senior editor for http://www.foamsource.com. When she isn’t sleeping on a FoamSource mattress, she concentrates on living as comfortably as possible.

[tags]mattress chemicals, chemicals in mattresses, natural latex mattress, solid comfort[/tags]

The growing of flowering or foliage plants on window ledges is a form of gardening in which most people can indulge. Those who live in flats, and others who have no gardens, and especially invalids who are confined to their rooms, derive an enormous amount of pleasure from this form of gardening.

Window ledge plants would be more popular if it were not for the fact that a considerable amount of work is involved in filling and emptying the boxes. In addition there is the watering problem, drainage water dripping on to the heads of people in the streets is liable to cause some annoyance. By taking proper precautions in constructing the containers and setting them in position, most of these difficulties can be overcome.

Suitable Window Ledge Plants for a Spring Display

Some of the most popular plants for spring are as follows:

Arabis albida (double variety)

The procumbent stems of this plant are clothed with grey hairy leaves and bear spikes of double, white flowers.

Aubrietia

It is more compact in growth than Arabis and forms a close carpet of blue, pink or purple flowers.

Bellis perennis flore pleno (Dwarf Double Daisies)

These dainty, free-flowering plants are ideal for window-boxes. There are red, pink and white varieties.

Myosotis (Forget-me-not)

This popular spring-flowering plant is obtainable in several shades of blue and forms an ideal carpeting plant for many types of bulbs.

Primula (Polyanthus)

The Polyanthus does not do well in a hot position and should therefore be used for window boxes which are set in a shady spot. These plants make a bright display, and many variously coloured forms are obtainable.

Suitable Window Ledge Plants for a Summer Display

Here again much information can be gained by visiting the public parks in summer, and making notes of the plants used for filling the flower beds… from florists shops many of the plants given in the following list will be readily obtainable. For example :

Ageratum houstonianum (mexicanum)

This is easily recognised by its compact, upright stems which bear small tufts of blue, fluffy flowers. There are numerous varieties in different shades of blue. The plants are compact and the bedding varieties range in height from 4-9 inches.

Lobularia maritima (Alyssutn maritimum)

Commonly called the white or sweet alyssum, this plant is used extensively for edging and carpeting flower beds. The variety Little Dorrit is the most popular. It grows 2-4 inches in height and forms a compact mass of white, sweetly-scented flowers. Lilac Queen and Violet Queen are two excellent varieties of recent introduction.

For edging, the variety Magic Carpet, which has a creeping habit, and forms a profusion of small blooms in many shades of colours, is most attractive.

Begonia semperflorens

For freedom of flowering and for providing a continuous display in summer the varieties of this species of Begonia are unexcelled. The plants grow about 6 inches tall and produce masses of flowers of various shades of red or pink.

Visit http://www.realniches.com/archives/category/gardening/page/2/ to know more about modern indoor gardening.

Visit http://www.realniches.com/archives/2005/06/treatment-of-the-rooted-cuttings.html to learn more about treatment of rooted cuttings.

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[tags]gardening, indoor gardening[/tags]