Home Addition Bid Sheets

HomeAdditionPlus.com is now offering Home Addition Bid Sheets. Bid Sheets are a must for a Homeowner looking to hire a contractor for a Home Addition or Remodeling Project.

When you are looking to hire a professional contractor to perform work on your house do you know what questions to ask him? Bid Sheets from HomeAdditionPlus help you ask the right questions to potential contractors, thus ensuring you get the project completed properly and on time and budget.

HomeAdditionPlus Bid Sheets are in essence a questionnaire (Request for Proposal) form that you provide to potential contractors.

They complete this questionnaire so that you have sufficient information about them to determine if they are capable of completing the project on time, on budget and to your satisfaction.

The Questionnaire includes such topics as:

• Start and Complete dates
• Insurance Coverage
• Manufactures of key products
• Cost Breakouts
• References

Visit HomeAdditionPlus.com today to learn more!

Fixing a Frozen Pipe

In just a matter of a months winter will be upon us. Besides bundling up from the cold and shoveling snow, homeowners sometimes have to deal with the additional task of fixing frozen pipes.

Prevention is the Best Medicine

The best way to deal with frozen pipes is to prevent them in the first place. If you have the luxury of participating and/or overseeing the building of your home, make sure the plumber does not run any plumbing supply lines in the outside walls of the home. Even if he indicates he will wrap them in insulation, do not accept this compromise. I have seen even insulated pipes in outside walls freeze.

If, however, you have an existing home and there are plumbing supply lines running on the outside walls that you have access to, then insulate these pipes with pipe insulation. It is better than nothing.

How to Fix a Frozen Pipe

If in the event you do find yourself with a frozen pipe, then I recommend the following:

· Close the supply line valve and open the faucet at the end of the pipe.

· Examine the entire length of pipe looking for cracks, breaks or holes, particularly focusing on the suspect cold areas, e.g. crawl spaces and outside walls.

Thaw Out the Damaged Pipe

· Once the crack, break or hole has been identified, use a hair dryer to heat up the surrounding pipe area to get the water flowing again through the pipe. Check the faucet regularly to see when the water begins to flow again. Once the water begins to flow it is time to move on to the repairing phase.

Note: The amount of water flowing out of the faucet will be limited as the supply line valve was shut off.

Repairing the Damage Supply Line

· Once the damaged pipe area has been thawed out, using a hack saw or pipe cutter, remove a section of pipe that includes the broken section.

· Replace this section of pipe. Use a propane torch, solder and flux to sweat the new joints.

· If you are not comfortable cutting and replacing the damaged pipe, pending the size of the crack or break you could simply wrap duct tape or electrical tape around the affected area for a temporary fix. However, a plumber should be brought in as soon as possible to fix the leak permanently.

· Once the pipe has been repaired, turn the supply line valve back on, run the faucet and check the repaired site for any leaks.

· Finally, apply some pipe insulation and/or electrical pipe-heating wire around the repaired area to prevent the problem from occurring again.

How to Create the Home of Your Dreams

(ARA) - Options, accessories, alterations, choices, selection -- call it whatever you want, how we live today is all about customization. Whether you are shopping for a pair of shoes, an automobile or even a home, you can have it made your way. The options we have in front of us are limited only by our imagination. For example when building a new home, we have the option to create our own design. Imagine trying to design your own automobile from the ground up, a bit overwhelming to say the least.

Overwhelming was the mindset of Joe and Angie Dawson when they tried to find their perfect home plan. After ten years of dreaming and sketching, they were left looking through plan book after plan book. Trying to find a cookie-cutter floor plan that worked for them seemed impossible.

Knowing they wanted the natural beauty of wood and a distinctive look, a log home was their first choice. They called Wisconsin Log Homes to schedule a design consultation to get started. When they arrived at the corporate headquarters in Green Bay, Wis., the Dawsons literally had their thoughts and dreams in a shoebox. They had accumulated all these ideas, but had no clue how to put them into action.

The sales consultant guided the Dawsons through their shoebox by going through a few simple exercises to help them understand how they wanted their home to look, how they wanted their home to feel and how they wanted to live in their new log home. Here is a sneak peak at how the Dawsons got their custom design plans underway:

Get Organized. Most of us accumulate a rather hefty stack of magazines, newspaper clippings, and catalogs when starting a project of this caliber. Invest in a three ring binder and create tabs with labels of each room of your future home. Get organized by tearing out the pages that have interest to you and put them in the binder under the specific room. All the photos and ideas will now be at your finger tips. Keep it up to date and keep it handy.

Understand where you live now. If you don't know the square footage or room dimensions of your current home, now is a good time to grab a tape measure and a pad of paper. Once you have an inventory of your current home you can then evaluate whether you need to make rooms large or smaller. In addition, when you are reading blueprints you can relate to your current rooms to give you a sense of size.

Creating a wants and needs list. This is a pretty simple exercise. Make a list of all the needs in your home. For example, some items on your "needs" list may include a stove, refrigerator, or a two car garage. The "wants" list may include items such as a jacuzzi tub, fireplace, large deck, or steam shower. Implement the needs list into your design first and the wants list second as your budget allows.

Get your ideas on paper. Before the first shovel of dirt can be dug you have to have a plan. Whether you sketch out your ideas on a table napkin or hire an architect, your project will not get underway unless you take the ideas out of your head and get them on paper.

The team at Wisconsin Log Homes helped the Dawson's discover a log home design beyond what they had imagined. "I was so pleased when I received my first set of plans. The design team was able to incorporate all my wants, needs and desires into the plan. They really listened to what I had to say. And the pictures were worth more than 1,000 words." Now living in their log home, Joe and Angie routinely comment on how everyday is like a vacation, such a relaxed atmosphere. Their only regret is that they didn't build their log home dream sooner.

If you want to live the log home lifestyle like the Dawsons, but don't know where to start, give the folks at Wisconsin Log Homes a call. All homes are created by visions and dreams of people just like you. Start by obtaining the Wisconsin Log Homes planning guide filled with more than 100 plans and ideas. From there they can create your personalized home, and discuss the best way to get it built. Their helpful team can be reached by calling (800) 844-7976, or visit their Web page at www.wisconsinloghomes.com.

Courtesy of ARA Content

Question: Any easy way to remove Textured popcorn from ceiling

Can existing indoor textured (popcorn) ceilings be treated with a solution and troweled or flattened to form a new texture on ceiling without actually removing the texture completely?

Any advice would be helpful.

Building Your Dream Home – Part 3

Exterior Framing Continues

With the home's sub-floor down and the exterior walls framed and up, the framing crew was on to the roof. Though the roof was rather simple in structure with just a 12/12 pitch and no valleys it was a significant framing undertaking due to just the size and height of it. The house was 32 feet wide by 44 feet in length, and the exterior side walls stood 11 feet tall in the great room. This exterior wall height of 11 feet translated into a roof ridge that was 27 feet off the floor of the great room. Consequently staging was required to install the ridge pole and roof rafters. In addition, since the span from the top of the walls to the ridge was so long, heavy 2x12s were required for the roof rafters. Within a week, however, the team had completed the installation of the roof rafters and the house began to take on real shape.

I should comment briefly about the sub-floor and exterior walls before I move on.

I decided on using ¾" tongue and groove plywood for the sub-flooring rather than OSB/particle board as I was concerned that the OSB was too sensitive to moisture. I was concerned about this, both from the construction phase and from normal home use. I was concerned that during the construction phase that snow and ice could potentially lead to damage such as warping. I have seen this before when OSB was used on sub-flooring. I was also concerned that during the life of the home, that there could be water incidents, e.g. a leaking dishwasher or washer machine that also could also lead to water damage to the floor. I also believe that plywood is stronger and that it would provide for a more solid and rigid floor.

Regarding the exterior wall framing I used 2x6 construction. This is typical in New England as the additional wall depth allows for higher insulation factors; a must in colder climates.

Sheathing the Outside of the Home

In order to get plumbing and electric contractors onto a site typically they want the home "buttoned up". This includes the roof shingled and the doors and windows on. Thus my framing crew moved onto the exterior sheathing once the walls and roof framing were complete.
As with the sub-floor, I again chose plywood for the exterior sheathing for the same reasons mentioned earlier. On the exterior walls ½" exterior grade plywood was used. On the roof 5/8" exterior grade plywood was used. I know many builders today use OSB for both the walls and roof, however, I still believe for stronger construction plywood is the way to go.
The sheathing effort took about a week to complete. During this time exterior doors and windows showed up on the site. Staging the delivery of material reduces theft and insurance risk as well as keeps a less cluttered construction site. However, as I have indicated earlier, communication is critical when you are doing "Just-in-Time" material delivery.

Installing Exterior Doors and Windows

The installation of the doors and windows was a major undertaking for this project as the lake side view of the home was literally a wall of windows; 32 feet in width and 27 feet in height. A great deal of engineering had gone into the window design so that the 10 large custom windows would fit together like a jig saw puzzle. This said, when the windows arrived on site and were inspected, it was determined that some of them were not built correctly to the dimensions specified. After much debate with the framing crew, the window vendor and me we reached a compromise on sharing the cost of fixing the windows. The window vendor took back the improperly sized windows and the framing crew began the installation of the doors and what windows they could install. Fortunately the window vendor was able to return to the site with the properly sized windows within a few days and the construction phase did not miss a beat.

Completing the Interior Framing

With the doors and windows installed, the framing crew proceeded to complete the Interior Framing. This was an exciting time, as the rooms began to take real shape. You could now walk down hallways and into bedrooms and closet areas. Within just a few days the interior walls were complete and the framing crew proceeded onto the roof for the shingling.

I should note that 2x4 construction was used on the interior walls as insulation was not required on the interior walls.

Shingling the Roof

The last task to complete before the house could be classified as "Buttoned Up" was to install the shingles on the roof. Fortunately my framing crew was also able to do this task, thus eliminating the need for yet another subcontractor.

I chose a 30 year architectural shingle due to the quality and look I was trying to achieve on the home.

Though relatively a simple roof, it was quite large and the weather was less than hospitable. Consequently it took nearly 2 weeks to complete this task. However, with the roof complete, my electric and plumbing contractors were now able to begin their work.

Also, with the main house now structurally complete, the framing crew moved onto the garage framing and construction phase. As a result of staging the garage behind the main home construction phase, I was able to have subcontractors work in parallel without getting in each others way.

Rough Electric and Plumbing

With the house "Buttoned-Up", my Electric and Plumber subcontractors showed up to begin the roughing in phase of their respective tasks.

Rough Electric

I had met a few days before on site with the Electric subcontractor to discuss the placement of all the wall outlets and switches, as well as where the light fixtures would be situated. During our discussion he marked the wall studs for the placements of the electric wiring boxes so that we could visualize the entire electric wiring scheme. We also marked where the telephone and cable boxes would reside.

During the electrical rough in wiring phase, the electrician installed all the wiring boxes and ran wire from the boxes to where the main circuit panel box would reside.

Rough Plumbing

As with the Electrical Subcontractor, I had met several weeks earlier with the Plumbing Contractor. During this meeting we discussed the form of heat for the home, as well as where the bathrooms and kitchen were to reside in the home. We also discussed types of bathroom fixtures including tubs, sinks and toilets. Consequently, when he showed up on site he new exactly where to run main drain and supply pipes and vent stacks. He also roughed in all of the plumbing for each bathroom and kitchen plumbing fixture.

Within a week both the Electrical and Rough Plumbing contractors had completed their tasks and had successfully passed their respective inspections.

To Be Continued ...
In Part 4 of “Building Your Dream House”, Electric and Plumbing continue and the Kitchen Design is explained. Stay tuned ..........

Sealing a Deck

A deck is an extension of your home’s living space and where you will spend much of your time during the summer months. Consequently, it needs to be treated and cared for as much as your home’s inside rooms.

Most important to the care of your deck is regularly sealing it. This is particularly true if you want your deck to maintain the natural color of the wood.

Sealing a deck is critical in order to preserve the life and look of the wood. The sealant preserves the beauty of the natural wood by protecting it from both water and sun damage.

When to Apply the Deck Sealant

In order to preserve the natural wood look for many years, I typically apply the sealant every year. Also, I usually apply it in late summer/early fall as I live in New England. I do this because of the concern of snow lying on the deck for long periods of time during the winter months. My concern is in the acidity of the water in the snow. By putting on a sealant just prior to snow season, I can provide peak protection against the prolonged damaging effects of the acid contained in the water. In hotter climates, where there is less snow, I would suggest applying the deck sealer in late spring.


Clean the deck prior to Sealing

First, remove all of the deck furniture off of the deck.

Prior to sealing, it is then best to power wash the deck and let it thoroughly dry. You may need to use a stiff bristly brush to get off any material that is not being removed by the power washer. Pine pitch frequently requires the services of this tool. There are a variety of products offered by sealant manufactures that can also assist in the deck sealant preparation.

After power washing it may take 24-48 hours, or even longer, for the deck to thoroughly dry, pending weather conditions. Make sure the deck is completely dry prior to applying the sealant. Otherwise the sealant may not be appropriately absorbed into the wood’s surface.

Once the deck is dry, and you are about ready to begin sealing, use a leaf blower to remove any debris that may have fallen onto the deck’s surface since you power washed it. If you do not have a leaf blower, than simply sweep the deck.

Sealing the deck

First, the deck sealer should not be applied if the temperature is below 50 degrees Fahrenheit and if rain is forecasted in the next 24 hours. Otherwise the sealant may not absorb properly, nor dry properly.

Using a brush apply the sealant around all the deck edges and posts. Once the edging is complete, use a sprayer, brush or roller to apply the sealant to the deck surface. Make sure that the sealant is firmly pressed into the wood surface to maximize the penetration of the sealant into the wood.

Typically only one coat is recommended by most deck sealers.

Though most manufactures suggest the deck is ready for walking on after 24 hours, I would recommend waiting a little longer if the weather has not been ideal for drying conditions.

Once the deck is dry, return the deck furniture and enjoy the beauty of your deck for another year.

Installing Baseboard Trim

Installing Baseboard trim is something any Do-It-Yourselfer Homeowner can do.

To install baseboard trim the following tools are required: Hammer, ¼" thick shims, a miter saw, measuring tape, a square, coping saw and carpenters pencil.

When installing baseboard trim in a new room, one thing that should be considered is what the finished flooring material will be. If carpet is expected to be the finished surface, then the Baseboard trim should be installed ¼" off the base floor. To do this, simply cut several shims ¼" in height and rest the Baseboard trim on it prior to nailing. Once the Baseboard trim is secured to the wall remove the shims.

Raising the Baseboard trim is done for a couple of reasons. First, and especially with 4" or narrower Baseboard trim, you want the finished baseboard trim to get full exposure. Carpeting, including the pad, stands as high as ½" to 1" in height. Second, the ¼" space allows the carpet to be tucked under the trim by the carpet installer. This helps keep the carpet secured to the tack strips as well as gives a clean and finished look to the carpet.

To install the baseboard trim it is best to use material that is long enough to go the whole length of the wall to eliminate joints. Thus, order your baseboard material according to wall lengths. In the event joints are required, always gut the butting ends of the baseboard trim on a 45 degree angle. It makes for more of a finished look.

To begin installing the baseboard trim, start with the longest wall. Simply cut the baseboard trim to the length of the wall, using the miter saw, and rest on top of the ¼" shims if required. Apply 8 penny finished nails every 1 inch along the length of the baseboard trim. Make sure the nails penetrate studs to ensure a solid attachment to the wall.

Working in a clockwise fashion, prepare to install the next section of baseboard trim.

First measure the length of the wall. Make sure your measurement is done just above the height of where the top of the baseboard trim will sit.

Now cut a half inch wedge of baseboard trim. Use this piece to trace on the back of the baseboard piece you plan to attach to the section of wall, the vertical profile of the wedge. After tracing, use the coping saw to cut this section off. If done properly you should be able to slide the board up against the piece that is already attached to the wall and see that it forms a nice seam.

Now simply measure from the tip of the cut baseboard piece the distance between the two walls previously recorded. Using your miter saw, simply make a straight cut on the far end of the board. The board should now lay snuggly into place (on top of the ¼” shims), forming a nice seam with the first piece you installed. Again, nail the board every 16 inches into studs.

Continue this process all around the room, working in the same direction.

Once completed, go back and sink the nails with a center punch.

Apply wood filler or caulk into the nail holes and you are ready to apply stain or paint.

Installing an Exterior Door

Installing an exterior door is a relatively easy task for the Do-It-Yourself Homeowner. All that are needed are some basic tools and a few shims, and a homeowner can install an exterior door in about half an hour.

Tools required include a hammer, level, measuring tape, carpenter pencil and center punch. A claw bar may also be necessary if the existing exterior door or surrounding clapboard need to first be removed.

Assuming the old exterior door has already been removed, place the new exterior door into the opening. The rough opening of the doorway should be about 2-3 inches wider than the door frame that you are installing. Then put a 1/8th or 1/4" shim under the door, on the side where the hinges are. This will help in the leveling process.

Put a nail about one foot off the floor on the hinge side. The side that you just shimmed. Do not sink the nail, just in case you have to remove it later when squaring the door.

Then using a level, place it vertically up the side of the door frame that has the hinges. Adjust the door so that the level shows the bubble fully centered in between the two lines of the level. While maintaining this level, put a nail into the door frame about a foot from the top. Again on the hinge side of the door.

Now place the level on top of the door frame and adjust the non-hinge side of the door up or down to get the top of the door level. While maintaining the level position put a nail on the top of the frame about 3 inches from the non-hinge side of the door. Do not sink it.

Finally, place the level on the non-hinge side of the door and adjust the frame so that it is level. Put a nail into the top and bottom of this frame. Do not sink it.

Now try opening and closing the door. It should swing freely and close nicely with about a 1/8 inch gap showing between the door itself and the non-hinge side of the door. If not, you may have to make some minor adjustments. Thats why you don't want to sink these initial nails.

If the door works smoothly then sink these nails and add 2 more nails to each side. You should also ensure that you have 3 nails across the top.

Once this is done, you can install the hardware (door knob and lock mechanism).

Finally, install the interior door trim and your job is complete.

Lake Winnipesaukee Vacation Home to be Featured on DIY Network

DIY Network’s “Be Your Own Contractor” show to feature a Moultonborough, New Hampshire Lake Winnipesaukee Home on September 22, 2005 at 9:30pm

Thursday, September 8, 2005

The Lake Winnipesaukee vacation home of Mark and Elaine Donovan will be featured on DIY Network’s “Be Your Own Contractor” show on the evening of September 22, 2005 at 9:30pm. Additional airings will occur during the week. Watch DIY Network for the other air dates and times.

The show will focus on Mark’s experience as acting as the general contractor for building their vacation home on Lake Winnipesaukee in Moutlonborough, New Hampshire. Mark discusses his reasons for wanting to be his own contractor and describes some of the highlights and obstacles he faced in building a home one and a half hours away from his primary residence. He will also share some of his experiences in hiring subcontractors for the excavation, foundation, framing, roofing, plumbing and electric work as well as discuss some of the work he performed himself. Finally, Mark will provide advice and insight about acting as your own general contractor on a vacation home.

The show will also include video of the local surrounding Lake Winnipesaukee area including the towns of Moultonborough and Meredith, New Hampshire.

For more information about the Lake Winnipesaukee Vacation home visit: http://www.homeadditionplus.com/ or http://www.homeaddition.blogspot.com/.

_____________________

Contact Info:

HomeAdditionPlus.com
Mark Donovan
(603)432-4671

How to Prevent Clogged Gutters

If you have a home with gutters, you probably find yourself a couple of times a year climbing ladders and unclogging them. If there are trees in close proximity to the home, you may be unclogging gutters even more frequently.

I recently saw a simple, but very effective, product that can eliminate this tedious and sometimes dangerous homeowner chore. The product is called “Gutter Cap” and is manufactured and installed by a company with the same name: See Gutter Cap.

Gutter Cap is an aluminum cover that is actually installed on top of your home’s gutter and attaches to a hidden bracket assembly located under the bottom tier of your shingles.

Gutter Cap works under two basic principles: Water tension and capillary action. As water runs down the roof of your home and slides over the dome shaped aluminum Gutter Cap, the water adheres to the surface of the cap and roles into the gutter below. The leaf and pine needle debris however, do not adhere to the surface of the Gutter Cap dome and instead simply slide off and over the Gutter Cap and gutter to the ground below.

Gutter Cap can also be installed with heated wires to eliminate Ice Damns during the winter.

Gutter Cap installation requires a professional, as the Gutter Cap is formed on site to the specifics of your particular home and gutter situation.

Gutter Cap is reasonably priced and well worth the investment, if you value your time and do not like to regularly climb ladders.

Building a Garage Addition to Your Home

One of the most rewarding home improvements I made to my house was to build a garage addition. For years I contemplated building a garage addition while I scraped the ice and snow from my cars and waited for them to warm up during the winter months. About 5 years ago I finally made the decision to build a garage onto my home.

The first big decision I had to make after deciding to build the garage addition was to determine how large to make it. I wanted a large enough garage to fit two cars comfortably and that would be of proper proportion with the rest of the house. I also wanted space to include a work bench and to allow room for the lawnmowers or snow blowers. I decided on a 26 foot wide, by 24 foot deep garage. Since my house was 36 feet in width, this gave me a garage that was about 2/5ths of the entire home frontage.

I also needed to make sure that the roof pitch and the elevation of the garage would be consistent with the rest of the home.

After taking these issues into account, I created some drawings of the garage including: the foundation size, the location of the garage doors, the maintenance door and windows, and the height profile of the roof. From these drawings I was able to discuss with a number of general contractors my garage and home plans.

After selecting my general contractor, I generated some additional drawings that provided all of the framing details necessary to pull a building permit. Because of the specific contour of my property, my garage plans also included a bonus room that would reside above the garage. Thus, I needed to include additional drawings of the bonus room, e.g. interior walls, doors, windows, closet, and entrance way and stairwell to/from the main house.

After excavation and installation of the foundation, the framing crew had the garage frame up in about a week. Three weeks later I had a completely enclosed garage, with all the outside doors and windows installed and the shingles installed on the roof.

From this point forward, I took over the electrical and insulation work, after filing for these specific permits.

Once the insulation was installed and approved, I called in the drywall contractor to install the drywall, and to tape and mud. I also had them apply a coat of primer and one coat of builders grade paint. It is well worth the money to have them do this.

I then finished the electric, installed the stair railing, interior doors and baseboard trim and the garage was nearly ready to move in.

The finishing touch was the installation of two garage door openers and a final application of paint in the bonus room.

The total cost of my garage addition was about $30,000. I had been quoted as high as $50,000, however with a little negotiation and sweat equity I was able to get a lot of garage for a reasonable price.

A few years have gone by since I completed my garage addition and every winter when I see people standing by their cars in the driveways scraping, I am reminded of one of the best decisions I ever made.