Montgomery Decor

Traditional thatch roofing is arguably the most beautiful and natural looking roofing material available, with its high volumes and rustic & cool atmosphere you might want to overlook the fact that there are various considerations to be taken into account before setting your mind on this particular roofing material for your dream home. Consider the advantages and disadvantages below:

Advantages

• As local materials always tend to harmonize with the land¬scape surrounding their place of origin, thatch, as a natural material, will always blend well with a rural environment. After one season’s exposure thatch will lose its fresh, straw color and take on a dusty grey appearance which is very attractive.

• There is an ecological advantage to be gained by using thatch in that it is pro¬duced by natural processes that do not use scarce and expensive resources of energy.

• The thatching process is a labor intensive activity and, therefore, of practical economic value where unemployment among the lower income groups is common.

• A thatched roof will ensure that a building will be cool in summer and warm in winter.

• High volumes allows for mezzanine floors to be built, to which costs can be offset to the cost of the roof allowing a viable ‘double storey’ solution.

• It is beautiful and natural.

Disadvantages

• Costs: Initial cost up to about 60% more expensive than most other roofing materials readily available. Also, because of the various perceived risks involved with this roofing choice your insurance premiums will also be higher on your home in comparison to other roofing materials.

• Thatched houses are more vulnerable to fire risk than those covered with other materials, and it is therefore imperative that precautions be taken to reduce the risk.

• Being an organic material, thatch is susceptible to decay and decomposition and precautions must be taken to minimize the possibility of this process taking place. Firstly, the grass must be mature when laid, which may be green when delivered but will gradually take on a light brown appearance. Leaves falling from nearby trees must not be allowed to accumulate on the roof surface.

• The pitch of the roof must not be less than 45° to facilitate rapid run¬off of water. Generally speaking, the steeper the pitch of the roof the greater will be the durability of the thatch. However, it is not recommended that any vegetation should be allowed to grow on the thatch as water flow from the roof can thereby be impeded.

• Thatch can provide a harbor for vermin, but normally such infestation does not reach serious proportions. However, if such problems arise the thatch can be sprayed with one of the commercially available toxicants.

Construction of home is not an easy task. It requires special skill, and especially if the construction to be done with stones. Architects and builders since long have given importance to stone for its permanence, strength and beauty. It is due to their exclusive look and great available designs; colors and textures as well as the royalty presented by these stones are also unique.

Natural stone is not just like ordinary stone. It is the creation of nature’s greatness. Whether its granite, with its luxuriant, smooth, polished sheen, or the shimmering gossamer of marble; whether it is the understated elegance of beige or lemon of limestone, evocative browns of sandstone or the rustic grey hues of slate, natural stone adds a style of distinction to home. It creates more than a home. It creates a place that can be remembered pleasurably, a place where one can enjoy peace and quiet amid serene surroundings. A palette of colors and a variety of veining and textures provides aesthetic pleasures. Places where natural stones can add value of the home are:

Drawing Room: This is important section of all homes. The place where all family members gather and spend time with each other. It can be given lavish look by using excellent textured marbles for flooring along with a wonderful marble fireplace mantel. Perfect fireplace gives royal look to any drawing doom.

Bathrooms: This is the place of interest for everyone. People always give special stress to the design and look of bathrooms. Granite counter tops and silver beige marbles can be for bathrooms. Another aspect of bathroom design is bathtubs and other rock accessories. Using marbles for these subsections of bathroom is ideal choice because marble provides soothing effect and wonderful experience to eyes.

Kitchens: For kitchen planning, there is lot of importance of marbles and granites. Granite kitchen counters and granite marble tiles are perfect combination.

Terrace: This is the place for relaxation with family. Therefore, terrace is another important section of home, those days is gone when it was used for only to dry cloths. Now terrace gardens are the favorite place inside a home to sit and watch the stars and moon during night. Granite tiles flooring is popular for terrace gardens.

Floors – Traffic is obviously a major consideration in selecting floor stone whether heavy, medium or light duty. In heavy traffic situations, floors need be resistant to vehicles or carts, stiletto heels, mud marbles will be best.

Other natural stones include Laminated Aluminum Honeycomb for walls, ceilings, floors, wall connections, bathrooms, furniture tabletop. Laminated to Glass these products are made especially for decoration purpose. They create special designed effects with translucent lights.

Granite offers everlasting beauty and shine, which is the main purpose of using this stone in buildings and homes. Stones are good for interior and external designing purpose, they create lovely indoor atmosphere if properly used. Stones are resistant to heat, scratch, stains, spills, and moistures, therefore it is helpful in heat control, easy to clean and wash and they produce a glaze for long time.

Natural stones are a timeless creation. It offers grace, durability, incomparable qualities and astounding beauty. But most important it imparts that sense of pleasure; a reward that waits at the end of busy day. So with this unwind aura of immense beauty, one tends to forgets rest of world.

When I first started building in 1978 as a young carpenter and an apprentice to my father. I had the grand illusions of becoming what they call on the east coast a master carpenter and on the West Coast a journeyman carpenter.

Part of my training in construction was learning to use the proper adhesive and caulking for different parts of the building project. We used to use a standard solvent-based construction adhesive when we were building our stairs and they would also use this adhesive on the floors to eliminate squeaks.

This glue dried extremely hard and everyone thought the harder the better. This construction adhesive was great when I started using it in 1978. There wasn’t the polyethylene super elastic expandable multi-use glue and caulking construction adhesives at that time.

We used this brittle glue and it always seemed like a waste of time. As the wood dried and started to shrink the brittle hard glue would crack and break away from the wood it was glued to. Normally the glue was breaking away from plywood floor sheeting. I have seen 2 x 12 shrink 3/8 of an inch before in as little as a few months during the summer.

Now as time went on the old construction adhesives were replaced with a new window sealant made by a company called TOPS. This stuff was the hottest and best product of the decade to me. I used this stuff for everything.

This new urethane glue was now being used for sub floors, stair treads, sealing the windows flashing and siding. This stuff is still in use today and is a great choice for all of the uses I mentioned above. The price for this sealant is about double that of most water-based or solvent-based glues. But it’s worth it.

So there you have it I like the urethane glues because of their flexibility, elasticity, their ability to adhere to wood concrete or metal and their performance in the years ahead.

There is one thing to keep in mind when using construction adhesives. Most construction workers seem to ignore the fact that the wood needs to be dry and clean before applying the construction adhesive. There have been quite a few times I have witnessed carpenters working with me and ignoring my advice.

Don’t put yourself into this category. Doing quality work and following the manufacturers recommended installation instructions for their product will decrease your liability if there is ever a problem. Read the instructions carefully on all of the building products you use.

The manufacturers of these construction adhesives have thoroughly tested them. So use them properly and follow all safety warnings.

The cost to dig a basement hole on our 1800 sq. ft. house was only $790. However, I have a feeling you want to know more than simply the cost of digging the basement hole.

Some of the other costs that you likely want to know about are:

- You need to dig the basement hole, which as I said was $790.

- How about pouring footings and foundations, which costs $6 to $7K

- Then there is pouring flatwork cement for a tune of $1.00+ per square foot x 1800 sq ft = $1800.

- Putting in sub-rough plumbing which can be $1,000 plus the cost of gravel and the excavator’s charges.

- There’s the windows for your basement which includes window bucks of close to $500 (4 windows) and the corrugated window wells of $500 …total $1000 + or -.

- The actual windows cost $400+ depending on if you have a walkout basement with sliding glass doors, which would be plus the cost of the sliders.

- Sealing the basement walls to prevent water leakage through the walls will be another several hundred dollars.

- The cost to backfill around your basement adds a few hundred more.

- Now the last question is how big is your basement going to be?

That $790 figure of digging a basement suddenly became a whole lot more didn’t it? The reality is, however, that the real cost only involves a few of the above: digging the hole, flatwork cement, and windows, window bucks and window wells.

You still have to either poor a cement slab, or put in footings and foundations, which in the case of the later, go down to frost level. You still have backfill whether you have a basement or not. You still have sub-rough plumbing, with gravel before the slab. With a slab you will have furnace ducting to consider too.

Even though you have all the above items to consider in building a basement, it is still only a few thousand dollars more to add a basement, in comparison to the total cost of building your home.

Considering that your home may be worth $250 thousand to $400,000, your basement will probably only cost $7K-$10K+ added to the cost. All things considered, there isn’t a better investment for that extra 10K in comparison to doubling the living space of the first level, that a basement adds.

As an example, consider the storage space it adds to your home. If you didn’t have to rent storage space, what would it save you each month? Or wouldn’t it be nice to park the car in the garage instead of using it for storage space?

In addition, the basement maintains an even temperature of around 59 degrees all year, so the cost of air conditioning in the summer is drastically reduced when compared with air-conditioning an upper story with the same amount of floor space.

If you build your home on a hillside, a walkout basement makes for a nice feature opening up the basement so it doesn’t feel so “deep” in the ground.

Many people are putting home theaters in the area of the basement that doesn’t have any windows.

The furnace, hot water tank and water softener can all go in the basement utility-furnace room and not take up precious main floor living space.

Some areas of the country are too close to sea level to have a basement, but if you live inland, having a basement is a real advantage when compared to the cost of putting one in. To dig a basement is a an economical way to increase the square footage of your home.

In reality, what is the cost to dig a basement? Very little, and the benefits far outweigh the negatives.

Restaurant owners and other food establishment owners like you, should be concerned of the supplies that you have on your kitchen. If you would like to obtain the public’s trust when it comes to the food that you are serving, then you have to provide your customers high quality, delectable food, that your patrons will surely enjoy.

Don’t you want to see your customers leave your food house with a satisfying smile for every meal that they have consumed themselves? I’m sure you do. So, to make sure that they will leave your premise with a smile on their face, you have to assure them that what they are eating is made from the finest ingredients and were prepared with the help of the high quality commercial kitchen supplies that you have.

It is true that if you have high quality equipment, you will definitely be able to prepare superior grade food for your customers. Not only will your kitchen crew spare too much time fixing things at your back-kitchen area, they would enjoy using those new supplies which makes them more productive than they were before.

If you consider replacing those old kitchen supplies that you have, you must make sure that your replacements are better than before. This time around you are aiming for gaining high quality performance from your kitchen crew, as well as to preparing excellent food for your customers. You must understand that your kitchen supplies are what your crew members are relying on when it comes to quality, so these supplies must meet the demands of your business.

These commercial kitchen supplies usually are composed of compartment sinks, sandwich tables, under counter refrigerators, dough rollers, al dente pasta sets, cake stands, stockpots, pizza cutters, counter type fryers, sandwich press, apple peelers, slicers and corers, and many more supplies to mention. These supplies would depend on the business that you have, however it is not necessary that they all should be brand new, but as much as possible, they are made of high quality materials and are durable enough to withstand time.

If you would like to know more about the availability of these kitchen supplies utensils and equipment, you may try searching the net for further options. You would definitely find a company online that can provide you the supplies needed by your food business, and have them sold to you at a reasonable price.

People who may want to cook in a place that is both attractive and functional will really go gaga over kitchen canisters. They do not merely give you extra storage for your condiments, food, and other paraphernalia, but also serve as accents. Because of this, you are sure to see your space spiced up while eliminating the problem of having additional cabinets installed for safekeeping.

The said containers are usually put up for sale in sets. A single piece is rarely found, and if you find one, most probably you might have obtained that from a flea market or a garage sale. These specific products also have racks where you may line them up, making them nicer to look at for most people.

They are also more often than not sold in the same sizes. Nowadays, however, you will find products that have different measurements per set, particularly from biggest to smallest. When displayed in either a descending or ascending order, these may have added charms.

You may find them made out of different materials like ceramics, glass, and even those made from plastic. If you have kids, choose an array that will be more durable and can withstand the test of time such as stainless steel and acrylic. If you want them to become more of an adornment, you may procure those that are transparent or see through so that you can place colored crystals, painted marbles, etc. for beautification.

There are a lot of designs to choose from as well as an assortment of colors and shapes that makes it impossible for each and everyone not to get a hold of a collection that they like. You may select from printed to classic series, hand painted to engraved varieties, and a lot more. Find pieces that will match your liking as well as the theme in your home.

Though you will be able to come across these particular items in department stores, you may be able to acquire cheaper options in online shops that can deliver to your doorstep for a very small fee. Whether you’ll be shopping locally or over the Internet, make sure that you canvass and look into the quality above everything else.

What may be considered as the most affordable kind are those that are plastic-made while the most expensive may be the hand-embossed and the hand-finished stuff. Bear in mind that when making a purchase, you should not only consider the aesthetic appeal of the items, but also how handy and practical they can be.

There are so many varieties of kitchen canisters that are available in the market today. They were made especially for homeowners who may want to get rid of clutter and make the room more appealing. If you are one of them, make sure too that what you have bought will match the ambience of the area as well as the other embellishments found there. If your goods do not blend together agreeably, you may end up with a destroyed look instead of an enhanced one.

In this article, we give you some basic design ideas for your green kitchen. Firstly, bring in some warm color by painting it. You can go for stimulating colors like reds or yellows. Unfortunately, however, most paints contain heavy volatile organic compounds, which are known to cause health problems like dizziness, and even nerve damage. They might even have toxic fungicides and biocides, and chemical pigments for the color. So for your green kitchen, go for less-toxic paint. Look for natural paints which are made from milk protein (“casein”), these come in various colors, so the options are yours!

When it comes to flooring, you should get rid of that wall-to-wall carpeting. Even though they look extremely elegant, they harbor allergens and trap toxins and pesticides. They’re just not practical in homes, least of all your kitchen! in fact, some synthetic carpets contain volatile organic compounds as well. So you should ideally go for a sustainable hard floor, made from good quality wood, renewable bamboo, or even cork. If you want, you could put a few natural rugs (wool, organic cotton, or hemp) around in the kitchen, these are easier to clean than wall-to-wall carpeting and are part of the green kitchen design.

Do think about the functionality of light and energy in your green kitchen. A good decorating tip for your updated kitchen is to balance it out. For instance, make sure all the furniture isn’t towards one side. This gives an unwanted tilted effect. Use low or possibly no-volatile organic compounds finishes and paints for your wood furniture (cabinets, etc.) in the green kitchen. If possible, keep a plant or two – not only does this beautify the room, but it also cleans the air indoors by trapping the carbon monoxide and releasing oxygen into the local environment. In fact, plants like bamboo palm, gerbera daisy, chrysanthemum, peace lily and English ivy are especially beneficial in removing toxic formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, and benzene from the air.

Another great decorating tip for your design is to go green wherever possible. Don’t always go for the swanky new furniture, if possible, scour your local shops, yard sales and the thrift markets – you might be able to pick up some really great stuff. The second-hand furniture works, and you are helping to recycle what may have been thrown out and wasted! Go for sustainably made wood, and environment-friendly upholstery, and don’t encourage the treating of toxic chemicals, like flame retardants and stain-resistant sealants. You could also buy Fair Trade baskets and housewares for your kitchen.

When it comes to recycling from your kitchen, stop using plastic, as it not only clogs drains, but is also non biodegradable. Try to find a spot around the yard where you can compost house waste. A great tip is to get an Insinkerator Household Disposer, which is located right underneath the sink. Here, you can compact food wastage. It’s up to 70% water, so grind it up, and send it to the municipal waste water treatment plants. In fact, most updated plants are using ethane (created during the processing) to generate renewable power. The biosolids creates are processed, packaged, and sold as fertilizer. Go for an Insinkerator disposal system, it’s convenient, it’s ecologically friendly, and can be purchased just about anywhere and is another way to show your friends and family that you are trying to live a green style life.

Selection of the correct climate control device plays a critical role in determining a system’s efficiency, an important purchasing factor for many homeowners.

The most advanced climate control systems available today, because they enable hydronic (water-based) heating systems to provide great comfort at lower water temperatures, can reduce home’s fuel consumption by up to 20 percent.

How they work:

The process of heating a home starts when the thermostat measures a room’s temperature. When a conventional thermostat switches the boiler on, the boiler will fire at full-blast for as long as it takes to heat the entire room to the desired temperature.

As a consequence of firing the boiler for so long, the water gets heated to a higher temperature than what is necessary to maintain a room at comfortable levels.
This ultimately results in wasted fuel consumption and higher heating bills.

While a conventional system will heat the water to temperatures as high as 200-degrees, an efficient system will allow that to occur only when the outside temperature drops to below-zero.

Unfortunately, a conventional system only knows what the temperature is inside the house, firing the boiler just as hard, regardless of the outdoor temperature.

Considering that below-zero temperatures occur in our area only about 2 percent of the year, while temperatures above 30-degrees occur more than 80 percent of the time, it makes better sense to fire the boiler accordingly. By installing a sensor on the north side of the building, the temperature of a home’s hydronic system can be regulated according to the outdoor temperature.
On the rare times when the temperature drops to 10-below, the boiler will raise water temperature to whatever (generally about 200-degrees) levels are needed to offset the increased heat-loss caused by extreme weather conditions.

On the other hand, when it is 30-degrees outside, and the rate of heat-loss is substantially lower, water temperatures can be maintained at levels as low as 135-degrees.

As a general rule, for every three degrees a building’s heating supply water temperature is reduced, fuel consumption is reduced by one percent.

A byproduct of these controls is increased comfort.

Because these systems do not follow the on/off principle, there is always just enough heat flowing through the distribution system, eliminating temperature swings.

Make climate control systems work for you:

While the technology of advanced climate control systems have been in use for many years, the larger part of the contracting community has been slow in adopting their use.

Because their wiring is more complex than standard thermostats, and require careful integration in a heating system, most contractors feel that they aren’t worth the extra time and effort to install.

As a result, few homeowners are offered the chance to upgrade the quality and efficiency of their home comfort system.

Some boiler manufacturers integrate these controls with their boilers.

Find a progressive heating contractor and you’ll enjoy the energy saving benefits.

For some, the fireplace is the focal point of the home – a place where the family gathers for quiet time, and where visitors congregate for conversation and cocktails. But when it comes to wood burning fireplaces, much of the heat that the fireplace is supposed to create, is actually lost through the venting system. Gas log fireplaces, however, offer a clean, alternative method of heating.

Gas log fireplaces resemble wood burning fireplaces but the method of burning relies on gas rather than wood. Gas is delivered through a line that runs straight to the fireplace. When the owner wishes to start a fire they simply turn on a switch that ignites the gas. Flames ignite around simulated logs to create the ambiance of a natural wood burning fireplace. Using this type of fireplace means you don’t have to chop firewood or keep wood on hand in order to start a fire. You are also spared the mess that often comes along with burning wood.

When choosing from among gas log fireplaces, you will be required to decide between ones that vent to the outside of the home – just as wood burning fireplaces – and those that have no venting system whatsoever. The difference between the two lies in the intensity of the flame that it produces. When you burn wood or gas the result is the same – the production of carbon monoxide. With the use of vented fireplace, the carbon monoxide is vented to the outside of the home. In the case of fireplaces that are not vented, the carbon monoxide and other materials produced by the fire are combustible in the flame of the fire – the heat of which is at such an intensity that it can accomplish this task.

No matter which of the two you choose, it makes sense to install a multitude of carbon monoxide detectors throughout your home. Carbon monoxide is an invisible, odorless gas that can spread throughout the home without your knowledge. If it should reach dangerous levels it can result in severe injury and even fatality to the people within the home. Detectors can alert you to any unseen gas taking up residence in the home. It is also a good idea to crack a window during the burning of gas log fireplaces so as to allow fresh air into the home. And, of course, never allow a fire to burn while you sleep.

Gas log fireplaces should always be installed by a professional who can safely install gas lines and instruct owners on its safe operation. Check to make sure that the fireplace you are installing – especially unvented fireplaces – is allowable in your particular location.

There can be no arguing that a fireplace can add another whole dimension to a room – including ambiance, style, and warmth. Whether you choose wood burning fireplaces or gas log fireplaces, you will likely get years of enjoyment from your fireplace – not to mention added value to your home.