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My Dog Called the Cops?

Posted on March 30, 2010
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One of the best home improvement projects out there involves the installation of an alarm system. Obviously, a good alarm has some direct value to the homeowner, who can feel more secure in his or her well-being. It can also reduce insurance premiums for some people while simultaneously increasing the resell value of the property.

Many alarm systems offer more than ‘triggers’ on the windows and doors. Some combine that technology with video monitoring. Others use motion detection tools. If someone is skulking around your house, the alarm goes off.

Those options, particularly motion detection, aren?t for everybody. If you tend to get up late at night for one of those midnight snacks, you could set off the sirens if, in your sleepy haze, you neglect to turn off the motion detection.

Another common problem? Pets. If you have a dog, for instance, his late night pacing could result in a series of false alarms. Who wants to explain that ?my dog called the cops? when a patrol officer responds to your alarm?

The bottom line: Choose a system that matches both your security needs and your lifestyle.

Gadgets for your garage

Posted on March 23, 2010
Filed Under Garage Remodeling | Leave a Comment

If you spend a lot of your time at home in your garage or if you want a clean and organized garage you need a few
gadgets. Garage gadgets come in many forms and for different purposes.

For example a stop light for parking may come in handy for someone who has a problem with depth perception or for someone who comes home late from work and is very tired. If you have such problems, you need this tool. It is easy to install and use and it helps you to park the car in the same spot every time when the motion sensors are triggered.

If you need space on the walls next to the door, you can mount a garage door opener on the ceiling above the door to eliminate chains.

Bike storage is ideal in a garage for ?hanging? your bike on a wall so you have easy access to it with the advantage of having more clear space in the garage.

If you have a lot more items in your garage than you really haveRoom for or the walls are full of shelves and cabinets, youdefinitely need additional storage devices like an overheadstorage system mounted directly on the ceiling.

When Air Conditioning Power is a Bad Thing

Posted on March 16, 2010
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We have a tendency to believe that bigger is better. Why settle for a smaller version of anything when you can get the ?super deluxe? model, right? Well, when it comes to air conditioners there actually are some very good reasons NOT to go for more system than you really need. Having too much air conditioning power can actually be a bad thing. Here?s why.

First, if you have a system that?s oversized for your home, it?s going to cool the place to the desired temperature very quickly. It will then shut off. When the temperature rises, it will turn on again, cooling the place almost instantly. The process repeats itself. It?s that way with appropriately-sized units, too, but the cycling between on and off isn?t as frequent. That cycling is loud and it puts a greater strain on the system than more constant operation. Thus, you stress the air conditioner, hastening its ruin.

Second, the price tag on the larger systems is also larger. You?re spending more money to capture the same results you can get with a smaller unit. Seventy two degrees feels the same whether the cooling came from a smaller unit or a larger one. Why pay more for the same results?

So, you?re spending more on the front end with an oversized unit and you?re spending more on the back-end because the machine won?t last as long.

When you choose an AC, find something that?s the right size for your home. There?s no reason to overdo it.

Garage rubber flooring

Posted on March 9, 2010
Filed Under Garage Remodeling | Leave a Comment

If you are considering remodeling you garage you might
consider choosing a rubber flooring for your garage. This
is an inexpensive option for general purpose flooring:
most common uses include parking vehicles on the
rubber flooring, converting the garage space into a play
area or into a workout room.

Parking your car on a recycled rubber matting is the
least common use for this product because of two major
inconveniences: recycled rubber tire products have very
little resistance to petroleum products so an oil leak could
seriously damage the floor; the melting point of this type
of flooring is relatively low, in extreme circumstances the
heat from the tires can be sufficient to melt the tires into
the mat.

If planning to remodel for your garage and you
also have changing the flooring in mind, it is important to
know the primary function that you need your floor to
fulfill. If you are going to convert your garage into a dog-
house, the rubber flooring would provide insulation
against extreme temperatures of the cement as well as an
extra cushioning. Also you must consider the ease of
maintenance for this type of flooring. For a home theater,
a rubber flooring is desired to reduce the noise
transmission.

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Safety A Garage Necessity

Posted on March 2, 2010
Filed Under Garage Remodeling | Leave a Comment

What do you see when you first examine a garage?

The garage door. This is the first and most important ?contact? of
your garage to the world. If you want full confidence in your
garage, this ?contact? should be 100% secure and safe. Also the
door says a lot of you and of your taste in design. You can have a
beautiful house but if your garage door is a wooden, plain,
white one with that makes an awful sound when opened or
closed, says a lot of you and your negligence regarding style and
safety.

An ageing garage door and opener could be a real threat for
your children or pets. Injuries and death are a thing of the past
with the new openers and garage doors. If you plan to remodel
your garage, one of the first steps in doing this must be changing
your doors and openers.

Old garage doors have been heavy, huge, wooden colossus that
rot and crack. Even though wooden doors provide a wide range
of styles and textures the problems related to poor insulation are
real and even of present times. An alternative is the fiberglass
material, inexpensive, easy to lift, resistant to corrosion and the
require little maintenance but they also provide little insulation
and security.

If you want a maintenance-free, durable and not-wrapping garage
door you need steel. They also provide good insulation, being
made of two or more sheets of steel alternating with a variety of
insulating materials. The also come in various textures, styles,
shapes and colors suited to your needs. Moreover, you can add
windows including the reflective type that provide an obscure
view into the garage.

In 1991, automatic reversal doors for garage door openers have
been required by law in the United States and in since 1993
optical sensors became a requirement. The sensor works perfect
for your safety: if something gets in the way of the sensor beam
while the door is going down, the sensor sends the door back up.
Also the new design provides more security and quieter
operation. Today, the silence options include a belt-driven trolley
made of Kevlar or, the cheaper option, a screw-drive model with
a plastic-lined track to lessen the noisy contact of metal-to-metal.

Remote controls have been upgraded so you can find a
remote control having enough buttons to control the lightening or
appliances in your home and garage. Another option for your
remote-control buttons are the child-safe lock-out and the rolling
security codes witch automatically change every time the garage
door opens to prevent the stealing of your opener?s code.

Even though you have all these changes added to your garage,
security and safety are not 100% guaranteed. It is better that the
installation of a new garage door and opener be done by a
professional team who can make the proper adjustments that will
allow the sensitive equipment to provide you with the maximum
amount of safety in your garage.

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Tips for your garage door

Posted on February 23, 2010
Filed Under Garage Remodeling | Leave a Comment

The new generation of garage doors is reasonably priced,
safe and easy to install and they are no longer a
convenience for only a select few. You should consider
changing your garage door if it is too old or if it has an
old motor or pulley system.

The garage doors can be selected by the type of the chain
System they use: screw-drive system, chain drive system or
computer controlled system. The screw drive system has
a mechanism that moves the length of a steel rod; it is a
lifting mechanism that is mounted in your garage ceiling.
The chain drive system is made of a chain that moves the
door along a pair of tracks; this is the most common and
affordable system but also has the disadvantage of being
extremely noisy. The computer drive mechanism doesn?t
use any screws or chains; the system?s body is mounted
above the door.

The speed and the type of power are other factors used in
selecting a new garage door. A faster door means a more
expensive one, but this feature reduces the waiting time
on your driveway. Even though it opens quickly, a door
usually closes pretty slow for safety. The power
of the motor is important in choosing a door because it
has to have enough power to raise the door; a large motor
is likely to last longer. Also the quietness of the motor
should be another decision factor.

Enhanced security features can be found in a newer
generation door that uses random codes. A new random
code is generated each time the remote control is used to
open the garage door. This security code prevents you
from opening another garage and vice versa. The remote
control may be found in several models with a different
number of buttons. A multiple button remote control is
the best choice for someone who has several garages. The
fixed controller is mounted on the wall either inside or
outside, near the garage door and it allows the garage
door to open without a remote controller. The keypad
allows to close the door for a specific period of time and
it provides enough time to exit the garage without
running.

Safety features are present on every garage door. These
features prevent the door from crushing objects or people by
reversing the direction if it hits something. This safety
feature is triggered by an electronic beam and it is
mandated by law. A computer-controlled mechanism can
detect or compensate for varying conditions, for example
if the door is coming in contact with an obstruction or is
closing too fast.

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Five steps to a clean garage workshop

Posted on February 16, 2010
Filed Under Garage Remodeling | Leave a Comment

You park your car in the driveway and you still have to work on your projects in the back yard. If you don?t use your garage for its designed purpose, why not turn it into a tidy workshop? Here are five steps to turn your garage in a perfect small home workshop:

1) Create your own workbench from an old door, some sawhorses or scrap wood.

2) Mount a pegboard on the wall to store your tools. It would be a great idea to mount it above your workbench. Strategically place pegs according to the type of tools you will be placing on the board. After hanging your tools, trace around them with a marker so you will know where each one goes.

3) Use old jars for holding nails, nuts, bolts and screws.

4) Make a storage box for the rags because they tend to accumulatein the working area.

5) Use a small tackle box for transporting items such as screws and nails as you move around the shop.

Warning: Garage Door Work Can be Dangerous

Posted on February 9, 2010
Filed Under Home Improvement | Leave a Comment

Are you considering changing your garage door or installing a new garage door opener as part of your home improvement plan? If so, you need to take extra care for your safety. Garage door work can be very dangerous.

It?s not much the risk of getting crushed under a big ol? door. That doesn?t happen that often. What does happen, however, is that people sustain serious injuries due to the garage door springs. Those big springs make it easier to open and to close those big heavy doors, but they?re dangerous when handled incorrectly.

Imagine a rocket-propelled chunk of metal. Now, imagine standing directly in front of it. Over a cement floor. On a ladder.

People have been killed when those springs are ?sprung?. Broken bones, lacerations and serious injuries abound. If you?re going to be working on a garage door in any way, make sure you?re handling them correctly.

And if your job directly involves garage door springs, bring in a garage door professional to help with the job. There?s no reason to expose yourself to any unnecessary risk.

Planning ahead your garage

Posted on February 2, 2010
Filed Under Garage Remodeling | Leave a Comment

What would your dream garage look like? Some people want
to have it fitted for the car, others dream for a really nice
workshop, a laundry room, a gym or a rehearsal studio for their
own musical band. Some other people only want it to expand their
living space and improve their lifestyle.

How much money do you have to work with? Even if you want
only to remodel, rebuild or only reorganize a small area of your
garage you must have a budget. It is imperative to have in mind a
specific target and a realistic and finite budget for it.

The first step is to carefully evaluate your needs regarding the
space and your needs. Even if it is a small garage, you can find
plenty of space to use for your work area.

Making the decision regarding whether to do the project
yourself or to hire a contractor depends on several factors,
including your skills and the magnitude of the project. Having
only basic skills you can produce a great reorganization project.

You can buy the needed furniture yourself according to your
needs and your available space. Cabinets, shelves, pegs and
hooks are a must have in order to turn your garage into usable
space over a weekend. If you have a greater project in mind,
maybe you should consult a plumber or an electrician.

If you are planning to convert your garage into a living area
you?d better be a professional or you?ll be risking decreasing
the safety and value of your own home.

If you opt for a contractor, and this is the choice that we
recommend regardless of the project?s magnitude or your skills,
get one whose work you?ve seen and if you have the chance,
get some recommendations. It is better to see with your
own eyes the skills and some relevant work of the contractor so
you can decide whether you could be satisfied with his work or
not.

Costs and construction times vary with the scope and the
magnitude of the project. If there are no structural issues,
finishing and enclosing a garage and turning it into useable room
would take less than two weeks. The costs depend on the
materials that you decide to use, but keep in mind that expensive
does not necessary mean quality and that cheap does not grant you
reliability every time.

Your garage can be a place to spend many happy hours for a long
time to come if you plan it right according to your needs and
dreams.

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Improve Your Air Conditioning System

Posted on January 26, 2010
Filed Under Home Improvement | Leave a Comment

Here?s an absolutely amazing fact. According to US government sources, one-seventh of the electricity produced in America every year is used to power air conditioning units. That?s right, we use over 10% of our total power output to keep buildings, factories and homes cool. That?s a huge power draw.

Your home is a very tiny part of that large number. Nonetheless, it?s important to realize that air conditioning has such a huge energy impact. If you improve the efficiency of your own air conditioning, you can decrease your own energy costs significantly. You can also help to conserve resources in the process.

That?s why making a switch in the cooling department is such a great home improvement project. What else can you do that will make your home more comfortable, decrease your expenses and make a positive environmental impact?

If you are using an older air conditioner or are simply stuck with a cooling system that doesn?t meet the efficiency standards of the better new units, it may be time to make a change. Take a good look at your current set up and find out if there?s room for improvement. If so, make an air conditioner change part of your home improvement to-do list.

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