Sunday, March 21, 2010

Remodel your attic to add more livable space to your home

Has your family outgrown your house? If so, maybe your are trying to make a decision on whether to sell your current house and move to a larger home, or to remodel or add an addition to your current home. With the recent downturn in the housing industry, many people are choosing to remodel their home.

If you live in an area where home typically have unfinished basements (in-ground), then that provides you with a really good option for adding livable space to your home that previously was unused.

However, if you live in an area such as I do, Texas, where there typically are not basements, you can look to turning your attic into livable space. I recently had thought about that, and thought about adding a dormer to my attic/roof. Dormers are great because they add natural light and usable space, add height to bathrooms, kitchens, seating areas, and niches for desks. Dormers will help you gain more space in the middle of the attic to improve movement and circulation.

I was having difficulty deciding on what type of dormer/dormers to utilize in the remodeling process so that the style was appropriate to my house. There are many different styles and shapes of dormers:
- Flat
- Shed
- Gabled
- Pedimented
- Hipped
- Deck
- Arched
- Oval
- Eyebrow
- Inset
- Composite (includes several of the above forms)
The list below can give you an idea of what style of dormer is typically used for what style of home:
Gable dormers: Colonial Revivial, Georgian, Shingle, Queen Anne, Stick, Chateauesque, Tudor, and Craftsman, to name a few
Hipped dormers: Prairie, Shingle, Craftsman
Arched dormers: Second Empire, Beaux Arts, French Eclectic
Oval dormers: French Eclectic, Beaux Arts, possibly Italian Renaissance
Shed dormers: Craftsman, Arts & Crafts, Colonial Revival
Eyebrow dormers: Shingle, Romanesque, Queen Anne
Pedimented dormers: Georgian, Federal, Colonial Revival styles



Brian Heltzel
Putting On The Fix Remodeling
Burleson, TX
www.puttingonthefix.com

Sunday, March 14, 2010

3 ways to clean dirty grout in your home

Whether you've got tile floors, kitchen backsplashes, or shower tile, the grout between tiles can get pretty scummy. With a few simple tools or cleaning solutions and a little bit of elbow grease, you can get your grout looking like brand new.

Tile grout gets dirty in many different ways. In the bathroom, it's usually mold or mildew causing the grout stains. In the kitchen it could be a combination of food stains, general household traffic and grime, and mildew.

3 simple options you can try to clean your grout:

1. Sandpaper
Many stains are on the surface of the grout and can be removed with sandpaper. Just fold the sandpaper into a crease, and work it back and forth along the grout line. If sandpaper doesn't work, you may have better results by applying a pencil eraser.

2. Cleaning Solution
If sandpaper or an eraser can't do the job, try an over-the-counter grout cleaner -- or create a similar "home solution" from household bleach and water or vinegar and water. Squirt or pour the solution onto the grout, and scrub with a firm toothbrush. Make sure the area is well ventilated, and wear rubber or latex gloves when working with bleach.

3. Remove and Replace the grout
If bleach doesn't do the job, you may need to remove and replace the grout. Use a grout-removal tool or a rotary tool with a carbide tip found at your local home supply store. Don't worry, it is very simple to use and you can't do much damage with it so there is no need to be intimidated by this step. Mix and install new grout and seal it with a grout sealer to reduce the likelihood of future stains setting in your pretty new grout. A homeowner should reapply sealer once every two years.

If all of the above steps fail to work or you just are too busy to do them on your own, contact Putting On The Fix or your local remodeling contractor and they will be happy to do the quick fix for you.

Brian Heltzel
Putting On The Fix Remodeling
Burleson, TX
www.puttingonthefix.com