How would you like it if you could imagine a wholly redecorated home without having to buy any paint or supplies? Using punch home design software, you can try out any number of designs, colors, textures and more and yet you won't be required to buy a single item to see the results first. You can do this simply by using your computer. You won't be required to leave the comfort of your home and you won't need to visit any home improvement stores in order to come across the results you are searching for.

Is this Really Possible?
There are a number of ways in which cad software home design works and your the degree of change you are looking to accomplish will determine the software package that best suits your needs. For uncomplicated basic features, you may simply wish to purchase the very easy to use basic version. You simply choose the template that appears closest to the conditions that be present in your home. Many of these basic applications comprise the basic ablility to place doors and windows in a range of locations. After that, you can try altered furniture placement, illumination, wall colors, wall covering, rugs, fixtures and many additional options

Lowes Home Improvement and Home Depot – my favorite resources
When installing a new shower or remodeling a shower, you might think that the drain installation is a big issue for you.

In many older homes you quite likely to find only a simple bathtub installation with no consideration for a shower or the installed shower is simply way out of date. Don't let this be too alarming if you are a handyman and like to perform some of your own upgrades. One of the initial considerations that could be a bit bothersome to you could be the drain installation. This part of the project won't come in a box and you need to work it out for your own particular circumstances.

A great starting point is to visit your nearest Lowes Home Improvement or Home depot. They have very knowledgeable staff and constantly put on seminars related to a wide variety of topics. Decide on the installation you would like and determine your layout.

At the base – all installations will require a water collector-usually a solid ,water tight basin with three or four inch walls around it.

You could construct your own but in the end it may not be as efficient or economical is the many pre-made products available. if possible select one with a drain located in the same place as your existing drain. Of course this won't always work out in a more complex makeover.

Relocating the drain can be a challenge, especially in older installations where code was a non-existing term. You may find that you need to cut back the pipe or lengthen it. that could require opening large areas of the floor. If you find this necessary, you are going to be looking at a multiple weekend project.

Once the drain location is in place, the actual hook up is fairly simple. The drainage pipe should be pointing inline to the collector. It should have a "gooseneck" installed to prevent backup of sewer gasses. Being a handyman I'm sure you know that this is just a U shaped section that always holds a little water and won't allow free air flow past that point. Create a water tight connection between the drain cap (the piece of hardware that is installed in the hole of your base) in the base pan and the drainage pipe. You will need a coupling that is appropriate for the two sections to be joined.

It might require a small amount of moving parts to get your drain cap to fit into a watertight position in the pan but yet line up for the connection. Back off the drain cap lock nut once you are sure everything fits together and put plumbers putty around the underside of the cap. tighten the lock nut again. The putty should form a tight seal between the cap and the shower pan, which keeps water from leaking past it and into the framing under the shower. That's the difficult portion. up to this point you have been required to "wing ti" and use your own engineering. The actual out of the box tub and or shower installation should be laid out for you clearly from the manufacturer now.

A note I might add – for the water supply plumbing. If you haven't tried the new flex type water supply products, you really should. They are extremely easy to install with absolutely no leak problems. Just follow the simple installation directions. You never need to light up a dangerous torch again with these products!

Tankless Water Heater Operation

The tankless water heater works by heating water as it is called fro by the user. It does not operate in the same way as traditional hot water heaters that require storage tank.
For this reason there is no heat loss. Heat loss is the heat energy you lose when heating water and then storing it in a tank. This tankless water heater is thus much more energy efficient.

The Tankless Water Heater Has Arrived
Cold water is taken into the unit and is heated by a heating element. The heating unit can be electric resistance heating coils or a gas burner requiring natural gas or propane. There are three variables that have to be considered in sizing the unit. The volume of water the user will require, the temperature of the water entering the system, and the desired temperature of the hot water to the user. Those three factors determine the type, size and flow rate of tankless water heaters. There are two basic types of tankless water heaters, Point of Use and Whole House. Point of Use Tankless Water Heater The point of use tankless water heater is relatively small and will usually fit inside a sink cabinet or in a closet. They are typically dedicated use heaters meaning the unit serves one sink, faucet or shower. Point of use tankless water heaters are typically less expensive than whole house units. Whole House Tankless Water Heater Whole house units mean that they have higher flow rate capability and can supply more than one fixture at a time. The number and type of units served is important. Some shower heads can use six times more water than a bathroom sink. The size and number of whole house tankless water heaters you require will be determined by flow rate. Flow rate is determined by the number and types of fixtures. You may need more than one whole house tankless water heater for multiple shower usage. These can be hooked up in parallel to meet higher hot water demands. Whole house units are typically much more expensive than point of use units. Determining Desired Temperature Rise The difference between the the temperature of the hot water leaving the heater and the cold water entering the unit is called the temperature rise. If you want a shower up to 110°F and you live in south Florida with groundwater at 72°F, then you need a 38°F temperature rise (110-72=38). A tankless water heater is sized by rating its temperature rise at a given GPM. So that could be rated at a 38°F Temperature Rise at 2.0 GPM. If less water may be required, this same unit might also provide a 65°F Temperature Rise at 1.0 GPM. The lower the flow demanded by the unit, the more the water can be heated.

Recently I went on a little kick regarding my electrical energy bill. I decided to make some improvements. The results amazed me. Being retired from the electricity industry I should have thought more on the issue before now but as the saying goes " a shoemaker's kids may be wearing the worst shoes in the class".

My major areas of action targetted freezers, refridgerators, light bulbs and washer dryer.

A very inefficient incandescent bulb converts only 5 percent of the energy it receives into light while emitting thousands of tons of carbon dioxide into the earth's atmosphere. The new energy efficient flouresent bulb has an estimated 10,000 hour life span and uses only 180 kWh over those 10,000 hours. The incandescent bulb, or bulbs, as multiple would be needed, uses 750 kWh over that same 10,000 hour time frame.

Lowes Home Improvemet and home Depot both stock a wide variet of these products.

Needless to say – the investment in a large number of these light bulbs got me off to a good start.

The next issue I tackled – freezer and refridgerators. I had two of each (house/garage) I eliminated the very old freezer in the garage. I moved the relatively new refrigerator from the house to the garage. For the house I bought a large energy efficient refridgerator that supplie enough freezer space to compensate for the now eliminated freezer.

Finally – I have been convinced by sevral people that front load clothes washers and dryers produce huge energy savings. The washer uses less water reducing water bills and energy costs associated with heating that water. These washers do a great job of spinning the clothes dry. Some articles need only be hung to finish drying. The new dryers have a one touch button. If you wish, you can let sensors determine when the clothes are dry enough based on your selection. They then turn off the drying cycle when that state has been achieved.

The results are really amazing. I have been charting my electrical use on a daily basis. I read my meter at least once a day. I have seen an immediate drop and projections seem to indicate a drop from my previous 3 month average of $230 month to a more acceptable $165 month.

Was it wothwhile? I certainly would say so!

You can find all type of home decorating ideas rather easily on the internet. Just go to a site such as Google, Alta vista or ask.com and you can find decorating ideas in mere seconds. To find bathroom decorating ideas, just type some keywords into the search engine. Use terms such as "bathroom decorating" or "bathroom decorating ideas" and you will be rewarded with thousands of websites that offer such information. For a more specific search, add a particular theme such as "fish" or "rubber duckie" to the search terms and you will be directed to sites that focus on that specific decorating idea.

Better Homes and Gardens is one of the biggest names in home decorating. You can find page after page of bathroom decorating ideas that will inspire you. Browse their many pages for inspiration or focus on a theme that you are most interested in and pursue it. Indeed, Better Homes and Gardens really is something of a long term bible for people who are interested in home decorating, including bathroom decorating ideas. You would be well served by spending a good deal of time exploring what is available through the Better Homes and Gardens website when it comes to bathroom decorating ideas.

The experts at iVillage offer some of the most up to date information on decorating on the internet today. You can find them online as well. Many people visit iVillage each and every day in search of such things as bathroom decorating ideas. This can be a perfect venue for you in your own search for bathroom decorating ideas today. Look over all of their pages of bathroom decorating ideas and see if anything grabs your fancy. The best thing to do is to browse and see what you like.

By spending even a small amount of time surfing around the Net you will be able to find some very good and solid bathroom decorating ideas. In a short amount of time you will be able to obtain those bathroom decorating ideas that will best meet your own needs, goals and objectives. You will be well on your way to making these bathroom decorating ideas into wonderful realities, truly enhancing your own home now and well into the future.

A very in depth study of 2000 consumers who shopped and made purchases from Home Depot, Lowes and Menards home improvement Big Box stores in 2006 has just been completed by a very respected building materials research firm.
Consumers that responded had to shop in a minimum of 2 of the chains to be qualified for input to the survey and were not paid anything for their participation. The telephone procedure utilized was conducted in 56 markets within the 48 states between July and October of 2006. The markets and resulting parameters were selected based upon housing activity in 2005. Menards Home Improvement seems to be doing very well.
The results of this recent survey were compared to results from the same survey conducted two years ago.
In the 122 page all inclusive report; the 3 competitors are rated on 29 different product categories to determine which types of customers shop for which types of products frequenting which chains. The 3 big box home improvement stores including Menards Home Improvement are also rated against 11 very specific categories related to shopping attitude.
These categories include but are not limited to:
The store is the absolute best value for my money
The store is the place I get the most useful help when I need it
The store values me as a customer
Also studied was – which big box stores – comparable to Menards Home Improvement – do consumers utilize and what do they actually purchase?
In this regard, Home Depot has seen some loss in the category
Lowes and Menards Home Improvement have improved over the previous study. In fact, Menards Home Improvement is the highest rated big box store for the entered and actually purchased category. When consumers go to Menards Home Improvement, they know what they are looking for and usually find it. Losses can be caused by consumers not finding the items they were looking for, as well as not being able to acquire assistance from store customer help staff, among various reasons.
As lumber and related items tend to define the Big Box home improvement stores such as Menards Home Improvement, a loss was noted at all chains in the number of lumber purchasers from the 2004 to the 2006 studies.
Home Depot showed the biggest decline, followed by Menards Home Improvement and then Lowes.
Another category related closely to larger projects – rough electrical
Home Depot lost over 40% of its previous purchasers, – Lowes losing 23% and Menards Home Improvement experiencing negligible change.
Two questions come to mind that may bear the reason for these changes- are consumers actually performing their own large renovations where these products would require purchases on their part, or are they seeking other avenues for their purchasing? It would seem that Menards Home Improvement has the best handle on current issues.
Generally, as the housing market declines, which is true of many areas studied larger Do-It-Yourself projects see considerable activity as homeowners see incentives to renovate their existing homes.
The home improvement market is ever changing and companies such as Menards Home Improvement must constantly adjust to hold customers and maintain their market shares.

The bathroom is often the last place that a person would think of decorating, but for those who enjoy their long, hot baths or steamy showers, it can be a place of sanctuary. Plus, when you have company over and they use your bathroom, you don't want it looking like the men's restroom at the Super Dome. A bathroom can be a nice reflection of your personality and style. Some people use that room to go all out and really show off their quirky flair for the unusual and fun. Just stick to one motif and style because when you have too many things going on it is not attractive, cute, relaxing or fun. In the end, bathroom decorating can be a very important task.

For a fun bathroom decorating idea, try an aquarium or rubber duckie theme. You can purchase a shower curtain in these themes and many accessories. Show off your personality! For a more adult, elegant theme, mirrors really open a room and make it appear larger. Opt for muted colors and you may want to try a sliding shower door as opposed to shower curtain if your shower and tub are all in one. Use lace, gauzy material, even try a gauze canopy over the tub for an elegant and romantic bathroom. Whatever bathroom decorating idea you choose, make sure that you reflect your unique and special personality.

When it comes to seeking supplies for bathroom decorating, you may want to spend some time surfing the Net. In this day and age there are now in operation some websites that can provide you with everything that you do need for bathroom decorating.

In addition to websites dedicated exclusively to bathroom decorating, many designers and experts maintain their own online websites that offer a wide array of informational resources, services and products … including things for bathroom decorating. For example, home styling diva Martha Stewart has a strong Internet presence. Through her website venues, you will able to access ideas and products relating to your own bathroom decorating project.

Finally, in the brick and mortar world, the typical home improvement center will be able to provide you with a large selection of different products to further your own bathroom decorating project. In some instances, you will be able to buy items for your bathroom decorating project at discounted prices.

You can do a home energy audit yourself. Using a systematic check list, you can find a variety of problems in you home. When performing your audit, make a checklist of areas you have inspected and problems you have discovered. This will help you prioritize your energy efficiency upgrades.

Air Leaks – a major source of energy losses
Jot down a list of obvious air leaks (drafts). The potential energy savings from reducing drafts in a home may range from 5 to 30% per year. Check for interior air leaks, such as excess spacing along the baseboard or edge of your flooring installation. Look up at the points where the walls and ceiling join. Check to see if air can flow through these places:

here is a list of common places for air movement and energy losses. These will be discovered in many homes that were built during periods when energy issues were not a real factor in construction.
Electrical outlets and switch plates
Window frames- look for tight mouldings and if possible try to determine if insulation was place between the framing and walls
Baseboards – drafts or air spaces
Weather stripping around doors
Fireplace dampers – determine proper installation and operation for peak efficiency
Attic entrances – check fit and insuation
Check wall or window-mounted air conditioners for air tight installation.
remember to check for gaps around pipes and wires, electrical outlets, foundation seals, and mail slots. Check to see if the caulking and weather stripping have been applied effectively. There should be no gaps or cracks.

Inspect windows and doors for air leaks. Check that panes and frames are all tight and free of movement. Movement means possible air leaks. If you can see daylight around a door or window frame you have a serious leak issue. You can usually seal these leaks with caulking or weather stripping. Inspect your storm windows. New energy efficient storm windows will pay for themselves in short order.
You may also wish to consider replacing your current windows and doors with energy efficient products.

Conducting a Leak Test

Close all exterior doors, windows, and fireplace flues.
Turn off all heating appliances such as gas burning furnaces and water heaters.
Turn on any exhaust fans, heating cooling fans and bathroom fans. Use a large window fan to suck the air from one room to another. You can use incense sticks or your damp hand to detect air movement. If you use incense sticks, moving air will cause the smoke to waver, and if you use your damp hand, any drafts will feel cool to your hand.

Exterior Inspection Check Points

All outside corners
Siding and chimney Joints
Points where the foundation and the bottom of exterior brick or siding meet.
Caulk holes or openings for faucets, pipes, electric outlets, and wiring.
Look for cracks and holes in the mortar, foundation, and siding, and seal them with the appropriate material.
Check the exterior caulking around doors and windows
Ensure exterior storm doors and interior doors seal tightly.

Ensure proper house air flow systems operate efficientl so that air feeds for heating and cooling are operating efficiently. Generally, one square inch of vent opening is required for each 1,000 Btu of appliance input heat. When in doubt, contact your local utility company, energy professional, or ventilation contractor.

Insulation
Heat loss through the ceiling and walls may have a higher impact on your energy use than you realize.
Given today's energy costs, the expense of additional insulation can easily be justified. In years past when energy costs were much lower, additonal insulation was not cost effective. That has changed.

Check that attic access areas are insulated, weather stripped, and close tightly. Inside the attic, seal any gaps at ductwork and pipe openings with an expanding foam caulk or some other permanent sealant.

Check to see if there is a vapor barrier beneath the attic insulation. The vapor barrier might be tarpaper, Kraft paper attached to fiberglass batts, or a plastic sheet. If vapo barriers are absent and installation of new vapor barrir is not practical, you might consider painting the interior ceilings with vapor barrier paint. This reduces the amount of water vapor that can pass through the ceiling.

Ensure that the attic vents are not blocked by insulation. You also should seal any electrical boxes in the ceiling with flexible caulk and cover the entire attic floor with at least the current recommended amount of insulation.

Checking wall insulation is more difficult. Try to determine if there is insulation around the boxes for wall switches and plugs. Be sure you are aware of safe procedures when working around electricity. Ideally, the wall cavities should be totally filled with some form of insulation material. Inspection holes may be required in discreet locations that may easily be patched. This method cannot tell you if the entire wall is insulated, or if the insulation has settled. Only a thermographic inspection can do this.

In unheated basements, determine whether there is insulation under the living area flooring. Typically, an R-value of 25 is the recommended minimum level of insulation. The insulation at the top of the foundation wall and first floor perimeter should have an R-value of 19 or greater. With heated basements, the foundation walls should be insulated to at least R-19. Your water heater, hot water pipes, and furnace ducts should all be insulated.

Heating/Cooling Equipment
Heating and cooling equipment should be inspected annually. With forced-air furnaces, check your filters and replace them as needed. Generally, you should change them about once every month or two, especially during periods of high usage. Annual inspections by technicians are recommended.

If the unit is more than 15 years old, you should consider replacing your system with one of the newer, energy-efficient units. This is another cost effective expenditure that will also increase the value of your home. Dirt and dust accumulations around ductwork seams may indicate air leaks. They should be sealed with a duct mastic and aluminum duct tape. Insulate any ducts or pipes that travel through unheated spaces. An insulation R-Value of 6 is the recommended minimum.

Lighting
Energy for lighting accounts for about 10% of your electric bill. Examine the wattage size of the light bulbs in your house. You may have 100-watt (or larger) bulbs where 60 or 75 watts would do. You should also consider compact fluorescent lamps for areas where lights are on for hours at a time. Your electric utility may offer rebates or other incentives for purchasing energy-efficient lamps.

At one time or another you will likely consider a home improvement loan.

In this day and age home improvement loans are considered by many financial institutions as a good investment. We ourselves feel much more confident in this type of loan than might have been the case twenty years ago.

Where do you begin and how to do you ensre that you are doing the right thing?

If you aren't good with numbers and finances you might consider one of the many financial advisers that are available nearly everywhere today. Of course the lending agency will have some input and advice regarding the project size will advise you regarding the financial limitations of your home improvement loan.

You should have a rough plan describing the project. This would include approximate prices of materials and labor or a contractor estimate.

Most financial institutions or lending agencies have people that specialize in home improvement loans and are experienced at the whole process. They will know how to help you with a plan that fits your budget and will be completed on a satisfactory note. They will likely be aware of pitfalls and contractors that do not have a good reputation.

They will leverage your current assets to get you the best value in your financing effort. If you have selected a contractor before talking to you lending agency you should check out his reputation and try to get some good references. A written contract is the only way you can protect yourself in any legal action against a contractor that did not live up to his bargain. These two pieces of advice will also add some security and comfort for the lending agency that will administer your home improvement loan.

Select a reputable lending agency and contractor and have fun with your project.

Secured Home Improvement Loans
May Get Better Terms

If you are looking for a larger loan amount with a flexible repayment term, then secured home improvement loans may be the best loan option for you. With a secured loan (also called a second charge mortgage) you can seek a loan amount according to the equity you already have in your home and property and may be held by the financial institution as collateral. You will be presenting these assets as clooateral against the loan you are seeking. This type of loan normally allows you are much better interest rate and longer repayment periods.

Generally, the lenders offer a variable APR (Annual Percentage Rate) with this loan option. The interest rates vary throughout the loan period and are usually based on market financial reprots and conditions. With the reduced risk to the lender, they have the opportunity to offer these lower rates because their potential losses are reduced.

In some instances even people with poor credit history can qualify for a secured loan, provided that they fulfil the loan criteria of the lenders. A bad credit history may include missed payments, loan defaultsor bankruptcies. Even if your loan application has been declined by a lender, it might still be advisable to try agaain. Each lending institution has it's own guideline. A secured loan might may be available for a major home renovation, property improvement, or even personal expenses.

In most cases, if your equity supports the loan, the reason you want the money is not a a priority factor.

Apply for your Home Improvement Loans now !

Reverse Mortgages

This is another option for borrowing money based on home equity. When first introduced they were primarily targetted toward senior citizens. Reverse mortgages advance the homeowner in monthly lump sums bases on their home equity.

Reverse mortgages are a great way to utilize the equity on your home and to provide you with a higher monthly income. Utilizing a reverse mortgage the homeowner is paid every month and if they decide to sell the house or pass away the lender then becomes the owner of the house if heirs to the estate fail to pay the lender the mortgage value as stipulated in the contract.

Reverse mortgages will not advance the full value of your home and property. They may advance 30% to 80% of the home's value. Remember there will be closing costs and service fees to be defined in the contract.

The terms of a reverse mortgage can vary considerably. A reverse mortgage can pay a specified amount every month or advance funds on request.

This would not be a typical first horizon home loan.

If you are hunting home improvement loans, some of the reverse mortgage conditions may include:

the borrower must reside in the house
advanced funds will never exceed appraised value of the home
maximium value of advanced funds will likely be higher for older persons
With a reverse mortgage, the borrower still maintains ownership of their home and are still responsible for the taxes and insurance. Their actual liability values will not increase although their asset value may be considered decreased. A reverse mortgage must be paid as soon as the borrower no longer lives there. Senior citizens often use reverse mortgages as a way to supplement their income. The industry has come under close scrutiny and has seen considerable regulation since it's inception.

Investigate Home Improvement Loans

Repairing a Small Hole in Drywall
It is fairly simple to repair small drywall holes up to about 4 inches

After measuring the size of the area to be patched go to your local home improvement store and buy the appropriately sized adhesive mesh and metal drywall patch. They are usually available in 4", 6" and 8" sizes. The patches are designed to be peel and stick.

Watch A Video for Great Tips

Apply Joint Compound
Cover the repair area with joint compound. It is recommended that you not use spackle which is thicker. It will not spread as easy or produce the best finish.
Using a wide blade wallboard taping knife, trowel on 2 or 3 layers of the wallboard joint compound over the wall patch.
Be careful to completely cover the adhesive mesh out beyond the repair patch and blend it to match the surrounding area. Allow this coating to dry and then sand smooth with a sanding block or drywall sanding screen. Don't try to use sandpaper and your hand. You will not achieve a flat surface and the end result will not be pleasing. If required, repeat the process of applying joint compound, feathering and sanding.

Prime and Paint
Once the repair is smooth and feathered prime the repaired area with the proper primer. One method to help blend the patch is to use a small roller with a medium nap. Once the wall is primed and dried, simply paint it with matching paint.
When patching a larger hole, you will need to insert a new piece of drywall and utilize some structural support for the patch.

Watch A Video for Great Tips

Prepare Opening
The area to be patched will need to have the edges neatly trimmed. Using a framing square, mark off a rectangular section around the damaged area.

Install Support Blocking
The patch will be supported and fastened to two of the sides of the opening with wood support blocking. Cut two lengths of wood slightly longer than the opening. Using 1×4 or 2×4 place one piece inside the opening so that half the surface is exposed in the opening and the other half is covered by the existing wallboard. Hold the board in this position and fasten in place with drywall screws. Place a screw at each end and about 6" apart along the length of the opening.
Place these supports at both sides of the opening.

Watch A Video for Great Tips

Install Drywall Wallboard Patch
Measure the opening of the area to be repaired and cut a piece of drywall to fit the opening. Insert the patch into the opening remembering to keep the paintable surface facing out. Fasten the new piece to the blocking supports with drywall screws in each corner and approximately 6" apart along the length of the opening.

Tape Joints of Drywall Patch
You can use paper drywall joint tape and drywall mud but the repair will be easier using a fibreglass mesh adhesive backed joint tape. It is stronger than paper tape and does not require preapplication of adhesive material. Cut lengths of the fibreglass mesh tape and place it along the seams to be repaired. Be sure to cover each length with one continuous piece of tape. Overlap the corner joints.