Home Improvement Solution

Archive for May, 2008

Now that we are well into the 2008 lawn growing season, I’m sure you’ve got your turfgrass properly fertilized properly and looking super thick and pretty. You’ve toiled to foil the onslaught of invading dandelions, clover and other weeds; and you are on a regular watering and irrigation schedule to keep your investment alive and growing.
The final basic element involved is the cutting. This is my favorite part of the maintenance process.
The positives are not only for the turf grass, but for the homeowner as well.
Mowing benefits to the homeowner include:
First off, cutting the lawn involves a power tool, namely, your mower.
Secondly, it involves some form of exercise (for which my wife is appreciative).
Finally, it affords the operator a chance to get some real thinking done.

Let’s explore each of these benefits.
(1) The power mower: I use a variable speed, self-propelled 21″ Lawn Boy ‘sense-a-speed’ mower, rear wheel drive. (Oh that sounds hot just to say out-loud!)
My lawn is only 8,000 square feet, so I am not in need of anything larger; besides, I run that puppy wide open!
(2) The exercise: It takes about an hour to mow my lawn including edging, weed-whacking and cleanup. That’s not bad really. I suppose if I wanted to increase the aerobic benefits in this process, I could lose the “self-propelled” mower option and push the thing, but I’m not really that fat! Ha!
However, one thing I am in favor of to increase the benefit in exercise is mow the lawn 2 or 3 times per week! This helps #3 come more into focus as well as benefits the turf itself: it’s a venerable cornucopia of benefaction!
(3) The thinking time: (this is a great one!) Ponder this: you are out for 1-hour doing a job that only requires one person to do, that no one else in your household really wants to do anyway (especially if you have teenagers like I do). This means it’s all yours; you own it … completely!
On top of that, your wife can’t bark or nag at you during this time because the mower engine noise drowns her out completely and she knows it! It’s just plain quiet time for you inside your head! That’s better than a hammock under a tree and a cold lemonade as far as I’m concerned.

Now let’s get down to the tips that benefit the lawn itself.
(1) Mowing height
(2) Mowing frequency
(3) Mowing direction
(4) Mulch or Catch

Mowing benefits for the lawn, by the numbers:
(1) The height: This one varies according to the type of grass you have. But who *really* knows their grass type? Chances are you have a mix of Kentucky BlueGrass and some sort of fescue or rye. With that in mind, I tell folks to set their mower on the highest or second-highest setting. You just don’t want to remove much more than 25% of the grass blade in any single cutting.
It’s like this: If I lose a finger-nail, I’m going to be just fine, but if I lose my entire arm, I’m in a world of hurt, …got it?
And on a side note, ya gotta have a sharp blade. A dull blade rips the grass blades instead of cutting them. Rips turn brown and rob the lawn of it’s color.

(2) Assuming proper irrigation year-round, the lawn needs cutting weekly. I’ve had people call me to complain that after cutting their lawns, they turned yellow. Upon further investigation, I found that they had not cut the lawn prior for a month! Now we’re back to the finger-nail vs the arm analogy. Please folks, be responsible and keep your turf trimmed regularly.
As mentioned above, I actually try and get people to mow twice per week, but that’s over-the-top for most.

(3) The mowing direction isn’t the biggest deal here, but you certainly don’t want to mow the exact same way all the time or you take a chance on developing ruts in the lawn. You also will literally push lines of turf down, and “train” them to lay down all the time … like people “train” their hair to lay a certain direction…this is not a good situation for turf-grass.

(4) Mulch or catch? Ford or Chevy?
Yeah, it’s like that. I do both depending on my mood. Catching has benefits in the end because you don’t have as many clippings to blow off the driveway. If you do mulch, make sure you have a quality mulching blade installed to grind up the cuttings into super-fine bits!

So next time you head outside to cut that lawn, be sure to review the benefits to you, as well as your nice patch of green grass.

Al Haneson blogs about Illinois issues and life at Ambit Illinois Natural Gas and DIY Lawn Tips

Before you begin your remodel project, you want to develop a plan that includes a detailed layout with measurements. This is needed to ensure all of your fixtures will fit as planned.

If you are working with a small budget, then you may want to use your existing plumbing layout. If moving the plumbing will create more useable space, then consider it, though keep in mind it can be expensive.

Bathroom Vanity Cabinets
The simplest way to update a bathroom on a budget is by replacing the vanity. There are many unique vanities to choose from, including contemporary styles with flat panel doors and drawers and stylish chrome faucets, to traditional furniture style pieces that can add character to any remodel project.

Make a list of your storage needs; this includes cosmetics, dental care, grooming, small appliances (hairdryers, etc), & cleaning products. Before you purchase a vanity, take precise measurements. If installing a pre-built vanity, it is important to measure the maximum allowed space and find a vanity that is a few inches smaller. Most vanity measurements include the counter top, which can in most cases be the largest point on the overall cabinet. If the top is made from a solid stone, such as granite or marble, it is very difficult and sometimes impossible to modify the top, even if it is too large for your space.

Faucets
Faucets can vary widely in price, and this is directly related to the quality. Going with the lowest price isn’t always the best option for faucets. The finish on the faucet also determines its price (ie chrome is the least expensive and oil rubbed bronze is the most expensive). Also be certain that the faucet comes with ceramic disk vales, which have a longer life cycle.

Mirrors
Size and style are the two factors to consider when purchasing vanity mirrors. You need to have mirrors that are positioned in relationship to the lighting and big enough to reflect back at you. It is also important that the style and finish compliment your overall design.

Flooring
You want floor material to be resistant to moisture, a hard surface that is easy to clean, and also has some texture so that it is not slippery when wet. Many materials are used now in bathrooms; consider concrete, tile or wood.
Heated flooring is a great element to consider if you are replacing the floor. The best place for heated flooring is in the bathroom.

Lighting
This is the most critical component to consider when completing the layout of your bathroom remodel. Things to consider include:
Is there any natural light in the bathroom? Adding windows or skylights can be expensive.
Ceiling Lights: the most cost effective and efficient light source is recessed can lights; adding a chandelier or pendant lights can add elegance to your design. Ceiling lights are most commonly complemented by vanity lights.
Vanity Lights: these are the two to four bulb fixtures you install above the mirror.
Decorative Lighting: such as sconce lights, generally these are installed on the side of the mirror.

Julia Ritzenthaler is Owner of boutique online furniture stores, http://www.UniqueVanities.com, http://www.UniqeMirrorsOnline.com, & http://www.UniqueLightFixture.com. For more information about unique bathroom ideas, visit us online or email us with your questions at uniquevanities@msn.com.

When your kitchen is looking a little dated and in general tired it is not always necessary to rip out the entire kitchen and start again. A far simpler, a more affordable way to change your kitchen is to replace the worktops. By doing this your kitchen will look fresher at a considerably smaller cost than replacing all of the fixtures and fittings.

Worktops vary greatly in quality as well as the materials used in their manufacture. Popular materials for worktops are granite, hardwood, composite stone and laminate. All have various benefits and downsides and also vary greatly in cost.

Granite, while being the most expensive can be considered timeless and is especially popular at the moment in kitchen design circles. Its strength is its main benefit although the price can put many buyers off. More affordable are the composite stone materials that are becoming increasingly widespread. The greatest benefit of these composites is that it is possible to find fantastic colours, making them a design feature in their own right.

For those looking for the simplistic element to their kitchen worktops wood is the material of choice. The woods used vary from oak, walnut, cherry, beech and iroko. Wood is popular with DIY enthusiasts as it is possible to cut and fit them yourself, greatly reducing labour costs.

Oak is a strong material and has a classically elegant style about it. The rich colouration and quality grain makes it extremely stylish. An added benefit is that over time oak will age adding warmth and a homely feel to your kitchen.

Walnut has long been used for worktops thanks to its beautiful grain patterns; the warmth it can bring to a kitchen is immense. For an ultimately natural style in creating a county kitchen, worktops made from walnut should be a major consideration.

Cherry has a rich colour that will appeal to many people. Currently kitchen designers have increasingly incorporated cherry into their designs thanks to the red colouration and the fact that over time, it darkens and becomes a sublimely attractive material.

If dark woods are not your preference beech should be considered, the light and airy sense created by installing beech worktops can make your kitchen a comfortable place to be in. If you do not like the oppressiveness that some dark woods can cause, beech is an appealing option.

A newcomer to the world of kitchen worktops is iroko. This dark African wood can make a stunning design feature thanks to its rich colours. It is also extremely durable sometimes being labelled the ‘African teak’.

Once you have decided on which wood or stone you would like for your worktops it is strongly advisable to find a supplier that has quality materials at their disposal. Remember that the cheapest price does not necessarily relate to the best worktops. You should also remember that your wooden worktop will need to be treated before it is usable. Applying stain and protective coatings is an essential element to prolonging the look of your new kitchen. This process will have to be carried out regularly meaning that a wooden worktop can be considered quite labour intensive. If you feel that you are not up to the task, stone worktops may be more preferable.

Your choice of material for your worktops is essential to the renovation of your kitchen. While cost is always a factor, finding the right material should be your main concern. If you remain realistic about what you can afford you should be able to create a kitchen that will bring you years of pleasure.

Interior design expert Thomas Pretty looks into ways to use kitchen worktops to renovate your entire kitchen.