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   Our remodeling contractors estimate general contractor website is designed exclusively for the homeowner and/or renter to get their job done efficiently and in a timely manner.

  We are dedicated to giving you an easy estimate request form for your remodeling project and following up with prompt and courteous service. We believe that between the customers request and our contractors skill your home improvement project will be a wonderful and delightful experience.

  Fill out the easy form and give us an idea of the project you wish to complete and you will receive an estimate from a qualified and licensed contractor. The benefit of a licensed contractor gives you assurance that your project is in capable hands and the job will be done right from start to finish.



Bathroom Trivia

A bathroom is a room that may have different functions depending on the cultural context it is used in.

In its literal sense it means 'a room with a bath', but as bathtubs have partly made way for showers and steam showers, the more general sense of 'a room where one bathes' makes more sense. There can be just a shower or just a bathtub or both, sometimes combined and sometimes separate (in which case the bathtub may have a second shower). Usually, it also contains a handbasin or sink and often also a toilet. In the USA, 'bathroom' commonly means 'a room containing a toilet' (in other countries this is usually called 'toilet' or alternatively 'water closet' (or 'WC'), or 'lavatory'). For this interpretation of the word see bathroom (American). If a bathroom facility is attached to a bedroom it is often known as an en-suite or if it's attached to a master bedroom it's known as a master bathroom.

A half (1/2) bath contains a toilet and a handbasin (lavatory). A 3/4 bath contains a toilet, a handbasin (lavatory) and a shower. A full bath contains a toilet, a handbasin (lavatory) and a bathtub.

  For information and articles about contractor laws and licensing we have included a link for your convenience. To find out more, simply click on the corresponding state you wish to obtain information from. - Home improvement contractor info

Additional information and resources:

Read Home Decorating Articles - We have included a great resource link for you to get ideas about designing to compliment any home improvement project. The link will open in a new window so you may keep our estimate form open for easy access.

Find Decorating Pictures - Finally...a source for interior decorating and gardening pictures! A giant selection of home and garden, and interior decorating from a great website that will give you many ideas about updating your home with an array of well thought ideas. Link opens in new window so you may return for an estimate.




Design considerations

The design of a bathroom must account for the use of both hot and cold water, in significant quantities, for cleaning the human body. Disposal of the water usually leads to a sewer or septic tank. Water may be splashed on the walls and floor and hot humid air may cause condensation on cold surfaces. From a decorating point of view the bathroom presents a challenge. Ceiling, wall and floor materials and coverings should be impervious to water and readily and easily cleaned. The use of ceramic or glass, as well as smooth plastic materials, is common in bathrooms for their ease of cleaning. However, such surfaces are often cold to the touch and so water-resistant bath mats or even bathroom carpets may be used on the floor to make the room more comfortable. Alternatively, the floor may be heated, possibly by startegically placing heater conduits close to the surface.

Electrical appliances, such as lights, heaters and heated towel rails generally need to be installed as fixtures, with permanent connections rather than plugs and sockets. This minimises the risk of electric shock. Ground-fault circuit interruptor electrical sockets can reduce the risk of electric shock, and are required for bathroom socket installation by electrical and building codes in the United States and Canada. In some countries, such as the UK, only special sockets suitable for electric shavers are permitted in bathrooms, and are labelled as such.

Bathrooms can also be a source of decorative inspiration. One can easily decorate the bathroom by choosing shower curtains or cubicles to match a theme.




Home Improvement Information

Wood Panels and Humidity


Coping with wood movement

All wood workers need to be aware of wood movement when building furniture projects. Failure to consider this important factor can cause wood panels to crack or split.

My high school biology teacher compared the structure of a piece of wood with a bundle of straws. The straws represent the cells and capillaries of the wood. When a tree is growing water and food are transferred up through the cells and are carried throughout the tree.

Once a tree is fell the free water in the wood is lost rather quickly but the bound water trapped in the straw like cell is slower to dissipate. As the level of bound water is reduced these straw like cells get narrower in diameter but maintain their length. This is the fundamental reason that wood expands and contracts across its width but has almost no expansion length wise.

When working with wood it is very important to allow the wood to expand and contract with changes in humidity. As humidity rises the straw like cells expand in diameter with the opposite effect occurring as the relative humidity falls.

Ways to accommodate expansion

Lets use a cutting board for the first example. A solid wood cutting board with a bread board edge secured with a tongue and groove joint. One edge has the bread board edge secured on both ends with a dowel through the tongue The other bread board edge is secured with the same tongue and groove joint but this end only has a dowel in the center of the piece.

The end secured with two dowels will develop a crack in the main panel. Since the length of the edge piece doesn't change having it fixed across the width of the main panel from expanding.

Alternatively, the opposite end of the cutting board is only fixed in the center. The main panel is free to expand and contract towards the ends. The only visual difference would be that the ends of the edge piece are no longer flush with the edge of the main panel.

The second example uses a large glued up panel such as a table top. If the table top was fixed to the rails across the width of the panel the rise and fall of humidity would undoudtable cause the panel to split.

The best method to overcome this is use wooden clip to attach the two pieces. A 1/4" x 1/4" dado milled on the inside upper edge of the rails. This accepts a wooden clip that fits into the dado and is then secures to the underside of the table top. This will security hold the top hold the top onto the rails without restricting the expansion and contraction of the large panel. Without this the table top would slowly start to open up.

In general anytime you are fixing one piece of stock across a large glued up panel measures need to be taken to allow the panel to move. Remember that it will expand across its width but not its length. Using one of the two methods mentioned above you will be able to prevent your glued up panels from splitting.

About The Author

Dave Markel is the author of "The All Wood Working Journal". He has helped hundreds of individuals improve their wood working skills. Visit his site at http://all-wood-working-plans.com. Subscribe to the All Wood Working Journal at http://all-wood-working-plans.com/wood-working-tips.html.


MORE RESOURCES:
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This Old House plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey shows the proper way to replace an old kitchen faucet

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I just installed two new chair-height toilets and one of them is dripping around the base bolts. I tried tightening and replacing, but it's still leaking. The other toilet is fine. What do I do?

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