Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

I heard about "toxic molds" that grow in homes and other buildings. Should I be concerned about a serious health risk to me and my family?

The term "toxic mold" is not accurate. While certain molds are toxigenic, meaning they can produce toxins (specifically mycotoxins), the molds themselves are not toxic, or poisonous. Hazards presented by molds that may produce mycotoxins should be considered the same as other common molds which can grow in your house. There is always a little mold everywhere - in the air and on many surfaces. There are very few reports that toxigenic molds found inside homes can cause unique or rare health conditions such as pulmonary hemorrhage or memory loss. These case reports are rare, and a causal link between the presence of the toxigenic mold and these conditions has not been proven.

In 2004 the Institute of Medicine (IOM) found there was sufficient evidence to link indoor exposure to mold with upper respiratory tract symptoms, cough, and wheeze in otherwise healthy people; with asthma symptoms in people with asthma; and with hypersensitivity pneumonitis in individuals susceptible to that immune-mediated condition. The IOM also found limited or suggestive evidence linking indoor mold exposure and respiratory illness in otherwise healthy children. In 2009, the World Health Organization issued additional guidance, the WHO Guidelines for Indoor Air Quality: Dampness and Mould [PDF - 2.52 MB]. Other recent studies have suggested a potential link of early mold exposure to development of asthma in some children, particularly among children who may be genetically susceptible to asthma development, and that selected interventions that improve housing conditions can reduce morbidity from asthma and respiratory allergies, but more research is needed in this regard.

A common-sense approach should be used for any mold contamination existing inside buildings and homes. The common health concerns from molds include hay fever-like allergic symptoms. Certain individuals with chronic respiratory disease (chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, asthma) may experience difficulty breathing. Individuals with immune suppression may be at increased risk for infection from molds. If you or your family members have these conditions, a qualified medical clinician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment. For the most part, one should take routine measures to prevent mold growth in the home.

How common is mold, including Stachybotrys chartarum (also known by its synonym Stachybotrys atra) in buildings?

Molds are very common in buildings and homes and will grow anywhere indoors where there is moisture. The most common indoor molds are Cladosporium, Penicillium, Aspergillus, and Alternaria. We do not have precise information about how often Stachybotrys chartarum is found in buildings and homes. While it is less common than other mold species, it is not rare.

How do molds get in the indoor environment and how do they grow?

Mold spores occur in the indoor and outdoor environments. Mold spores may enter your house from the outside through open doorways, windows, and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems with outdoor air intakes. Spores in the air outside also attach themselves to people and animals, making clothing, shoes, bags, and pets convenient vehicles for carrying mold indoors.

When mold spores drop on places where there is excessive moisture, such as where leakage may have occurred in roofs, pipes, walls, plant pots, or where there has been flooding, they will grow. Many building materials provide suitable nutrients that encourage mold to grow. Wet cellulose materials, including paper and paper products, cardboard, ceiling tiles, wood, and wood products, are particularly conducive for the growth of some molds. Other materials such as dust, paints, wallpaper, insulation materials, drywall, carpet, fabric, and upholstery, commonly support mold growth.

What is Stachybotrys chartarum (Stachybotrys atra)?

Originally posted here:
CDC - Mold - General Information: Facts about Stachybotrys ...

BB Enterprises Ltd is one of the UKs most experienced family demolition and decommissioning companies, with a reputation for, Quality, Innovation, Health and Safety since 1964.

Since 1964 generations of our family have built up a reputation as a reliable demolition company. With a wealth of experience and adding new ideas and practices brought in by the younger generation. BB Enterprises Ltd pride our self in customer satisfaction, staff, customer and public safety and innovative ways of getting projects completed ahead of schedule.

We are a demolition company for all, we are able to service large industrial projects, but we are happy to work on the smaller projects that others may not.

Our "Demolition Planner", your main point of contact knows all aspects of demolition, planning and legal requirements. You may be aware there are lots of hoops to jump through for demolition and construction projects, BB Enterprises will jump through each of these hoops with you, ensuring the best, quickest solution for you.

Any company or individual planning a demolition project anywhere in the UK should either call or email us. Our "Demolition Planner" will then advise you the best course of action, then action our plan.

Link:
Demolition Company in Gloucester, Gloucestershire ...

Bestsquarefeet.com is an Organization managed by veterans in business since 1985 in various Industry verticals with a motto Service Excellence, Transparency and Integrity as our principles.

We, Bestsquarefeet.com offer a the best services in Real estate and Building Construction-Building Contract Viz., Property advisory, Legal & brokerage, rentals & leasing consultation, Valuation, research & feasibility reports, Constructing small to huge Residential, commercial and Industrial projects & facilities management services and real estate loan and financing.

Bestsquarefeet is the best BUILDER in Chennai of Posh apartments, Villas, Bungalows and independent houses. We offer good ratio for land owners for Joint development for apartments and Villas. Quality construction and finishing the project at stimulated is our specialty.

In a nutshell, we do help our Real estate Clients on all aspects right from identifying properties, Registration till building and constructing in the property. We assist our Clients - customers in verifying the legalities, documentation, loan processing, valuation etc. Buying, Selling, Leasing and Renting the property through us is as simple as just making a call or sending an email. We research and study the open market value, forced sale value and future projection value of the properties so that you can get a clear and better picture of the exact asking price for your property. So we are able to provide a win-win situation for both the buyer and seller.

We have a proven record for making many successful transactions in which both the buyer and seller are very satisfied. We understand the fact that satisfying the client is the ultimate success in the business than making few extra cash.

In India, buying or selling a property is emotional as well as a life changing decision one can make. We understand that completely and extend our service to match or surpass all expectations.

Send us your requirements, and we will be glad to offer our service right away. Your satisfaction is our promise.

For More details, Please Click the below given link - Our Executives will contact you soon.

View original post here:
Real estate company chennai|Builder|Construction ...

Susan and Guy Chancey's attic renovation was inspired by love love between a husband and wife, between a father and daughter, and love for a house. It began in 2009, when, after her mother's death, Susan invited her dad to live with her in Asheville, N.C. In order to accommodate Dr. Brannon and his faithful pup Heidi, Susan and Guy would need to create more living space. The choice was either to move out or to renovate the attic. They chose the latter and eventually moved up when dad moved in.

The newly-renovated attic provides plenty of space for family game nights.

"We always thought about fixing the upstairs," said the Chanceys, who had been living comfortably on the two-bedroom, one-bath first floor since moving in 2007. The attic was an unused and disregarded space, visible only through a 12x12 inch hole. Susan poked her head through once; Guy, on the other hand, had actually snaked his way up there to secure the heavy living room light fixture. They heard rumors that the previous owner planned to finish the attic, but after gutting the first floor and building it back, they ran out of money.

In order to rationalize the expense of a renovation, Susan and Guy would have to gain a full-service second floor with two bedrooms (a master and one for Guy's daughter, Ella), a full bath and space that could translate into a den and/or office. Susan envisioned an enclosed tree house of sorts, filled with natural light, eco-friendly materials and comfortable furnishings. As a stylist who works in both the wholesale market and antique world, Susan has an eclectic mix of products at her fingertips. A renovation would offer the perfect canvas to integrate her latest likes.

The Chanceys lured one architect, several structural engineers and five contractors to their 1913 cedar-shake bungalow for consultations. As Susan and Guy shared their vision, they were met with skepticism and remarks such as, "if you've got enough money, anything is possible." And then, along came Bruce Childress, a general contractor who Guy describes as "open and willing to collaborate." The Chanceys disclosed their all-inclusive ballpark $90,000 budget to Bruce and also warned him that they were both picky, especially Susan. Bruce put in a bid, and the eager couple accepted.

The renovation took less than three months, and the Chanceys lived and Susan worked in the construction zone. From the crawl space to the 109" peaked roof, the first phase was spent fortifying the entire house. The crew erected posts and poured concrete in the unfinished basement. They blew open the attic, and installed double and triple LVL beams. Susan explains, "It was just so hard to know how things were going to work until we got up there."

The details were the devil, says Susan, recalling the stress with exasperation. But at the same time, she smiles, there were many happy accidents! The convergence of beams outside the bathroom was one such happy accident. What appeared awkward at first turned into an architecturally dramatic moment around which Susan designed a window in memory of her mother.

As Bruce and crew forged ahead, Susan searched for basic building materials such as flooring, tile, doors and windows. She and Guy agreed to buy locally if the price was feasible. Susan grabbed the final inventory of French Bordeaux flooring from a local supplier, as well as five-panel interior doors that matched the ones downstairs. For classic white subway tile, however, she couldnt beat the price of the big box stores. Once she ordered these elements, she could move onto her favorite part the decorating.

To downplay the severity of sloped ceilings, Susan chose to paint all of the ceilings the same color as the walls. The enveloping color feels cozy and warm.

Susan thought about the palette for some time and collected a bunch of paint chips in assorted shades of gray, green, brown and blue. She carried them everywhere and studied them in different light before narrowing her selection down to seven. The palette was inspired by her love of nature bark, earth and foliage.

More:
An Unused Attic Gets a Full Makeover | Home Remodeling ...

Craftsman decor has a style all it's own. It is a clean comfortable style. When you have a Craftsman style home, you definitely want to furnish it with craftsman decor items in you decorating theme. A high style craftsman home is usually furnished with craftsman decor items, and we certainly can supply you with all your craftsman decor needs. Starting with andirons and finishing up with some high style craftsman decor wrapping paper, you can really do you home up with proper craftsman decor styling in almost every way possible. If you've ever had a hard time finding craftsman decor items for your home you are in luck, indeed.

Just imagine wanting to spruce up the front of your craftsman style home so it really has a high style look. You have absolutely come to the right place. You can start out with a few simple things, like perhaps a doorbell button or some of our many styles of wonderful house numbers. Take it a step further and add a couple of craftsman exterior lights by the front door. If you have a mailbox that is totally inappropriate for your style of home, we have many different styles of craftsman mailboxes from which to choose, and believe you me, they truly make you home stand out from the rest. If you don't happen to have a mailbox, but have a mail slot instead, we can even help you out there. Take it another step, and we have a nice selection of door knockers also. Wait a minute, we're not done with your front door area yet, we even have some wonderful craftsman style screen doors in a very high style selection of designs. And don't forget to complement that with one of our great looking welcome mats in the craftsman style.

By all means, don't stop at improving just the exterior of your home for passerby's pleasure, but increase the value of your home on the interior also. After all that is where you spend the majority of the time, so you will want to enjoy all the beauty that the craftsman style of home has to offer while you are relaxing in your lovely abode. One of the items that can give you home a true high style craftsman look in a straightforward manner is to add some wonderful craftsman style light fixtures. We have a wide variety of different styles in various price ranges, surely one will fit into your particular style of craftsman home. Furthermore, we are sometimes able to customize depending upon what your needs are. If you are on a budget that is very tight, you can use a little elbow grease and your imagination by stenciling some high style images onto your walls. Talk about really giving you home a lot of flair for a small amount of money - this definitely is the ticket. Give your walls a fresh coat of paint and then pick a couple of stencils from our nice selection. Opt for some beautiful complimentary colors to fill in the stencil design and you have added a great deal of ambiance without putting a huge strain on your budget. If you have been searching for an outstanding look to put on your floors you must view our many craftsman style rugs. Keep in mind, that these beauties are of the highest quality and are real showstoppers in any room. So if you want to really spiff things up, spend some time perusing around and then when you come down to earth give us a call.

View post:
Craftsman bungalow restoration decor and home furnishings

When a St Augustine lawn or a section of a lawn fails for whatever reason you have several options. The most turned to option is replacing the lawn with St Augustine sod sodding is stripping St Augustine turf from a field and planting it on your lawn. Sodding a lawn brings instant gratification the failed lawn is preplaced by a successful lawn within hours.

The primary goal of preparing your lawn for sodding is to have soil to soil contact where the soil side of the sod is in contact with the soil of your lawn. There is lot of flexibility on how you achieve soil to soil contact, but the best method is to strip the existing weeds and such from your lawn with a sod cutter. This not only exposes the soil for soil to soil contact but often leaves a very level surface.

In Pinellas County, there is no month that you cannot plant St Augustine sod. Every season has its pros and cons but rarely (if ever) will St Augustine sod fail because of when the sod was planted. The best time to plant St Augustine sod is the wet warm summer months and the least optimal time would be the cold dry winter months.

Fertilizers are for the soil not the sod. If your lawn has poor unfertile soil as in it hasnt been fertilized in years then any fertilizer will help. The best fertilizer method for St Augustine sod is to apply a fertilizer to the soil before planting the sod. Consider putting about one pound of nitrogen per 1000 square feet of soil.

Planting sod is as simple as placing the sod pieces edge to edge and trimming borders to the size. No special technique or tips here just get the sod on the ground, green side up. One clue: There are about 450 pieces of sod per pallet and sodding goes quickly if you get in a quick paced rhythm of picking sod and throwing it into place and set your mind to doing just that - 450 times!

The number one determining factor for the success or failure of your newly planted St Augustine sod is water! The sod has no roots and has less area to obtain water than a well-established turf. You must compensate for this by watering every day for at least the first month. In addition to watering, the water must cover the lawn water goes down, it does not move sideways so if you are not watering a spot on the lawn, it will die.

The down side to instant gratification is the cost. A newly sodded lawn is about $4500.00 by contract or about $1000.00 plus a whole weekend of hard labor for the DIY. Renovation is the process of carefully nursing a lawn back to health with good management. However this takes time - often a year or more and you may still need to add sod to severely damaged areas. The up side is that it costs the same as taking care of a newly sodded lawn. For more information on lawn renovation read St Augustine Lawn Renovation | I Love Turf

Authored by Rick Orr

Rick Orr is an Agronomist and Owner/Operator of A Promised Land Lawn Spraying, Inc. A Promised Land Lawn Spraying Inc., is a family owned business serving residential and commercial (large lawn) properties in Clearwater, Largo, Seminole, St Petersburg and all areas of Pinellas County, FL. You can learn more at our Info Page or on Facebook . Follow me on Twitter and Pinterest. To request a a free quote for your St Augustine turf grass lawn, click here-> Request for Proposal<

View this author's website: http://www.iloveturf.com/company-info

See more here:
Planting a Lawn with St Augustine Sod | Lawn Care Blog ...

Straight Edge Painting Is A Higher-Level, Quality Driven, House Painting Service. We have madea commitment to excellence in our fieldand we are fast becoming the professional paintersof choice in the JacksonvilleFlorida area. We are one of the top painting contractors on Angie's List, Google, Houzz, Yelp, and the Better Business Bureau. We are an expert interior painting and exterior painting company that specializes in painting houses. Our reputation of friendly customer service, dependability, and high quality painting is growing rapidly. Our house painters in Jacksonville FL are some of the best in our area. We hand pick our painters and then train them to meet the highest standards.Weuse quality paint products and hire the best painters in our profession so we can offeryoua higher quality painting service. We are apainting service only and our painters are True"Painting Professionals."Contact us next time you needquality painters Jacksonville FL.

We are also one of the Favorite Painting Companies on the following sites: Yellow Pages, Pinterest,You Tube, Bing, Jacksonville Business List, Trusted Pros, Judy's Book, Pro-Matcher, Total Household, Merchant Circle, Jacksonville hubbiz, Manta, Build Zoom, E-hard-hat, Fixr, and the Chamber of Commerce.

Read More

The rest is here:
Straight Edge Painting - painting contractors Jacksonville FL

Remodel Your Kitchen Without a Major Renovation

Cabinet refacing is a cost-effective way to give your kitchen a whole new look by replacing cabinet door and drawer fronts and veneering the exterior of the cabinet boxes. Your kitchen layout stays the same and the existing cabinets remain in place, so you avoid the inconveniences of a major renovation while still getting a noticeable return on investment. Enhancements like glass doors, light valances, crown moulding, new hardware and other accessories can easily be added for a more customized look.

Roll over images to view the After results.

If you like the current layout of your kitchen and the interiors of your cabinets are in good condition, your kitchen is a great candidate for cabinet refacing. The advantages of this type of project are:

Looking for brand new cabinets? Check out our Kitchen Cabinets Buying Guide.

New cabinet faces are installed in six simple steps:

Doors are the most visible component of your cabinets and the key element in transforming the look of your kitchen. The Home Depot offers a large selection of doors for cabinet refacing, including the following:

The Thermo Collection consists of one-piece rigid engineered thermofoil doors, which are available in a large number of styles and in both solid and wood-grain finishes that can be mixed and matched to fit your remodelling needs. Doors come standard with a white back, but blended backs are also available for most Thermo colours.

10600 Summer Flame

10500 Secret Maple

See the original post here:
Cabinet Refacing | Buying Guides | Home Depot Canada

Design Your Dream Home Today!

Create fun and easy designs for any house project. Build realistic 3D models for your home design or interior design using automated building tools. Visualize your new dream home today with Home Designer.

Create a 3D model that can help to visualize your home projects. Create realistic views with materials, textures and colors. Choose from Day or Night views, Framing, Doll House and Glass House views to see your design from every viewpoint.

Quickly place and arrange walls, windows and doors to create accurately scaled floor plans. For new plans, select pre-designed Home Design and Landscaping Style Templates or use the House Assistant to lay out your rooms. Download editable sample plans for design inspiration.

With Automated building tools, any time a wall is moved the Roof, Framing and Foundation automatically update. Plus, with Home Designer Pro and Architectural you will find several manual building tools to further customize your home project.

Home Designer's stair tool can create straight, curved, split stairs and ramps with defaults typically used in construction. Customize the number of stair sections, tread height and railing style. An automatic stairwell creates a stair opening between platforms. With Home Designer Pro, you will find advanced settings and control for stairs.

Doors and Windows can be customized to create just about any style- wood, casement, moldings, lites, shutters and window treatments. Modify the height, width and shape to create the exact door or window you desire. Home Designer Pro has advanced settings for rough openings, mulling, and lintel and sill.

Remove a 3D slice from your design and create a detailed view using the 3D cross section elevation slider. From front to back, or side to side, this tool will let you look through your design from any point. Cross Sections are a great way to help you communicate the details of your design. Use the Remove Surface tool to see into tight spaces or to produce architectural style views.

The Auto Dormer tool has gable, hip, shed and barrel dormers. Click to place on the roof and the software creates all the structural elements so the framing and roof cutout are accurate. Skylights work the same way and bring natural light into your model so you can easily see the effects.

With Automatic Roof and Ceiling tools, you can create the style that's right for your home. The software automatically creates flat ceilings once the roof is generated and you can create a variety of styles including vault, trey and coffered. Home Designer Pro includes manual roof and ceiling tools where you can create and edit individual roof and ceiling planes.

See the rest here:
Home Design Software - Remodeling Projects

What is APLD?

We Define Landscape Design

The Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD) is an international organization founded in 1989. Our mission is to advance the profession of landscape design and to promote the recognition of landscape designers as qualified and dedicated professionals. APLD members adhere to a code of professional standards, encourage continuing education, and stay up to date about new developments and latest trends throughout the field. We offer members a certification program the only one of its kind that provides professional recognition to those designers who can pass a rigorous peer review program. We offer consumers trained professionals who can help them achieve the gardens they truly desire.

+ Learn more about APLD

Why Hire a Designer?

Hiring a professional landscape designer could be one of the smartest investment decisions youll ever make. Designers trained and qualified in the principles of garden design and horticulture can help their clients avoid the costly mistakes that can turn the dream of an outdoor haven into a landscape nightmare. Professional landscape designers are skilled practitioners of fundamental design concepts proportion, unity, balance, perspective, color, texture that can bring about a fully integrated design. They have a comprehensive knowledge of plants so that you get the right plant that grows to the right size for the right place in your garden. They are skilled communicators and planners who work with contractors, vendors, local governments and others to complete successful projects. Professional landscape designers are also aware of our natural environment and promote sustainable practices whenever possible. They are inspired by the creative process, by great design, and most of all, by their clients needs, wants and dreams. To find a designer, enter your zip code in the "Find A Designer" tool on the left hand side of this page.

Go here to read the rest:
APLD | Landscape Designer | Association of Professional ...