Bathroom Remodeling Ideas
There are many ideas to consider when remodeling your bathroom. For someone who would like to have an upscale bath the options are endless. A bathroom has become a place for relaxation and glamour, rather than just a necessary room. It is hard to believe that people used outhouses at one time. Continue…..
According to the National Home Builders Association, the aging “baby boomer” population of the U.S.A. will have the second biggest impact on the remodeling industry of any factor over the next 5 years. If you do choose to remodel your home for safety and accessibility what work should you be commissioning? Here are some of the essential elements of a senior friendly home. Continue…..
If you’ve done your own renovations and remodeling, putting the final issues to rest so that you can finally proclaim yourself finished is notoriously frustrating and always more time consuming than you would have imagined. As soon as you think you are at the end of the to-do list, something else appears that needs to be taken care of. Continue…..
So you’re getting ready to remodel your home and you want to go green as much as possible because you’re trying to be more environmentally responsible… and you also wouldn’t mind saving some money on utilities and maximizing your home’s resale value. Where do you start? A good place to start for your remodeling and construction [...]
LEED is an acronym for Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design and is a rating system of sustainable green building and development practices.
LEED is also a nationally recognized, third party certification system and accreditation program conducted by the U.S. Green Building Council that certifies building projects meet high green building standards based on performance and measurable results in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.
When LEED was first created it focused on new construction only but The U.S. Green Building Council and the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) partnered together to create the REGREEN Program, which has created national green remodeling guidelines for existing homes so remodeling projects can also follow USGBC guidelines. To check out their guidelines go to http://www.regreenprogram.org
In the US, our homes are responsible for 21% of our nation’s greenhouse gas emissions. In the United States , approximately 4 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent (almost 9,000 pounds) per person per year (about 17% of total U.S. emissions) are emitted from people’s homes. The three main sources of greenhouse gas emissions from homes are electricity use, heating and waste.
Formaldehyde is another gas emission from homes. It is emitted from many materials used to construct and remodel a home. Formaldehyde is a colorless gas. At elevated concentrations it has a strong, pungent odor and can be irritating to the eyes, nose, and lungs. Formaldehyde is released into the home from a variety of indoor sources. Some resins, or glues, used to bind wood chips or fibers into plywood, particleboard, and other pressed wood products, contain formaldehyde. Cabinetry and some floor and wall materials are often made from such products.
SOME COMMON SOURCES OF FORMALDEHYDE INDOORS
Pressed wood products: particleboard, plywood, medium-density fiberboard (MDF); often used in cabinetry, and wall and floor materials
Consumer Products: wallpaper, paint, coatings; often a preservative in these and other products
Coatings for Some Cabinet and Furniture Products: acid-catalyzed urea formaldehyde type finishes.
Combustion Appliances: wood stoves, gas appliances, kerosene stoves
Living in a green home means that you’re helping to stop the causes of climate change and using green materials and getting LEED certification in your remodeling and construction projects can help you not only be kind to the environment but also be kind to your body and your own personal health and there are also financial benefits to earning LEED certification too.
When you do a green LEED certified homes may also be eligible for financial benefits such as lower fees for financing and lower insurance rates.
To learn more about LEED certification you can go to their website at: http://www.usgbc.org
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Eco Friendly, Go Green, Green Materials, Homes Renovations, House Remodeling, Remodeling, Remodeling Houses, Remodeling Project, Remodeling and Construction
“contractor” “contractors” Some of the biggest problems with contractors can be easily avoided by simply checking out the contractor first and making sure that you’re hiring a reputable, well established and professional contractor. While most states license electrical and plumbing contractors, only 36 states have some type of licensing and registration statutes affecting contractors, remodelers, and/or specialty [...]
“contractor” “contractors”
Some of the biggest problems with contractors can be easily avoided by simply checking out the contractor first and making sure that you’re hiring a reputable, well established and professional contractor.
While most states license electrical and plumbing contractors, only 36 states have some type of licensing and registration statutes affecting contractors, remodelers, and/or specialty contractors. The licensing can range from simple registration to a detailed qualification process. Also, the licensing requirements in one locality may be different from the requirements in the rest of the state.
Check with your local building department or consumer protection agency to find out about licensing requirements in your area. If your state has licensing laws, ask to see the contractor’s license and make sure that it’s current.
Since not all states require licensing you may have no choice in hiring an unlicensed contractor. This can still work out if you know what you are doing and he knows what he’s doing. The license doesn’t necessarily mean you get expertise, but it does mean you get leverage. A contractor will right his wrongs to avoid losing his license.
You can also check out the contractor with your local consumer protection officials. They can tell you if there are any unresolved consumer complaints on file, however, even if there aren’t any complaints on record it doesn’t necessarily mean that there aren’t any previous problems. It may be that problems exist but haven’t been reported or another possibility could be that the contractor is doing business under several different names….but checking anyway doesn’t hurt.
If the contractor doesn’t have a phone number listed in the local telephone directory that might be a red flag and should definitely warrant further investigation. Reputable, well established contractors are usually at least listed in the phone directory and many also have websites as well although not having a website is NOT an indication that a contractor isn’t professional and well established but an unlisted phone is certainly questionable.
I found this really great contractor’s license reference site that is very useful: Contractors-License.org/
For any state that requires a contractor or tradesman to be licensed they will keep records of the license and this site has direct links to every state’s contractor’s licensing board. So you could easily call or go online and check out if a contractor is licensed or not.
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