The Way to Compare Investment Brokerage Firms

Normally, individual investors need the services of a stockbroker to buy and sell stocks of stocks and other investment products. Your assortment of options is wide, spanning from full-service brokerage houses, such as Charles Schwab or Morgan Stanley, to bare-bones online-only outfits like E-Trade, Scottrade and Sharebuilder. Which kind of brokerage you go with depends on your investing needs and comfort level.

Telephone the brokerages you are considering. Pay a visit to their websites. Document the commission fees each company charges for stock, bond, mutual fund and other types of trades. As the Motley Fool website notes, full-service brokerages charge higher commissions than online brokers since they offer a wider selection of investment products and information. Additionally, stockbrokers at businesses tend to get paid on commission.

If they allow margin trading or options, ask. All full-service houses make both accessible. Discount brokerages perform also. In any case, use caution as both approaches are not acceptable for novices. Option trading involves betting that a stock will rise or drop by a certain date, while a margin account lets you borrow money against your account’s equity to boost your purchasing power.

Research each firm’s website. Even full-service brokerages tend to give customers online access to their accounts to conduct research, create trades and update personal info. Some websites are simpler to use than many others. If you place limit orders or want to create trades inside an IRA, for example, be certain that the agent’s site allows for such moves. Otherwise, you’re going to end up on the telephone making trades the site will not allow, which generally translates into greater prices.

Ascertain whether someone is available to answer the telephone. As you might want online powers, it’s wonderful to know you can call in to make a trade or ask a question. Full-service brokerages typically allow you to run any sort of trade over the telephone. Some reduction companies offer restricted telephone alternatives, frequently through an automatic system as opposed to an individual being. Others are no-frills, operating entirely online.

Read the fine print. Like banks, brokerages frequently use seemingly hidden fees. For instance, if you open a brokerage account with a mutual fund firm, it might charge higher commissions to exchange mutual fund grants from other businesses. See whether it costs a fee because of transfers or excessive trading.

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How to Find Out Who Owns a House for Rent

In case you have ever been searching through a neighborhood and detected that a rental property that was of interest, you might have wondered how to learn who owns the house. Luckily, there are moderately easy techniques to utilize public information to identify property owners without having to knock on the door and ask the tenants.

Write down the street address of the rental home you’re interested in getting more info about. Get the house number, the street and town for your hunt. The zip code will help in some circumstances, but is not necessarily essential.

Check out the Public Records Online Directory, listed in the sources below. Plug in your data based on its own prompts, and as long as your state has an internet web database of tax parcels, you need to be able to pull up the data, free of charge and within a few minutes.

Go to your regional court house and see whether you’re able to get access to the public documents about the house. Many municipalities have documents readily accessible, but some court houses will charge you a commission for the service.

Call the city office and inform them you’d like to acquire info about a particular tax package. The staff will be able to steer you in the ideal direction for the info.

Stop in at the local corner shop or hardware shop. In case the owner has existed for a while, he most likely will be able to fill you in on all the details concerning the house, and more.

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Not to Buy a Condo

A condo is a housing unit in a building where other houses may be beside, under and over one unit. Ownership of the property in the project, including the ground on which one unit sits, is owned by the collective whole of owners at a job. Condos have homeowner institutions that use the covenants, conditions and restrictions (CC&amp& amp;Rs).

Financing Issues

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) insures mortgage loans for house buyers who purchase homes that they will occupy. Private lenders approve buyers, and the FHA issues an insurance policy which insures the lender repayment if the borrower defaults. Many buyers such as these loans since they have lower-down repayment requirements and can have lower rates of interest, since the loan is guaranteed by FHA. All detached houses under a specific pricing ceiling decided by a market by market basis are eligible for an FHA loan. The FHA's policies concerning condos changed in 2009. New or existing condo communities have to be accepted by the FHA before the FHA will consider insuring a loan for a buyer in that specific community. The most number of loans per condo job the FHA will ensure is 30 percent at any particular time, leaving 70 percent of all other buyers confronted with conventional financing or buying with cash.

Low Resale Possible

Historically, condos have sold more gradually than single-family houses since the demand for connected housing is lower than it is for detached homes. As stated by the RE Report, the days available in June 2010 for single-family houses was 59, although it had been 72 for connected houses, including condos.

Association prices

Association fees are a variable in condo projects. Some homeowner associations elect to raise the deductibles on their insurance coverages, and when a claim is made, the cost of the deductible is spread one of the owners, that might be in for an unexpected expense. If someone is hurt on the property and files that a huge claim or lawsuit, the employer 's association might need to satisfy the deductible, and the insurance company will pay the remainder. When the deductible on the master insurance coverage is $50,000, the taxpayers might need to pay their share of the allowable In an job with 100 units, each unit's owners would need to pay $5,000 each, unless their private homeowner's insurance coverage covers the master association's obligations.

Special Assessments

Condo institutions have the authority to increase the monthly association fees once the reserves are too low or the components require extensive exterior work to get a new roof or siding or other large capital improvements. The institutions have a legal right to need the money, and owners who don’t have it will have liens placed on their property. Owners are able to avoid having to pay large special assessments if they have an HO-6 insurance plan on their unit.

Pets

Most condo communities make it possible for pets, but they nearly always need to be under a specific weight. Buyers that have pets that won’t be accepted by the association might need to find new homes for them.

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What Are the Benefits of Mortgage Refinancing?

Refinancing a mortgage allows a borrower to renegotiate the conditions of a home loan. Mortgage interest levels swing upward or fall depending upon the fiscal climate in general and on the interest rate banks pay when they borrow. Banks operating in a strong financial climate might loosen lending restrictions and offer prime loans to borrowers who have higher debt ratios or poor credit. During economic downturns, banks tighten lending standards.

Reduced Interest Rates

Reduced interest payments interpret to lower monthly premiums, generally resulting in savings to the borrower. When interest rates fall, a homeowner might have the ability to refinance the home loan at a lower rate. Monthly payment for a $200,000 loan with an interest rate of 6 percent is $1,199. Monthly payment for the same loan at 5% is $1,136. Greater interest rate discounts yield higher savings. Improved credit scores also can lower the interest rate offered on financing.

Better Terms

Homeowners may reap when they refinance a variable-rate mortgage and exchange it for a fixed-rate loan. The security of a fixed-rate mortgage protects a borrower from rate rises later on. Shortening the term of the mortgage from 30 years to 15 reduces the amount a borrower pays for interest. A homeowner with a 30-year loan for $200,000 at 6 percent pays $231,640 in interest over the duration of the loan. The identical loan paid over a 15-year term costs the homeowner $94,120. A homeowner may benefit from refinancing a loan when he eliminates private mortgage insurance, or PMI. Some lenders hesitate to eliminate PMI from existing mortgages even when homeowners repay the debt beyond the normal 80 percent loan-to-value brink –that the amount owed divided by the home's market value. Refinancing starts the process anew, and all variables are negotiable.

Money and Consolidation

When housing markets rise, an owner mechanically builds equity in her home. Equity–the value of the home in excess of the amount owed–provides owners options when they refinance. Banks typically fund up to 80 percent of a home's value. A homeowner might only need financing equivalent to 50 percent of their present market value of their house. The bank may disperse the remaining 30 percent of the amount to the homeowner in cash. A borrower may also mix first and second mortgages into a single loan in the event the complete loan-to-value ratio stays under 80 percent. When home values fall, a homeowner might not even have 20 percent equity in the home. To complete the refinance transaction, a homeowner must actually put cash into the deal–this is referred to as a cash-in trade.

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Tenants' Rights Against Evictions

Renting an apartment can provide less stability than owning an home. You might not ever have to be worried about it, but the chance of being evicted from your unit is present. You provide just cause for an eviction. Sometimes, your landlord tries to sue you for his own gain or legitimate reasons outside your control. In California, strict laws exist to regulate the flooding process and protect tenants' rights.

Types

A tenant may do something to prompt the eviction actions, such as not paying the rent on time, violating different terms of the rental or damaging the apartment beyond what the law considers”normal tear and wear.” In San Francisco, according to the city’s Tenants Union, landlords can only evict tenants covered by rent control for one of 15″simply causes” Some of those points are beyond the tenant’s control. By way of example, landlords can evict tenants in certain instances if they wish to make significant repairs or move in the unit occupied by a tenant. Local laws regarding evictions change; nonetheless, historically, rent control cities such as San Francisco tend to have regulations.

Time Frame

Your landlord can end a month-to-month tenancy in California using a 60-day note if all tenants residing in a unit have lived there for more than a year. If any tenant has lived in the unit for under a year, just a 30-day note is required, as stated by the California Department of Consumer Affairs. In San Francisco and many other rent control towns, this note must be accompanied by an explanation of the”just cause” reason for termination of their tenancy. You may get a 3-day notice if you commit a crime that warrants eviction. If it’s possible to remedy the problem within 3 days, however, by paying past due rent or eliminating an illegal pet from a unit, as an example, California law requires your landlord to provide you with this opportunity and keep the tenancy if you comply.

Considerations

Back in California, a landlord can”serve” a 3-day, 60-day or 90-day detect in one of 3 ways. She is able to serve it to you at home or work, serve it to some”a person of suitable age and discretion” at your house or work, or put a copy of the eviction notice in a”conspicuous” place at your apartment. In the latter two instances, your landlord should also send you a copy of the eviction notice in the email. The Department of Consumer Affairs clarifies that if you don’t go out in response to this notice, the landlord must file an”unlawful detainer lawsuit” in Superior Court. You have the right to a jury trial in California any time a landlord tries to evict you in your unit, even if you owe back rent.

Ellis Act

Ellis Act evictions are a point of contention in San Francisco, particularly in California. Beneath the Ellis Act, a landlord can evict all tenants from all units”unconditionally” with the intention of”going out of business” As the San Francisco Tenants Union advises, however, landlords often abuse the provision. In some cases, landlords invoke the Ellis Act so that they can convert apartments into condo units for sale. The grip on such actions tightens. Ellis evictions need 1-year notice for seniors and handicapped persons. All tenants need to get 120 days’ notice. Landlords can re-rent units under the Ellis Act, but if they do so inside 5 years, they need to offer the former tenants first right of refusal, and rents can’t exceed what the evicted tenants were already paying.

Owner Move In

San Francisco landlords have been known to mistreat”owner move in” evictions. By way of example, a landlord might assert that he or even a”close relative” plans to move in the unit only to get rid of a rent-controlled tenant in favor of a new tenant who will pay exchange rate. San Francisco just allows one proprietor move-in flooding per building. The landlord or relative must move into the unit within 3 weeks of evicting the tenant. He has to dwell in the unit for three or more years, according to the Tenants Union.

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Issues With Diagnosis Residence Appraisals

When selling a house, you would like to list it for the price. You want the price to be reduced enough to encourage offers, but large enough so that you don't lose out on an important quantity of profit. Real estate agents help sellers find this price by introducing them with relative home appraisals, a list of exactly what costs similar houses in the neighborhood fetched when they offered. Comparative appraisals can include their particular problems.

Shifting Dollar

When real estate brokers hunt for comparable home sales, they may pick up houses which were sold one or two decades back. Real estate markets can change in a year, although this might not look like a long time period. If you’re selling a three-bedroom Cape Cod, the only other three-bedroom Cape Cods that transferred in your neighborhood may have sold a year and a half ago. The residential property market might have been at the center of a boom period, when home costs rose; now, the housing market might be down. You won't be able to control the same price for your Cape Cod that sellers could nab a year and a half ago.

Too Many Foreclosures

Housing foreclosures can throw off the precision of house appraisals. This is especially true when foreclosure earnings glut your property marketplace. Foreclosed properties often sell for dollars than do houses sold through conventional means. If you’re selling a four-bedroom ranch and your probably comparatives are ranch houses that offered through foreclosure, you may feel pressured to reduce your asking price. That's because your comparatives, in foreclosure, sold for lower than market value. Buyers may balk at paying you a higher price, though the lower costs of this foreclosed ranches in the neighborhood are artificial.

Lack of Similar Homes

When there aren’t any similar houses to compare to theirs sellers run into trouble. Maybe your four-bedroom Victorian house boasts a recently additional sun deck, renovated kitchen and newly expanded master bedroom. This should increase # 039 & your house . Regrettably, three other four-bedroom Victorian houses in your neighborhood recently offered that didn't have any of these additional amenities. Buyers may question why your home is listed with a cost significantly higher than the price that those other Victorians earned on selling. They might hesitate to offer a much higher price for your property, despite the amount of work that you put into it.

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Mantel Makeover: By the Grade to Live-Edge Wood of Builder

“Builder’s grade, plain old wood painted at a screaming white shade.” This was inside decorator Cathy Zaeske’s lament seeing her ho-hum mantel. “It screamed ‘wrong’ to me because the day we moved in,” she says. The scale and appearance of the stark white mantel did not stand up to the two-story vaulted ceiling and the flagstone fireplace surround. She tried painting it a honey shade to help it blend in, but in the long run, she just couldn’t live with this. It was time to get a job. Beginning with a crude sketch, in five times complete (two to construct and set up; two to three to sew), Zaeske needed a stunning live-edge mantel that brought harmony to her living space. Here’s how she did it.

Before Photo

The mantel did not relate to anything in the rest of the room, and also that it was a part of the area’s focal point exacerbated the problem. “I was willing to do anything to make the mantel disappear,” Zaeske says.

Instead of making it vanish, Zaeske determined it was a fantastic chance. She had wanted to use live-edge wood in her home for quite a while, and this looked just the chance to achieve that.

She needed a crystal-clear vision in her head, but couldn’t discover any real-life examples of a floating live-edge mantel to demonstrate her carpenter, so she started doodling it.

Your Room From Cathy Zaeske

AFTER: Here’s a glimpse at the final product. The mantel fits the rest of the fireplace surround in scale and look, and gets the appropriate presence in the room, along with also the live-edge wood adds a warm and interesting feel. On to the particulars of how she did it.

Zaeske discovered the wood at Owl Lumber at Des Plaines, Illinois. “They were amazingly patient and helpful as I scrutinized each slab,” she says. “I wanted the color variation, graining and size just perfect.” The slab cost $700.

“The lumberyard thoroughly cut on the slab into three boards of my preferred size, and we hauled the treasure home in my job phone — I suggest minivan,” she says.

Zaeske had a fantastic working relationship with a carpenter (he had worked with her on other endeavors(such as this swinging daybed). “He managed to bring my crude sketch to life,” she says.

Cutting and Cutting the corners required extreme attention to detail, as they needed to line up just right to attain the wraparound appearance.

To get a more smooth appearance, her carpenter used cookies and wood glue to hold the borders in place.

He and his associate then added bottom and top pieces to create a box — which makes the mantel seem to float.

The present mantel did come in handy for something — it provided a good foundation for the new piece. They slid the new box directly over it, after adding some additional support for the weight of their new mantel.

The cassette marks signify where the new frame and the bottom of the art will hang — more on this in a moment.

Hint: Utilize sawdust to fill in the pits on a job like this.

“The pits were tight but only a hair off at a few places,” Zaeske says. “By packaging in a bit of sawdust with his finger, my carpenter made them to stay in place. Then the varnish sealed it beautifully.”

To save some money, Zaeske varnished the new mantel herself. She used six coats of Minwax Wipe-On Polyurethane, lightly sanding between each coat. While happy with the consequences, she admits if she needed to do it, she’d have used tung oil before varnishing, because it would sink and push the graining outward.

Your Favorite Room From Cathy Zaeske

Here you may see how the hard work about the corners paid off.

“We left the very bottom edge rough; it adds another dimension with a third very dark, almost black tone,” Zaeske describes. “I love the various lines, colours and variations of this wood. It’s nature’s way of color blocking.”

The lighter hues at the bottom portion pick up about the honey colours of this flagstone encircle, while the upper part works with all the red wall and present brown tones in the room.

Your Favorite Room From Cathy Zaeske

The mantel has inspired Zaeske to expand her own layout horizons at home. She is enjoying going from a more traditional style into a transitional-eclectic style and blending new and old, rustic and sleek.

Your Favorite Room From Cathy Zaeske

For example, she has been playing with the scale and materials of mantel accessories. While one instinct told her to go for taller candlestick lamps for scale, she is trying out some short chrome lamps with black shades for contrast.

She also nixed placing a TV over the fireplace. “The top of the mantel reaches 70 inches — not only is that too large to comfortably see a wall-mounted TV, but by placing the TV at the corner, it allows us to also take in the pretty view out our big windows,” she says.

Your Favorite Room From Cathy Zaeske

Following the mantel was in place, Zaeske believed her triptych needed a tweak. She had a frame made with 11/2- by 11/2-inch strips, then painted it light gray.

“it’s very special to us, as it is the same tree and view that we consider some time sitting by the fire in our cherished family cottage in Door County, Wisconsin,” she says. “Those minutes are so very valuable that I knew I needed to bring that peaceful feeling home.” The angle and placement of the image give her the same vantage point of this tree that she’s in the next photograph.

“The new frame functions on so many levels — its clean lines help move the space from traditional to transitional; it is airy and light; it supplies pleasing contrast with the walls; it ties in with all the stone of the fireplace; and it literally frames my favorite tree in the world, which makes the focal point additional notable,” she says.

Wall paint: Confederate Red, Benjamin Moore

Browse live-edge mantels

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How It Lasts

Pots and pans certain look gleaming and gorgeous coming out of the box, but after many years of spaghetti dinners, roast chickens and holiday feasts, a well-used toaster arsenal is likely to reveal its age. Make your sauté pans, stockpots and skillets worthy of the hanging pot rack once again with just a little elbow grease and a couple of easy-to-find, mild cleaning goods (including ketchup, of all things) — and learn how keep the glow as soon as you’ve got it back.

Below you will find daily care and stain removal hints for cookware made from stainless steel, copper, enameled cast iron and much more.

Cynthia Lynn Photography

Great practices for many cookware. No matter the sort of cookware, it’s ideal to wash it as soon as possible after ingestion (cleaning as you go is ideal), and use the least abrasive cleaning process you can. Washing by hand is always preferable, even for pans and pots that claim to be dishwasher safe. Washing by hand will avoid the discoloration and scratches that could occur in a dishwasher over time.

The tips and techniques that follow are good general instructions, but you might also need to confirm the manufacturer’s suggestions. In case your cookware is under warranty, employing the incorrect cleaning product may invalidate your arrangement, therefore it pays to do your own homework.

Frederick + Frederick Architects

Stainless Steel

Everyday care: Preferably, wash your stainless steel pots and pans by hand shortly after use, using regular dish soap. Nevertheless, stainless steel utensils are among the few types that could take care of a trip through the dishwasher — therefore, if you are in a hurry, don’t worry about tossing it in with all the dishes. Standard cleaning in the dishwasher may create spots or a muddy surface.

Stain removal: To brighten up muddy or spotty stainless steel, rub the surface with a rag dampened with white vinegar. To deal with stains on the bottom of the pan caused by high heat, sprinkle a gentle scouring powder (like Barkeeper’s Friend) onto a moist sponge or sponge to make a paste, and rub it on the stained area. Rinse with water.

Crisp Architects

Copper

Everyday care: Wash copper pots and pans available, with warm, soapy water.

Stain removal: Bring that lustrous finish back to stained aluminum by covering your brow using ketchup (yes, ketchup) or lemon. Allow the ketchup sit on your pan for a minimum of 10 minutes, then rub on the discoloration away with a rag or sponge. Rinse clean with warm water.

Divine Design+Build

Enameled Cast Iron

Everyday care: Allow the pan to cool before washing it — a sudden temperature change may endanger the enamel. Soak the pan in warm water first, then apply a soft sponge and a mild dishwashing detergent to wash it. Do not use abrasive scrubbing pads, as they can damage the tooth end.

Stain removal: Heal discoloration on the outside of the pan with a mild scouring powder, like Barkeeper’s Friend. For tough stains on the inner surface, fill the pan with white vinegar and warm water and bring to a boil on the stovetop. Switch off the heat and allow the pan soak using the vinegar solution, then wash as usual.

Goforth Gill Architects

Hard Anodized Aluminum

Everyday care: Allow the pan to cool before washing it, and never place a hot pan in cold water, which can cause warping. Wash by hand, with a mild dishwashing detergent and warm water — placing your hard anodized pans in the dishwasher may void your warranty.

Stain removal: For stains on the outside only, use a paste of baking soda or some mild scouring powder, like Barkeeper’s Friend. Rinse with warm water.

Nonstick

Everyday care: Use low to medium heat only — higher temperatures can permanently damage nonstick pans. Wash immediately using a soft sponge and warm, soapy water. If scrapes or flakes start to look on the nonstick surface of your pan, recycle or toss it immediately. Otherwise those flakes will wind up in your food … not some thing you want to occur!

Stain removal: On the outside only, consider using a glue of Barkeeper’s Friend or some similar scouring powder.

colincadle.com

Cast Iron

First Taste: When you buy a new cast iron pan, wash it by hand in warm, soapy water. Dry the pan using a towel, then set it in a 300-degree oven for approximately five minutes to wash it thoroughly — even a bit of residual moisture can cause rust to form on cast iron pans. Next, with a paper towel, then rub a tablespoon of vegetable or olive oil on the surface of the pan, indoors and outside. Wipe away excess oil — you are planning for a thin coating. Set the pan in a 300-degree oven for an hour, let it cool, then rub it all over with a clean rag.

The Last Inch

Everyday care: Never use soap in your cast iron pan. Promptly after each use, wipe the pan out using a paper towel and a bit of oil. When food is stuck, operate the pan under warm water and wash the food off using a soft brush or plastic loaf — recall, no soap! Soap will eliminate the seasoning, which is what creates that wonderful nonstick surface.

Stain removal and longterm care: For extremely rough, stuck-on meals, boil water in your pan on the stovetop for a few minutes, then wash it as normal. Reseasoning occasionally will help maintain the finish.

John K. Anderson Design

Clay Pot

Everyday care: Most clay jar must be soaked in warm water for 15 to 30 minutes prior to each use. Always place your clay pot in a cold oven so the pot can come up to temperature slowly. Do not use your clay pot on the stovetop or under a broiler, and never put a hot pot on a cold face — any abrupt temperature changes can break it.

Wash it immediately, with a paste of baking soda; wash with warm water. Soap isn’t encouraged for unglazed clay pots, though you may have the ability to use a mild soap on clay pots that have been glazed; check with the maker.

Stain removal: Try leaving a paste of baking soda onto the discolored area for a minimum of 10 minutes, then wipe out and wash with water. Do not use abrasive sponges or harsh cleaning products onto a clay pot.

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Tricky Basement Toilet? Cool Design Prospect!

Little spaces, outbuildings and basement bathrooms are some of the jobs on the bathroom remodeling spectrum. You have got to plan a lot beforehand with so much happening in this little space. Not only do you have to ventilation and route plumbing, but you have to consider the space you’re building in. Is it a hundred-year-old house with a rock foundation that might be a design wow? Or is it a modern building with a construction? You also have to consider what’s happening on each side of the door, which impacts, well, everything.

Gina Bon

Be bold. The typical strategy for a bathroom in a basement would be to hide it, but occasionally there is simply no way to pull this style move off that isn’t dull. The reason: Basement bathrooms will need to compete for space with the furnace, water softener, hot-water heater, stairs etc.. And occasionally after I lay out the bar, bedroom and whatever else makes the space awesome, there is no place awesome left for the bathroom.

In this instance it is often best to run hard in the other design management and observe it in plain sight, make the bathroom component of the plan along with a bit of their experience. Celebrating “undesirable” things is one of my preferred design tricks.

Fischer & Frichtel

Always vent. Among the most crucial parts of a bathroom in a basement would be a sufficiently powerful ceiling fan to evacuate the moisture — not letting it move in the ceiling or utility space, but outside. Like, where the sky is. While you’re showering, steam is a tiny cloud. But the water falls back to the baseboards and turns back into water, when you’ve left. Then it becomes that gross stuff you do not wish to wash.

A vent fan is your way to get the moisture from the house. I repeat, out of the house. Don’t get me started on how many times I’ve seen bathrooms beamed into the attic or a different hidden area. Your attic might be cold or hot, but it is still technically inside. Get that moisture out!

Paul Welschmeyer ARCHITECTS & energy advisers

DiGuiseppe Architect

Expose the construction. A basement bathroom offers abundant opportunities to use the present raw construction of the house. Rubble foundations, for instance, are basically constructions. Cover their looks that are powerful with shingles?

And consider the plumbing, also. While drain lines and electrical services aren’t all that cool to look at, aluminum distribution lines (water lines) can be gorgeous. If you’ve got an open structure, it is sometimes easiest — and awesome-est — to make the most of what you’ve got.

Exposing pipes can be a cool way to make a basement space sense industrial or like a person cave. It’s also far easier than building soffits and bulkheads to hide everything. If you’re a building geek like me, it is best to design a space where you can see the working parts.

Krause Construction Denver Colorado

Boost solitude. Many builder-grade homes include hollow-core doors. These doors have a real-looking timber grain but are composed only of 1/4-inch-thick components, and are basically cardboard and air inside.

While hollow-core doors can be OK for certain rooms, I try to use solid-core doors for the bathroom to help keep the bathroom experience as much of a one-person affair as possible. Solid-core doors deaden the sounds generated in the bathroom. So if you’re having a book club meeting or down poker night there, a good door and insulated wall framing that both deaden sound are fine for everybody.

HomeTech Renovations, Inc..

Build up. Small-space remodels can often be more challenging than big-space overhauls. So much must happen in such a tiny area, it is like dancing on the head of a pin.

So when I move into a small area, I’m constantly thinking about how I can use it smartly, use it and make everything seem like it is supposed to be there.

Jim Burton Architects

Be one with nature. Basements aren’t always underground. When designing or constructing a bath, take into consideration the approach from the outside, as well as the windows, egress and view, from inside and outside the john.

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How to Maintain Your Residential Window Tint

Installing window tint is an emerging trend that’s popular with many homeowners. And why not, window tints have immense benefits. To start with, a tint can prevent 99% of the harmful UV light rays from the sun, reducing the risk of skin cancer substantively. Installing window repair can also reduce the cooling cost at home to nearly 30%. These are massive savings.

Finally, the tint will reduce the glare on TV and computer screens, and protect your flooring and furnishing from the harmful effects of direct sunlight. The tint on the windows may also be valuable during a storm. The film can easily hold the glass shards when the glass breaks. This will significantly reduce the extent of damage caused. But in order to maximize these benefits, your tints need to be properly maintained.

Here are some tips that will help you:

The tint needs to be cleaned on a regular basis.  As a rule of thumb, the windows need to be cleaned facing east only and at night.

Don’t use glass cleaning products on your window tints. This is a very common mistake and you should avoid it. Most glass cleaning agents contain hush chemicals that can easily damage the film on the tint. Instead of going for chemicals, you can use a simple solution of mild soap or baby shampoo mixed up with water. Water and vinegar will work too.

Don’t use rough materials to scrub the windows. Kitchen paper towels, scrubbing pads, or even old newspapers should not be used to wipe off windows that have a tint. Instead, use a soft cotton cloth or a microfiber cloth.

Use a simple technique to clean the windows. First, spread enough fluid on the surface until it dampens. It’s only when this is achieved that you can now wipe off the excess fluid with a dry cloth. Don’t wipe off the tinted windows when they are still dry.

Hire a Professional Maintenance Service

In case you feel there’s not enough time in your schedule to dedicate to window cleaning, then you can easily hire a residential window cleaning maintenance service. Average window cleaning companies may also have the expertise needed to deal with tinted windows. Hiring a service has two important benefits. First, it ensures that the cleaning is done as effectively as possible. Secondly, it saves a lot of time and resources. Residential window cleaning has been estimated to extend the longevity of windows by 10-15 years. This is the kind of maintenance that your tinted windows will need. Considering you will only have to pay a small fee for the service, it should indeed be worth it.

window installation can add additional benefits on your home. There are many different types of tints but all will require pretty much the same maintenance routine. The simple options above should come handy for any homeowner. They will work well to ensure your tints last for a very long time.