Spruce Up That Old Basement For Some Much Needed Room!

As a family grows they need more space. The basement is a valuable and large source of space that is frequently overlooked by homeowners. Often when homeowners need more space in their homes they consider knocking out a wall or building an addition to their homes. What many homeowners fail to capitalize on is the significant amount of additional space that is already built into the house, space that few use to its full potential. That space is the basement.

A remodeled basement can drastically increase the amount of livable space inside of a home. A properly remodeled basement can serve any number of functions from a recreation room, laundry room, guest room, home theater, or even your own personalized sports bar. Why take a cab home from the local pub when you can just take the stairs?

Walls
Most basements have bare concrete or cinder block walls. You will need to finish the basement walls with a material of your choosing. Walls are a necessity for many reasons. Walls over the default brickwork create a more natural look to the new basement, covering exposed wiring, water pipes, and joists. Walls also provide much needed insulation. Moreover, walls create spaces to install electrical outlets, which will be a legal and practical necessity regardless of the planned usage.

Lighting
Typical basements come with very little lighting, often little more than a bare bulb with a string switch. Bear in mind, your new basement will be need to be better lit than the rest of your home, because of the absence of natural light. Lighting can be maximized by strategically adding windows or mirrored surfaces to your basement remodel plan.

Flooring
The poured concrete floor of your current basement will not do. The pores in concrete draw loads of moisture into the basement. Consider the many choices of floor coverings available for your basement. Carpet and hardwood are not recommended because they will react poorly to the moisture in the basement. Vinyl, stone and laminate flooring are better choices because they are resistant to moisture and they are easy to heat. It is wise to install electric floor heating in your renovated basement to combat the high moisture levels.

This list is not exhaustive by any means, but you cannot successfully renovate your basement without these basic considerations. Now that you are equipped with information, it’s time to do some homework. Find a reliable local contractor with a design team and ask some questions. Learn about your local building codes to see what you will have to do during the course of your project to make your basement safe and sound in the eyes of the law. Before you know it, you will be ready to get started. With the right design team, you can turn what was once an auxillary storage space into a cozy and inviting human habitat.

If you decide to remodel your basement, be sure to do the proper planning and preparing. When a home is originally erected, the basement is never intended to be a functional living space. To make it so, the designer will have to make some significant modifications to ward against darkness, moisture and cold. But if approached by a knowledgeable designer, making a basement livable is a welcome and rewarding challenge.

This brief basement remodeling guide will outline some of the essential considerations a homeowner must make before beginning a basement remodeling project. Once you are acquainted with some of the major obstacles in front of you, you will be better equipped to begin planning your basement remodel. Five essential considerations to make when assessing your basement are: moisture, usage, walls, lighting, and flooring.

Moisture
Moisture is the make-or-break factor of a basement. By virtue of being underground, all basements collect moisture. Some basements collect so much moisture that renovation is impractical or impossible. Examine your basement for significant moisture. Significant moisture means that water is actually pooling and/or dripping into your basement. If your basement is too moist, it is not a candidate for renovation and you can save yourself a lot of time by quitting while you are ahead and looking into that ground level addition project.

Usage
What do you want to use your new basement for? This is one of the most fun parts of a project. Pre-visualize the basement as it would appear after the remodel. Are you interested in building a home theater? If so, how many seats and where will you put them? Do you need a play room for the kids so you can have a little more peace and quiet upstairs? The way you choose to use the new basement will have the most affect on any subsequent design decisions. For example, if you include a guest room in your basement plan, building codes require that you equip the basement with an new exit in addition to the door that leads back into the home.

How to Pick a Remodeling Contractor

Bathroom Remodeling – Aiming For Proper Accessibility

The bathroom can both be a relaxing and dangerous place for anyone at home, especially when we deal with the elders. Bathrooms can be dangerous for those older people who cannot already be up steady on their feet. Hence, it could help a lot that in your bathroom Remodeling plans, you remove anything that would put them in much danger. And instead, apply some other accessories that would make that portion of the house much safer.

In your bathroom Remodeling, you can choose to install walk in bathtubs. These prevent the idea of getting out of the tub and slipping accidentally on wet floor, no matter what your age may be. These walk in bathtubs come in a wide variety of models, shapes and sizes which of course serves as your regular bathtub. Some of them even come with powered bath seats and watertight doors to limit the dangers of tripping.

You can also decide to install transfer benches which help the user slide into the tub without any danger. In shopping for this, what’s important that your choice of a transfer bench can be able to support the weight of anyone. The average transfer bench can only handle about 250 pounds and below. If you are something that can handle more than that, then seek to know more about the bariatric models.

The grab bars can be seen as useful too not only for the older people. It can be installed in numerous locations all around the bathroom and not just in the shower or tub. You can be sure that it won’t ruin the aesthetics of your bathroom’s total look for in the market today, grab bars already come in various finishes and colors too.

If you have an elderly with you in your Nashville area home, then you must consider to include in your bathroom remodeling plans to widen up the bathroom door just a little bit more. Even if they are not yet using the wheelchair to get around in any place, you might want to expect that happening soon enough as well. So consider addressing all the possible concerns you might encounter so you can steer away from always giving your bathroom another luxurious Remodeling. In fact, you might want to decide having a sliding glass door for easier access to your bathroom.

You can choose to do the bathroom Remodeling on your own but it can help you a lot better if you would seek the help of a bathroom Remodeling contractor.

Sealant types and Their Uses

Sealants refer to a wide variety of materials that are used to close the gaps between substrates, or various building materials.  Sealants are used to prevent air, gas, noise, smoke, liquid, or dust from penetrating small openings that cannot otherwise be closed.  Sealants begin as a viscous liquid, when applied, then dry into a solid.  Sealants of some sort are used in every level of civilization, from tarring the roof of a hut to weatherproofing a modern home with silicone caulk to specialty soundproofing.

In the past few decades, the sealant industry has globalized with the rest of the world market.  In fact, 60% of total global merchant demand of sealants comes from three major players.  Asia and India represent the highest growth market in recent years, due primarily to the rise of textile manufacture, electronics assembly, and woodworking.  Enduring woodwork would be impossible without the right sealants.

Sealant production has also responded to environmental concerns, with technological breakthroughs that have made sealants more effective and environmentally friendly.  Earlier generations of sealants commonly contained VOCs, or “volatile organic compounds.”  Advances in technology have produced Low-VOC and No-VOC sealants.  These new generation sealants are safer for the environment.  What’s more, they are applicable to a wider range of materials and conditions.

There are literally dozens of types of sealants, based on their chemical makeup and their various uses.  From dental sealants, to engine sealants, to household epoxy.  They are even used in the nanotechnology industry.  The most commonly recognized sealants are household sealants.  For example, the caulk used to seal a bathtub, window sill, or kitchen sink.

Sealants have three basic functions

1. A sealant fills a gap between two or more substrates.

2. Sealants form a barrier through the physical properties of the sealant itself and by adhesion to the substrate.

3. It maintains sealing properties for the expected lifetime, service conditions and environments.

Sealants are commonly grouped with adhesives, though they are different substances with distinct uses.  Adhesives are sometimes reformulated into sealants.  An adhesive is used to join to components together, like the panels of a cardboard box. While a sealant, though often sticky, is used to close gaps and openings where unwanted air and particles can pass through.  Adhesives are often stronger than sealants, but less flexible.  Sometimes the functions of sealants and adhesives overlap. Sealants do need to stick to what they are sealing, but that is not as important as the seal itself.

Sealants, though usually weaker than adhesives, have unique properties. Sealants, as opposed to simple adhesives, are particularly effective in keeping moisture in or out of the components they seal.  They provide soundproofing and thermal insulation.  Some sealants are quite effective as fire barriers.  Other sealants can have electrical insulating properties.  They are also used for finish work, like smoothing or filleting.

Sealants are a godsend in the field of home weatherproofing, and renovating kitchens and bathrooms.  The modern home would be impossible without the insulating properties of sealants.  This winter, try tracking down some of the drafts in your home – cracks and gaps around windows, under sinks, tubs and plumbing, or around electrical fixtures.  These are all places where household sealants, like silicone caulk and epoxy can make your home more comfortable and fuel-efficient.

Be sure to weatherize your home this season.  When doing so, don’t underestimate the utility and effectiveness of sealants.  Drafts can be eliminated and bills lowered all for the price of a few tubes of the right caulk.  There are numerous sealants on the market, each specialized for a different use.  Find out which ones are best for your needs.  Contact a local contractor that will answer your questions.

Some of the information in this report was gathered from The Third Edition of the Global Adhesive and Sealant Study: 2003-2006.  If you have questions about sealants and their uses, you may also contact the author of this article, Matt Millsap, a Tennessee based building and construction specialist.

Warm Your Feet, Try a Heated Tile Floor

The Latest On Heated Tile Flooring

Are heated tile floors worth it? A home improvement expert helps you weigh your options.

Stone and ceramic tile floors are by far the most durable, attractive floor coverings on the market. When it comes to strength and beauty, tile flooring outdoes even hardwood, which is prone to warping under extreme temperatures and gouging under high traffic. Stone tile flooring, in particular, adds value to a home. It has a long life and is resistant to basically everything – stains, water, fire, scrapes and scuffs. Tile flooring is an excellent choice for high traffic areas like kitchens, bathrooms, dining areas, and patios.

The main drawback of tile flooring is temperature. Especially if you live in colder climes. Once winter arrives, tile flooring can really take a toll on bare feet. Many people, who otherwise love the look and feel of tile flooring, may choose another material because of how cold tile flooring can get. But, let’s face it, all flooring, except maybe carpet, gets cold in winter. And you don’t want carpet in your kitchen – a room where you and your family will spend most of your time.

Don’t carpet the floor. Heat it.

Part of tile flooring’s versatility is that you can heat it. Imagine stepping out of the shower on a cold December morning to meet with the welcoming warmth of a heated tile floor. In fact, tile flooring heats better than any other flooring material. For this reason, choosing tile flooring is an advantage in colder climes because it can maintain a most cozy and toasty warmth for your bare feet. A heated floor is a comfortable and classy sensation that you and your guests will not soon forget.

The physics works for you.

Because heat rises, a heated tile floor has the potential to warm most of the room. Plus the perceived warmth is more effective from below. Heated tile flooring, also called radiant floor heating, can nicely supplement traditional duct based heating, which is less efficient and blows allergen particles into the airspace of your home.

The Three Types of Radiant Floor Heating: Air, Electric, and Hydronic.

1.Air. Air does not hold a high amount of heat, compared to solids and liquids. Heating your floors by using a furnace or solar power to pump hot air through the floor panels is the least efficient form of radiant floor heating. Air loses heat as it travels through the ducts and it moves particles and allergens through the home. Air floor heating is almost never used in residential applications.

2.Electric. Using this method heat is supplied to the tiles using a network of warming cables installed under the floor. This is a very effective method of radiant floor heating, but electricity is expensive. To increase efficiency, electric floor heating is best installed into a large thermal mass, like a thick concrete floor, or a concrete layer under your tiles that houses the warming cables. Check to see if your electric company offers time-of-use rates. Time-of-use rates give you the option of “charging” the concrete mass with heat during off-peak hours. With a significant thermal mass, the floor can hold the stored heat for up to eight hours. Electric heated tile floors are most effective with a “wet” installation, which is described below.

3. Hydronic. Liquid is a great conductor of heat. Hydronic floor heating pumps hot water from a boiler through tubing laid in a pattern under the floor tiles. This is the most popular and cost effective form of radiant floor heating. The temperature in each room or zone is controlled by a system of thermostats and valves or pumps.

Two Types of Radiant Floor Heating Installations: Wet or Dry

1. Wet. Wet installations imply a large thermal mass, like a concrete subfloor. Another form of wet installation is a lightweight concrete layer over a wooden subfloor. Wet installations are commonly associated with electric radiant heating. This type of installation gets its name from the use of wet concrete to create a thermal mass.

2. Dry. Dry installations make use of radiant floor tubing sandwiched between two layers of plywood or attached directly to the underside of the finished floor or subfloor. Rather than encasing the cables or tubing in concrete, they are run through the airspace beneath the floor. Heat is conserved by installing reflective surfaces to deflect the heat up through the flooring.

Now you’ve got a few facts to get you started. If radiant floor heating sounds like the perfect winter gift for you home, do a little homework. Educate yourself about the types of radiant floor heating so you can be armed with information if you decide to shop. Maybe you will end up getting your home some heated tile floors for Christmas.

7 Questions to Ask Your Remodeling Contractor

1. What type of experience do you have in the field? You want to find out with experience doing the work you are requesting them to do at your home.
2. Can I get references from former clients? Any good contractor will be happy to provide you with references from both previous clients and existing clients.
3. Are you properly licensed and insured? You always want your remodeling contractor to be licensed and make sure they have worker’s compensation and general liability. Make sure they have both before the job is started.
4. How long have you been in business? You don’t want a remodeling contractor that hasn’t been in the business long.
5. Do you guarantee your work? Most companies offer 1 year warranty on completed projects.
6. Are you the foreman on the job? You want to know who is going to be at your house. Ask the contractor if who will be working on your house.
7. Will you provide me with a detailed contact that spells out everything that we discuss? You will want to have documentation that shows exactly what the contactor is doing and how much it will cost.

Tips:
• Check with your state department to make sure you contractor has the proper licensing.
• Check with your local Better Business Bureau
• Ask for a copy of the contactors insurance
• Don’t forget to get copies of a signed contract

Welcome to Our Blog!

Welcome to our Nashville remodeling blog. At Building Company No. 7, we hold ourselves to the very highest standards in craftsmanship with a genuine focus on value and guaranteed record completion times. We are using this blog to display our latest projects, provide Nashville homeowners with remodeling tips and communicate with our client base.