Check Local Availability
check your local store, for in store pickup
check your local store, for in store pickup
check your local store, for in store pickup
The bathroom is an integral part of the house. Careful attention must be given to the plumbing layout and the needed fixtures. Unlike other rooms in a house, the bathroom must be functional. Faulty plumbing may lead to leaky pipes or a clogged drain—and nobody wants to spend hours performing do it yourself plumbing repair. This is one room that cannot rely on decor and colors alone. The fixtures, including the sink, faucet accessories, showerhead, and bath tub, must perform efficiently.
A bathroom must be kept squeaky clean. This can be done by regularly cleaning the tiles with a mixture of baking soda and vinegar. The toilet must also be scrubbed clean regularly with an efficient antibacterial toilet cleaner to avoid any water stain or bacteria buildup.
How to waterproof a masonry blockwall , with a stucco finish painted, often the paint appears to create bubble pockets and destroy the visual surface. Retaining walls in yards have garden beds that require weekly watering and irrigation, but even when french drain systems are implemented, the concrete masonry block wall soak’s up and absorbs the moisture. As the moisture filters through the wall it is slowly breaking down causing water damage and destroying the integrity of the structural block wall. 
Xypex crystaline Concentrate is designed to work as long as the is intact, we have used this process on either the positive or the negative side of painted block wall surfaces. For repairs of existing finishes, all the painted finish coat must get removed. Small jack hammer or pneumatic chisel, the paint and the finish float coat, as well as the brown coat gets demoed off. Any cracks or deteriorated openings need to be treaty and filled prior to the Xypex application. Hairline cracks won’t be affected, but any 1/8″ or larger cannot allow the Xypex formula to perform it’s magic.
Once the demolition process is complete, a slurry mix of Xypex concentrate can be sprayed or brushed on, the thicker the better. After curing is complete a finish stucco can be reapplied to desired appearance. If being painted again, the paint has to be breathable and not an elastomeric sealer or the like. Be sure to consult your local codes and read all instructions pertaining to products used.
Is Drop in Home Sales Good News? Only if you want to thrive!
“For all of you out there who accuse me of perpetual bearishness, here’s a twist: What if the drop in existing home sales in May is a good thing? Try to follow me on this: Everyone expected home sales to surge in May because this Realtor’s survey is based on closings in May from contracts signed in March and April. The May and June numbers should reflect the surge from the now-expired home buyer tax credit. Well today’s report showed a drop of 2.2 percent in existing home sales, leading us to believe that this last government stimulus really didn’t do the trick. So what if it didn’t? Last fall the tax credit really juiced the market, pulling demand forward, so that we saw a huge drop-off in the months following what we thought was the end of the credit, which was then of course extended and expanded.
So now we’re not seeing the same juice, but the numbers aren’t terrible either. Perhaps there was no big rush, so perhaps there will be no big drop-off. Here’s what we do know: (a) First-time homebuyers accounted for 46% of sales in May (49% in April) (b) Investors accounted for 14% of sales in May (15% in April) (c) All cash accounted for 25% of sales in May (26% in April). So first time buyers actually fell in numbers, but investors and all cash (which are often investors) remained pretty steady. Investors, at least for distressed properties, are what we need right now to soak up all the excess inventory. Don’t get me wrong, I’m pretty certain we’re going to see a drop-off in sales. A lot of sellers probably got caught up in the idea that the stimulus would create lasting recovery, and so decided to jump in. Tomorrow we get the report on sales of new construction in May. That report is based on contracts signed in May, not closings, so it will give us an idea of just how ba
d the post credit hangover will be.”
Today wood flooring is making a great comeback for many years people have been replacing or covering there wood floors with carpet. Today’s choices in wood flooring have never been greater we will examine several differences between a solid wood flooring that was the staple for many years compared with the advantages and disadvantages of a laminate wood flooring.
Solid wood flooring has a few advantages over laminate. The first advantage is that it can be refinished over and over But has a floor becomes worn scratched or damage they can be sanded out stained and you have a new floor. A solid wood floor will truly last for a lifetime. A laminate floor which is constructed not of solid wood but has a fiberboard type base and a laminate covering that mimics real wood. A laminate flooring will resist scratching but cannot be refinished. Although laminate flooring will last many years if it is damaged it will need to be replaced.
As a rule solid wood flooring is much more expensive than laminate flooring it is also much more expensive to install because it requires much more labor. The solid wood flooring usually comes in strips approximately 2in. wide each strip has to be laid down individually and nailed in place with a special pneumatic flooring nailer. The whereas laminate flooring can be put down in larger sections the section simply snap together and can be put down rather quickly the typical homeowner can easily lay laminate flooring down in a weekend with only basic tools.
Laminate flooring however cannot tolerate a lot of moisture what happens is that the fiberboard backing on the laminate flooring will absorptive the water And swell the swelling will cause the floor to buckle the only recourse is to replace the floor. The solid wood flooring on the other hand will tolerate much more moisture. But if you’re not sure which way you would like to go with your new flooring solid wood or laminate I would advise that you go to your local home center or better yet a dedicated flooring store If they will be able to answer any questions you might have they will be happy to show you how to install your new flooring and they can even recommend some highly qualified contractors to install you flooring if you do not want to do it yourself. Whatever type of new flooring you decide on the warm classic look of real wood will add the feeling of warmth to your home.
Building a better drawer and how to install drawer slides just gets easier. Every cabinet has a cube that will be used for specific reasons. Pullouts can help with this usage, because they enable you to slide out the compartment and have it in front of you instead of down inside the cabinet.![installing drawer slides [Cabinet Hardware]](http://www.my-diy-blog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/thumbnail-1-141x150.jpg "installing drawer slides [Cabinet Hardware]")
Drawer slides generally are 1/2″ wide, 2 per drawer and come in nominal lengths IE., 10″- 24″ long. So if your cabinet is 19″ deep & the front clear opening or [face frame width] is 14.5″ wide, you will use 18″ slide hardware and the overall width has to be 13.5″, because 14.5″ opening minus 1″ for slides equals 13.5″. The box overall dimensions will be 13.5″ X 18″ to accommodatethe area in which it will be installed. This formula will be used in every cabinet anywhere IE,. Garage cabinets, kitchen cabinets, bathroom vanity cabinets and closet drawers.
Side mount full extension pullout drawer slide hardware helps with accessing items in temporary storage, they come in pairs with simple specs and mounting screws. Easy to install with a screwdriver and a tape measure, you don’t have to call the guy when you can DIY.
BofA Agrees to Pay $108 Million to Overcharged Countrywide
Borrowers Representing one of the largest judgments imposed in a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) case, two Countrywide mortgage servicing companies, now part of Bank of America Home Loans, have been ordered to pay $108 million to settle charges that they collected excessive fees from cash-strapped borrowers who were struggling to keep their homes. In a statement released Monday, the FTC said the $108 million settlement will be used to reimburse overcharged homeowners whose loans were serviced by Countrywide before it was acquired by North Carolina-based Bank of America in July 2008. Bank of America said it agreed to the settlement “to avoid the expense and distraction associated with litigating the case.” According to the FTC, Countrywide used unlawful practices in Servicing homeowners’ mortgages.
The company allegedly charged excessive fees for default-related services, made claims about amounts owed by homeowners in bankruptcy that were false or couldn’t be backed up, and didn’t tell people going through bankruptcy when new fees or charges were being added to their loans. Going forward, borrowers in Chapter 13 bankruptcy must be sent a monthly notice with information about what amounts are owed – including any fees assessed during the prior month. Additionally, the defendants must implement a data integrity program to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the data they use to service loans in Chapter 13 bankruptcy.
Let’s face it, when it comes to installing a kitchen sink, stainless steel is the way to go. Normal ceramic sinks are known to wear down over time and require continuous sink repair; the bottom becomes scratched, and older sinks need to be bleached often to preserve their white color. When purchasing a stainless steel kitchen sink, you are not only receiving a sink aligned with contemporary style, but a sink that is guaranteed to last for the rest of your life. In addition, there’s nothing different about the installation process for a stainless steel sink as opposed to a standard ceramic sink.
Most newer homes and even some older homes have stainless steel sinks installed, but if you’re looking to do a kitchen remodel you can find these sinks in stores and online. Regardless of where you purchase, it’s important to get the measurements right, though in general most kitchen sinks fall into two or three size categories.
Demonstrate the ability to pay the loan and you are halfway toward becoming a commercial investor. Critical is an understanding of the major risks associated with commercial loans from the lenders perspective. Use this as a quick checklist when putting together an offer or evaluating your own potential.
1. Credit Risk. Perhaps the most common type of risk, this simply indicates the ability of the borrower to meet the contractual obligations as outlined in the loan documents…aka, the ability to pay. However, because you are dealing with commercial loans, the credit risk can be impacted by several items including competitive market factors (ie, the inability of the property to lease as expected, increased or decreased demand etc), interest rate sensitivity, rollover of leases (long term leases may be stable but are also more prone to declining values), changes in regulatory environment including zoning and tax laws.
2. Interest Rate Risk. The majority of commercial real estate is financed on a floating rate basis so interest rate risk is a very real threat depending upon the timing of cash flows, yield curves and other economic conditions that may adversely impact the economic climate.
3. Liquidity Risk. Banks must meet obligations the same way that private individuals are required to do so; loss of liquidity means the bank is unable to extend credit or must call loans in order to raise capital. For an investor, liquidity risk is typically isolated to the ability of the bank to loan money in the future should you require it in order to roll-over or refinance a loan.
4. Compliance Risk. Once the domain of elusive economic theory, compliance risk has risen to disproportionate levels thanks in large part to the current crisis as well as outside influences. Examples are broad but range from potential liability of bad debts during the mortgage boom to the current oil spill at BP; a bank may be held responsible for assets held as collateral. High risk assets will be assessed a premium.
Real estate investors seeking entry into the exciting world of commercial real estate should review each property from the perspective of the lender; examine risk levels and potential threats through the eyes of the bank in order to maximize your prospect for success.
In a crafts room we wanted to install electrical power to an area that was going to be used as a printing station and required a 15 amp 110v plug for this usage. The best and closest area to leg power from was above the ceiling in the attic storage. With an existing single gang box there we ran some 14/2 romex down the wall and into a cabinet side. This needed only 2 holes drilled and the side of the melamine cabinet wall cut for a low profile single gang retro plastic cut-in box.
Once the wall of the 3/4″ melamine was marked then the Fein Multi Masterassisted in the finish plunge cut, the romex pulled through the box and the electrical outlet box was mounted on the wall, 2 men 2 hours of labor and approx. $35.00 us in materials. Important to note here will be to consult your local building codes for do’s and don’ts.