Home And House

by Lauren Tyler

Luminescent stained glass, ornate designs, deep and rich colors - these are just a few of the images that pop into your mind when you think of a typical Tiffany stained glass creation. Since your home is always an extension of your personality and style, there is no better way to decorate it than by lighting it up with precious Tiffany lamps. So, what makes these Tiffany lamps so special?
Over the years, the name Tiffany has virtually become synonymous with elegance and style and is the preferred choice for people who believe that aesthetic appeal is as important as the functional value of an object.
Louis Comfort Tiffany had a deep fascination for all things pertaining to nature and natural colors, and all of this is very evident in his elaborately designed and intricately patterned works of art. Art lovers from all over the world will tell you that Tiffany is unique and has produced some of the most breathtaking designs that have earned worldwide recognition.
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by Douglas Hanna

Craftsman houses appeared first appeared in the early 1900’s. Developed and designed by Gustav Stickley, Craftsman homes were an original concept of housing for those lucky enough to be able to afford to build a new house. Primitive and tiny by today’s standards, most Craftsman homes had only one bathroom. Some even had an icebox that opened to the outside so the ice delivery man could refill it without entering the home!
Craftsman house plans
In 1909 Gustav Stickley released a book ‘Craftsman Homes’ which contained the plans for thirty six homes. While you can still purchase this book today, you will see that the plans show homes that are too small by today’s standards. However, reviewing these old plans might give you an idea of how the homes should be laid out.
In 1901, Gustav released his magazine, The Craftsman which promoted the Arts and Crafts movement of the early twentieth century. He and fellow architect Harvey Ellis designed and published two hundred and twenty one craftsman house plans over the next fifteen years. Stickley also founded the Craftsman Home Builders Club in 1903. Stickley’s ideas had a huge influence on many people, including Frank Lloyd Wright.
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by Pete Bennet

Almost everything eventually wears out through time. Even items and products that are considered very sturdy will eventually change in color, appearance or texture. Kitchen and bathroom items that wear out usually undergo refinishing touches. Bathtubs are common candidates for refinishing. Kitchen counter tops however can also be put through counter refinishing top procedures.
Counter Tops in Your Kitchen
The kitchen counter top is usually one of the most well used areas at home. A kitchen counter top that is a candidate for a counter refinishing top procedure is usually one that is used for eating, food preparation and holding a variety of hot and cold items.
Aside from being used too often, kitchen counter tops are also usually subjected to common environmental changes and the normal passage of time. A good counter refinishing top procedure can help get rid of stains, cracks and other minor damages.
One thing that you should remember though is that counter refinishing top procedures depend on your kind of counter top. If a real expert designed and constructed your kitchen, then your counter top should have been made with a material that can be easily refinished. The usual Formica and tile counter tops are examples of easily handled surfaces. Of course, other different kinds of surfaces can be assessed first by experts before refinishing can be considered.
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by Chris Work

You must follow the installation and maintenance guides to receive the maximum benefits/lifetime of your flooring.
Make sure you have enough cartons to complete the job, always add 5% for waste. Place the unopened packages of flooring in the middle of the room 24 to 48 hours prior to beginning installation. Do not open cartons until you are ready to begin installation To get the best appearance and utility; we recommend you randomly mix panels from various cartons.
Color Difference between individual panels or packs are normal consideration in Natural Flooring, therefore to maximize appearance it is always wise to install the flooring in natural light (laying at night is not recommended). Cork and wood are both products of nature. Difference in the structure, color, and patterns (even in the same carton), are all part of the natural beauty of the material.
Cork or Wood Flooring is not suitable for damp and steamy rooms.
Inspect all panels prior to installation. It is your responsibility not to install defective panels.
All End-Joints of Panels should be staggered 8" from joints of the previous row
As with all products from nature sunlight may cause color variations.
An expansion space of at least 3/8" must be used throughout, not only between walls and other flooring, but also around door frames, pipes, or other fixed objects. With a room size of more than 33′(planks laid length wise) or 26′ (planks laid crossways), expansion joints must be included. The buildings own expansion joints must be taken in consideration. These expansion spaces can be covered with baseboard and/or trim.
Subfloor Specifications
The surface of the subfloor must be sound and level within 1/8" in an 8-ft. radius. The subfloor must be clean and dry.
Concrete subfloors must not contain more than 3-lbs. moisture (1.5 lbs. with radiant heat systems) on a dry-weight basis (calcium chloride test). Moisture content of wood subfloors should be between 6-10% Moisture Content (MC).
Relative humidity range at the job site should be 45% - 65%; Room Temperature setting should be between 65F-80F degrees.
Job Site Evaluation
Before installing inspect the job site thoroughly. Determine if the grade, subfloor and subfloor conditions are acceptable. In homes with crawl spaces, foundation vents must provide cross ventilation with no dead air space. Vents should be located throughout the foundation with opening area equal to 1 ½% of the square area within the crawl space. If excessive moisture exists underneath the home, you must lay a 6-mil black polyethylene or foam underlayment moisture barrier (available for purchase on this site on the ground in the crawl space below the installation area.
Preparation
Inspect the subfloors to make sure they are sound and level
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by O. Casas

Nowadays many people, specially women, will do all things possible in order to make of the place where they and their families spend most of their time a nice and charming habitat where everyone will feel comfortable and secure.
It’s not strange that with time we all get tired of the same looks our home shows to our eyes. We may get fed up with the same series made accessories that we get at our neighborhood’s Wal-Mart that only gives a cheap look to our homes.
Recently a great number of American families have discovered the beauty and charm of Mexican copper sinks. These are pieces of folk art that have managed to mix beauty and originality with simple usefulness. This is art made to be installed at home and it will be ready to give you service for many years and without compromising their original beauty.
In short, these hand made copper products are both full of charm and built for a hard daily use as any other regular sinks you can find at any specialized store. Besides copper sinks, there are also copper countertops, copper range hoods, copper kitchen sinks, copper bathtubs, copper lamps just to mention a few.
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by Jay Douglas

Perhaps one of the biggest reasons for buying a leather arm chair is that it not only looks good but it typically last much longer and doesn’t need much maintenance or cleaning as other types of furniture.
However the decision on whether to buy an arm chair for yourself depends on whether or not you’ll be using the chair and a business or personal setting. If you’ll be buying the chair for a business purpose, then there are certain factors that you’ll definitely want to include in your buying decision. On the other hand, if you’ll be using the leather arm chair in the den of your home, then modern-day office ergonomic concerns will likely not play and important part in your buying decision.
So the first consideration you want to undertake is the use to which the arm chair you’d like will be put. If it is to be used in an office setting, then you’ll want to make sure that it’s engineered with human factors in mind that promote good posture and support in an office environment.
On the other hand if the purchase is strictly for home use you may be more interested in making sure that your purchase matches the home decor that is already prevalent in your living space. If that’s the case your purchase decision may hinge primarily upon things like color coordination, aesthetic design, placement issues and the like.
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by Jean Forsyth

I love wearing clean clothes, that fresh feeling of starting each day renewed puts a spring in any step. Of course it simply cannot last, the first encounter with a sandwich containing mayonnaise is often the culprit or humble spaghetti bolognaise or even a simple tomato and basil soup. Any of the foregoing could be splattered on my clothes.
This desire for renewal creates an ever-growing pile of clothes washing for the home laundry cycle. Washing is virtually automatic these days but drying can be done in various ways.
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by Richard Ashcroft

When we start discussing homes, we are more interested and excited talking about what we have done to our homes. The way we have decorated and maintained the elegance and beauty in our home.
We love each and every corner of our dream house and want to talk more and more about it. It gives a fantastic and exuberant feeling talking about the place where we live and spend most of our time. But when it comes to redesigning or remodelling our home, we start to think about what will be best to give it the most attractive and different look.
The most important part is windows and doors, which helps drastically in changing the look of the house. At present, one of the most demanded products are glazing windows and doors. They are extremely efficient, attractive and contribute to the security of the home. But before buying any double glazing we should always do extensive research on the marketplace and keep these things in mind.
Double glazing is very efficient in cutting your heat loss to half. They are highly efficient, in general terms double glazing means two panes of glass placed several millimetres apart in order to form the window having air trapped within. Double glazing also decreases the noise level from outside and eliminates internal condensation.
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by Heather Madison

Your patio door blinds can be a stylish addition to your home. Although some people consider this a design challenge, you can find blinds that add to the décor of your room. You want blinds that offer privacy and light control as well as looking great.
We’re all familiar with the cheap vertical patio blinds that show up in rental units. People disguise them under curtains or try to ignore the decorating problem they present. Often blinds in apartments and other rental units are chosen because they are cheap and can be easily replaced in case of damage.
Don’t let these blinds scare you off from using blinds on your patio door. Many stylish choices exist and with a little shopping, you’ll find something that works well for your home. You can choose a color or material that you like.
One option is to use enclosed patio door blinds. These blinds fit between glass panels and have a control on the outside frame that opens, closes, and adjusts the blinds. Enclosed blinds won’t swing when you open or close the door. You also don’t need to clean these blinds since they are behind glass. The enclosed blinds give you a sleek, contemporary look with the same light control and privacy of regular blinds.
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by Jennifer MackInday

Chipmunks are ground dwellers and exist in the entire lower 48 states. Chipmunks thrive in suburban areas as well as parks and empty lots. Chipmunks eat almost everything, so the first thing you should do is remove any possible food sources from your property. Slugs, Snails, Insects, small birds, eggs, mice, seeds, fruit Vegetables, seeds, flower bulbs, pet food.
Chipmunks will eat all these and more if given the opportunity. Outside pet food bowls, bird feeders, nut trees, gardens, flowers or insect colonies can all attract chipmunks. Don’t let the cute chubby cheeks of a chipmunk charm you - chipmunk infestations can explode once they’ve moved into your property, they can be difficult to remove!
Before I cover ways to remove chipmunks from your premises, here are 10 reasons why chipmunks shouldn’t be welcomed guests:
1) Damaged and destroyed garden vegetables and fruits
2) Chipmunks devour seed in your bird feeders.
3) Chewed up cable, air conditioning and electric lines.
4) Burrows which can cause water damage to patios, driveways, crawlspaces and foundations
5) Destroyed flowers, bulbs and other plants
6) Flea problems that transfer from chipmunks to your pets or inside your home
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