A deck can be the perfect addition to your home. It’s gives you the opportunity to enhance your home and enjoy the outdoors. From backyard barbecues to lounging under the stars, you’ll find that this feature will be put to good use. Not only will a deck give you great pleasure, it will boost the value of your home if you ever decide to put it on the market. Once you’ve decided you want a deck, the main challenge begins. You have to figure out how you will get the job done.

Getting Started
The first step is to figure out exactly what you want. Look online at image galleries. Pick up a magazine on decks at your local home improvement store. Snap pictures of decks you really like in the neighborhood. Consider what you will do if your deck is going to receive a great deal of sunlight. You can always add an awning or take advantage of an umbrella. Once you have a good idea of what you want in a deck, you’ll need to find out if you need a permit before you start building.

Round Up Your Materials
You can choose from composite decking or pressure-treated wood to build your deck. Both have their advantages. Compare prices and consider how long your materials will last, as well as what is necessary with upkeep. If you opt for wood, you will need to include stain in your list of materials in order to add the desired color. Stain will also help you to preserve your deck. If you are not exactly sure of what you need, bring your building plans to the home improvement store and ask for guidance.

Start the Build
You are finally ready to put your deck on your house. Your workload will be easier if you have someone to help you to get the job done. Turn to friends and family who are competent builders to get your project underway. If you have no idea how to build stairs for a deck or any other part of the deck, consider getting a free estimate from a contractor in your area to simplify your life. Renovationexperts.com offers you a broad network of participating contractors and will help you to connect with the right person to make your deck become a reality.

If you’ve got a great home and beautiful décor, but it still feels like something is missing, you’re not alone. Believe it or not, there are a lot of homeowners out there with money to spend on quality furnishings who simply don’t have the house they’ve always dreamed of.

Whether you’ve lived in your space for six months or 26 years, it’s never too late to figure out your style and create the dream home you’ve always wanted to live in. From simple accessory fixes to new pieces of furniture, there’s a whole lot that can be done.

Use this guide to learn more about how you can improve upon luxury home interiors.

How’s Your Paint?

Paint plays a major role in how a room looks and feels. If yours is starting to look and feel a bit old or simply out of date, it could be time for a change. Whether you go with classic white, a neutral or the color of the moment is up to you.

Just know that if you do go with the color of the moment, you may love the space for a year or two and then feel the need to repaint. Some people do this regularly to keep the décor feeling lively, but if it sounds like too much work for you, stick with something beautiful that you think you’ll be able to live with for five or more years.

Check Your Floors

Like your paint, the way your floors look is very important. If you’ve got outdated wood or stone that you just never like that much in the first place, it could be time to change everything around.

Figure out your problem spaces in your home and consider upgrading your flooring. A simple sanding and staining is often best for hardwood flooring. If you have other materials, particularly carpet, look for an upgrade to a hard surface that can be covered with an area rug.

Hire a Designer

Even if you know your style and you have no problem finding pieces you love, having some design help in your home can really go a long way. A professional designer can also help you find exclusive pieces that may be out of your comfort zone as well.

Find a designer with a style you like and set up a consultation. You might find that some professional help is exactly what you need to go from a good home to a truly fabulous one.

Soil gases are the gases found in the spaces among soil components. Sometimes, any environmental contaminants that are found below the ground may produce gases which then diffuses through the soil. It is important to do vapor intrusion testing to determine the types of  gasses if you suspect contamination because soil gases can diffuse into building too.

There are many methods and tools to do vapor intrusion sampling and testing including some low cost yet effective methods to conduct soil gas probes in order to make stray gas and chemical evaluations. Some are easy to install and can even be reused. Most importantly, there are less chances of leaks during gas sample collection.

Screening is important to be able to quickly identify source areas and extent of any contamination. Vapor intrusion sampling and testing will fully empower you to make faster as well as better-informed decisions in order to decide on remedial activities. You can also monitor the effectiveness of remedial action.

The danger is you cannot see soil gas contaminants because it is colorless and odorless. It can also move into your home quickly by seeping through the earth. An example is radon gas. You can prevent exposure by getting a soil gas testing kit.

Doing a soil gas sample before building your new home is a must. Why? If you live in a building with high soil vapor level for example, you may deal with lung disorders after living long term in the building. So, do not take the lazy way out. It will save you a lot of time and expense later on.

After all, these days there are simple and effective tools to help you with soil gas sampling. You just have to make sure you do it with a little planning and minimal cost now.

Recently I read an article about perc contamination at a dry cleaners. Apparently, a dry cleaning business had to tear up concrete and do soil excavation to get rid of soil contamination due to chemical leaks from the old machinery. Large sections of the flooring including the car park had to be torn up and removed including deep into the bedrock to clear the contaminants. Fortunately it had not seeped into the groundwater.

The old dry cleaning machinery used to have perc, which is partly derived from chlorine which was exposed unlike the ones that are sealed in drums these days. This is how a dry cleaning machine works. It uses perc to remove dirt from clothes instead of water.

What happened at this dry cleaning business was the chemical had leaked over the years and he had no choice but to do a clean-up. He engaged an environmental cleanup firm to do it.

Doing a business these days is not easy at all, even a business like a dry cleaning business. One should read up and be aware of anything that could affect our business including environmental awareness. By being aware, we can be responsible citizens and we can also avoid possible harm, damage or even lawsuits.

Good thing the owner of that dry cleaner did the responsible thing but it meant closing up his dry cleaning business of 35 years! Wow, I think it is important that all businessmen are diligent in finding and cleaning up environmental spills and prevent accidental contamination. Don’t you?

Most garages in residential homes are covered with cement flooring. That makes it look kind of old and cheap. You should consider epoxy flooring systems to turn your garage into a professional looking space that you would be proud off. Besides that, it is durable too. For examples of types of Epoxy Flooring Systems for garage, have a look at Philadelphia epoxy floors.

Various options like metallic, flake, quartz, pigment in different colors will turn your old garage into a functional place of beauty that you can easily clean up. There are Epoxy flooring specifically for garages that are  oil and chemical resistant. They also last for years.

Here’s what you should know about Epoxy Flooring. Epoxy Flooring systems are not paint but rather they are a tough resin coating. The thick coating is what makes it so hardy so you don’t have to worry about scratches when you drop a tool from your tool box when working in your garage on your epoxy finished flooring. That’s what makes it hardy and durable. Having said that however, you should still exercise care by not dragging heavy sharp things across your garage floor.

Clean-up is easy because you just have to wipe off any gasoline or brake fluids, motor oil or other chemicals without worrying about stain marks since the flooring resists oil and chemicals.

Epoxy is often used for industrial and commercial projects because it is hardy. This is exactly what makes it suitable for your home garage. If you are someone who likes working in the garage, you will want to work in a professional and bright auto showroom. Epoxy flooring can instantly transform your garage into one that you will be proud of and love spending time in. You can choose a high gloss finish for that auto showroom look.

Another part of your home that will benefit from epoxy flooring is the kitchen or the basement.