Archive for March, 2010
TYPES OF HOME IMPROVEMENT
While it most often refers to building projects that alter the structure of an existing home, home renovation can include improvements to lawns and gardens and outbuildings like gazebos and garages.Home improvement projects generally have one or more of the following goals:Beautification and added features* Wallpapering and painting walls or installing wood paneling.* Adding new flooring such as carpets, tiling, linoleum, wood flooring, or solid hardwood flooring.* Upgrading cabinets, fixtures, and sinks in the kitchen and bathroom.* Replacing siding and windows* Improving the backyard with sliding doors, wooden patio decks, patio gardens, jacuzzis, swimming pools, and fencing.Comfort* Upgrading heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems (HVAC)* Increasing the capacity of plumbing and electrical systems.* Waterproofing basements.* Soundproofing rooms, especially bedrooms and baths.Maintenance and repairMaintenance projects can include:* Roof tear-off and replacement.* Concrete and masonry repairs to the foundation and chimney.* Repairing plumbing and electrical systems.Additional spaceAdditional living space may be added by:* Turning marginal areas into livable spaces such as turning basements into recrooms or attics into spare bedrooms.* Extending one's house with rooms added to the side of one's home or, sometimes, extra levels to the original roof.A residential area is a type of land use where the predominant use .. more »
MANAGING POND MOTIVES AND EXPECTATIONS
INTRODUCTIONWater in the garden. It brings us refreshing coolness on the hottest summer day. It satisfies our senses with sounds that only water can make. It delights our eyes with the unsurpassed beauty of colorful water lilies, the glimmering iridescence of fish and reflections from the sky.Water has immense attraction to all people. For centuries Europeans have enjoyed the beauty of fountains and water gardens in their public squares and private estates. Water gardens create "natural" focal points, whether located in the home garden, shopping mall, or office building.This book is written to fill a void in today's selection of gardening books. A few books are sprinkled here and there, covering specific areas of water gardening such as plants and Koi, but this book is written to cover all facets of decorative water gardening for homeowners as well as professional landscapers and architects.The word "pond" conjures up different images for different people. Some envision a farm pond with a dirt bottom, fed by a creek bed and alive with ducks and frogs. Others see a mossy-covered goldfish pool in the corner of a yard. For our purposes, the word "pond" will be used in the Webster's Dictionary sense: "artificially enclosed .. more »