Archive for August, 2009
Atlanta Painting, Marietta Georgia Painting Contractor
August 31st, 2009 | 
Author: Repairing A Rotted Soffit
If you don’t even know what a “soffit” IS, then chances are you’re not the best candidate to do repairs on it! Many older houses naturally start rotting at the weakness points, one of them being the soffit – or the underside of an arch, stairwell, cornice or overhang. Often times even newer houses need their soffits replaces because squirrels and birds tend to nest in the eaves, gutters or outer wall space next to the attic. The soffit, typically made of soft plywood, hardwood, or soft panels of vinyl and aluminum, routinely comes into direct contact with rain water, ice and snow from the gutters. If your gutters have been displaced or if a shingle tears, the soffit will rot out over time. Atlanta painting contractors often specialize in solving this external problem for you, thus preventing more serious damage to the interior as well.
To replace the rotted soffit, you would need to pry off the shingle mold running along the top edge of the fascia board and yank out all the nails that held the rotting board in place. Next, replace the board with a pre-measured or trimmed piece of hardwood, vinyl or aluminum. Remove any decorative trim beneath the soffit and remove the rotted soffit. Note that this part of the process is usually rather disgusting, since you never know what kind of dirt, dust, bee nest, squirrel nest, or debris will come off. Now you should be able to see the frame clearly and ascertain where the water damage and decay started. You may need to rip out additional plywood sheathing and use your saw to take out the section of rotted rafter or roofing. You’ll have to cut four or more inches from the decay, to account for stress fractures that may have left room for water to seep in. This is where the tools come in handy: you’ll need a powder-actuated nail gun with a .22 caliber blank to nail in the new section.
You’ll also be attaching a pressure-treated 1×4 or 1×6 onto the newly sawed rafter, fastening it with 2.5” galvanized screws going from the new into the old rafters. Now you can cut a new soffit from a 3/8-inch A/C plywood, first coating the front and back flat surfaces with an exterior primer and the edges with a wax emulsion sealer (like AnchorSeal) to protect from water damage. Apply sealer with a foam or bristle brush. Nail the soffit into place and replace the trim you’ve removed. Cut a new fascia board and replace it. (Warning: This requires careful measuring to get the right size!) Now prime all four surfaces of this board. Seal the end cuts and install it, then nail up the shingle molds along the fascia.
Sound like a LOT of work? IT IS! The process is extremely convoluted for anyone who isn’t a skilled tradesman. What might take a novice several days could be done in an afternoon by an Marietta Georgia painting contractor. Therefore, you may want to track down a contractor to meet your needs. Not only will your home look totally renovated and newer, but more importantly, you will be protecting your home from premature aging as a result of water and rot damage.
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Urban Vegetable Gardening With a Square Foot Gardening Kit Makes Gardening Available to All
Organic gardening is a great idea for several reasons. First is that consuming organic vegetables are better for one’s health than consuming their counterparts which are grown with the use of chemicals. Those who have yards have the option of using their land to have their own organic gardens. People who live in an urban environment that do not have easy access to land have been without this option for some time. Now it is possible for those in a city to have this option available to them through urban vegetable gardening with a square foot gardening kit.
The square foot gardening kit offered by Green Diamond Gardens are easy to use. The kit has a 4×4 structure which assembles with ease. The size of the structure is ideal for urban vegetable gardening on balconies or even indoors. This is because the structure can be placed indoors, outdoors, on a balcony or even if indoors if desired. A square foot gardening kit can also easily be placed on a table top for easy access.
Urban vegetable gardening with a square foot gardening kit can yield a large amount of organic produce. This is very cost effective because purchasing organic vegetables from a grocery store can be quite expensive. The first of harvest from a Green Diamond Gardens square foot garden can yield enough produce to pay for itself. This means you have an extremely inexpensive resource of organic vegetables for years to come. These kits are great financial investment which gives a great return.
Growing vegetables organically is environmentally sound since it does not require the use of harmful pesticides and other chemicals. Urban vegetable gardening with a square foot gardening kit is very environmentally responsible. This is because every person who grows their vegetables organically reduces the demand for harmfully grown vegetables. Growing one’s own vegetables is even more environmentally responsible since it reduces carbon emissions into the air by the vehicles used in hauling vegetables to a market.
Anyone who does urban vegetable gardening with a square foot gardening kit is making a real solid investment in themselves. Not only are the vegetables good for your heath when consumed, growing them offers many other health and emotional benefits. People who garden have been to shown to be less stresses and have lower blood pressure. Additionally, people who garden are happier since they are less stressed. These benefits can help one in living a long healthy, happy life.
Flowers are very aesthetic pleasing. Flowers can be easily grown with a square foot gardening kit. Growing flowers can be a great way to bring more beauty to any urban environment. A flower garden can create a relaxing environment which can be enjoyed by the gardener and all of those who visit the garden. Flowers produces in a square foot garden kit can be used in flower arrangements in the home. They can also be used in arrangements made to be given as gifts.
What Is A Real Estate Broker?
The majority of people are aware about the existence of a real estate broker and a real estate agent. However, the majority of people are commonly mislead on what they do and what purpose they serve in the field of real estate.
What is a real estate broker anyway? What are the differences between an agent and a broker? What are their roles and are they really important? This set of questions may be playing inside your mind as of this moment.
Basically, a real estate broker is someone that serves as a bridge between buyers and sellers of a property. When you are in this field of business, you know that a real estate broker may become one of the most needed persons.
First of all, a broker can help you in regard to determining the values of a land. If you are planning to invest in a commercial area or a local piece of land, but do not have any idea where to put your investment, a real estate broker may be a big help. He can easily determine the value of the land that you are eyeing for. He can give suggestions and help you come up with a wise decision whether or not a land is worth investing or not. With a real estate broker, you can save a lot of time since he can do the research for you
When it comes to finding a lender, a real estate broker can be very helpful. Since most brokers regularly communicate with lenders, they can help you arrange your finances while you are planning to invest on a property or land. These brokers have been working with lenders almost everyday. As a matter of fact, they may be able to assist you with finding a good private lender that can give good loan arrangements that can adjust to your financial capabilities.
When it comes to finding great deals, these brokers can also be a big help to you. Aside from the fact that they can determine the value of the property, they also know different locations where you can get the best deals. You may have encountered a scenario similar to this: you found a nice area, however, it is already under a contract. That is most likely to happen if you don’t have a broker working with you. But, if you know a good broker, and they are aware of what you are looking for, they may be able to save the listing and give you a chance to take the first glance at it.
A broker plays a very important role in this particular field of business. Once you have found a perfect broker, make sure that you don’t let him go. Do not simply choose a random broker without investigating about his previous experiences or background. And once you have found someone that satisfies your expectations, maintain a good relationship and you will be assured that your interest will always be put into high priority.