Construction Deal Update

One of the friends of Construction Deal has submitted some information on how to turn that boring old gray concrete into something very special:

Acid Stained floors are growing in popularity. Many people are looking to stained floors as an alternative to carpet, tile and wood. In addition to the marbled beauty of the surface, acid stained floors are low maintenance and don't retain dust which may affect some peoples' allergies. Architect Frank Lloyd Wright was one of the first people to use Acid Stain on floors in the 1920's.

Acid Stains are not paints. They are a coloring process involving a chemical reaction on a cementitious material. Acid Stains are a mixture of Hydrochloric Acid, water, and inorganic salts. The acid is not the ingredient that creates the color. The acid opens the pores of the concrete (this is referred to as etch). Once the pores are open, the metallic salts in the mixture react with the hydrated lime (calcium hydroxide) in the hardened concrete. When this solution is placed on concrete it colors the concrete by chemically combining the metallic ions with the particles in the concrete to form oxides. It is this reaction - at the ion level - that creates color. The stain mixture needs to react with the concrete for 4 - 6 hours. Many stain artists leave the stain on the slab overnight.

There are many manufactures of Acid Stain and most produce stain in 8 colors that are variations of three basic color groups: black, brown, and blue-green. The basic 8 colors are: Black, Brown, Umber, Red, Tan, Gold, Green and Blue. Some stain manufactures may use adjectives such as Vintage or Antique to describe their color version.

Acid Stain gives concrete a mottled, variegated, marble-like look. An acid stained floor will not look like a paint swatch - it will look like multiple swatches in a basic color range. Never expect Acid Stain to be uniform or have an even tone, you will get different reactions from slab to slab, and even on the same job you may see different coloration patterns. Variations of colors and mottling are to be expected and enjoyed. It is the random mix of tones and shades that gives an acid stained floor its unique beauty.

Some factors that affect the outcome of the finished stain project include:

• Cement properties and mix design
• Admixtures
• Type of aggregate
• Concrete finishing methods
• Concrete age and moisture content when stain is applied
• Weather conditions when concrete is poured and stain is applied
• Efflorescence

In general, cements that produce larger amounts of calcium hydroxide during hydration will show more stain color, and higher cement contents produce more intense colors. A smooth surface may require a stronger stain mixture while a "garage floor" finish will stain at a weaker concentration. If they are near the surface, calcium-based aggregates, such as lime-stone, take stain readily and deepen the color of the concrete above them. Solid aggregates, such as gravel, don’t react with the stain.

Acid stains, unlike paints, are not opaque - they are translucent. Some areas will be darker than others, similar to marble, granite or other natural stone. Along with the naturally occurring variegations and marbling - any blemishes and imperfections in your concrete simply add character and charm. Even cracks can add to the look.

However, each slab is different and there may be problem areas that need to be Faux Finished. This is most often caused by things that may have already reacted with the concrete or things that were spilled/dropped on the concrete. These may include Plumber's Flux, Construction Adhesives, paints and other such items. When talking to your stain contractor, question them on what they do for these areas. If their response is "You can’t control the stain", "Acid does what it does" or "You get what you get"; get a second opinion. A reliable stain contractor will know how to treat these areas and should not charge extra to do so.

Good luck on your staining project!

Joe Welch
joe@stainedbydesign.com


For additional information on how Concrete Acid Stains Works and more sample pictures, click the link above and it will take you to Joe's site "Stained By Design" - his decorative concrete overlay business in Louisiana!

If you'd like to Find a Concrete Staining Expert in your neighborhood, post your request today! It's free to find local Concrete Experts in your area.

RELATED ARTICLES:
Decorative Concrete Overlays
Acid Stained Concrete Flooring 101
Acid Stained Concrete - Exterior Care

Labels: Acid Stained Concrete, Decorative Concrete, Flooring Options, Floors

So, you want to remodel your house? Add an addition? Or maybe even just add a backyard patio or deck. And you're wondering if you can save a little money (and red tape) by skipping the permit process?

It varies by state and by region, but most place require a building permit if you do any home renovation, repairs, electrical or plumbing changes, new home construction, or even demolition. It's basically a safety issue, to make sure the work is performed to code. The permit and inspection process can be a pain but it's a necessary regulation designed to protect you.

Can you have work done -- without a permit -- and get away with it? Sure. Most government agencies believe up to half of the remodeling and addition jobs in their cities are done without permits.

Could it cause some real headaches down the road? Oh, yeah. First, there's the distinct possibility that your city could find out about the work that was done and you could be forced to pay fines and penalties. Sometimes three to ten times the amount of the original permit costs. Second, if you sell your house, you'll need to disclose all the renovations and repairs done to the home to the potential buyer. And if the work was done without a permit, they could demand that all the work be inspected and that permits be issued.

This could mean a completely finished project may need to be torn apart to reveal the structural work beneath for the inspection. It could mean having to pay to have almost all the work done twice! And when the inspector realizes that the work is not recent -- that person could be a harsh judge.

So, for your safety and the health of your bank account, make sure all the proper permits are in place and all the inspections are scheduled. It's your responsibility.

If you're not sure - check with a local city office for requirements. Each state is different and each project may be different.

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If you're ready to build or remodel, consider Construction Deal. We'll match you with local contractors for any home improvement or repair projects. At no cost. Simply post your project in minutes and wait for our service professionals to call you.

Labels: Building Tips, Construction Tips

It's always important, when taking on any home improvement project, to make sure you're aware of the entire renovation process. And that includes starting everything off right with your contract between you and your general contractor. Here are some tips on things to put in your paperwork before you sign on the dotted line:

• Make sure your remodeling contract states that the job will pass all inspections and if it does not, then the contractor will cover the expense to fix any problems.
  

• Be sure all the financial terms of the contract are clear and concise.

• The contract should stipulate the total price, schedule, payment dates, and if there is a cancellation penalty.
  

• Downpayments are usually 10% of the total project cost.
  

• The contract is a legally binding document that gives details of the expectations and responsibilities of both parties involved (including subcontractors.) It clarifies the goals of both homeowner and the contractor, and protects everyone's rights regarding the remodeling project.

If you need to find a quality remodeling contractor, check out our network of service professionals at Construction Deal!

Whether you're selling your home or you just want to make some home improvements, here are some renovations you can have done to really bring up the value of your house:

Kitchen Remodeling: there are home improvement shows dedicated just to the kitchen! The kitchen has become the heart of the home and everyone wants to refurbish or expand theirs. They want natural stone counters, comfortable and easy-to-maintain floors, new cabinets and hardware, and new appliances. Studies have shown that a kitchen remodel usually guarantees the best return on investment and is the best way to improve the value of the house.

Bathroom Remodeling: homeowners want to pamper themselves in state-of-the-art master bathrooms. They want space, beautiful appointments, and whirlpool tubs. If there is room for a separate shower and toilet, that's a bonus.

First Impressions: when it comes to increasing home value, everything thinks of the interior first. But your "curb appeal" is what makes the first impression for everyone who comes to your home - whether it's the dreaded mother-in-law visit or your first visitor during an open house. It's important to cut back overgrown bushes and trees, add landscaping, new sod, and adding a sprinkler system to take care of it all.

New Replacement Windows: not only are new windows easier to clean but they usually pay for themselves in about 5 years. Your old wood windows that have expanded and contracted endlessly each season are letting out your heat and air conditioning. New windows always add to the value of any home for aesthetic reasons, environmental reasons, and financial reasons. What's not to love?

A New Roof: a new, strong roof tells everyone that this home is protected. It will prevent Mother Nature from wreaking havoc on the rest of the home. The new roof and gutters will push water away from the foundation. The new vents will help regulate temperature inside, saving money on utility bills. And it looks pretty darn good, too.

With an unstable real estate market and rising interest rates, many are choosing to stay put for now and choosing to improve the value of their home. When the time is right to sell again, make sure your home is ready to get you the most bang for your buck!

If you're in the market for any of these renovations, keep Construction Deal in mind! We'll help you find a local remodeling expert and save you time and money in the process. It's a free service for homeowners -- you simply post your request and wait for Contractors to call you!

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Refer a Friend to the ConstructionDeal.com Blog!

Labels: Curb Appeal, Home Improvement, Improving Home Values

I watched the show "Global Warming: What You Need to Know with Tom Brokaw" on the Discovery Channel last night. A very informative and eye-opening experience. Many are worried about the dangers of excessive greenhouse gasses but it seems like such a huge problem that many wonder - what can they do?

I think it would be too much to ask for everyone to suddenly give it all up (sell their SUV, go completely solar, and start their own farm) but it was great to see some suggestions we could implement immediately. Our goal, overall, to reducing global warming, is to reduce what's called our greenhouse gas footprint. How much we personally contribute to the problem. The show talked about a few easy solutions and I wanted to share them with you.

First, you could make a very simply change tonight -- stop by the store on your way home and buy some fluorescent bulbs. If every home in America replaced just one bulb in their house with one of these bulbs, it would help tremendously. These fluorescent bulbs are more expensive than the incandescent bulbs found in most homes but they last up to 10 times as long. And a fluorescent will lower your energy bills by about $15 a year, and by more than $60 during its life. It will also keep half a ton of carbon dioxide out of the air.

Next, you could replace most of our old appliances with new energy efficient ones. Not only will it cut down on the greenhouse gasses used to keep them running, but your energy bills will be lower, too. For example, refrigerators consume the most electricity in your home. Today's refrigerators consume less than one-fourth the energy of models built 30 years ago.

Finally, you could drive smarter. I'm not saying you need to buy a Prius (yet :) but you can make your current vehicle more efficient. By replacing your filters, tuning up your car, and keep your tires inflated, you'll keep your car from having to work as hard. If everyone kept their tires properly inflated, gas use nationwide would drop 2 percent. A tuneup could increase your miles per gallon from 4 to 40 percent; a new air filter could bump your mpg by 10 percent.

Click Here For more info on the Discovery Channel Global Warming special

There is a lot of uncertainty in the real estate market and the ecomony in general. Rising interest rates, oil and fuel costs, and a cooling housing market are keeping a lot of homeowners from making huge leaps into the home improvement game. Everyone wants to make more room in their home or update the old rooms, so what do all those uncertainties mean?

Well, it can mean that the pending "housing bubble" may finally burst and if housing prices drop, it means a homeowner might have less equity in their home to borrow against to make those home renovations. But, according to a very recent report from the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, there's a great chance that the current cooling period is just that -- a cooling period. And not a bursting real estate bubble.

Why? Well, in the past, nearly every single housing bust, or overall drop in housing prices, has been accompanied or caused by excess over-building of new homes and/or excessive unemployment. Neither of those are happening today.

While interest rates have been climbing over the past few quarters, and there is the possibility of a new recession or change in the job markets, this current housing price "cool off" should not lead to a big drop in home valuation. If housing prices stay at current levels or only drop slightly (and temporarily) -- which they should (because of the lack of "over-building" or excessive supply of new homes and the job market) -- then it will be likely that things will be okay. Remodeling and renovations, home additions, and new home construction plans can continue on, full steam ahead.

We're constantly updating the site to bring you new information. We wanted to let you know about some recent additions. Besides our new "blog", we've just added two new articles in our Resources section. The first article covers swimming pool safety for these hot summer months - Cheap Pools Can Cost You. We've also added an article to cover some of your choices for replacement windows and how those windows can save you a ton of money - Why Replace Your Windows?

Check them out!

Here's a joke courtesy of Construction Deal. I'm not sure who came up with it, but I found it on the 'Net and thought I'd share:

"A young family moved into a house, next door to a vacant lot. One day a construction crew turned up to start building a house on the empty lot. The young family's 5-year-old daughter naturally took an interest in all the activity going on next door and spent much of each day observing the workers. Eventually the construction crew, all of them gems-in-the-rough, more or less adopted her as a kind of project mascot.

They chatted with her, let her sit with them while they had coffee and lunch breaks, and gave her little jobs to do to make her feel important. At the end of the first week they even presented her with a pay envelope containing a couple of dollars.

The little girl took this home to her mother who said all the appropriate words of admiration and suggested that they take the two dollar "pay" she had received to the bank the next day to start a savings account.

When they got to the bank, the teller was equally impressed and asked the little girl how she had come by her very own pay check at such a young age.

The little girl proudly replied, "I worked last week with the crew building the house next door to us."

"My goodness gracious," said the teller, "and will you be working on the house again this week, too?"

The little girl replied, "I will if those a**holes at Home Depot ever deliver the f*****' sheet rock..."

So, if you're in need of some hopefully not-too-rough-around-the-edges construction workers in your home, let us know. You can find a contractor at Construction Deal by posting your project for free! It saves time -- you don't have to go searching at random through the phone book -- and money -- you'll get several bids to choose from on each job.

Thanks!

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Labels: Humor

What's in store for the rest of 2006 when it comes to Home Improvement, Remodeling, and Construction? Homes are aging (the average U.S. house is 30 years old) and, as interest rates continue to rise, many are renovating instead of relocating. Homeowners today want to modernize, expand, and keep their houses low maintenance.

As the baby boom generation moves into retirement age, many are demanding options as they "age-in-place" (staying at home and foregoing the retirement communities.) They desire to remain in their single family home as long as it is safe and comfortable. Younger generations are interested in expanding the size of their homes, adding technical goodies, and increasing property values with the latest products and materials.

- Kitchen and Bathroom Remodeling will still be Number One on everyone homeowners remodeling wishlist. They want to expand the kitchen - it's the center of their home - or add or update a bathroom. It will be a big deal to re-do not only the tiles and counters in the bathroom, but also to add new ammenities - spa tubs, steam showers, rain (overhead) shower heads, radiant heat, flat screen TVs behind two-way mirrors and more!

- Home Technology Upgrades: Home Security - closed circuit cameras, alarms, & safes; Home Theaters - stylish theater components with controllable lighting and sound; and Smart Homes - home automation products that control media, lighting, security, and temperature.

- Garage Improvements or Additions: homeowners are adding garages, expanding existing ones, and finishing their garage to add workrooms that give plenty of storage with comfortable flooring.

- Home Restoration: returning the house to its original character - something that won't look dated in a few years. After many years of home flippers and home remodelers adding granite counters to every period of house, a home restoration can be in order to bring back and highlight the homes original architecture.

- "Specific Rooms" are hot: purpose-built rooms in new construction or current rooms that can be converted. Homeowners will want to add a library, home theater, gym, or wine cellar.

- Low Maintenance - everyone wants products and materials that are easy to clean, easy to fix, and easy to replace. This includes countertops, floors, windows, and appliances.

- Synthetic Materials - they are cheap, easy to maintain, and last longer so they won't have to be replaced anytime soon.

- Green - people will want more solar, biodegradable, and energy efficient materials and appliances.

- Outdoor Kitchens - this is the big trend for '06. Moving the indoor outside by hiring a Deck & Patio Expert. Homeowners feel this is a great way to expand their home without having the added cost of the construction of new rooms. Homeowners want to bring it all outdoors this summer: state-of-the-art grills and cooktops, sinks, fireplaces, wet bars, islands, and more.

With energy prices skyrocketing, many contractors are getting tons of questions on how to save money on energy bills. Homeowners and businesses are always interested in ways to cut down on their high fuel costs. But energy-efficient materials and appliances usually cost more and so, if it means a drastic spike in the total remodeling or construction bottom line, efficiency... goes out the window.

Many contractors would like use the more efficient materials but can sometimes lose the bid because of the higher overall cost. Construction Deal would like to remind property owners that there is a little-known resource that may allow you use those energy efficient products - the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPACT). You can benefit from federal tax credits for using energy efficient appliances and products. On top of that, you may be eligible for utility and state rebates and state tax incentives.

The Act might allow you to use those energy efficient materials when you remodel or build a new home. You can help save the environment and, at the same time, help lower your energy bills. Homeowners can install energy-efficient windows, insulation, doors, roofs, and heating and cooling equipment, and there are even tax credits available for contractors who install and construct energy-efficient appliances and buildings. This policy has been in place since January 1, 2006.

Check out the U.S. Department of Energy website for additional information.

If you're looking for a local expert for any of your remodeling needs, post your project for free on the ConstructionDeal.com website!

Welcome to the official weblog for ConstructionDeal.com! We're starting a blog to provide information on our site and to offer tips & tricks for our contractors and our property owners. We want to make sure that every construction, remodeling, or repair job goes well for all involved and a blog is great way to communicate!

Everyone is welcome to submit a post; simply email us at blog@constructiondeal.com and we'll send you an invitation. We'll be posting advice, site updates, frequently asked questions, and articles from various sources. We want our network of property owners and contractors to post their own home improvement stories, advice, and tips that they have to share. Power is knowledge and we want everyone to know as much as possible before taking on a new project!


Thanks,

ConstructionDeal.com
866-663-4711
support@constructiondeal.com