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Many people are planning to stay put in their own homes until the loan market steadyies. Perhaps that will happen when the new proposals that will tighten up the mortgage market go through.

This waiting period seems a good opportunity to improve the value of the existing home by decorating and renovating. There are still safe lenders out there who will lend you a little cash based on the equity that has mounted up in your home. Your original lender is the best place to start. They have proved reliable, and they will have to be involved in any other loan, as they probably hold the deeds of your property. Some home improvements are ‘worth more’ on the housing market than others, one of the first questions you must ask is if you are actually trying to improve the property for yourself, or for the re-sale value.

It seems that renovating has been popular this year. The Remodelers Chairman of the National Association of Home Builder’s (NAHB), Mike Nagel, views the amount of renovations happening as a positive sign for realty. “Though down a bit from the previous quarter, the remodeling market is not experiencing the dip in production and sales being seen by the new home building sector of the industry.”

Also, according to the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University, spending on residential remodeling and home repairs has climbed steadily, setting a new record this year. If you are undecided about which improvements to actually splash … Read More

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Importance of Temporary Door, Jamb, and Threshold Protection During Construction and Remodeling

3 months ago

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The front entryway including the door, jambs, and threshold is the focal point of your client’s home. It sets the tone and expectation for the rest of the home, and it can add or detract curb appeal. Entryways have been important dating as far back to the Greeks. According to Jesse Nevins of Coastal Carolina University, “To ancient Greeks doors were considered sacred and surrounded with superstition. So much so that doors and the comprising parts had their own deities. For the Greeks a door was not simply a way to enter a building , but a holy place itself worthy of the highest respect.”

Keeping doors, jambs and thresholds looking great while a home is under construction or remodeling is important, and is now easier than ever. During construction, contractors will pass through the doorway with materials and equipment needed for the construction project. Each pass risks scratching or clinking the home entryway. Temporary protection should be in place prior to the start of construction and should include protection for all the aspects of the entryway.

Doors can be protected with temporary cardboard door protectors available from a variety of manufacturers. Several protectors are not only made from recycled cardboard, but can be reused and recycled entirely again, making these protectors truly green. The first protector to market and most popular is DoorGuard. It is a truly green product that uses recycled cardboard for the door protection with natural rubber bands for attachment. Another popular protector is the 1-2-3 … Read More

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Hydroponics in Commercial Food Production

3 months ago

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Commercial Hydroponics

With the first successful application of hydroponics techniques in the 1930s the stage was set for a paradigm shift in crop production from conventional geoponics or cultivation in soil to hydroponics or soil less cultivation. The first crops to be commercially harvested with hydroponics included tomatoes and peppers, but the techniques were soon successfully extended to other crops such as lettuce, cucumbers and others. It was not long before hydroponics techniques were successfully adapted even to cut flowers production; in fact any plant can today be grown hydroponically.

Commercial Systems Overview

Commercial hydroponics systems can be classified into bare root systems comprising nutrient film technique (NFT), deep flow and aeroponics systems and substrate systems.

Bare root systems do not use media to anchor the plant roots; the roots are left bare while in substrate systems plant roots are anchored in media such as perlite, vermiculite, sawdust, peat etc. Hydroponics is basically all about growing plants in a controlled environment and this is best provided outdoors in greenhouses that can incorporate several means to monitor, regulate and control the environment inside them. For instance, the air entering the greenhouse can be filtered to exclude entry to pests and parasites that can harm plant growth. Such means help provide optimal conditions for plant growth both in and out of season. In fact, hydroponics allows cultivation throughout the year which makes for year round availability of hydroponically grown produce at all major supermarkets across North America. Valued at 2.4 billion dollars … Read More