Category: Home Improvement

PROS AND CONS OF BRICK HOMES

Owing to the fact that bricks are cheap and readily affordable, most homes are made of bricks. Almost all neighborhoods have brick homes. Nowadays, bricks are used with stones in home construction to give a house that extra edge. In this article we will focus on the pros and cons of brick homes; just to understand why many opt for brick homes.

Some of the advantages include:

Affordability

Although prices of bricks vary, they are relatively affordable. Bricks are locally manufactured hence there affordability. Prices of bricks may be tagged according to the manufacturing process and the durability of the brick.

Low-maintenance cost

Unlike wood, bricks do not break, rot or loose color. Bricks are durable and retain their color. This simply means no need to replace, fix or paint regularly to ensure that your home is in good shape.

Weather and fire resistance

Brick homes are known to withstand extreme weather conditions. Studies show that bricks are able to withstand extreme conditions unlike the other construction materials.

Bricks don’t aid in the spread of fire as they are noncombustible. As such, this brick property makes them be able to contain fire and prevent it from spreading.

What then are the negatives?

Weather Conditions

During construction, wet weather conditions would make the bricks not hold together properly. For this reason, brick homes are best constructed in non humid conditions. This results to delays in case of weather changes.

Time and Cost

Owing to the fact that bricks are laid down one by one, brick home construction is labor demanding. Moreover, it is time consuming to lay down the bricks.

Costly maintenance

If the contractor did a shady job, maintenance of a brick home may be costly. For example, if there are cracks, these cracks may let in moisture that may result to structural problems. This the main reason you need certified contractors. East Texas custom home builders is the home of credible contractors.

Conclusively brick homes are admired by many because of the evident pros. Moreover, their downside are not so costly if addressed on time.

Home Improvements That Are Worth the Money

Home improvements are an excellent investment. If you’re looking to sell your property, they can upscale the value of your home. If you’re hoping to make your house more of a home, they’re the way to go. However, everyone knows that renovations are incredibly expensive. When spending this sort of money, you’ll want to invest in something worthwhile and avoid a false economy. Otherwise, you’ll be kicking yourself when it comes to selling on your house. Therefore, we’ve created a list of home renovations that we think are cost-effective.

Loft Conversions

You probably know at least one person who has done a loft conversion before. That’s because they’re excellent value for money and raise the value of your property significantly. You can turn what was once a two-bedroom house into a three-bedroom house with an additional bathroom. This garners you a much larger price on the housing market. A loft conversion is also worthwhile for someone not planning on selling their home. If you’ve got two double bedrooms and one single bedroom, the latter can be transformed into another double bedroom in the loft, which is ideal for families. This also gives your house a spare room for additional purposes. Loft conversions do need building regulations, however, so be aware of that before finalising anything.

New Roofing

There are all sorts of ways you can improve your house’s roofing, and each one has a multitude of benefits. One example of this is installing a skylight in your roof. Skylights can bring a lot of light into rooms, making them look bigger and brighter, whilst also helping reduce condensation in places like the bathroom. Upgrading your conservatory with new roofing is another great home improvement to make. This makes them more thermally efficient and usable all year round; they won’t be too hot in the summer, nor too cold in the winter. The benefits of this go without saying. Installing new roofing without making any drastic changes to your home is also cost-effective. It can not only improve your house’s appearance but also bolster insulation which saves you lots of money in the long-term. StuartAndMoffatRoofing.co.uk is an  example of a great company that does the above things, all the while being fully insured and guaranteed. It is important that you check for a local company to get the job done correctly.

Garage Conversions

Garage conversions are similar to loft conversations in terms of their benefits, plus they’re less expensive and don’t require fire regulations in their building regulations. Therefore, making a room out of your house’s integral garage is one cost-effective option for home improvements. Especially given the current climate, a new room that can be used as a remote office is a great idea. The downside is if your home doesn’t have parking space anymore, it may look less appealing to buyers.

Those are our recommendations for home improvements that are worth your money. They’re a great way to boost the value of your house – or simply make it a much nicer place to live in.

 

Image: Pixabay

 

Your List of Options for Cleaning and Restoring Your Old Oak Beams

Old oak beams have their charm, and anyone who has walked into an old building or structure and seen those beams on the ceiling will be drawn to their look and appeal. But old oak beams can also have issues, and one of the most common issues you may have to deal with in regard to oak beams is damp. Prolonged exposure to damp and moisture can blacken the appearance of oak beams, especially since the water reacts with the wood’s tannins. Yet one more issue you may have to address is unsightly paint or finishes on the oak beams, which can certainly detract from their naturally appealing, rustic look. What’s more, if the paint applied on the oak beams was produced before 1978, you may be dealing with lead as well, which can be released as the paint decays. And lead, as we all know, is a highly toxic material.

 

If you want to clean and restore your old oak beams, there are ways you can do this without harming the beams as well. Although the various processes can be time-consuming, the results, in the end, should be well worth it. So what are your options for cleaning and restoring your old oak beams? Let’s find out.

 

  • The simplest way to clean your old oak beams, of course, is to brush them with a soft brush. Stay away from wire brushes because they can damage the beams and make the surface rougher. If the timber’s appearance is too rough, dirt can become more easily absorbed in the future.
  • You can opt for chemical-free blasting or soda blasting, which is a treatment used for blackening due to fungi or moisture or smoke stains. You should avoid the use of commercial cleaning products or chemicals, as this can potentially damage the timber. Avoid sandblasting as well, because this can roughen the wood’s surface and affect the finish. If you want, you can mix two parts lukewarm water with one part vinegar and use this to clean the beams. Just spray the mix onto a piece of soft cloth and then wipe and rub this on the beams for natural disinfecting and cleaning as well.
  • If you are planning to remove old paint, you may be able to use paint strippers, although these are chemical products, so proceed with caution. Additionally, if you use paint strippers, you have to have the proper safety gear and equipment, and the area should also be appropriately ventilated. If the paint is old and produced prior to 1978, this can contain lead, so you cannot use any heat guns or blowtorches because lead can release harmful fumes once heated. You should also avoid sanding since the lime produced by the dust may also be toxic.

 

There are also a number of ways you can finish old oak beams; you should, for instance, avoid linseed oil because it can cause dust and dirt to stick to the wood’s surface. Beeswax polish is a good alternative, and you should apply a thin coating of it and then polish it to produce a shine.

 

With the proper cleaning and beam restoration, your old oak beams can look great and exude their natural appeal once again. But if you would like to be doubly sure about restoring your old oak beams, your best bet would be a beam restoration specialist as they will have the right skills and know-how and can make sure your old beams are taken care of in the best possible way.

 

Image attributed to Pixabay.com