Whole House Fan (1)

Here is the standard version of a whole house fan.
It is cut into the ceiling so it can vent into the attic. Then in turn the air is forced out the attic vents.

Some confuse an attic fan with a whole house fan. An attic fan is only in the attic and is usually on the roof or at a gable vent and moves air through the attic. A whole house fan is located in the ceiling of the house, it pulls air through the house and forces it into the attic, cooling the attic.

Things to be aware of: You need proper attic ventilation, the air that is being forced into the attic must have a way out of the attic. The whole house fan is to be used when the outside temperature cools down in the evening and it is still hot in the house. It is not to be used when it still hot outside, it will only pull in hot air.

It cools down outside, you open up a few windows, turn on the whole house fan and the cooler outside air is drawn in and pushed up into the attic cooling the attic at the same time.

Vessel Sinks

Vessel Sinks...what was done here was a copper vessel sink. It had a 3/4" flat lip all the way around so this vessel sink could be recessed.

Now with that being said...here are some things to look out for.
Being a hammered out copper sink it is not exactly level or even, but you probably bought it for the character anyway.
Vessel sinks do not have an overflow. If the water is let running it will overflow into the bath and house. Just something to be aware of.
Now the tough part...the drain! You need a vessel drain. It is not a standard drain assembly. Now if you install a vessel sink that sits on top of the counter top like most vessel sinks, you will buy an appropriate faucet that stands tall and comes with the appropriate drain. But...if you recess it as in our photo, finding a bronze vessel drain is not simple. The faucet came with a standard drain which will not work. Home Depot, Lowes and ALL the local specialty shops did not have one. A few are available on line but they are rare. It was surprising how many if not most were not even aware of the special drain required.
So before you get to far along with a vessel sink, make sure you have the drain that goes with your sink in the finish you want!!!

Travertine tile in the bath

Everything is travertine tile, on the floor, in the shower, on the counter top. It is very important to seal not only the grout but the travertine tile. Travertine is very porous and must be sealed. Being a natural stone you may have holes completely through the tile. It is also important to grout all of these holes.

Bathroom remodel continued

Putting it back together


cement board and getting the shower pan ready, no more tub!


the shower pan is set





various shots of tile

Bathroom remodel

Bathroom surprise. First it was the tile and then the cast iron tub. We attempted to cut the tub but then we went back to the sledge. Now the surprise...there should be no dirt in the picture!! What you see if from termites!

Paving with brick

Currently used brick is a better deal then pavers and I like the look of it better then pavers for small areas. Note, the used brick sold at Home Depot is not really used brick. It is not previously used and it is not brick. It is 'painted' to look used and it is really formed concrete. The importance of this is in cutting the brick. It will not cut conventionally with a chisel, it best to rent a wet saw for your cuts.
That being said you're ready to start. Here we used a herringbone pattern to create a small sitting area. The outside edges were set in concrete to 'hold' the sides. All interior brick are set in sand and grout used between the bricks to help hold them in place.




A brick paver pathway was then added to connect to the back of the house.

Renovating a yard

Most of the hard work came from bringing in a load of top soil and a load of composted manure and spreading a thin layer over the entire yard. The next step was seeding it and raking it in.



Water and fertilizer are the next key ingredients. Don't skimp on the water, it's a difference maker.



Not mowing it too short is the next key issue. I can't tell you how many lawns are cut too short. It's not bent grass and a putting green, it's tall fescue and a lawn.
Note the flower bed by the walk has also been reworked.

A non conventional fence

A fence was added that had a non conventional look. Be sure to check code requirements in your city. Here we have 6′ to the front of the house then drop to 4′. 4′ can continue to 12′ from the curb.

Starting right to left it starts out as edging and grows to a 6′ fence in a rolling fashion.

Mad Money's Jim Cramer

Jim Cramer from Mad Money has predicted the bottom of the housing market. The date is June 30, 2009!

Here is the link to CNBC to see the original broadcast.

Concrete Stain

Concrete stain can do a lot for that same old concrete look. It is easy to apply but take care on picking a color because you cant go back.
Before the stain


and after


If dealing with old cracks in the concrete it is sometimes to just let them alone. It's a stain not a resurface application. Patching the crack can look worse then the crack itself with staining.