Painting An Exterior Wall

Painting An Exterior Wall

Painting is one of those jobs around home that you can do on your own especially if it is not the first painting. However there are certain basics that need to be applied while doing both interior and exterior painting though the latter involves more work because of exposure to tough weather conditions.

 Exterior part of any building is the part that is exposed to direct weather conditions that may adversely affect the aesthetics and even the durability of the building. Here we look at what to do and what to avoid while doing exterior painting;

Dos’

ü      Carefully choose which type of paint that is to be applied, whether latex, water or oil based.

ü      Pick the right set of brushes as well. This is crucial and the choice of brush to be used is largely dependent on the nature of the wall surface, durability and the ease of cleaning amongst other factors.

ü      Certain paint colors do not go well with exterior painting. Be sure to choose the right color for outdoor paint works. Your exterior walls may be exposed to dust and it may not make sense to use bright colors on such. Different colors may be used for different parts of the building i.e. walls, skirting, windows and doors but you should ensure that the colors blend. If you do not have full ownership of the house then you may want to stick to the colors already in place.

ü      Mix all cans of paint of the same color into a bucket before you paint. This ensures the uniformity in the mixture concentration thus giving the final outcome an even tone.

ü      Start painting from top towards bottom. Starting from the top will ensure that any flowing paint does not interfere with already painted areas.

 Don’ts

o       Avoid choosing low quality of paint especially for exterior work. Adverse weather temperatures, rain or even sunlight may result in cracking, peeling or fading too soon of the painting especially if it is of low quality. Bubbling may occur for areas that are highly humid ant this would mean that you will need to repaint sooner and in the long run cheap turns out to be expensive.

o       Do not paint over peeling or bubbled paint or over dirty surfaces. Wash and sand the surfaces and ensure that they are dry before painting. This will guarantee that the paint adheres to the surface properly therefore lasting longer.

o       Do not paint during the rainy since the paint needs ample time to dry. Too hot season may not be ideal too. Schedule your painting work in a period where the temperatures are neither too cold nor too hot.

Enhancing the Beauty of your Home through Landscaping

Enhancing the Beauty of your Home through Landscaping

The compound of any establishment or home is the first thing that will catch the attention of visitors. Is the first part that people see when they look towards any home, therefore manicured lawns and nicely done landscape enhances the beauty of your home and creates a sight to behold. Also a home with a good landscape helps you relax making it a healthier place to live. It improves the value of your property too.

 Various landscaping designs and ideas exist giving you a wider choice of which would you like to use to enhance the beauty of your home.

  Raised Gardens

A common design of natural landscaping is the raised garden or flowerbed. Raised gardens are achieved by putting up a retaining wall to lift the planting bed a few feet higher than the ground level. By use of stones or blocks you can make a short wall that you fill with soil and plant your garden. The selection of building materials that you will use for the retaining wall also creates an opportunity to enhance the beauty of the garden. Raised gardens provide more character to your yard by adding plants at various heights to engage the eye.

Stone Pathways

Stone Pathways is one of the commonly used natural additions to many lawns and landscaping work. They can be placed in a wandering pattern throughout your lawn, reminiscent of stepping stones through an ocean of green grass; also, you can use them to replace cement to give the patio or barbeque area a natural look and feel and to promote better drainage. As a variety of stones are available for any design, you can find nearly any color or style to match your specific needs.

Natural Materials Patio

By looking to nature for your building materials, you can create a lavishly decorated patio that looks as if it were cut out of the Earth. Stone steps and rock retaining walls can elevate the patio and give you the sense of sitting on top of a mountain peak. This form of patio works exceptionally well if your lawn is at a lower level than the rest of the home. Many lawns slope up toward the house, so leveling it at a high point gives you a good start on laying this patio.

Retaining Walls

Retaining Walls

Retaining walls are designed to help contain soils and hold them in place behind the inside face of a vertical (wall) structure. They are installed when a large shift in a site’s grade elevation is desired in a very short distance, in some cases for aesthetic reasons.

 Care must be taken when designing and building a retaining wall since the soils contained behind the wall are trapped at a nearly vertical angle and depending on the height of the wall and the soils there can be tremendous pressures from the soil which the wall must withstand. Additionally, any loads on top of the soil contained behind the wall (known as a surcharge), such as paving or other site improvements, will contribute to an even greater loading on a retaining wall structure. Moisture content and adequate drainage of the retained soils is also an important consideration.

 Retaining walls can be constructed using different types of materials, and several basic principles may be applied to resist the pressures developed behind the wall. A gravity retaining wall relies on the weight of the wall materials themselves to resist the pressures exerted by the contained soils and surcharge. Rocks and gabions (rock ballast that is usually contained within wire cages) can be employed in a gravity-based retaining wall on principles similar to those of a gravity dam.

 An example of retaining wall is the cantilever retaining wall. Cantilever retaining wall looks like an inverted letter “T” in cross section. The cross section is designed to adequately contain the soil pressures and any surcharge through its two basic components: a base (horizontal portion) and stem (vertical portion). The outside tip of the base is referred to as the “toe” and the inside tip of the base is the “heel”. A cantilever retaining wall relies much less on material weight, but requires a careful analysis of the loads exerted on the wall components and the soil characteristics at the project site.

 Cantilever retaining walls are most often made of reinforced concrete or combinations of other materials such as steel and wood. Cantilever retaining wall design must address many complex forces interacting concurrently; which include the soil pressure acting on the inside wall stem, any surcharge, soil weights on the wall base, the soil characteristics beneath the base to resist sliding and settling and the movements created by all these forces acting at the heel and toe. Additionally, the connection between the base and stem is a critical structural detail in cantilever retaining wall design.

Understanding various Roofing Styles and Slopes

There are many different roofing styles that are employed in the building field today. Each style is unique in its structure and design and often times to a particular location. Different building types also do determine, at times, the type of roof that will cover it.

The reason that certain roofing styles are used in specific locations is because different roofing styles adapt differently depending on the geography and the climatic conditions of certain places. This article outlines some of the most popular roofing styles used today, and provides some details about each one.

 Hipped Roof

This type of roof is characterized by four uniformly pitched or sloped sides resembling a pyramid. The main differentiator of a hip roof is the fact that all of the walls forming the house are of the same height, and all walls meet the roof at the same height. There are no gables to be found in houses that feature a hip roof, which allows for gutters that follow the circumference of the roof edge without requiring any tricks or seams to complete.

Houses that feature this type of roof are considerably sturdier in areas that are prone to strong winds. High winds tend to flow over the angles of a hip roof instead of being caught up against gable walls. As wind resistance can be a major cause of damage in high-wind events, having a hip roof can end up saving the house from damage or destruction.

On other hand having a hip roof constraints space especially attic space. The other downside is that when constructing a variation of the roof there will be seams formed in the roof (valleys) which tend to collect all sorts of leaves and other material, and these must be kept clear or drainage will be affected.

Gable Roof

The gable roof and its many variations are the most popular roof type used in many parts of the world.  Gable roofs can be found literally everywhere – they’re easily recognizable from the triangular gable walls that are on two ends of the house.
The gable roof itself has two roof surfaces in its most basic variation, which are designed on the same angle of slope and come down to meet the walls on two sides of the house. On the other two sides, the gable walls come up to the point formed by the meeting of the two sections of the gable roof. The many styles of gable roof are well suited to areas that have a lot of precipitation, as the steep slopes of the roof can easily move rain off.

The downside is going by the way that they are constructed, houses that have a this type of roof are susceptible to high winds thus they are not recommended to areas that experience regular extreme and strong winds.

Cross-Hipped Roof

The cross-hipped roof is a variation of the common hipped roof, except that on a cross-hipped roof, perpendicular wings are added to the main section of roof, forming two individual sections both with their own hipped façade. The cross-hipped roof is commonly found on houses that have an “l” shape.  A gambrel roof is constructed so that each side has two slopes; a steeper lower slope, and a flatter upper one. This is often associated with barns.

The cross-hipped roof essentially involved pushing two hipped roof sections together, which forms seams in the roof that are commonly referred to as valleys. These valleys must be carefully constructed and maintained, since they will be an area of weakness in the roof membrane if the initial construction isn’t solid and watertight.

The difference between cross-hipped roof varies from the almost similar cross-gabled roof is the absence of gables on the sides of the house. With a cross-hipped roof, all of the walls are the same height, and the roof meets the walls on a straight angle.  The cross-hipped roof also offers significantly improved internal framing and bracing when compared to a cross-gabled roof, and thus will provide more structural strength.

Cross-Gabled Roof

Cross-gabled roof is constructed much like a regular gable roof, but instead of a single roof section, there are two roof sections put together at a right angle. This type of roof is popular on houses that form an “L” shape, as the roof sections connect together at a perpendicular angle, and allow for just a small seam down the two sides where the sections join.

This kind of roof is a bit complicated and it requires a professional who has built a cross-gabled roof before. So if you plan using a cross gabled roof it is important to have a roofing profession to take a look at the wall structure and plans of your house. If not done properly they can be difficult and the many seams provide the opportunity for leaking.

Understanding various Roofing Styles and Slopes

There are many different roofing styles that are employed in the building field today. Each style is unique in its structure and design and often times to a particular location. Different building types also do determine, at times, the type of roof that will cover it.

The reason that certain roofing styles are used in specific locations is because different roofing styles adapt differently depending on the geography and the climatic conditions of certain places. This article outlines some of the most popular roofing styles used today, and provides some details about each one.

 Hipped Roof

This type of roof is characterized by four uniformly pitched or sloped sides resembling a pyramid. The main differentiator of a hip roof is the fact that all of the walls forming the house are of the same height, and all walls meet the roof at the same height. There are no gables to be found in houses that feature a hip roof, which allows for gutters that follow the circumference of the roof edge without requiring any tricks or seams to complete.

Houses that feature this type of roof are considerably sturdier in areas that are prone to strong winds. High winds tend to flow over the angles of a hip roof instead of being caught up against gable walls. As wind resistance can be a major cause of damage in high-wind events, having a hip roof can end up saving the house from damage or destruction.

On other hand having a hip roof constraints space especially attic space. The other downside is that when constructing a variation of the roof there will be seams formed in the roof (valleys) which tend to collect all sorts of leaves and other material, and these must be kept clear or drainage will be affected.

Gable Roof

The gable roof and its many variations are the most popular roof type used in many parts of the world.  Gable roofs can be found literally everywhere – they’re easily recognizable from the triangular gable walls that are on two ends of the house.
The gable roof itself has two roof surfaces in its most basic variation, which are designed on the same angle of slope and come down to meet the walls on two sides of the house. On the other two sides, the gable walls come up to the point formed by the meeting of the two sections of the gable roof. The many styles of gable roof are well suited to areas that have a lot of precipitation, as the steep slopes of the roof can easily move rain off.

The downside is going by the way that they are constructed, houses that have a this type of roof are susceptible to high winds thus they are not recommended to areas that experience regular extreme and strong winds.

Cross-Hipped Roof

The cross-hipped roof is a variation of the common hipped roof, except that on a cross-hipped roof, perpendicular wings are added to the main section of roof, forming two individual sections both with their own hipped façade. The cross-hipped roof is commonly found on houses that have an “l” shape.  A gambrel roof is constructed so that each side has two slopes; a steeper lower slope, and a flatter upper one. This is often associated with barns.

The cross-hipped roof essentially involved pushing two hipped roof sections together, which forms seams in the roof that are commonly referred to as valleys. These valleys must be carefully constructed and maintained, since they will be an area of weakness in the roof membrane if the initial construction isn’t solid and watertight.

The difference between cross-hipped roof varies from the almost similar cross-gabled roof is the absence of gables on the sides of the house. With a cross-hipped roof, all of the walls are the same height, and the roof meets the walls on a straight angle.  The cross-hipped roof also offers significantly improved internal framing and bracing when compared to a cross-gabled roof, and thus will provide more structural strength.

Cross-Gabled Roof

Cross-gabled roof is constructed much like a regular gable roof, but instead of a single roof section, there are two roof sections put together at a right angle. This type of roof is popular on houses that form an “L” shape, as the roof sections connect together at a perpendicular angle, and allow for just a small seam down the two sides where the sections join.

This kind of roof is a bit complicated and it requires a professional who has built a cross-gabled roof before. So if you plan using a cross gabled roof it is important to have a roofing profession to take a look at the wall structure and plans of your house. If not done properly they can be difficult and the many seams provide the opportunity for leaking.

Compressed Earth Blocks/ Stabilized Soil Blocks

Compressed Earth Block or Stabilized Soil Block as commonly referred is a type of manufactured construction material formed in a mechanical press that forms a compressed block out of an appropriate mixture of fairly dry inorganic soil, non-expansive clay aggregate and cement.

Compressed block technology has been developed for low-cost construction. Stabilized soil blocks technology has been advanced by eco-friendly contractors, manufacturers of the mechanical presses, and by cultural acceptance of the method. This technology is gaining a wide acceptance in the developing countries because of its cost effectiveness.

There exist different types of soil blocks production machines from manual to semi-automated and fully automated. Automated machines are more common in the developed world while manual machines are widely used in the developing world.

Using Stabilized Soil Blocks:

Foundations

Standards for foundations are similar to those applied to brick walls. A stabilized soil block wall is heavy therefore footings must be at least 10 inches (250mm)  thick, with a minimum width that is 33 percent greater than the wall width. If a stem wall is used, it shall extend to an elevation not less than 8 inches (200 mm) above the exterior finish grade. Rubble-filled foundation trench designs with a reinforced concrete grade beam above are allowed to support stabilized soil block construction.

Walling

Construction method is simple. Less skilled labor is required; wall construction can be done with unskilled labor encouraging self-sufficiency. The blocks are stabilized with cement so they can be laid just like bricks and assembled using standard masonry techniques of brick-laying or even in some cases dry stacked further reducing total construction costs.

Finishing

Finishing on stabilized soil block walls require either a reinforced bond beam or a ring beam and plaster finish, usually cement and or lime plaster. Properly stabilized blocks can be left exposed with no outer plaster finish.



Advantages of Using Stabilized Soil Blocks

The soil block technology has got a host of advantages. On-site materials can be used, which reduces cost and increases efficiency and sustainability. The wait-time required to obtain materials is minimal, because after the blocks are pressed, materials are available very soon after a short drying period. The uniformity of the blocks simplifies construction, and minimizes or eliminates the need for mortar, thus reducing both the labor and materials costs. The blocks are strong, stable, water-resistant and long-lasting. Advantages of CEB include:

1. Uniformity

Uniformly sized building components can result in less waste, faster construction and the possibility of using other pre-made components or modular manufactured building elements. Such modular elements as sheet metal roofing can be easily integrated into a CEB structure. The possibility of using such components can often improve the overall quality of the structure as well.

 2. Affordability

The use of natural, locally-available materials makes good housing available to more people, and keeps money in the local economy rather than spending it on importation of building materials.

3. Eco- Friendly

 Here are some of the Eco-friendly aspects of soil blocks;

a) Energy Savings

A building with soil block walls absorbs heat and releases it evenly, adding to the comfort of the inhabitants. Energy savings are significant as a lot less energy is required to heat and cool such buildings.

b) Renewable Materials

Earth is a renewable, abundant resource. Unlike fiber board, plywood, and other modern building materials, its production does not require the use of dangerous chemicals.

c) Inexpensive

In poor communities, the use of stabilized soil blocks is especially advantageous. The main component which is the earth/soil is readily available and the compression machines can be powered or operated by hand thus avoiding the risk of environmental pollution which may arise from using by fuel/diesel powered machines.

d) Saves Trees

Perhaps the most obvious but still significant environmental advantage of using stabilized soil blocks in construction is that is reduces reliance on forest-based materials. In other words, it does not require the use of wood to bake them thus saving the much needed forests.

e) Insect Control

Many homeowners have had to call in a pest control specialist at one time or another. Some people have regular applications of pesticide in and around their homes. The environmental issues with pesticide use are numerous. But stabilized soil blocks homes are naturally insect resistant, reducing the need for chemical pesticides.

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Understanding various Roofing Styles and Slopes

Pyramidal Roof

As the name suggests, this is a type of roof that is shaped like a pyramid.

The pyramid roof  is a common variation of the hip roof, which is known for its gable-less walls which all come up to meet the roof at the same height. The pyramid hip roof features four triangular sections which meet at a high point in the center of the roof, at its peak; the pyramid roof looks very much like a small pyramid was placed on top of the four walls of the house.

Just like the other types of roofs, the pyramid hip roof has its advantages and disadvantages. The main advantage of a pyramid roof is that there are no gables which can offer significant wind resistance in areas that are prone to extreme wind conditions. While this makes a pyramid roof sturdier, there is less space underneath the roof and accessing the inside of the roof to perform maintenance is somewhat a struggle.

Another positive feature of houses that have a pyramid roof is that they generally also have eaves around the four sides of the house and this helps in providing shade to the walls and can help keep the home cooler during hot weather.

Shed Roof

The shed roof is one of the easiest types of roof to construct, and for this reason is generally found on smaller structures that are either homemade or not meant for housing purposes; hence the name ‘shed’ roof. Generally, if one was to find a shed roof on a house, it would be as part of an addition. The shed roof is very easy to spot as it has a single roof face and a single slope. It is commonly used over a porch or veranda that has been added on to the house.

The construction a shed roof is much easier as compared to the other roof types and can be done by someone with basic construction or carpentry skills.  The shed roof is relatively impervious to leaks, which makes it an excellent choice for structures shed and car parks.

Flat Roof

The flat roof is the most popular type of roofing and is used on many different home designs as it is one of the most economical types of roof to construct. A flat roof contains no slopes, and may or may not have eaves. It is generally made from materials such metal sheets among others.
Some of the benefits of a flat roof are that it's easier to construct and generally more accessible.

The main downside to this type of roof is that it requires more maintenance than other roofs because most of the time debris will collect and settle on the roof.  Also a flat roof is very susceptible to damage from water that collects in the form of pools or puddles should it should sag anywhere. If this water collects and retains on the roof for sometimes it weakens the roofing material used and this may lead to leaking.

In Conclusion

If you are in need of a new roof, and are unsure about what types and styles will work for your home or building, consult with a professional in the field. You can good and qualified professional for your work by visiting the following link and contacting them directly.

http://fundimjanja.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5&Itemid=122

Where you live can make a big difference, as well as the type of building you are wishing to re-roof. There are many options available to you and good professional  to assist you in making this decision.

The cost of your new roof will also vary according to the type of roof you choose and materials used. Certain roofs are more complex than others and some materials cost more than others. The exact type you choose can be a matter of personal preference or can depend on location. Before you make a decision research all the types available to you to find out which will be best. Also ask about installation costs.