Aircraft Seats: How Many Should My Plane Have?

The number of seats that an airplane has is a function of the design of the aircraft. In short if the plane is too small or does not have enough payload to carry more than one average size individual then the plane should be built and marketed as a single place aircraft. The same is true for two, three and four place considerations. However, the aircraft market is wrought with two, three and four place planes that have barely enough payload to be considered such. Despite this they have received that designation as a result of the number of seats installed in the plane. Such attempts are merely marketing schemes and most pilots are familiar with the claims that some prominent aircraft companies of the 1960's and 1970's allowed the marketing departments to author the aircraft specifications. While these claims are likely rooted in folklore rather than truth, the fact remains that planes are often produced with more seats than they have payload to support. So the question is why is this practice widespread and how should a pilot consider such planes when making a purchasing decision.

Aircraft payloads are determined with and without fuel. The full-fuel payload is the payload of the aircraft not including the fuel, oil etc. In other words the fuel and other essentials for flight are considered to be part of the aircraft rather than part of the payload. This is the easiest and safest payload to consider when purchasing or operating and aircraft. By using the full-fuel payload the pilot is never limited on the amount of fuel which he/she can carry but instead is limited on the amount of people and baggage which they can carry. On heavy haulers like the Cessna 210, Piper Cherokee Six and the Piper Dakota, the full-fuel payload leaves ample room for the pilot to fill all of the seats on the airplane. However what about the Piper Cherokee 140 and the 150 hp Cessna Cardinal. These are two extreme examples of aircraft that were built with too many seats. In fact these two aircraft in particular can bareley fill all four seats with descent size adults when they are carrying no fuel at all. While these are extreme cases, even one of the most popular aircraft of all time the Cessna Skyhawk has more seats than it can fill with full fuel. The full-fuel payload of a typical Cessna Skyhawk is around 450 lbs. If you consider an average individual to weigh 150 lbs which is probably an underestimation then the Skyhawk is barely a three place plane despite the fact that it comes equiped with four seats. In order to leave enough fuel on the ground to get another individual into the plane the pilot must effectively cut the range of the aircraft in half.

Aircraft companies take the stance on this issue that most people will want to stop long before they exhaust their fuel supply even with half a tank of gas. Therefore for them it is acceptable practice to produce an aircraft with insufficient payload to carry full fuel and full seats. However the truth is that this practice likely puts many pilots in the tempting position of overloading their planes. The scenario is that four guys want to fly to Florida for a weekend trip and they can almost carry enough fuel given their weights to make the entire trip without refueling. In fact they only need an extra 30 lbs of fuel to make the entire trip. Many people in that situation would go ahead and put the extra fuel on regardless of the fact that that puts them outside of the operating envelope. The fact is that the temptation due to the mimimal amount of overage is just too much to bare.

For this reason alone it is advisable that all perspective aircraft buyers carefully consider their mission. If you have a four member family and two of the four members are young children then a Cessna Skyhawk may be a good fit to your mission. However, if you are a retiree and plan on traveling with your wife and another couple then the Skhawk is definitely not a good fit. It is a good practice to consider your worst case scenario rather than limiting yourself. Realizing that these decisions are often related to economics rather than preference it is suggested that the pilot never push the envelope. You are the keeper of your passengers. In most cases they have no idea about weight and balance and so by overloading a plane you are taking their life into your hands. As you consider them before you take off, also consider them when purchasing an aircraft.

Homebuilt How-To: Homebuilt Aircraft

From homebuilt aircraft to homebuilt submarines, HomebuiltHowTo.com has it all. Using the community style interface of HomebuiltHowTo.com builders of all types can share their projects so that their friends and family can take part in the fun without leaving their computer. However, the interface is far more than an entertainment console. The builder can stay connected with the manufacturer viewing any significant updates or alterations which the manufacturer posts. Builders can share their knowledge on modifications and problems with other builders and the forum can be used as a virtual help section by which builders can ask questions and have them answered by other builders or the factory.

For propspective aircraft builders, the Homebuilt Aircraft Directory is a great place to find your aircraft kit. Kit plane manufacturers may use the directory to make their kits available to the world and prospective buyers can use the directory to view and compare multiple aircraft in order to find the one that meets their mission. If the user has a flying club, an EAA chapter or any other type of club, user groups can be created from within any profile allowing the club to have a virtual community within HomebuiltHowTo.com. In essence HomebuiltHowTo.com eliminates the need for each club to have its own website. Give it a try today.

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Homebuilt How-To

HomebuiltHowTo.com is a site dedicated to all homebuilt creations including helicopters, airplanes, submarines, solar panels, fishing poles etc.  If you can build it at home and you want to share your creation with others then this is the site for you.  Simply sign-up at www.homebuilthowto.com and start posting your projects.  Once you are a member you can correspond with other members regarding their projects.  This interface is invaluable to homebuilders as they seek to solve problems in novel ways.  If you are innovative and want to share your projects then visit www.homebuilthowto.com.

Why It Is A Bad Idea To Build A Home Right Now

With the troubled financial times that our nation is going through and with the fact that at least a major portion of that financial trouble was fueled by the bursting of the real estate bubble, families are shy to make any large purchases much less build a new home.  Couple consumer confidence with fears of a commercial real estate crash looming and material costs that have yet to respond to the decrease in demand and you have a perfect storm for stagflation.  This article is by no means an attempt to analyze all of the factors contributing to our troubled economy nor is it a soapbox to stand upon regarding political inadequacies.  It is merely a custom home builder attempting to analyze why a person might consider building a new home or why they might defer building for a couple of years.

New home construction has taken more than its fair share of this great recession.  For many in the profession including the author of this article the recession began in late 2006.  Home prices were high, in fact they were higher than we had ever seen.  Profits were approaching the 20% mark when 15% had been standard for many years and then as things started to change, houses began to take longer to sell.  A market that had once been a two to four month market quickly became a six to ten month market and then a two year market.  Spec homes had flooded the market.  It was not the custom builders that had caused the majority of the problem, although they had contributed their fair share.  It was the tract builders that had historically taken part in contract jobs, building a house only if it was sold before construction that really contributed to the deluge.  These heavy wallet businesses saw an opportunity in the spec home market and they took it.  It was not unusual to see seven or eight brand new homes for sale on the same street.  The consumer saw the same homes for sale for months and months and then as things began to slow, the they got scared.  They began asking themselves why there were so many homes for sale.  They began to question prices asking "If it doesn't sale isn't the price too high."
To compound the problem of high home prices, slow sales and plummeting consumer confidence was the fact that material prices had followed home prices right to the top.  We are now five years into this great recession and quite honestly the recovery is yet a dim light on the far horizon.  The reason for this is two-fold.  Our economy no longer works under the strict tenets of capitalism because companies that get in trouble are either bailed out by the government or they file for bankruptcy and then open up again under a new name.  In essence why would a business slash prices to stay in business when they could just wipe out all existing debt and start again.  This leaves the home builder and consumer left holding the final bucket which is far too heavy to hold.  The homeowner that doesn't already own a house cannot buy one without some sort of incentive because most houses cost more than they are valued.  The analogy is this if a person on the street was approached and told that they could purchase a pencil for $2 but that they could only sell it for $1.50 why would they buy it?
Despite this a few people are still buying a few houses which causes the recession to become extended.  Most are purchased as a result of government incentives or drastically reduced builder profits from the big tract builders that have cut margins just to stay in business.  The small amount of custom construction that is going on right now is in areas where the recession is less intense due to population influx or is the result of buyers that have enough money that they don't care about short term value.  This said lets get back to our original question; should a person build a house in this market.  Unfortunately the answer is NO.  Material prices will never digress if consumers continue to give in to high prices and if a person does build a house in this market there is no telling where their home value will be in two years.  From a builders standpoint the house market is a "Hold" right now.  If you own a house hold on to it because you will take a beating if you try to sell.  If you are considering building a house wait.  The amount that it takes to build a house today is very close to what the house will be worth upon completion.  In essence their is no equity built into a new home right now.

Flat Roof Valleys

Let’s just be perfectly frank about something.  Flat roof valleys should never be built.  The homeowner may have a strong desire for a specific design that can be achieved no other way than to build a flat valley and whether or not the contractor yields to that desire may determine whether the job is won or not.  Despite this, flat roof valleys should never be built.  The roof design is as essential to the proper function of a house as is the foundation, plumbing or electrical design.  Building a flat roof valley is no different than a plumber installing a drainpipe that is flat for a few feet just to accommodate some aesthetic feature.  The contractor that does such things opens the door for many problems in the future.  They would be far better off refusing to perform a job with a faulty design than they would to perform the job and then pay for it for several years.

So what’s the big deal; aren’t there products to make a flat valley watertight?  The answer here is a little more complex than it may seem.  Flat valleys can be made watertight using one of several products including metal flashing and modified bitumen membranes.  Most products designed for this purpose are good products and can be made watertight even in a flat valley.  However the problem arises when something out of the ordinary, say an ice storm, occurs that causes water to backup in the valley.  The valley then holds water until the water level reaches the top of the flashing or the membrane.  On a relatively low slope roof (4-6/12) this may just be a couple of inches.  The water then flows over the top of the flashing or membrane and right into the house. The homeowner then calls the contractor regardless of what time of day it is and wants the leak fixed.  Now bear in mind, the contractor though he agreed to the design may have advised the homeowner that flat valleys are a bad idea.  Forget it, don’t even try to reason with the homeowner, they forgot that advice the second that they heard it.  All they will remember is that the contractor took the job and now there is a leak unless the contractor required a written waiver of liability.  So the moral of this story is flat roof valleys should never be built.  If you are a contractor bidding on a job with a flat roof valley, push for a change of design. If you cannot get the homeowner to agree to a change then don’t take the job.  Remember, as a contractor it is not whether a homeowner can afford to hire you, it is whether you afford to work for them.  Once a young contractor learns this lesson, they will stop chasing problem jobs and learn to take only jobs that make sense from a design, customer and contractor standpoint.  This will result in higher quality, decent profit and satisfied customers.  Likewise if you are a homeowner considering a design that requires a flat roof valley, don't do it.  It will just be a thorn in your side. 

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How To Increase a Homes Value

Signs Of The Times


In this era of economic turmoil the populus not only wonders what company will fail tomorrow or when we will hit the bottom of this financial roller coaster but what constitutes an asset and a liability with regards to real estate.  In fact homeowners that once regarded their homes as their greatest asset increasingly regard them as their greatest liability.  The basis for this logic lies not only in accounting, but in perception and the necessity of inventory movement.  In other words, the homeowner cannot view a home as an asset, regardless of its book value, unless it can be sold in a reasonable amount of time and for a reasonable price.  To be clear this article is less directed at the appraised value of a home by independent appraisers, real estate agents or taxing authorities than it is at the actual value of the home to the homeowner that needs to sell it due to financial necessity.

What Is "Home Value?"

For the purpose of selling a home, its appraised value is determined by looking at its ammenities, square footage, location, perception, etc., and then comparing it to comparable houses in the same area that recently sold. This process of determining a homes value works well in a good market. However, in a market which inventory far outweighs demand the homeowner must use an additional variable in their calculation of home value.  This additional variable is time on the market.  In other words, a homes value may be $200k if the owner can afford to hold it for six months, or only $125k if they need to sell it next week.  Not only is everything for sale if the price is right, anything can be sold if the time is right.

In most cases the homeowner does not have the ability to change most of the variables contributing to home value.  Homes are not easily and inexpensively relocated so location is set, the square footage normally cannot be changed without spending a large portion of money and most homeowners cannot control the sales price for houses surrounding theirs.  Despite this, there are a few things that a homeowner can do to increase a homes value.

Time-The Most Important Variable Contributing To Home Value

The most obvious way a homeowner can achieve their desired home value is to be patient.  As stated previously a home is worth whatever the homeowner needs it to be worth if they are willing and able to wait.  If you don't believe that statement then look at the thousands of small two bedroom houses in San Francisco that sell each year for $400k, $500k or even $600k when their original construction price was $30k-$40k. Realizing that most homeowners are more concerned with short term gain/loss than they are with the long term does not change the fact that time is as much a contributing factor to home value as is any of the other variables stated.

Alternatives To Waiting For Home Value Appreciation

Since most homeowners do not wish to or cannot wait long periods of time to sell their houses there are other things that can be done to increase a homes value.  These projects fall within the perception variable. Buyers want many things but the things that consistently make the difference as to how fast a house sells can be narrowed down to a very short list.  First and foremost is location, then curb appeal, followed by neatness, novelty and finally price.  At this point you are likely having to think about price being a factor contributing to home value since you probably regard them as two in the same.  Despite the fact that price is a major component of home value, it is not the same as home value.  Value encompasses the entire package whereas price is merely the exchange rate (e.g. 1 house for $X).  Major retailers like Wal-Mart realized long ago that value trumps exchange rate almost every time. This is why they regularly show their prices as $/oz, $/ct, etc. when selling products packaged en masse.  When dealing with products such as milk that are sold in standard quanitites such as quart, gallon etc. it is easy for the consumer to compare prices among retailers.  However for products such as potato chips that are sold by the bag with no standard size or weight the consumer must determine their best value by calculating the price of the product divided by the quantity of the product.

Home sales are only slightly different.  When purchasing a home it is still necessary to determine what is being bought for the price but the calculation is far less methodical and far more intuitive.  The consumer almost always compares price/square foot but their quantification of ammenities is more of a mental note of the ammenties that catch their eye.  As a seller, the homeowner must maximize the number and quality of such ammenities.  As a general rule there are three main areas to concentrate on for ammenity upgrades in order to sell a house.  These are the kitchen, the baths and the living room.

Kitchens

Though there is no set formula to determine which kitchen upgrades a homeowner should choose to increase their homes value there are a few items that are almost always found in houses with higher home values.  These are custom cabinets, hard surface countertops (quartz or granite), tile floors, professional series appliances and undermount sinks.  In order to determine where to concentrate, a homeowner should look at what they have and determine which of these items is in most need of improvement.  For example, if a homeowner can only perform one of these upgrades and the choice is between replacing carpet with tile and replacing 10 year old appliances with professional series appliances, replacing the carpet would have the greatest impact and would cost far less for that matter.

Baths

Baths are similar to kitchens in that they need to look up-to-date and consist of relatively maintenance free items.  Again, tile is a must, hard surface countertops are a plus and the plumbing and light fixtures should be in style.  For the master bath a walk-in tile shower is great but is likely too costly to add if not already in place.  A whirlpool bathtub can add value despite the fact that most buyers state that they will use it very little.  Additionally, glass shower doors are preferred in lieu of curtains by most buyers. Shower doors are not as costly to add as a walk-in shower or a whirlpool but shower doors are not cheap.  The least expensive way to increase the value of a home by adding ammenities to the baths is to place wood frames around existing mirrors. This task can be performed by most cabinet makers and trim carpenters and in most cases the perception value gained far outweighs the minimal investment required.

Living Room

The living room is perhaps the easiest place to make home improvements and thus increase home value since there are generally few facets to be changed.  In general the best living rooms are spacious and make the occupant feel comfortable.  This feeling is attained by design, colors and furnishings.  If a seller is trying to sell a house that they live in, they probably don't want to rush out and buy a whole new set of furniture to help sell their house and if they are trying to sell a vacant house they probably don't want to invest in show furniture that may or may not make the buyer feel comfortable so furniture is not the best option for increasing a homes value.  Paint, on the other hand is relatively cheap and with a coat of warm/neutral wall paint, the perception of most living rooms can be changed drastically.  The homeowner should be careful to control their own preferences when picking paint colors to increase a homes value as neutrals may not be their preference but will likely make the home appeal to the largest portion of buyers.  Flooring is currently a toss up.  Many consumers state that they will never own a house with carpet in the living room while others state the opposite citing the cold feel that tile and wood have.  It is the authors opinion that wood or wood-look laminants sell better than carpet.  Additionally, laminants can be installed by homeowners with minimal skill and for a relatively small investment.

The Entire Package

In summary, a homes value is not just a snapshot valuation at a given point in time.  Valuations change constantly.  Sometimes a homes value trends up and sometimes it trends down.  In difficult financial times homeowners are often forced to sell their homes to keep their finances in check and doing so requires that each homeowner evaluate their home on the basis of both valuation and time.  With increased time on the market and in the absence of vacancy most home values will ultimately appreciate.  That said, a homeowner that can stand to hold their house for a greater period of time can demand a higher price regardless of the variables contributing to home valuation.  If the buyer must sell their home in a short period of time, they are often forced to evaluate the potential upgrades which will increase the value of the home by decreasing the amount of time on the market.  Kitchens, baths and living rooms are the best places to focus upgrade efforts when trying to decrease time on market since these are the areas that are both controllable and affect the buyers perception of the home.  Curb appeal, neatness and novelty are other areas that should not be overlooked, as the buyers first impression will largely determine whether they seriously consider the home.  Despite this if the house is clean and neat, has beautiful floor tile that nobody else has and a buyer loves the facade yet abhores the kitchen baths and living room, the house will most likely not sell to that buyer.

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Sealing Floor Plates to Increase a Homes Efficiency

There are many means by which a homes efficiency may be increased resulting in lower utility bills. However there is one commonly overlooked area that is perhaps the best area to focus your efforts in increasing your homes efficiency; the junction between the concrete foundation (slab) and the wall. When it comes to energy efficiency, a house should be like a self contained bubble isolating the interior of the house with respect to air exchange and temperature fluctuation. Unfortunately, almost all houses leak air which results in a loss of efficiency.

During the summer months when the air conditioner is cooling the house, the air inside the house is cooler and thus more dense than the air outside the house. Therefore the air inside the house becomes layered with the coolest/most dense air near the floor and the warmest/least dense air near the ceiling. If the air near the floor is allowed to leak out of the house below the wall, a vaccuum is created within the house. This vaccuum is equalized when air leaks into the house from outside. It is by this continuous process that unconditioned outside air replaces conditioned inside air during the summer months. The inverse process occurs during winter months when the air inside the house is heated. As the heated/less dense air rises to the ceiling and leaks out of the house through light fixtures, etc., a vaccuum is created and air leaks into the house under the walls to equalize the vaccuum resulting in outside/cold air replacing the heated air inside the house. So the problem that must be addressed is air infiltration under the walls.

When your home was built the builder probably sealed between the slab and the walls with a product called "Sill-Seal", "Foam-Seal", or something like that. These are rolls of thin foam that are rolled out onto the slab before the walls are put in place. The problem with these products is that they don't work well since all slabs have low and high spots resulting in gaps between the slab and foam and between the foam and wall. The use of these products basically allows the builder to say that the sills were sealed when in fact there is still lots of room for air leakage. The solution to this problem is to caulk the plate line (junction of wall and concrete) on the inside of the house after the walls have been constructed. This is a very simple task with regard to homes under construction. You must first vaccuum the plate line with a Shopvac and then caulk the corner where the wood meets the slab with a very high quality caulking. Polyurethane caulk (NP-1, PL Concrete and Masonry, etc.) is best suited for this task since it is permanantly flexible and waterproof and since it sticks to almost anything. An average 3,000s.f. home will take approximately 15 tubes of caulking to seal the entire exterior plate line for an investment of ~$100. This investment will likely pay for itself in the first year once the house is completed.

Performing this process on an existing home is equally important, but slightly more complicated. The actual process of sealing the plate is exactly the same, but the carpet must be pulled back to expose the plate first. Despite this minor complication, this upgrade should still be performed as the energy savings will more than outweigh the inconvenience factor. In areas where wood or tile floors meet the exterior wall, the flooring can be caulked to the baseboard. This provides a similar benefit with far less hassle. In this case it is advisable to have someone that is really good at caulking perform the task since the caulking will be visible from within the home. Additionally, polyurethane caulk should not be used here. Instead an elastomeric latex caulk that matches the baseboard color should be used. Alternatively, the baseboards can be caulked with white caulking and painted once the caulking has dried.  Discover and share home improvement knowledge at www.HomebuiltHowTo.com.

Oil-Based Paint

Many older houses, especially those built prior to the 1990's, were originally painted with oil-based paint. There are two characteristics of oil-based paint that make it undesirable today: 1)It changes color through time and 2)It cannot be topcoated with latex paint without first priming. To determine whether or not you have oil-based paint, purchase some denatured alcohol from a paint store and rub the alcohol on your paint with a rag; if the paint comes off then it is not oil-based. If the paint does not come off then it is oil-based and you must first prime the surface before painting.  Discover and share home improvement knowledge at www.HomebuiltHowTo.com.

How to Fix a Door that Swings on its Own

Many times doors are either set out of plumb or a house shifts due to soil movement resulting in a door that slowly swings open or closed without any assistance. This can be aggravating but it is a problem that is easily fixed with a few simple hand tools. First remove the hinge pin from one of the hinges on the door. Take the hinge pin outside and place it on the concrete. Using a hammer hit the pin in order to place a slight bend in it. Finally, reinstall the pin in the door hinge. If the problem persists, it may be necessary to bend the pin more or bend all of the hinge pins for that particular door.  Discover and share home improvement knowledge at www.HomebuiltHowTo.com.

Removing Rust Stains From Concrete

Rust can be one of the hardest of all stains to remove, especially if the stain is on a porous substrate such as concrete. These stains often originate from a rusty piece of metal stored on the concrete or even from fertilizer containing iron. Removal of rust stains from concrete is best achieved by dissolving the rust with a chemical that unlike muriatic acid, which is often used to clean concrete, does not etch the concrete. The best product that I have found for this task is called Iron Out. It comes as a granular powder and can be purchased in most home improvement stores. Look for it in the plumbing section next to chemical drain cleaners such as Drano. If you follow the instructions you should be able to eliminate your rust stains without damaging your concrete.  Discover and share home improvement knowledge at www.HomebuiltHowTo.com.

Granite vs. Quartz Countertops

There is no doubt about it, granite is a beautiful product for countertops. The material does however have some inherrent problems that can be avoided by using man-made quartz countertops that can be equally attractive. Granite is a natural stone product and like most stones, granite is porous. Those small pores can allow certain substances to stain granite if it is not properly sealed and cared for. In fact most sealant manufacturers recommended that granite be sealed at least once per year. Quartz never needs to be sealed since the natural quartz is encapsulated in a nonporous resin that will never stain. Granite can also be easily etched with acids such as citric acid found in citrus fruits and other household chemicals. Again, quartz does not have this problem; leave a lemon on quartz all night if you wish and the product will look the same in the morning. Both products are heat tolerant and both are premium countertop products. Most people cannot even tell the difference between granite and quartz. I suggest quartz in almost all circumstances except when either there is a very tight budget, since quartz is a little more expensive than low-level granite, or when an extremely exotic type of granite is desired.  Discover and share home improvement knowledge at www.HomebuiltHowTo.com.

Save Money with a Programmable Thermostat

There many myths floating around about saving money by raising and lowering your thermostat while you are away from home or asleep. As with most things, the simplest answer is the only true answer. If you lower your thermostat during the winter for any length of time you will save money and if you raise your thermostat during the summer for any length of time, you will save money. The only exception to this rule is when an electric heat pump is used. Electric heat pump thermostats use resistance heating when the call for heat is too great for the heat pump to provide in a short period of time. For example, if in the winter time you lower your thermostat to 60 degrees while you sleep, then raise it to 70 when you wake-up, the thermostat will engage resistance heating to help the heat pump. Resistance heating is the most expensive of all forms of heat so such drastic adjustments are not recommended when heat pumps are used. However, an adjustment of 1-2 degrees can be implemented using a heat pump system without risking excess expense since such a minimal change will not engage resistance heating under most circumstances. As previously stated any temperature adjustment will save money. However, most people do not adjust their theromstats at night or when away because they do not want to wake-up or come home to a cold or hot house. Programmable thermostats are the solution to this problem. By installing a programmable thermostat, homeowners can enjoy a compfortable home when they are a awake and at home and also enjoy energy savings when they are asleep and away. An additonal benefit of most programmable thermostats is that they have a "Refresh" or "Recirculate" function which runs the fan periodically whether air conditioning is needed or not. This results in a more uniform temperature throughout the house even during months when almost no temperature adjustment is needed due to mild outdoor air temperatures. This also helps filter the house air during those same months when with a standard thermostat, the air would almost never be filtered. Programmable thermostats range in price from $30-$150 but for around $80 a good programmable touch-screen thermostat can be purchased. Installation is straight forward and should take no more than 30 minutes and then your savings begin.  Discover and share home improvement knowledge at www.HomebuiltHowTo.com

Removing Airborne Chemicals From Your Homes Air

Benzene has made the news lately in many major cities where natural gas production seems to be at odds with civilization. There is mounting evidence that natural gas production is resulting in elevated levels of benzene and other chemicals in the air. While there is still debate over the source of observed levels of benzene, the health of your family is paramount above the blame game. In other words it is imperative that any cancer causing or in any way harmful chemicals be removed from as much of the air that you and your family breathe as possible. The most cost effective means to achieve this end is to install an activated carbon air filter in your homes air conditioning system. Activated carbon is highly reactive with a multitude of airborne chemicals yielding them harmless. This is not only important in removing carcinogens such as benzene, but also in removing the pollutants that enter the air as a result of the slow gasification of most of the chemicals used in the manufacture of your homes amenities such as carpet. Activated carbon air filters are often sold as odor air filters and many times are used as a supplement to a standard air filter. These filters can be found in the air filter section of your local home improvement store or can be ordered online. Make sure to look for "activated carbon" on the packaging.  Discover and share home improvement knowledge at www.HomebuiltHowTo.com

Convert Your Fireplace To Vent-Free Gas Logs

Wood burning fireplaces were the staple installation of homebuilders for the past 50 years and many homes today come equipped with these energy hogs. The reason wood burning fireplaces are energy hogs is that in order for the fire to burn it must draw air from the house. As that air is drawn into the fireplace and then out the chimney, there is a vacuum created inside the home. In order to equalize the pressure, unconditioned air must be drawn into the house. This air enters the house around windows, doors, light fixtures, etc. As a result burning wood in most fireplaces actually results in a net energy loss in the home. To solve this problem, the homeowner can install vent-free gas logs into their existing wood-burning fireplace. Vent-free gas logs are a great alternative to wood. In order to use vent-free logs effectively in a wood-burning fireplace, the user must close the damper on the fireplace. When installed and operated properly, these logs will actually heat the home. As with most alterations, the homeowner should check with the manufacturer of their fireplace to determine whether it is approved for "closed flue" operation with vent-free gas logs before making this improvement.  Discover and share home improvement knowledge at www.HomebuiltHowTo.com

Replacing Wood Window Sills With Stone

Most houses are built with tradional wood window stool as the interior sill with a moulding apron on the bottom. This is perhaps the least considered location for providing some custom flare to a home. Stone window sills are a great alternative and the style possibilities are endless. Granite is probably the most windely used stone for window sills, but almost any stone can be carved into a window sill and provide that extra splash of customization to your home. Watch for an upcoming video in the "How-To Videos" section showing how to accomplish this particular project.  Discover and share home improvement knowledge at www.HomebuiltHowTo.com

Add A Heat Recovery Unit To Your Air Conditioner

Residential air conditioning systems come in several forms and configurations. Regardless of the type of system, cooling is almost always achieved by compressing a gaseous refrigerant (freon) which causes it to give up heat and then quickly reducing the pressure which causes it to take on heat. The low pressure gas is cold and thus collects heat from inside the home. The gas then travels to the compressor outside the home where it is compressed causing it to release the heat. It is by this process that heat is effectively pumped from the inside of a house to the outside air. Heat pump air conditioners use a slightly altered form of the same process to pump heat back into the house during the winter months. A Heat Recovery Unit (HRU) can be added to these systems in order to channel the heat from the hot side of the air conditioning system into the water heater and thus provide free hot water. Heat Recovery Units such as the Enviro-Pak from Turbotec are installed between the air conditioning compressor and the water heater. When the hot gas from the air conditioner enters the HRU, it is cooled and the water is heated. The gas then leaves the HRU and travels to the air conditioning compressor much coooler than it would have without the HRU installation. This provides the added benefit of less wear and tear on the compressor. With a return on investment of three years or less, these units are a must for any new installation and are suitable for many retrofit applications as well.  Discover and share home improvement knowledge at www.HomebuiltHowTo.com

Removing Crayon From Walls, Cabinets, Etc.

Working inside peoples homes daily results in being asked many unusual questiions that are not even related to the project which we are performing for the homeowner. One of the questions that I have been asked several times through the years is how to remove crayon marks from walls, tables, cabinets, etc. The answer is quite simply to spray WD-40 onto the crayon marks and rub with a rag. Who Would have thought?  Discover and share home improvement knowledge at www.HomebuiltHowTo.com

Top Ten Gift Ideas For Dad

When it comes to Christmas gifts, dads are notoriously hard to buy for. Many times they have everything they need and want nothing. Here are some simple rules to follow when buying for dad with ten gift ideas that may make the decision of what to buy easier. The rules when buying for dads are: 1)It's about quality not quantity-Most dads prefer a single high quality gift rather than several low quality gifts. 2)Fad tools are generally a bad idea-If you see it on an infomercial then your best bet is to pass it up. Not all products that start out on infomercials are bad, but as a general rule a product that needs that type of promotion lacks inherrent value. 3)When buying tools, buy only tools that are suited to a wide array of tasks. For example, a set of screwdrivers or a flashlight can be used on multiple projects, but a plumb bob is rarely used even by specialized craftsmen. 4)Avoid tools used for tasks that dads do as part of their everyday responsibilities. In other words, a weedeater would be a bad gift for most dads. Our Top Ten Gift Ideas for dad are: 1)Cordless Drill 2)Dremel Multimax 3)Wet/Dry Vaccuum (Shopvac) 4)Laser Level 5)Ratcheting Wrenches 6)Drill/Driver Set 7)T-Handle Screwdrivers 8)LED Tripod Flashlight 9)LED Headlamp 10)Pocket Knife

Rebuilding a Tile Shower

Rebuilding a tile shower is not a project for an amateur craftsman to tackle without first researching how to properly construct the shower prior to applying the tile. Contrary to popular belief, the tile and grout play a very minor role in waterproofing a shower. In essence a properly constructed shower should function to protect the house from water damage whether or not the tile is ever applied with the tile serving a largely aesthetic function. A shower should have several components that must be properly installed/applied for the shower to be effectively "waterproof." Among these components are a prefabricated shower pan (or a tub) or a flexible shower pan liner, a shower drain that is appropriate for the liner/pan, mold resistant cement based backer board for the walls, a very high quality waterproof caulking and a brush on waterproofing membrane. With the realization that household mold is a major factor affecting indoor air quality, the days of simply placing tile onto green sheetrock are over. The general process of constructing a shower, which we will discuss further in an upcoming "How To" video is as follows: 1) Remove all of the old shower tile, sheetrock etc., 2) Verify or install the proper drain, 3) Install the shower pan/liner, 4) Install the backerboard,  5) Seal all corners with high-quality caulking or manufacturer recommended sealant, 6) Apply 2 or more coats of a high quality waterproofing membrane,  7) Apply the tile with a high quality cement based thinset, 8) Grout the tile, and 9) Seal the grout. Watch for this process in the "How-To Videos" section of HomebuiltHowTo.com