Monday, July 29, 2013
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Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Basement Foundation
The foundation of your house is.... well your foundation. If your foundation was laid out wrong, or you are having problems with water or expansive soils around your foundation, you will see them manifest themselves in other areas of the structure.
If your foundation does not have an adequate water drainage system to drain excess water and you do not have a sufficient water barrier on the exterior basement walls, you will have a damp or soggy basement and subsequently, this will lead to mold.
In basement foundations, water infiltration is controlled with perimeter drainage systems tied to either a sump pump or daylight drain and a waterproof membrane either sprayed on or mechanically affixed to the perimeter walls.
Basement Foundation
Although basements are popular with a great many people, they are not always feasible. In Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Texas, etc. - sub-surface water is too close for portions of the year to control the possibility of water infiltration to the basement. So in these areas the preferred foundation has become the slab-on-grade.
Slab-on-grade is a foundation where you pour a mattress of concrete (usually with thickened portions at the perimeter and at interior load bearing locations). These are typically 4-6 inches thick and are both very economical and reliable and the easiest to control water issues with. They are preferred when dealing with low-bearing capacity soils and areas with water tables close to the surface (less than 10 feet). You will notice if these are the predominant type of foundation in your area. just look at the building lots in your area when construction begins and you will see what type of foundation is there.
Another issue with basement foundations or crawl-space foundations is the bearing capacity of the underlying soil and the expansiveness of the soil. Expansive soils expand as the take on moisture. If not accounted for, they can destroy a foundation is short order because of the pressures they exert on the concrete. They require special attention to drainage, backfill and sometimes the addition of caissons drilled into rock to support the walls. The caissons are drilled down to rock and the walls are supported on the caissons with a void underneath to allow for expansion of the soils. In any event, most basement foundations will have a concrete slab for the floor.
Another issue that is important to the safety and health of your family is to plan to mitigate Radon. Radon gas is now recognized as a very serious threat to the health of those who endure long-term exposure. It has been linked to lung cancer and other serious illnesses. It is also present in about 80% of the country. So you need to incorporate systems to mitigate its presence in the foundation.
Lastly, if the foundation is not laid out square, you will have problems with framing the upper portions to a square condition and thus problems with interior finishes etc. It is important to pick a competent and diligent concrete contractor to build the foundation and it even more important to have an engineer design the foundation to ensure that the proper type of foundation is put in place on the site you have chosen. Visit the American Concrete Institute website for further information.
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For more home building information see: DIY Green Home Improvement
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Monday, February 25, 2013
Stone Foundation Repair - What to Do?
Owning an historic property with an old stone foundation can be an interesting experience. Those with a strong will and a sound pocketbook can be true caretakers of a piece of history. The foundation of that history is the simple, bold and strong field stone foundation wall.
Older buildings with a stone foundation will generally have the original stone facing visible on the exterior and interior of the building. However it was common to apply a coating of plaster to the interior foundation wall in the basement area, as a means of waterproofing so the stone may not be visible from inside of the building.
Most of the original plaster would have worn off by today but if you are lucky, you just may run across an old stone foundation still in pristine condition but this would be the exception.
Stone Foundation Repair - What to Do?
Usually after 30 - 50 years the foundation would have shifted cause cracks to appear in the foundation wall and it wasn't uncommon to apply a second to the foundation with a masonry cement stucco. If the second layer is cement stucco than it would indicate that the second coating must have been applied after the early 1900's, when mass produced cement stucco became available.
Regardless if plaster or stucco was applied to the walls, they will look lumpy as the individual stones shapes will show beneath the plaster or stucco.
What to look for -A lot of these older stone foundations were never well maintained and can challenge a building owner with problems ranging from water leakage, mortar turning into sand, loose stones and bulging walls. Anything beyond these few maintenance problems could be considered 'in failure' and may need an engineer's inspection.
Stone foundation walls that leak - It wasn't uncommon for these old stone foundation walls to leak. When they were originally constructed a hole was simply dug to the dimensions of the building and a trench dug where the walls were to be placed. Large field stones would be placed in the trench and became the bed stones of the foundation wall.
Drain tile were not in use around the foundations of older building so static pressure would have been a problem from the beginning depending or the soil type and topography. A high quality builder would have trenched to daylight from the low corner of the building site to take water away from the foundation, if the site permitted. The trench would be partially filled with rubble stones before covering but this simply drainage technique would be an exception and not the rule.
Most of the older homes were constructed high off the ground to keep moisture to a minimum. The basement area for these homes where never intended to be used as living space so a little moisture would have been common and of no concern.
Stone foundation wall problems - Decades of water infiltration will cause deterioration to the stone foundation walls. The result can be bulged walls from excessive static pressure or settlement of the foundation, deteriorated mortar joints from excessive moister or loose stones and missing mortar joints from simple aging and movement.
Bulged walls - This problem presents the biggest hurdle for a building owner depending on the degree and severity of the bulging problem and the location within the foundation wall. Generally though, a portion of the foundation wall can be removed and rebuilt but proper shoring must be in place to support the building load before you proceed. This should not be out of the range of an experienced mason contractor and you should seek their advice.
Loose stones and missing mortar - These items are simple to remedy. Loose stones should be taken out and re-set with fresh mortar. Care should be taken not to undermine any critical support areas within the foundation. If you suspect an area of loose stone is carrying a beam load or other loads then consult a professional for advice.
Holes and missing joints can be filled with mortar or tuck-pointed to help tighten the foundation walls. Any brand of masons mix available at the local box store should be adequate.
After you have completed the repairs mentioned above you may wish to apply another layer of cement stucco. This will help to smooth out imperfections, close small holes, 'stiffen' the walls surface and hopefully provide some protection against water leaks.
Check the foundation annually and make any necessary repairs immediately. By taking immediate action and implementing the repairs recommended above you will be one step closer to keeping that old, stone foundation in shape.
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Michael Olding is tradesman and consultant in the field of restorations and repairs and currently operates a restoration and repair business in Cincinnati, Ohio. He is also a Master in the field of masonry construction, restorations and repairs.
In addition he is a writer and speaker as well as a marketing, training and business consultant for the contracting industry. If you interested in his services he may be contacted by visiting http://www.cincihomepro.com
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Saturday, February 16, 2013
How to Write Rap Song Lyrics in 5 Steps
With the strong emergence of hip-hop in today's music scene, a lot of people are interested in learning to rap and want to know how to write rap song lyrics. While there is no "exact" way, these 5 quick tips will definitely help you to write a better rap song.
1. Find a Beat to Inspire You. Ever wonder how the pros beginning writing a rap song? 9 times out of 10 they begin by looking for beats to inspire them. They are looking for something that touches them in way that inspires and motivates them to write lyrics to. Everyone has a different taste in music, so find a beat that YOU like and can write naturally to. Find something that instantly grabs you and relates to you. You can find beats easily on the internet. Just search Google and Soundclick and you will be sure to find a beat to write rap song lyrics to.
2. Choose a Main Topic. Once you find a beat that you want to use, begin thinking of a topic that goes nicely with the beat you chose. Remember to choose a topic that relates with both YOU and the beat. If you chose a sad, emotional-sounding beat, then pick a topic that is sad and emotional and that you relate with. If you pick a club style beat then choose a topic that is relevant to the club scene. Listen to your beat, ask yourself what kind of impact you would like your rap song lyrics to have on people, and decide on your main topic. Remember that how you write rap song lyrics will greatly depend on your topic.
How to Write Rap Song Lyrics in 5 Steps
3. Write Your Hook. A lot of rappers and producers alike find it best practice to begin a rap song by first writing the hook. Now that you have your beat and main topic selected, you have a great foundation to begin writing your hook lyrics to.
To explain how to write rap hooks, I've broken hook-writing down into a few steps that I have found to be very effective.
a.) Consider these things: Do you want the hook to be catchy? Do you want it to be deep and emotional? Do you want to sing it or rap it out?
b.) Listen to the hook part of your beat. Vibe with the beat and start freestyling some ideas. Even if your words aren't making sense, freestyle to the beat to establish some different flows. Experiment and figure out what you like.
c.) Now that you have some ideas flowing, begin writing lyrics down. Make a list of words that you might want to incorporate into the hook.
d.) Look at your word list as you listen to the beat and begin freestyling some new ideas with these words.
e.) Once you come up with some strong ideas, it may be a good idea to quickly record them to see which one sounds the best. Once you've decided, we can move on with the verses!
4. Begin Writing the Verses. Now that the hook is finished, you have everything laid out for the verses. So how do you write rap song verses?
a.) Start each verse off strong in order to develop a connection with the listener right away. A good way to do this is to begin with a controversial, funny, bold, or catchy opening line.
b.) Now that you've got the listeners attention, finish out your verses with content that is relevant to your topic. Rhyme more than just the last word in each sentence when you can. Try to use different flow structures throughout instead of just sticking to one the whole time.
c.) If you are having trouble or writer's block, write out a list of rhyming words that relate to your topic (use a dictionary and thesaurus if necessary) and refer to this list to spark ideas.
d.) Just as you started off strong, end the verse lyrics strong too! Make sure you transition into the hook smoothly and finish with a bang!
5. Practice! Perhaps the most underrated part of rapping...practice! It's one thing to know how to write rap song lyrics, but putting it into action is something else. Once you have your song written, practice it over and over until you know it by heart and can recite it perfectly with no flaws. Trust me this is important!
I hope you now know how to write rap song lyrics more efficiently and effectively. Apply what you've learned to your next rap song and I am sure you will notice a difference!
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Now that you understand how to write rap song lyrics be sure to download my free beats and get started making rap songs right away!
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Saturday, February 9, 2013
Let's Get Technical in Your Golf Swing and Learn the Secret to Hit it a Mile
What you are about to read is one of the best kept secrets in all of the golf instruction world. It is the one move that will transform your game from an "also rand" to an unimaginable power hitter.
It will create a magic in your swing that your playing partners will notice immediately.
I have written about this before. I believe that it is the single most important element in a good player's golf swing, right after proper clubhead path. But you can't have one without the other.
Let's Get Technical in Your Golf Swing and Learn the Secret to Hit it a Mile
It is the single most common mistake, fixed here, a mistake that most players don't even know they are making.
Sounds nuts doesn't it. If you spent a Sunday watching the PGA tour on TV, you will have seen this move on every single one of the players. Even the ones that fail to make the cut are doing it.
David Duval, while struggling to get back to his high level of play, is still doing it.
Tiger Woods does it every single time (almost)
Your club champion does it, the high school golf team top players all do it.
There are no good players out there that don't do this.
Players on the NIKE tour all are doing this. All of them.
How many times have you heard that you must hit against a firm left side? Or that you need to delay the left side.
Some of you may never have heard this. And if you did and you tried it, well it just didn't work.
But it is true... you must delay the left side in order to get the club on the correct power path on your downswing.
But ........... here is what you have not heard............ you only delay
" PART" of your left side.
Sounds foolish doesn't it.
For a move that produces such grand results, the explanation is amazingly simple.
The part the you delay is your left shoulder.
The rest of you left side can release toward the target all it wants. No problem. That would include your lower body from your left foot up to and including your left hip.
But not you left shoulder. You will delay your left shoulder movement for an instant. That is all it takes.
Now let's have a peek at what happens when you let the left shoulder go and don't delay.
Since your arm is connected to your shoulder, where you shoulder goes, so goes your arm. And at the end of you arm is the club and so it makes sense that where your arm goes so goes the club.
So if I spin my left shoulder out, the club will go out too, as to the target line.
Your shoulder will travel away from your neck and face and move around to your back. While doing this you will also be turning away from the target line. Both of these moves are deadly to a good golf swing.
Here is what is supposed to happen to the left shoulder in a properly sequenced golf swing.
As you move from the right side ( at ground level) to the left side on the downswing, your left hip will bump to the left, ever so slightly in a lateral direction, toward the target. Your right elbow will be forced to your right side and down as a result of this hip movement ( it is a slight hip movement)
It is at this point when you will realize that you cannot hit against the left side as some instruction may indicate. If you did, your hips would not be moving toward the target and your weight would still be on your right foot.
But you can hit against your left shoulder, so while the hip is doing it's thing keep the left shoulder right where it is , your back is toward the target keep it there too.
Your arms and hence the club, will be moving at speed toward the inside of the ball, your left shoulder will not be moving away. What it will do and is supposed to do, is to :
MOVE CLOSER TO YOUR NECK AND FACE AND MOVE UP JUST A BIT.
I know that doesn't sound right, but it is.
Try this: without a club, get into your set up , turn into your backswing as if you are holding a club, make a full turn.
Now without moving your back or left shoulder thrust your hands down toward am imagined ball as if you were trying to throw wet paint off your hands into the ground. Its sticky paint so do this very hard and fast.
Stop your hands at or about where the ball would be, get that paint off your hands, but DO NOT MOVE YOUR LEFT SHOULDER.
Do this four or five times, shake the paint off, stop at the ball, then the last one you do continue this exact same move all the way to a golf swing finish allowing your body to respond to this move into a posed finish while sensing the resistance of the left shoulder.
If you do this right ..notice that your left shoulder actually moves toward your neck and face.
Not away.
Now those of you who get this will find that one of your great power sources is hitting with foundation. Foundation is your body, when you move out of the swing too early you lose the foundation and so you lose one of the best power sources that you have available without effort.
Its the reason that good players hit the ball so far without any obvious effort. They use this foundation as one of their power sources.
In addition to be a power source it is also the best way to repeat a good swing and gets great results with accuracy when hitting irons. Especially scoring irons like short irons and wedges.
Why? Its because while keeping the left shoulder in a stable position every time, you have made room for you to put the club in the "slot" every time.
You have maintained the required space for the slot to be created and soon you will find that it is easier and easier to repeat as you are able to recognize the positions.
I urge you to not dismiss this important move. Do the paint drill. Do it everyday in your living room, in the garage, at your office, repeat this over and over until you get it.
Then do the same drill with a club.
I do this drill before every single shot that I take. Doesn't matter whether it is on the range or on the golf course.
Every single swing includes this drill with a club. The Club I am going to hit, and then I engage my mind to pay attention to the left shoulder and nothing else.
Try it..... if you get it, it will be like magic.
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If you want to know if there are any more magic moves in the golf swing the answer is yes, there are four. You can learn the first one here for free and take it to the range for a spin, click here: http://ebooksbestbuy.com/golf
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Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Concrete & Foundation Requirements For Steel Building Kits
Steel building kits are becoming a very popular option in regard to new building construction. Typically, you can construct a steel building kit much faster, and much cheaper than you could a traditional wood frame building. They are virtually maintenance-free and for the smaller buildings, you don't always need a contractor to build it.
One detail that will need to be worked out before you build, and before you purchase, is onto what will the building be erected? Bare dirt? Concrete? Concrete foundations increase the overall cost of the project, but may be required for a larger building, or a structure that will be permanent. The primary type of steel structures that are on dirt foundations are carports. But, depending on local requirements, steel buildings can sometimes be built on bare ground. The following information will illustrate some details on ground foundations and concrete foundations.
You will find that steel building kits can be anchored on the ground (without a concrete floor) or on concrete. Before getting into particulars, if you are in an area that has a frost line, you will need to be approximately 12" under that frost line for your perimeter footings. This depth requirement for colder areas applies to ground anchoring as well.
Concrete & Foundation Requirements For Steel Building Kits
The below described concrete applications do not account for frost line requirements.
Ground Mount (no concrete pad):
When mounting your steel building kit to the ground, you will be required to dig a post hole approximately 10" in diameter and 30" deep every five feet or every four feet depending upon whether you have purchased a 5' on-center system or a 4' on-center system. Assemble your base rails** and lay them in place, marking where your holes should be dug. (A 16 D nail poked into the ground through the pre-drilled hole in the base rails works very accurately for this.) Next, use a post hole digger or auger and drill your holes 30" deep. Clean out the holes. You would now lay out your steel building kit base rails according to the instructions and drop the ground anchors into the pre-drilled holes. Use a 2500psi concrete (pre-mixed bags or mix your own) and, using a shovel, fill the holes.
You should wait at least seven days for the concrete to properly set before moving on with the assembly of your steel building.
Concrete Mount:
Size the slab. You should make your slab 4" wider than the width of your steel building and 6" longer. This is so you don't break or crack the edge of the slab when affixing the concrete anchor expansion bolts into your slab.
Concrete Floor: Your floor should be a minimum of 4" thick. Make it 6" thick if you are intending large vehicles such as trucks or larger RVs to be parked on it. The concrete should be a minimum of 2500 psi concrete with fiber mesh reinforcement added at the batch plant OR #3 rebar on 24" centers. You should also consider going with a concrete mixture of 4000psi along with the extra two inches of concrete if you are intending more than a normal amount of weight.
Be sure to saw cut expansion joints within an appropriate time after the pour is finished or trowel in the expansion joints while the finishing is occurring.
Footing Requirements: (International Building Code 2000 or "IBC 2000" requirements)
At the same time you pour the floor, you are going to pour the perimeter footings. This is called a monolithic pour or monolithic slab. Perimeter footings need to be 12" deep (you can include the 4" of floor as part of the 12") and 16" wide. The footings will have to have two #4 rebar lengths top and bottom, continuous run around the complete perimeter.
In our local area (Tempe, AZ), the footings would cost approximately .50 per lineal (running) foot.
That's it. If your building department is still using UBC 1997 (Uniform Building Code), which many of them are, your footing only needs to be 12" wide. That should knock about .00 per lineal foot off the above footing price estimate. For more information on concrete requirements for steel buildings, visit Absolute Steel and Storage. You can find many pages of technical help information there.
** = See pictures on putting together your base rails here: Assemble your base rails
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Author's Note: We have been in the steel building kit business for a lot of years and ship buildings to homeowners, government agencies, and commercial customers almost daily. We know the business. The article below covers a subject that we are frequently asked.
Through the years we have seen many sets of engineered plans for our steel buildings come through our offices. This has given us the opportunity to examine different concrete and foundation requirements for many different parts of the country. While we have attempted to provide you with accurate information with regard to what your concrete and foundation requirements will be, this information is not guaranteed to be what an engineer would specify for your unique circumstances but is intended to be used only as a guide in your concrete requirements.
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Sunday, February 3, 2013
"My Wife is Always Angry at Me!" Here's the Secret of Your Wife's Anger (And What to Do About It)
As a marriage counselor in Kansas City, I've learned there isn't much in a married man's life that bothers him more than when his wife is angry with him. Most men won't admit it, but at the bottom of that frustration is fear. The fear comes from feeling helpless to make his wife happy again.
What makes matters worse, in many cases, whatever the husband does makes his wife even more angry. That kind of escalating negative spiral into unhappiness leaves a husband feeling alone and like giving up. Married men, take hope. I'm about to tell you the secret behind your wife's anger and what to do about it.
But, first I need to clarify a myth that destroys more marriage than I can tell you.
"My Wife is Always Angry at Me!" Here's the Secret of Your Wife's Anger (And What to Do About It)
The myth is this: you are not the one to make your wife happy. Your wife is. No person's happiness is another person's responsibility. Oh, of course, things we do with our spouses are used by them to make themselves happy or unhappy. If you can become aware of some of those things and can avoid them, then it does make it easier for your spouse to make themselves happy. But that's simply an act of courtesy and consideration (a hallmark of successful marriages). It is not a causal act that magically makes your wife happy. You can help, but ultimately, she's the only one who can make herself happy. And that goes for you as well, husband.
Now for the secret. With most couples I have worked with where the wife is perpetually angry at the husband (and he is not doing the obvious things that upsets a wife i.e. affairs, drinking too much etc.), at the bottom of it we find a wife drowning in loneliness. Maybe that's hard to believe because her anger gets the opposite from her husband. However, she wants and needs more emotional intimacy and the husband, for whatever reason, is not providing it.
Some of those reasons include socialization and genetics. Most husbands are not nearly as attuned to emotional realities as their wives. Women in this culture are encouraged to use their intuition and develop their emotional prowess. Men are encouraged to be busy with physical accomplishments and managing literal things. As you can see, this leads to huge misunderstandings in a marriage.
If your wife is angry with you on a regular basis, I will agree with you husband, that does not feel to you like an invitation to intimacy. However, odds are, that's what she wants. I'm not talking about physical intimacy. I'm talking about emotional intimacy.
Try this magic: the next time your wife's anger hits you like a snow blizzard blowing out of Montana, take her by the hand, sit down with her, look her in the eyes and tell her you love her. Then, ask her to tell you what is bothering her and guarantee her that no matter what it is or how angry she gets, you're going to sit there and take it all in. Resolve to listen to whatever your wife has to say to you, no matter what.
Do not get up and go away in your own anger. Do not defend yourself. Do not explain yourself. Do not attack her or rebut her. All you have to do is be present, continue eye contact, and listen.
When she's finished, simply say this, "Thank you, sweetheart, for telling me what is in the depths of your heart. I relish and appreciate openness and emotional intimacy with you. I'm not very good at it, but I intend to get better. In the meantime, if I were in your shoes, I'd feel the same way you do. You have good reasons to be angry."
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That's all you need to say, except perhaps to ask her if there's more she wants to say. If there is, again you listen attentively, with solid eye contact, taking it all in gratefully. What your wife is doing with you, even though it may feel negative, is called emotional closeness. That is the essence of successful marriage.
After a couple begins to renew emotional intimacy and closeness, they may need the help of a competent marriage counselor to problem solve issues. Call me, Paul W. Anderson, Ph.D. at 913-901-9110 and I will help.
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