DIY Solar Power - Getting Started the Cheapest Way

Over the past two decades, solar panels have enjoyed widespread use and many more homes are beginning to realize the huge cost savings associated with the sun's renewable energy source.

Most people still think that solar energy is something only the rich can afford for their renewable energy supply. This may have been true 15 years ago but certainly not with today's savvy do it yourself (DIY) society.

Here's how you can build your own solar panels without having to spend thousands of dollars on installation charges and expensive equipment all the while saving yourself up to 80% on your electricity bill.

• You'll need a cheap solar panel (find it on eBay)
• You'll need a battery and battery holder
• You'll need a DC input and/or an AC inverter

The trick you need to learn is how to put it all together and how to connect numerous solar panels together. For the majority of homes, more than one solar panel is required.

Each solar cell produces a small amount of electricity but when combined together, they can generate enough electricity for most household needs. Before starting, you should check that you have the right tools for the job such as a soldering gun, spanner and a screwdriver.

The easiest way to get started to producing your own solar energy is to follow a simple plan. Earth4Energy is such a plan which shows you how to find all of the above mentioned parts for less than $200! With this inexpensive guide, you can get the job done quicker and you'll also be able to build wind turbines for additional renewable energy sources around the home too. Either way, this guide shows you everything you need to know to be able to generate enough power for your entire home and can have your own solar energy generators installed within a couple of days.

For more tips on how to harness the power of the sun and reviews of the best do it yourself solar power kits, please visit the web site, DIY Solar Power Now.

Solar energy is just one of many renewable energy alternative to fossil fuels. Help save our environment by converting your home to solar energy little by little.

Mistakes in New Kitchen Design

Every designer and contractor experiences them, a kitchen that they wish would just go away. One small mistake snowballs into a full blown catastrophe, leaving everyone involved yelling at everyone else or maybe only speaking through lawyers. But most of the mistakes that cause such disasters are completely preventable. What follows in this two part article are some mistakes we've seen that you'd do well to avoid.

Cabinet Glazing

This is a process subject to varying results, and not everyone understands that. Basically what happens is this: cabinet manufacturers wipe an already stained door with a darker color paint, filling in all the cracks and crevices. Then they wipe this off, leaving the paint in the gaps and low spots. Sometimes, depending on how heavy the wiping hand was, there are traces of the paint left on the flat parts and each door or cabinet ends up being unique. Even though a set will consist of all the same colors, each cabinet will look a little different from the others. Some people don't understand this. Nowadays cabinet manufacturers make customers and designers sign a disclaimer stating that they understand things will look a little different than the door sample they saw.

Accurate Floor Plan Measurements

It is imperative that these are spot on. Many projects crash and burn because whoever took the measurements was just "pretty close." If measurements are underestimated, things may be ok; there are always filler strips. But if the designer thinks he's working with 6'-3" and there is really only 6'-1 1/2" available, there may be a problem. A workaround might be one smaller cabinet and a filler strip. Replacing a lazy susan corner cabinet farther up the line with a blind corner cabinet, and bumping it out the correct difference, is another idea. It all depends on how creative the designer is with the space kitchen area, and what sort of changes the homeowner can live with.

Remember the Ceiling

Utility cabinets are usually available in 84", 90", and 96". If someone has an 86" ceiling, they're all set, right? Not necessarily. How are they going to tip it into place? More than one screaming match has started over the best way to fit such a monster in a low ceilinged room. Is there another room with higher ceilings you can tip it up in? From there, it might be carried upright to the final resting place somehow, provided there are no low doorways on the way. Some manufacturers let you ship the toe space loose, effectively making it a 91 1/2" (in the case of a 96") cabinets. Once in place you can slip blocks underneath the cabinet up to attach the toe space and toe kick.

So far, I've shown you three problems that can lead to disasters in new kitchens and kitchen remodeling projects. While there are workarounds for each problem, it's best not having them in the first place. Stay tuned for Part II.

Craig Parker is a kitchen designer and performs Linux sysadmin duties at http://www.thecabinetfolks.com
The Cabinet Folks strive to provide quality kitchen and bath cabinets and stellar customer service at fair prices.

Dangers of Walking on a House Roof

Here's some things to think about before walking on the roof of a house. If you slip and fall off the roof you could get hurt seriously. For your own safety if you have no experience walking on a roof use extreme caution. I would even suggest using a ladder and moving the latter around the perimeter of the house if you are inspecting the roof for damage.

Here's some things to keep in mind before walking on a house roof.

1. If the building is above two stories hire a contractor especially if you think the roof has building damage.

2. If the roof is too steep stay off. This could be extremely hazardous to your health.

3. If the roof is severely damaged and has loose shingles or tiles, this could create a safety hazard as you slip on one of these loose shingles and possibly fall off the roof.

4. You should stay off the roof at all costs if there is snow or ice. Ice obviously is extremely slippery and would be difficult to walk on. The difficulty would be increased if the roof has a steep slope.

5. Now last but not least if the roof is wet you should avoid walking on it until it is dry. I have been on wet roofs before and personally slipped myself losing my balance but not falling off of the roof.

Climbing up on a roof and walking around is not child's play and should be left to an experienced professional . If you feel comfortable walking around on any roof please use caution. If you slip in the middle of the roof there is a good chance you will be able to regain your balance or have time to stop yourself before falling off.

I would suggest using caution near the edges of the roof. If the roof is too steep or you don't feel comfortable, why risk serious injury. Use common sense along with the proper ladders to ensure your safety and "Think before walking on a house roof."

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He is currently working on more building stairs books and adding useful content to help solve problems created by the lack of construction knowledge in the building industry.

How to Make a Wind Power Generator at Home

Wind power is the cheapest source of energy and you can make and install a wind power generator at your home and can start generating electricity for your own consumption. The electricity produced by wind generator is not only much cheaper than what you are getting today, but also the whole process is pollution free.

Wind is the renewable source of energy and we need a small kit, which is also called as wind power generator so that we can get additional electricity for our home. The kit is readily available in the market; however there are many varieties of it and some are very costly. We need to ensure that we get a good quality product at minimum price so that we can cut down huge electricity bill instantaneously.

A wind power generator converts the kinetic energy of wind to the electrical energy and which is then supplied to our house through the connecting wires and thus we start saving on electricity bills, once the unit starts generating electricity. A wind power generator has many parts and the major parts of it are the gearbox and large rotor blades. You might have seen large rotor blades at many places. Although these occupy some space, however you can install these in your backyards or garden.

There are many places where wind flow is heavy and thus there is a potential to generate good amount of electricity through wind power generators. Even in other places also, you can generate electricity and can reduce your electricity bill by 50 to 70 percent.

So, you can install a wind power generator at your home with an initial investment of around $200 and can start generating electricity. The advantage of the technique is that it is totally pollution free and the repair and maintenance cost of the wind power generator is negligible. So, try a suitable wind power generator today itself and start cutting down your huge electricity bill by as much as 70 percent.

Solar energy and wind energy are two most famous renewable sources of energy and nothing additional is required to generate electricity except a small initial investment.If you are thinking how can you generate electricity in your backyard so that you can reduce your electricity bill.

Earth4energy is a guide that teaches you how to create electricity in your backyard. This is worth spending a few bucks to save thousands in your electricity bills. Earth4Energy Review

Does Home Improvement Still Make Sense In A Housing Slump?

Last night I watched a home improvement show in which a Florida couple had spent $50,000 updating their home. Now they were asking their realtor for a home appraisal. Amazingly, the realtor told them their renovation had increased the value of their home by $120,000 - more than a two-to-one return on their investment!

Cable TV is filled with shows like this that inspire homeowners to take on kitchen remodeling, bedroom makeovers or similar projects.

But many of these shows were filmed two or three years ago during the height of the housing boom.

As we enter 2008 we face a very different housing market in which nationwide home prices are stagnant and even declining in some markets.

In this sort of environment, does home improvement still make sense? The answer depends on what sort of home improvement you want to tackle.

Avoid Style Makeovers

First, it's time for a reality check. Even during the peak of the housing boom, the idea that remodeling your home produced a high return on investment was simply a myth.

According to 2004 survey by Remodeling Magazine, the average home renovation returned only 80% of its value at the time of resale.

So for every dollar you invested in a major renovation, you could expect $0.80 back in your pocket. And that was in 2004, when home values across the country were climbing at an unprecedented rate.

If you want a style makeover to make yourself happy, by all means you should do it. But you shouldn't expect it to dramatically increase the resale value of your home.

In fact, your taste could well end up driving away potential buyers. Personal tastes can be tricky. You may love red and gold walls in your living room, but some buyers will see this as a liability that needs to be fixed.

Even if your tastes are in step with current tastes, styles will change over time. Your choice of kitchen tile and countertops may be in line with current fashion, but if you don't plan to sell your home for another ten years, the style may well be dated when you sell.

Keep in Step with Your Neighborhood

Your home's location is still the biggest factor determining its value. With that in mind, renovations make the most sense if they bring your house up to the norm for the neighborhood.

If your 3,000 square foot home has only two bathrooms, adding a third bathroom makes sense. If all other homes in your neighborhood have a deck, then adding one to your home makes sense as well.

But this rule only applies to major items. Just because your neighbor added solid gold faucets and a sunken marble bathtub doesn't mean you should remodel your master bath to keep pace.

And if you are already the biggest house on the block, further home upgrades will do little to increase the value of your home.

Invest in Home Maintenance.

Home repairs and preventative maintenance are the best investment you can make in your house, and they make sense regardless of whether the housing market is in a boom or a bust. They won't necessarily raise the value of your home, but they can prevent your home from loosing far more value due to damage and wear.

Putting off repairs simply means they will cost more when you do get around to fixing them. A crack from a settling foundation will expand over time. Water damage from a leaky gutter will only cause further wear to your exterior walls.

When you sell your house these issues will almost certainly come up in the home inspection, and you may need to discount your home's price to allow the buyer to make repairs. Worse, too large a repair bill may simply scare a buyer away.

The Bottom Line:

Overall, the best advice is to invest in sound home improvements that keep your house in good shape and up to the standard of your neighborhood.

If you still want to make a style upgrade, that's fine. But do it for aesthetic reasons, not financial ones.

Home Design Ideas to Create a Home of Energy Saving "Green" Beauty

We live in a new world. The time for paying attention to our natural resources is now. We have woken to the realization that our world is not the inexhaustible support system we believed it to be.

Thankfully "going green" does not require extreme and costly changes. Making a significant difference in the worlds natural resources, only takes small decisions made one step at a time. We can decide to:

Recycle
Reuse
Restore
Reduce

With these 4 words in mind we have a few of the most wonderful ideas, tips and secrets to present. Simple and affordable going green ideas. And, if you choose to implement any or all of these suggestions you can be assured you are contributing to the over all health of the earth now and toward a more sustainable living environment for our future generations.

1. Going Green by Changing Your Lights. If every household in the U.S. replaced just one light bulb from the standard incandescent to the highly energy efficient luminescent bulbs being promoted today we would

Save A national average of $600,000,000. a year in energy costs.

Save Enough energy to light more than 3,000,000 homes for one year.

Save Green house gases equivalent to the emissions given off from over 800,000 cars.

Save Significant amounts on your energy bill. My husband spent one day replacing all the bulbs in our home. Not totally convinced it would make that much of a difference on our bill I supported his efforts more for the conservation aspects (and because he had turned off the TV) rather than the money saving pitch.

Boy was I surprised when the next electric bill came,

it dropped approximately 20%! or about 10 cents per

hour!

This change in bulb has one characteristic that may take some time getting used to. When you first turn on the lights - they appear dingy due to the fact they need to warm up a bit before they are at peak - light up the room - performance. They also initially cost a bit more but the standard life span far outlasts the basic bulb - from months to years.

Another energy saving tip is to install dimmer switches. Years ago these dimmers did not provide any benefit other than creating ambient light in a room. Today they are designed to minimize your electric consumption as well.

2. Going Green by Choosing an Eco Friendly Floor. If you are planning to replace your floor with hard wood there are two options that are delightfully green, look beautiful, perform well, and cost less than most hard woods.
Cork - Cork has come a long way from its original purpose of wine stopping.

It comes from the bark of a tree that can be harvested once every 10 years and does no damage to the tree at all. Like sheering a sheep! It's typically sold in tile or sheet form and is easy to install. Because cork contains millions of air bubbles - it is comfortable to walk on and easier on the feet when standing for long periods of time in the kitchen. It is also hypoallergenic, absorbs sounds, and acts as a thermal insulator which means warmth on the feet.

There are fabulous color and grain options available today so be sure to shop around!

There are a few drawbacks to consider. Cork does need to be sealed to moisture protect and is not very resistant to fading or punctures however, it does bounce back well when a heavy blunt object is dropped on it.

The other floor covering option is Bamboo - bamboo is definitely more competitive if you need a harder wood floor. Harder than oak yet it is made from a fast growing Asian grass that matures in about 6 years. It can be refinished numerous times with dye-based stains. Very eco-friendly.

Bamboo also offers a wonderful variety of color, grain and style. Have fun looking for the color and grain of this beautiful hard wood option. Did I mention it's priced lower than most oak options?

3. Going Green by Recycling or Restoring Your Furniture. Must you buy new furniture or can you refinish, restore, repaint or recycle?

Wonderful design projects can result from painting, restaining or reupholstering that piece that
is dated or worn. The most exciting aspect of recycling furniture is the money saved.

Sandpaper, paint and associated supplies are relatively inexpensive. Door knobs, drawer pulls can
really change up the look of that tired piece of furniture also with minimum expense. A picture says a thousand words especially in this case. Visit the web site listed below to see some fantastic examples of these furniture restoring options.

Design applications usually last about 10 years. The neutral - earthy colors we have been seeing so often has been around since the late 90's so it's on its way out. This year you will start seeing bold, bright colors being applied to accent walls, furniture and textures. So, don't be afraid to experiment with color, fabric textures and brush techniques. This is the year for bold, bright and beautiful! Go for it.

Another idea you may want to entertain is a fantastic option to buy "slightly used" from your local Good Will or Salvation Army. With a bit of frugal redesign "know how" you can create remarkable results.

4. Going Green by Buying Energy Star Appliances. Energy Star is the U.S. Governments Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy Seal of approval system to confirm a products ability to avoid/limit greenhouse gases without sacrificing quality.

When you purchase an Energy Star item you can be assured you have a product that will reduce energy consumption and save you money when used in your home, guaranteed through the entire life span of the appliance.

2007 stats from www.energystar.gov reports that consumers "saved enough energy in 2007 alone to avoid greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from 27 million cars - all while saving $16,000,000,000. (16 Billion) on their utility bills.

Wow - Good Job! Let's keep up the good work!

Sue Krippner is a Free Lance Artist, Home Staging and Redesign Professional. She is attracted to "all things beautiful, especially as it relates to interior decorating and design. Visit http://frugalhomedesign.com to see samples of her art and find plenty of professional design, tips hints and secrets to help facilitate your personal interior design goals with money saving frugal flair.

Build Your Own Deck With the Right Power Tools

You'll have to start out with using a little imagination to picture what you want your end result to be. A complex deck may be out of your league, so leave that up to the professionals. You'll need only basic construction skills to build a simple deck.

There are many home and garden type magazine that will inspire you with some ideas, but you'll have to decide how large you want your deck to be. Try a few chairs and a small table around the area of your yard where you are planning to build it. This will give you a basic idea of how much space you will need. You might find a plan that already suits what you need.

The type of decking material you choose will depend on your budget. A wood deck is obviously going to be less expensive than a higher-end composite deck. However, remember to calculate on your costs how much you will have to pay for maintaining the deck if you decide to go with wood. It can be costly in the long run. The plan you follow will list all of the building materials and hardware you'll need. Definitely invest in the right power tools if you don't already have them. A cordless drill and a good "chop saw" saw will save you hours of labor.

Deck piers are also a must if you want to save time and strain on your back. These are pre-formed concrete footings with notches that accept standard sizes of wood. They are used in a "deck pier system" which saves you the trouble of digging holes and pouring your own footings.

Once you have calculated all of the materials you will need, have them delivered from your local building supply store if you don't have a vehicle to get them yourself. Before you begin construction, do an inventory of your materials and power tools. It will go smoothly if you have everything you need on hand.

For more information on Power Tools or visit http://www.directtools.com