Home Improvement Blog Improving Your Home And Your Life

Today Erin from Design For Mankind is here to talk to us on a topic that I asked her to write about because I thought she’d have a lot to say on the matter and she does! I think her words just may encourage a good discussion here today so I invite you to grab a cup of tea, sit back, and tune in to Erin’s message below — and be sure to add your comment to the mix, too! Take it away, Miss E!

We’ve heard from the fashion folk. It’s been noted by renowned photographers. Interior designers are speaking up. Web programmers are furrowing their brows.

Call it what you will: visual plagiarism, hacks, or sheer knock-offs. However you slice it, an increasingly saturated art/design community is becoming a feeding ground for inspiration… or is it imitation?

I recently read an article in Harper’s Bazaar about the inspiration behind today’s fashion designers. Many designers mentioned historical figures such as Napoleon, Carmen Miranda and [no joke] Minnie Mouse.

And I can’t help but wonder what exactly dear Minnie Mouse would think if she knew her look was being imitated. I can only imagine she’d hijack Goofy’s wagon and skitter on over to Zac Posen’s studio to give him a prompt speaking to.

Yet can we really control when inspiration sets in? Not at all. What we can control is what we do with that inspiration. Do we carbon copy the design? Or do we tastefully implement elements from the designs that we, ourselves, cherish? [And for the record, Zac Posen’s inspiration was quite tasteful in fact!]

Of course, this is how a trend is born. We certainly didn’t don gladiator sandals this summer for comfort; the Greek and Roman influences were found to be inspirational by a few key designers. And that’s perfectly fine. What’s not perfectly fine is an intentional lifting of originality. I mean truly, how odd would we look like running around in togas AND gladiator sandals?

I’m saddened at how often this happens in our creative community. Rather than lifting each other up and encouraging originality, I fear that we’ve become envious of the instant gratification that the Internet often provides. It seems that one good design and a few press mentions can skyrocket an artist into serious success. Just how far will we go to present that “one good design?”

It breaks my heart to see an unoriginal piece. To me, a unique design has life. It has passion. And it becomes beautiful only when you can truly see the artist’s spirit behind his/her work. Thus, when we attempt to borrow elements of someone else’s work, the result is often never quite right. Much like a person without a genuine spirit can be spotted like a sore thumb, so, too, can an artist without an individualistic nature.

And you know what? Bloggers, we’re to blame as well. How often have we posted material that originated from somewhere else, only to (a) forget, (b) refuse or (c) fail to credit our source?

Indeed, there is a fine line between inspiration and imitation, and although I hate to create additional boundaries in art, I’d like to see us all work harder to find our true passions. I quite understand that many of our inspirations derive from the same source, and I think that’s a wonderful thing. The problem lies in our intentions. Are we creating something that we truly believe in? Or are we creating a spin-off of something that already exists simply because it sells?

From now on, let’s embrace the community that we’ve helped to build. Let’s encourage, congratulate and experience alongside of each other, not across from. I hope that someday we can each feel proud of the talents we’ve been given and showcase these unique gifts in beautiful, original ways.

Until then, know that imitation? It’s not such a form of flattery after all.

What are your thoughts on this topic? When does inspiration become imitation? What is the difference between inspired by and ripped off? Your thoughts?

- All text by Erin from Design For Mankind.

(images from evaxebra)

Hello everyone, this is Jennifer Ramos from Made By Girl. I’m excited to be the guest blogger here at decor8 today!

I’m the designer and owner of an online shop called MadeByGirl.com based out of Henderson, Nevada. We sell fun & colorful greeting cards (printed on 100% recycled paper) as well as many colorful posters. I decided to start the cards and poster business as a means of expressing myself and hopefully inspiring others to start implementing a more environmentally friendly way of conducting business. I don’t believe your every move has to be a green one, but one or two things you do, are one or two things less damaging to our earth. Ok, enough GREEN talk for now, and on to my picks of BEAUTIFUL BEDROOMS that make you want to get up and start redecorating yours as soon as possible!

First is this silver wallpaper bedroom from Living Etc. This bedroom appeals to me in so many ways. The first word I think of is Glamorous and extremely feminine. I love how the silver wallpaper just brings this room to life along with the artwork of the cartoon glitter girl. The floor seems dull but barely noticeable due to all the reflective surfaces & vibrant accessories.

Next is the black wall Goth-Glam bedroom, also from Living Etc. The black walls behind the massive headboard give this room a slightly gothic but glam feel. Even though one wall is painted very dark, the room still remains very bright. This is because of the large windows, the mirror on the dresser door and the light color used for the bed sheets. Design tip: Contrast provides an interesting visual appeal, but you have to be sure to offset the dark walls with plenty of light or bright colors.

I also like this bookshelf behind the bed via Marie Claire Maison. The bedroom in this photo has always reminded me of a small apartment I had when I lived in New York City. It’s small but cozy and the bookshelf behind the bed gives it a sense of height. They use an interesting mix of modern and antique styles such as the gilded frame surrounded by Christmas lights and the IKEA locker at the foot of the bed for storage.

Now for something girly… How about the patchwork quilt bedroom as seen over at Mi Casa Revista? This room is full of vibrant colors that extend from the bed to the walls. The turquoise wallpaper is such an important part of the decor here, it compliments the dresser and the bed sheets. There is a consistent theme and use of color but the colors aren’t overdone. Seems almost comforting to me.

With stark white walls, this bedroom is decorated with mismatched frames and a variety of styles. The analogous color scheme draws the eyes to the artwork and the different types of patterns used on the fabrics on the bed. This room is in the home of Liza Giles who works as a senior stylist for Designers Guild and it is one of my favorites. This image is from Inside Out Magazine photographed by James Merrell. See more of this Giles’ home right here.

An off white bedroom can appeal to both sexes quite well. The height of the room adds to its grandeur. White brick walls have always been a favorite of mine and is very reminiscent of a loft I lived in when I was in NYC. Decor for this bedroom is subdued and relaxing, even the disco-ball styled lamp is off white which prevents if from standing out too much. Image via: New York Magazine.

I’m such a sucker for tufted headboards and this one is no exception. Kelly Wearstler designed this space with exceptional symmetry. I like how the mirrors are placed over the side dressers and the boxed frame over the bed gives this room a sophisticated and luxurious feel.

Even though this room is is all white, the artwork and its colors really bring it to life. You can use the colors in your artwork as a guide to bring in other accessories with similar colors, such as pillows, lamps and in this case a turquoise dresser. Via: Living Etc.

Bonus Image! My (Jennifer) Bedroom!
My own bedroom was easy since I knew what I wanted. I love the use of bright colors as accents, so the pillows and the Beatles pictures made sense together. The theme was slightly rock ‘n roll but still sophisticated and stylish. The wallpaper running from behind the side dresser to the top of the ceiling are actually from a scrapbook. They were glued together and tacked onto the dark charcoal wall. - Jennifer from Made By Girl.

(all text written by jennifer ramos for decor8)

One of the most difficult home projects in these drought-ridden summers is maintaining a healthy green lawn. Even if it is too late for your yard this summer, I ran across a tip that can help you next year. The answer to the problem of browning yards is to put clover in them. That's right; the once-fashionable, three-leaved "weed" is the solution. Besides being green itself, clover also puts nitrogen back into the soil, enriching it for the existing grass. Its very long root system means ...

Yay! Good news… The slideshow that I created for Domino featuring 15 fabric designers on Etsy went live and I couldn’t be happier. I love shining the spotlight on these talented ladies just a little bit, I know you’ll really enjoy their work.

I only wish I could have included more as I hate to leave anyone out!  Here are 15 for your enjoyment (and shopping pleasure)…

-Holly

It's time or a giveaway here at Home Construction Improvement. The publishers of Confessions of a Contractor have sent me a copies of this novel to give away to my readers. This book goes on sale on August 14th so they would like to get the word out about it. Here's a snippet about the book:

Meet Henry Sullivan - smart, successful, good with his hands, and perenially unattached. He's spent fifteen years renovating houses for wealthy (and often beautiful) women in Los Angeles. To distance himself from his clients and the intimate environments he works in, Henry has devised a set of rules to keep him out of trouble. But over the course of one very complicated summer, Henry begins breaking those rules...

So if you'd like a copy of this book I'll be giving a few away and the rules are really simple. I'm looking to increase my "social" circle of friends to stay in touch with about upcoming posts and news. So in an effort to do that all you need to do is add one of my social media profiles to your list of friends. Then leave a comment with which social media site you added me to and what your profile name is. I'll choose several people by random draw to receive the free book.

You can follow me at the following locations:
Plurk
Twitter
Digg
StumbleUpon

This giveaway will run until the end of August. I'll choose winners on September 1st. If you already follow one of my social profiles then just leave a comment with your profile so I can check it. Good luck!

Tags: Home Improvement, Home Improvement Blog, Home Improvement Giveaway
Subscribers to Home Construction Improvement can download my free spreadsheets. You can download the Propane Vs Oil Fuel Calculator or the Stair Stringer Calculator for free. Also visit me at Today's Green Construction

Hello everyone! I want to quickly stop in to say hello. I’ve arrived safely in Germany and I’m currently unpacking and shopping for goodies to furnish our place here. We hit IKEA so my apartment is filled with boxes that were delivered a few moments ago — thankfully we have friends joining us in about an hour to start putting things together. How are you doing? I hope that you are all well and enjoying the many guest bloggers I’ve lined up to keep you informed and entertained until I’m ‘officially’ back on August 28 (though I’m blogging over at Real Simple still on M/W/F and over on my more personal blog called Haus Maus. So if you miss me I’m never too far. Ha! I’m sure you have a life and missing me is definitely not a concern but just in case…

Back to my guest blogger round up. They all bring something special to decor8 so sit back and relax because you can expect beautiful things to appear from some of your favorite bloggers and designers over the next few weeks. It may seem like a long time, but I have a lot to do in my new apartment so I need every second I can get to arrange things here and settle in. And… I have an exciting business trip to Hamburg next week to meet with a big publishing company here. They’ve booked us at a gorgeous hotel and after our meeting we’re having dinner and then the next day I will visit 20 of the best design shops in the city with one of their lovely managers who has a list of places for me to check out. So fun! I’m liking Germany already.

Today I thought I’d visit to introduce you to Matthew Mead who, like me, is also based in New Hampshire, USA about an hour north of where I live over there. I’m on the Massachusetts border and Matthew lives in the center of the state. (Of course, I also live in Germany now (5 months each year) so I don’t want to confuse anyone but America is still my home base.)

Who is Matthew Mead you ask? He is a man who has an impeccable eye for color and style that some of us can only hope to have… I’ve been following his work for about three years now through the pages of Country Home magazine where he is the contributing editor. But he has big plans to grow his brand which is what you are about to learn more about in our chat today. Would you like to meet him? Of course you would!

decor8: Hi Matthew! Thanks for joining us today on decor8. Tell readers where exactly are you based and what do you like about it?
MM: I live in Concord, New Hampshire which is an excellent locale for enjoying all four seasons. We are one hour from Boston, the ocean, the mountains and about 5 hours from downtown Manhattan.

decor8: What do you do for a living again?

MM: I am a stylist/producer for the magazine and advertising industry. I’m also a contributing editor to Country Home magazine for eleven years… Author, Photographer and Art Director.

decor8: How did you get started?
MM: I admired lots of the original lifestyle icons from the 1980’s, so I wrote letters, made contacts and developed a portfolio to show what I could do. I met Mary Emmerling in the early 90’s. She was doing her own magazine then and hired me as a contributor. It all blossomed from there.

decor8: What are some of your current projects?
MM: This is a big year for me… The culmination of 15 years of building my brand and looking for opportunities to promote my style and ideas. My website has been redesigned to not only keep the technology up to date, but also to provide more fresh content to our readers and to connect in new ways with superior lifestyle information.

decor8: And I heard a rumor about a magazine?
MM: Yes, it’s true… Our new Halloween magazine with Time Inc. premieres on news stands September 8th. It is filled with a really fresh take on the subject and is one more way of building our publishing profile and extending our style into the seasonal holiday arena. And of course you know about my new book Entertaining Simple. It is a way of re-positioning my brand as an authority in the entertaining genre with the easiest and best ways to entertain with consideration to all of the products, foods and techniques available in the market place. That releases on November 4th. We also have set another goal, the main goal, to add merchandise to the mix. Kits, accessories, useful and decorative items that inspire our readers to implement our ideas into their lives.

decor8: That’s all? (laughing) Sounds like you are a busy man. So tell me, where do you find inspiration in New Hampshire?
MM: Everywhere! I am a huge collector of vintage things and New Hampshire has a plethora of junk and antiques shops filled with a lifetime of inspiration. I also love the seasons and nature so the landscape really provides lots of ideas for me.

decor8: In addition to scenic New Hampshire, where else do you draw inspiration?
MM: In colors, shapes, graphic designs that I find in old books. I love the grocery store or any store for that matter and I love to corral objects together in a shopping cart, basket or stacked on a table. it allows me to see how textures and designs work together. I do a lot of stacking of objects and materials for personal study.

decor8: What’s your favorite local shop?
MM: The one I love the most is a top secret because I get so much stuff there, but my favorite “filtered” shop (where the hard work has all been done by the shop keeper in the way of picking and displaying) is Red Chair Antiques in Peterborough, NH. Jocie, the owner is so talented and the hand picked antiques are fresh and beautiful. I hear this is your favorite NH shop as well, Holly?

decor8: Yes, it is. I have to visit at least once every few months. So tell us, what’s on your wish list?
MM: I love early American hand blown glass compotes, jars, domes, etc… But this stuff is hard to find. My new passion is Syroco which is molded wood in great shapes from the 40’s to the 60’s made in Syracuse, New York. There are some really interesting shapes made of this early plastic and I think it is a collectible trend for the future.

decor8: Syroco is great. I have 3 birds that I picked up two years ago at the Hollis flea market for $1 that look like these found on eBay. The beauty of Syroco is that it’s so easy to paint. My birds are now bright yellow. What’s your favorite bargain find or product?
MM: I find great things at Target on sale. Some of their designs have great modern shapes and I can shop there for photo shoot “filler”. I am a born shopper, so wherever I go, be it a junk shop or retail store I am always able to walk away with something great.

decor8: Can you describe your work space?
MM: I have a daylight studio. Its a small brick building that looks like a schoolhouse and was built as a furniture store in the 1920’s and has been everything from a laundromat to a pizza place, to a dry goods store. It has beautiful light and it’s been a very good place for me over the last 11 years. It’s also become quite full due to a parade of ever changing work and clients. I’ve often thought of it as a type of portal. Thousands of images created so easily there in such a small place… I feel as though there is some external force that makes it such a special and creative space. And the daylight is a DREAM.

Mead’s studio space before setting up.

decor8: How do you use your studio when it comes to setting up for client work?
MM: My studio is a chameleon type space that is constantly changing to suite the needs of my clients. I have a large kitchen in the back half of the space which mostly serves as a place to prepare and style food for our entertaining stories and store my collection of vessels to present different dishes. The front part of my space has four large windows and a staircase. The walls are typically painted to suite my needs and then furniture and accessories are layered into the design to create authentic interiors. Check out the studio on my website for shots of how the studio can look totally different for multiple shots.

Mead’s studio space after… Fully styled and ready to go!

decor8: Who do you admire and why?
MM: Thomas O’Brien for the way he has translated high end style into great products available to everyone. Trish Foley whose work always reminds me that simple shades of white and classic shapes make the best and most relaxing style. Mary Emmerling because what you see is real and not staged. Her interiors are really her lifestyle and that is still refreshing and fun.

decor8: What’s the last great book you read?
MM: Madam Bovery

decor8: What’s your favorite film?
MM: This is very, very hard because there are so many… But I’ll go with Moulin Rouge for its amazing beauty and creativity.

decor8: If you could have any job in the world, what would you do?
MM: Film Director/Producer — I would love to create beautiful movies.

decor8: Name three places that you’d love to travel to…
MM: Prague, Cotswolds, Greek Islands

decor8: Who would you like to have dinner with?
MM: 1) Holly from decor8 2) My literary agent (she has only ever been a lovely voice over the phone), AND ALWAYS, my wife at just the right bistro with the perfect atmosphere, delicious food and a long, lingering dining experience… Probably in one of those hidden walkway bistros in Paris.

decor8: What is your favorite food?
MM: I very much love Sunday dinner… The traditions, the flavors, the aroma and anticipation of something slow roasted all day with a formal presentation and of course, mashed potatoes.

decor8: What is your most treasured belonging?
MM: I have so many collections which all speak to me like long lost friends and with friends its always hard to pick the most treasured. I have a mercury glass lamp in an odd bubble/grenade shape that I am extremely fond of… There are also a couple of cake stands that are at the top of the list.

decor8: Best advice out there?
MM: HAVE FUN! And I take that to heart amongst all the pressures and fiery hoops I have to jump through. The advice I give to everyone, however, is that no matter what you have to do to survive, take all of your extra time and craft your passion, mold it and live it… It comes in useful when you have the opportunity to add it to your life full-time.

decor8: What are some of your goals in the next 5 years?
MM: My own magazine of great lifestyle ideas and images that provoke thought through beauty. Product… Merchandise and licensing of ideas to perpetuate my brand. A television show that combines food and lifestyle so it isn’t just a bunch of recipes, but a whole approach to living. Easy food product line that allows all the great flavors in life without having to do every daunting detail… I want people to enjoy, experience, build traditions.

Thank you so much Matthew for taking the time to talk to us today. Ive enjoyed your words of wisdom so much and I’m sure readers have as well. All the best to you and your future!

Readers: If you have questions for Matthew use this opportunity to get in front of someone in the business — ask as many q’s as you’d like. That’s the beauty of blogs, we have a chance to talk with some of the movers and shakers out there in magazine land that we normally cannot reach otherwise. Go for it!

(images from matthew mead)

The New York Times hot topic story about the possibility of granite countertops containing radon and uranium sure made the industry jump. The official industry response to the story is here at the Marble Institute. Also, the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) would like to remind everyone that they have "long recognized the carcinogenic effects of radon in the home" and recommend consumers planning to remodel a kitchen or bath consult with an NKBA-certified designer. ...

Don’t miss: Buy 1 Get 1 Free Sale @ Yellow Monday.

Frazier & Wing has a new blog, check it out!

Today Jacky emailed me with a very interesting question and design idea about modifying salvaged doors. Jacky said "We live in 1940 house, and are remodeling our unfinished half-lit basement. Currently we are in search of interior door w/small glass for our new 2nd bathroom. Since the bathroom has a big window, would like to use some of sun light thru its entrance door's glass panel to the dark hallway area. We have found a couple of salvaged doors we love, but they are solid hemlock/fir doors without glass. Now we are wondering if we could cut the top panel out and install a reed glass instead. I know we could just order brand new one like that, but it will cost $400/door, it's outside our budget.

Well I've never done this but I have seen it done a few times and it's a great way to recycle / salvage a great solid wood door and give it new life and some added functionality. Solid wood doors are very expansive and honestly aren't as good as the older doors. This modification will work well because the doors back then were indeed made out of solid wood and built with craftsmanship.

The process is actually pretty simple. First you'll need to remove the wood panel that will serve as the window pane. This can be done several ways. Probably the best two ways that I can think of are to use either a circular saw or a router with a straight cutting bit. If you're going to use a router you could make a simple jig to clamp to the door that would ensure you cut the exact size you want. The key here is to make sure you don't cut too far into the corners. With both methods you'll need to finish the corner cuts with a handsaw in order to get nice clean corners.

Once you cut out the panel you'll want to sand the edges and treat the raw wood with either paint or urethane in order to protect the wood from rot. Next you'll need a piece of glass thats slightly smaller than the window opening. I suggest making the glass approximately 1/4" smaller in height and width to accommodate thermal movement in the wood. It's important to note that most codes require tempered glass in doors. You may even want to purchase an insulated piece of glass (this could be quite expensive for a custom size).

In order to hold the piece of glass in place you'll need to use some decorative moldings. The moldings will need to be sized based on the thickness of the door. For instance, if you have a 2" thick door with a piece of glass that's 1/8" thick, you'll need the moldings to be no greater than 7/8" thick. You'll also want to try and find a wood species thats similar to the native door species.

Nail the decorative trim into the opening on the outside of the door (you're creating a sandwich effect, wood stop - glass - wood stop). You want to make sure that the molding is positioned so that when you insert the glass it's centered in the door. Next apply a bead of silicon caulking around the inside of the molding. Set the glass inside the opening up against the first row of molding. Apply another bead of silicone caulking around the edge of the glass. Finally install the inside layer of molding up against the glass panel to complete the sandwich.

Once you've finished installing the glass you can apply a finish to the door to match it's existing finish or you can re-finish the entire door. I hope this explanation offers sufficient information for you to try this interested door conversion.

Have any of you tried this? Do you have any before and after pictures? Email them to me and I can post them for others to see.

Tags: Home Improvement, Home Improvement Blog, Wood Doors
Subscribers to Home Construction Improvement can download my free spreadsheets. You can download the Propane Vs Oil Fuel Calculator or the Stair Stringer Calculator for free. Also visit me at Today's Green Construction

Hello decor8 readers! My name is Michelle Caplan, and I am a Mixed Media Collage Portrait Artist based out of Los Angeles and I’m here to cover Etsy Take Five Tuesday for Holly today. I was lucky enough to meet Holly in 2005 when she purchased one of my pieces. We became fast friends and she introduced me to the blogging world, and encouraged me to start my own blog. It was during the very early days of decor8, and Holly helped to inspire me then to push myself to new limits, and she inspires me now with the eye-candy that is this amazing blog! My studio is in my home and I spend a great deal of time surfing the web and seeing photos of other artist creations, but rarely get to see them in person. In an attempt to interact more with the outside world I recently began working in the new brick and morter Henry Road gift boutique located in Studio City, CA.

The store is owned by my good friend Paula Smail, who is the brains behind the fabric line Henry Road. Paula has dedicated her shop to be a fabulous place to find one-of-a-kind vintage and antique items. She has also made a commitment to showcase and support independent crafters and artists. It is a perfect balance of new and old, and of manufactured and handmade. Holly shared a mini tour of this shop in May however since many of these artisans have their own Etsy shops, I thought it might be fun to share my top 5 favorite Etsy Shops whose work I have finally seen in person in Paula’s shop, and am totally enamored with!

This adorable little gnome is the creation of the fine minds at Brooklyn Rehab. Every time I walk past him in the shop he just makes me smile! I can see him hanging out as a fun paperweight on a desk, or peeking out of a kitchen window sill herb garden. He is just too fun!

The deer head collage sculptures of Jennifer Khoshbin are fascinating in her photos, but you cant really appreciate the scale and impact until you hang one on your wall! She is definitely one of my most favored recent finds!

These anemone bowls from Element Clay Studio were so gorgeous in person, that the second we unpacked the shipment, I chose the one that would be coming home with me! It sits atop my dresser and is a great and unexpected receptacle of my jewelry at the end of every day.

We recently got in this fab pillow from the brand spanking new shop Sown! Each pillow is made from a vintage feed sack, and incorporates modern printed fabrics! This one actually has a Henry Road fabric on it! We are eagerly awaiting a new shipment!!

One of the coolest aspects of Henry Road is that every 3 months, there will be a new local artist featured on the walls! I have been a longtime admirer of Michelle Moodes work, and we have been lucky enough to have her as our late summer artist. Her smaller pieces are incredible, but large and in person, these pieces are so amazing! Each is like its own universe, reminiscent of the flower in Horton Hears a Who! I love love love Michelles’ sense of balance, and how she has expressed herself through her arrangements. (I am excited to say that my own work will be featured in the October show!)

I hope you enjoyed this mini tour through some of my favorite Etsy shops. I hope that there are some finds here that you may not have seen before, and that you will be inspired to browse Etsy.

(photos and text by michelle caplan)

I’m making progress in Germany; my bathroom first!

In my grandmother's day there was no talk of being "green." They used pesticides like water and fertilizers that could make a stream eutrophic in four seconds flat (a bit of an exaggeration). However, they did do some things very well, such as sourcing locally. Without the interstate highway system and 747s jetting bananas from South American rain forests, they needed to produce food that was either longer lasting to survive a journey or grown locally to be eaten fresh. Every home on her ...

New goodies from Blossom Creations: Not to miss!

This week's mail bag question comes from Thea in Maine. He has radiant heat tubing stapled to the bottom of the plywood sub-floor in his house and the insulation that was installed by the builder is falling down and doesn't appear to be installed properly. Thea asked me what method I recommend for radiant tubing that's stapled to the bottom side of the sub-floor.

First let me start by saying I'm not an expert in radiant heat. I can only share my experiences with it in homes that we've built and my own personal home.

Thea explained that the insulation in his home was stapled up tight against the sub-floor. He was also concerned that there wasn't any type of reflective surface (foil faced or an independent foil product) installed below the radiant tubing.

My home was built with radiant tubing stapled to the bottom side of the 3/4" plywood sub-floor. I have 1/2" thick engineered Brazilian Cherry flooring installed above that. The floor joists are 11 7/8" deep TJI engineered I-beam joists. I have R19 fiberglass kraft faced insulation stapled to the bottom of the joists. This creates an air space of approximately 6" between the tubing and the fiberglass insulation.

I can tell you that my radiant heating system works extremely well. I have no "hot" spots that we've identified over the course of two winters. Our heating bill has been very reasonable. And I'd rate the overall performance as excellent. In fact, I wouldn't change anything with regards to the radiant heat.

Here are my thoughts on insulating a sub-floor with radiant tubing:

1. I really don't think a reflective surface will do much of anything. I can see however why some folks might want to use an aluminum heat transfer plate. The reason would be to evenly distribute the heat to prevent hot spots. I haven't had any problems so again this may be a case by case issue.

2. For me the issue seems fairly straight forward. Heat (or cold) will travel the path of least resistance. Thermal resistance is measured with R values. I installed R19 insulation below the radiant tubing. Wood has an R value of between 0.7 and 1.2 per inch. If we have 2 inches of wood, that would be a maximum of 2.4, call it 3. So it's quite clear to me that it's easier for the heat to travel up through the wood than it is to travel down (which heat doesn't do naturally) and through R19 of insulation.

3. Probably just as important is to discuss this issue with your builder, HVAC contractor and friends and family with a similar system. Finding the right combination is the key, each HVAC contractor should have a combination of factors that works well for them. Ask lots of questions and you should be ok.

On a side note, if you're interested in learning more about electric radiant heat, check out How To Attach Radiant Heat Wires To Concrete.

Tags: Home Improvement, Home Improvement Blog, Radiant Heat
Subscribers to Home Construction Improvement can download my free spreadsheets. You can download the Propane Vs Oil Fuel Calculator or the Stair Stringer Calculator for free. Also visit me at Today's Green Construction

This, this, this, and this came home with me today.

I love tile, especially all the options you have with it. From materials (ceramic, granite, glass and more) to uses (bathroom floor, kitchen sink backsplash, in a shower or elsewhere), there's something to appeal to nearly everyone's taste. Add to all these choices the myriad of designs, colors and textures and you're got more options than the Bugatti Veyron (the most expensive car available today, selling for about $1,200,000). According to The Tile Doctor, a site dedicated to all things ...

Connecting your propane grill to your house propane supply is a great way to ensure you can cook dinner anytime without running out of gas. This can be a fairly straight forward home improvement project if you have an accessible gas line near the grill.

In my case I had the plumbers run a gas line outside just under the deck when we built the house. They ran the gas line outside and left it with a shut-off valve so that I could connect it to my grill.

First off I want to caution you not to mess around with your gas lines if you're not 100% sure what you're doing. Also, you should check with your local code officials before you start a project similar to this. In this post I'm only showing you how to run a flexible gas line from the shut-off valve to the grill.

The first step is to remove the old regulator and supply line on your propane grill. The hose running from the propane tank on my grill has a regulator attached to it and then it connects to the bottom of the grill as you can see in this photo. I'll be completely removing the regulator because I'm attaching the grill to the house propane supply which already has a regulator on it to drop the pressure.

As you can see I've completely removed the grill regulator and I'll keep it in case I need to take the grill some place and hook it up to a portable propane tank. Take a close look at the fitting used to attach the regulator hose to the grill because you'll need the same fitting on your new gas line.




I went to my local propane supplier and had them make me a 12 foot long rubber gas line. They supplied me with the fittings I needed to attach the gas line to the grill and the shut-off valve below the deck. I'm not experienced with gas lines so I decided to have them make the gas line. As you can see in the next photo I've attached the new gas line to the same location that the old one was connected to on the grill.

Next I drilled a hole in the deck, fed the gas line down below the deck and secured it to the framing with brackets. I ran the new gas line all the way back to the existing gas shut-off valve. I connected the fittings and made sure all of it was nice and tight.

Finally I turned on the gas, tested the fittings for leaks with a soapy water solution. The grill works great and now we never have to worry about running out of gas right in the middle or preparing dinner or having a party.


Tags: Home Improvement, Home Improvement Blog, Propane Gas Grill

Subscribers to Home Construction Improvement can download my free spreadsheets. You can download the Propane Vs Oil Fuel Calculator or the Stair Stringer Calculator for free. Also visit me at Today's Green Construction

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In this post I'd like to show you how to cut dados using a router. More specifically this method is very useful for cutting dados in the sides of a book case. It would be very difficult to cut these dados using a stacked dado in the table saw because the piece is so long.

A while back I wrote a post about how to build a dado cutting jig for your router. I finally built the jig today so I could cut all the dados in the book case sides. You can make one of these jigs using any scrap plywood you have laying around. I ended up using some 3/4" birch plywood that was left over from some cabinet shelves.

Basically you want to build a U-shaped frame that's slightly wider than the book case. For me my book case is 12" wide so I made the jig 12 1/8" wide. As you can see in the pictures three of the pieces are permanently screwed together. The fourth piece is held in place with 1/4" carriage bolts, washers and wingnuts. The key to this jig is to make sure that the two side pieces are VERY square to the third side when you screw them together. If the sides are not square you'll never be able to cut perpendicular dados in the work piece. I used a countersink pilot drill so that the permanent screws are all recessed below the surface.

I created two slots in the side pieces. The slots allow you to adjust the fourth piece for different width dados. Once you build the jig you'll need to set it up for the dado you need to cut. The nice thing about this jig is you can cut a dado the exact width you want. Most plywood is not exactly the thickness that you call it. For instance, 3/4" plywood is actually 23/32". So if you want a nice tight fit on the slots you need to cut 23/32" wide dados not 3/4".

With this router guide it's really easy. Measure the width of the router base. My router base happens to be 6 3/4" in diameter. I'm going to use a 1/2" straight cutting router bit. So I take the 6.75" - 0.5" = 6.25" (This is the spacer block you'll need). Cut a spacer block and set it in the jig. Now take a piece of the plywood you're trying to match and set it in the jig as well. Pull the fourth piece tight against the spacer and plywood, tighten the wingnuts and remove all the spacers. You now have a router guide set up to cut a perfectly sized 23/32" wide dado.

It's as simple as that. Stay tuned for a future post on building the book case.

Tags: Home Improvement, Home Improvement Blog, Router Guide

Subscribers to Home Construction Improvement can download my free spreadsheets. You can download the Propane Vs Oil Fuel Calculator or the Stair Stringer Calculator for free. Also visit me at Today's Green Construction