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Construction - What To Look For When You Are Buying A Home Or Having Work Done On Your Home
Sat 28 Jul 2007 - 18:56
Construction - What To Look For When You Are Buying A Home Or Having Work Done On Your Home
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Michael_Carvell]Michael Carvell
I have worked in construction for almost twenty five years during that time I have seen so much work that is not done to code. I can tell you that when you do not do your construction job right people are not aware of the risk they take not making sure that the job is done right. Taking the time to make sure that you get three bids will help you to choose the right contractor to do your work. Always make sure that all three bids cover the same amount of material for the job. Take time make sure that you will get quality work done for you. Make sure all material they use in your building is always to code where ever you live. Cutting material cost on a job will only end up costing you more in the long run to get the job done right. I believe that always taking the highest bidder will not assure you get the best quality work.
I know most contractors starting out will do the job for a little bit less because they want the job. This does not mean their quality of work is less. Most new contractors are willing to do the job for less because they want to show you their hungry and need the job. Check to make sure that all contractors are carrying business insurance and work liability insurance. Most times you will get one bid that is right between the other two bidders this contractor will be best to give the job to.
When framing a home office space a apartment always make sure that your studs are sixteen on center so that you have more strength and stability to your support walls. Using sixteen gauge metal studding will give the walls more stability to hold the weight of you walls. Using metal framing will let your walls last longer then wood. Studs should always be sixteen inches apart rather then twenty four this will give your partition walls more strength.
When doing electric make sure that all your outlets and switches are done in pipe. This will make your electric safer then work done whips. You will have less chance of a fire breaking out. when doing office or building work where you are working with a drop ceiling always make sure that your pipe is attached to the concrete as you can not attach pipe or clamps to drop ceiling any more. Always use a stranded wire on long runs and solid wire on short runs. Make sure that your boxes are mounted properly and all pipes are clamped to the stud this is required by code. using three quarter inch rings to cover your junction boxes will assure that you have the right amount of clearance for your dry wall to fit to code for drywall. keeping all your work code will make your job easier to pass inspections.
Hanging drywall you have to line up you first sheet to make sure that you do not have a cut end in the middle of your new wall. Always stand your drywall up when you are hanging this will allow for less butt joints that are hard to hide even by tape. Always use drywall that is five eights thick this is usually code this will also give you a longer fire rating then half inch drywall.Using heavier drywall and framing will better support your upper floors.
When taping your drywall if you do not have a machine make sure that you embed your tape the same way you would if you had a taping bazooka. Do your taping with a six inch knife and then apply finish coat with a fourteen inch tape knife so that you have exactly a twelve inch finish coat. Some tapers will use two finish coat when that are taping but if you coat you tape right with a fourteen in knife I have found you can finish with just one coat. When doing corner bead or angles always try to tape them with out missing tape and securing your corner bead this will make walls harder to damage. When you are ready to sand your finish always remember to sand your tape joints in the center to make sure that both sides are even.When sanding your angles make sure that you sand each half of the angle separately to avoid scuffing one side of the angle. This will assure you have a straight angle on both sides. make sure that you always sweep your finished walls down thoroughly to make sure when you prime your walls you have a clean surface to prime.
When preparing to paint take a bright light and shine it at angle down your walls this will show you flaws that you might not have seen in the drywall. Make sure that you have embedded all your screws properly to avoid paper pits form the screw holes as you prime walls.When priming your walls always use a good primer to seal this will allow better paint coverage. Make sure that you use a enamel primer when you are going to use oil or semi gloss paints. Make sure that you put on one coat of primer and two coats of either flat or semi gloss this will give you better coverage and you will not see any dry spots that you might have missed. Always use a half inch roller when priming or painting with flat paints. Using and angle brush will help you to trim places that are hard to trim. Always use quarter inch roller when applying oil or semi gloss as these paints are usually thin and need less paint then flat thicker paints. When picking out what ever color paints you are going to use always make sure that you have them mixed in base one paint this will assure you have thicker and better covering paint then the same mixed colors you would by off the shelf. Premixed paints are always made thinner because they are made in a vat.
These are just some of the helpful facts I learned when I was working in the construction business. I hope these hints will be helpful for future work people do on their homes and office space will be doing more tip articles on this work.
As always I write with respect.
My name is Mike Carvell of the voice i hope that this will be read by all publishers and thgat they agree with me that we need a voice for change I believe that if we all work together we can change so many problems that face our country today.I believe that if you put your column and respect on the line that we can all make this column a voice for all people I mean all people. Tell me what you want changed and i will keep this column honest direct and to the point with the commitment you need to affect change. Once again I need your respect help and commitment to make this accomplishment possible.I not only believe in all Americans but the rights and respect of you all to make this commitment for which I will write with all honesty and respect and power that i can to prove this to you. This is my column and only my column I will do all the writing with respect to all those of you who put your trust and commitment into this column now and in the future. I will be columns as many as i can on as many subjects that I can with respect for all my future work thank you Mike Carvell as always.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Carvell http://EzineArticles.com/?Construction---What-To-Look-For-When-You-Are-Buying-A-Home-Or-Having-Work-Done-On-Your-Home&id=659355
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