Simple Steps to Organizing Your Outdoor Barbeque Area

If you're planning to do any barbecuing at all, it's going
to be important for you to make sure that your grill area
in general and the grill itself is optimised and organized!
 It doesn't matter if you're planning to grill all summer
long or keep it restricted to a few large bashes around the
Fourth of July and Labor Day, having your outdoor barbeque
area organized will make a big difference in just about
every area that counts.

One of the first things to keep in mind is that through
organizing your barbeque area, the person in charge of the
grill will be a great deal more comfortable.  For instance,
consider the location.  In the middle of the July heat, you
aren't going to want to be standing over a hot grill in
direct sunlight.  Rather than crowding your barbeque
equipment into the best shade available, why not make your
own?  Umbrella sunshades can be mounted directly next to
your grill, providing you with shade as well as adding a
jaunty note to your back yard.

One way to organize your barbeque area is to make sure that
everything has its proper place.  This can be a little
difficult, as the trays that attach to the grill itself can
be quite small.  The way around this, of course, is to
provide your own!  There are lots of great options out
there in terms of stands that you can place by the grill.
If you don't want to move the stand, you can modify it to
your heart's content.  Look for one with lots of hooks
where you can hang your tools, and if you are not going to
store it when you aren't using it, make sure that is
weather-proof and animal-proof.  If you get a stand with
wheels, it can serve double duty as a place to store your
tools and a serving cart.  You can even equip it with wet
wipes to keep the stand tidy.  You might want to keep the
supplies on a lower shelf of the stand and keep the upper
area for food and food preparation.

If you are planning in advance, you also might want to
consider what kind of grill works the best for your needs.
Will you be grilling often?  Will you be serving many
people when you do so?  Considering these questions can
give you an idea about the grill that will work best for
you.  A grill that complements your location and your needs
is an important component to getting your outdoor
barbequeing organized!

A clean grill will make you feel proud to invite your
friends over, as well as giving you a better quality of
food, so make sure that you keep cleaning supplies on hand.
 Whether you want just keep some towels near the area to
wipe up spills or you have cleansers that will keep your
grill spotless, you can keep them close to hand by making a
space for them.  Find a weatherproof bag and store them
right next to your grill if you want to.  Having those
supplies close to hand will make you grateful when disaster
strikes!

By keeping these tips in mind, you can prepare for summer
grilling that is as efficient as it is tasty!


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For more great ideas and products to help keep your
outdoors organized, visit the official site of the Get
Organized Catalog at http://www.shopgetorganized.com

 

Installing Your Own Hardwood Floors

It used to be that you had to hire someone to put in your
wood floors. Now, there are many different products that
come pre-finished from the factory and can be laid out by a
do it yourselfer. This saves time in sanding and sealing
the floor. In addition, the newer tongue-and-groove
products are much easier to install than older types of
hardwood flooring products.

You will want to tear out all the old flooring and make
sure the room is level. After cleaning and removing debris,
lay out a 15-pound asphalt felt on the subfloor. You will
need to overlap seams by 3 inches. Staple it to the floor.
This will be where you will lay out the chalk lines to for
straight edges.

Any flooring that you receive will need to be bought into
the room and allowed to sit for a few days. This will allow
the product to acclimate itself to the humidity in the
room. Wood has a way of expanding and contracting in
accordance with humidity levels.

The first three rows will be nailed in manually, but after
that you can take advantage of modern technology by using a
flooring nailer. These you can rent at any home improvement
store and return once the job is done. You will also need a
rubber mallet to strike the plunger and drive the nails
through the groove into the floor below.

Continue laying out your flooring, perpendicular to the
floor joists, leaving ½ inch space around the perimeter of
the room for further wood expansion or contraction. Stagger
the boards so that they the end joint on each subsequent
board is at least 6 inches away from the next board. The
space around the perimeter of the room will be covered with
the addition of base shoe or baseboard molding. In the
event that you have a transition from one room to another,
you may need to add a transition strip between the two
floors to make them level.

While laying wooden floors is simpler now than ever before,
it still requires some experience cutting the baseboards
and planks. Many do it yourselfers are already familiar
with using a radial arm saw or a power miter saw. If you
are not, you will want to practice first before attempting
to use these cutting tools with your floorboards.

There is a bit of skill and persistence to putting down a
wood floor that you can be proud to say you did yourself.
If you follow the guidelines given by the manufacturer,
odds are you can do a good job. Try to avoid getting the
floors wet while you are working and afterwards too.
Moisture is something that can easily damage a wood floor.
Make sure that buy more planks than you need so that you
don't run out and have trouble getting more. When you are
done, you will still need to maintain the wood floor to
keep it in top shape for years to come.


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For help with home organization products, visit Get
Organized at http://www.shopgetorganized.com

 

Remodeling? Don't Do It Just to Increase Your Home Value

Where did you see that absolutely perfect kitchen or bath,
with the exquisite granite countertop and custom cabinets?
In a magazine? A home show? Your friend's house?

And are you already imagining what your remodeled room
would look like, feel like - the total picture? That's good!

But if you're about to spend anywhere from $5,000 to
$40,000 on a home-improvement project, don't do it solely
to increase the value of your home ahead of a potential
sale. These days, remodeling means putting more into the
house than you can get out of it financially.

Remodeling magazine recently produced its annual "Cost vs.
Value" report for 2006, the result of a survey of over
2,000 members of the National Association of Realtors.
According to them, "minor kitchen remodels" have the best
value performance, at 85.2% of your investment.

That means if you spend $10,000 on a remodel, you'll only
see your home value go up $8,520 when you sell it. And that
difference doesn't even take into account the interest you
could've earned on the $10,000 if you hadn't spent it.

This isn't meant to discourage you from pursuing a
remodeling project. It's simply meant to help you take the
remodeling leap for the right reasons. The difference
between the room's current use and the need or desire for
its future use should be the prime motivator behind any
remodeling project.

Start with a solid understand of the room's use. For
example, who's always in the kitchen or bathroom? When, and
for how long? How much cooking are you really doing, and
are you always hunting for supplies that should be right at
hand? Are there bottlenecks outside the one bathroom door?
Family members elbowing for space in front of the sink and
mirror? Towels spilling out from insufficient storage?

Then bring your dreams into play. If you saw your ideal
kitchen or bath in a magazine, grab the picture and keep it
in a folder to bring to a design consultation. In fact,
find as many great ones as you can! Even if they're all way
out of your price range - and don't assume that they are -
it'll provide inspiration for the design process.

And then determine your budget. Once you know exactly how
much you want to spend, you can approach a design-build
firm to get the remodel you want, with materials priced
within your budget from the start.

These days, when you remodel, you're not only adding value
of your home, you're adding to the quality of your life.
And if you approach your investment with that in mind,
you'll be even happier with the results.


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About G.M. Roth
Since 1986, G.M. Roth Design and Remodeling has been
designing and building award-winning projects. From kitchen
and bath remodeling to in-law suites, porches and decks,
clients get their "Dreams Delivered" by G.M. Roth. To find
out more about G.M. Roth, and how their commitment to the
Design/Build philosophy provides flexibility for your
project while preventing time delays and cost overruns, go
to http://www.GMRoth.com .