If you bought a home with the intent to gut and renovate it, there are a few things you should know before starting the gutting process. You will need the proper equipment to protect yourself from harm during this. Wear gloves, protective eyewear and potentially a hard hat to prevent injuries. Read the tips below to be sure you gut your house properly.

1. Do Your Prep Work

Before gutting any room, turn off all utilities to the room including water and electricity. Many gut jobs include electrical remodels Sandwich MA, so you may need to keep the electricity off during the remodel as well. Additionally, cover up the floors with tarps unless you plan to replace them.

2. Remove Cabinets and Fixtures

Before anything can be done to the walls of kitchens and bathrooms, all cabinets, vanities and fixtures must be removed. This includes old toilets and tubs, assuming you plan to replace them. Renting a dumpster to keep outside the house during the gutting will save you time and energy in hauling out these large items.

3. Take Down Drywall

Remove all existing drywall from the rooms you are gutting. Further, remove the insulation as well. You would be wise to replace insulation when replacing the drywall.

4. Eliminate Unwanted Interior Walls

Current trends favor open floor plans, so many homeowners prefer to remove as many interior walls as possible. Before removing any walls, ensure that they are not load-bearing. If you take out a load-bearing wall it could have catastrophic consequences and damage your home beyond repair.

Gutting a house can often be easier said than done and will take hours of grueling physical labor. With that being said, it could also save you thousands of dollars in labor costs if you do it yourself. Remember to prepare, remove cabinets and fixtures, take down drywall and safely remove unwanted interior walls.…

Natural stone is a rock that comes from nature. This natural stone is identically used as a material for building construction. Its function is to give a natural impression and its decorative appearance is one of the reasons people choose this material for home decoration. This natural stone can be used as the foundation of the house, the interior, and even the exterior of the house.

All types of rock are natural stone, but not all types of stone can be used for construction or building decoration needs. Stone used for building construction usually has strong characteristics. Not only strong, the style of the rock is also one of the important things in the selection for building construction.

Natural stone itself is divided into three parts, namely natural stone for construction, natural stone for media, and precious natural stone. The following is a further explanation of the types of natural stone that you need to know for use in home construction.

Know the Types of Natural Stone

Natural stone for construction is natural stone that is usually used for foundations in buildings. This type of natural stone is strong, so it is able to support buildings.

Natural stone for media is a natural stone that is commonly used as part of the interior and exterior of buildings. This type of natural stone has a style and artistic value on the stone.

While precious natural stone is a type of natural stone that is commonly used as jewelry. This natural stone has a high economic value, as well as a high artistic value as well.

Types of Natural Stone

Each rock has different types of rocks, but not all of these rocks can be used as part of the construction of a building. Natural stone used as part of the construction is rock with high strength and artistic value. The following is a type of natural stone that is seen from the process of its formation.

Igneous Rock

Is a rock that occurs due to the freezing of magma. Magma itself is a liquid that is in the earth. The magma inside the Earth moves due to heat pressure. This magma moves up to find a place with lower pressure. In the process, magma will experience cooling and solidification.

As a result of this freezing, igneous rock is formed. This igneous rock also consists of two types, namely internal igneous rock and external igneous rock. Deep igneous rock is igneous rock that cools down inside the Earth. While the outer igneous rock is the cooled rock on the Earth’s surface.

However, not all igneous rocks can be used as part of building construction. Igneous rocks commonly used as part of house construction such as Andesite and Lavastone.

Sedimentary Rock

These rocks are formed from the sedimentation process. The process comes from sedimentary material that settles and hardens into rocks. Sedimentary rocks come from the weathering of igneous rocks carried by wind, water, or glaciers.

This weathering then settles with other materials …

You work hard to keep yourself and your family safe. However, there may be major safety hazards lurking in your home that you are unaware of. These three common causes of household fires are perfect examples.

1. Cooking

There is nothing like a home-cooked meal to bring the family together. Sadly, cooking-related incidents are also the number one source of housefires. They account for nearly half of all residential fires. Leaving cooking food unattended can increase the chances of an accident happening — and getting out of control.

Grease is a common culprit when it comes to cooking-related fires. It becomes flammable at high temperatures, and a grease fire is often very difficult to extinguish once lit. Avoid pouring water on a grease fire. Instead, you turn off the heat and smother small blazes with a pan lid. This safety sheet from the National Fire Protection Association offers several tips for keeping your cooking routine safe.

2. Clothes Dryers

According to the U.S. Fire Administration, there are around 2,900 fires attributed to clothes dryers in the U.S. each year which result in injuries, deaths, and millions of dollars in property damage. Many of these are preventable. Following electrical codes and performing routine maintenance can go a long way to help keep your laundry routine safer. If you can’t remember the last time you looked inside the dryer vent, now is a great time to schedule professional duct cleaning for a fresh start.

3. Christmas Trees

These seemingly harmless seasonal decorations cause hundreds of house fires in the U.S. each year. Fresh trees dry out quickly and need to be given fresh water daily to keep them from becoming kindling. Add to that overloaded electrical outlets and the heat from lights that are often left unattended, and it is no wonder Christmas trees can be unsafe.

Danger is often hiding in plain sight. Knowing what to look for can go a long way to keeping your family safe. Never leave food unattended when you are cooking, clean your dryer vent, and use safe practices with seasonal decorations for the best results.…