Tag Archives: plumbing

Water Works Wonders — AT HOME

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Desirables

Plumbing that reaches a high level of elegance, from Waterworks and its sister Studio.

Of all the rooms in one’s home, the bathroom stands out as being one in which function is a priority. and while we all know that form follows function, it’s natural to want beauty and elegance to come along for the ride too.

Waterworks, of Connecticut, takes that desire to heart by creating elements for the residential bath that allow us to elevate our environment for carrying out basic daily rituals. How about getting freshened up each morning in a cast iron tub, its interior clad with smooth enamel, its lovely curving lines and roomy scale allowing you to stretch out as you scrub-a-dub?

Waterworks can provide you with the means to do this, with one of its new offerings, the Margaux tub. it lives up to its name (a fancy French wine) and is priced a bit more than a bottle, presumably (at $12,000 plus). but it’s freestanding, double-ended, gracefully and solidly made. the kids will love it, too. and it’s not something you can find at the typical big box hardware and home store.

Marble washstands and mosaic tiles (water laser jet cut by hand) can add to the atmosphere of being in a fine foreign movie, too. Styles can be modern or not, though the best-selling line (at least at Chown, which carries the brand here in Portland) tends to be the traditional-looking Highgate series. Most of the fittings (in sophisticated language of the bathroom, “fittings” are the handles and controls, like faucets and shower heads, whereas fixtures are the vessels such as sinks or tubs that are controlled by the fittings) are offered in nickel and in chrome. Side by side, one sees the color difference in these two high-quality materials. Nickel is warmer and almost yellow-toned, while chrome is colder and whiter in its shine.

Indeed, the lingo and legacy of the items that go into an elegant bathroom are far beyond what one grows up with in a typical suburban home. Much of Waterworks’ line is inspired by classic French design and hand-forged in traditional methods in Normandy (that’s in France). Their secondary line, Waterworks Studio (introduced about a year ago) uses the same materials as the original Waterworks line – the same quality of chrome and nickel, for instance – but achieves a lower price point by simplifying a design into fewer parts than the higher-end model would have. It’s an efficient way to streamline the process of manufacturing all the teeny pieces of a faucet, for instance, and make assembly easier too.

Again, only side by side can most of us see the difference, and it’s not a difference in quality of materials but rather of less elaborate detailing of the many parts making up the whole. and in this case, as the saying goes, the whole is greater than the sum of parts.

Chown Hardware333 NW 16th AvenuePortland, Oregon 97209Phone: 800-452-7634/503-243-6500Hours: Monday – Friday: 8:00am-6:00pmThursday: 8:00am-8:00pm Saturday: 10:00am-4:00pmSunday: closed

Water Works Wonders — AT HOME

Bath Accessories – For Easy Bathroom Makeover

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Planning on selling your home or perhaps just sprucing it up for yourself? the bathroom is one of the main selling points of any house, and you also spend quite a bit of your time in there.

Unfortunately, it can be costly to revamp a room with so many fixtures, plumbing, and electrical issues. so rather than trying your luck with all of those copper pipes, try some deceptively simple and affordable tricks like updating cabinet hardware and bath accessories. choice of good bath accessories considering the look and feel you desire for your private space can modernize and beautify the space for you and for a potential buyer.

Changing out an entire shower or tub involves a huge time commitment and financial investment, but it is the focal point of the bathroom. Other than a good bleach scrub, an effective makeover on a budget is changing a few key features. no privacy for your shower and tub combination? Install a shower rod that compliments the tile and hang up a simple but eye-catching curtain. even better, buy a matching set of towel and toilet paper holders. if you have a bit more to spend, ditch the curtain and go for a glass shower door. They’re more popular and look sleek. if you’re selling, a nice addition might be a grab bar located conveniently in the shower. Senior buyers and people with small children will appreciate this simple gesture.

Can’t afford to put in new cabinets or refinish old ones? A quick fix is to replace the old cabinet hardware with some classy new handles and knobs, giving aged wood a new sparkle. Another good measure is to ensure that all doors close correctly. There’s nothing more unsightly and annoying than squeaky hinges and doors that are perpetually open. Replace those old hinges and catches to get a proper fit.

While we’re on the subject of doors, is the bathroom entrance working properly as well? Keep your business your own. you don’t want anyone walking in on you during your private moments, so make sure they can’t by installing a simple lock on the inside of the door. While you’re at it, another pleasant touch is upgrading old door hardware with some new knobs to match bath accessories.

The most popular and probably the most effective way to increase the beauty of your bathroom is through a splash of color. this can mean painting a single accent wall, the whole thing, or just adding colorful carpets and towels. Pictures, plants, and flowers will also help brighten up what can sometimes devolve into a dull, strictly utilitarian room. next to the bedroom, the bathroom is often a second sanctuary, evoking calmness and peace. A relaxing bubble bath just isn’t as inviting when you’re surrounded by stark, bare walls and floors. if you’re selling, remember that you’re trying to make it as appealing as possible to as many people as possible. so toss those old tabloids next to the toilet and pick a neutral or ocean-inspired pallet to entice potential buyers.

Your bathroom should be a comfortable, soothing place, and it shouldn’t break your bank to make it that way. Cabinet hardware products and bath accessories provide affordable touch ups. Employing some creativity and improving what you already have will go a long way in redecorating your bathroom.

Bath Accessories – For Easy Bathroom Makeover

Bathroom Remodeling – Your Project Management Options

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Managing your own bathroom remodeling project

This is the story of a friend of mine who decided to handle the project management of her bathroom remodel all by herself. she is a teacher and is well organised. she also has more time to be at home than most of us so she was well placed to handle the project, or so she thought.

My friend got herself organised by deciding what she wanted in her new bathroom and drawing detailed plans on squared paper. when she had researched the fixtures, fittings and accessories that she wanted and found the lowest prices available she turned her mind to hiring contractors to do the job.

Remodeling tasks to be managed

My friend was able to identify all the tasks that would have to be done before her new bathroom was complete. her list included some or all of the items below.

  • Ensuring compliance with any legal requirements.
  • Remove and dispose of bathroom fixtures.
  • Bathroom design and styling.
  • Building works including moving walls and widows etc.
  • Finishing off interior walls and drying.
  • Electrical installation.
  • Plumbing installation.
  • Fit new bathroom fixtures.
  • Tile and seal walls.
  • Floor covering.
  • Correct any problems.

That’s a long list and she knew that it was going to take a fair number of contractors to do it all. Before she could go looking for people she needed to work out what skills they would need. so she produced a list that looked similar to the one below.

Skills needed for bathroom remodel

  • Carpenter
  • Builder
  • Electrician
  • Glazier
  • Plasterer
  • Plumber
  • Floor covering specialist

She could see from this that she would have her work cut out for her just phoning around for a couple of days. she used the phone book and the Internet to look for suitable workers to do the job. Then she visited her local bathroom showrooms and asked the staff if they could recommend anyone. this strategy turned out to be the best way to find good people to do the job as often the staff had personal contact with the contractors. she also obtained a few leads from friends who had recently remodeled their bathrooms.

The project management begins

This is where the fun started. she had to arrange for contractors to turn up at the right time and make sure that the new fixtures and fittings were delivered on time to be available when the appropriate contractors were on site. With so many people involved she found that it was quite difficult to get everyone to fit in with her plan. her desire to get the work done during the school holidays only made things worse.

Finally she managed to get everyone to agree on a plan, they all knew what they were doing and when they should be doing it. my friend thought that she had done a good job but that was just the start of the problems.

The problems had begun

The Fitters stripped out the old bathroom furniture on time but the delivery of the new fixtures was delayed. the workers turned up on time to fit the new stuff but they had to be sent away and asked to come back when the delivery turned up. this had a knock on effect with the remainder of the project plan for the bathroom remodel and threw my friends carefully laid out plan into disarray.

Project management is much harder than it seems

The delivery delay was just the start of the problems my friend had to solve. the wrong washbasin was delivered and it was too big to fit into the space allowed. the electric shower was faulty and it had to be replaced. the plumbing sprung a leak, which wasn’t noticed until the plumber was well gone.

The problems went on and on and what should have been a 2 week project turned into 3 months and it still wasn’t quite finished even then. my friend was at the end of her tether and swore that she would never ever do anything like that again.

Get someone else to manage your project

If you are just about to start remodeling a bathroom you will be happy to know that you don’t have to do it yourself, no matter how tempting you might think it is. You can hire a project manager to plan, coordinate and solve all the problems for you or you can do what I did and find someone who is capable of doing the entire job by themselves.

You will find a summary of your options in the article Project management – Bathroom Remodel

Bathroom Remodeling – Your Project Management Options

Bathroom Electrical – Circuitry and Cable

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Compared to the plumbing, electrical system rough-in can be a breeze. Romex cable and the associated boxes and connectors that electricians use are clean, lightweight, and easily maneuvered. The holes that electricians need to make are small, and even though they may have to fish some cable through finish walls and climb into attics and shimmy into crawl spaces, they don’t have to deal with heavy cast-iron pipe or the waste that flows through it. at the risk of sounding repetitious, though, I’d like to reiterate a precaution about working with electrical systems. any work that you do on an electrical system is potentially dangerous, and while much (if not all) of the rough-in electrical work is within the ability of any careful and conscientious builder, this article is no substitute for either a qualified electrician or general knowledge and experience with residential wiring. if terms or procedures are unfamiliar or unclear, then you should seek help. For a good practical introduction to residential electrical systems, you might try Rex Cauldwell’s Wiring a House (The Taunton Press, 1997).

There should be at least two circuits to the bathroom, with at least one being a 12-gauge 20-amp GFCI protected outlet circuit; the other is the switched-lighting circuit, which can be a lighter 15-amp circuit but which is more commonly a 20-amp circuit as well. if there is a fan or light in the shower (considered to be a wet area), it will need to be on a GFCI protected circuit; otherwise, bathroom lighting needs to be separated from GFCI protected circuitry so that the lights don’t go out if the GFCI trips.

If there are any other appliances in the bathroom, such as an in-wall electrical heater, a whirlpool, or a steam generator, they too will need their own appropriately sized circuits, and in the case of the whirlpool, the circuit will have to be GFCI protected as well. in most cases, type NM (Romex) cable-with two or more insulated wires, a bare grounding wire, and paper insulation all protected by a thermoplastic jacket-will be the cable of choice. Type NM 12-2, which has two conductors and a ground, is commonly used for most general outlet and small-appliance wiring, though some situations (such as three-way switches) will require 12-3 cable (with three conductors and a bare grounding wire). While codes usually permit 14-gauge 15-amp circuits for general-purpose lighting and receptacles, most electricians I’ve worked with prefer to use 12-gauge cable consistently throughout the house, unless heavier cable (and larger-capacity circuits) is required. Armor-clad (AC) cable, often called BX cable, is used far less commonly now in residential construction than it used to be.

I occasionally run across it in renovation work,and I cringe when I do because it is harder to work with than Romex, requiring anti-short bushings and special boxes. in some areas and in some types of construction BX cable is specified by code because the flexible metal jacket serves as a conduit and protects the cable within. but rather than try to tie in with BX circuitry, I usually run new branches to the bathroom with Romex. if I come across old knob-and-tube wiring, of course, I’ll pass by that circuit altogether, since it isn’t grounded. and if it gets too complicated, I’ll call my electrician. Code requires that cable should be stapled at a maximum of every 4/2 ft. in the center of studs (1-1/4in. minimum on either side of the cable to the edge of the stud) and within 12 in. of a metallic box (8 in. from a plastic box). Like plumbing, cable needs to be protected by metal plates where it passes through notches or through holes closer than 1-1/4in. from the edge of a stud or plate. be sure to unwind the cable from the spool so that it lies flat instead of twisted in coils, and nail staples so that the cable lies individually rather than stacked on top of other cable and flat instead of on edge.

Bathroom Electrical – Circuitry and Cable

Food And Wine Network – Questions & Answers » Answers Archive » Home Remodeling: Make The Home More Beneficial With These Effortless Recommendations

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Choosing to redo your house is an awesome expenditure. however, it may be a little bit difficult. If you want to boost value of your house or perhaps make it much more livable here are a few excellent recommendations.Any plumbing and wiring concerns must be resolved first when performing any home improvement assignments. Repairs of the form usually will have you tearing into the walls of your home, so you should do that before anything else. If you already have your surfaces opened up for other maintenance, why not deal with pipes and wiring at the same time?Make sure that you’re getting heard by the contractor. it is essential to get a contractor who listens to you personally and who you can rely on. Whenever a professional doesn’t listen to you, they are able to do a lot more hurt by performing something wrong. Make sure that they hear very well to you.Whilst redesigning your kitchen or bathroom, take into account replacing frequent wall surface table together with the h2o-proof variety. Experts often refer to the product through the brand “eco-friendly board”, and it is more appropriate to normal water than typical drywall products. For an added additional it offers normally been handled to face up to mold expansion.Maybe you have looked at a home and asked yourself about the amount of restrooms they have, and when which was adequate to get results for you. Existence or deficiency of bathrooms also has an important result on property ideals. You may significantly enhance your home’s value by setting up additional restrooms.Stucco is a superb choice for backyard exterior siding. Stucco might be long-lasting but it normally needs expert installing.Use a straight walls-installed coat carrier to get a bracelet and necklace screen. You must only display costume expensive jewelry, not nearly anything useful. Owning your nicer jewellery on display may be aesthetically pleasing and maintain the sections from getting tangled. Take out the components of precious jewelry you wear instead often and set individuals in a convenient location.Making your tiled flooring warmed up can be relatively easy and inexpensive. it really is specifically smart to speak to an expert about putting in glowing heat should you be presently planning to swap a floor with ceramic tile. Glowing warmth like this is extremely productive and cost successful. it will keep the toes comfortable in the winter months and it will surely feel good! some of the cost for this upgrade can be recaptured if you promote your own home.have you ever checked out a residence and thought about if the number of bathroom it offers is going to be okay for yourself and your family? Washrooms bring about house value. By adding yet another bath tub to your house, your home’s worth will significantly boost.Warming your tile surfaces is a straightforward and inexpensive update. Talk with a salesperson about floor tile and introducing this particular warming strategy to it. You will end up pleased that you moved forward and made it happen it can be amazing to your feet. it is possible to make an impression on future consumers with this particular addition.1 wonderful home improvement idea is to replace your luminescent lights with cost effective types. this could find yourself charging you less money in the long run in relation to your utility bill. move your aged, unproductive lights with more recent, far more energy efficient lights.these easy suggestions can make your home less difficult to live in. We hope you discovered this short article on home remodeling helpful.

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Food And Wine Network – Questions & Answers » Answers Archive » Home Remodeling: Make The Home More Beneficial With These Effortless Recommendations

Choosing Bathroom Vanity, Mirrors & Lighting For Unique Decorating Ideas

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There are many simple and affordable ways to update the look of your bathroom. by simply changing the vanity, adding new mirrors and light fixtures is a sure bet on increasing the value of a home, while enjoying the benefits of an updated bathroom.

Let’s begin with the room style. Are you going for a traditional or contemporary look, or possibly a mix of both, more transitional? This is an important first step in developing your decorating plan.

The next step is to choose the vanity. The vanity will be the basis to build your decor around. here are a few options to consider:

You can have a custom cabinet maker build a piece unique to your needs and size, finish, etc. This is ideal for almost everyone, though this is the most expensive alternative.

Pre-fabricated Vanity

Today’s trend is using furniture style vanity pieces. these come prefabricated with hand carved moldings and solid stone tops, under mount ceramic sinks, and are usually pre-drilled for a faucet. This is an ideal choice for the do it yourselfer. If you are replacing an existing vanity and do not need to make any adjustments to the plumbing, this type of vanity can be moved into the space, and you can attach the existing plumbing to the new faucet fixture.

If you are remodeling a master bath, be sure to maximize your counter top space, as this is invaluable, especially for women.

Vanity size will determine mirror size. The mirror should not extend beyond the outside edge of the vanity. If you have a double sink vanity and want a contemporary look, an unframed large single mirror that extends from the outer edge of the vanity will keep it simple. The best way to buy a frameless mirror is to have one custom cut from a glass company so that you can get the maximum size your space will allow. for a traditional look, use two single oval mirrors hung over each bowl.

To add character, consider choosing two different mirrors to hang over the individual bowls – this is a great way to express your individuality based on which side of the vanity you use.

How much natural light is in the existing room? The basic light fixture styles for bathrooms include over the mirror vanity fixtures and wall sconces, which are mounted on the sides of the mirror above a vanity. Recessed ceiling lights provide general lighting for the room.

Choosing Bathroom Vanity, Mirrors & Lighting For Unique Decorating Ideas

Small Bathroom Layout

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The layout of your bathroom can be very useful or very trying. if you are working with a small bathroom, organization of the layout is key to useful space in your bathroom. one of the best ways to figure out how to do the layout so that it will be useful is to picture in your mind how much free space you will have once you install the plumbing like the sink, toilet and tub or shower.

In smaller bathrooms, the layout is critical to having space to move about while you are in the room. For example, you would not what the toilet and sink to be on the opposite walls in line with each other and barely have room to walk through the area. Generally, placing all of the plumbed items on one wall will allow more room for movement through the bathroom.

For example, having the sink in one corner next to the toilet and then the shower in the far corner will leave one entire wall open. if your bathroom is not large enough to accommodate this layout, perhaps having the sink directly next to the shower will be useful and having the toilet in a corner will utilize space as you can. with the smaller area, it is also important to remember that storage units such as cabinets for towels and other things along those lines may not be useful. So when planning it is also important to plan where to keep items such as towels, soaps and shampoos if the space is not going to allow room.

Small bathrooms require much planning to provide adequate space for a person to utilize. It may be necessary to use just a shower in a little area instead of a full sized bath tub, which will conserve quite a bit of space. It fully depends on the user’s wants and needs, but to utilize maximum space in a smaller area is important to the efficiency of the area.

Hanging towel racks, in shower shelves for shampoos and soaps and small vanities will use less space than the full sized storage areas and may help to utilize space in smaller bathrooms. the layout of the room is important because of the plumbing for the sinks, toilets and showers. It is not easy to rearrange a room with plumbing because it generally will mean moving the plumbing and in some cases creating new holes in the wall and floor to accommodate the plumbing.

Small Bathroom Layout

Victorian Plumbing offers free delivery on all orders to UK mainland

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Victorian plumbing introduces a new offer with absolutely free delivery to UK mainland on all purchases from its store. The special new Year offer is valid only till 31st January.

Victorian plumbing has welcomed the new Year with lots of offers for its customers. First it was the winter sale offer and then a plethora of new colours and high end products were added to the Victorian Plumbing collection. Now the company has brought in yet another surprise by offering free delivery on all orders to UK mainland only till 31st January.

The company managing director Mr mark Radcliff was very upbeat about the new collections and latest offers. Talking about the new offer and a great start for 2012 he said “this year we introduced a whole lot of colours at Victorian plumbing. we could see a huge difference right through the first week of January. last year has been great and it was all due to our valued customers. so we thought why not give away a new Year gift and hence this Free Delivery Offer.”

The free delivery offer will definitely attract a lot of customers to stop procrastinating and they can buy their bathroom requirements at the earliest before 31st January. Buying has been made easy and fun and well within your means.

The Victorian Plumbing store was seen buzzing with customers checking out for various items and bathroom products. these Products can also be surfed through the Victorian Plumbing online retail site. The website is extremely fluid and user friendly. It is very easy to surf through their collection and place an order. The company also offers order tracking facilities and various schemes and discounts at their sales section.

During the end of 2011 many new brands like Umbra and Wenko, were brought in and there were also some award winning bathroom products introduced. these brands define modern tastes and are available at Victorian Plumbing at unbeatable prices. Not only that but there were also bathroom retouching, refurbishing and repairing products from original Cramer, under floor heating products from WarmUp, hi quality Endon Lights with latest designs and the best quality bathroom tiles from Laura Ashley, BCT and Stodio coran. Hi tech products for utmost luxury in bathrooms were brought in with the water proof television sets from TechVision and a special range of Paladin radiators for those who want an antique or a decorative traditional interior for their bathrooms.

Victorian plumbing always keeps up with the trends by introducing latest products and best brands to its collection. It understands customer needs and introduces various products on sale from time to time. It also allows customers to shop with limited funds with their pay for later scheme, various discounts and slashed prices on hi end products. Free delivery offer is a step forward to reach out to the customers. Customers from UK mainland can buy any product and would not have to pay for delivery. these products will be delivered to their doorsteps absolutely free.

Victorian plumbing started in year 1999 as a small workshop that catered only to a niche market. It has grown over the years and is one of the online bathroom products retail giants in UK.

with an expert customer service team and a wide range of bathroom products Victorian plumbing has a loyal client base. The Company believes in customer satisfaction and works towards achieving the same.

Victorian Plumbing offers free delivery on all orders to UK mainland

The Plumbing System of Bathroom Renovation

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Many of us call for residence remodelers due to the fact we want our houses to appear much more wonderful. There’s practically nothing wrong with as residence renovation contains expenditures. due to the fact you are spending, it’s sensible to make sure that this dollars would maximize the cub appeal off your home in order that when you are able to sell the property, you would get a decent value for it. Nevertheless, you must recognize that there are numerous good reasons why you should go for residence remodeling. among these is security.

even though your home is made of the most durable masonry material, it’s nonetheless prone to damages especially if it’s positioned inside a region with severe weather. if you are property was poorly maintained to get a year or two, you should currently consider calling Phoenix home remodeling. Ordinary individuals like you can’t detect complications within the electrical and plumbing. Only expert remodelers, electricians and plumbers can detect concealed complications in your property.

The plumbing process of your property is neither difficult nor simple. It’s not that difficult in any way on the view of experts. it is also not simple due to the fact a single mistake on the installation of plumbing system may cause enormous complications.

You’ll find two forms of functions for your residence plumbing system. it is installed to carry water to and out of your property. it also brings gas into power gas appliances. Gas plumbing most especially, should be left to experts. I repeat it once more. You ought to not take care of it on your very own. The exact same is correct with electrical power. with gas plumbing and electrical, a single mistake is simply not acceptable.

Plumbing system plays crucial roles in your bathroom. without the need of this, you won’t get pleasure from a hot bath in your bath tub. This is the explanation why you can’t have your self renovated by possessing a DIY project. as time passes by, much more and better piping supplies are staying introduced within the industry. if you won’t call experts such as the ones from bathroom remodeling Scottsdale, you won’t get pleasure from the advantages of those innovative supplies in any way. By doing work with experts, you will be also protecting your family’s security.

The Plumbing System of Bathroom Renovation

Today’s Holiday Give-Away from LOWE’S – Bob Vila

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Today, December 5, is day five of Bob Vila’s 24 Days of Holiday Give-Aways and your chance to enter to win the first of our four $1,000 Gift Cards from LOWE’S.  But, you must ENTER TODAY to be eligible to win.

LOWE’S, the leading home improvement retailer with more than 1,735 stores nationwide and a mega-online shopping site, has always been committed to providing consumers with the products, materials, advice, how-to, ideas and inspiration to improve their homes from top to bottom, inside and out.

Whether you are shopping for tools, paints, kitchen appliances, bathroom fixtures, lighting, flooring, plumbing, lawn and garden, or holiday decorations and gifts, LOWE’S is your one-stop destination. And, now with MyLowe’s—the newly launched online home management tool—customers can have their purchases, plans, and relevant-home information at-the-ready each and every time they shop.

For official rules and entry, click here.  And remember, we have three more $1,000 Gift Cards from LOWE’S to give-away in the days ahead, so be sure to check back.  To see what other fabulous prizes will be offered throughout the contest period, check out the Bob Vila 24 Days of Holiday Give-Aways slideshow.

To start shopping, visit Lowe’s.

Today’s Holiday Give-Away from LOWE’S – Bob Vila