Adding Windows To Your Garage Door

We all love to improve our homes. We spend untold hours [and dollars] on the weekend doing this and that to improve our homes. Adding windows to garage doors is the latest fad.

Garage door windows are generally small and serve the purpose of lighting much more than of allowing vision to the outside. The reason for this is that when you can see out the window, it means that intruders can see inside as well. The garage is a very likely source of a home invasion and you do not want to make it easy to see what is stored inside. On the other hand, lighting inside the garage is important. Windows also tend to add to the decorative appeal of the garage door.

Windows are usually mounted high on the doors, but also must be fitted to the panels in multi-panel sectional garage doors. Since these panels fold up and ride into the garage ceiling when the door is opened and unfold and straighten when closed, the ability of the windows to survive this process must be taken into consideration. This is another reason that garage windows tend to be smaller.

Many consumers are interested in finding window styles that harmonize with the overall window designs of the main house. Since the garage door is an alternative entrance to the home, it is also important that the windows of the garage door harmonize with the window arrangement of the main entrance doorways. This creates a balanced look to homes where the garage is attached to the home and is most important when the garage doors and the entrance door is in a line across the front of the home.

If a window is going to be added to an already existing garage door, it is best to have it installed by a professional. Unless you are a very advanced DIY type of person with experience in setting windows, a professional is needed to insure the window is properly set and can withstand the opening and closing of the door. Although the window may need to be actually installed by another, you should retain the final say on the size and style of the window. There is such a wide variety of options available that you should be able to get your garage door window exactly how you wish it to be.

Since much attention is given to insulation in garages through insulating panels on the garage door and threshold seals where the door meets the floor, it would be foolish to offset the conservation gain with large windows that allow energy loss. This should be an important consideration is the window selection process. You should insure that your choice is not offsetting the gain from other forms of insulation.

Looking for garage door repair companies in your area? Visit http://www.GarageDoorRepairCompanies.com for an unbiased set of listings.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Aazdak_Alisimo

6 Simple Steps to Prepare Your Car for Winter

Until moving to Florida, I spent the last dozen years or so in northern Utah, where the temperature begins to drop in October and doesn't rise again until sometime after April. Because of the shorter days, for much of the winter months I would leave for work before the sun came up and not come home until it had set. As a result, the bulk of my drive time was accomplished in the dark and with temperatures hanging well below freezing. It goes without saying that these were not ideal conditions for having car trouble. This was particularly true for my wife, who more often than not was out hauling some or all of my offspring around on various errands. It was with this in mind that I took the following steps to ensure that our cars were in top shape to serve us through the winter season.
You can probably abbreviate this list somewhat if you live in one of the Sunbelt states, but any prevention is better than none, and you never know when Mother Nature is going to throw a curve ball your way.
1. Change the Oil.
Change the engine oil and make sure to put in the appropriate type. Like most liquids, oil thickens as the temps drop. When you go out and fire up your car in the morning, your oil is sitting in the bottom of the oil pan, thick as honey. This condition worsens the dirtier the oil is, and your engine has to work harder to circulate it until everything warms up properly. Switching to a thinner viscosity oil (see your owner's manual or ask) improves things considerably. Additionally, it's always a good idea to start off the winter driving season with a clean oil filter and good clean oil, because you're sure not going to be motivated to go out into a freezing garage to change it mid-season.
2. Check Hoses and Belts.
The car enthusiast will know how old a vehicle's belts and hoses are and whether or not a replacement is due, but most of you probably won't. Freezing conditions exacerbate any problems your car may be hiding in milder climates, and items like belts and hoses have a way of choosing the absolute worst time to fail. Feel along the length of your engine's belts for any cracks, splits, or frayed edges. If you find any, replace them. Feel the various hoses for the same issues, and replace as necessary. Don't forget to check your windshield washer fluid hoses as well.
3. Check that the Wipers are in Good Shape.
In Utah we'd go for months at a time in the summer without using the wipers, and once I found out too late that one of my wipers wasn't working, during the season's first snow storm. Don't make this mistake! Check that both the front and the rear wipers are working properly. If the blades have been on your car longer than a few months, replace them. It's a cheap and fast way to ensure good visibility for you and the family. Check that the washer fluid system works properly and is topped off. It's a great idea to keep some of that fluid in the trunk of your car as well. I shouldn't have to emphasize that visibility is of primary importance when operating a vehicle!
4. Check the Battery.
The number one type of car failure in the winter is a dead battery. Cold temperatures cut a battery's cranking power in half, even more so if the battery is getting old. These days batteries are essentially maintenance free and usually require replacement every five to seven years. As such, it's easy to forget all about them until they quit working. Don't give your battery a chance to strand you in the middle of a snowstorm! Check the battery posts and wires for corrosion, and clean them as needed (try pouring Coke, or a mixture of baking soda and water on corroded posts). If your battery is more than a couple years old, yank it out and have it tested at the local auto parts store. They'll do it for free. Oh, and make sure you've got some jumper cables in the trunk. With your battery in such fine shape now, you're probably gonna want to help out your neighbor who forgot to winterize his car.
5. Check the Tire Pressure.
This one is pretty simple, and the reality is that your tires won't go completely flat because of cold temperatures. The tire pressure will drop considerably, however, and this will affect the way your car handles, as well as put a dent in your mileage. You should be checking your tire pressure at least monthly anyway (slacker), but be sure to check it AFTER the temperatures have dropped. If the pressure is below the recommended amount (check the sidewall for recommended psi), add some air.
6. Put some Emergency Essentials in your car.
Have you seen just how nutty the weather has been these last few years? You never know when you're going to find yourself in the middle of a full blown weather butt-kicking, and you'll thank yourself later that you had the foresight to stow a few items ahead of time. This is an important step, particularly if you live in the Snowbelt states and even more particularly if you have children in the car. Put these things in your car now, please:
A) flashlight with good batteries
B) Jumper cables
C) ice scraper and some gloves
D) bag of rock salt, sand, gravel, landscaping bark, or kitty litter, for traction if you get stuck
E) Blanket or extra jacket
F) Washer fluid
It's also a great idea to keep your cell phone and a charger handy as well. Don't take your car for granted, and don't leave your family's safety to chance. Spend an hour or two with your car and then rest easy throughout those long winter months. Happy driving!

Chad Hervig Hervighaus Motorsports Advancing the cause of car guys everywhere http://hervighaus.blogspot.com/
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Building a Garage Workbench

If you are setting up a home workshop, one of the most important things you will want to include in it is a workbench. A workbench helps you work with accuracy. There are many prefabricated workbenches you can purchase, or you can build your own workbench. You can buy a plan to do this, or buy a kit and put it together.
A workbench will come in a variety of sizes and styles and what you choose will depend on what kind of work you will be doing on it. Workbenches serve for woodworking, crafts projects or just household repairs. A good bench can be bought at a home improvement store, but if you prefer to build a bench, look for plans on the Internet or in do it yourself books. There you can look through hundreds of designs to pick the one that suits you best.
The most common design is a table style, with a hardwood top, although some come with table tops made of steel, and metal legs, in six or eight foot lengths. They are sturdy and durable and will suit just about any project. It looks like a table, with nothing underneath. You can also get a cabinet style, that has drawers or cabinets under the table top. The dead space under the table is put to good use in this way. Another option you may see, or you can hang your own, is pegboard behind the table to hang tools and other supplies and have them at hand.
Some workbenches come with a power strip built into them, and if you use power tools, this is an ideal layout. Up to nine outlets are in the strip and a heavy duty cord connects them to the electricity. They should have protection against an electrical overload. Another attractive option is a tool caddy so smaller tools can be easily reached.
If you want to customize your workbench, you may consider building your own. You can buy a kit, and everything you need for the bench will come with it, but of course, you are limited to the design of the kit. The pieces are precut to be put targeted without mistakes.
If you build your own workbench, you will have the option to make it exactly the way you want, though it will be more work. You can find free plans on the Internet and you just have to cut the wood pieces and follow the plan.
If you are going to do this, choose good wood, such as oak or a hardwood plywood. To protect it, put on a number of coats of polyurethane. Sand between each coat, so that you have a smooth nice looking finish that will be an easy to clean surface.
In order to make room for your new workbench, you will have to clean out and organize the space where it will be. This is the time to get rid of old paint, junk, and tools that are broken or you no longer use. Start with plenty of storage space so you won't have a messy, cluttered work area. Cabinets can organize tools and supplies, and the walls of your garage can be used to store a lot of items.
Consider installing high cabinets to store chemicals and paints, as well as sharp items, out of the reach of children. You may want to put locks on lower cabinets for safety as well. Large items can be stored in locker style cabinets, and you can put in drawers with dividers to organize smaller tools and parts.
The essayist Leroy Calstard is very interested in ideas corresponding to woodworking workbench. His publications on garage workbench are found on http://www.insidewoodworking.com/ and other websites.
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How To Install A Garage Door Opener

Installing a garage door opener is not a simple do it yourself job. However, it is true that garage door openers made today are a lot easier to fit than a few years ago. There is nothing preventing you from installing the opener yourself if you have reasonable diy skills.

You will find explicit fitting instructions with the majority of all new garage door opener kits. It is imperative that you follow these instructions to the letter. Whatever you do, don't become a know it all and try to work it out yourself. In reality, garage door openers can be very dangerous if not fitted correctly, due to the high tension springs that are used. You could quite easily end up hurting yourself or somebody around you.

The first step, before installing a garage door opener, is to check how well the garage door itself works. Most if not all garage doors are fairly heavy. A garage door opener will be designed for a certain weight of door. It should go without saying to ensure that the garage door opener that you are installing is capable of working with the weight of your door. You may find out that your door is too light, in which case, it will need reinforcing.

Checking the actual operation of the garage door should be your next step. If you find that the door doesn't open easily, it could be due to faulty springs which will need to be repaired before attempting to fit the opener. If the garage door has seen better days, you may be looking at installing a new one. If that is the case, you will also need to ensure that the framework is capable of supporting the new door to which the new opener is being fitted.

The garage door opener will have a power unit. Make sure that you site this where it will not get in the way of anybody walking around inside the garage. The opener will include a power cord which should only be within reach of an adult. Although it should go without saying, the electrical supply should be disconnected when working with the permanent wiring required to power the opener.

More hands make less work and you may find it quicker to enlist some help when installing your new garage door opener. You will need a selection of tools such as a stepladder, drill, spirit level, tape measure, hammer, various screwdrivers, side cutters, pliers, adjustable wrench and hacksaw.

You will find three distinct types of garage door opener. The easiest and simplest one to fit is the screw drive. Once fitted, it will require little or no maintenance as it has no belts or chains. All garage door openers must, by law, have a built in safety feature that reverses the door operation should it happen to hit something or somebody on it's way down. Make sure that any wall control buttons are fitted well out of reach of small children so that they cannot play with the door. For extra safety, infrared beam boxes should be installed near the bottom of the garage door opening.

Installation of a garage door opener should only be undertaken by somebody who more advanced in diy work. Whatever you do, don't cut corners when it comes to safety. Apart from anything else, garage doors are extremely heavy and can be very dangerous if not handled correctly. As well as the size and weight, garage door springs are also a danger due to the great tension they are under.

For more information on Garage Door Opener Safety visit Garage Solutions, a popular site for home owners who want a cleaner and better garage but don't quite know where to start.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alan_Kenyon

Garage Apartment Plans - A Great Way to Add Value To Your Home and Generate Extra Cash

A detached garage with an apartment makes a great guesthouse. Garage apartments plans provide space for storage and add value to your home. You can also generate extra income from your garage apartment! Making a living space over your apartment is a great idea for extra income, or you can use it for a home office. In certain areas you must prove that your home office is separate from your home to qualify for tax purposes. Having the office over your garage with keep your home office completely away from the home. Suddenly your new garage apartment has become a tax write off.

Garage apartments also provide a new sense of independence for your college aged child, if they plan to stay home. Students are always on the lookout for housing that is affordable and garage apartments fit he bill perfectly. Other new members of the workforce may be interested in your garage apartment as well. The potential for this extra income can add value to your home if and when you decide to sell. Some older folks who have retired often decide to live in their garage apartment while renting out their older home that may now be too large for their needs.

For parents who need extra room

Garage apartments can add a new master bedroom for parents of large families who need an extra room. If your garage is attached to your house, a garage apartment can serve as a very large and airy extra bedroom for privacy starved parents. For this type of apartment plan, the extra kitchen may be left off or appliances not added until children have moved away and the parents decide to rent the garage apartment.

Before you start building your garage apartment or purchase new garage apartments plans, check your local building permits and requirements. If you plan on using the apartment as a rental unit, you might need to supply an extra parking space for the renter. You may also need to think of adding stairs to the exterior of the building for security reasons. Be sure to check the insurance requirements as well.

Where to find garage apartment plans

Two sources I like for garage apartment plans are a site called coolhouseplans and one titled archwaypress.

As an example of pricing, coolhouseplans offers plans for a 448 sq. ft. garage and garage apartment at 400 that range in price from a low of $375 for one set of blueprints to a high of $650 for a reproducible set of plans or CAD (Computer Aided Drawing) files on CD-ROM.

Coolhouseplans also has lower-priced plans for a garage and garage apartment that range in price from $220 to $550.

In comparison, Archwaypress offers a single set of plans for a garage and loft $115 or $215 for reproducible masters. It also sells a three-set package of plans for a garage and garage apartment at a cost of $165 for $265 for reproducible masters.

Whichever you choose, a garage apartment can make a lot of sense as either extra room or as extra income.

If adding a garage apartment or building a small house or cottage interests you, there is a book I recommend that is available on amazon.com. Its title is More Small Houses (Great Houses)

Douglas Hanna lives in a suburb of Denver. He and his wife have bought and sold many houses throughout the years - to live in, as rental unit and to "fix and flip." He is also the publisher of a popular blog on small house plans, http://smallhouseplansadvisor.blogspot.com

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