Keep Your Home's Steps Functional
By Charles Kassotis

Does your home have indoor or outdoor steps and staircases? Have you spent much time cleaning and maintaining these on a routine basis, or are you trusting to luck that they will hold up indefinitely, or at least until you have more time to give them your attention?

Steps perform a vital function in our homes. Although some people install faux staircases for a designer look, most steps are used to connect different levels of a home and facilitate passage between them through a series of easy-to-climb wood, steel, or vinyl footholds. Except for physically disabled people, these are generally safe enough for any age person to navigate, from toddlers to the elderly. But if they are not, you can do some things to make them more conducive to save passage for all your household members, as well as occasional guests.

Make a rule that the steps cannot have any clutter on them. Assign the task of clearing them each day to one of the kids, or make each person responsible for removing shoes, newspapers, coats, books, and other items they may set down there instead of leaving them laying around for days at a time. It may help to have someone vacuum the steps to remove dust, dropped pins or hairclips, and anything else that could stick someone’ bare foot.

Check every few months or so to be sure each step remains solid. Loose boards or torn carpeting can lead to nasty falls. Get your hammer and nails to fix any broken areas promptly to keep someone from falling and getting hurt. While you’re at it, check the banisters and railings to be sure they’re stable, and that no spokes are splintered or ready to stick out and give someone a splinter. If you don’t have a handrail, this might be the time to install one. One on the right-hand side or two for both hands is your choice, depending on family members’ needs. Make sure these fit tightly to the wall, and discourage kids from playing on them.

If your steps are carpeted, check for loose strings that may be unraveling, and clip them to prevent their getting caught in people’s shoes or in a trailing robe or child’s toy. If your steps are bare, consider adding stair treads with thin grooves to help keep users from slipping. This is especially important for steps that lead from the outside to the inside of your home, but they will be useful for any staircase in your house. Make sure the treads are firmly nailed or glued in place, and check periodically for loose ends that could flip up when they catch on someone’s slipper or shoe and cause a fall.

Lighting is another important feature of safe stairways. Wall sconces or table lamps on the landings could be helpful. Overhead lighting works, too, although bulbs may be harder to change when they burn out.

You might want to place an area rug at the bottom of the steps, making sure it is secure with a rubber backing that grips the bare floor or adheres in place to the carpet. The rug will catch debris from people’s shoes before they take the steps where dried mud and accumulated dust can come off and fill stair treads or coat carpet fibers.

Learn from the stair building pros all you will ever need about caring for your household steps for both safety and appearance from Staircase Step at http://www.staircasestep.com Staircase Step

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Bricks & Sticks: Staircases
By Mark Nash

Staircases offer style as well as functional appeal to a home. Many home owners and buyers don't always understand staircase options available. Knowing the parts of a staircase, configurations and basic code requirements can help you find the best staircase for your remodeling or new-construction project.

Parts of a staircase. Balusters are the vertical posts that support the handrail. Balustrade include the balusters, handrail and newel posts. The landing is a break in a set of stairs. Newel posts are a vertical support post at the end of a handrail. The riser is the vertical section of a step from one tread to the next and the rounded front edge of the riser that protrudes beyond the stair is the nosing. A tread is the horizontal part of a step and the surface you walk on. The height of the whole staircase is called the total rise. The stringer is the structural foundation that risers and treads are nailed to.

Configurations of staircases. The most common and economical configuration is the straight-run. U and L shaped work for in difficult design situations and take up more square footage because they require a landing. In extremely tight spaces a l shaped winder is used, the winder replaces the landing with triangular steps. The spiral is the last resort for a staircase in tight floor plans, home buyers are not fond of this style.

Residential building code requirements for staircases. Treads are required to be a minimum of ten inches deep, risers must be a maximum of seven and three-quarters tall. The minimum width of a staircase is thirty-six inches and if a landing is used it must be a minimum of three feet by three feet. The three foot square rule also applies to the landing space at the top and bottom of any staircase.

Enjoy more Bricks & Sticks by Mark Nash. Topics include Ceiling options, Interior Lighting and Staircases.

© Copyright 2006 Mark Nash

Mark Nash, is a residential real estate author, broker, columnist and writer based in Chicago. His fourth book 1001 Tips for Buying and Selling a Home received eighteen five star reviews on Amazon.com. His latest book; Real Estate A-Z for Buying & Selling a Home will be published in December 2006. Mark publishes a free monthly ezine for real estate professionals. Agent to Agent features ten articles that offer free reprints for agents, home buyers and sellers through EzineArticles.com . Real estate news and book reviews, Celebrity Homestyles, Home selling and buying tips and advice, Joke-of-the-Month, Help this Agent, and agent marketing tips. Over 5000 subscribers in the U.S. & Canada. Subscribe at: http://www.1001realestatetips.com/forrealestateagents

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Thinking About Home Improvement? Then Here's a Checklist!
By Shrinivas Vaidya

Dear friends, if you are planning to improve/renovate or refurnish your home then this article can be a very useful guide and save your lot of time.

When it comes to home improvement, most people think that it's has to do with painting the house from inside out and forget about it.

But any architectural structure is much more than just walls and ceiling. There are many systems working simultaneously which keep the building under function.

Let's have a look at these systems one by one.

1) Structural System:

This includes the support system of the entire building, namely foundation, columns, beams, slabs(in R.C.C structure). The most commonly used structural systems is R.C.C. Other types include steel and wood.

While renovating a building special attention must be given to the structural support system. Slabs should be checked to be leak proof. Columns and beams which are exposed to external atmosphere must be checked for damage. R.C.C structural members are always covered with plaster. This plaster must be without damage.

In case of steel structures, anti-rust treatment must be applied wherever necessary.

In case of wooden structure anti-termite treatment must be applied wherever necessary.

2) Plumbing System:

All pipelines which carry water in and out of the structure must be checked for leakage. The main are of possible leakage is at the joints, hence must be carefully treated.

Water taps at the washbasins, inside bathrooms, kitchen sinks, toilet blocks, should be checked for good and smooth operating conditions.

3)Drainage System:

Drainage from kitchen, bathrooms, toilets should have an unobstructed and shortest path to outside chambers. Any clogging of these lines can cause overflowing of the chambers, hence should be checked and cleaned.

4)Electrical Systems:

This starts with the main supply of the electricity from the local authorities. The point of entering the main supply should be checked for any excessive disturbance in voltage levels, which might cause damage to electrical appliances inside.

All switch boards and switches in respective rooms should be checked for proper and safe functioning. Security systems such as earthing and M.C.B's should be checked for safe functioning.

5) Doors and Windows

These form an important part of any structure as far as safety is concerned. Proper functioning of the doors and window shutters is necessary. If your home has a security alarm system installed, then it must be kept updated and in proper working condition.

Door and window shutter hinges should be applied with lubricants for smooth operations. I case of sliding doors and windows, tracks which allow sliding should be dust free.

6) Glass Panes

All glass panes used on windows and doors should be dust free. Any broken or cracked glass panes should be replaced immediately.

If the building has a skylight, then it should be checked to be leak proof and clean, to allow clear and unobstructed sunlight in the interiors.

7) Flooring Materials

In most cases tiles are used for flooring. All tiles should be checked for cracks and most importantly leveling.

In every home flooring has a natural slope to avoid clogging of water if any such situation arises. Tiled flooring must be checked at joints. Any cracks in joins must be checked with proper bonding material.

In case of wooden flooring, extra care must be taken to keep the flooring termite-free.

8) Wall Plaster and Wall Paint.

All external walls must be checked from outside for a proper layer of plaster. Plaster prevents the rainwater to seep inside the structure. If external plaster gets damaged, rain water seeps inside causing dampening of walls.

All internal walls must be checked for scraping of paint.

8) Furniture and Carpentry Items.

All furniture items must be termite free and sturdy at the joints. A coat of good quality wooden polish can add life to the furniture pieces.

Other carpentry work includes door and window shutters, door and window frames.

9) Other Accessories.

This includes small thing which matter a lot, such as all the locking arrangement at doors, windows, towel rods in the bathroom/wash basins, arrangement to dry washed clothes, storage arrangements in kitchen/bathroom.

10)External Systems

This can include a solar water heater, electric pumps to push the water from underground water tank to Overhead water tank., Cable TV antennas.

All these systems must be checked for proper functioning.

From the above discussion it is clear that proper functioning of any architectural structure is dependant of many complex systems which work simultaneously.

Hence all these must be given attention and respect. Any building is just like a human body, with movable and stationary parts. If dealt with proper care can give a very healthy living experience for years to come.

I hope this article was helpful to everyone.

Copyright 2005 Shrinivas Vaidya

Shrinivas Vaidya is the webmaster of Bedroom-Design-And-Decorating-Ideas.com .Visit TODAY to get an in-depth knowledge of Bedroom Design, Bedroom Furniture Sets and Bedroom Decorating Ideas.

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Why Stair Railings are Not Just Functional
By Andrew Caxton

If you look upon the stair railings in your home as simply something to hold on to as you go from one level to another, you are missing a lot. Stair railings can add a lot to the look of a home and reflect your personal taste in decorating. Stair railings made of wood, metal or other materials are available that are easy to install and will add a great deal of value to your home. Don't forget that the stair railing is the first thing people see when they enter your home. If you are going to install a new stair railing in your home, seek the advice of a professional who can advise you as to the best choices in materials, design and types of construction.

For a choice that will always be in style, wood stair railings are usually the way to go. Wood stair railings are classic and have been used for many years and are still popular today, even with the choice of other materials that are available. There are unique designs available in wood and wood is one of the easiest materials to work with. Oak railings, for example, have a lovely reddish tinge and visible knots that add to the character of the railing. A beautiful oak wood balustrade overlooking a room will truly be memorable. Matching the color of the railing to the floor will lend a smooth, unbroken line to the area, but sometimes that may not be easy to do, Trying to match the all of the wood aspects of a room, such as the flooring, stairs, handrails, trim and balustrade is not an easy task. The most visible and noticeable part of a railing is the handrail, and it is also the part with the most important function: to steady people and to hold up the balustrade. These are important elements to consider in the design of the stair railing. The soft glow of wood railings offer charm and grace to a home and add a finishing touch to the beauty of the home while, of course, adding to the value. Strong, durable wood is a material for stair railings that will never go out of style. Traditional buildings, such as libraries, office buildings or houses and commercial edifices built in the traditional style usually have oak wood railings. It is preferred because it adds elegance and warmth to whatever area it is in.

Today, many people opt for metal railings, and this style goes well with certain decorating, especially since there are so many styles with decorative options to choose from. You will find metal railings in many luxury residences because of the elegance they can add to a home. They are especially prevalent in commercial spaces since they offer the same design and safety features as wood, but can be much more functional. The almost limitless design features available in metal railings make them right for almost any environment. Metal railings, of course, have to be installed by a specialist in that material. Make sure you hire a craftman who works in metal, because this in not an easy material to work with.

An expert will be necessary for any stair railings you want, because of the important steps that have to be considered in building a rail; the safety of a railing is paramount. The height of the stairway, the proper number of steps and the height of the rise are all very critical to both the safety and beauty of the stair. With the proper guidance of an expert, you can use your imagination and creativity in designing a beautiful staircase, especially since you have today's modern assortment of designs to choose from. Just let your inner artist guide the way.

Andrew Caxton is the author and editor of many resources published at http://www.home-decorating-reviews.com. If you would like more information on this topic please checkout his website, read his article about stair railings, and subscribe to his successful e-newsletter, published regularly

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