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Ergonomics And Kitchen Remodeling

TIPS FOR SMALL KITCHEN DESIGN

One of our absolute favorite spaces to design is the kitchen. It is one place in the home where everyone tends to gather. So much of our lives happen in the kitchen! We all dream of having a brand new custom space, with a large island and more cabinetry than we know what to do with, right? The reality is that a lot of us have small kitchens. Sometimes it can be hard to figure out how to make our such small spaces function for our needs, while still looking really beautiful. We’ve designed our fair share of kitchens, and we’ve seen all shapes and sizes. You don’t have to sacrifice style for function, promise!

START WITH A FUNCTIONAL SPACE PLAN

A functioning floor plan is important in any size of space, but it is doubly important in a small one! A beautiful kitchen with a strange layout will never work. Make sure your sink, refrigerator, and stovetop are all easily accessible and that there is adequate countertop space by each one for easy use. Pay attention to the cabinetry layout to make sure there is ample storage for the items you use daily.

Walk through the space (either literally or just in your mind!) to decide what layout will work best for you. Every aspect of the layout, from floor plan to cabinetry, will make the difference between a small kitchen that you love and a small kitchen that drives you crazy

PICK A COLOR PALETTE AND STICK WITH IT

From the very beginning, choose the colors you want to work with and stick to them. Introducing too many colors in a small space will feel overwhelming. In kitchen, we selected natural wood tones with white and gray elements. Then we added in the black appliances and brass hardware. Sticking to this scheme all over makes the space feel larger than it is and more inviting. Regardless of the colors you choose, keeping it consistent throughout is a good way to go in a small kitchen.

BREAK UP THE CABINETRY

In a small space, storage is a big deal. However, too much cabinetry can feel heavy and closed off, so we like to add one or two elements that break it up a bit. Usually, this is achieved by opting for a range hood instead of a microwave vent with additional cabinetry, as well as installing some open shelves. If open shelves aren’t your thing, a good compromise is glass doors on some of your cabinets. These small changes will make a big impact in how open your kitchen feels!

Start your DIY kitchen now

Get the designer look, without the designer price tag

Kitchen renovations and remodels often get a bad rap, boasting high price tags, unexpected costs and ridiculous timelines home deserves a perfect kitchen, which is why we’ve developed a DIY friendly range focused on design, quality, style and functionality. You can design your kitchen with our 3D kitchen planner and save heaps in the process by doing it all yourself!

wide range of cabinetry, benchtops, kitchen handles and hardware as well as functional storage accessories are based on the latest trends from around the globe, giving you a huge choice for your kitchen renovation. You can create your dream kitchen design by mixing and matching our modular and cut to measure products to achieve that perfect fit in your kitchen space.

From expert advice and inspiration for your kitchen or laundry design, through to detailed information on assembly and installation, has everything you need to turn your kitchen ideas into reality.

lifetime advantage means that we will extend this warranty for the entire time you own and live in your home. We’ve also been enhancing the sustainability of our activities including new recycling labelling on packaging and the use of natural materials for some products.

Get started with a new kitchen design

can help to make your dream kitchen ideas a reality. products are designed to be easy to assemble and provide stunning results. Start planning with our mykaboodle project checklist, design your kitchen in our 3D kitchen planner or get help with your kitchen designs from a Bunnings kitchen expert.

Professionally Designed, Precision Crafted Kitchen & Bathroom Cabinetry

START PLANNING YOUR DREAM TODAY

Whether you’re renovating or planning for a new kitchen, bathroom or storage in your garage or storage shed, designing can be an extremely fun process

CLOSET PLANNER

Create your own virtual closet design with our closet organizer planner tool and get a quote for the installation based on your plan.

KITCHEN PLANNER

Our kitchen planner tool makes it easy for you to try different design configurations for your kitchen renovation or new home kitchen cabinetry.

TOUR OUR FACILITY

Your cabinets are crafted with pride in our 135,000 sq ft facility, comprising our manufacturing plant, distribution centre, and head office.

RTA CABINET INSTRUCTIONS

Need assembly instructions and videos? Each customer support document provides a list of items and step by step procedures on how to put the item together easily

FEATURES & finishes

Traditional Wooden

wood species

finishes / stains

Painted

wood species

color swatches

Eurostyle (thermo-plastic)

high gloss Acrylux

matte THERMOFOIL

WOOD SPECIES

Customizing your kitchen begins with choosing not just the style but also the wood used for the construction of your cabinets. The descriptions that follow may help you choose the right wood for your home

Cherry

Colour: Rich, reddish-brown. Cherry darkens considerably with age and exposure to sunlight

Grain: Straight-grained and satiny. Small gum pockets produce distinctive markings

Characteristics: Light and strong, Cherry’s grain is more subdued than some other hardwood species, with very interesting character

Maple

Colour: Cream to light reddish brown

Grain: Usually straight-grained and sometimes found with highly figured bird’s eye or burl grain

Characteristics: Heavy, hard and strong, close-grained and possesses a uniform texture. Maple has an excellent resistance to abrasion and indentation

Red Oak

Colour: Ranges from nearly white cream colour to a beautiful warm, pale brown heartwood, tinted with red

Grain: There are many distinct grains patterns that emerge such as pin stripes, fine lines and leafy grains

Characteristics: Heavy, very strong and very hard, durable under exposure, great wear resistance

Kitchen Remodel

Your kitchen is your home’s central hub of activity. The Federal Way kitchen remodel experts will infuse new life to your home by creating a custom kitchen that impresses with both form and function .

Getting Started On Your Federal Way Kitchen Remodel

Our talented in-house staff works with skilled craftsmen and recognized artisans to design and build some of the most beautiful and unique Federal Way kitchen remodels in the region. We will work with you to help bring your Federal Way kitchen remodel ideas to life by using our experience and expertise.

Contact The Federal Way Kitchen Remodel Experts

Our in-house Federal Way kitchen remodel experts offer an artistic edge combined with technical knowhow to create a final product that you can be proud of

Federal Way Tidbits

The majority of people would probably be surprised to learn Federal Way once boasted a 157-acre homestead of Black settlers, an airstrip, and a brothel. However, a member of the Historical Society of Federal Way, named Arnold Rolfsrud, hopes that people won’t be surprised for long. At four historically significant locations in the community, the society wants to use its $5,000 allotment in 1999-2000 lodging tax money to install markers. The City Council advised the society to use its share of money from motel and hotel taxes in order to promote historical tourism. The Finance, Economic Development, and Regional Affairs Committee of the City Council had reviewed the proposed use of the money by the society. The committee forwarded its recommendation to the full council. The markers would be designed after those at Bay Centre, which cost somewhere between $1,700, and $1,500, and are sufficiently large enough to tell a story.

The society is hoping to add additional markers that have additional stories. This is only to occur after the first markers are installed. The markers would describe some interesting personalities and have information on their past. They would also describe some of these key things that occurred. Some people likely have the feeling that there isn’t much history to Federal Way. However, there is an amazing amount of history in Federal Way. Manu committee members are very happy about by the proposal for historic markers by the society. They will not only benefit residents as well tourists, who will realize that Federal Way won’t cause any problems.

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Laminate Flooring Frequently Asked Questions

How to Install Snap-Together Laminate Flooring

If you’re looking for budget-friendly flooring that stands up to kids and pets, laminate is a great option. Learn how to easily install snap-together laminate flooring in your home.

Whether you’re looking to replace your dated carpet, turn your garage into an apartment, home office or gym, or you just need a quick, inexpensive way to cover up an existing floor, snap-together laminate flooring is a great solution. There are plenty of styles to choose from, and nearly all are budget-friendly, durable and easy on the eyes.

Buy Flooring

Ideally, you should have your new laminate in your home ahead of installation day to allow it to acclimate to your home’s environment for at least 48 hours. This will help prevent warping after installation. To figure out how much you need, multiply the room’s width by its length to find the total area, then tack on an extra 5 to 10 percent to account for cuts and mistakes.

Install First Row of Flooring

Use small sections of planks as spacers to hold the flooring away from the wall about 1/4 inch. The spacers will allow for natural expansion to occur around the perimeter of the floor after installation. Using a table saw, rip the boards for the first row to remove the tongue. This ensures the true edge of the board will rest against the spacers, so the expansion gap will not be too large for the baseboard to cover. Install the first row against the spacers both on the side and end. Trim the last plank to length to fit so that it ends 1/4 inch from the wall.

Continue Installing Floor

Use the short trimmed section of the previous row to start the next row. This will ensure the joints between planks in a row are staggered from the joints in adjoining rows. The laminate flooring in this project has a soundproof backing and wood finish. It snaps together by lining up at an angle and then flattening out the row being installed. To save the edges of the flooring boards, use a tapping block or rubber mallet to tap adjoining rows together. This will prevent damage to the tongue or groove from the hammer.

Can it be used on laminate flooring and does it do a good job? Streaks ect

As far as laminate flooring goes that depends on its quality. Most of the cheaper laminates are made of MDF ( medium density fiberboard ) and it is not good stuff when it get wet. If you have quality you should have no problems. Maybe try a small discreet area first. With regard to this product, it is a god send. I purchased this for my wife to make life a bit easier cleaning the floors, but I use it more than her as I just love how well and fast it cleans our floors. We have tile, solid wood and laminate floors, the main floor that has the worst traffic and dirt is our kitchen

It is a off white wood grain effect long tile, that attracts stains like no ones business. People, dogs, and more importantly dog hairs ( oh my god endless hairs ) food spills and everyday grime lands on this floor and the vacuum mop is truly amazing at cleaning up picking up dirt. Truthfully I am amazed at just how good it really is. It picks up all the dirt even up close to baseboards and even with larger debris like my dogs biscuits. The cleaning solution works really well, and if you come to tough stains simply wiggle handle side to side and it shakes the head for and even better scrubbing action.

I find myself keeping the water trigger on most of the time as it does a great job picking everything up. But if you have excess water on floor simply let go of trigger so it can vacuum up the excess. It’s not like the floor is soaked and like a bath tub, I suppose I’m just trigger happy and want my floors clean. I actually just cleaned my kitchens few hours ago, and after like 5-10minutes it is completely dry, and absolutely NO STREAKS.

One last thing that I love best is that no matter how dirty or in my case how endless the dog hairs are this vacuum mop picks it all up and cleans at the same time. No more broom and pan first. Oh and it super easy to take apart and clean. Sorry to ramble, but I know you’ll love it as much as we do. I hope this helps.

Tips for Maintaining Laminate Floors

Laminate floors are tough and resilient, easy to care for, long lasting, and beautiful. If you treat laminate floors right, they will reward you with many years of utility and pleasure

1. Lift don’t drag. Laminate floors are scratch resistant, but not scratch proof, so never drag or push heavy furniture or appliances across laminate floors. Instead, use a dolly or hand truck to move heavy items or lift and carry them.

2. Help floors and furniture coexist in peace. Use rubber casters or soft pads (stick-on felt pads are a good option) to protect laminate floors from furniture damage. Also, slightly reposition furniture occasionally.

3. Humidify, if necessary. Excessive expansion and contraction of laminate flooring as a result of wide swings in temperature or humidity can cause gaps in the joints between floor boards or even buckling. Therefore, if you live in an area with wide variations in humidity, you may want to use a humidifier to maintain a consistent level of humidity year round.

4. Keep laminate floors dry. If liquid of any kind spills on your laminate floor, clean it up immediately, since moisture can seep into the joints and cause long-term damage.

5. Remove stains with care. Always use a soft cloth when removing stains and, if you are scraping up hard-set material like dried food or candle wax, use a rubber spatula. Check with your laminate floor manufacturer for the proper way to remove tough stains like paint, nail polish and ink.

6. Clean regularly. Keep laminate floors clean by sweeping, dust mopping or vacuuming daily or every other day. For more thorough cleaning, follow the manufacturer’s instructions and be sure to check your manufacturer’s warranty for any maintenance requirement or limitations. For example, you may have to follow a specified maintenance schedule or use certain cleaning products to comply with the terms of the warranty. You may be able to buy a laminate floor cleaning kit from the manufacturer, but there also are effective general-purpose laminate floor cleaning products on the market. Never use soap or abrasive materials on laminate floors.

7. Don’t wax. If properly cleaned, laminate floors should retain their shine without waxing. In fact, waxing laminate floors can be counterproductive, since it will dull their luster.

8. Use door mats and consider a no-shoes policy. Dirt, gravel and other abrasive materials on the soles of shoes can take a toll on laminate floors over time. Therefore, be sure you have heavy-duty mats at all entrance doors so that shoes can be cleaned thoroughly whenever anyone enters your home. You also might consider a no-shoes policy indoors, especially for family members.

9. Keep pets nails trimmed. If you have dogs and/or cats, keep their nails trimmed to avoid scratches to the surface of laminate floors.

10. Repair with care. Damage to laminate floors usually can be repaired. Whether you can do it yourself or need the help of a professional will depend on your do-it-yourself skills and the magnitude of the damage. Surface scratches can be touched up easily using repair kits containing silicon filler and colored wax sticks. Repair kits are sold by laminate floor manufacturers. More extensive damage may require replacing boards. If you plan to tackle board replacement yourself, first check with the manufacturer for instructions and tips on how to complete the process.

Tips for DIY flooring projects: Everything you need to know

Replacing the floors in your home is a surefire way to give your space a fresh, new look. At the same time, purchasing quality flooring and hiring an experienced professional can get pricey — fast

If you’re craving a new floor and aren’t afraid to go DIY, attempting your own flooring project can save you lots of money. Of course, it can also turn into a huge mess if you don’t do all the research first. To save you from a major headache, TODAY Home consulted the pros to find out exactly what you need to know before starting your own DIY flooring project.

DIY flooring isn’t for the faint of heart

Looking up DIY flooring ideas can be fun, but make no mistake: Installing a new floor isn’t easy. “Even relatively simple materials, like vinyl or laminate, require a lot of careful calculations and precision cutting for the patterns to be just right,” said

Then again, if you’re up for the challenge and don’t mind doing your research, learning how to install floors can pay off. “An intrepid DIYer who tackles the project could save hundreds, if not thousands of dollars,”

Before you get ahead of yourself, though, make sure you spend plenty of time poring over how-to videos and deciding which type of flooring will work best in your home.

Best Laminate Flooring

What is the best laminate flooring? Which ones should be avoided? We’ve got the answers in this guide to the best laminate brands and ones that aren’t worth the money – unless cheap laminate is exactly what you want.

Are they tied? Yes, but there’s more to the connection. Mohawk and Pergo share identical technology at their core. was the original laminate flooring, introduced to the world in 1979. Mohawk acquired Pergo in 2013.

Quality Construction: Everyone makes attractive laminate. But does it look good 5 years after installation? Are the boards coming apart or cracking? These brands will keep their good looks, at least their midgrade and premium lines

Almost all of the flooring has an AC4 rating for scratches and wear, which means it is suitable for residential and light commercial use. Dependable Water-resistance: The construction allows you to wet mop your Mohawk or Pergo flooring without fear of damage. Use it in the kitchen or bathroom or basement. It will be OK.

Large and Varied Selection: Mohawk has nearly 150 laminate options in smooth and textured varieties. The Pergo selection isn’t as large, but it is more diverse with laminate in handscraped, textured, smooth and “natural authentic” lines. Natural Authentic is an enhanced texturing that really gives the flooring a true-wood look.

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House Siding And Exterior Painting

HOW TO PAINT BRICK

From time to time, brick surfaces, whether they are outside or in, need to be refreshed. You shouldn’t be afraid to use paint on brick. It can be used to complement interior and exterior color schemes, or to hide old, weathered and beaten bricks. You just need the tools and know-how to get the job done. Keep reading to find out how to use this DIY painting guide.

Prep the Brick for Painting

Both interior and exterior brick should be prepped before painting. If you’re painting your brick fireplace, for example, remove all items from around the work area, such as fireplace screens and tools, and mask any area that you don’t want paint on using painter’s tape. Place drop cloths on the floor and secure them in place using painter’s tape. Clean interior brick with water, mild detergent and a scrub brush. Let the wall dry completely before painting.

Outside, remove all window screens, light fixtures, plumbing outlets, electrical covers, shutters and address numbers/placards or cover them with painter’s tape before you begin. Use drop cloths to cover cars, patio furniture, shrubs and anything else you don’t want to splatter with paint. It’s a good idea to cover the ground so you don’t get paint on walkways and on the grass. Also, be considerate of your neighbors’ properties while painting.

Remove dirt, debris and mildew with water from a garden hose or by pressure washing with water and a mild detergent. Using a pressure washer is the most effective method of cleaning because of its ability to blow dirt and debris out of the tiny crevices and pores in brick. Note: Use a low setting when pressure washing so as not to etch or otherwise damage the brick.

Choose the Right Paint 

When painting exterior surfaces, it is recommended that you use latex paints, which have higher durability on exterior surfaces than oil-based paints. Latex paint provides better fade resistance, flexibility, chalk resistance and adhesion. When you’re painting brick

How to Paint the Perfect Wall

Unlike retiling your kitchen floor, painting a room is a doable task that even renovation novices can tackle in one weekend. But before you grab your paintbrush, it’s important to get informed and learn the basics.

Prep the Walls

Before you open a paint can, inspect your walls for cracks, holes or stains. “First, look at the wall and see if there are repairs that need to be made,” says. “Fill holes from things like pictures and peel away areas of chipping paint.” Next, lightly sand any patched areas to ensure there are no ridges left from applied spackling and use a tack cloth to clean up any dust from sanding.

“You can spot prime those patched or repaired areas but a primer on its own is generally unnecessary,” says. “I would recommend priming an entire wall if the surface is in bad shape or stained.” However, a “clean, or recently painted wall” doesn’t need to be primed, the pro says, especially if you’re using a high-quality paint-and-primer-in-one, which saves you time and money.

Protect your Goods

Once your wall is in good shape use painter’s tape to protect baseboards and other areas like moldings, door and window casings, light fixtures, and switch plates. “I’m a big fan of the ScotchBlue Painter’s Tape

Pick Your Tools

He suggests looking for the label “shedless” when it comes to rollers. All and all, a painter’s tool kit should include: sandpaper, painter’s tape, drop cloths, paintbrushes like the Wooster Pro brush, paint roller, paint roller extension pole, paint tray, and the paint color of your liking.

Previously Painted Exterior Walls

If your exterior walls have been painted then they will need to be maintained. This is a big job that requires a lot of planning and thought before you start to ensure that you have all the necessary tools and equipment before you start. A high level of surface preparation is essential if the job is going to look good and last a long time.

Essential tools and preparation advice

If the surface is very bad then it may be necessary to wash some of it down first with a detergent solution to remove dirt, grease etc. Obviously this is not an easy thing to do on the outside of a house, but it will help give the best results. Rinse off with clean water and allow too dry.

Carefully scrape back to a firm edge all areas of poorly adhering or defective coatings and rub down thoroughly to “key and feather” broken edges of existing coatings. Don’t use a wire brush as bits of the wire may break off embedding themselves in the surface, which may rust when the water-based paint is applied. Treat any areas affected by mould, lichens, algae and moss with Fungicidal Wash. Make good minor defects with an appropriate filler.

Painting advice

If your walls have never been painted then you need to think very carefully about what you are doing if you decide to paint them. Once painted they must be maintained and it is very expensive and difficult to go back if you change your mind. Professional blast cleaning is the only way to do it. Also, a lot of bricks can’t be painted such as Fletton or Common Bricks. Always seek professional advice if in doubt.

Stripping Wood: There is no need to strip existing paint coatings unless they are in a very bad state. It is always better to continue painting and build up the surface than to start again from bare wood

PROS AND CONS OF PAINTING YOUR BRICK HOUSE

You may have noticed painted brick homes are having a bit of a moment. You’ll even see it on the Home! Brick is extremely versatile and enables houses to look both traditional and modern depending on its treatment. But how can you know if its right for your home?

Painting the brick on your house is a nice way to hit refresh without making major (structural) renovations. You’ll need to ask yourself if your house needs such an update, if you’re willing to put in some maintenance/finances, and what kind of style you’re going for.

WHAT ARE THE PROS OF PAINTING OR COVERING BRICK?

Painting your brick house is a relatively easy way to give your house a new look, especially if the exterior is looking outdated.

Painting your house can add uniformity and a clean look natural brick can’t always do. If you do decide to paint the brick on your house, be sure to use a breathable paint such as silicate or mineral-based (more on that in the next section).

PAINTED BRICK INSPIRATION:

If you’re ready to make the jump here’s some painted brick homes that nailed it. This gorgeous home employs a muted white color making it look both clean and classic.

Best Paints to Use for Outdoor Furniture, Accessories and Pots

Living in the extreme heat and humidity, I have had to learn the hard way what paints work and don’t work. Humidity and moisture are really the biggest enemy when it comes to outdoor paint finishes and there are several fantastic products and techniques that will guarantee that a paint finish will last for several years.

I’m breaking today’s post down into four painting categories; wood furniture, metal furniture and accessories, fiberglass garden pots and wicker/rattan, so you can quickly jump to what you want you need to paint.

Outdoor Wood Furniture

When it comes to painting outdoor wood furniture that will last for several years, the only thing that has worked beautifully for me and has lasted several years in extreme weather is spray paint.  The good news is that spray paint is also quick and easy.

The most important part of spray painting outdoor furniture and accessories is the prep work. From my experience, if you do the prep work and prepare a piece properly and use a great spray paint (more on that in a minute), the finish on outdoor wood pieces can last 3-4 years on outdoor pieces.

When I painted my outdoor wood furniture last week, it had been over three years since I last spray painted the pieces.  In fact, the furniture and paint conditions were still great and I could have gone another year but I wanted to change the color.

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How Chiropractor Health Practices Can Help You Stay Healthy

MYTHBUSTERS

Chiropractic is one of the most contentious forms of health care. Millions of happy patients love their chiropractors, yet many others wouldn’t try it even if their health and wellbeing depended on it (which it does). There are many reasons for this dichotomy. Let’s expose some of the various myths so you’ll understand the safe and sensible discipline of chiropractic.

MYTH: YOU HAVE TO GO BACK FOR REPEAT VISITS.

TRUTH: Repeat visits are often necessary because our treatment is hands-on and typically requires a cumulative effect. When working in a physical way with a physical condition, repeat treatments are necessary to train the body just as repeat exercise is necessary to train for strength

MYTH: CHIROPRACTORS TAKE LOTS OF X-RAYS?

TRUTH: Like any physician, a history and exam will reveal if x-rays are required to further assess your complaint. Since chiropractors are skilled at assessing the physical structure, we often take fewer x-rays than other healthcare providers. You’ll find that at PCG, we prescribe x-rays judiciously.

MYTH: CHIROPRACTORS SIGN PEOPLE UP FOR LONG TERMS OF CARE.

TRUTH: Chiropractic care plays an important role throughout life, so this myth is partially true – we’d like to see you as needed, for the rest of your life. However, we believe that every type of doctor would say the same thing.

MYTH: CHIROPRACTORS WANT TO SEE YOU THREE TIMES A WEEK WHEN STARTING A TREATMENT PLAN.

TRUTH: There are different stages of healthcare – think of them as urgent, rehabilitative, and maintenance. In the urgent phase, more frequent treatment may be needed for the first few weeks, but rehabilitative care isn’t nearly as frequent (think 2-4 times per month) and maintenance care is much less often. We work with you to assess your treatment frequency.

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR CHIROPRACTOR

this Questionnaire Guide is designed to help you choose the right chiropractic care. We are sharing insider secrets with you that some Doctors of Chiropractic may not want you to know including: the most important questions you must ask before agreeing to receive care from any doctor or chiropractic clinic.

What techniques do you practice?

Some chiropractors are only proficient in one single technique. The problem with this is not every condition that chiropractic care can help responds to just one technique. You need to know that there are many wonderful chiropractic techniques that can be used to successfully treat and relieve your specific condition. For example, at Aim High Chiropractic, our skillful doctors have training in many different types of techniques and use them according to our patient’s specific condition. We have many natural ways to relieve your pain and restore your optimal range of motion, flexibility, and function – without the use of drugs, medication, or surgery!

Do you take x-rays when necessary?

Be sure to seek a chiropractor who takes X-rays to rule out fractures or a gross pathology (English translation – some other serious problem) as indicated by the consultation, health history, and examination. X-rays help us determine the health of your joints and discs, gives us an estimate of how long it will take before you improve, as well as what specific chiropractic techniques will likely be the most effective for you. Caring for a patient without X-rays is like flying in the dark without radar: it’s dangerous if you don’t know where you are going. There are some life-and-death conditions that can first express themselves with back, neck, or bone pain. If the doctor you’re consulting with doesn’t take X-rays BEFORE recommending treatment, then you should probably consider talking to another doctor who can provide you with the care and treatment you need and deserve.

Will you give me your recommendations in writing?

This is very important: Recommendations in writing allow you to go home and think about your options before making a decision. It also gives you an explanation up front of what the care will consist of, how long it will last, and how much it will cost. It’s important that you’re provided with all the information you need to know in order to make an important decision regarding your personal health.

Can you provide me with references?

Ask for five references. Three of these references should be current patients, and the other two should be other chiropractors. There are three reasons for getting patient and professional references: First, any person in practice should have at least three satisfied patients they can provide you with as a reflection of the quality of their care and service. Second, if a chiropractic doctor cannot produce two other professionals that will attest to his or her ability as a chiropractor, he or she may not be respected by his or her peers. Feel free to call the references you receive. Many people ask for references, but never check them! Call all five people, because you can never learn too much about the person you are considering for your chiropractic and health needs. It’s worth to take the few minutes to talk to these people and find out if you are in good hands!

Things You May Not Know About Chiropractic.

Pain is always the last sign of a problem.

The human body is very strong and versatile when it comes to pain. The body can get by for months or even years before any signs of pain arise. Pain is usually the reason for visits to your chiropractor. If you are taking medication for your pain, the pain may go away, but the dysfunction that caused the pain still persists. Dysfunctions in the body present in different ways, for example: Headaches, diarrhea, asthma, allergies and so on are signs and symptoms for your body to alert you of something being wrong. Muscles, ligaments and joints are often injured due to long-term biomechanical dysfunctions, usually from past injuries that were not treated properly or not allowed to fully heal. These dysfunctions can lead to future injuries so it is important to keep your body healthly before your symptoms appear. Regular visits to your chiropractic are important not only when you feel pain, but periodically to prevent future injury and improve your overall health.

Athletes use chiropractors every day to stay on top of their game.

Chiropractors are one of the leading health care providers that help athletes remove the causes of pain and help increase range of motion in the body. We are biomechanical movement specialist. Chiropractors are noted throughout all of sports and are used heavily by professional teams all over the world. Athletes such as Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Jerry Rice, Derek Rose, Aaron Rogers, Terrell Ownes, Michael Phelps, and Tom Brady are just some of the top performing athletes in the world that use Chiropractic to stay on top of their game. Chiropractors not only help rehabilitate athletes for their return to play, but help prevent injuries, maintain flexibility, improving coordination and improve an athlete’s competitive edge through confidence and health.

Proper control of your nervous system helps maintain the bodies normal cascade function.

The human brain is the control center for the entire body. The spinal cord is a long, thin bundle of nervous tissue that extends from the brain and is how your brain communicates with the rest of your body. The brain and spinal cord together make up the central nervous system (CNS). Dysfunctions in the spinal column may cause a disruption in the transmission of these signals from the brain. These spinal nerves travel through the vertebrae of the spine and out to the organs and tissues of the body. When there is a disruption of this signal, it is term a subluxation by the chiropractic profession. Chiropractors don’t just treat symptoms of pain, but also the causes of pain and eliminating disruptions in the spinal nerve transmission caused by subluxations. Chiropractors have a vast education base in the spine and surrounding human anatomy.

Your Chiropractor does not have healing powers.

Chiropractors are not out to “fix your back” or “heal your pain.” Rather, our goal is to restore proper biomechanics of the human body and proper nerve flow from the brain.  By allowing for improved natural spinal motion and eliminating any tension on spinal nerves and muscles, we allow the body to regenerate normal function through natural healing. Chiropractors believe that the body is best at its natural state and disease is caused through disruptions of this natural state.  We as Chiropractors never treat the disease or signs or symptoms. Our goal is to find the cause of dysfunctions and treat the body through chiropractic manipulation (adjustments) in order to restore this proper nerve flow generated by the nervous system. As disruptions are removed, the body will naturally restore itself to a normal state.

Age does not matter when it comes to Chiropractic.

From newborns to seniors, everyone can benefit from Chiropractic care. There is no patient to young or too old. The Chiropractic art is practiced in order to help alleviate dysfunction of the body regardless of the age of the patient. Newborn babies endure unparalleled amounts of physical stress during the birthing process. Studies have found that 95% of newborns have subluxations in their neck and that removing these subluxations may prevent the development of several types of disease including, infantile colic, bedwetting, allergies, asthma and behavioral disorders (ADD/ADHD).

Rethink Chiropractic Care

It is that time of the year again. The time to look back on all the good things we were blessed to have and enjoy this year. We all know the quote saying, “A grateful heart is a magnet for miracles.”, Every time we go through struggles, we have a choice to look at the lesson and be grateful or to stay in the struggle

Start a gratitude journal.

This is a common tip for this season, which also means you already know what to do. Change the usual drill by listing things you actively appreciate. It does not really matter how trivial those things are, as long as they mean something to you. It could be as small as finding the coin purse you have been looking for and realizing you left some money there–just when you needed it the most.

Focus on being thankful.

It could naturally be hard to do so, especially when you are experiencing struggles in your everyday life. Losing a job, failed relationships, or too much work may steal you of even the littlest joys in life. What you can do is focus on the good things happening. It is easy to say there is none when so much is going on, but you will surely find one when you look closer. You woke up healthy today, you are not late for work, and the barista in your favorite cafe has finally got your kind of cuppa joe, aren’t those things to be grateful for?

Make saying ‘thank you’ a habit.

We have been taught of this since we were kids, but for some reason we forego the habit. Being an adult actually prompts us more to say thank you more often, if we need that much of a reminder about the little things we have to be grateful for in our lives. It somehow makes us realize of the things we hardly notice when our hands are full

Appreciating the littlest things should not only be a November novelty, but a lifetime commitment. It’s power over our overall attitude and mindset about life is manifested by how we take every challenge that come our way. Appreciation translates to putting value in what we already have.

Secrets Your Chiropractor Probably Won’t Talk About

It’s More Than Just Sitting

While sitting is definitely not good for your back or your health in general, there are plenty of other things that send us off down the track to poor health, including:

Poor posture

Not getting exercise

Carrying too much weight on one side of your body (heavy purses for example)

Wearing high heels most of the time (or flip flops)

“Weekend Warriors” 

Ignoring the pain

While you might be skimming over the above list thinking to yourself, “Yes, I know, blah blah blah.” You might think that you just don’t have time to be concerned with those “little things.” Besides, your aunt so-and-so has been carrying a heavy purse for years and she’s fine. How does anyone know if those things are really bad for you? Doesn’t everyone do them?

Why Don’t People See a Chiropractor When They are in Pain?

First, most people don’t see any type of doctor until the pain is fairly severe. Whether it’s fear of the doctor or fear of what the diagnosis might be, there is another factor; insurance. The debate about how to fix America’s insurance problem goes on and we don’t want to discuss politics here, but the fact is that some insurance companies won’t cover chiropractic.

By the Way, There are a Few Things You Should Know First

Chiropractors are highly specialized and highly trained health care professionals. Some people believe that, because they do not write prescriptions, that they are somehow not “real” doctors. This isn’t the case.

When it comes to chiropractic, the focus is on the manipulation of the spine and treating the entire body, not just the symptoms. This means that a chiropractor won’t hand you prescription for pain medication and not treat the source of your pain. A chiropractor will!

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Forensic Accountant Studies

Technology Skills in Demand for Accounting Professionals

Accountants once spent their time doing manual entries and searching for mistakes, but that changed with the development of computer technology. In the digital era, accounting professionals can accomplish much more in much less time, and their focus has shifted toward analysis and consultation.

For employers in an improving hiring landscape, this places a premium on recruiting and retaining accountants with advanced technology skills. Among chief financial officers in the United States, 41% cite “keeping pace with changing technology” as the biggest pressure facing their accounting and finance departments

The Growing Importance of Technology in Accounting

Big data, analytics software, mobile devices, cloud computing, the “Internet of Things” and enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems are assuming larger roles in the practice of accounting. As organizations of all sizes embrace the insights provided by the new influx of data, technology is making it possible to better utilize resources, automate processes and turn information into guideposts for strategic decision-making.

Companies involved in the healthcare sector are also leveraging technology to comply with provisions of the federal Affordable Care Act (ACA). Mandates for converting to electronic medical records, along with robust systems upgrades, could result in unprecedented caches of financial data being available for analysis by accounting professionals.

Technology Skills for Accountants

If the role of technology in the accounting profession is growing, what specific skills are employers likely to seek in candidates? Let’s consider just a handful of tech-related attributes that could make individuals,

Accounting Tasks You Should Do Every Day

It’s easy to put off accounting tasks when you’re a small business owner; so many other items on your to-do list seem more pressing. But, attending to these tasks daily helps you find and fix issues such as cash shortages and inventory discrepancies in a timely manner, while it’s still relatively easy to track down who was involved and what happened. If you only tackle your accounting tasks monthly, you might not discover such issues for weeks, when it’s more difficult to figure out.

As your receipts, sales orders, bills and financial statements pile up, you’re missing out on the insights that up-to-date accounting gives you about the financial health of your business. In a blog entry for Bench, an online bookkeeping company, Brice Warnes writes, “When you look at your books, you want to know they reflect reality. If your bank account and your books don’t match up, you could end up spending money you don’t really have – or holding on to the money you could be investing in your business.”

Refresh your financial data.

Ideally, your accounting software automatically does this for you each day, syncing your bank and credit card feeds and the sales data from your POS system into your accounting software. If it doesn’t, you’ll need to do this manually. This gives you an up-to-date look at your accounts, showing you the money moving in and out of your business.

If your business accepts cash, reconcile it against receipts.

Doing this at the end of each day helps you discover cash shortages or overages in a timely manner, so you can figure out where the money went and identify errors or theft.

Review and reconcile transactions.

If your accounting software is connected to your bank and synced daily, there’s no need to wait for your monthly bank statement. Many accounting applications simplify reconciliation by suggesting matches, so all you have to do is review and approve them. Spending a little time on this task each day is easy and eliminates a grueling month-end chore. It’s also a good time to review pending transactions for any errors or abnormalities that may be cause for concern, so you can investigate potential issues promptly.

What to Expect When Studying Accounting

Accounting is a quickly growing field for international students who have been flocking to the United States to get a solid degree and experience in the field. Many times student go in blind, not knowing exactly what to expect from an accounting degree. So what should you expect when studying accounting?

Rigorous Coursework

Accounting is often considered to be one of the most intense college majors there is. Students are required to take very rigorous courses in a number of different subjects. In addition, the core coursework required in accounting can be daunting and takes much studying and preparation. Students are required to take courses in Mathematics, Economics, Business, and, of course, courses in accounting.

All accounting students are required to take courses in Algebra and Statistics in their first two years of study. These mathematic courses usually include College Algebra, Elementary Statistics and Business Statistics. As a student dives deeper into the major, they will come across many new math classes. Expect to take an introductory course to Calculus early in your studies, as well as Calculus 1 and 2 later.

International students have the opportunity to take several social science courses, but the only required social sciences courses are Economics I and Economics 2, which are usually taken in succession. The Economics 1 course deals with microeconomics, or the smaller economic issues and theories, while Economics 2 focuses on macroeconomics, or economics on a global or larger scale. If students are interested in future economics courses or different social sciences, they have the opportunity to take any course as an elective.

Time Management is Key

With some very intense coursework, students will find that their free time is limited. Studying accounting requires a large time commitment and as courses progress the workload required will only grow. International students need to keep a set schedule in order to be effective and efficient with their time. Students should set aside times for homework or studying each night and plan around their classes. The library will be a haven for many accounting students who are looking for a quiet place to study. Outside of studying and courses, students should set apart some time for themselves to unwind from the tough coursework

Checklists to Optimize Your Accounting Processes

Accounting processes from invoicing to reporting

Businesses of all sizes have to deal with accounting and it can be a bit difficult if you’re new to it. Without an effective accounts receivable process, you risk losing out on valuable revenue. If you don’t put a process in place for your accounts payable then you could be facing late payment charges or even opening up space for fraud.

Using the checklists

You don’t need to be a CPA to create a balance sheet or an invoice. Our checklists enable anyone to perform accounting activities, and as you go through you’ll see the different steps explained where necessary. This way, you know what you’re doing and why you’re doing it.

A lot of accounting work is knowing what the necessary process is and being able to follow it effectively. The processes we have listed here range from onboarding accounting staff to invoicing clients, to bank reconciliation and end of year reporting.

Onboarding new employees in any area requires a clear process focused on fitting the new hire into the company’s culture and operations. Running effective staff onboarding results in higher productivity, better team morale, and enviable employee retention rates.

There are also tasks to review your employee’s knowledge on the specific areas they’ll be working on, with time set aside for learning. Plus, importance is granted to getting your new hire working well with all the internal systems which keep your company ticking over.

Accountant Resume Samples That’ll Make Your Application Count

As an accountant, you want to stand out while communicating dependability and attention to detail first and foremost. For this reason, flashy resume templates are a big no-go in the world of accounting resumes. Each of the accountant resume samples below sports a minimalistic template that implies these qualities.

The language you use in your resume is equally important. It needs to be exact, straight to the point, and contain all the important keywords. These resume samples contain key phrases we’ve extracted from over 400k resumes created using Kickresume.

In designing these resume samples we’ve paid most attention to their structure and formatting. Each of the individual sections is divided into bullet points, which facilitates easy reading. After all, your resume only has 6 seconds to leave a lasting impression. A well-structured resume ensures your professional qualities get the attention they deserve.

Student Accountant Resume Sample

This resume sample exemplifies what an accounting student resume should look like. At this point in your career, you probably don’t have much experience to show. For this reason, the education and skills sections dominate this resume. Each of the two is quite extensive and describes in detail what skills did the candidate acquire and how. Finally, when you cannot depend on previous experience, related extracurricular activities can help support your candidacy too.

Accounting Specialist Resume Example

When you’re applying for an accounting position, you need a very strong resume. Once you’ve acquired two or more years of professional experience, the only remaining challenge is to articulate it well on a resume. Notice how this resume opens with a professional summary. In doing this, it it allows hiring managers to immediately find what they want to see. In this resume sample, we’ve put the education section right after the profile. Although it’s not a mistake, you might want to consider putting it below your work history section. After all, two years into your career education becomes less relevant.

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Tips To Hire A Good Car Accident Lawyer

When should you get a lawyer for a car accident?

Car accidents can be expensive, time consuming and serious.  But it’s hard to know whether you need a lawyer’s help to resolve your case, especially at the beginning.  When should you get legal help, and when shouldn’t you?

The general answer is to always check with a lawyer who offers a free consultation.  If the consultation is free, it means you can get a professional legal opinion without risk.  This is a two-way street: lawyers don’t take on every potential case they find, so offering a free consultation is a way for them to get the basics of your claim and see if you have a case before they commit.  You can use this same meeting to your advantage, and find out what they think your claim may be worth if you go forward.

This approach is smart in any car accident case.  But it is true that a lawyer is more useful in some types of cases than others.  We’ll look at a few of those circumstances below.

What kinds of car accident cases don’t need lawyers?

Sometimes, the amount of money you could recover is so small that having a lawyer won’t really help you win much more.  For example:

  • If your injury was minor pain and discomfort such as mild whiplash, and
  • Your injury did not require a specialist doctor or expensive tests, and
  • You have completely recovered from your injury after a few chiropractic sessions…

Should i get a car accident attorney if…

The Car Accident Caused Serious Injury or Death

If anyone was seriously injured or killed in the car accident, contact an experienced accident lawyer right away. Accidents involving serious bodily injury or death can result in a complicated lawsuit (or multiple lawsuits). You may need to file a personal injury lawsuit against the at-fault driver to recoup the cost of the medical treatment for your injuries.

You could also face a personal injury or wrongful death counterclaim. The court will have to consider multiple legal issues, and the amount of potential damages could be very high.

You should never represent yourself in a lawsuit filed after a serious car accident. These types of civil legal cases involve complex issues that require expert advice. Your car accident attorney can help calculate the amount of compensation you deserve, guide you through the legal process, and represent you against any possible counterclaims.

You Can’t Work Because Of Your Injuries And Need Ongoing Care

If you were hurt so badly that you can’t return to work after a car accident, a lawyer can make sure that you maximize the compensation you receive. Some people are injured so severely in car accidents that their earning capacity is impacted for life.

An experienced personal injury lawyer will know how to calculate the amount of compensation to which you’re entitled under Texas law. This compensation will take into account any missed work and the cost of medical treatment you need now or in the future.

Multiple Parties Were Involved in the Accident

If you were in an accident involving three or more vehicles, this can complicate the insurance claim settlement and negotiation process and lead to multiple lawsuits. Some accidents involve other parties such as pedestrians, property owners, or commercial entities.

For example, the driver of a commercial delivery truck may fail to stop at a red light and enter an intersection illegally. A driver of a passenger vehicle may swerve to avoid the delivery truck in the intersection and hit a motorcycle in the neighboring lane. This type of multi-vehicle accident would likely result in a complicated lawsuit or even multiple lawsuits.

If you were hurt in a car accident and more than one other party is involved, contact a lawyer to talk about the case. A car accident lawyer will fight to get you the compensation you deserve and keep your liability to the other parties as low as possible. An attorney can also help communicate with the lawyers for the other parties and their insurance companies.

What You Should Do When Making Car Insurance Claims

Pain and suffering, loss of work, medical bills and further damages can occur from a single automobile accident. Property damage can occur, death or life-long injuries. If you take the wrong approach following an accident, you can have a lasting impact on your claim.

There are a lot of things that you can do to protect yourself following an accident:

  • Call your insurance agent as soon as possible.
  • Review your current policy and understand what your coverages are.
  • Consider other policies that may offer coverage, such as homeowner policies.
  • Take pictures of the accident scene, damage and injuries.
  • Remain honest the entire time. Your insurer needs to know all the facts pertaining to an accident.
  • Document everything from your medical bills to expenses incurred as a result of your accident.

The  Biggest Mistakes Victims Make

You Gave (or Will Give) a Recorded Statement

Most insurance claims adjusters tell victims that they need a recorded statement before making a settlement offer. Nonsense.

You Demand Too Much or Too Little

The consequences of asking for too little is obvious. But just as damaging to your effort to maximize your settlement is demanding too much in your demand letter. “Too much” does not mean asking for more than the insurance company will pay. But if your demand is beyond what the case is worth on its best day, you are sending a red flag you don’t understand the value of your accident case. (Here’s some information to help you understand case value.)

Assuming the System Makes Sense

So much of Maryland accident law has evolved over time. These rules are fashioned to meet very different objectives to achieve fairness. The result is a very Byzantine system that mostly works but is, in the micro, very counterintuitive.

Taking the Insurance Company’s “Final” Offer

Insurance companies often directly or indirectly present their proposal as a final offer. People representing themselves have no psychological leverage to push for a higher offer because the threat to sue – at least not in a serious case – is hollow without the means to do it. Many victims take the first offer and leave their money on the table. In our business, there is a final offer, and then there is a final, final, final, offer. They are usually different numbers.

Settling the Case Without Knowing the Full Extent of the Injuries

If you have been seriously injured and are looking for a quick settlement, you are almost invariably going to get less than the value of your accident case. To give the insurance company a reason to make something approaching a reasonable offer, you need all of your medical bills and records and often a written analysis of your case from a doctor – either a treating doctor or “independent” medical expert – as to the extent and scope of your injuries. If you settle a case before you have all of the documentation you need for your claim, you have little chance of receiving fair value. Our law firm will not even consider taking a case if the client is trying to settle the case before her doctors understand the full scope of her injuries.

There are a few reasons for that.

Legal Deadlines. 

There are several deadlines that you will need to meet, and a good car accident lawyer can make sure you meet them.  The best-known deadline is the statute of limitations, which is generally two years in Georgia under O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33 (although it is subject to certain exceptions).  The statute of limitations sets the time by which your case must be filed with the trial court.

There are other, lesser-known deadlines that you also need to know about.  Depending on what types of insurance are involved, an insurance policy may require that you notify the insurer about the collision “promptly” or “as soon as practical.”  Deadlines like this are most common in underinsured motorist insurance policies.  If a governmental entity is involved (for example, because the at-fault driver worked for the government or because of negligent roadway maintenance), then you may have to meet “ante litem” deadlines that can be as short as six months or one year.

Missing these deadlines can be a big problem.  Sometimes missing a deadline can meet that you cannot win your case.

Preserving Evidence. 

Evidence might not last very long.  One example is surveillance camera footage.  In some cases, we found surveillance video from businesses near the accident that proved what happened and who was at fault.  Obviously, video like that is very important, but it may not last very long.  Most businesses delete or record-over their surveillance camera footage in days or weeks, so if you want your car accident lawyer to have a chance to obtain video of the collision, it’s best to move fast.

Another type of evidence is what we call “roadway evidence.”  Roadway evidence includes skid marks, car accident debris (such as broken-off pieces of headlights), or wheel gouges on the shoulder of the road.  If there is a dispute about who was in the wrong, it’s important to visit the scene of the collision and preserve this roadway evidence.   An accident reconstruction expert can then use the roadway evidence to prove how the car accident occurred.  But the evidence can disappear if a lawyer doesn’t move fast because rain, wind, and other traffic can scatter it.

Medical Treatment. 

If you have personal relationships with your doctors or have good health insurance, this many not be an issue.  But some people who have been hurt in car accidents may not have health insurance and may not know where to turn for medical treatment.  The local emergency room or urgent care clinic can only do so much.  If you need medical treatment but don’t have health insurance and don’t know where to turn, a car accident lawyer can point you in the right direction.

Witnesses. 

Memories can fade and witnesses can lose interest.  Sometimes immediately after a car accident, witnesses are ready to come forward and share what they saw.  The witness may have vivid memories of the injured person in pain, or may be angry at the at-fault driver for not paying attention.  But over time, witnesses can forget about what happened and become less motivated to share what they saw.  They may dread the idea of talking with lawyers or the possibility getting called to court to testify.  If witness testimony is important, it is almost always best for a car accident lawyer or investigator to reach out to the witness quickly, before the witness’s memory (or motivation) fades.  The attorney can often take a verbal or written statement to preserve what the witness remembers.

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Tips And Tricks For Home Inspection

Questions to Ask Your Home Inspector or Things Your Home Inspector Won’t Tell You

While the Internet can be useful when searching for some types of information, it should come as no surprise to anyone that it is also rife with misinformation. The term “to google” is, after all, synonymous with to search, and not to research. It is a good search tool and not so good when relied upon as a sole research method.

If you feel that you have done your due diligence by googling what questions to ask your prospective home inspector, think again. Bullshit is prevalent in our society. By bullshit I mean misinformation that is not exactly a lie and certainly not the truth. It is misleading nonsense used to further the writer’s or speaker’s agenda.

If you google “questions to ask your home inspector”, “things your home inspector won’t tell you”, or the like, you’ll be up to your ears in search results from any number of groups with vested interests in selling their positions or products. These will run the gamut from groups like Zillow/Trulia, real estate brokerages and agents, new home builders, mortgage lenders, the bought-and-paid-for main stream media like CNN, Fox News and MSNBC, brain-dead bloggers, forums populated by the over- and under-medicated, etc. ad infinitum. Most of these have simply either found a list of questions and outright plagiarized it or have lightly edited it and called it their own. In other words, the lists you find, by and large, will be merely regurgitated bullshit, and not even the original stuff.

But, enough about the misinformation; how does one find useful information on this subject? Glad you asked. Perhaps a useful way to approach this is to simply make a list of the most common misconceptions floating about in cyberspace, and address each of them head on. For the sake of both brevity and clarity I will handle each of these as they pertain to home inspections within the state of Texas, where I am intimately familiar with the territory and laws. I will also limit the list to the ten questions I most commonly am asked.

What does your home inspection cover?

Home inspections in the state of Texas are governed by the Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC). While this may appear to be (and certainly is) tantamount to the fox guarding the hen house, it is nevertheless how those folks in the capital of Austin repay us for electing them. The TREC has adopted a set of standards for home inspectors, which includes a detailed list of what must and what must not be inspected

Know Your Stuff: Determining the Major and Minor in a Home Inspection

Hiring a home inspector is a critical part of the home-buying process. Today, it is unthinkable that anyone would buy a home without bringing in an inspector. Worth their weight in gold, home inspectors provide an experienced and objective assessment of what will likely be the biggest purchase of your life.

Yet because of this objectivity, the home inspector will report all problems relating to the home that falls within their scope. From trivial issues that can be quickly cleared up to stomach-wrenching deal breakers, the inspection report will equally report problems that the next homeowner – you – will inherit from the previous owner.

What is Involved in a Home Inspection?

Walking through a home you intend to purchase by yourself or with a friend, you may randomly uncover problems when you happen to look up at the roof, or under the carpet, or in a backyard. You might believe you have a fairly experienced eye from having bought homes in the past.

Exterior Inspection Points

Grading, Drainage, Retaining Walls, and Vegetation (Vegetation inspection is limited to the way it affects the buildings, such as ivy heavily covering and damaging the siding)

Driveways, Patios, and Walkways

Decks, Balconies, Stairs, and Railings

Wall Elements (Cladding, flashing, trim, eaves, soffits, fascia)

Doors and Windows

Roof Coverings (Shingles, standing seam metal, etc.)

Roof Drainage: Gutters and Downspouts

Roof Flashing (Metal “cuffs” around roof protrusions that prevent water from seeping in)

Skylights

Foundation

Electrical Service (Service entrance, grounding, etc.)

Lawn Irrigation System

Home Inspectors Typically Do Not Check

Pest Control Systems: Inspectors will note the presence of pests, notably termites and carpenter ants, but do not evaluate pest control systems.

Swimming Pools: On the whole, swimming pools and spas are not inspected. But in areas that have many pools and spas, inspectors may perform a limited inspection with an eye towards user safety.2

Asbestos, Radon Gas, Lead Paint, and Toxic Mold: Inspectors may point out the possibility of asbestos, lead paint (for homes built before 1978), and toxic mold, but this is not within their scope of inspection and they certainly will not run lab tests on these areas. However, you can hire independent specialists who will test these for you.

Places Behind Heavy Items: The seller should move these items prior to the inspection.

Unsafe Roofs: When the roof is too slippery, too steep, or too unstable, the inspector will not venture up there.

Wells and Septic Systems: Inspectors are not qualified to check these systems, but you can hire specialists who can inspect them for you

Home inspection

A home inspection is a limited, non-invasive examination of the condition of a home, often in connection with the sale of that home. Home inspections are usually conducted by a home inspector who has the training and certifications to perform such inspections. The inspector prepares and delivers to the client a written report of findings. The client then uses the knowledge gained to make informed decisions about their pending real estate purchase. The home inspector describes the condition of the home at the time of inspection but does not guarantee future condition, efficiency, or life expectancy of systems or components.

A home inspector is sometimes confused with a real estate appraiser. A home inspector determines the condition of a structure, whereas an appraiser determines the value of a property. In the United States, although not all states or municipalities regulate home inspectors, there are various professional associations for home inspectors that provide education, training, and networking opportunities. A professional home inspection is an examination of the current condition of a house. It is not an inspection to verify compliance with appropriate codes; building inspection is a term often used for building code compliance inspections in the United States. A similar but more complicated inspection of commercial buildings is a property condition assessment. Home inspections identify problems but building diagnostics identifies solutions to the found problems and their predicted outcomes.

contract to purchase a house may include a contingency that the contract is not valid until the buyer, through a home inspector or other agents, has had an opportunity to verify the condition of the property. In many states and provinces, home inspectors are required to be licensed, but in some states, the profession is not regulated. Typical requirements for obtaining a license are the completion of an approved training course and/or a successful examination by the state’s licensing board. Several states and provinces also require inspectors to periodically obtain continuing education credits in order to renew their licenses

A home inspection is a visual examination of the home’s major structure, systems and components including the roof, exterior, basement or crawlspace, foundation and structure, heating and cooling, plumbing, electrical, fireplace, attic, insulation and ventilation, doors, windows, and interior of a residential property. Home inspectors look for system and major component defects and deficiencies, improper building practices, those items that require extensive repairs, items that are general maintenance issues, and some fire and safety issues. A general home inspection is not designed to identify building code violations, although some deficiencies identified may also be code violations.

A home inspection is not technically exhaustive and does not imply that every defect will be discovered. Some inspection companies offer 90-day limited warranties to protect clients from unexpected mechanical and structural failures; otherwise, inspectors are not responsible for future failures

BE SURE TO ASK YOUR HOME INSPECTOR THESE QUESTIONS

Purchasing a home can be a very smart financial move, but you must be savvy to ensure it’s a sound investment. One factor that will help you decide is the outcome of the home inspection. While the inspection process may not be top of mind, it’s actually a critical step in your journey to homeownership. Below, we’ll discuss the top questions you should always ask your home inspector.

UNDERSTANDING THE INSPECTION

It can be pretty easy to float through the home buying process, guided by your real estate agent and lender. However, it’s important to ask questions and really understand the process for yourself, because at the end of the day, your name is on the loan and title. With that said, it’s a good idea to ensure you’re not only present at the home inspection, but also following the inspector around and asking questions during the process.

FIRST THINGS FIRST – ARE YOU QUALIFIED?

You wouldn’t see a healthcare professional without confirming their credentials and license, would you? The same should apply for a home inspector. Ask to see his or her license up front, before the inspection begins. If they don’t have it available, it’s probably in your best interest to run in the other direction and find a new inspector.

WHAT DOES THIS INSPECTION COVER?

You’ll want to understand what is covered or not covered during the home inspection to avoid any surprises. If there is anything specific you want the inspector to look for, mentioning it up front means it’s more likely he or she can address it during the inspection

HOW MUCH WILL IT COST TO FIX THIS?

In many cases, your home inspector will find things that need repair – even if it’s just replacing a light bulb. Sometimes, he or she will find things that are more significant – and it’s a good idea to ask how much it will cost to fix these items

The Best Home Inspections

it’s important to find out the condition of the home’s systems and components. The chances are that you’ve either made or are about to make a very large investment, and it’s critical that you should get a qualified home inspection to help find out as much information as possible about the property in order to help prepare you for additional or unexpected cost

Nobody want’s surprises, and that’s why your home inspection report should be designed to provide you with valuable information about the condition of the house, and to help reduce your risk. may dispel or confirm your beliefs about the condition of the structure, but usually my reports will provide you with detailed information which does both. I’ll provide you with an outstanding custom report of the property that you are interested in. My reports will provide you with a wealth of knowledge that many of my clients continue to use for years after their purchase.

Imagine that you’ve just spent your savings on the home of your dreams only to find that the roof leaks, the furnace wont light and the electrician wants to sell you a new service panel. Since a home is probably one of the  largest investments most of us will ever make, knowing the condition of the home before purchase is essential.

Often homebuyers might misjudge or overlook tell-tale signs which may or may not indicate a serious problem. A professional home inspector looks for these signs and other clues relating to the physical condition of the home. If defects are found, and inevitably some will be found, it doesn’t mean that the home isn’t worth purchasing. However, knowing these facts will enable you to make a more informed decision about the home.

All home inspectors licensed by the Real Estate commission are required to inspect the following (and no two inspectors will see the same things, the same way).

Foundation

Grading and Drainage

Roof Covering

Attic

Exterior Walls

Interior Walls

Exterior Doors

Interior Doors

Floors

Windows

Fireplaces

Stairs and Balconies

Porches

Patios

Attached Decks

Attached Carports

Electric Service entering the Structure

Electric Service Cabinets

Electric Service Distribution Throughout he Structure, including AFCI Protection, GFCI Protection, Smoke Alarms and Carbon Monoxide Alarms

Heating, Venting and air conditioning System(s)

Water Meter

Water Pressure Delivered to the Structure

Water Supply System and Fixtures

Water Drainage and Waste Vent System

Water Heater(s)

Hydrotherapy Equipment

Dishwashers

Food Waste Disposers

Kitchen Vent Fans.

Kitchen Cook-Tops

Kitchen Ranges

Kitchen Ovens

Built-In Microwave Ovens

Bathroom Vent Fans

Bathroom Heaters

Automatic Garage Overhead Doors

Clothes Dryer Vents

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Organic Gardening Pest Control

How Much Does It Cost To Hire An Insect Control Service?

Insects such as roaches and ants can be a terrible problem throughout your home, but often go undetected for a long time. Eventually you will have a real infestation on your hands. You may have tried some DIY pest control with products such as boric acid, ant traps, “roach motels”, or any number of commercially available sprays like Raid, Black Flag, or Ortho. Some of these can be effective when the pests are first noticed, such as when you first spot a small hornet’s nest. In other cases, such as combatting ant or roach infestations, all they can do is hold the line. They don’t take the battle back to the pests’ lairs.

The average cost to hire an insect control service averages between $108 and $261 depending on the problem. Hiring a professional is the best way to rid your home of pests, not just convince them to stay out of your sight. If you are concerned about the cost of calling in a pro to take care of your pest problem, here are a few things to consider.

Some insects are wood-boring. They can damage your house’s structure and cost you tens of thousands of dollars in repair, or can make your home structurally unlivable.

Stinging and biting insects can range from merely painful when they attack to literally deadly.

Many household pests carry diseases such as salmonella (cockroaches) and Hantavirus (mice and rats).

Even an insect as relatively harmless as a pincher bug will leave eggs and feces in your food.

While you may know enough to avoid dangerous insects like black widows, scorpions, or fire ants, your children and pets may not.

One-Time Removal or Contract?

If you have never had an insect problem in your home before and very suddenly you start to see the signs, you may be able to call in the professionals for a one-time extermination. However, if you start to notice that you have an ongoing insect problem, you may opt to hire an exterminator on a contract basis.

Frequency of the Visit

Some exterminators liken their task to house cleaning: the longer you go between cleanings, the harder it is to get the job done. For this reason, exterminators will often have a higher-cost initial visit followed by cheaper maintenance visits

Pest Control Workers – What They Do

Unwanted creatures that infest buildings or surrounding areas can pose serious risks to health and safety. Pest control workers remove these creatures from households, apartment buildings, places of businesses, and other structures, to protect people and maintain structural integrity.

Common pests include roaches, rats, mice, spiders, termites, ants, and bedbugs. Using information about pests’ biology and habits, along with an arsenal of pest management techniques, pest control workers locate, identify, and remove pests. They set traps, apply pesticides, and even modify structures at the discretion of the customer.

Many pest problems require pesticide application. Pest control workers use two different types of pesticides—general use and restricted use. General use pesticides are the most widely used and are available in diluted concentrations to the public. Restricted use pesticides are used for the most severe infestations and are available only to licensed professionals. Because of their potential harm to pest control workers, customers, and the environment, restricted-use pesticides are heavily regulated by Federal law.

For some jobs, pest control workers use a combination of pest management techniques, a practice known as integrated pest management. One method involves using proper sanitation and creating physical barriers. Pests cannot survive without food and will not infest a building if they cannot enter it. Another method involves using baits that either destroy the pests or prevent them from reproducing. Yet another method involves using mechanical devices, such as traps, that remove pests from the immediate environment.

Some workers use pest-management technology to make home inspections more efficient. This technology, which uses microchips to identify areas of pest activity, is used most frequently for termites. The chips, which are placed in baiting stations, emit signals that can tell pest control workers if is termites are present. Workers pick up the signals using a device similar to a metal detector, allowing them to quickly evaluate an entire building

Pest Control Services

standard Pest Control treatment will target Cockroaches, Webbing spiders, Silverfish and Coastal Brown Ants in residential homes and additional Pests can be treated upon your request

Fact Sheet For General Pest Control Sprays

You don’t have to do any preparation before you get a general spray done in your home. Therefore there is no need to empty any cupboards before the pest controller arrives (only if there is a bad infestation of German Cockroaches).

The chemicals used for a general pest control spray are totally safe for your family and pets. However, we do recommend that any pet food and water bowls are removed prior to treatment and cleaned after treatment. The chemicals however used may harm reptiles and fish. We recommend that reptiles are removed and that fish tanks are covered and the aerator pumps turned off during treatment and ½ an hour after treatment.

If you are moving into a new home and would like to have it sprayed it is best to have it done before you move in to ensure complete coverage of the sprayed areas, i.e. no furniture to spray around and all cleaning is done.

If the house is vacant the power needs to be turned on so the job can be fully completed as we treat the roof void with an electric applicator.

For best results, any painting or cleaning including carpet cleaning should be done prior to the pest control being carried out. Do not clean down spider webs, this should be done 7 – 10 days after the treatment. Cleaning windows should also be left until after the job is done.

Once the spray has been carried out in your home, windows can be cleaned using newspaper or a squeegee with cleaning agents. DO NOT HOSE DOWN THE WINDOWS OR HOUSE.

Brush spider webs down 7 – 10 days after the pest control spray has been done.

A general pest control treatment covers spiders, silverfish, cockroaches and coastal brown ants. It does not include termites, borers rodents or fleas. These pests require a separate treatment and a fee is charged accordingly.

The general spray is a residual treatment. The initial spray will kill any pests that are present. Pests that come in contact with the residue will not always die instantly. They become sick and eventually die.

If pests have only just come in contact with the residue they can appear quite normal. If they are in areas where they would not usually be seen, such as in the middle of the floor or wall during the day, the best thing to do is to monitor their condition. If new pests are continually being seen, then a callback may be necessary.

A general pest control treatment should be carried out annually (or 6 monthly for problem areas) from the date of initial treatment to maintain a pest free home for you and your family.

To reduce the likelihood of an infestation of cockroaches, ants and mice in your home, you need to ensure that any food scraps and crumbs are daily cleaned from floors, bench-tops and bins.

Leaking plumbing and appliances entice cockroaches, that carry diseases, to breed around these areas as they need moisture and also creates a risk for termite infestation.

Each pest control operator is local and trained in the specific problems in your area, so he will be able to find the problem faster and treat it in the best, the safest and the most economical manner.

STOP PESTS IN YOUR TEMPE

PESTS OFFER INSPECTIONS AND SERVICES FOR:

Bed Bugs: offer liquid treatments for bed bugs. have found this is a very efficient and affordable service for most situations.

Birds: offer limited services for Birds. Offering Ultrasonic bird repellent solutions. DO NOT offer services that cause death to birds.

German Roaches: offer baiting and residual chemical treatment along with void treatments both vapor & foam applications for both commercial and residential structures.

Rodents: offer two kinds of baiting systems: A low toxicity anticoagulant that is placed in a bait box that reduces the population and allows us to maintain it; physical non-chemical stations to exclude the rodents from structures.

Scorpions: offer customized intensive Scorpions service and detailed Black Light programs with site graphing and tracking for high activity sites.

Termites: offer the latest chemistry in termite applications for customized termite programs both corrective and proactive with 1-5 year warranty terms

Food safety advice for businesses

Pests

If there are pests at your food premises they are likely to damage and contaminate food. If discovered during an inspection, or as a result of a complaint, this could lead to your premises being closed under a Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Notice, costing you money and potentially ruining the reputation of your business.

As a food business proprietor it is your responsibility to have appropriate arrangements in place to effectively prevent pests from entering.

The three main groups of pests that are encountered in food businesses are:

Rodents – rats and mice.

Insects – cockroaches, beetles, ants and flies.

Birds – pigeons etc

The legislation requires that businesses must ensure that the layout, design, construction and size of food premises permit good food hygiene practices, including protection against external sources of contamination such as pests.

The legislation also requires that adequate procedures be in place to ensure pests are controlled. Setting up a pest control contract is good practice, but remember that the ultimate responsibility for any pest problem lies with you, as the proprietor of the food business. Laying of baits and poisons should be left to the professionals – commercially available baits are not adequate for use in food businesses and can be a source of food contamination – however you can and should carry out visual checks of the premises for signs of pest presence.

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The Best In Kitchen Remodeling

Kitchen Makeovers That Prove Every Room Has Potential

Don’t let previous owners’ questionable decor choices stand in the way of your dream kitchen. These total transformations prove that some white paint and new lighting can erase even the biggest interior design sins.

BEFORE: Vinyl Flooring

Vargo of Yellow Brick Home had a common problem: The kitchen had good bones but was covered in dated decor.

AFTER: Scandinavian Haven

In a lucky break, discovered original 1930s Douglas Fir flooring under the vinyl and worked to refinish it to its earlier glory. The gray tile, wooden shelving, and modern tools make the rest of the kitchen a minimalist dream.

BEFORE: Yellow, Yellow Everywhere

A Beautiful Mess fell in love with her home the second she saw it, but knew the kitchen would need some TLC to become a bright and functional space.

AFTER: Clean and Modern

swapped out the dated cabinets for sleek open shelving and went with a mostly neutral color palette. The best part? The gorgeous mint green oven adds the perfect amount of fun to a bright white space.

Things to Ask Your Contractor Before Remodeling Your Kitchen

Hiring someone for kitchen remodeling takes a lot of trust. You need to put tremendous amount of faith in knowing the job will get done. Communication is everything, especially for such an engaging project like remodeling your kitchen. That’s why you need to ask some serious questions to the contractor you hire. This will help you find out how the staff will finish the project, before it even starts. Here are three things you need to ask before you get the task underway.

What’s the Schedule?

For any major construction project, knowing the schedule is important not only for timing but budgetary purposes. A few days over a course of a month can easily turn into a week or so. When you have a start and finish date, it helps you organize the small tasks that lead to getting specific things built in the home. Work with your designer to create a step-by-step schedule to reduce the margin of error. Additionally, by creating a schedule you’ll have a better understanding for the work that will be completed on any given day / week. Good distribution of tasks will help make the work more feasible.

Do You Have Insurance?

This is extremely important because in certain cases there will be some damages during the course of remodeling. You want to make sure that you remove delicate items ahead of time or designate certain spaces where the staff shouldn’t work. This way you can prevent mishaps from occurring to things that mean a lot to you. Also, check to see what kind of workers compensation is available in case someone gets injured on the job. You don’t want that liability coming to you – that is extra money and a potential lawsuit waiting to happen. Also, if property damage is not your fault, you should be compensated or at the least, the contractor should fix it without extra cost. It’s better to sign a contract with all of your questions accounted for before the project starts.

What’s the Best Mode of Communication?

Being able to properly communicate on a close-knit project like this is integral for completion. Not only do you need a good schedule, but knowing the best modes of communication with your contractor will be key. Find out the office number, cell phone number, and email contact. Set up a contact method even after hours if you have any pressing questions or ideas. Also, you should have a meeting in person once a week. That way you can meet face to face to discuss the future of the project. This is better than a text or phone call, because you can truly see the intentions behind each answer.

KITCHEN REMODELING IDEAS THAT WILL SURELY PAY OFF

Kitchens are, without a doubt, the soul of a house. No other area of the modern home compares in terms of versatility and actual foot traffic. The kitchen of today is not hidden in a corner, only to be accessed for cooking. The modern kitchen is used for entertainment, parties, get-togethers, and everything in between. As a result of its emergence into the limelight, kitchen remodeling has turned into this giant multi-billion dollar industry

The return on investment on these projects vary dramatically. And like it or not, you can indeed go wrong with kitchen remodels. If you don’t plan the budget and expenditure carefully, you might end up not recouping the money. As a rule of thumb, mid-range renovations have the highest ROI. You should aim for these as they not only recoup the original cost but also increase the resale value of the house.

PAINT IT RED

Not literally of course. Or who knows, maybe red will work for your kitchen. The point is, painting your kitchen with a fresh coat can do wonders for your resale value. Even though it is minor in terms of pricing, you can do a lot with just a bunch of paint cans and brushes. Just make sure you pick something that complements the rest of the space.

CABINETRY UPGRADE

Another kind of minor to mid-range upgrade which has a brilliant ROI. No matter how funky, chic, or cool your kitchen is — it all comes down to utility at the end. As a rule of thumb, you should invest in things you NEED in your kitchen. And upgrading cabinets is always a good idea in that regard

NEW COUNTERTOPS

Gorgeous countertops are really what make or break a kitchen, don’t they? But with so many different materials available out there, countertops can easily transform into a splurge rather than a thought out investment. Make sure you have researched the market you’re in before deciding on a budget for the countertop.  There’s no point spending half of what an average house costs in your locality to upgrade the countertop.

Minor Design Tweaks That Make Your Kitchen Feel Remodeled

Want a new kitchen but don’t want to spend the money or time necessary on a major renovation? Forget the idea of the “right” kitchen and improve your space with some “right now” partial remodeling ideas

“Take a hard look at your kitchen with all its pros and cons to decide what can be accomplished first, and what can be accomplished down the road,”. “Lifestyle, time spent in the home, and future resale are all factors that should be considered by any homeowner looking to make changes to his or her kitchen, while keeping budget in mind.”

BRIGHTEN UP THE LIGHTING

While giving the walls, ceiling, and trim a fresh coat of paint will combat dinginess, new lighting is an even better way to brighten your kitchen. “Good lighting has the psychological effect of making your kitchen feel brighter, more cheerful, less cavernous, and easier to work in,” she says.

ADD ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS

“A contractor once said that he could make any home look more expensive simply by adding better-quality—and prettier—trim, such as baseboards, crown molding, and door and window casings,”. “This is true for almost all homes. If you’re a handy DIYer, consider adding these to customize your kitchen.” If you’re a novice, pass on this upgrade until you can hire a pro: your home is likely not perfectly square and it can require some expertise to make sure everything lines up.

SPLURGE ON ONE APPLIANCE

Splurging on a professional range won’t necessarily put lesser-quality appliances in the shade. “Today’s appliances have a sleek appearance in almost any price category,”. “While it’s nice to maintain the same quality throughout—and imperative if your home is in the high six- and seven-figure price range—the same is not necessarily true for low- to mid-range homes. A nice stainless-steel professional range can be paired with a lower-priced stainless-steel refrigerator.”

things you must do before renovating your kitchen

If you are ready to renovate your kitchen, then there are a few things that you should consider before you start ripping out cabinets and knocking down walls. Having a plan before you start, and talking to the right experts will go a long way in getting you excellent quality and highly-functional kitchen that you and your family will love spending time in. Here are some tips from the team at Dash Builders to help you get into renovating your kitchen.

Don’t over-improve

You do not want to improve your kitchen to the point where it no longer matches your home. A good rule is that your renovation budget for your kitchen should not be more than 15% of the value of your home. There are many websites where you can get an approximate value of your home online.

Work with an interior designer when renovating your kitchen

It is super convenient to go to a home reno store or big box stores where they offer free design services for your new kitchen. Often, these “designers” have no formal training and are limited to recommending only their own products or minimal products from a few providers they have agreements with. It is worth it to either hire a designer, who is not limited in choices or to go with a reno company that has a designer on staff. A designer will be able to make the most of the space and help you budget; they know where to splurge and where to save.

Consider the size of your kitchen renovation

It may not be worth it for you to do a full kitchen renovation if you are going to be moving soon. You may not be able to make back the money you invested into your new kitchen in a move. So, rather than doing a full renovation, consider doing a cosmetic renovation. You can repaint or stain the kitchen cabinets, get new fixtures and a new sink, and even replace and upgrade the counters for cheap. You may even be lucky enough if your home is older, that under the linoleum there is beautiful hardwood.

Look for ways to gain space when renovating your kitchen

Homes that were built before the new millennium tend to have smaller kitchens. If you have a kitchen in an older home, then you will want to consider adding space to your kitchen if you are doing a major renovation. You can build into the hallway, remove a front hall closet, or even add an addition or a bump-out if you are truly strapped on space. You can also consider knocking out a wall to create an open floor plan, which can give you more kitchen space or at least the feel of more kitchen space.

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A Beginner’s Guide Of Led Electrical Lighting

LED light can damage eyes, health authority warns

New findings confirm earlier concerns that “exposure to an intense and powerful [LED] light is ‘photo-toxic’ and can lead to irreversible loss of retinal cells and diminished sharpness of vision,” the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES) warned in a statement.

The report distinguished between acute exposure of high-intensity LED light, and “chronic exposure” to lower intensity sources.

While less dangerous, even chronic exposure can “accelerate the ageing of retinal tissue, contributing to a decline in visual acuity and certain degenerative diseases such as age-related macular degeneration,” the agency concluded.

Long-lasting, energy efficient and inexpensive, light-emitting diode (LED) technology has gobbled up half of the general lighting market in a decade, and will top 60 percent by the end of next year, according to industry projections.

The basic technology for producing a white light combines a short wavelength LED such as blue or ultraviolet with a yellow phosphor coating. The whiter or “colder” the light, the greater the proportion of blue in the spectrum.

HOW-TO WIRE LIGHTS & SWITCHES IN A DIY CAMPER VAN ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Ever live in a house that had lights you couldn’t turn off and on by a switch? No? Me either. Let’s keep that streak up. This blog post is going to teach you how to wire 12v lights (and any other 12v accessories) you want to control by a switch or two.

Quick note before we get started.  This is just one part of an overarching “How to Install a DIY Camper Van Electrical System” series.  If you’ve just stumbled on this article directly without seeing that, there are likely some things we’ve already covered

Also, we have interactive solar wiring diagrams that are a complete, A to Z solution for teaching you exactly what parts go where, what size wires to use, fuse size recommendations, wire lug sizes, and all kind of other stuff to help save you time and frustration

12V LIGHT SWITCH

For a standard light switch, you’re looking for a switch that technically called “Single Pole Single Throw”, or commonly abbreviated “SPST”. This is the most basic switch

12V 2-WAY SWITCH

HUGLY POPULAR and somewhat confusing, but we will straighten that out. The purpose of a 2 way switch is so that you can have a switch by your entry-way and another by, say, your bed so you can operate the lights.

Night lights have a dark side

In the days that followed, concerned residents reported a giant cloud of silvery light stretching across the night sky. Some worried that the mysterious sight was somehow related to the earthquake. These people had lived in the large, brightly lit city their entire lives. Many had rarely seen stars. They certainly had never before seen this night-sky cloud of light.

When artificial (human-made) light spills into areas where it’s not wanted, it’s called light pollution. Indeed, it is considered one of the biggest forms of pollution. It prevents two-thirds of U.S. residents and half of those in Europe from viewing the Milky Way. And light pollution increases every year, as cities continue to grow

That doesn’t mean electric lights are bad. They have allowed people to work and play beyond sundown for roughly a century. Lights along roadways can make driving safer. In many ways, lighting up the night has been a good thing

But there can be drawbacks. Sometimes lights that are meant to be helpful pose unintended harms. And this problem goes beyond our ability to enjoy the night sky. Research is revealing that light pollution can alter the behavior of plants, animals and people. Some unnatural light-dark cycles may even make us sick.

Lighting the night

More than 8,000 stars should be visible without a telescope. Up to 4,000 of those can be seen at one time. (The others hide below the horizon.) But to see most stars requires gazing well away from cities or other populated areas. People living in urban areas see only a tiny fraction of stars that were visible to our ancestors.

The Best LED Light Bulbs

Here at the Strategist, we like to think of ourselves as crazy (in the good way) about the stuff we buy, but as much as we’d like to, we can’t try everything. Which is why we have People’s Choice, in which we find the best-reviewed products and single out the most convincing ones.

And while we’ve written before about all sorts of lighting — including tips on how to rescue a rental with bad lighting, a list of energy-efficient bulbs, and a review of “trippy” mushroom-shaped night light  — here, we’ve rounded up the best LED light bulbs

They’re available in two different color temperatures: soft white and daylight. Both have their own draw, but in general, purchasers seem to prefer the slightly brighter “daylight” bulb for general use in their homes. One reviewer explains, “We had warm or soft white incandescent bulbs throughout the house, and I have been working on replacing them all with a bright white light.

Over 90 percent of the reviewers give these bulbs five-stars, with many highlighting the brightness of the light they put out and the affordability of this four-pack. “Great value for the cost per bulb,” writes one reviwer, one of dozens who uses the word “value” in their review. Another shares a more nuanced review: “I have a love-hate relationship with these lights. They are so bright and light up so well, I love it. Oh yeah, the hate relationship part, now I can see how dirty some areas in the house were that my old ugly yellow lights wouldn’t show before.”

light bulbs have great longevity. One reviewer, with a “big house” that’s apparently “always running out of lightbulbs,” suspects they “should last a long, long time while using a fraction of the electricity.” Even though they’re not too expensive, especially when you’re buying in bulk, she was “very surprised and pleased at the quality of these bulbs,” calling them “much better quality than old-school bulbs.” Another reviewer said she has a “near religious epiphany” after switching all her bulbs to these LED lights.

The History of the Light Bulb

The history of the light bulb is filled with rivalry, failures and great achievements. The electric light bulb has been called the most important invention since man-made fire. The light bulb helped to establish social order after sundown, extended the workday well into the night, and allowed us to navigate and travel safely in the dark. Without the light bulb, there would be no nightlife. However, creating a steady and affordable source of illumination was not as easy as many history textbooks suggest. The modern light bulb is the result of many innovators’ work and continuous improvements over 150 years.

The First Artificial Sources of Light

Before the arrival of electric lighting, people used a variety of tricks for navigating their neighborhoods at night. In The Downs, an area near the English Channel, patches of chalky soil were used as beacons known as down lanterns. In wooded areas, bark was strategically cut from trees to expose the lighter wood underneath. However, on most clear nights, the moon and starlight were strong enough to navigate at night.

During the 19th century, gas lighting replaced candles and oil lamps in many homes, businesses, and streets. Gas lamps produced a brighter and more efficient illumination. They also cost 75 percent less than candles or oil lamps, and were easier and safer to operate. By the 1850s, most city streets in the United States and Europe were illuminated by gas lamps. Gas lighting is credited with reducing crime rates and increasing literacy in many areas. As electricity became more widespread during the turn of the century, gas lamps were replaced by incandescent lamps in streets, businesses, and theaters.

The First Electric Lights

In 1802, Sir Humphry Davy, an English physician, created the first electric light by passing a current through a platinum strip. The glow did not last long, but it marked the beginning of the history of light bulbs. In 1809, Davy demonstrated the first carbon arc lamp at the Royal Institute in London by connecting two wires to a battery and attaching a charcoal strip between the other ends of the wires. While the scientific community and the public raved about the demonstration, the arc lamp burned too brightly and consumed a large amount of current, which quickly drained the battery and rendered the lamp impractical for commercial development and production. Several decades passed before electric generators made arc lamps practical for street and theater lighting.

In 1875, Pavel Nikolayevich Yablochkov, a Russian electrical engineer and inventor, developed the first practical arc lamp known as the “Yablochkov Candle.” Yablochkov used two parallel carbon rods to extend the life of the battery. During the Paris World’s Fair of 1878, about 64 Yablochkov candles were installed on the Avenue de l’Opéra, Plade du Théâtre Francais and around the Place de l’Opéra, earning the city the famous nickname of “City of Lights.” The success of the exhibition was influential in bringing electric lighting to the masses, and arc lamps were soon installed on many streets in the United States and Europe.