There can be no question that insulation should be of primary importance when considering new house construction. Slipform stone houses are no exception to this rule. Helen and Scott Nearing, early proponents of this stone building technique, claimed that their New England homes were comfortable year-round without much thought given to insulation – indeed, their first slipform home was built right into a Vermont cliff-face, and made use of bare ledge as one wall. While the thermal mass of the earth itself surely served to maintain house temperatures above freezing, by modern standards, there can be no doubt that this uninsulated stone house would make for a chilly winter. Insulation is key to efficiency, and there are a number of ways to insulate a slipform stone structure.

Stud Wall and fiberglass batting

One common approach to the question of insulation in stone and concrete structures is the construction of a standard framed stud wall against the interior wall. This framed wall is then insulated in the traditional manner, using fiberglass batting insulation between the studs. While this approach works fine, and brings the comfort of familiarity to many builders, the construction of the stud wall is wasteful, and the studs themselves present the opportunity for thermal bridging, significantly reducing the overall insulation of the house.

Rigid Insulation

Rigid insulation offers a number of opportunities when it comes to insulating slipform stone homes. Rigid insulation, correctly installed, allows for no thermal bridging and creates a tight envelope inside the house. There are a number of techniques for building this type of insulation right into the walls themselves, either by laying the insulation inside the forms as you build, or replacing the interior forms entirely with nailbase – rigid insulation mated with OSB, plywood, or even sheetrock on one side.

Adding rigid insulation after the walls are standing can present a challenge to the typical owner/builder. The biggest hurdle here is figuring out how to secure the insulation to the stone/concrete wall. One of the best ways to do this is using furring strips – narrow boards attached to the wall, into which screws can be driven. A powder-actuated nail gun, or ramset can be used to attach the furring strips to the wall. Another approach is to embed the furring strips into the concrete itself as you build the walls. The downside to this approach is that the furring strips will degrade and rot away over the decades, leaving gaps in the wall and weakening the overall structure. Fully removing the furring strips and replacing them could be a challenge.

Spray-on Insulation

This nifty product could be used to spray a seamless layer of insulating foam directly onto the interior of the slipform wall. The insulation would then be cut, sanded, or squashed flat before a finish layer of sheetrock is applied. Both of the above approaches present difficulties when it comes to hanging anything on the walls, as there are no interior studs for screwing or nailing into. Strategically placed furring strips could be used for this purpose.

There are any number of other conventional and unconventional approaches that you might pursue in insulating your slipform stone masonry structure, but these three options are both simple to implement and proven in many homes over a number of years. Whatever you decide, it’s very important to ensure that your slipform stone house is snug and well insulated.

Has your relationship with your spouse, boyfriend, or girlfriend hit a wall and you’re confused about what to do? Are the two of you bored to death with one another? Is the communication between the two of you lifeless and mundane? Have the good times you used to spend together turned into time alone in front of the television set?

Are you becoming increasingly frustrated by your lack of energy to do anything to alter the course of where your relationship seems headed? If so, then you may be happy to know that there is a solution. There is no reason good enough that you or your partner should be living unhappy lives.

You commit to a marriage because you want to be happy, joyous, and free with another human being on a physical, emotional, and spiritual level. You don’t get involved in such relationships because you want to be unhappy, so when they seem to go sour or when one partner fails to keep their commitment, it’s time for some kind of intervention if the relationship is to last.

Unfortunately, a lot of relationships will encounter this stall in the road. For awhile things may not feel so good or your partner may get on your last nerve but, ending your relationship at this stage may not be the answer to your problem.

Remember how life was when you were not in a relationship? You would have to get through those days of boredom and frustrations regardless of whether or not you were entirely engaged. Well, your relationship today is not that much different. Instead of it only being you going through the ups and downs of life, you have someone beside you experiencing life as it is as well.

Instead of believing that your partner is to blame for your lack of excitement and unhappy marriage, ask yourself what it is you are doing to actively participate in creating your own happiness. If you sit back waiting on your partner to make the relationship or marriage a happy one, you might be waiting a lot longer than if you decided today to make that change.

A plasma television set wall mount is a relatively suitable and trendy way to mount your television set to the wall. Flat screen TV wall mounts saves space in the room and avoids extra furniture. They have different options that will allow you to adjust the screen to different angles so that you can watch TV from wherever you are in the room!

Installing Plasma TV Wall Mount

To enjoy the features and big screen of your Plasma TV, it is very important to make sure that the mounting of your TV on the wall is properly made. If you are not hiring a professional and confident that you can fix it, the following are the steps to install wall mount for your flat screen Plasma TV.

o Find studs in the wall

Once you select the suitable wall mount and the exact location of the wall mount on the wall, you need to find the studs in that wall location. It is very important that the mount is securely fixed to a stud. Find the center of the stud for the best results. You can easily find the studs in the wall using a stud finder.

o Drill into the wall

Mark the center of the stud with pencil on the wall. Ensure the mounting bracket locations are level and that the height is appropriate by using a cardboard of the size of the flat TV. Once you are sure that the correct markings are made, drill in to the markings on the studs. Make sure two or three times before drilling into the wall for the correct levels.

o Attach the mount and drill for the cables

After exactly drilling into the studs, attach the mount to the wall with the screws. Double check to ensure that the wall mount is level. Drill a hole behind the bracket to hide the wiring. Once it is done pull the cables through the wall. If you don’t want to drill again, use tapes and other tools to hide the cables.

o Attach the Flat TV

Once you are done with the wiring, the last step is to fix the TV set to the wall mount. As flat TV is often heavy, you need another person to hold it at least for few minutes. It’s a good idea to attach all of the cables to the TV before fixing it to the mount. Otherwise, it is difficult to connect the cords with insufficient space between the wall and the TV. You will not have this problem if you have swivel & tilt TV wall mount.

Once you finish the above step, you are successfully done with fixing the wall mount for your flat screen plasma TV. Enjoy the wall mounted flat screen TV that adds beauty and elegance to your living room and gives you a great entertainment experience.

For hundreds of years, canvas has been the material of choice in wall tents. But it is no longer the only choice. And is it the best choice for you? Below are the pros and cons of the various materials and the factors to consider when choosing your wall tent.

Canvas is the traditional material for wall tents. It is strong and durable. I have seen canvas tents that were 30 years old and still in perfect working order. Canvas can be treated (before production) to be flame retardant, water resistant and mildew resistant. If you decide on a canvas tent, I would certainly recommend that you choose one that is treated to this extent and not just to be water resistant.

Canvas comes in many weights, usually listed in ounces. The weight of the canvas used is generally listed as part of the features of the tent. It is important to determine if the material weight advertised for the tent is the weight before or after treatment as this can make quite a difference. For instance, a canvas that weighs 10 oz after treatment probably began as a 7 oz canvas. Whereas canvas that weighs 10 oz before treatment may weigh as much as 14 oz after treatment.

Because it is 100% cotton, canvas is especially good at absorbing some of the interior condensation created by drying clothes or boiling water. It also retains heat very well and the heavy weight of canvas fabric helps it billow less in a stiff wind.

A canvas wall tent provides excellent shelter, but must be taken care of properly for best results. Canvas must be completely dried before storage to avoid mold and mildew growth. Many times, this requires setting the tent up when you get home from your trip and, depending on the season and climate, it can take a day or three to dry out. Once mold has attacked canvas, you can stop the growth of the mold, but you can never remove the stain. Additionally, if the tent was never treated, you may need to regularly “re-waterproof” it with a product like Canvak. Generally, treated canvas requires little to no maintenance of this type depending on the quality of treatment.

Relite is available exclusively from Montana Canvas. For many outdoor camping purposes, Relite is a perfect tent fabric choice. This unique polyester-based fabric, developed about 15 years ago, is extremely lightweight, which makes it ideal for packing in on animals and environmentally friendly, low-impact camping. The lighter weight of Relite also makes these tents easier to handle when setting them up and taking them down.

Soft, pliable and easy to clean, Relite offers a tear strength and longevity as good as canvas. Because Relite is so highly durable and more resistant to destructive ultraviolet rays than other commonly used lightweight tent materials such as nylon, it is the choice of many outdoor enthusiasts. Because it is not as heavy of a fabric as canvas, it may billow more easily in windy conditions, but securely staking down the walls will solve this problem.

Being a polyester-based fabric, Relite does not have the ability to absorb moisture and interior condensation can be a concern. However, using a wall tent fly, which I discuss further below, seems to solve most condensation problems.

Like canvas, Relite is pretreated to be flame retardant, water resistant and mildew resistant. Although it does not grow mold, I do recommend drying the wall tent out before storage to avoid a musty smell the next time you use it. Relite does not need to be retreated for water resistance, but the seams need to be treated once the first time you use the tent and should be resealed when needed.

Montana Blend is also a Montana Canvas exclusive. This combination of materials offers you the best of both worlds. The four walls of the tent are made from Relite while the roof is made from canvas. With the majority of the tent made from lightweight Relite, the overall weight of the wall tent is substantially reduced from that of a canvas wall tent (approximately 40% lighter). The canvas roof provides a more breathable material overhead to absorb condensation and it gives the wall tent a more traditional look than a 100% Relite wall tent.

Although we recommend setting up your tent to dry it out before putting it away, with Montana Blend, the tent could possibly be set up such that just the roof was exposed to dry, thus requiring less space.

Wall Tent Fly

Whenever I talk about wall tents, I always recommend using a wall tent fly. A tent fly is an additional piece of material that you put over the roof of the tent for insulation, protection and extension of the drip line. The added insulation of the fly on a Relite tent seems to solve condensation concerns, especially when wood is used as a heat source. Using a fly on a canvas tent will keep the roof clean and the roof dry and walls drier. If your tent is dry when you get home, you don’t have to find room to set it up to dry out. Not to mention, wet canvas weighs a lot more than dry canvas. All fabrics will benefit from the UV ray protection a fly offers.

Which material?

When helping someone to decide which material to choose, the first factor we discuss is weight. When weight is an issue, the choice is generally limited to 100% Relite or a Montana Blend wall tent. The weight of a wall tent is usually because the person is packing in to their campsite or because the weight of the tent during set up and take down is a concern. For those for whom weight is not an issue, all three fabrics are an option.

The next factor we discuss is maintenance. A Relite wall tent offers the lowest maintenance. With a Montana Blend wall tent, any maintenance would be focused mainly on the canvas roof. A canvas wall tent will have the highest maintenance in terms of fabric care.

Once these factors have been considered, then personal taste enters the equation. Sometimes the classic look of a canvas wall tent is appealing enough to a person that it outweighs the additional weight and maintenance. Or perhaps you like having the color choices offered by the Relite fabric. Whichever material you choose for your wall tent, ensure that the material is well-made, properly treated and meets your needs.

When you are buying new wall clocks you can really exercise your imagination. A lot of people’s idea of a wall clock is a white facing with black numerals on it. This is the kind that we all too often see in our workplaces and cafeterias. These are even popular in people’s houses, but I’m not exactly sure why. The clock has been around for a long enough time where it has become easy enough to manufacture (inexpensive) that it is available in every color, shape, and design known to man.

Now I am not saying that everyone should go out and buy a bunch of eccentric wall clocks because that would be so “cool” and “different”. There certainly is a place for that, and a market to meet the fringe’s demands, but you can also get very stylish in which design you choose. In fact, many famous designers have put their hat into the ring when it comes to clock design. I think it is really a shame that so many put so much time and effort into the color of their rooms, the appliances, the furniture, the style schemes, etc. and then just go throw up a $5 white and black wall clock from Target! There’s millions of choices, everyone, why are you letting this integral piece slip by unnoticed?

In terms of price, as I have mentioned already wall clocks are very affordable. If you want to get very extravagant then yes you’re going to pay more. But you will probably still be getting more than you paid for. This is always the benefit of shopping in arenas where the product can be made very cheaply in foreign markets and shipped to you at a low price.

If you want to get an American-made clock then be my guest. There are many reputable vendors. In fact America has a very long reputation of great craftsmanship here. So does Germany, England, Australia, and every other major European country. Just expect to pay for that craftsmanship. I very much honor such diligence and care for wall clocks. I think they are even sometimes a great investment if you buy a limited edition.

You may also want to by a wall clock for your kid’s bedroom. This is a great way to get them to start thinking about time and numbers in general. They will be forced to understand the divisor of 60 because they’ll be staring at it whenever they are in their room. Here I would go with something colorful. It is especially captivating to them if you get a clock featuring one of their favorite characters, such as Thomas the Train or Dora the Explorer. I guarantee this will make them smarter. Not only that but kids’ wall clocks are very cheap as a rule. They are plastic and are made to withstand a beating more than their original counterparts.

The bottom line is that you have a lot of options. Do not buy a wall clock without giving at least a bit of consideration to the variety out there.

Constructing a music room inside the house has become a popular choice for modern home owners. Even if you are not a true musician, you can still enjoy the pleasure of having a place where you can unwind and listen to your favorite music. Though music rooms serve a lot of purpose, one particular reason of building it is to exhibit your passion for good music and a chance to showcase your skills to decorate using various music wall decor.

Before you start your own concept of home accents and music wall decor, you should first determine what kind of music room you need and for what purpose.These sets of questions can help you plan and construct a music room that will answer all your future necessities.

1. Will this be a place where you can simply listen to music or will you be playing instruments and practicing with a band?

2. Do you need the room to be sound proof?

3. How frequent will you be using the room? Daily, weekly or occasionally?

4. How much space do you need for the instruments if there will be any?

5. What kind of music wall decor and home accents will best suit your needs?

Music Room Design Ideas

When decorating a music room, the first thing you should consider is how to make the wall and ceiling look more interesting and appealing to everyone. One way to accomplish this is by using music note art and jazz wall art.

Music Note Art

These home accents are among the unique types of ornaments that can truly complement any media room. Music note art can easily harmonize with other decors with its original black and metallic tones. They are also fully customizable so you are free to choose a color scheme for your room. Music note art features fine quality black wire for the staff and notes, and the 26″ music note wall art adds fun with red notes plus clef and some note lines in brass tones.

Jazz Wall Art

If you like the idea of decorating your media room with classic music such as jazz, then jazz wall art will be the perfect addition. Jazz wall art features a saxophone or trumpet. I highly recommend that you use rich metallic colors to accentuate the sax and trumpet for perfect jazz wall art or anyone who loves those versatile instruments.

If you need more ideas and concepts for your media room, you will find hundreds of others in the internet. You can also try consulting professional interior designers if you want to invest more for your music room. Have fun!

When you think of wall art chances are you are thinking about some form of painting, however reality looks much different, there are many different types of wall art. Throughout history people have looked for different ways of expressing their love for art through the paintings they hang on their walls. In this article we will discuss the three main forms of wall art, these are the oil paintings, canvas prints and finally canvas photos.

Oil Paintings

The first types of wall art that we will examine are oil paintings. To put it simply, oil paintings is the term used for painting on canvas with colors that are composed of different oils. Oil paintings have been around since the fifth century, however it wasn’t really until the middle ages that oil paintings became popular in the western world.

In order to create the artwork, the painter will use different oils to get different colors and results on the canvas. Most commonly the paint is made of linseed oil, poppy seed oil as well as walnut oil. The painter will use different kinds of oil in order to generate different effects on the painting. For instance the painter might use one kind of oil in order to achieve a certain type of color, while another kind of oil will have an influence on the drying time of the paint, in order to give the painting a more glossy look the oil is sometimes combined with a resin.

It is most common for oil painter to use a paintbrush to paint with, however some painters use rags or sponges to apply the paint. Oil paintings are traditionally painted on a canvas, these are linen cloths stretched over a frame in order to create a flat plane for the painter to paint on, in recent years however painters have started using cotton fabric since it is much cheaper and can easily be mass produced.

Canvas Prints

The second type of wall art that we will look at is canvas prints. Canvas prints gained immense popularity in the 1990’s with the advances in photography and printing. Canvas Prints are simply paintings that are printed onto a canvas; the canvas is then stretched over a frame and finally hung on the wall. Canvas prints are produced on printers that can print on large rolls of canvas; the most common width for the canvas is 1.5 meters wide while the length is only determined by the size of the painting.

Canvas Photos

The third kind of wall art that we will look at is the canvas photo. In the past 20 years canvas photos have gotten much more popular, perhaps this is due to the fact that people are looking for different ways of decorating their homes with photos. While the canvas photo is similar to the canvas print in the sense that they are also printed onto large canvas rolls. Canvas photos mostly resemble photographs that are printed onto the canvas. These photos are then also stretched onto a frame.

When we are considering the decoration of our homes, it can be easy to get inspiration for colour schemes, furniture and the layout of the room. There are many places to see aspirational rooms in interior design magazines, on home improvement television programmes and by visiting showrooms in a variety of stores. Whilst these may give us an idea for a lamp or lightshade, it can be more difficult to recreate the effect of carefully positioned light sources in our own homes.

With the right lighting, an interior can be really enhanced, but equally, if it is insufficient or excessive, the colours can become distorted and the effect of other interior design features may be reduced. Whilst most people can’t afford the services of a designer to assist them with their decisions, investing a bit of time in planning the lighting of your space can help to get the right result. The good news is that it is the positioning, rather than the price tag that gets the best outcomes.

Firstly, it is important to consider the full range of activities that will take place in that particular room. Your choice of lighting should be tailored to match these activities. For example; whilst a general light may be suitable for most bathroom activities, you may choose to add wall lights next to, or above the bathroom mirror to make it brighter and therefore easier to shave, or apply make up in that area. In this example, wall lights would also eradicate shadows that would be cast by a ceiling light.

In most rooms it is advisable to use multiple light sources in order to create the right feel. Interior designers often refer to these multiple sources as layers of light. These start with general ambient lighting, with task lighting and/or accent lighting adding additional layers. Let’s explain this in more detail. Ambient lighting is the general illumination of the space. Natural sunlight provides good ambient lighting during the day, but ceiling or wall lights are usually used for ambient lighting when the sunlight has faded.

Task lighting is brighter lights positioned in areas where specific tasks will be undertaken that require clear vision. This could be in the form of a reading lamp, or spotlighting above kitchen worktops. Also providing additional light to a specific area is accent lighting. These are lights that highlight a particular feature in the room, such as a painting on the wall and making it a focal point. Accent lighting can help to distract the eye away from less desirable areas in the space too!

As the eye is naturally drawn to light, it is good to ensure that no area in the room is left dark and unwelcoming, so you make maximum use of the space. If the ambient light is leaving an area looking dim, then the addition of wall lights in that area can help to lift it. Wall lights can provide up or down lighting, or with the many options that are currently available, then may even be a design statement in their own right.

If you have multiple light sources, you also have the option of changing the feel of the room by changing the combination of lights that are turned on. As most rooms are used for many different purposes, there are likely to be times when more light is needed for practical reasons, such as the children getting their homework done, but then more ambient lighting is desired for relaxing in the evening.

Once you have planned where your lighting should be positioned, you need to consider the type of light fitting that would suit your home. There are now a wide range of light fittings available, making it easier to find the right colour and style to compliment the period of your home, the existing furniture and other design features. You will need to consider the some practicalities, such as the size of light fitting selected for a particular space and recessed or wall lights can be a better in homes with low ceilings. Many High Street shops only have a limited selection of light fittings that fit in with current interior trends. If you are looking for something specific, or a colour that isn’t this season’s fashion, then you may have more success with an online lighting specialist such as Lights On Lights Off, who can offer a much wider selection.

Lighting is often overlooked, but is an important consideration for any room as it can greatly impact on how the interior space works. Remember to plan around the activities that will take place in the room and use multiple light sources for the best results.

Whether you are out to enjoy the Spring and Summer seasons or simply need a reliable storage container for fishing and other outdoor fun, selecting a foam cooler or foam ice chest is an economical way to keep food, drinks, or seafood catches cold while you’re out having a good time. However, when selecting which to buy, the wrong choice can lead to serious frustration and even food spoilage. When choosing between the cheaper, thin-wall variety (also known as “promotional coolers”) and the thick-wall versions (popularly referred to as “ice chests”), don’t let the seeming cash savings of the cheaper thin-wall product fool you into thinking you’re necessarily getting a better deal.

If you really want to have a worry-free good time and save money in the long run, avoid the thin-walled foam coolers (although their prices are very tempting) and spend just a little bit more to get a higher quality, thick-walled foam ice chest of a similar quality to the sorts of foam shipping coolers used by seafood and meat shippers. Sure, they may cost you an extra couple bucks, but they’re more than worth it for the following three reasons.

Thick-Wall Ice Chests Are Stronger

Nothing ruins an outing at the beach or park faster than having a cheap, flimsy foam cooler collapse and break on you when you’re trying to lug a load of iced down goodies from your vehicle to the campsite or beach spot. Wouldn’t it be great if you had an insulating container that can handle the heavy-duty load of ice, bottled or canned drinks, and foodstuffs without breaking? Foam ice chests generally come with a wall thickness of 3/4 inch or more, and evenly consistent all around each side of the container. This means greater strength and load reliability. The thicker the container wall, the better off you are because the expanded polystyrene (eps) material doesn’t add significant weight merely because volume is larger and denser.

Thick-Wall Ice Chests Are More Leak Resistant

Many of us tend to throw a loaded cooler on the back seat or carpeted floor board of our vehicle, and none of us enjoy reaching for it after we’ve arrived at our destination only to find that the cooler has leaked all over the place. Fact is that a well-made foam cooler doesn’t tend to leak because it isn’t rushed through the manufacturing process. One that is properly built is “fully fused”, which means the individual eps beads that comprise the body and lid have been thoroughly molded together, a process that prevents water from seeping through. If you take a cheap cooler and a quality ice chest and fill them both with water, you’ll very quickly find “sweat” on the outside of the low quality product while the better one stays dry. With that said, not all brands of foam ice chests are constructed with the same level of quality because some companies care a lot more about customer satisfaction than others.

Thick-Wall Ice Chests Last A Lot Longer

Being of a similar strength and rigidity as many types of foam shipping coolers, they can be relied upon for long-term reuse. Great for storage, they are often used for keeping things moth-free in the attic, plus people keep valuable goods in them to protect them from temperature fluctuations. Generally, you can expect to keep yours for many years as long as they are not subject to unreasonable damage due to misuse. The result is that you no longer have to keep buying foam coolers every time you want to go enjoy the great outdoors. This long-term durability applies to the better-made ones as opposed to those brands that are rushed through the manufacturing process for the sake of boosting company profits at the expense of customer satisfaction.

Although there are higher quality “promotional coolers” available on the market, the overload of available brands makes it difficult to know which ones will do a great job. Because these are often impulse purchases, most people don’t want to spend the time to investigate. The way to get around this is to raise your standard and go for a foam ice chest. In the end, you’ll save more money by spending a little extra now, and you’ll save yourself worry and frustration because you know that your food and drinks are protected.

Dry stone walling was originally a popular method for creating boundaries due to the fact that dry stone walls are low cost and consist only of stones, which are easy to source in certain areas of the UK. Many people still use these stone walling techniques for these reasons, but also because of their natural beauty and ability to blend into the countryside. The popularity of dry stone walls is wide spread in the UK, but they are used mainly in Scotland, Lancashire, Cumbria and Yorkshire. The walls themselves are made by using stones and rocks placed specifically so that they interlock, eventually forming a sturdy structure. They are often used for field boundaries, but also as a garden boundary, which is why it is useful for people to know how to build them for themselves.

The First Step
The first thing you need to do is to estimate how much stone you require for your wall. Once you have done that then you will need to find a source of stones. The best thing about stone walling is that it requires stones of various shapes and sizes, so that you can find them just about anywhere. You could go scouring through the countryside (although this could prove very time consuming) or find a recently demolished out-building and request use of the stones that are likely to be going to go to the tip! Alternatively you can buy stones from certain suppliers, limestone is a very popular choice for dry stone boundaries.

How to Build a Dry Stone Wall
Now to the building of the wall itself – this begins by digging a shallow trench in an outline as you want your wall to sit. Once you have done that you need to make the base of the wall from very flat and wide stones. It is important that these stones are all level with one and other. The next layer should have the stones place over the joints of the stones on the base. This is the technique you continue to use as you build each layer. The stones should get gradually smaller as you build a higher wall and remember not to use small stones near the base of the wall as this will cause it to be unstable. There are various dry stone walling courses around the country or if you are not sure that you are up to the job then call in an expert!