Is Your Real Estate Agent in a Hurry?

If any of these statements sound familiar to you, it could mean that your real estate agent is either in hurry or doesn't have an answer to your question. Either way, this could lead to an unpleasant relationship.

Have You Ever Heard the Words:

Don't Worry about a Thing, Will Take Care of You.

Come on That Roof Will Last for Another 30 Years.

I Wouldn't Worry about That, That's Easy to Fix.

How Many Times Do I Have To Tell You, It's Not a Problem.

I'm on Your Side, There Won't Be Any Problems.

With a Little Bit of Caulking, You Won't Even Notice It.

Just Plant Some Bushes in Front of It and You'll Never See It.

The Floor Squeaks, That Gives the House Character.

Or What about the Ever Famous, Are You Going to Buy the House or Not.

Are any one of these experiences familiar to you? Don't be afraid to ask your questions again. Be firm when asking, but please don't be rude and if the answers don't sound right ask someone else to verify or ask your real estate professional if they are positive and know for a fact their answer is correct. It's always good to get a second opinion anyway.

You don't need to do business with anyone that will not answer your questions and is always trying to hurry you along. If you sign a purchasing agreement with a real estate professional you're not getting along with, ask them to let you out of the contract.

With no fees of course, there are other ways to purchase a home if your now old real estate agent doesn't want to play fair.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He has just finished a home buyers guide to take some of the frustration out of home shopping

If you're having problems with your real estate professional, you might give some thought to look in at some home foreclosures, and then contacting someone to help you, after you have found the home that you are looking for. Some real estate agents can be extremely unhelpful

Ten Tips to Create Excitement in Your Bath

A boring bathroom is not the end of the world. It functions well, it serves all of its purposes, but your bath should be a pleasant room to use. You need to stop thinking about bathroom vanities and bathroom mirrors as things that are not stylish and start realizing that your bathroom has the potential to be something better than you could ever image. Here are ten ways that you can turn your bathroom from blah to wow.

1. Bathrooms should be personal. When you are looking for a way to add pizzazz to your bathroom, remember that your family will be the ones that use it primarily. As such, why not add some personal mementos or pictures on the walls? They can create interesting focal points as well as design pieces.
2. Shelving can be art. Instead of relying on bathroom mirrors and bathroom vanities to be the central pieces, you can add a singular shelf to the wall, place a few decorations on it and really turn your bathroom around.
3. Bring in a chair. If you have a larger bathroom, you are probably not using all the space you have. Try bringing in a chair or small table to add some interesting features. You can then decorate the table with something that relates to your dcor.
4. Think about adding flowers. By adding fresh flowers to your bathroom at regular intervals, your bathroom will always seem fresh and exciting. You might want to choose only flowers that are in season for a constantly rotating display, even bringing in seasonal plants for the holidays too.
5. Change your ideas on vases. You do not have to use a boring glass vase to hold your flowers. Try to use things like watering cans and interesting pieces of pottery to change up the room and expand upon a theme.
6. Look at your bathroom mirrors. If you are creative, you can add frosted detailing to your mirror for a new twist on your design. Simply go to your local crafts store to find the materials that you need as well as design stencils that will help you be consistent with the frosting. If you ever tire of the design, you can always remove it and replace it with something new.
7. Change your bathroom vanities. By stripping the bathroom vanity and replacing the finish with stain or another color of paint, you will dramatically change the appearance of the room.
8. Replace your drapes or blinds. By changing the window dressings, you can create a new look to your overall bathroom interior. Change metal mini-blinds to wooden blinds or take them away to replace with gauzy sheets.
9. Take away anything that does not belong in the bathroom. This seems like common sense, but when you want to spruce up your bathroom; you need to take away anything that might be causing it to look too utilitarian. For example, remove the litter pan from the bathroom and find a new home for it.
10. Change everything twice a year. If you just do not know what to do with your bathroom, commit to making one simple change twice a year. This will help you continuously update your bathroom mirrors and bathroom vanities without taking a lot of time or money.

Dave Robert is a VP at Discount Bathroom Vanities Publishing, and an avid fixer-upper who's been restoring old houses for more than twenty years. Readers can tap into Dave's knowledge about home remodeling, and kitchen and bathroom design, at: http://www.DiscountBathroomVanities.com

Finding the Best Garage Doors

If you are one of the millions of people who are in the process of replacing their existing garage door or building a home and garage then garage doors prices are very important. However one should be aware that buying a cheap garage door may not be the bargain you think it is. In terms of garage doors pricing you do get what you pay for. A quality garage door will not only accent your house beautifully but also save you money.

Depending where you live you may need to find a garage door that has high energy efficiency. If you have or are planning to have a workshop in your garage then installing a high R-value door will mean that you can utilize it year around. Obviously if you are planning on heating or cooling your garage a high efficiency door will save you a lot of money. Insulated garage doors prices will be higher but will be amortized by the money saved with lower energy costs. The best garage doors for your home will depend on where you live and your lifestyle.

If you live along the ocean or Gulf of Mexico then more than likely you are also living in a high wind risk area. If you live on the water then you are also at high risk from salt corrosion damage as well. High wind rated doors especially those that meet the Miami-Dade wind code will have higher garage doors prices. They may not be as expensive as you may think so it is worth your while to shop around for the best door at the best prices. Installing an ordinary door could put your family or home at extreme risk in case you are hit with a tropical storm or hurricane. Engineering studies done after hurricane Andrew showed that the greatest risk to your home comes from losing your garage door. Once you lose your garage door to wind it is only minutes before you lose the roof of your home and possibly your life.

Prices range for as little as $450 to as much as $5000 for custom wooden garage doors. An 8x16 good quality steel garage door that has panels constructed of two steel panels that sandwich 2 inches of polyurethane foam with a prepainted low maintenance exterior will average about $1200 dollars installed. A high wind rated garage doors cost will be about $1300 installed in Florida. In some cases building code permits will increase the cost as much as $150. Remember these are country wide average garage door prices.

Remember it is just not smart to cut corners when it comes to garage doors. A quality garage doors pricing can be an indicator of quality. However it is wise to visit your local home improvement store and ask the staff about garage door prices and quality. If you are handy with tools you may be able to install your own garage door and save money. Home improvement stores like Home Depot will be able to assist you with your installation plans. Of course the Internet is a great place to conduct research, but a poor place to find information on prices.

James Kesel, MS, is the publisher of the Garage Doors Pricing Website located at http://www.garagedoorspricing.com Providing information on Garage Doors Prices and the purchasing, installing and operation of a garage door

What to Expect During Sunroom Construction

The exact details of sunroom construction can vary based on the design involved, but there are things homeowners can expect to see fall into place as their dream addition becomes a reality. Although the process is generally not very long, it can create a bit of an upheaval as it is going on.

No matter what type of sunroom is planned for a yard, the basic process will involve these steps:

Design phase - Before a sunroom can be constructed, a design and blueprints will be needed. This will be the case whether a sunroom is built from the ground up by a homeowner or a contractor. The step will also come into play if a kit installation is planned. The kit will be based upon a preselected design.

Permitting - This is often required for the construction of a sunroom or any other home addition that involves structural building. It is smart to check with a local building office before construction begins. A contractor will generally take care of this for a homeowner, but this is not always the case. The blueprints will be required to obtain a permit.

Site preparation - Before a sunroom can go into place, the construction site will have to be prepared. This generally involves removing grass and other growth from the area and also making sure the land is level and ready for construction.

Slab pouring - Unless a sunroom will sit on an existing concrete patio, a floor will need to be created. This will be the first step in actual construction.

Building - The last phase of construction will involve the actual preparation of walls and the roofing system. It may include electrical work, as well.

Inspection - If permits were necessary for construction, a final inspection may also be required before the project will be signed off on.

Sunroom construction does involve a detailed process. This is designed to help ensure the final product meets expectations.

For more information on sunrooms, sunroom additions and related topics, visit DIYSunroomsInfo.com

New Home Buyers Beware

Ican't believe how many homebuyers purchase a house, with very little information and a Lotta hope. I'm a general contractor and often work on these homes, after they have been purchased and a homeowner has their money, the real estate professional is no longer involved in the transaction and the new homeowner is starting to experience the pitfalls from buying the home, that they sincerely believe was in good condition.

It's usually somebody like me that gets involved with the new homeowners after everyone else is out of the picture and chooses not to return their phone calls or explains to them quite simply, it's not our responsibility, you're the new homeowner and we really feel sorry for you, please call us again if we can help you with anything.

You couldn't even help me with that, why would I want to call you again if I had a problem. I never could understand this thinking but have ran into it often. It sounds like an oxymoron when someone refuses to help you but offers you help in the future. What ever!!!.

If homebuyers had something else to rely on besides their real estate salesperson, home inspection service, mortgage or insurance professional, I believe they can eliminate some of these problems. Where do you start and how do you get the information. You can gather information from reputable people, books, the Internet and so on.

The problem is how do you know these people are reputable and the books on the Internet have good information. This brings us to another problem, but I've got the solution that will help eliminate some of the grief. I'm not going to remove all of the grief from your life but have a suggestion for you that will eliminate some of the pain when buying a home.

Arm yourself with a good home inspection checklist. You can search the Internet and they have quite a few good home inspection checklist to work with. These checklist can provide you with things you might not have thought of, and this is where you can eliminate some of the problems.

If you took one of these checklists with you while you were shopping for a home, you would be aware of some of the problems with the home. You might not find all of the problems but these checklist will help you with some of the problems.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He has just finished a Home Buyers Guide to take some of the frustration out of home shopping.

If your looking for some more home inspection or home building ideas.

Should The Bible Be Edited

Be the Best

So, what does it take to be the best in the world, or, to be the best in YOUR world?

THREE STEPS:

The most crucial first step in achieving a goal is to get out there on the edge and make it big. In the words of Donald Trump "If you are going to think anyway, you might as well think big." When you bite off more than you can chew and declare to the world that you are going to do something amazing, this boldness motivates and excites you to tackle your challenge and invest the appropriate amount of energy into it. Anything less and you just won't care enough.

YOUR BOLDNESS motivates and excites you to tackle your challenge and invest the appropriate amount of energy into it. Anything less and you just won't care enough.

And that is exactly why being bold works. If your chances of succeeding at anything in life are directly proportional to the amount of energy you invest into it, then being Bold is really all about ramping up your commitment level regarding your goal.

When you are bold about what you have set out to accomplish, the energy you invest into achieving it will result in a motivated vision of your success and the formulation of that most crucial vision is the SECOND STEP. Your vision will keep you on track and will be your road map that will guide you on your journey. Your vision will become your reality by changing the way YOU behave toward your pursuit of your goal in the following three ways:

1. A bold vision will prepare you for failure - even make you welcome failure as a PART of your success
2. A bold vision will provide you with a way to deal with and conquer your fears.
3. A bold vision will provide you with the energy you require to push yourself beyond your personal limits.

And finally, the THIRD STEP in accomplishing a goal is to be bold, and to simply BEGIN IT. Just start the journey - bite off more than you can chew, then focus on the next bite, then the next, then the next. And don't forget - you are ALWAYS STARTING your journey! EVERY step is the FIRST step in the rest of your journey.

Do you have any goals that you just don't seem to be making any progress on? Reached a kind of dead-end? That proverbial "brick wall"? Maybe a task at work, a financial goal, or a personal goal like weight loss, improving your fitness, or a challenging relationship?

What if I were to suggest that maybe the problem isn't that the challenge is too big for you' Maybe the challenge isn't big enough. Is your challenge safely within your comfort zone?

Is there a way you can nudge your challenge from INSIDE your comfort zone into the bold "think big" zone. It doesn't take much, just a bit - just enough to excite you and motivate you to tackle your challenge.

When you think about your challenge, it should get your heart pumping - that's always my test. My wife calls it the bathroom test because every time she thinks about her upcoming Ironman race, her bowels start working and she has to run to the bathroom!

Secondly, have you developed a clear VISION of your success? Do you visualize your success day and night? Do you want it so badly that you would do anything to get it?

And finally, if you can do those two things - be bold about your goal and develop a clear vision of your success, then all that is left is simply to BEGIN IT. Take your very next step toward achieving your dream. Motivational Speaker.

About Greg Kolodziejzyk:

Greg Kolodziejzyk is a Motivational Speaker , and successful software entrepreneur who holds 2 Guinness world records for the most distance travelled by human power in one day on both land and on water. Greg has also completed over a dozen Ironman triathlons including qualifying for and competing at Ironman World Championships in Hawaii.

Greg's next project is something that has never been done before. He plans on crossing the Pacific ocean from Canada to Hawaii under his own power in a custom made, 24 foot long x 3 foot wide completely encapsulated pedal powered boat.

After 3 years of speaking to school kids about his various world records, adventures, accomplishing goals and the benefits of staying active and healthy, Greg is now passionately focused on spreading his message to a wider audience by building a keynote motivational speaking career.

Greg's motivational speech titled "Bold!" is an impactful commentary about the kind of attitude that it takes to accomplish a dream. Greg has lived his life by the words of German Poet Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe "What you can do, or dream you can do, begin it, for Boldness has genius, power and magic in it." Greg's spirit is contagious and his message is vital.

http://www.human-power.com

Rich Brother Rich Sister - Two Different Paths to God, Money, and Happiness by Robert Kiyosaki

"Rich Brother Rich Sister: Two Different Paths to God, Money, and Happiness" by popular author Robert Kiyosaki and his sister Emi Kiyosaki is an interesting and enjoyable book. At first, I really didn't know what to expect with this new direction Robert Kiyosaki has taken, but I did enjoy this newest book by the author of "Rich Dad Poor Dad."

One of the first things a person can learn, is Robert Kiyosaki knows how to make money. After make a lot of it with his book about Money, Kiyosaki is now exploring the areas of spirit and health, two other topics that rank high on the money making list of book topics. And Kiyosaki states right up front that one of the reasons he wrote this book with his sister was to make money and help her pay medical bills and become a millionaire too.

Even if Kiyosaki is capitalizing on his fame to write a book in a different genre to make even more money, that does not take away for the interesting stories about his and his sister's lives and lessons they learned. I think many people ask the same or similar questions about life, God, spirit, etc. Kiyosaki has now shared some of his questions and the answers he has found.

At times, I felt the book was a bit redundant. Some things are repeated unnecessarily, and at other times I felt a lack on continuity between the portions written by Robert and those written by his sister Emi. However, considering the very different paths their respective lives took them along, it is easy to see why the chapters do not flow seamlessly. Additionally, at times I felt they were reaching a bit to try and make spiritual lessons from certain examples. Some people might even think that the book is a bit "preachy" with Kiyosaki's own beliefs on morality.

These small things did not take away the enjoyment I got from reading the book. I liked the portions written about Robert Kiyosaki's life a bit more than his sister's, but that may be because I am more familiar with Robert and his other works, and I also spent time in the military, so I enjoyed hearing about his service and how it influenced the rest of his life. As someone who has also studied Buddhism, I did like learning of Emi Kiyosaki's journey into her Buddhist faith.

There are sections of the book, that if you read as a book to learn from, you can gain valuable lessons to apply to your own life. I think this is true with most biographies, but this book makes a point to illustrate certain lessons. Robert and Emi Kiyosaki are both teachers, so I guess it is hard for them not to teach. There were sections that blared "here's a lesson, listen up!" I for one liked the lessons included in this text. There were lessons on life, living, money, Buddhism, all combined in one book.

I think if you are a fan of Robert Kiyosaki's other books, you will enjoy learning more about him. If you are not a fan, you probably won't even read this book, and you might just be missing out. After reading this text you may just have a greater respect for where Robert Kiyosaki came from and what he is trying to do. I know I do.

Alain Burrese, J.D. is a mediator/attorney with Bennett Law Office P.C. and an author/speaker through his own company Burrese Enterprises Inc. He teaches people to live with the warrior's edge through his writing and speaking on a variety of topics focusing on the business areas of negotiation and success principles as well as self-defense and safety topics. He is the author of Hard-Won Wisdom From the School of Hard Knocks, several instructional dvds, and numerous articles. You can find out more about Alain Burrese at his websites http://www.burrese.com and http://bennettlawofficepc.com

Home Selling Tips - Best Real Estate Advice Ever

One of the most important things to remember when selling your home is to keep it as clean as possible. If you need help or don't have the time to organize your stuff, you can hire a home staging professional in your area. Ask your real estate professional for more information.

1. Remove any clutter from the home and place it in storage. Do not store this stuff on the property if you don't have enough room. Storing clutter in closets or in your garage, will often make these areas look smaller. By removing clutter or even large pieces of furniture, the rooms will look larger.

2. Disconnect yourself emotionally from your home. This is a big problem for people who have lived in their house for long periods of time. If you've raised a family here, the children could have emotional ties also to the home. Some home sellers are looking for someone special to buy their home, if you've got the time and money to wait, you can be selective but be careful, because the longer you wait, the market could go up or down.

3. When your real estate professional is showing the house, it's always a good idea to leave the home until the potential homebuyers are gone. One example of this would be if you were in a bad mood or didn't have a good day and were a little upset at the world. Your mood could cause potential homebuyers to lose interest in the property. I've seen this more than once.

4. Make sure everything is operating properly. This would include doors, door knobs, windows, kitchen appliances, garage door openers, cabinet drawers, bathroom fixtures, toilets, faucets, lights, switches, electrical outlets and anything else that moves, slides, turns or rotates that is part of the home.

5. The Interior and exterior walls of the home should be in good shape. Make sure there's no termite damage, wood rot, peeling paint, broken windows or holes in the walls.

6. Make sure the flooring is in good shape. Some real estate professionals will suggest, replacing the carpeting with a neutral color. This method often works pretty good but I have seen plenty of homes that were re-carpeted and after the home was purchased the carpeting was replaced again, by the new owners. Just make sure the flooring is in good shape.

7. Here's a trick that definitely works a little magic when selling a home. Leave some cookies or a nice fruit bowl on the dining room table. There is no need to leave a sign that says "Eat Me". It gives the home a warm feeling, almost like a country atmosphere.

8. Even better than home selling tip number seven would be baking some cookies just before the perspective buyers arrive, it's not the cookies, it's the smell from the cookies that most people cannot resist.

These are just a few home selling tips but the most important is to keep the inside and outside of the home clean.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He has just finished a home buyers guide to take some of the frustration out of home shopping.

Don't buyers sell a home without checking how the problems with poor home repairs.

Impact Of Christian Mentors

Impressive Newsletters to Help Make Money on the Internet

The main goal for web site business owners is to attract as many visitors to the site as they possibly can. There are many different ways that you can accomplish this important goal, with some techniques being much more effective and that will help you to make money on the Internet. As an online business owner, you need to devise a plan that will help you spread the reputation of your web site.

One of the most effective ways of increasing the number of people that know about your site is by sending out an email newsletter. The newsletter needs to be created in a very impressive manner so that more people will want to come and visit your web site. As you incorporate different techniques into the creation of your impressive newsletter, you will be able to make money on the Internet.

Unique And Special
A companys newsletter must be completely distinct and unique from anyone elses newsletter. If your newsletter stands out from all the others, then more people will remember it and will want to be a part of the company. If you think of all the newsletters that you have ever read, they are the ones that are appealing and extremely attractive to the eye.

Publication
Create newsletters that have the possibility of being published on other sites on the Internet. Millions of customers surf the Internet everyday and it is one of the most commonly used forms of media in todays society. If business owners can create newsletters that really stick out on a computer screen then people will spend more time looking at them and it will increase their desire to buy the products or services.

Keywords And Phrases
Using certain words or letters in the newsletters will also attract more people. Remember to use variety in your newsletter, because that is what people are looking for. Sometimes newsletters can be created to look exactly the same as others, but people like to look for new and exciting things. Using variety can make your newsletter much more interesting to see.

Graphic Designer
Artistic techniques can also make your companys newsletter very attractive to viewers. If you have to, hire a graphics designer or artist to put different designs and pictures on to the newsletter. This can help save you a lot of time and also help you to ultimately make money on the Internet.

Colors
Enhance the attractiveness of the newsletter by adding impressive colors. Colorful newsletters are one of the best ways to increase their visibility to the public. People definitely notice colorful newsletters and pay more attention to them.

White Space
The use of effective white space is also very important to increasing the visibility of newsletters. Sometimes designers make the newsletters too complicated to read or see and it becomes difficult for people to distinguish what it is. Strategically putting white space in a newsletter will help people to better understand what the newsletter is all about.

Court is a make money internet expert and also provides internet marketing services.

By God's Good Grace Alone

I breathe; I stand; I urinate; I laugh; I cry; I drive a car; I break bad habits; I feel; I knock; I cogitate; we can make love, my wife and I; I can admire and adore; I sit; they revile me; we please people; I try hard and don't give up; we possess things; I act gracefully; I repent and forgive; I read and write;

We play with each other; I experience joy and sorrow, peace and turmoil; I walk; I talk; I listen; we pick things up with our hands; I tie my shoe laces; we have family; we know love; I help someone; I feel good about it; I trust and respect others; I produce children;

We watch them grow; they develop--physically and spiritually, and ideas for living--from us; I have a gender, a personality, and a uniqueness; we stub our toes; we experience all emotions from bliss to anguish; I choose--we choose--they choose;

We can dance and sing; I can think and imagine; I can stay up or lie down; we can work; we can rest from work; we can reflect on the good we've done; I can balance my life; I can them and they can help me; I can know things and share this knowledge; I can choose and then live by my values;

We share the experience of life; we can love or hate; I can choose to accept his offer of divine salvation; finally, I will die.

We will all die one day... having lived. By God's good grace alone we can live forever.

Copyright 2009, S. J. Wickham. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

Steve Wickham is a safety and health professional (BSc) and a qualified lay Christian minister (GradDipDiv). His passion in vocation is facilitation and coaching; encouraging people to soar to a higher value of their potential. Steve's key passion is work / life balance and re-creating value for living, and an exploration of the person within us.

Moisture Against Gravity - Destroying Walls

Well I'm going to start this article with a little information on a job I did once.

I had been repairing a rental house for one particular homeowner for about three years when all of a sudden I got a phone call from him telling me the rental house was destroyed and he had never seen nothing like this. He sounded so upset over the phone I told him I would meet with him immediately.

On my way to the house I was trying to get an idea in my head what the house was going to actually look like. Since I have been repairing rental properties for over 20 years at this point of my career, nothing really shocked me. I had pretty much seen everything that could possibly be done to rental property by the tenants that lived there. There is a lot to be said about taking care of it as if it were your own.

He was waiting for me at the front door and he looked thoroughly disgusted. As I approached him he was shaking his head and yelling at the same time can you believe these people, can you believe what they did to my house. I was expecting to see the front door ripped off and all the windows broken out of the house but this wasn't the case.

As he led me through the home and I could see the usual clothing on the floor, broken cabinets, a few holes in the walls and of course that awful smell of mold and mildew. All of this stuff was nothing new to me because I'm the guy they call to fix it when a renter moves out of the property.

As I entered one of the bedrooms I got my first glimpse of something I had never seen before but heard stories about and could not believe my eyes. Looking at the walls in the bedroom about 3 feet from the floor all the way around the room, the plaster was soft. It actually looks like someone shoved popcorn into the wall somehow.

The homeowner wasn't even looking at this because of the rest of the damage in the home. I started to explain to him I'd never seen nothing like this but I could guess it was water damage somehow since the plaster was soft. I could actually stick my finger into the wall, that's how soft the plaster was.

My first thought was to examine the carpeting a little closer to see if it was wet. Well it was damp but it wasn't as wet as I would've expected it to be with the amount of water in the walls. With a little more home inspecting I had found the culprit, it was a broken water bed. The water bed was now in the backyard looking innocent.

I couldn't believe a broken water bed could do this much damage so I looked around for broken or leaking water pipes and could not find any. The other bad news I had to inform the homeowner was that the water had damage the bathroom and closet walls also. These walls of course were on the other side of the bathroom walls that were damaged.

Well the point of this story is that water will actually wick its way up or worked its way up into a wall. I had to remove 4 feet of drywall all the way around the room. The plaster or drywall actually acts like a sponge pulling the water into the walls. Hard to imagine that gravity in this case seems to reverse. I would've never thought that water would've traveled so far up the walls creating that much damage.

To repair the rental property I had to remove the damaged drywall, remove the carpeting, dry the wood framing out and put the whole thing back together.

I'm still amazed and will remember that project for as long as I live.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He is currently working on more Building and Remodeling Library and adding useful content to help solve problems created by the lack of construction knowledge in the building industry.

Visit us and get more information on House Water Damage

Are Your Prayers Being Answered

Recovering From a Failed Home Project

Everyone has a home project haunting them from their past. The objective was to upgrade their existing home, but it just didnt turn out the way they originally envisioned. When this happens, what do you do now? I always smile and say Punt! In the real world we cant punt, but we do have choices. One solution is to make it a work of modern art or the more common decision is to fix the problem and finish as planned.

Lets assume you have all the correct tools and are skilled on how to use them. If you are having problems using your tools, you might want to find a contractor to fix your project. So what was the original problem that caused your project to fail? I can answer that in a few short words for a large majority of failed projects, lack of correct pre-planning. The really comical thought is that to discover the problem on your failed project is the same process as doing a proper pre-plan.

The purpose of this article is to explain a concept so we will use an extremely simple problem, however the process will work on all types and sizes of projects. You just installed a new sink in your master bathroom. The color and texture and size are all correct but for some reason it just doesnt line up with the existing countertop and wobbles from end to end. Along the way you must have forgotten a step or took a shortcut to have caused this. The way to fix this problem is obviously to pull the sink out and figure out how to install it correctly. Before you do this, do a work breakdown structure (WBS). This is a common pre-plan task all good managers working on high dollar projects use. This is a practice that also applies to home projects and is a useful way to find your fix. A WBS is exactly as it states, your work broken down and itemized creating a structure and path to follow.

Start at the top of your paper pad and state your objective. In our example we will use Install a new sink. Then we divide that objective into deliverables. In the sink example I write; purchase the sink, remove the old sink, prepare countertop, and prepare plumbing. Next we have to further divide these again into assignments. Assignments are action items or tasks. The following is how I would write this using our example of the new sink.

Install The New Sink

• Lay the sink in the cutout
• Anchor the sink
• Hook up plumbing

Purchase the sink

• Gather existing sink dimensions
• Window shop stores for new sinks
• Decide on new sink that fits dimensions
• Shop for best price
• Purchase sink

Remove Old Sink

• Turn off the water source
• Unhook all plumbing
• Release sink anchors attached to countertop
• Remove sink

Prepare Countertop

• Make sure the countertop will support the new sink
• If necessary install additional support
• Make sure cutout will accept new sink
• Adjust cutout if necessary
• Make a clean surface on which to rest the new sink on

Prepare Plumbing

• Measure the sink drain and faucet connections
• Record existing plumbing dimensions
• Prepare plumbing to accept new sink connections
• Proper length of pipe
• Have Teflon tape available for plumbing re-install

Now we have our tasks. Reading through our example, I see that I did not measure the proper length of the plumbing drain pipe causing the sink to wobble and not fit securely. This is a very simple example but it illustrates the concept that a proper pre-plan and diagnosis will allow you to accomplish a correct fix instead of a fix that just hides the actual problem. Applying this concept to your more difficult projects around the house will help identify the possible problems and solutions before you even start.

If you find this information useful you should visit the site http://www.homedesignfloorplans.com where you will find lots of interesting articles related to this topic provided by Robert Kempe.

Robert Kempe has 15+ years in industrial construction and industrial engineered manufacturing as a project manager and a part time home inspector. Through his experience he has been able to simplify and make sense of home building and designing in what looks to be a complete chaotic project and decision making process. His articles will guide you through the most difficult decisions and make it a positive uplifting experience.

Three Costly Roofing Mistakes to Avoid

If you're looking for "DIY Roofing" information, you've come to the right place. You can save a lot of money by doing the work yourself IF you avoid these costly mistakes.

DIY Roofing Mistake #1 - Ignoring safety precautions.

Did you know that roofing is on the top ten list of most dangerous occupations? Statistically, it is even more dangerous than being a police officer or firefighter.

Falls are probably the biggest danger, but certainly not the only one. There are hand tool and power tool hazards. You can easily get cuts, burns and puncture wounds. Eye injuries and back injuries are common.

There are electrical and fire dangers. And if we can't get in enough trouble on our own, Mother Nature throws her own hazards at us in the form of wind, water, ice, heat and lightning.

It's great to save a lot of money by fixing your own roof... but it's not worth life or limb to do so. Don't even think about getting on your roof until you've taken the proper safety precautions.

DIY Roofing Mistake #2 - Poor choice of roofing systems.

Some of the dangerous situations above are inherent in the type of roof you choose. For example metal roofs are notorius for being slippery to walk on. They can be treacherous if there is any moisture on them AT ALL, even a little dew.

Also, keep in mind that various systems have various slope requirements. For example, putting asphalt shingles on a roof with 1:12 slope is not just against the building code and manufacturers' installation instructions. It will probably leak all over the place, resulting in premature roof failure.

Some systems that might survive a marginal application fail completely at areas where leaves or ice accumulate.

DIY Roofing Mistake #3 - Incorrect fastener placement.

It is extremely important to get your fasteners in the right place. You may be installing thousands of them and JUST ONE in the wrong area could cost you hundreds of dollars in unnecessary roof repairs.

Can you imagine the problems you could have with dozens in the wrong place? That's another way that roofs need to be replaced too soon. Do yourself a big favor and take the time to learn where those fasteners go.

Of course there's a lot more "DIY roofing" information that you need to know. To make the job easier help you and avoid big mistakes go to: http://www.roofingsecrets.com

John C Bishop is the author of "Roofing Secrets: How to Avoid Leaks and Save Thousands of Dollars!"

10 Common Characteristics Of Successful Business People From Your Strategic Thinking Business Coach

It seems that some business people always seem to be prosperous and successful and are able to easily attract clients and more revenue? While other business people seem to struggle constantly and despite their hard work and sincere efforts, they do not prosper and are not successful. Did you ever wonder about why this is true? Could it be an attitude or mindset? Your Strategic Thinking Business Coach recalls from several past books, seminars and workshops that the attitude or mindset one has toward his or her business plays a very critical role in the level of success in that business.

So how can we describe this mindset, which is an intangible thing? Perhaps, if we think about some positive characteristics we see in those we consider to be prosperous and successful, we can develop a mental picture of the attitude or mindset of successful people. Your Strategic Thinking Business Coach offers the following list of ten (10) characteristics that are common among successful business people.

Successful business people:

+ recognize and accept the value of their business and themselves

+ define and trust what they believe is their purpose in business and life

+ visualize and focus on positive outcomes in their business and their life

+ maintain a work and personal life balance

+ develop and maintain a support system of people with similar mindsets

+ maintain a level of self-confidence about their business and personal plans and actions

+ maintain a keen awareness of their vision, mission and goals for their business and their life

+ seek outside advice

+ recognize and admit their limitations

+ exhibit their passion in what they do in their business and personal lives

Your Strategic Thinking Business Coach encourages you to strive to acquire and demonstrate these characteristics in your business and personal lives. If you would like to learn more about how a strategic thinking business coach can facilitate and guide you in that endeavor, please contact Glenn Ebersole today through his website at http://www.businesscoach4u.com or by email at jgecoach@aol.com

Glenn Ebersole, Jr. is a multi-faceted professional, who is recognized as a visionary, guide and facilitator in the fields of business coaching, marketing, public relations, management, strategic planning and engineering. Glenn is the Founder and Chief Executive of two Lancaster, PA based consulting practices: The Renaissance Group, a creative marketing, public relations, strategic planning and business development consulting firm and J. G. Ebersole Associates, an independent professional engineering, marketing, and management consulting firm. He is a Certified Facilitator and serves as a business coach and a strategic planning facilitator and consultant to a diverse list of clients. Glenn is also the author of a monthly newsletter, "Glenn's Guiding Lines - Thoughts From Your Strategic Thinking Business Coach" and has published more than 325 articles on business.

To find out more about the benefits & rewards of effectively working with a strategic thinking business coach, please contact Glenn Ebersole through his web site at http://www.businesscoach4u.com or jgecoach@aol.com

Checking the Building For Square

The most important thing when building a home is the ability to keep everything as square, plumb and level as possible. Starting with the foundation, if the foundation is not square or level, the rest of the house is going to be out of alignment.

You've probably heard the saying, start with a good foundation. This applies to the building industry as well. There are quite a few ways to build a square foundation, it all depends on what kind of tools you have, to build it with.

Some of these tools can be quite expensive but it used every day can save you a lot of time and of course time is money.

You don't need expensive tools to build a square foundation. You could actually build a square foundation with less than $100 worth of tools. It might take you a little longer but could be done.

Let's start with the 3 - 4 - 5 rule.

Okay lets see if I can explain this in layman's terms. If no West side of the foundation is 3 foot and the north side of the foundation is for foot, then the diagonal measurement from the southwest corner to the northeast corner would be 5 foot. Out of square building can create foundation problems

This can also be done using 30' x 40' should equal 50 foot. You can use this if the building is large and you need to check it for square.

By measuring the foundation diagonally from each corner, the measurement should be exactly the same. If it isn't, the building is out of square and should be adjusted before the concrete is poured. This measurement should always be checked before you get too far along in the form building process.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He has just finished a Home Buyers Guide to take some of the frustration out of home shopping.

If your having problems in your attic, find out more at concrete contractor basics and home building ideas.

Was Jesus A Good Example

Goals to Live by and Guild Your Life - Self Help Tips

The start of the new year is a traditional time to reflect on the accomplishments of the previous year and establish goals for the future. Our family started setting goals when our children were still in grade school. We sat at the kitchen table, each with a blank page of paper before us. We encouraged them to be creative and dream big. The variety of my families goals surprised me. Some of their goals were loftier than others. They included:

- Skydive

- Finish college

- Invent something

- Travel to all 50 U.S. states

- Be in the Guinness Book of World Records

My husband and I also set big goals for ourselves. After each session, I typed up our goals. I printed each of our goals separately and mounted them in picture frames posted outside our bedrooms where we would see them every day. Several times a year we take them down and review our progress. We note the completed goals, make modifications or add new goals. New pages are printed and inserted as the top sheet in the frame. We have been doing this for 15 years now. During the review process, we look back on previous year goals are tucked behind the glass. When we reflect on our progress, I'm delighted to see how many of these big goals we have accomplished. Wally Amos is one of the most inspiring and goal focused people I know. I had the chance to visit with him recently at his cookie Chip and Cookie store in Waikiki. Wally says there are no big goals. According to Wally, some goals just take longer to achieve than other goals. If you get an opportunity to visit Oahu, Hawaii, stop by to say hello to Wally and sample the cookies at his "Chip and Cookie" stores. Where do you what to be next year? Start off 2009 by setting goals for yourself.

April M. Williams, Career Coach and Public Speaker - Have the courage to change!

And now I would like to offer you my free weekly newsletter of career and networking tips http://www.AprilMWilliams.com/

Getting the Right Contractor For Constructing Your Deck

When planning to build a deck, most people find it difficult to select a reliable contractor, more so when they have no past experience in this area. To overcome this hurdle, what you can do is to look around at the decks that seem attractive to you and then find out who the contractor of these decks are. In this way, it will be possible to build a list of contractors about whom you can be confident as to their expertise in the deck building arena. Another way to select a good contractor is to apply to your local chamber of commerce for suggestions. Whichever way you obtain a list, make sure to interview the potential candidates personally before you arrive at a decision. During the interview process, give a correct idea to the contractor of all the things you want him to build on the deck so that he can provide you an accurate estimate of the cost that you will incur for constructing your deck.

Hiring an experienced person is always a wise course to pursue. You should look for a minimum of three years' experience in your contractor as this will have provided him all the skills needed to do a satisfactory job with your deck. Apart from this, it is essential that you work with a licensed contractor to avoid legal problems that may occur later. It is also crucial that the firm you hire has a good insurance coverage which can come in very handy in case of accidents caused to the workers during construction or any harm to your property. Taking precautionary measures like checking up with the insurance company after having taken a copy of the insurance policy of the firm will further help you avoid future complications.

Another thing that will help you choose the right contractor is to ask for references and personally ensure that other people who have hired your contractor have a good opinion of him. In this way, you can also verify whether the contractor has a reputation of meeting deadlines and staying within the prescribed budget. When formulating the contract, make sure that the contractor specifies every aspect of the deck like the materials that will be used, how the payment will be made etc.

After having finalized on the correct person for the job, you should arrange a place in your yard for storing the lumber required for the job. You should also see to it that utilitarian aspects of your house like the gas lines, water lines, electrical wiring, drains etc. do not come to any harm when constructing the deck. Obtaining all the necessary permits that are required for the job so that the work can be carried out smoothly without any hindrances is a must. Finally, you should take care to periodically inspect the progress of work so that you end up having the deck that you have always dreamt of.

Adam Peters is an online entrepreneur and writes for many consumer magazines. Gather more information and resources on starburst deck railing at http://www.deck-porch-railings.com/starburst.html

The Bible's Power Over One Child

I mentioned Sean in another one of my articles, the story of a young foster boy that we were taking care of. Sean's father was my ex-wife's uncle, and they were going through some tough times for a while and their three children ended up as wards of the state. We eventually ended up taking the oldest child because he was the hardest one to place and another home. His brother and sister ended up with a family that wanted to adopt them and eventually Sean went to live with them and I believe all three of them were adopted by this family. I don't know this for a fact though.

Sean was a emotionally damaged child. His parents would punish him with some strange and bizarre punishments. They weren't really physical punishments but seemed to leave the emotional scars on him and I often think about where he is and what he is doing.

We watched him for about a year and I learned quite a bit from this young man. He was in the third grade but was still at the first grade level for reading and math. I would spend a couple of hours each night during the week helping him with his schoolwork, I seem to have created some sort of allusion that I would be able to bring him up to the third grade level within a short period of time. Wrong. He must've had learning disabilities and of course I don't think I was that good teacher.

Sean was easy going, polite and extremely obedient. He would do anything to avoid getting in trouble and often blamed others for his mistakes. His punishments must have been more than he could bear before he arrived at our home. I think you're getting the picture about what kind of a child Sean was.

One day I found myself in a dilemma with Sean, I couldn't get him to tell me the truth, even though I knew he was lying. I forget what the problem was but I remember a hollow look in his face. It was almost like he wasn't really there. It was almost like he was just doing time, sitting on the bed, listening to me asking the same question over and over again, "Sean are you lying", but he wasn't even paying attention.

I normally would not punish my children for accidents, and never tolerated lying. I was trying to explain to him that he wasn't going to get in trouble, I just wanted to know the truth. He wasn't budging at all and stuck to his story. I remembered that his mother and father were Catholics and feared the church, almost as much as they loved it.

That's what I came up with my evil plan. I don't know where I come up with these ideas, but every once in a while one pops up in my head and I run with it.

I told Sean that I was going to bring the Holy Bible in, and if he could swear on the Bible that he was telling the truth, I would accept that and this would be the end of our conversation. I couldn't believe my eyes, as he started crying and screaming, frantically and excitedly as a yelled out, I did it, I did it, don't bring the Bible in, I won't do it again.

I couldn't believe that was all it took to get information from him. I have always been a pretty good interrogator and found myself gathering information from those people easily, but this was amazing. His fear of the Holy Bible got me thinking about how powerful this book actually is to some people. I remember when I looked upon this book, pretty much the same as Sean did.

It's just a book, like any other book. It's not made at a holy factory or a secret monastery in the Swiss Alps somewhere, it's made from paper and ink and can be damaged and destroyed like other books. I would be surprised if I threw the Bible into the fire, that it wouldn't burn. I would be even more surprised, if I seen three men standing in the fire, wait a minute that's another story in the Bible.

Is it possible for this book to actually control the lives of people. It seemed to control Sean, I wonder if I, could have actually been driving a nail home that his parents started. Could I have added to his belief, that the Bible is a book from God the creator of everything.

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development.

Greg is currently working on a video library filled with great movies on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion. Simple Words Create Powerful Beliefs.

Will All Men Ever Hate Jesus

Bathroom Moisture Problems - Home Remodeling

Right above my bathtub in my master bathroom the paint is peeling off the wall. The area is peeling above the tile in my bathtub and shower combination. I tried to glue the peeling paint back and only made the situation worst.

First things first. The paint is peeling because there is to much moisture in the bathroom while you are using it. Do you have any windows you can open or a ventilating bathroom fan. If you have a window crack it open part way while you are showering.

The water droplets will accumulate on the walls and drip into any cracks. Right above the tile grout is a great place for moisture to accumulate. Oh yeah moisture loves grout and drywall. If you have any unpainted areas or an area that has cracked. Guess what you have now.

Your paint is peeling because the bathroom gets hot and cold. Moist and dry. If you have the door and windows shut. You just created a moisture trap. Most people prefer their privacy and will closes the door when using the shower. Well then open the window and let some cold air in while you are taking a nice warn shower. I don't think so. Most showering fools don't like that idea either.

Ok one more idea keep the windows shut so you don't let the cold air in. Then lock the door so no on barges in on you. If you have a ventilation fan turn it on. This will at least pull fresh air in from under the door and send the moist air out of the house.

But the fan is so noisy and I can't enjoy my nice warm vapor producing shower that will eventually cause me to get sick from mold particles floating around in the air while I am using my bathroom.
Does this about sum it up for you and don't we all do this from time to time. We want to enjoy our shower time, so we close up everything and when we are in our bath sauna environment relaxing our house is getting some damaging moisture that could cause mold and mildew.

Open a window or door a little when you shower. Get some air circulating through the bathroom and prevent damage to your nice house.

Put up with a little inconvenience for you homes sake and your pocket book.

Greg Vanden Berge has been in the home building and remodeling business in California for over 30 years. With this knowledge he has created a few websites that provide useful information for home owners as well as contractors. His main goal is to educate professionals in the home related businesses, dealing with problems that can easily be avoided with just a little bit of information.

His website provides all kinds of answers to remodeling and new house building in North San Diego Home Remodeling Carlsbad Home Remodeling

Visit us now for Bathroom Ideas

When to Hire a Home Painting Contractor

When dealing with home painting, it is often best to consider all options before choosing the best way to go about accomplishing the goals the homeowner has set for him or herself. The homeowner can either hire a professional to handle the work, hire some buddies to help out or can do the entire project alone, without any help from anybody. The last option is often where homeowners get into trouble, but realizing when to hire a contractor can save a good deal of time and money for the homeowner.

Being honest about how complicated a project may be and hiring a home painting contractor to help with the work is often the first step in ensuring a beautifully painted home. Unfortunately, not all homeowners are wise enough to make this decision and instead make poor decisions that end up hurting the quality of the project. Knowing when to hire a contractor and avoid any mishaps that may come about as the result of amateur work will not only save time and money, but can save the homeowners sanity as well.

With less mishaps or mistakes, homeowners will feel less stressed out by the entire project. A home painting contractor will be trained in how to deal with many of these mishaps and can act accordingly when they present themselves. Being able to effectively manage a project and deal with unforeseen problems that may arise may be the best thing for the project. Only a professional contractor has been properly trained in this manner and can offer this skill to his or her clients. A good home painting contractor will truly care about the project as well, putting in the extra effort to ensure that the client is satisfied with the work being done.

Hiring friends to help out with a project is an option that many homeowners choose when deciding to get work done on the house. While this may save money in labor fees, as many homeowners do not pay their buddies to help them out, they will often pay for it by sacrificing quality. Bonding with their friends should be done at a barbecue, and not on ladders when dealing with a complicated home improvement project. If nobody knows what they are doing, then the project will not get done in a way that is satisfying to the homeowner. This can cause even greater frustration and annoyances and can make the experience a negative one.

A home painting contractor will also be able to offer helpful advice when the homeowner is planning the project. Deciding what type of paint to use and what colors complement each other nicely can be a great help to homeowners that may not have had any experience in this aspect of home improvement. Their experience often comes in handy when dealing with the planning phase and can be a great help to the homeowner as he or she develops their ideas. Deciding where they want the project to go is important and involving the contractor will help the two parties get on the same page.

More information on College Works Painting home repair for your home is just a click away.

Change Your Thinking About Life

What do I do when I get down and out. Well that use to happen to me often and I seemed to suffer with some minor depression. It would seem like time would stand still. I would look at the clock and notice the time. Let's say 2:23 in the afternoon. I would look back to see what time it was about fifteen minutes latter and it would be 2:26. Wow what in the heck is going on with this clock.

I just couldn't believe it seemed like the day would never end. I would just sit there and think about all the stuff going on in my life, good and bad of course. This seemed to last until I was in my early twenties. I just didn't want to feel like this any more. I made a Conscious design not to get depressed period. I never wanted to feel like that again.

I read a book on ESP and in the book it described visualizing a rose as you went to sleep. I started doing this every night and while I was doing the exercise it seemed to make me feel relaxed in a way I never had felt before. The reason for the exercise was to teach you to visualize something peaceful. This in turn would put you in a peaceful state of mind.

Then a thought came into my noggin. What if when ever I start to feel bad or seem to be going into a sort of depressive state of mind I change my thoughts. It worked... I would start to visualize something else that made me feel comfortable and give me a peaceful feeling. Man was I surprised with my results.

Keep in mind I didn't think of this all on my own but I did put the pieces of the puzzle I needed to together that I needed to change my life. It seemed like I could use this form of self control in different parts of my life. If I was at work and someone made me mad.... Well this didn't work all the time... I still got mad. Let's pick something else OK.

I would worry about something on the job that wasn't going right. Then I would get irritated over something else that wasn't even related to what I was worrying about. Why did I take it out on the other person when what I was really mad about was something else. We do this all the time in our lives. We seem to get mad, get even or give up. Why do we do this and what can we do to stop it.

My main point to all of this is we can change our thinking and change our lives. We can learn new things to change our thinking. We don't need to give up hope that we will always be like this. Change the things you don't like about yourself. Do it today. If you need some help there is a great book that will help you change your life for the better.

You can find it at http://www.live.spiritualideas.com This book has a lot of tools to create the change in your life you want to have a more full filling life.

Most people give up just when they're about to achieve success. They quit on the one yard line. They give up at the last minute of the game one foot from a winning touchdown. Ross Perot.

Start Living Your Dreams Today and Create a Wonderful Life For Yourself And Your Family. Greg Vanden Berge is one of the best inspirations on the planet. You will be hearing a lot about this guy in the future. You can count on it.

Impact Of Christian Mentors

Do-It-Yourself Garage Floor Coating in 4 Simple Steps

Garage floors are one of the more unfortunate parts of garages along with garage roofs and garage doors. Why? They get stepped on. They get greased on. They get dumped on hard. Abused, misused and often mistreated, garage floors depreciate faster than monetary units in third world countries on a bad day.

How can a garage homeowner reform himself and start paying heed to a battered garage floor screaming for immediate attention?

Step 1: Do your homework. Gather the materials as well as the protective gears and proper tools and equipment you will need for the garage floor renovation. You will need several materials such as rubber gloves, working goggles, brush, paint tray, medium-sized paint roller, extension handle for paint rollers, concrete degreaser, concrete sealer, and an electric fan.

Step 2: Vehicle fluids, oils and grease prevent the sealer from sticking and remaining onto the concrete floor surface. Prepare your garage floor before coating by cleaning and scrubbing the concrete and ridding it of any long-standing dirt, grease and oil. Use a scrub sponge or brush and a degreaser solution. For stains and greases that are harder to remove, allow the degreaser solution to soak thoroughly onto the stain for 20-30 minutes or as recommended by the degreaser solution you are using. After soaking with the degreaser, hose down the floor with clean water.

Step 3: Allow the concrete floor garage to dry. Once your concrete is dry, you may proceed with the coating. It is important to read the coating instructions of the garage floor coating. Test a small floor area of your garage with a flat paintbrush first before applying to the whole garage floor. This way, you will be able to test and achieve the desired result.

Step 4: Once you have the result you want based on your test coating, you may proceed with coating the entire garage floor, section by section using your medium size paint roller and paint tray. Do not forget to wear the proper safety and protective gear the entire time you are coating. Also, open the garage door or turn on an electric fan while coating your floor to air out the toxic vapors from both the degreaser and garage floor coating. These may be harmful to the lungs when inhaled.

JB Anthony is the webmaster of http://www.buildyourgarage.com To browse for affordable and quality garage floor coating, to link to garage floor coating manufacturers and other garage product manufacturers, or to read more free Do-It-Yourself Build Your Garage articles, simply log on to http://www.buildyourgarage.com

Christianity Saved Me From Something

I would like you to think about something for a minute, have you ever met somebody who has been saved in a Christian church. There's a good chance you know quite a few people if you live in the United States of America. Over the years I've heard people tell me, "I've Been Saved," it can be a new beginning for some or lead to a life of frustration and pain for others.

If you don't know what being saved is, or have never heard of it, let me give you a brief description of a saved Christian. This would be someone who accepts the Lord Jesus Christ as their savior, it's not that difficult and you really don't have to go to church, this ritual can be performed anywhere.

If you're reading this article and would like to be saved, here's how you do it. Get up out of your chair, run outside the building you're in and start running up and down the streets yelling, I accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, 1111 times. Be careful because if you missed this by one number, in either direction, you have to start all over again.

Okay I'm just kidding about the running out of the house, and yelling at the top of your lungs, oh yeah and the 1111 times. Anyway the truth about being saved according to the Christian church, is quite simply saying the words to your self or out loud, "I accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior."

That's it, it's really quite simple and your saved.

The problem becomes a little bit later in your life and this could be within a few days or even a few hours, if most people don't see a drastic change in their life, they quit their newly founded Christian religion and go back to their old ways.

I hope you have a pretty good understanding about being saved in the Christian religion and you can do it anytime of the day, at any period of your life. If you're going to die and you been a liar, committed adultery, murdered or raped another person, lived a life of crime, ruined the lives of others or even been part of another religion you're whole life, simply state the words "I accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior," and you're instantly a Christian. That's a pretty good deal for anyone.

Oh yeah I forgot to tell you, this simple statement gives you a one way ticket to heaven and spend eternity in one of the grandest most beautiful places you could ever possibly imagine, even though you might not have been, what most people would consider a decent person. Now this is looking pretty good isn't it.

Being saved can provide you with a lot of benefits if you're a believer but I forgot to tell you one very important thing about this whole process. There is no hard evidence and most Christians will tell you that they base their whole life on faith and a book written by a man but inspired by, one unbelievable, supernatural and incredible entity.

I've seen a lot of people live their lives tormented from the decisions they've made throughout their lives. If you choose to believe in Christianity, I would suggest you spend some of your time reading the Bible but most of your time gathering information about other religions also. Don't take someone else's word, that this is the way to eternal salvation. I beg you to at least, find out where the Bible really came from, always question your religion.

Education has freed me, to pursue other ideas and release me from the bondage and fear of organized religion.

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development. Check out one of his recommended books, The Four Agreements

Kundalini Activation - How Self Hypnosis Helps Kundalini Enlightenment

If you ever hope to access the Kundalini energy that lies hidden within your chakras you may need more than a little Kundalini activation help. This power is hidden within you laying dormant until you either find the mental clarity to tap those resources for yourself or experience moments of great need that bring them, unbidden, to the surface. If you seek to make these chakras do your bidding you are going to need to devote some time and energy into learning to control them so that they work in unity and on demand. This is much easier imagined than accomplished.

What is the Kundalini Path?

The Kundalini path is literally the path to enlightenment. Followers of this path believe that there is a living power within each of us. Enlightenment is the ability to unify various chakras within us so that they will work in harmony with one another. The path to enlightenment is a journey in this belief and one that is well rewarded. Kundalini activation help is not the easiest help to find though there are a few excellent resources that will provide insight and guidance.

Unifying the Energy Within

Through conscious effort, it is often difficult to unify forces that are generally opposed or work independently of one another. To do so on a subconscious level is an even greater feat for those who accomplish this. Once you learn to unify the energy within yourself there will be little you set your mind to that you cannot accomplish.

The Kundalini Awakening

Many people experience some degree of let down when their Kundalini first awakens. No matter how often you are told and expect there to be no unity there is still an initial sense of disappointment that follows that initial thrill of excitement. Don't allow yourself to dwell on what didn't happen. Choose to focus on the positive and realize that you managed to wake your Kundalini. This is an accomplishment to celebrate even without control.

Tantric Kundalini Awakenings

Couples will want to explore tantric Kundalini activation help for an amazing experience that defies all others. There are stark differences between Kundalini awakenings that are achieved through yoga and those that are achieved through tantra. If you get nothing else from this, understand that to experience this awakening with a lover is an experience that defies words.

Hypnosis Help With Kundalini Awakenings

Listening to recordings and self hypnosis can help you train your subconscious mind to awaken your Kundalini. If you need Kundalini activation help you will probably find that self hypnosis is an excellent source of assistance not only for the actual activation but also when it comes to gaining control.

Begin an Amazing Journey

Are you ready to leave the shell of yourself behind and find a completely new plain of existence? Are you ready to experience more of everything than you've ever imagined possible? If so, today is the day to seek Kundalini activation help and begin exploring life on an entirely new and exciting level.

J. Seymour is a writer with Self Help Recordings. 'Discover Kundalini Activation' is an excellent recording by Steve G Jones, who offers twenty years of experience through these recordings. To find out more, visit Kundalini Activation Help. A range of other self hypnosis products can be found here - Kundalini Self Help. All of the recordings on Self Help Recordings are backed by an impressive sixty day guarantee, so to find out more simply click on the links.

Cost Effective Stair Building

What is the most cost effective way of building stairs? Why do the tract homes use on site methods of construction? When you think of a factory assembling a product on a assembly line you think why not a home. Why do they still build homes on lots or residential home sites?

If homes could be built in a factory cheaper than on site that is exactly what every home builder would be doing. They just haven't quite figured it out yet. When dealing with the large amounts of materials required to build a house and of course the expense of shipping. It is not cost effective to build a conventional home in a factory and ship it over long distances.

This is the biggest problem with cost effective stair construction. Most prefabricated stairs you will notice are spiral stairs. These stairs are smaller than most stairs that are used for multi level construction.

Spiral stairs are hard for your average carpenter to build. These stairs can be purchased from a factory easily and quite inexpensive.

The stairs in your average two story house are going to weigh about 3 times the amount of a spiral set of stairs that could be shipped in a cost effective way. Spiral stairs are not going to be the main stairway in a home and normally go up to a loft or an attic. Most spiral stairs don't meet the minimum building requirements for the main stairway in your home.

When building tract homes the lumber is shipped in bulk directly to the house site where it will be assembled. The lumber and other building materials will be shipped once. If it went to a factory and then assembled it would also have to be sent to the site on which the house was to be built. This added expense in shipping the materials twice is the problem for such a large and heavy item such as a set of stairs.

There are other prefabricated types of stairs that are built locally and the shipping usually is not a major expense. If you are building a stairway that is not to difficult to build for the average carpenter it will normally be cost effective to build the stairs on site. This would require having the carpenter build the stairs as part of the rough framing and then after drywall have the finish carpenter build the stair handrail system.

Visit us now for easy Home Constuction Help

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He is currently working on more building stairs books and adding useful content to help solve problems created by the lack of construction knowledge in the building industry.

Does God Make Mistakes

The Art and Science of Painting Your Home Interiors

So you want to have your home painted right? But you're not sure who to contact and how much you should pay, as well as what services to expect from the painting contractor you hired? In that case, you should do your homework first about what to expect when you undertake painting your home as a home makeover project.

First of all, you have to understand that painting your home is not one all-in-one job done by a one-size-fits-all contractor. Painting your home can be subdivided into the areas of interior and exterior painting, which are two very different fields altogether. As their names suggest, an interior painting job will involve painting the internal parts of your house while an exterior painting project encompasses all the external parts of your home.

For this article, we will focus on interior painting, which is more complicated than exterior painting.

First, in interior painting, your contractor and his team will remove all the furniture from the room they will be working on so that no paint splatters on them. Then, your contractor will tell you what paint brands he plans to use for your room, and present certain color schemes that he hopes you will like as the color schemes for your room. Some clients like to use different color schemes for every room, while others like to have a common theme throughout the interiors and exterior part of the house.

It would be great if the painting contractor is skilled in using paint software to visualize the house before choosing paint color, under your watchful eye of course. This then leads you to the problem of what kind of finish to choose for your interiors you can choose between the gloss, semi gloss, eggshell, flat paint types, among others. The rule of thumb to follow is that the better the sheen of the finished product, the more durable it actually is under regular wear and tear.

A gloss paint finish may also refer to the satin paint finish, which is a good type of paint to use if your contractor is not that experienced, or if you are painting children's rooms or trim which may require a degree of washing to clean them from crayon or pencil scribbles. Gloss paint is also used for furniture painting as well, due to the durability and modern appearance it gives to chairs and tables. Semi gloss and high gloss paint finish reflect more light than a gloss paint finish. Semi gloss alone is advisable for use on kitchen and bathroom walls which require a lot of exposure to water during periodic house cleaning blitzes.

Eggshell does not have much of a sheen to it since it absorbs much light, kind of like a matte finish. You can use eggshell paint finish on interior walls that may need it rather than flat paint which does not allow surface dirt and substances to be washed off as well. Flat paint, on the other hand, is generally used to cover up surface defects or application imperfections (like when the painter uses the brush in the wrong direction from his previous applications.)

Remember that the function or purpose of the room you will be painting should dictate what finish you finally use it for. When the interiors are done, you can then move on to exterior painting of your home.

Extreme Makeover Pros is your affordable contractor serving Orange County, Ca. for nearly 25 years. Specializing in Home Improvement For more details visit http://www.extrememakeoverpros.com

In Search of Vintage Bathroom Vanities

Do all things with a nostalgic echo stir up some wonderful memories in you? Do you earnestly believe that classic pieces are defined by unparalleled elegance and charm, and that one must celebrate their timeless intrigue?

Thankfully, you are not alone in your attempts in taking a trip down memory lane. And before you are convinced that your dreams of recreating that magic of yesteryears will remain nothing but a black hole, take time off to admire some simply breathtaking vintage bathroom vanities.

They manage to infuse life into bathrooms that seem to be floundering for breath with impeccable refinement and unmatched sophistication.

That Unmistakable Regal Touch

Antique looking classy bathroom vanities are crafted from solid antique wood, with a detailed china top. That's really the secret to their intriguing, almost bewitching beauty. Modern-day advances ensure that the magnificence of exquisite, intricate carvings and etchings are protected with the help of chemicals.

If there's even an iota of doubt about the quality of these vanities, here's a pronouncement that is sure to gladden many hearts. The quality of these antiques is exemplar par excellence, as they are carved from high density fiber board that is further enhanced with a superb stain finish. Antique water faucets and antique brass and ceramic hardware only add to the ethereal appeal.

And before you make snap judgments about the functionality, or rather the lack of it, these vanities surprise you with an enormous amount of storage space.

Selecting One Could Take You Ages

You may find it rather hard to resist the exceptionally beautiful appearance of these bathroom vanities, but there's something else that you are sure to find more arduous. Just try your hand at picking your favorite, and you'll be able to comprehend the enormity of this decision.

There's the Antique Oak Record Cabinet for bathroom vanity that takes your breath away with its sawn oak construction, smoldering bronze faucets and pristine white sink. It is a spectacle that promises pure, unrestrained happiness. For those that believe in uninhibited opulence, the Marble Top French Dresser is both unique and rare.

Whatever you choose, you are sure to have a bathroom that will become the cynosure of all eyes.

Here's exactly how you can generate 100's or even 1000's of positively brilliant Bathroom Remodeling Ideas... FAST ! And you could easily increase your home's value by several $1000s fast with these 25 street-smart tips for Dirt Cheap Home Improvement

Hiring a Contractor For Bathroom Remodeling - Remodeling Contractors

Well here's the age old question, how do we go about finding a decent bathroom remodeling contractor.

Here's some things you will be looking for in a contractor.

1. Is Your Contractor Fair and Honest?

2. Does Your Contractor Have Experience Remodeling and Designing Bathrooms?

3. Can You Actually Find a Contractor Who Will Complete the Job in a Timely Manner?

4. Do You Think the Workers Will Be Able to Clean the Job up Daily?

5. Will the Contractor Show up on Time?

6. Is the Contractor Going to Work At Least Eight Hours a Day?

7. Does the Contractor's Crew Have Experience?

8. Is Your Contractor and His Crew Courteous?

If you find a contractor for your bathroom remodeling project that has answered yes to all questions above, hire that person immediately. Most contractors can sincerely answer yes to half of the questions above. If you're looking for the ultimate bathroom remodeling contractor, you could be searching for quite a while, you're looking for some one that is competent and you feel comfortable with.

When hiring a contractor, look for someone who has your interest in mind first and not theirs. Find someone who is willing to help with the designed process of your bathroom and the remodeling. If you find a contractor to be arrogant or controlling, there is a good chance, your bathroom might not turn out the way you envision it.

When hiring a contractor for your bathroom remodeling project or any home improvement project, the most important thing to keep in mind is, whether or not you feel comfortable with this person or not. Never hire a contractor you're not comfortable with.

If a contractor is referred to you by someone you trust, this does not guarantee you will be happy with the bathroom remodel. Most referrals that I have gotten over the years are like rolling the dice, I believe I would have done just as good picking a name out of a hat.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He is currently working on more building stairs and adding useful content to help solve problems created by the lack of construction knowledge in the building industry.

Should The Bible Be Edited

In the Nature of Humanity There is No Hope!

Feeding, nursing, caressing, counseling, and religiously washing the old nature of fallen humanity will not save anyone. The only way a child of God can be produced is when a person "is born of the Spirit." The flesh must die, for there is no other cure. The religion of humanity loves an outward show of rites, rituals and ceremonies (Colossians 2:20-22), but these will not lead us into right relationship with God. Rather, it is the inner change of our nature, and the heart transformation that only Christ brings; that is the hope for our salvation.

"Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations- 21"Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle," 22which all concern things which perish with the using-according to the commandments and doctrines of men? 23These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh." (NKJV)

Everything that has to do with our former nature will "perish with the doing," because they are born of the flesh. In Matthew 15:11, Jesus said, "Every plant which my Father hath not planted shall be rooted up." (KJV)

[i]"These words were spoken by the Lord Jesus to those whose religion was of the flesh and consisted in ritualistic washings and making long prayers. They were those who honored God only with their lips, and not with their life. They thought a person was defiled only by, "that which goeth into the mouth" (Matthew 15:11, KJV). Jesus declared these words to religious men (Scribes and Pharisees) who "teach for doctrine the commandments of men" (Matthew 15:9, KJV), and made more out of "that which goeth into the mouth," instead of "that which cometh out of the heart."

Such was the reason for this discourse between the Lord and the wayward religious leaders. For no matter how much they loved their religion, in and of itself, it can save no one, because the flesh cannot be converted by the works of man.

Remember, it is impossible for you to make your own heart clean. The old nature cannot be cleansed, and the new nature needs no cleansing, "For the heart of man is full of deceit and desperately wicked." Only Jesus can remove your old, fallen, carnal, corrupt, sin nature, and give you a new heart. The Word of God tells us, the only way we can receive a "clean heart" is through redemption. This truth destroys the modern idea of 'making men better without converting them.'"

If we are justified by grace, why are we trying to be sanctified by the works of man? Such thoughts come under reproof in Galatians 3:3, "Are you so senseless (unintelligent) having begun by the Spirit (the new nature) are you being made perfect in the flesh?" ([ii]Darby).

The Fallen Nature At-A-Glance

When Adam fell, humanity became guilty of sin. His sins formed what has become known as the carnal, or fallen nature within us. It is for that reason that we have become inheritors of the sin nature. The Bible states, "All have sinned and come sort of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23)

The nature of fallen humanity is desperately wicked - there is no hope in it. We cannot clean it up, purify, self-help or improve upon it. The only way we can overcome it, and it's eternally destructive traits, is to exchange natures - throw out the old, put it to death, through the sacrificial death of Christ, and receive His new nature in its place.

Our nature comes from the begetter, and the begetter of sin, is Adam. Since our nature determines everything we think and do, God had no choice but to reject all who bear it, and thereby, keep them from cohabitating His presence. This rejection does not mean that God hates humankind; rather, it simply means that He, the holy God, cannot and will not allow sin to dwell in His presence.

The sign of His great love for us, even in our fallen condition, however, is that He sent His only Son, Jesus, to die in our place, so that we through Him, might be freed from sin, and the nature of fallen humanity.

That is the reason David prayed, "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free Spirit" (Psalm 51:10-12, KJV).

Notice that David did not pray, "God, please counsel evil out of my heart," or "Through my self-will, and continued efforts at self-improvement, O God, make my heart holy." The reason such prayers won't work is simple, the only way to be saved, and wholly sanctified, is for God to create a new heart, a spiritual heart, in place of the fleshly, lust-driven, heart of sin that we possessed from birth. Truly, our only hope exists in His ability to change us into His likeness, from the inside out!

[i] The Two Natures in the Child of God, E.W. Bullinger. Published: 1999. Publisher: Truth for Today.

[ii] Darby Translation of the Bible or Darby's New Translation. Translated by John Nelson Darby. Public Domain

Tom Cannon is an experienced author, and has written numerous books, including; "Two Faces in the Mirror," "Servants of the King," "Mountain Empire" and "Changing Natures." He is the director of Destiny Ministry, Inc., and ministers worldwide in conferences, churches and seminars.

For more information on this topic, or to purchase books, head on over to Amazon.com, http://www.TomCannon.org, or http://www.DestinyMinistry.net bookstore.

Book Preview: Google Book Search

Email: destinyministry@gmail.com

Read more blogs at: TomCannon.org.

House Pocket Door Problems

Just a few months ago I went over to repair a pocket door that was closing at a weird angle. This was the first time I had ran into this sort of situation and was definitely confused. I got a flashlight and started looking inside the pocket door frame. I had a hard time finding the problem but when I did it was obvious.

As the pocket door was sliding closed it would work perfectly but when you went to open it the bottom of the door would stick out about an inch and a half passed the door jam. The problem turned out to be the track was missing a screw in the very back and as the door slid back into the frame the tracking would hang down at an angle from the weight of the door. There was no way to reach the screw because it was at that very back of the pocket door frame near the framing itself.

In order to fix the pocket door problem I was going to have to remove a good sized area of the plastered wall at the upper right hand corner of the pocket door frame. This was the only thing I could think of and would require a simple wall patch and some paint to make the repair complete.

This job took me about one hour to cut the hole and replaced the screw that had fallen out of the pocket door tracking. I then use some fast setting drywall plaster and some fiberglass drywall tape to repair the wall. This took another hour to finish the drywall properly.

Some pocket door problems are a little easier to repair than this one. Most pocket doors seemed to have problems sliding and eventually are left closed, never to be used again.

Painting the doors over and over again can actually add to the thickness of the door or excessive moisture in the home over long periods of time can also cause the door to swell preventing it from opening properly.

Painting the rollers themselves or the track that the rollers ride in can create a problem with rolling the door easily and effortlessly. If the pocket door rollers or tracking is damaged they will have to be repaired or replaced, obviously. Some people actually spray silicon on the rollers or grease the pocket door wheels and over time the track becomes caked with dried grease and dirt making the door hard to open and close

Here's one most people don't ever think about and yet I have faced this problem more than once. "The Dreaded Picture Hanger". Most people don't realize that the pocket door will not operate very well with a nail driven through it. I have had people complain about their pocket door not operating properly but they can wiggle it a little.

When I come upon a situation like this it usually just requires removing the nail that the picture is hung upon.

I have also seen instances where the home has been remodeled and new floor trim or door trim has been installed. The finish carpenter using his nail gun without changing to a shorter nail has himself nailed the pocket door shut. This could be a big problem because the nails are so thin they could be hard to remove.

Well that's all I can think of for pocket door problems that I have ran into for now. Until the next article have fun remodeling your home.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He is currently working on more Building and Remodeling Library and adding useful content to help solve problems created by the lack of construction knowledge in the building industry.

Visit us and get more information on building and remodeling your homes and Vista Door Repairs