Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Many people add a sun room to their home, or convert their screen porch into a sun room.When you have a great screened porch, you naturally want to use it more often. Homeowners decide to convert their screened porch to a sunroom, 3-season room, or to find a way to temporarily enclose it. When converting a screened porch to a sunroom, your options are:

1. Build an Addition. Some refer to their addition as a sun room, especially if it has many windows and is the sunniest in the house. For our purposes an addition is a room with tempered, insulated, UV-protected glass. Walls are insulated, so for all practical purposes it becomesadditional living space in your home.

Porch Enclosure Systems clear vinyl & canvas roll-up curtains

2. Build a Sun Room or 3-Season Room. A less expensive option is to replace screened areas on your porch with a single pane glass and screen system, or convert it into a 3-season room. A 3-season room

Porch Enclosure Systems roll-up curtains allow you to keep your outdoor space.

3. Enclose Your Screened Porch With Roll-Up Curtains. When your main interest is in spending time outdoors and protecting your furniture and belongings, you can keep your porch with roll-up curtains.

Roll-Up Enclosure by PES

It seems like a no-brainer: you want more living space, or to enjoy your outdoor space longer. Many peoplecovert their screened porch to a sun room, three-season room, Florida room or lanai. Others build on a sun room without ever considering a screen porch. In many cases, it seems easy to convert your screened porch into a sun room by replacing the screen sections with sliding glass door panels (option 2).

If you are building a screen porch, your contractor may suggest building a sun room instead, with the promise that you will get more use out of it, the additional cost is not that great, and it will add value to your home in the long run. The contractors salesman may suggest the room will be like a screened porch if you open up all the windows.

People glass-in screened porches, then try to make them into living space. They quickly realize that the space is hot in the sun and cold at night or in cold weather. The logical next step is to add space heaters and an air conditioner. Suddenly, you have an inefficient room that is a utility bill nightmare to heat and cool.

They then move their furniture out into the sun room, leaving the living room or family room as an unused space between. Once you move the TV out to the sun room, the family room just becomes a hallway to the main hangout room. When the sun room becomes the main hangout room, the family might start watching TV there during the day as well, when the light through all that glass reflects off the screen, making it hard to see. The logical next step is to add curtains or other window treatments to the sun room windows.

So, what started out as a nice spot to sit in the shade, out-of-doors, away from the bugs, ends up turning into a family room made of a conductive material, nearly impossible to heat or cool, and kept dark with window shades.

Why not let porches be porches? For those that love the great outdoors, the point of a porch is to be in the environment, listening to the birds, crickets or water, not in an enclosed space indoors. Once you glass in a screened porch, it becomes something that is not a porch and the room leading to it may also become useless.

A screened porch, on the other hand, is a quasi-outdoor space, used when the weather permits, and as such, does not end up dominating the home. The living room remains the living room, and the porch remains a porch.

PES roll-up panels being added to this screened porch. No more pollen and a clear view.

Laura Gourley, a homeowner in Stevensville, Maryland said she loves her porch and uses it often, but the weather in Maryland is hit or miss. We really love our screened porch, but wanted more use of it year round. We had looked at making our porch a permanent enclosure [as a sunroom] but it is outrageously expensive to add glass, so the Porch Enclosure Systems product was a great alternative. PES offers all the same year round living advantages of a sunroom while maintaining the charm of the porch and connection to the outdoors.

There are advantages and disadvantages to all types, but the screened porch has a lot of advantages over the sun room:

1. Cost-to-Build Comparison: A screened room can be less than half the cost of a sun room, as screened panels are very cheap to make. Heres a cost comparison:

18 x 24 sun room $36,000 (double-insulated glass, a 6 foam panel ceiling, and complete deck)

10 x 15 sun room $18,000 (single-pane glass, a 3 expanded paper panel roof, no foundation work)

15 x 15 screened porch $8,000 (pan roof, screening, two doors, concrete and prep work)

2. Permitting: A sun room is living space, so youll need a permit to build one. Youll need architecturaldrawings, the structure must be up to code, and your local permitting office will inspect the structure as you build. Be warned: the building permit process often triggers your homes value to be re-assessed, so expect your property taxes to increase subsequently.

3. Electric:As living space, a sun room requires electrical outlets about every 6 feet on all walls. For exterior walls, this often means floor outlets. You also need lighting and a switch as you enter the room. Unless you can DIY electric, add the cost of an electrician to your total.

4. HVAC:Everyone wants to expand the season of a three-season or sun room by adding heat or AC its your new family room and naturally, you want to be out there! For a glass-and-aluminum room though, this can be expensive. Sun room owners often choose strip heaters because they are comparatively easy to install but the tradeoff is, theyrethe most expensive way to heat. Depending on where you live, in winter heating your sun room can cause thealuminum frame around the double-paned glass to collect significant ice, sometimes inches thick. Air conditioning creates similarly expensive cooling and moisture problems because most porches and sun rooms are just not built for efficient heating and cooling.Trying to make these types of rooms into year-round living space might be more expensive than simply building an addition on to your house.

5. Little Increase in Resale Value: The sun room builder or salesperson might argue that adding such a structure increases resale value of the home. This argument is most valid for stick-built sun rooms; they typically add abouthalf the value of your sun rooms construction cost to your home.

Many of our Porch Enclosure System clients tell us,the cheaper the room, the more they enjoy it. Big expensive sun rooms are nice, but never a real living space, other than for occasional parties. Even with the windows open, they feel too indoorsy to act as a porch.

It is very easy to over-improve a home. Dont think you will necessarily recover the cost of a sun room you build. If you add one to your home, you should think of it as something you will get value out of from pure use and enjoyment not as an investment that you hope to recuperate at some point down the line.

We at Porch Enclosure Systems say, let porches be porches! The beauty and enjoyment of a screened porch is that it is not a three-season or all-weather enclosure, but rather a room for use when the weather is pleasant, and a way of enjoying the outdoors.

This PES customers porch contains a fireplace & overlooks a pool

The beauty of a Porch Enclosure System is that you can protect your porch and furnishings from the elements. You can also extend your enjoyment of the screened porch because the clear press polished vinyl sheet glass panes create a greenhouse effect when your Porch Enclosure System is deployed, warming your outside area and giving you a place to escape on a warm winter day. They also help our customers have happier outdoor parties in the summertime! Dont cancel plans because of weather, simply deploy the Porch Enclosure System and keep the party going.

This customers screened porch remains an area that connects his family to the outdoors

Our screened porch & patio enclosures protect your home or business from snow, rain, pest, pollen, colder temperatures and even dust. When the weather turns, quickly convert your screened porch or patio for year round use.

Take our Guided Tour today for a sample estimate. If you like what you see, you may choose to create an account with us and:

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Screen Porch vs. Sun Room: Pros, Cons & Other Options

Tom McDonald & Associates Experienced, Professional, Trusted - are delighted to offer one of the finest properties to come to the market in recent years.

Within close proximity to Monasterevin and the M7 Motorway with easy access to Dublin, this Luxurious 4 Bed, 5 Bath Detached Family Home (approx. 3,415sq.ft) with an address atBishopswood, Portarlington, Co. Offaly, R32 E8W8 comes with a Large Detached Outbuilding to include Garage/Workshop, Car Port, Gym, Games Room, Music Room, Kitchenette, W.C., Furness Room & Storage Room with Hot Water Tank.

Situated on a Private Site extending to approx. 0.6 Acres and accessed via an Electric Gated Entrance & Tarred Driveway.

This Impeccable Property is just minutes drive to Portarlington Town Centre & All Amenities. Built to the Highest Standard, this Stunning Property boasts Numerous Features throughout.

The Exquisite Entrance Hall with Panelled Walls showcases the Beautiful Staircase leading to the First Floor.

The Expansive Open Plan Kitchen/Living/Dining Area has a Quality Fitted Kitchen with Feature Island and Quartz Work Surface.

The Step-Down Living Area has a Feature Stove with Brick Surround.

In addition to the Dining Area, there is a Separate Dining Room with Large Window overlooking the Rear Garden.

The Separate Utility Room is what dreams are made of with Ample Floor to Ceiling Storage, American Fridge Freezer, Integrated Ovens, Laundry Area with Laundry Shoot from the First Floor and a Fully Tiled W.C.

There is also a Panelled Office & Separate Playroom off the Open Plan Kitchen/Living/Dining Area. The Main Living Room has a Feature Open Fireplace.

The Sun Room adjacent to the Living Room is Triple Aspect and has a Wonderful Vaulted Ceiling.

There is a Bedroom on the Ground Floor with a Fully Tiled En-Suite, an Ideal Space for Visiting Guests. All Bedrooms are En-Suite, 1 Bedroom has a Dressing Room and 1 Bedroom has a Walk-In Wardrobe.

The Family Bathroom has a Feature Free Standing Bath & Tiled Floor.

The Large Outbuilding which is Alarmed houses an Expansive Garage/Workshop with Electricity; Car Port with Parking for 2 Cars; Gym; Games Room; Music Room; Kitchenette; W.C.; Store Room with Hot Water Tank & Furness Room.

To Truly Appreciate this Unique Property and All it has to Offer, it Must be Viewed. The First to see will Buy!!

Services Include:

Well & Mains Water, Electricity, Broadband & Septic Tank. Zoned, Dual Fired Central Heating Oil & Furness. Built c. 2001. BER NO: 115365603.

Asking Price - 475,000

Accommodation:

On Site

More images of this property can be viewed on http://www.tommcdonald.ieand https://tommcdonald.ie/properties/bishopswood

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Tom McDonald and Associates present one of the finest properties to come to market in years - Kildare Live

This project is a deep cleaning, so no area gets left behind. The vanity needs to be washed, as does all the hardware. You'll be surprised at what's dripped onto the vanity when you get on the floor to see it closely. You also may question your family, wondering, does anyone get toothpaste in the sink?

Most vanities are wood, so let's talk about how to clean wood cabinets. For unpainted cabinets,Murphy Oil Soapsuggests gathering one bucket of clear, warm water, one bucket with your wood cleaner mixed with water, an old toothbrush, and a couple of soft rags. Using the cleaning solution and a rag, wash your cabinets. Use the toothbrush to get in tight corners and crevices. Use another rag dipped in the clear water to rinse. Dry the cabinets thoroughly.

Use warm water and dish soap for normal build-up if you have painted cabinets. If they are beyond normal, use a mixture of one cup vinegar, two cups warm water, and one tablespoon baking soda. You can also add a drop of dish soap (viaFive Star Painting). Wipe down hardware with a wet rag, or you can remove it and wash it in the sink.

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How To Deep Clean Your Bathroom And Keep It Clean - House Digest

Gov. Ned Lamont on Thursday increased Connecticuts drought response for New London and Windham counties as potential threats endanger water supplies, agriculture and ecosystems.

The two jurisdictions were designated as Stage 3, identifying a moderate drought based on an assessment of precipitation, surface water, groundwater, reservoirs, soil moisture, vegetation and fire danger conditions.

[Hartford area rainfall is below normal; Connecticut drought warning urges reduction in water use, targeting garden sprinklers]

Residents and businesses are asked to reduce, to the extent possible, water use. The last Stage 3 designation in Connecticut was in October 2020.

All other counties in Connecticut will remain in Stage 2 that Lamont declared on July 14. At that level, notice is given of an emerging drought intended to boost awareness. Level 4 indicates a severe drought and stage 5 is an extreme drought.

The governor blamed conditions on climate change.

Connecticut continues to experience the impacts of climate change with this exceptionally dry summer, and while the entire state is experiencing drought conditions, we are seeing the most severe of those conditions right now in the areas of New London and Windham counties, he said.

Jim Smith, a co-owner of Cushman Farms in Franklin, a family-owned dairy farm with 1,800 cows, said in early August he was hauling 27,000 gallons of water a day to make up for the rain deficit.

Its an added expense, he said. Its frustrating. The northeast corner has done very well with rain. The southeast corner and central (Connecticut) . . . weve missed a lot of the storms.

In contrast, last year was wet, with deluges of rain at the rate of 4 inches an hour, causing erosion, Smith said.

The U.S. Drought Monitor for Connecticut says the eastern part of the state is in extreme drought. Under those conditions, crop loss is widespread, Christmas tree farms are stressed, dairy farmers are struggling financially and business increases for well drillers and bulk water haulers, the Drought Monitor said.

The remainder of eastern Connecticut and northern areas are in severe drought and Fairfield County and parts of the shoreline are experiencing moderate drought.

The National Weather Service is forecasting a chance of showers Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, but no soaking rain is expected.

Meteorologist Kevin Cadima of the National Weather Service in Norton, Massachusetts, said dry conditions are likely to continue into mid-September.

Weve got to rely on thunderstorms. It can be hit or miss, he said.

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We're providing the latest coronavirus coverage in Connecticut each weekday morning.

The extreme drought is affecting Rhode Island, much of eastern Massachusetts and eastern Connecticut near Rhode Island, he said.

He blamed a lot of high pressure in the upper levels of the atmosphere with thunderstorms mostly north and west of Connecticut.

Residents and businesses are asked to reduce watering lawns, recreational and athletic fields, gardens or other landscaped areas.

Residents and businesses are asked to postpone planting new lawns or vegetation, to fix leaky plumbing, to take shorter showers and run dishwashers and washing machines with full loads, shut off water while washing dishes and avoid washing vehicles or power-washing homes and other buildings.

Water should not be used to to clean sidewalks, driveways and roads, and public water should not fill residential swimming pools.

Stephen Singer can be reached at ssinger@courant.com.

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As dry weather persists, Connecticut increases drought response for New London and Windham counties - Hartford Courant

As recently reported by KATC news in Lafayette, Louisiana, the top of the hometown sports arena and convention centerappropriately named the Cajundomewas getting covered in dirty grime, and something had to be done about it.

How do you clean a dome thats 165-feet high? In the last century, that would have required several human workers and a good deal of risk.

As Pam DeVille, director of the Cajundome, told KATC, You had men that were tethered to the top of the roof going down and actually scrubbing it. There arent many people who would consider that a long-term job.

But now, in the 21st Century, its achieved with drones.

In the case of the Cajundome, Jordy Marks, owner of L.A. Drone Services, came up with the idea of using two drones and an environmentally safe cleaner to low-pressure wash the facilitys dome over a two-day period.

However, using drones to clean hard-to-reach places isnt really that novel of an idea. Cleaning drones have been used for several years on all sorts of applications up in the air.

In 2013, Digitaltrends reported on an Electrolux gizmo that would release into the air hundreds of tiny drones to clean a rooms interior. In 2015, WC3D GmbH, a drone-cleaning company in Germany, developed its prototype drone for cleaning skyscraper windows. Scorpion Drones, a Miami-based distributor of agricultural drones, has been marketing the Lavado dronedesigned to soft wash rooftopssince 2018.

Back in 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, we here at CMM reported on the use of drones by Lucid Drone Technologies Inc. of Charlotte, North Carolina, to disinfect Mercedes-Benz Stadium for Atlanta Falcons NFL games. CNN reported in 2021 on the use of drones to clean up plastic waste worldwide via United Kingdom-based startup Ellipsis Earth. And this year, tech website Mashable highlighted HELIOS, a drone specifically designed to clean solar panels.

According to Lucid Drone Technologies, because high-power washing isnt efficient for the flying operations of drones as well as being potentially harmful to exterior surfaces, they instead use biodegradable chemicals and a softer rinse to do their cleaning. The result is equally as effective and much safernot only for the facilitys surfaces and the environment, but also in terms of manpower. In a similar vein, as drone use drops the risk to workers, it helps keep facility insurance premiums lower as well.

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Powerhouse International Church has embarked on an ambitious project to build a 1, 000 seater auditorium at Kanjedza Forest in Blantyre.

The churchs founder and overseer Reverent Clement Nkhoma said in an interview on Wednesday that the auditorium will cater for Sunday School classes and administration offices.

Powerhouse International Church began its ministry in 2014, but does not have its own building, forcing its followers to congregate at Blantyre International Conference Centre (BICC) at Golden Peacock Hotel in Blantyre for their Sunday services.

With the help of God, we have managed to acquire land on which we are building the auditorium. Powerhouse International Church is set on a mission to win 2 000 souls before this year finishes and the church project is aimed at ensuring that the won souls are housed in a spacious temple of worship, said Nkhoma.

He said his church has already conducted four crusades as part of the mission to win the said number of lost souls this year.

We have done the first crusade in Naname where we witnessed over 475 souls saved, which was below our target of 500 souls each crusade. But we thank God for such a harvest of souls, he said.

Nkhoma has been in the ministry since 2004 when he was ordained in Living Waters Church by Prophet Chapo in 2006 when he was serving as a caretaker pastor for Bolton Living Waters Church in the United Kingdom.

He then started a campus fellowship in Cambridge when he was studying for his Masters Degree in Business Consulting.

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Preserve the island | Letters to the Editor | stateportpilot.com - State Port Pilot

The old monkey puzzle tree is easily recognized with characteristic spiny leaves and complicated scaly branches. Scientists think its peculiar characteristics developed as a protection against tall, long-necked dinosaurs. The endangered evergreen tree that survived the extinction of the dinosaurs

(Photo : Image from DavydhT )

The evergreen tree, which can grow to a height of 160 feet (48.8 meters) and has a millennia-long lifespan, is a fossil from the Jurassic period, more than 145 million years ago.

Although Araucaria araucanaoutlived the dinosaurs, scientists now classify the tree as endangered. Monkey puzzle trees are cultivated and may be found in gardens and parks worldwide, but in the wild, they are only found in Chile and Argentina on the slopes of Patagonia's volcanoes.

The temperate forest where the monkey puzzle tree thrives has been reduced due to fires, land clearing, overgrazing, and logging. The austral parakeet, a coveted food source for an endangered bird species, is its big seeds. The green-hued parrots move between trees in flocks of approximately 15 birds in search of an ideal location to put on weight before the winter. The birds' numbers may increase to more than 100 when they strike it rich, and they gorge on monkey puzzle pine nuts.

A recent study has discovered that the ravaging parakeets may be helping the monkey puzzle trees in Patagonia thrive despite their insatiable desire for the nuts. According to scientists, the birds serve as a buffer against the danger posed by humans' overharvesting of the nuts.

Also Read: Orchid Believed to be Extinct for a Century, Found by Community Scientists

(Photo : Image from Mokkie under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.)

Researchers at Argentina's Biodiversity and Environment Research Institute at the National University of Comahue, Gabriela Gleiser and Karina Speziale, two of the study's authors, said that parakeets "play an important role in the regeneration of the araucaria forests" because the partially eaten seeds they drop to the ground are not picked up by seed collectors and still have the potential to germinate. Additionally, the parakeets distribute the seeds, they said through email, which causes the trees to regrow farther from the original plant.

Gleiser and Speziale also examine if the parakeets fertilize the female cones as they fly from branch to spiny.

Mapuche people in Chile and Argentina scale enormous trees to collect nuts. They grind the seeds into flour that may be used to make bread. The local authorities limit the number of nuts taken for private and commercial use.

Despite this, the researchers noted that several illicit collectors violate collecting restrictions. In populations that are reachable by humans, human seed harvesting poses a danger to the monkey puzzle tree's ability to reproduce since it nearly completely depletes the tree's seed banks.

The half chewed nuts can still germinate since collectors discard the parakeet-damaged nuts.

The monkey puzzle tree is entwined with the Mapuche way of life. Although, throughout colonial times and up until the 1990s, when industrial loggers ravaged the land, including the Araucaria trees, it was a relationship that was almost shattered. In Patagonia, the monkey puzzle trees are now legally protected. The Mapuche engaged in conflict with loggers and the Chilean government. The Araucaria trees have a 1,000-year lifespan and may reach 160 feet.

In the CNN documentary "Patagonia: Life on the Edge of the World," Mapuche Indigenous person Petrona Pellao remarked, "The Araucaria is just like the Mapuche people... even if they have been abused, beaten up, we all keep strong."

Replanting Araucaria trees and learning about their ancestors' traditional ways are current activities among the Mapuche. The objectives include helping the Mapuche grow pine nuts responsibly and enabling the Araucaria trees to flourish once more.

Related Article: Weird Nature: 5 of the Most Bizarre Bug Eating Plants on the Planet

For more news about trees, don't forget to follow Nature World News!

2022 NatureWorldNews.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

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Tree That Outlasted the Dinosaurs 145 Million Years Now Endangered - Nature World News

The House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts has commenced an investigation into N18.6 billion allegedly spent on land preparation by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The Chairman of the Committee, Oluwole Oke (PDP, Osun), said during a public hearing on Tuesday, that the money was spent between 2013 and 2021 on bush clearing, land preparation, and rehabilitation of soil and plant laboratories.

He stated that the money was withdrawn from service wide vote of the ministry.

Mr Oke said the representative of the Ministry had appeared before the committee but that members of the committee were not satisfied with the explanation provided by the ministry.

We invited the Ministry of Agriculture and they have made submission. But some of our members whose constituencies these projects were supposed to be domiciled doubted the existence of these projects.

For fair hearing, we have invited the companies that got the contract for them to come and tell this committee where and when the jobs were executed, Mr Oke said.

He noted that if the companies fail to appear before the committee, the lawmakers will use all available means to compel them to do so.

Mr Oke did not disclose the affected firms and the date they are to appear before the panel.

The Public Account Committee, which is a constitutional committee, is saddled with the responsibility of oversighting the Auditor Generals report.

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Reps panel probes Ministry of Agriculture over N18.6bn allegedly spent on bush clearing, land preparation, others - Premium Times

Published 3:37 pm Friday, August 19, 2022

The city of Vicksburg has filed liens totaling $10,619 to recover the cost of cleaning and clearing 17 properties in the city.

The Board of Mayor and Aldermen approved the liens at its meeting Monday. Nine of those properties are owned by the state of Mississippi.

Under city ordinances, property owners are required to take care of and maintain their property. If they fail to do so the city, under its ordinances and state law can go on the property and cut and clean it or hire a contractor to do so and then charge the property owner to recover its expenses.

If the property owner does not reimburse the city within a certain period of time, the board goes to the county tax rolls and places liens on the properties to recover the costs, which means the city has to wait until the property owner pays their taxes or sells the property to recover the costs.

The state of Mississippi, which picks up the properties that are not claimed at tax sales, is exempt under state law from paying taxes and the liens on the land. The state can make limited reimbursements to a city for property cleaning and maintenance costs, but the costs cannot exceed the amount of the propertys selling price.

Ward 1 Alderman Michael Mayfield, who is over the citys public works and community development departments, said property owners refusing to clean their property is an ongoing problem.

Ive never seen a week in 17 years of being with the city where we didnt have somebody in violation of the property code, Mayfield said. Its non-stop and the problem were having now is that on most of the lists (of derelict properties) brought to the board a minimum of half (property owners) have not complied.

The compliance rate is actually going down instead of up, he added. Being a citizen of this city and especially being elected its something thats hard to swallow.

With some properties, Mayfield said, the total amount of multiple liens placed by the city for cleaning is more than the propertys value.

And always remember, you cant forgive a fine, he said.

The vacant and neglected buildings, he added, Are destroying this city. Some people wont even bring it up to code. I wish some of these people would hear what their neighbors are saying; they would do better. Were in a sad situation the way these people are keeping their property up in the city of Vicksburg.

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City of Vicksburg places liens on 17 properties - The Vicksburg Post - Vicksburg Post