Homeowners choose a DIY approach in renovation projects to have a feeling of accomplishment. DIY renovation gives you an opportunity to use your skills and save money as well. However, some homeowners lack knowledge about the building codes, yet they do renovation projects themselves. The advantage that building contractors have over DIYers is that they have to keep up with all the building codes. Completing your home improvement projects that comply with the construction codes can help you stay safe with peace of mind. To avoid messing up, here are some construction codes that DIYers violate.

Ignoring permits

Most people presume that only contractors need to have a permit. The type of project you do and your location determine if you need a permit or not. Permits cost money, and therefore you may be a plan not to get a permit to shave costs. Failing to have a permit has implications for your project. Besides being fined much money, your unauthorized project may have to be torn out if it does not meet the required standards. Additionally, you could land in jail in the worst-case scenario. Acquiring a permit will give you peace of mind knowing that your improvements are safe and reliable. Moreover, your insurance company can be able to cover damages that may occur during the project.

Not testing for asbestos

Asbestos is one of the dangerous materials whose disposal is regulated. Asbestos causes several respiratory problems when inhaled. You should, therefore, avoid the out of sight and out mind idea when doing your remodeling project. You can find asbestos in ceiling tiles, paint, plaster, floors, and insulation. It is recommended to hire trained professionals to detect and remove any traces of asbestos in your home. It will not only be good for your health, but also in compliance with the construction code.

Adding a basement bedroom without an Egress window

Finishing your basement helps you to expand the space for use in your house. Building codes require any sleeping room to have an egress window which can ensure safe exit of the room’s occupant in case of a house fire. You should make sure the window you add meets the required dimensions by the building codes.

Venting a bath fan into an attic

Your bathroom exhaust fans should vent to the outside of the house. You can choose it to be either through the side of the house or the roof. If you vent the warm and moist air into the attic, it can result in the rotting of the roof sheathing and framing which may, in turn, lead to the growth of mildew and mold. Building codes require you to vent air from the fan to the outside using a 4-inch-diameter pipe.

A special shout out to our friends over at Paso Robles General Contractor for the information on this site. Feel free to visit them and see some of their work by visiting them here.

You look at this thing every single day. It’s a huge piece of your living room. It’s there for all those great occasions like the Super Bowl, Christmas movies, family movie night, and even there when you play the latest and greatest video games. That’s right, talking about here is your flat screen TV. And for many homeowners, the days of having that thing sit on top of an entertainment center seem so outdated.

Nowadays, a lot of homeowners want those flat screen TVs mounted and hanging off of their walls. And who wouldn’t, as light as they are nowadays and sleek and slim, having them mounted on the wall save you a great deal of space in your living room. However, mounting a TV on the wall could be a little tricky but at the same time isn’t all that difficult to do.

The first thing you’re going to need to do is to go out and purchase a mounting bracket. These days, you got a whole bunch to choose from and the good thing about it is that they’ve gotten a whole lot cheaper over the years. There are brackets that tilt up and down, others tilt up and down and left and right, while the simplest ones are just stationary. Decide on which one you want and which one best suits your situation. The way you mount them are pretty much the same for any one of them.

The tools that you will need to mount your flat screen TV onto your wall are pretty minimal. You’re going to need a Phillips screwdriver, a drill, different size two bits, a stud finder, a small level, and a small ratchet set.

Once you purchase a bracket from somewhere or online, simply read the instructions in the Box on how to properly attach the bracket to the back of your particular flat screen TV. You have to make sure that you get the properly sized bracket too, as these brackets are designed to hold up certain sizes of televisions. All of these brackets can be separated into two sections. One section that attaches to a stud on a wall and the other section is the actual bracket that is attached to your flat screen TV. When you attach the bracket to the back of a TV it usually only requires a Phillips screwdriver. You’ll see on the instructions that it’s actually quite simple to do. Once you got the bracket attached to your flat screen TV it’s time to move on to attaching the other section of the bracket to the wall.

First things first, you’re going to want to find out the exact spot you want this TV to be mounted on the wall. Once you find the spot, it is time for you to use your stud finder to locate a stud where the second part of that bracket will be attached to the wall. Your bracket will come with two large screws that are designed to be bolted into the stud. The bracket will attach vertically on to the stud behind the drywall. Once you have found your spot, use your level to make sure your bracket will be perfectly level onto the wall. Mark the holes where the bolts are going to be onto the wall with a pencil. Next, use the proper bit sized to begin to drill a hole straight through the drywall and into the stud. Once that is done place the bracket back onto the wall and align the holes perfectly. Use the two giant bolts that come with your mounting bracket kit and begin to bolt the bracket on to the wall. Use your small ratchet set to find the proper socket to use to bolt it on the wall.

Once you are done with that, all you have to do is have a buddy give you a hand and lift the TV and attach the first part of the bracket to the second part of the bracket onto the wall. And that’s it. That’s all there is to mount a bracket and a TV to a wall.

This is the most basic way to do it. There are different kids and methods that you can use to hide away wires cables and power cords. This takes a lot more effort and a lot more tools but the end results look absolutely amazing and professional when you do it right. Perhaps we’ll tackle that subject in a later post. But for now, you got the basics of how to mount a TV onto a wall.