Having your own custom barbeque grill in your backyard is the dream of many a home owner, and for good reason! The exquisite taste of Mother-nature herself gives an irresistible flavor to barbeque, making it an extremely sought-after pastime for many. The first roadblock however, to having good times during barbeque sessions, is the apparatus you have at your disposal.

Without convenient, easy-to-use barbeque equipment, the joys and pleasures of barbequeing can become all but drudgery in no time. Trust me, I’ve been there and know that things get old real fast when it’s consistently and significantly more work than play! A barbeque on a breezy Sunday afternoon with your friends and family is supposed to be fun and relaxing, not frustrating to hell leaving you never wanting to do it again!

Having old, shoddily-built DIY barbeque pits have several potential drawbacks – yours may have some of the following as well:

• Too low for your height. This causes you to strain your back or pull a hamstring whilst crouching over flipping onion rings.
  
• Not big enough, whether the grill-size or burning sector. A grill area that’s too small for your needs leads to a barbeque traffic jam and guests go hungry. And if the burning sector is too small, the fire dies too quickly, requiring (too) frequent attention.
  
• It just looks bad! This happens when it’s either so darn old that it’s falling apart, or it wasn’t built well to begin with and thus looks significantly older than its age.
  
• Is in the wrong place. Whether you are at fault or not, proper emphasis wasn’t placed on location and you now must reap the consequences of having an ugly barbeque pit in the middle of your front yard. – Ugly or pretty, location is important!

There may be other drawbacks but these are some of the main ones. So what can we do to prevent these things from happening? Well, you can start by applying some of the following guidelines when constructing your own DIY barbeque pit!

• Make sure that not only the stones you use are fire-proof, but your mortar is as well. This is extremely important!
  
• Plan your pit out well before-hand and don’t “wing” it. You can’t just “unscrew” brick and mortar like you would a shelf, so it pays to do it right from the start.
  
• Determine the location AND orientation of your DIY barbeque grill before-hand as well. Take into consideration things like the sun, shade, prevailing wind, your neighbors, any nearby trees that could be adversely affected, accessibility from your house, seating provision, etc.
  
• Ensure it reaches a sufficient height. Do yourself a favor and don’t make the same mistakes others have. Besides constantly having the smoke in your face, there’s almost nothing that will make you hate barbeque more than having to crouch!
  
• Unless you can swear you’ll never have guests over, go ahead and make it a double grill. Better too much space than not enough in my opinion. You don’t have to build a fire for both if you don’t need to, and it may come handy some day.
  
• Build a solid foundation if you’re going to build a standing custom barbeque grill. We don’t want it toppling over in front of the guests!
  
• Make provision for easy access to the ashes. It behooves you to not wall your burning sector off on all 4 sides as this will make ash disposal a nightmare! Leave the front open so you can scrape or sweep the ashes out easily – or build it so the front wall can be removed.
  
• The grill should be removable. This might be common sense but I’m gonna say it anyway. Don’t embed your grill into your barbeque set with mortar. It needs to be removable for cleaning, maintenance, and to provide better accessibility for cleaning.

If you liked my article please visit my websites at Free and Handy and Your Japanese Garden for more, thanks!

Marble and Granite products are being used in home construction since ancient times. Their elegance and beauty is creating magnificent interiors and exteriors for all kinds of residential, commercial, and palatial buildings since ages. These natural stone products provide multiple benefits during home construction and even after that. Apart from the beauty and elegance, they offer excellent durability as well as are less time consuming in construction.

Marble and Granite Products for Every Need

During home construction people need various kinds of stone products to serve essential as well as decorative needs. The wide range of options in marble and granite products makes it easier for home owners or the builders to pick the most appropriate type of products for them.

Right from the flooring for commercial and residential building, people can find marble and granite products for their kitchen, bathrooms, and landscaped garden in backyard. Using marble tiles in flooring is the most popular trend in home flooring. Marble tiles come in several colors and textures making you options wider. They are the most elegant option for beautiful and durable flooring.

Granite countertops are the most essential ingredient for construction of any modular kitchens. Nowadays, people can’t even imagine having a kitchen without granite countertops. Due to their essential attributes, granite acts as the most suitable element to be used in modern kitchens. Granite is also used in flooring, but it’s a bit costly than marble. Therefore, it is preferred by people with no problem of exceeding construction budget.

Marble and Granite products rule not only in interior finish but also in exterior finishing of both residential and commercial buildings. There are some products which are widely being used in exterior finish of homes. Lightweight stone panels, stone veneers, and marble statues have been among the most popular construction elements in demand for exterior finish of homes. A majority of commercial buildings nowadays have exteriors made of lightweight stone panels. It is helpful in enhancing the visual appearance of building as well as protecting it from heat.

Marble, granite, limestone, and sandstone products are being popular day by day among people due to their easy availability and reducing prices (due to intense competition among marble products manufacturers). Having a wonderful looking home is no longer a secret. Anybody can have it if they use the elegance of marble and granite products in their home construction plan.

Pacific Bedrock Industrial Co. Ltd. specializes in manufacturing and supply of highly finished commercial and residential stone products.

Travertine is one of the most famous stone products for use both in the home and in the garden or yard. This classic Roman stone has been utilized for construction and tiling for thousands of years. Indeed, the Coliseum in Rome is in fact composed almost entirely of travertine not marble as many people think. Travertine is a sedimentary rock that was formed by the evaporation of water in pools of hot springs. When the water evaporated it left behind layers of minerals and these minerals are what give the stone its beautiful shades. The main hues of travertine tiles range from soft browns to dark mahogany and fiery red. Many accenting colors can be found in each tile depending on the addition of different minerals during the formation process.

Travertine tiles are used for many purposes in the home. The stone makes a very wonderful flooring and is quite common in foyers. When used on the floor the tiles require a seal coat so as to shield against staining. As the rock is sedimentary it generally has small pores and air pockets which permit the staining material into the structure if the surface is not closed. These stains are almost impossible to remove to keeping up on the sealer every few years is very important. The surface on these floor tiles will wear well as these are rather hard and tough. Other common uses in the house include as countertops or worktops and back splashes as well as trim and accent pieces. If the tiles are applied to the wall, which works well because they are so much lighter than marble, then they are not required to be sealed. But you definitely will want to use filled tiles on the counter or work top. A filled tile, like its name suggests, has all the holes and voids filled with a material that matches the color of the tile. This stops bits of food from being trapped in the face and causing a health problem. Another quite nice use is to tile throughout the bathroom.

A travertine tile shower gives you the very stylish look of an old world Roman bath. Again a sealer will be required if the cut tiles are placed on the floor or shower walls. In the garden, Travertine paving stones are quite famous as backyard floors as well as pavers throughout the garden to maintain ones feet dry. Being made of stone the pavers will be fine, but they do require to be covered from moisture in areas with cold weather because if the water filters in and then freezes, it can break the tiles. If you are planning a renovating or remodeling project Travertine tiles are worth your attention.

For more information on this wonderful building material visit us at Travertine Tile Tips. You will find everything you need to know when you are doing a project with any kind of tile including Travertine pavers and Travertine bathroom tiles.

A lot of people have a notion that a chimney made of brick or stone doesn’t need any kind of upkeep. They picture these materials as being extremely tough and able to take care of themselves. Unfortunately, this is not really the case, and these homeowners eventually find themselves faced with crumbling mortar and disintegrating chimneys. Most of this damage is caused by water. Being on the outside of your house the way it is, a chimney withstands a lot of bad weather conditions, from hurricane-force winds to torrential rain to raging blizzards. Chimney waterproofing is an important step in preserving the integrity of your structure.

Your chimney is the most vulnerable area of your house, because it sticks up above the top of the roof line and has no protection. This vulnerability can result in staining, freeze-thaw damage, loss of insulation value, structural deterioration, and ultimately complete failure of the chimney altogether. Therefore, you can see that it’s far easier to do preventive maintenance before any problems occur than it is to clean up the mess afterward. There are a number of good waterproofing sealers available that you can coat your chimney with from the very beginning that will help it stay in good repair.

If your chimney has already begun to deteriorate, you need to start by taking a good look at what’s going wrong with it. Check to make sure that all of your mortar joints are in good repair. If they haven’t been treated with water sealer before, they could be cracking and breaking. Even if a previous owner did use a waterproofing product, there could still be problems if the wrong type was used. Certain sealers cause water vapors to be trapped under the coating. This causes wear on the mortar. If your mortar is in bad enough shape that it is actually falling apart, you may need to have some tuckpointing done prior to using an appropriate waterproofing agent.

Your chimney is an important part of your house, and you need to spend time maintaining it just like you do anything else. A good water sealer only needs to be used every five to ten years, so it isn’t a job that has to be done very often. Although waterproofing sealants aren’t cheap, the price you have to pay for chimney waterproofing will be a whole lot less than if you have to completely rebuild your chimney. In addition, keeping your chimney in prime condition will help you maintain the value of your largest investment, your home.

You already know the importance of waterproofing. Visit betterwaterproofing.com for more tips on under deck waterproofing and basement waterproofing systems and learn how you can do more.

Travertine mosaic tiles can be utilized in so many ways to make your home look as beautiful as possible. This kind of tile has been in existence for several centuries and it has been a popular choice for a lot of homes and buildings during that time. The people who first appreciated this material were the Romans who utilized it in areas that had high traffic. During this era, people were already admiring its natural beauty as it became the main construction material of the city. Nowadays, your home can have the same beauty and this can be enjoyed by your visitors who will come to your home. There are several types of mosaic tiles that you may want to check out for different applications depending on which room you plan to accent.

The travertine mosaic tile that is gold mesh mounted is one kind of tile that is preferred by a lot of people. These tiles usually have unique designs which are influenced by different design patterns and colors. The rich color of gold is a great combination with other colors so that they can stand out or complement the area’s design and provide a classic mosaic look. The tiles are great to be placed in many areas around the home especially in the bathroom and in the kitchen.

Another popular design for a mosaic style is the diamond pattern. This type of tile also has its own unique features which will stand out in the kitchen area or any other rooms in the house where a more modern look is wanted. These tiles are generally found in either beige or ivory which are both neutral colors and thus the tiles can fit well into any color scheme of a room.

Mix mesh mounted travertine mosaic tile is another choice. Many people choose this style because they provide what looks like a designer-inspired look. The tiles can be utilized in a combination of design patterns and colors so that the area where they are placed will have a one of a kind look. Traditionally very exact pattern were used but more modern, free form designs are now becoming very popular in the states.

These are some of the many types of travertine mosaic tiles and you can choose them separately or together to make your home design personalized. These tiles are used for areas inside and outside the home or building so they can give the place a unique elegant appearance. The popularity of mosaic tiles has always been high and this will surely continue to last for a long time.

If you want your home to look great, check out the different kinds of travertine mosaic tiles and choose the style that suits your preference and design plans. You can find everything you need at the Travertine Tile Store.

Although the market is infested with various tiles having attractive designs and commendable qualities but what matter is the right selection of tiles. Walls of different rooms are used in distinct ways. Selection of tiles thus depends highly on their utility. Wall tiles presently available in the market are very eye-catching and useful as well. Competition of various leading tile companies has led into the arrival of tiles that are not just good looking but are high in quality too. Almost every company is trying its best to introduce competent tile that creates perplexity as what to choose and what to ignore. Making a right decision thus becomes a tough job.

However, if you are sure about the needs of the areas to be tiled you will not have to go through all such perplexities. First make the list of the areas to be tiled and their requirements. Usually, bathroom areas face maximum wetness which in turn increases the chances of dirt deposit and slipping probability. Constant water lodging also upshot formation of algae is not cleaned regularly. Here, you need to have a tile type that can resist water and avoid water lodging. This will also reduce the burden of cleaning.

In a similar fashion kitchen walls are highly affected due to oil used in preparing meals. Dirt glued to the surface make it worse to clean. If the tile’s surface is not hard and have dirt reflective nature you might spend your holidays cleaning your kitchen walls. Hence, make sure when you are buying wall tiles they are water and dirt resistant. Besides, your wall should also be impervious to heat. The wall near burner or cooking area experiences maximum heat. You can avoid the ill effects of heat by installing heat impervious tiles.

The wall tile you can choose for your home may attribute limestone. This is an amazing solution for your wall area to be tiled. These wall tiles are non-slippery, heat resistant, water resistant and easy to maintain. It has all those quality that any home owner will look for. You can get limestone tile in variety of designs and pattern to suite you wall. Being a natural stone you will be opting for natural way to decorate your house. These tiles look simple yet attractive enough to catch eye balls. You will admire your walls for being so generous and beautiful that will deliver you a tranquil environment to share with your family.

About the Author:-
Jason Colling is a renowned writer who has written articles on various interior designing techniques related to floor decor. His articles focus on various uses of glass tiles, laura ashley wiston tiles and wall tiles.

If you need chimney repair and it is beyond the point of repair for chimney tuckpointing it must be tore down and rebuilt, and there are a few things that you must do to ensure that your new chimney will last for years to come.

The first thing you must do is select the proper building materials. You should use a brick that is solid with no holes in it this will increase its durability. Bricks that are cored (with holes) tend to have a much shorter life because moisture can build up in the hole cavities and break down the brick and mortar joints from the inside out, this is especially a problem in colder regions. So be sure to pick out a solid brick if you can.

Next the chimney needs to be tore down. You first must protect your roof from falling debris, do this by placing a cloth tarp down over it around the chimney. You should really use cloth tarps because plastic vinyl ones can be slippery and you don’t want to slip and fall, it could result in serious injury or death. After your tarps are in place start by removing the concrete cap first, the concrete cap must be first or you risk a avalanche of heavy masonry units falling all over the place and possibly through your roof. You may have to use a partner saw to cut it in sections first before picking it up, they can be very heavy.

Next thing after the concrete cap has been removed is to start removing brick. It is best to use a small hammer drill for this with a pick attachment on it and just focus the pick on the joint below the brick you are removing till it breaks free and you can grab it. Depending on the roof pitch and placement of the chimney you should use a bucket to put debris in or if you are confident it is safe below you can throw the brick down to the ground in a designated roped off area below. Be sure to remove the center clay flu liner if there is one, as well as you work your way down, but try not to break it, odds are you will send debris down your chimney shaft which is not a good thing and it will have to then be cleaned out. The brick should be removed down to just inside your roof line unless its really bad you may have to reach down further or do a little work inside the attic to get it to a secure rebuild point.

Now that your ready to rebuild be get your new building materials up to your work station and start laying in brick. it is very important to keep the courses level and plum to ensure a good looking and lasting chimney. If you are using clay flue liners put one in place as you go, once it is secured by brick all the way around it up to the top then place your next one in place and continue the process till you hit your desired height. code for most areas is 10 foot from nearest roof line and then 2 foot above that for proper drafting of fumes, Generally in most cases if you build it to the same height it was you should be ok, but be sure to check your area code just to be sure.

After all your brick and flu liners are in place you need to pour a concrete cap, this is one on the most important features of your chimney and it should be done correctly to ensure a long lasting chimney. Yor flu liner should be sitting about 6 inches above your last course of brick, next build a form out of 2×4′s around the top course of brick, fill your form up with concrete till you reach the top of your form, Put a slight slope on the cap from the liner down to the edge of form for good water shedding. Also tap your form lightly as you fill it to help reduce bubbles in the pour. After it sets up for a bit say a few hours pull the form and smooth off the edges of it with a small concrete float to seal all holes and to also make the cap look nice.

After that is complete install a draft cap, or also called a bird cap to finish off the chimney. One of these is needed to reduce the chance of back drafts pushing fumes back into your house and they also serve to rain out and to keeps small animals out as well. They can be picked up at just about any home improvement store and are relatively cheap. You must also install your flashing around the base of chimney as well to ensure that is is sealed and water tight.

Professional Mason Contractor
Chimney repair
Chimney tuckpointing

If you like the above article feel free to visit our blog at custom-built-masonry.com/wordpress for more how to articles.

In today’s post we are going to discuss how to build a block foundation and the tools you will need to complete this task. You should have a good construction knowledge and be in good physical shape before attempting to do this. One thing you should do though is have the hole dug and the footers in place by a licensed excavator to ensure you at least have a good starting point.

Lets go over what you will need for this job first, you will need a cement mixer, partner saw, wheelbarrow, mortar boards,a laser for elevations, scaffolding and plank if you are building a basement. The hand tools you will need are a trowel, hammer, striker, chalk box, line, line bars and a 2ft and 4ft. level.

So lets get started, with your footers in place the first you need to do is layout your job and mark all of your corners with a concrete nail or a pencil. This can be a time consuming process so be sure you have someone to help you measure everything out to be square. After you have you corners marked take your chalk box and pull it from corner to corner and snap a line mark down onto your footer, this is the line that your block will follow.

Next you will need to establish your elevations with your laser, i recommend you get a self leveling laser because the slightest error in this step can be very bad in getting your foundation level. Establish which corner is the highest and use it to set all of your other heights. Be sure to mark each corner with how much you need to raise it so you don’t get confused.

Now it is time to build your leads, with all your corners marked lay in your first course, if you need to raise a corner try to do as much as you can if the first course. Use jamb block for your corners, ones without ears on them it will make the job look nicer and they are much easier to level up as well. You can get up to about 1 inch of height with a heavy bead of mortar under your first course, hopefully all your corners are close from your excavators work. Run 4 block out in one direction then 3 block in the other direction for your first course and then lay the subsequent courses on top dropping back 1/2 of a block in each course in each direction till you are left with one block at the top. Check your elevations frequently with your laser to be sure that all your corners are working out to be the same height. It is very important that leads are level, square and plum, this will make the whole job alot easier if it is.

After all your leads are up attach your line to your line bar and pull it tight from one lead to another on the same course. Spread your mortar down the chalk lines and start laying block, try to line the bottom of the block up with the chalk line and the top of the block with the top line. after that course is in it gets a bit easier be sure that your block aren’t lipping over at bottom and keep running them to the top line but be sure that none of the block touch the line, stay off of it about 1/8 inch and you should be good. Continue this process over and over till your walls are up and job is complete, also be sure to strike and brush your wall frequently to be sure that it is sealed good. Also every two courses it is a good idea to put a layer of derwal between the courses, it is required by code in some areas.

If you are still unsure on how to do this project hire a qualified contractor to complete the job for you. Block foundation costs are still typically cheaper than poured walls, about 30% or so and they are just as good or better in most cases because the masons have much more control over heights of corners thus leaving you a more level finished project. And if you want you can then fill all your block with concrete thus giving you a solid block, concrete wall. It is also a good idea to drop a piece of rebar in every 4 foot as well and pack it in with concrete, this is also sometimes required by code.

Professional Mason Contractor
block foundation cost
block foundation

Have you ever wanted a masonry mailbox? If you have then you’re in the right place to learn how to build your very own brick mailbox or a stone mailbox. I will go over all the materials and tools needed to complete this project and approximate costs.

I am going to go over the brick mailbox because it will be easier for you to complete. First you will need your design layed out, the simplest way to build your maibox is a 24 Inch square with a 16inch block pillar in the center. Next you will need to gather all your materials, you will need 3, 80 pound bags of Quickcrete, 16 8 inch block and 12 4 inch block and then roughly 200 brick of your choice. You will also need to pick out a good sturdy steel mailbox and a piece of sandstone that is 26 inches square and 4 inches thick for the top cap. The tools you will need are a good digging shovel, wheelbarrow, hoe, trowel, hammer, striking iron and and masons brush.

Step one, dig down 36 inches and 4 inches bigger than your mailbox base in the above example you would dig a hole that is 32 inches square. If you are on a street with underground utilities running along the street you are only going to be able to dig down no more than 12 inches, you will have to check with your utilities to find this out. Ideally though you should make it 36″ deep to clear the freeze line, especially if you live in the north.

Next prepare your footer by driving a grade stake down into the center of the hole 8″ off of the bottom, this will be the thickness or height of your footer. Now mix your quickcrete thoroughly and pour it into the hole till you just cover the grade stake, try to make footer as level as possible, it may be somewhat difficult especially since you will be reaching 3 feet into the ground. Now let your footer set up and return the next day to build your mailbox.

The next step in the process is to build the center block column our of the 8 inch block and 4 inch block. find the center of your footer, mark it and measure 8 inches each direction, this will be where your main column will set. After you have marked out your square mix your mortar and start laying block. Place two 8 inch side by side and try to make them as level as possible, first course is most important, if you can’t get it level in the first course be sure that you are level and straight by the third, which should place you right at about 4 inches below ground level, now continue to lay your block up 5 more courses, be sure that these are straight and level. After you have laid these you need to install your brick ledge, you do this by using the 4 inch block. Place the block around the base of the column as close to the column as possible up just three courses which should place you at once again 4 inches below grade.

Now that your column and brick ledge are in place its time to install your brick. Run your brick on top of the brick ledge which should work to fit the brick perfectly. Be sure to switch bond every course to make sure you are left with a nice looking brick job. Every course check for level and plum to be sure that your mailbox is not leaning, and then strike your joints every 2 to 3 courses as well, so they dont get two hard on you. If you are installing brick correctly you should have 3 courses of brick to every course of block, so if you laid 4 courses above grade then you should end up with 15 courses of brick. to the top of the block column.

Now it is time to install your mailbox, take your mailbox out of its packaging and place it on top of your column and brick with the face of it facing the road, test open the door to be sure that the brick below is not interfering with the door. Your mailbox door should be resting approximately 1 to 2 inches off the face of the brick. Now continue to lay your brick up and past your mailbox, you will have to make cuts with a saw or with a hammer if you are skilled enough to do it. Be sure to fill mortar in around mailbox to lock it in place.

After you have struck all your joints and brushed your work down it is now time to install the cap, you can do this with brick or buy a piece of sandstone that is 4 inches thick and that is 1 inch bigger on all sides of your masonry column, in the above example the sandstone should be 26 inches square. Run a bead of mortar all the way around your top course, now place the sandstone lightly on top and level it up, remove excess mortar and voila you have yourself a brick mailbox, If you are skilled enough you can do the above project with a stone veneer, but it is only recommended if you are familiar with the masonry trades.

Professional Mason Contractor
Stone Mailbox
Brick Mailbox

Is your chimney showing signs of leaking? You might be wondering what are some signs that my chimney liner is leaking? To discover any leaks, you will want to carefully inspect the surface of the stone or brick work that makes up your vent. Look carefully for discoloring, or staining, cracks, and missing grout. You will need to make this check on the fireplace surface inside your home and on the outside of your home.

Any staining that you find may mean that gases from your fireplace are escaping in that area. Typically, the stain will start small and grow visibly larger above the leak. The stain is caused by the rising warm gases. If you are not sure of the condition of your chimney, it is a good idea to have a reputable chimney inspector perform an inspection.

If there are no visible signs of leakage, but you are suspicious that you have a leak, a smoke test can be performed. Some qualified chimney repair companies offer such tests. They can seal off your flue at the top and bottom and insert a smoke pellet that gives off a detectable odor. The repairman can then check inside and outside your home to determine if there is a leak.

If you determine that you do have a leak and repairs are needed you will first want to consider what kind of materials to use. You have three primary options for fixing a leaking liner. First, if your vent is made of brick or stone, you could install a new terracotta one. Terracotta liners are very durable and long lasting. However, installing a new terracotta one can be quite costly. A second option is a rigid stainless steel repair liner.

This type of liner is significantly less expensive than installing a terracotta type. Nevertheless, depending on where the flue liner has to run, installing a rigid one can be very difficult and time consuming. The third option is a flexible stainless steel repair liner. This style of liner is the easiest to put in and has the lowest cost associated with it. Before you install a new liner, it is good to have your chimney cleaned so that nothing will obstruct the new installation.

Identifying and fixing chimney leaks will help protect your family from potential carbon monoxide leaks and fires. Therefore, taking the time to know what signs to look for and to perform annual inspections on your chimney will pay you back with security and peace of mind.

You can learn more about chimney liner repair, and get more information and articles about chimney repairs at Chimney Repair