• Is the wood pellet stove certified by a quality label and a CE compliance label?
• Is the efficiency rating of the pellet stove above 85% at maximum load?
• Did an independent testing institute in USA test the stove's emissions and efficiency?
• What is the noise level from the stove? Is the sound level at low output less than 43dBa?
• Does the pellet stove have a convection air fan for good heat distribution?
• Is the stove self-modulating according to the heat demand?
• Does the stove offer any standby feature for a less pellet fuel consumption?
• Does the stove have a large ash pan?
• What kind of room temperature regulation (thermostat) does the stove have to avoid overheating?
• What kind of safety features has the stove?
• Does the stove design allow for easy cleaning of the internal flue passages?
• What kind of flame pattern and view does the stove give?

• Is the stove heat output adequate for the room it is going to be located in?
• Is the stove located to allow sufficient clearance with combustible surfaces and materials?
• Is there a properly wired outlet for electricity near the stove location?
• Is their enough fresh air supply to the stove for a safe and efficient combustion? If not, how can outside air be drawn from an appropriate location?

• Is there provision for appropriate access to maintain and clean the venting system?
• Is the minimum clearance between the vent and combustible materials respected?
• Does the existing or proposed vent comply with the stove manufacturer's instructions?
• Does the venting system recommended take into consideration local factors like altitude, windy conditions,
• internal negative pressure (in very airtight houses or due to strong fans)?

• Does the dealer offer delivery, installation, local building inspectors approval and after sales service?
• Is the floor protected according to the pellet stove manufacturer's instructions?
• What training and experience have the professionals involved in the installation?
• How long will the installation take?
• Who cleans up after the installation work?
• Are the joints and seams of the vent pipes properly sealed to avoid exhaust gas leakage in the room?
• What are the procedure and tests carried out when commissioning the system?

• Is full documentation, including the user's manual, provided with the stove?
• Is the fire started manually or automatically?
• What is the pellet storage capacity of the stove and how long can it operate with one refill at nominal heat
• output BTU's?
• What kind of wood pellets (quality and size) have to be used with the stove?
• What maintenance tasks have to be performed by a professional and how regularly?
• What is the range of annual costs (fuel and maintenance) under average conditions?
• How often do I have to empty the ash pan?
• Does the dealer have spare parts available?

• Does the quotation cover all the costs associated with the installation of the stove (stove, vent)
• installation/delivery, floor protection)?
• What are the financing options and payment terms?

• What is the manufacturer's or supplier's warranty for each component of the pellet heating system?
• What guarantees / warranties are provided for the installation?
• Is an annual service contract available from the Dealer or Pellet Stove Supplier?
• How does the Dealer provide emergency service work if required
• Does the Dealer help in furnishing Wood Pellets for a reasonable price and deliver to home?

Logans Square as well as the Reserve Wool Carpet line come in eight Color ranges. The Construction of both Wool Carpets is in a woven wilton (very durable) which gives the Carpet a Location Guide of Heavy Duty Residential. Further Logans Square and Reserve are both Skein dyed and insect resistant. The Primary Backing is Jute and the secondary Backing is Cotton. Again a natural green environmental wool product by Glen Eden. The Reserve Wool Carpet Line comes in the same beautiful subdued Color Range as Logans Square with the same Color Names. Both Carpets Products suit themselves also very well to be used as Area Rugs and can be bound or serged for a professional and sophisticated look.

Econet, a new earth friendly premium Area Rug Padding was just recently introduced by Jade Industries, a major Carpet Padding Manufacturer. Following are a couple of points what make this Area Rug Padding a little bit different:

• Made with natural rubber and jute, a natural plant fiber
• Perfect for use over laminated wood, wood flooring, tile and other hard surface floors
• The open grid design of the Carpet Padding lets the Area Rug breathe, eases vacuuming, and additional protects your floor as well as the Area Rug
• The Econet Area Rug Padding will also not stain, mar or discolor standard flooring
• It is easy to cut by the End User, so it can fit any rug any size and form
• The Econet Area Rug Padding is also odor, mildew, mold and vermin resistant
• As it is important with any good Area Carpet Padding, “Econet” has also great Non-skid properties

So if you are in need of a new Area Rug Padding, take a look at World Premium Rug Pads from Final Touch Interiors, or stop by at the New York - Westchester Show Room in Hawthorne, NY. For directions click at the link provided here How to find our Show Room.

• No plug-ins like Flash or Java required.
• Pop-up blockers are no problem. The content expands within the active browser window.
• Single click. After opening the image or HTML popup, the user can scroll further down or leave the page without closing it.
• Compatibility and safe fallback. If the user has disabled JavaScript or is using an old browser, the browser redirects directly to the image itself or to a fallback HTML page.

I started to use some of the code already and except of some small missing necessary CSS adjustments it does perform perfectly and also validates as 100% XHTML. As with any new Software one has to work with it for a while to get used to its strengths and or weaknesses. One reason also that I choose Highslide JS was that the Author has an active Support Forum with great support.

Just last week we tackled an Issue of Sun protection and Heat in one of my Client’s Home. Our Client wanted a atractive protection from heat and solar glare for his Hallway. A couple Issues we had to deal with:

• Height of Shade Installation - over 20ft in a narrow Stairway
• Length of Shade over 15ft
• Depth of Shade – no possible interference with Smoke/Fire Detectors
• Visual Attractiveness of Shade – in open as well closed position
• automated operation required

Bathrooms have always been tricky to decorate, but this new invention makes accessorizing the toilet seat a no-brainer. A California company created a toilet that's also a fish tank. Don't worry, the fish aren't swimming in the bowl, but in a special container where they are safe and protected from flushing. Who needs magazine?, you can enjoy some live entertainment instead.

Lighting Design with smdLED

Wool Carpet Features

• Renewable natural resource for an environmentally friendly product
• Naturally flame retardant fiber that protects those who live on the carpet
• Easy-Care properties that make maintaining a Wool Carpet simple and affordable
• Naturally fiber of the Wool Carpet resilient for a life time of beauty and comfort
• Natural “hand”, no plastic or synthetic feel

So when you think to replace your Flooring in your home or office, make a prestigious and practical selection by investing in Wool Carpets. It always has been a favorite of mine, long before the hype of going green started.

My 3D interior design will still be done with my favorite package Vectorworks in combination with InteriorCad, something which is a pleasure to work with.
Another item which is currently a must is the immediate update of all my web pages in Final Touch Interiors.
The CSS Framework from Dirks Jesse called YAML-Yet another multicolumn layout has proven to be very robust and even my SE results have gone up, even though only a couple of pages have been written and implemented with the new CSS Layout.  Further proof about the quality of YAML and it looks that a new version is around the corner.

Dear Mr. Architect:

Please design and build me a house. I am not quite sure of what I need, so you should use your discretion. My house should have somewhere between two and forty-five bedrooms. Just make sure the plans are such that the bedrooms can be easily added or deleted. When you bring the blueprints to me, I will make the final decision of what I want. Also, bring me the cost breakdown for each configuration so that I can arbitrarily pick one.

Keep in mind that the house I ultimately choose must cost less than the one I am currently living in. Make sure, however, that you correct all the deficiencies that exist in my current house (the floor of my kitchen vibrates when I walk across it, and the walls don’t have nearly enough insulation in them).

As you design, also keep in mind that I want to keep yearly maintenance costs as low as possible. This should mean the incorporation of extra-cost features like aluminum, vinyl, or composite siding. (If you choose not to specify aluminum, be prepared to explain your decision in detail.)

Please take care that modern design practices and the latest materials are used in construction of the house, as I want it to be a showplace for the most up-to-date ideas and methods. Be alerted, however, that kitchen should be designed to accommodate, among other things, my 1952 Gibson refrigerator.

To insure that you are building the correct house for our entire family, make certain that you contact each of our children, and also our in-laws. My mother-in-law will have very strong feelings about how the house should be designed, since she visits us at least once a year. Make sure that you weigh all of these options carefully and come to the right decision. I, however, retain the right to overrule any choices that you make.

Please don’t bother me with small details right now. Your job is to develop the overall plans for the house: get the big picture. At this time, for example, it is not appropriate to be choosing the color of the carpet.

However, keep in mind that my wife likes blue.

Also, do not worry at this time about acquiring the resources to build the house itself. Your first priority is to develop detailed plans and specifications. Once I approve these plans, however, I would expect the house to be under roof within 48 hours.

While you are designing this house specifically for me, keep in mind that sooner or later I will have to sell it to someone else. It therefore should have appeal to a wide variety of potential buyers. Please make sure before you finalize the plans that there is a consensus of the population in my area that they like the features this house has. I advise you to run up and look at my neighbor’s house he constructed last year. We like it a great deal. It has many features that we would also like in our new home, particularly the 75-foot swimming pool. With careful engineering, I believe that you can design this into our new house without impacting the final cost.

Please prepare a complete set of blueprints. It is not necessary at this time to do the real design, since they will be used only for construction bids. Be advised, however, that you will be held accountable for any increase of construction costs as a result of later design changes.

You must be thrilled to be working on as an interesting project as this! To be able to use the latest techniques and materials and to be given such freedom in your designs is something that can’t happen very often. Contact me as soon as possible with your complete ideas and plans.

PS: My wife has just told me that she disagrees with many of the instructions I’ve given you in this letter. As architect, it is your responsibility to resolve these differences. I have tried in the past and have been unable to accomplish this. If you can’t handle this responsibility, I will have to find another architect.

PPS: Perhaps what I need is not a house at all, but a travel trailer. Please advise me as soon as possible if this is the case.
(Author unknown)

• Select the appropriate primer. Use Fine Paints of Europe Oil Primer/Undercoat or Eco Primer/Undercoat for wooden doors, Ferrous Metal Primer for steel doors and Key Primer for fiberglass doors.
• Wooden and steel doors should be sanded smooth with medium grit sandpaper(150) wrapped around household sponge or rubber sanding block - never sand without a backing. Fiberglass doors should be lightly sanded with fine sandpaper(220)
• Doors should be washed with powdered detergent and water, rinsed and allowed to dry thoroughly. Special care should be taken on wooden doors where unpainted wood is exposed to make certain that no moisture has been retained. Exposed wood will normally dry sufficiently in 72hours.
• Doors should be primed with appropriate primer. We recommend, I recommend, whenever possible, that the top and bottom of your door be primed as well to prevent moisture intrusion and extend the life of your finish. If using Key Primer, you should apply your Primer with an inexpensive, foam throwaway brush. Key Primer is to be thinned with water only - do not use Mineral Spirits.
• After allowing Primer to dry overnight (4hours for Key Primer), doors should be sanded glass smooth with the fine sandpaper wrapped around household sponge or rubber sanding block. Doors should be wiped clean with cotton rag containing a splash of Mineral Spirits.
• Apply first coat of Hollandlac Enamel in a thin, even fashion (as an option you may apply ECO), Allow first coat to dry overnight.
• Sand door again with 220sandpaper to remove imperfections and provide good “tooth” for final coat. Once again, “tack” the door to remove dust with a clean cotton cloth
• Apply final coat of HollandLac Enamel or Eco. Work quickly and do not go back on your work in an attempt to eliminate brush strokes as they will normally level out within 15 minutes of application. Second coat should provide total opacity. For additional durability and extended life, apply a third coat to the door’s exterior (optional).

HYDRONIC RADIANT SYSTEM - Slab on Grade

HYDRONIC RADIANT SYSTEM - Thin Slab on Subfloor

Radiant tubing is attached on top of subfloor with approved staples or plastic clips. A thin Slab of gypsum-based cement or cent is poured over the tubing. Typical slabs are 1.5inch thick when using 1/2inch tubing, but may be as thin as 1.25inch thick when using 3/8inch tubing. Gypsum cement is lighter than cement, but a little less conductive. Estimated Assembly R-value:R-0.69 - -1.0

HYDRONIC RADIANT SYSTEM - Hanging or attached below Subfloor

HYDRONIC RADIANT SYSTEM - With Plates below Subfloor

HYDRONIC RADIANT SYSTEM - Structural Radiant Subfloor with Aluminum & Grooves

HYDRONIC RADIANT SYSTEM - Boards with Grooves and Metal which are attached to top of Subfloor

HYDRONIC RADIANT SYSTEM - Sandwich Method with or without Plates on Top of Subfloor

ELECTRIC RADIANT SYSTEM - Embedded Cable or Mat

ELECTRIC RADIANT SYSTEM- Self regulating Mat or Cable

ELECTRIC RADIANT SYSTEM -  Film Type installed from Below

With the film type product, elements are printed with a conductive ink and embedded in a film of plastic. Current products are line voltage. These systems have higher resistance to heat transfer than embedded systems since the heat must travel through an airspace and the subfloor. They must be installed with an airspace. Estimated Assembly R-value:R-1.7 - R-2.2 (pipe and 3/4inch plywood only) The listed Assembly R-values are illustrative estimates only and do not include the R-values of the floor coverings, which must be added to determine total system R-value. Note: Insulation is usually required under radiant heating systems. The Radiant Heating System Design should be designed and installed by qualified professionals.