Tips for Installing Picket Fence on the Veranda

A picket fence will be added to a veranda with surface-mount publish anchor plates.

A picket fence provides separation to a veranda with out fully sacrificing privateness as a result of you’ll be able to see by means of the fence pickets. Picket fences are usually put in by setting the posts in the floor, however you need to use surface-mount publish anchor plates to connect the posts on to a tough veranda ground similar to concrete or wooden with out breaking out the digging instruments.

Publish Spacing

The spacing between posts for a picket fence varies relying on the desired size for the picket fence panels, normally between 6 and 8 toes whether or not you buy them preassembled or make them your self. To find out publish spacing, add the complete size of a fence panel to the precise width of the posts — normally 3 1/2 to 4 inches — plus one other 1/4 inch to accommodate the screw connections. The ends of adjoining panels ought to line up at the middle of the posts. The primary panel traces up with the outdoors fringe of the first publish and falls at the middle of the second publish. A veranda is actually a lined patio, so you’ll be able to connect the fence panels to the roof help posts as an alternative of putting in further posts.

Floor-Mount Publish Anchor Plates

Floor-mount publish anchor plates permit you to mount posts upright with out digging by means of the veranda ground or sacrificing stability. Select an anchor plate suitable with the sort of veranda flooring, similar to a wooden mount or concrete mount anchor plate. These plates are sq. in form, with a despair in the middle for the publish, they usually screw instantly into the veranda ground — a masonry drill bit is required to make pilot screw holes in concrete and brick surfaces. Drill 4 pilot holes for every gap in the anchor plate, line up the plate with the pilot holes and drive the included screws or bolts by means of the holes to mount the plates to the veranda ground.

Setting the Posts

The fence posts stand upright in the sq. plate, however they require just a few screws to safe them to the plate. Reduce the posts to the correct size for the fence, ensuring the ends are minimize completely flat so the posts stand correctly. Picket fences usually use 4-by-4-inch posts minimize to 4-foot lengths. Maintain a carpenter’s stage in opposition to the sides of every publish and alter the publish till completely plumb. Drive 2-inch wooden screws by means of the pilot holes in the anchor plates and into the facet of the publish to carry it upright. Run a bead of silicone caulk alongside the edges of the anchor plates to stop water from seeping underneath the plates and probably damaging the veranda ground.

Attaching the Fence Panels

Picket fences will be comprised of scratch from lumber, or you should buy vinyl fencing with vinyl posts and pre-assembled vinyl panels. The fashion and attachment methodology of those fence sorts differ barely however are principally the similar. In some circumstances, a vinyl fence publish would possibly require a picket fence publish over which the vinyl publish matches like a sleeve. The horizontal rails ought to relaxation about 12 inches from the prime of the posts and 12 inches from the backside on a 4-foot-tall picket fence. If the rails are comprised of two-by-four lumber, drive 2- to 3-inch wooden screws in at an angle to safe them to the posts. Vinyl posts may need slots into which to insert the horizontal rails, whereas different types have hanger brackets that screw into the posts and the rails slide down into the bracket guides.

Home Design

Guides for Changing Existing Ceilings to Vaulted Ceilings

Converting a traditional ceiling to a vaulted ceiling is not simply a matter of removing ceiling joists and nailing wall board to the bottom of the rafters. Changing the structure of the ceiling has major ramifications for the building’s entire roof structure, and the elimination of attic space can have an effect on everything from your roof’s thermal performance to the load on your furnace.

Vaulted Ceiling in Kitchen

Roof Structure

Homes constructed in the past several decades typically have engineered roof truss assemblies that use a complex arrangement of support members to provide a stable roof structure while using a minimal amount of lumber. You can’t simply remove parts of the trusses to make room for a vaulted ceiling without compromising the stability of the roof, so installing a vaulted ceiling may require significant reconstruction of the roof. If the roof was built with traditional rafter-and-joist construction, the ceiling joists work to resist the lateral force of the rafters pushing outward on the walls. It’s possible that the joists may be removed if they’re replaced with collar ties, horizontal members higher up the rafters that keep the roof from pushing outward. In any case, you should employ a qualified structural engineer to determine what’s necessary to keep your roof safe and stable — especially when you live in an area of frequent seismic activity — and to get the required permits.

Ventilation and Insulation

When you eliminate attic space with a vaulted ceiling, you also eliminate space for insulation and ventilation of the roof. The conventional way to insulate a vaulted ceiling is by installing fiberglass batt insulation between the rafters, leaving at least an inch of space between the top side of the insulation and the bottom side of the roof sheathing. The space allows air to flow between soffit vents at the roof overhang and a ridge vent along the peak of the roof. This means your rafters must be deep enough to allow space for insulation and ventilation between the ceiling and the roof. Some builders favor unvented roof assemblies for vaulted ceilings. This typically requires that rafter bays are completely filled with spray foam insulation, or it may include a combination of batt or blanket insulation and rigid foam board added above or below the rafters.

Mechanical Services

Wiring, heating and air-conditioning ducts, vents and chimneys all commonly run through attics, and if any of these mechanical elements are in the attic space that you want to replace with a vaulted ceiling, you’ll have to move them elsewhere. Here again, you’ll want to consult the appropriately qualified electricians, plumbers or heating, ventilation and air-conditioning technicians before you make any changes to your home’s systems.

Attic Changes

A vaulted ceiling in one part of your house may create an attic space elsewhere that’s isolated from the rest of the attic. The new attic plan will have to provide access to each of the discontiguous parts of the attic. A vaulted ceiling also turns a large volume of former attic space into living space that must be heated and cooled. An HVAC technician can tell you whether or not your existing heating and cooling systems are up to the new, bigger job they’ll be asked to do.

Source: http://homeguides.sfgate.com/

Home Design

Easy Tips to Cut Back a Weeping China Doll Tree Rose

When “Weeping China Doll” tree rose (Rosa “Weeping China Doll”) blooms, the fountain of spicy blossoms stops passers-by of their tracks. Vigorous, bloom-laden canes cascade 4 to 6 ft. Pruning “Weeping China Doll” could seem daunting, however it’s easier than many suppose — particularly because the rose is at eye stage. Grafted atop a rose normal that varieties its roots and trunk, “Weeping China Doll” thrives in U.S. Division of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 9b by way of 10. Annual pruning includes cleansing up the rootstock and prepping “Weeping China Doll” for the upcoming 12 months.

1. Time your pruning for late winter, when “Weeping China Doll” continues to be dormant. In Mediterranean climates, the start of the brand new 12 months alerts rose pruning time. This lets you clearly see all of the canes on the graft the place “Weeping China Doll” grows from the usual’s prime.


2. Sterilize sharp, bypass pruner blades with family disinfectant earlier than and after you prune. This protects “Weeping China Doll” from any ailments lingering in your blades, and retains your pruning cuts clear. Sharp bypass pruners make crisp, clear, quick-healing cuts without crushing rose stems as some pruners do.


3. Placed on lengthy garden gloves and security eyewear to guard your fingers, arms and eyes. “Weeping China Doll” canes have only a few thorns, however they do have some. Items of thorns or canes can generally fly up inadvertently while you prune this eye-level rose.


4. Take away all useless, broken or diseased canes first. Prune all of them the best way again to the place they hook up with a wholesome department or to the highest graft itself. Prune out any crossing or rubbing branches, and skinny out weak canes in order that sturdy, wholesome canes are left.


5. Step again to look at the symmetry of the remaining canes earlier than you prune additional. Work towards a full, well-balanced dome form on the head of the plant that can fill in shortly in spring. Prune totally, however not as severely as you would possibly prune a garden rose.


6. Reduce the remaining canes again by one-half to two-thirds, leaving no less than 12 inches of wholesome cane intact. Make cuts at 45-degree angles, about 1/4 inch above wholesome buds. Work your means across the head, maintaining stability as you’re employed. Depart some canes longer when you want; simply retain symmetry.


7. End the job by eradicating sprouts or suckers alongside the rose’s trunk and at its base. Reduce these again to the trunk or so far as doable within the soil. These aren’t “Weeping China Doll” canes; they belong to the rootstock rose. Pruning energizes “Weeping China Doll” for a vigorous comeback in spring.

Things You Will Want

• Sharp, bypass pruning shears


• Family disinfectant


• Lengthy garden gloves


• Protecting eyewear

Tip

• At all times hold “Weeping China Doll” staked for help. It grows top-heavy with profuse sprays of pink blossoms. Wind and weight can harm a tree rose with out help.

Warning

• By no means reduce into the union the place your tree rose has been grafted on the prime of the usual. Aside from the cleanup of sprouts and suckers, confine your pruning to “Weeping China Doll” canes.

Garden