Term of the Week - Cantilevered

This term is typically used to described decks, balconies and staircases and can also be referred to as 'floating'. These structures

or building elements, appear as if they require vertical supports, when structurally, they do not. The structural load and

calculations are usually predetermined prior to installation. 

While they provoke appealing curiosity for the observer, they typically produce the opposite effect for Structural Engineers and Home Inspectors trying to determine their safety and proper installation! 

Term of the Week: Coffered Ceilings

There are many types of decorative ceilings out there, but these lend a sense of warmth and elegance. They are usually geometric in design - a 'fancy grid' more or less on your ceiling, and are typically the design work of a detailed architect.

They can be made of solid timbers, glued together wood planks (glulam), or finished wood on the exterior, with hidden supports in the middle.

New Year's Home Resolution

We make New Year's Resolutions for ourselves, so why not make one for our homes?

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Here are a few resolutions you should consider making for your home this year:

• Get an air-conditioning service plan. If you don't have one, then get moving! Air-conditioning is a major component in hot climates, and regular servicing can help it to work more efficiently and extend the life of the system. Homes that have air-conditioning service plans, also tend to have less overall problems and generally pass home inspections more frequently as well.

• Spruce-up your front door. One of the first things that people notice on a home is the front door. If yours is wood, refinish it and put on a fresh coat of oil, wax or urethane. If your front door is painted, put a fresh coat of paint on it, or maybe consider a new color. Clean up around the door and the entrance area, and make it inviting for guest and visitors.  

• Straighten-up those closets. An organized closet saves time, looks appealing and shows pride of ownership.

• Pressure wash some stuff. By stuff, I mean most anything outside, but not the dog or the kids! Start with the driveway. A plain concrete driveway looks 1000% better after a pressure washing - so does the exterior of the home and windows. Pressure washing is relatively inexpensive, and goes a long way in appearance. 

Pro Tip: When pressure washing driveway pavers that have been sealed (as is common in hotter climates like South Florida and the Caribbean), be sure to hold the nozzle head a little further away from the surface than normal. This will help to prevent the water pressure from potentially stripping away any sealant. The same applies to paint on the exterior of some homes.