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Choosing the right bulbs involves more than just selecting colors and cultivars. Timing, bulb size, and most importantly, bulb health are equally significant factors in designing your spring garden.

Before purchasing any bulbs, know the differences in bulb types. Along with true bulbs, several types of flowers, sold as bulbs, grow from the underground stem growth of rhizomes, tubers, and corms.

• True bulbs are rounded, self-sufficient, underground storage organs. True bulbs are an incubator for a flower bud embryo already inside.
• Many perennial flowers grow from tubers, which are flat underground stems that store food and plant energy.
• Corms are thick underground stems that produce the new roots, leaves and flowers of their cultivars.
• Rhizomes are modified plant stems that grow horizontally under the surface of the soil. New growth emerges from several different points along each rhizome.

Bulb Health

Simple Layout And Framing Of Walls
 by: Mike Merisko

Framing walls is known in construction as rough carpentry. This has always seemed to me as a contradiction of terms. The framing holds the skin (drywall, sheathing, siding) and has the buildings life lines running through it (plumbing, electric, heating, A/C, telephone, and cable). Like the skeleton is to a body, as are framed walls to a house.

When laying out walls, care must be taken as to where they are placed. Finishes that will be applied must be considered in the mix. If a room is to finish 12′ x 12′ and the wall finish is 1/2″ drywall, then the rough (there’s that word again) dimension between walls must be 12′1″ x12′1″.

Wall stud placement must also be considered. They cannot be placed just anywhere. To understand how important this placement is, one must know the materials that are applied to the framing. Most common building materials come in 4 x 8 sheets. These sheets are usually applied with the 4′ horizontal and the 8′ vertical. The most common layout for wall framing is 16″ centers. When laid out and framed correctly, the edge of the drywall or sheathing will break on the center of the studs in 4′ increments.

Interest rates on home mortgages are often quoted with and without points. A point equals one percent of the amount you are financing. This means that on a $150,000 mortgage, one point is $1500.00 and two points would be $3,000. These points are in addition to whatever other closing costs you might have.

I checked interest rates today in our state for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages and found a number of companies offering mortgages with no points. Here are a few examples (payment and interest only ? no taxes or insurance).

0 Points 5.625 percent interest, $863 per month payment

0 Points, 5.750 percent interest, $875 per month payment

0 Points, 6.250 percent interesxt, $924 per month payment

Now, let’s compare these with mortgages requiring points.

1 Point, 5.250 percent interest rate, $826 per month payment

2 Points 5.0 percent interest rate, $805 per month payment

2 Points, 5.125 percent interest rate, $817 per month payment

Simplifying Stair Rise And Run Calculations
 by: Mike Merisko

When I first started my career in carpentry, building a set of stairs seemed like a complicated and daunting task. We’re not talking finished oak, curved or spiral staircases. I’m talking about your normal carpet covered straight run staircases or porch and deck staircases.

My first stair building experience sort of took the mystery out of it all. I didn’t have to do much figuring because it was a deck replacement job. All I did was save the old stringers from the demo of the old deck. In doing so it all started to make sense to me. How the stairs were attached, the width of the treads, and how high each step was became less of a secret to me.

Anyone with the courage to take on this job needs only patience, basic math, a framing square and the ability to stand back and look at the big picture.

Anyone who has ever hung traditional shower curtains will agree on one thing: hooks are a pain to use. You get one side hung and the other side comes unhooked. While you’re reattaching that side, three hooks fall off. You fumble, you drop things. Before you get the whole thing hung, you are quite tempted to throw the curtain — and the hooks — out of the nearest window. There is an easier way.

Several different varieties of hookless shower curtains are now available. Though they all attach by different methods, each works with your existing standard shower curtain rods? and they all eliminate the hooks.

One such hookless shower curtain is available for $19.99 from AmeriMark. Equipped with a built-in flexible split-ring system, it simply fits over your curtain rod.

Another type of hookless shower curtain is one that utilizes ties. While each tie does have to be individually tied, you do not have to fumble with hard-to-use rings. One example is the Watershed Shower Curtain from Plow & Hearth. In addition to being hookless, this shower curtain also repels water, eliminating the threat of mold and mildew.

Planning a Second Story Addition
 by: Mike Merisko

Planning is the key when taking on a project that involves removing your roof.

Before you plan your 2nd story, research what obstacles will need to be dealt with. Examples of items that need to be addressed are:

-Size of ceiling joists, can they support a 2nd story floor?

-Are mechanicals run over the top of existing ceiling joists? (plumbing, electRic, HVAC)

-How much overhang is on existing roof and are there any utilities fastened to it.

-Is the existing roof stick built(built on site) or a truss roof(manufactured).

-Is the roof sheathing 1x boards or plywood?

-How many layers of shingles are there?

-Are there any Stacks or flues protruding through the roof such as a fireplace chimney, furnace flue, or vent pipe.

These things need to be considered so the addition can be built as quickly as possible.

When starting the tearoff, the first thing that needs to be addressedis the soffit. Removing this first will free up the rafter ends when it comes time to remove them. Sometimes utilities like the phone and electrical lines are attached to the soffit. These should be moved by their respective utility company.

Part four in a series

It’s hard to think about winter when our gardens are in full bloom and the vegetables are ripening on the vine! But we must keep winter in mind when we are planning our landscape. Afterall, we have to look at our landscape all year long, including winter. (Unless, of course, you are fortunate enough to be able to move to warmer climates in the winter or live in a climate that is tropical all year long!) But for most of us, we have to contend with four seasons and the life cycle of our landscape.

So when you are planning your landscape, keep in mind this life cycle of the plants you choose to add to your landscape design. Some plants, like flowering trees and shrubs look their best in Spring, others reach their full beauty in Summer, others still attain stunning and vibrant color in the Autumn, and yet, some evergreens look beautiful in the Winter, offset by a striking snow-covered landscape.

Installing Windows in New Construction
 by: Mike Merisko

Installing a window in a freshly framed opening is one of the more simple tasks in a construction project.

Most new construction windows have what is called a nailing fin. These are found on vinyl or aluminum clad windows. This nailing fin is either vinyl or metal and has nail holes every 4 to 6 inches and about 1 and 1/2 inches wide. Nailing fins take the place of brick moulding which can still be found on primed wooden windows.

Not only do these fins make installation easier, but also make a better seal against water and air infiltration. These windows can be flashed if desired but not deemed necessary. A window that does not have the benefit of a soffit or porch roof above it may need flashing or a drip edge above it.

When getting ready to install a window, make sure the sheathing is not hanging into the rough opening. This could cut down the size of the opening and not let the window go into the opening. Once this is done, measure the rough opening to make sure the it is big enough for the window. You don’t want to lift a heavy window to an opening only to find it won’t fit. Rough openings are usually 1″ wider and 1/2″ taller than the window unit. Rough openings are spect and provided by the window manufacturer.

Home loans may seem like a bad idea for people with bad credit, but there are times when a home loan can help your credit score and your budget. To know if a home loan is best for you, consider factors such as your current financial situation, current rent payment, and future goals.

Raising Your Credit Score

Home loans build up your credit score when you make regular payments. Unlike credit cards or short-term loans, a home loan shows your long-term responsibility. With a higher credit score, you can then refinance your mortgage for a lower interest rate.

However, if your financial situation is currently shaky, it is better to wait to apply for a home loan. You don’t want to risk a lower credit score with missed payments. A better idea is to pay off short-term debt and save for a down payment on a house.

Building Equity

With your own home, your monthly payments are investments in your home. Through mortgage payments, rising real estate prices, and sweat equity, you can watch the value of your home rise. If you are paying rent, you are building equity for the landlord, not yourself. The better financial choice is to buy your own home or condo rather than pay rent.