Australian-American Houses

Beadlock Loose Tenon Joinery Success

To make professional-quality mortise and tenon joints, you need a woodshop full of expensive tools, decades of experience and loads of time on your hands, right? Nope. Not if you have a Beadlock kit. With the Beadlock system and just a few common tools, you can make perfect mortise and loose tenon joints beginning with your very first try.

To prove it, we’re happy to welcome Sandra, a fellow blogger at Sawdust and Paper Scraps. Below, she chronicles her first experience using the Beadlock system in a project that turned out a handsome and solidly joined set of drawer fronts. Thanks, Sandra!

Rockler Blog Team

Hello Rockler fans! I’m Sandra.

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Affordable Storage Cabinets for Every Home and Every Budget

Having a low budget for a home improvement project isn’t the end of the world nor is it that rare of an occurrence. Updating, replacing or just adding to your cabinetry is one way to go about improving your home’s décor and it doesn’t have to be that big of a project either. In fact, many cabinet related projects at home can be done by the homeowner themselves unless it is a custom and/or unique job in which case, a professional should be used.

When in doubt, consult a professional but if your want to save money, take some time to learn how to do it yourself because you might be surprised as to how simple it really is. The in Read more…

Population pressures on Easyhomerenovating

Am reading Bernard Salt, Demographer on the latest population numbers. He notes the rate of population growth for Australia, previously, at a very high level has now slowed. The figures are 467,000 in the year to June 2009 and  400,000 for the year to June 2010, slowing likely to as low of 300,000 for the year ending June 2011.  Perhaps this is some explanation for the dramatic slowing in Melbourne auction clearances from a high of 85 % in March, 2010 to a current level of 65% for February 2011. For my understanding it would be much more sensible if migration numbers were more steady rather than these great variations. M

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Future growth areas with Rising Rental Demand?

Hot spotting’s,Terry Ryder is noting the rising demand for rental and residential areas surrounding government major capital works areas, like Hospital precincts and Educational facilities { like Universities and TAFE colleges}. He notes these areas provide investors with close to guaranteed rental demand. The renters in these areas include doctors, nurses, teachers, lecturers and students. I have noticed the proliferation of extra medical facilities that surround a major Hospital. Investors would be well advised to seek areas where there are continuously rising rental demand. Ryder notes two such suburbs in Melbourne being Berwick where a University, TAFE, Major Hospital and private schools are all in close proximity. T

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Solar Roof Panel power generation effects home renovating

One of the easiest ways to checkout the veracity of claims for a Solar Panel System, might be to join the Alternative Technology Association, at www.ata .org.au Dont be caught out by cheap and inefficient sytems. The wide variety and quality of systems creates confusion. The very high cost, relative inefficiency and scrambled series of Rebates and government incentives only confuses the likely customers. Over the last year, the REC rebates have picked up dramatically in value : The rise in the Australian dollar, plus increased competition between suppliers, thus lowering the cost of a Solar power system. The news about current and future rises in electricity costs has become much more clear cut.

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