First, you need a plan. Assess the space you’ll be using taking into consideration the total amount of square footage, access to other parts of the house, current natural lighting, and the amount of construction that might be needed. Do a mock layout using a computer remodeling program, or even just on paper if you prefer the simpler way of doing things, then ask friends and family for their ideas.

When it’s time to build, consider the ambiance you’re trying to create when choosing materials. If you like dark and rich, there are plenty of gorgeous wood materials for the cabinetry, stools, wall, and the bar itself. Woods range in color and grain from dark cherries and mahoganies to lighter oaks and maples. If you can’t afford solid wood there are laminated products which don’t look as rich but are substantially less expensive.

Those with more modern tastes might like to incorporate stone or brick elements in their design. Concrete-based “faux stones”, which were quite popular in the 80s, are making a comeback in home remodeling projects, especially those centering around the fireplace or bar. Just remember, the new catchphrase for stone and brick is “minimalist”. These elements can be over powering if you use too much or put them in the wrong place. Be careful in your application.

Probably the most important element for the perfect bar is lighting. Avoid recessed lighting as it tends to look less inviting and quite mechanical. This is a bar after all, not your doctor’s office. Track lighting works well because the individual lights can be moved, pointed, and rotated to give some very interesting effects. Be sure to use dimmer switches and soft bulbs for a more intimate atmosphere. If you’re looking for a little extra flair, remote control lighting systems originally designed for exterior applications can do wonders for the home bar. And of course, make sure you budget a few hundred dollars for a neon sign or two.

Finally, if you trick out your bar with a theme it tends to be more attractive to visitors, not to mention allowing you to display whatever turns you on. Whether it’s your favorite sports team, a hobby, a foreign country you’ve visited, or something else, your home bar is a place where you should feel right at home.

Cheers!

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Home Design Ideas: How to Build a Bar

Writing. In the day of search engines, online content is everything these days. Without effective content in sufficient quantities, websites do not rank highly in search engines. Poor ranking causes a website to be practically ignored by search engines and Internet users alike. Successful online organizations are aware of this, and constantly require new content to be developed for their websites, sometimes on a daily or even hourly basis. While many companies have their own in-house staff for this, many do not. Many companies choose to outsource this to brokerage companies and freelance ghostwriters. While writing may never have been your mainline career, the Internet seems to have changed the way publishing workings, opening new venues everyday to even the most novice of writers. Do you know how to how to shop for car insurance? Do you know how to wash a dog? How about inventory management software?  You’d be surprised to see what types of articles customers online seek. You could even be paid to write an article on how to fry an egg–all from the comfort of your own home!

Personal Assistant. While the concept of part-time secretaries and temporary staff have been around for years, the ability to hire such workers online has drastically improved with the increased availability of broadband Internet. Booking appointments, online researching, and data entry are just a few of the tasks you can perform for companies from a home office.

Web Page Evaluator. Do you have basic computer skills? If so, many companies could use your help in evaluating their websites. This task much like being a mystery shopper in the real world. A company will give you a list of websites to visit and, like a mystery shopper visiting a grocery store in reality, you browse around the websites and secretly report your experience as a customer.

Computer Programming. Are you in the IT field? Do you have more than basic computer knowledge? It’s no big surprise that many IT-related tasks can be performed via a telecommuting arrangement. There are dozens and dozens of freelancing websites that allow programmers, designers, and other IT professionals to provide their services to companies worldwide. Programmers can troubleshoot existing programs, develop bespoke systems, or provide consulting advice. Designers can provide logos, website templates, and other graphic design work. Technical writers can provide requirements specifications and user manuals.

Working at home isn’t for everyone, but there are dozens of options out there that could work out for you.

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Working from Home: Successful Home Business Ideas

Before a special holiday arrives like Valentine’s Day or her Birthday, you should make it a point to go shopping with her even if you don’t feel like going, what you will discover about your lady’s tastes and styles will give you some clue about how to buy jewelry for her when those special occasions do come around.

A shopping venture can be very revealing. It can let you know if your girl is a simple plain Jane down to earth soul, or a high maintenance babe. Look at the style of clothing she chooses to wear, if it’s something that has a little flair, she may want some sparkle in her life to go with it. Things like diamond studded necklaces or bracelets are often favorites for those with a higher sense of style. If her style of dress is simple and everyday, you may want to play down the sparkle and get her something earthy and trendy.

If the lady is your wife you want to be a little more elaborate. You’ve hopefully already melted her heart with your engagement rings selection.  You have been with her long enough to know her style and taste if you have been married for a few years. On occasions like her birthday and Valentine’s Day, she wants something that says romance and love. You can choose according to her unique style and dress and do make sure that what you buy for her is not cheap but something that costs a pretty good amount.

Take her shopping and casually stop at the jewelry counter and notice what she likes and dislikes, this is another clue to get to know her jewelry style and will make buying a lot simpler. What you choose will send signals that can last a lifetime.

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A Man’s Guide to Buying Jewelry for His Lady

Like many families we began moving things into the new garage before the house even closed, and also like many families, much of that stuff was still there years later. In fact, it looked like a long neglected storage unit until one day when my wife marched into the dining room with my daughters in tow and announced that today was the day the garage was returned to its rightful occupants. She was determined to clean the place out and to my surprise, she did a great job by utilizing technology in ways I never would have thought of.

First she sat down at the computer while the girls went out and took some measurements. She created a rendering of the garage in a 3-D modeling program according to the numbers my girls gave her, then added the existing shelving, a built-in workbench, and the two cars. From there she was able to calculate how much storage capacity we had and what could reasonably go where. Then they emptied the structure completely.

My wife sent me to purchase some modular shelving units and totes, along with a hand-held thermal label printer. This nifty little gadget came in real handy in helping my wife organize the sporting equipment and label it by type. She used a laser-level to hang the brackets for the modular shelving; a task I had to do in the bedrooms with a tape measure and a plumb line when we first moved in. I must say, was blown-away by her work. I had never seen my wife do these kinds of thing with the tools she was using.

The icing on the cake had to have been taking inventory for our insurance company using a digital camera. As each item was put away in its new place, a digital picture was taken and notes made about the item’s age and condition. The notes were added to the pictures later on using image editing software on the computer. Pictures were also taken of both vehicles as they sat in the garage, providing evidence that they fit comfortably should our auto insurer ever fuss about it. Finally, when the job was complete my wife used the video feature of the camera to do a complete 360 scan of the entire garage. Awesome!

Now we have a clean and organized garage with plenty of room for our cars, it’s inventoried in case we ever have a fire or break-in, and I’m happy to say that we’ve maintained it for almost four years. Thanks to the hard work and ingenuity of my lovely wife and two daughters.

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Use Technology to Organize Your Garage

All kidding aside, the concept of a smart home involves using new technology and special wiring that allows the homeowner to program or remotely control an unlimited number of electronic devices in his house. For example, before leaving on a vacation he could program lights to go on and off in such a pattern as to simulate normal activity in the house. With a telephone call an alarm system could be activated, the oven turned on to begin roasting a chicken, or a recording device started to catch a favorite TV program. There are even smart appliances that can take advantage of the technology and report malfunctions to the local repair facility.

Since a smart home requires specialized structured wiring to maximize the “smart” potential, most smart homes are new construction. But a new technology called Powerline Carrier Systems (PCS) is making it possible for owners of existing homes to get in on the smart home craze. This technology uses transmitters to send signals across existing power lines to switches or outlets throughout the home. Similar to a computer or a multi-viewer network’s router, the switches and outlets can be programmed so that each device is assigned a unique numerical address, allowing it to then be controlled by the main system.  This allows smart homes to have “memories,” much like how a hosted exchange service will auto-archive your emails, smart home technology will auto-archive your preferred settings.

If you can read and follow some basic instructions you can get started making your home smart in just a few hours. Home improvement stores and websites carry a wide selection of smart home products that you can install yourself on an individual basis. When it comes to programming various devices it’s usually no more difficult than programming a universal remote or that old VCR. If you’re challenged in this area you may have to bring in a professional to do it for you.

One note of caution about making an existing home a smart home: be prepared for the cost. As with any new technology that’s also a current fad, smart home equipment can be very expensive. Expect to pay several hundred dollars for a control unit and more as you add in transmitters, receivers, and programmable switches and outlets. On the other hand, one up side of the smart home is that it can be programmed to save you energy, which in the long run, might pay for the cost of conversion.

As for me, right now I can’t afford to go smart. I guess I’ll have to stay fat, dumb, and happy.

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Forget Fifth-Graders, Are You Smarter Than Your House?

Not knowing much about Wolfsfeld, Max had the art appraised and was surprised to find it worth more than $160,000. He contracted with an auction house to sell the work and will now have some extra cash to carry him through his twilight years.

Though finding treasures like this is rare, Max’s story is by no means unique. Finding things of value in an attic, basement, or garage is always possible when dealing with older properties. Consider the story a couple from Ferndale, Michigan:

Barb thought she heard water dripping in their home during the summer of 2003 and asked her husband Harley to take a look. Unable to find anything at first glance, Harley used a flashlight to look around in the floor joists above his head. Tucked into the rafters he found a small box that had gone unnoticed for the twenty years they had been living there.

The box, which belonged to Barb’s grandfather, contained more than 300 collectible cards originally packed with Sweet Caporal cigarettes. Among the collection were roughly 200 cards featuring baseball players from 1910, including several copies of Ty Cobb and Christy Mathewson cards. The couple put the collection up for auction in 2005 after an appraisal that valued them at several thousand dollars.

There are plenty of other stories too, like the New Jersey man who found a 50-year-old inert hand grenade in the house he just purchased, or the Devon, England women who discovered a rare umbrella worth more than $28,000 during a spring cleaning.

Who knows what might be found in your home if you look hard enough. Maybe during your next cleaning project you’ll run across some old war artifacts, diamond rings, documents, or collectibles. Keep your eyes and mind open to that junk stored in the corner. It might be worth something.

Happy hunting!

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Treasure Hunting at Home

Plans for building a half-pipe are readily available on the Internet so I’ll just give a brief overview here. You’ll be building in three sections: the two sloped ends and a flat plane between them. Depending on your design you’ll need 6-10 sheets of plywood, a few dozen 2×4 studs, nails or wood screws, some sheet plastic, and paint.

The two sides of each end will be cut out of full sheets of plywood. Trace your slope on one piece piece, cut it out, then use it as a template for the other three. You’ll join these sides with framing and support beams cut from the studs. Attaching plywood to the framing will be made easier if you soak the sheets in cold water for 4-6 hours (a lawn sprinkler works great for this!). Once the sides are complete it’s best to put them in position before starting to build the center plane.

Lay your sheet plastic down to prevent moisture from rotting the wood, then put the sides in their permanent place. Using the remainder of the lumber, construct a flat plane that joins the two ends. Sand the entire surface smooth and paint it with exterior flat paint. The paint gives a smoother and more slick surface for the skateboard wheels to run on.

As with any sports activity, skateboarding should be enjoyed with a few safety rules in force.

First and foremost, the proper safety gear including elbow and knee pads, gloves, a medical alert bracelet if you have any existing medical conditions, and a helmet should be used by all riders. Individual riders should take turns on the half-pipe with no more than one rider engaged at any given time. Multiples riders in the half-pipe simultaneously is a very dangerous practice.

Next, the half-pipe shouldn’t be used if it’s wet or during inclement weather. Even if painted, plywood becomes extremely slippery when it gets wet, increasing the likelihood of a serious accident. Allow a full day of drying time after a soaking rain; light showers will require less drying time.

Finally, repair any damage or wear to the half-pipe immediately. Allowing things like cracks, popped nails, or chipped surfaces to go unattended could pose a potential safety risk for young riders.

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How to Build Your Own Half-Pipe

Our tree house was by no means a mansion in the sky or a sandpiper resort with all the amenities. It was a simple platform about 15 feet off the ground with no roof or sides yet we loved it because it was something we built with our own hands. We used it as our home base when we played war with the neighborhood kids. During the winter months it was a great place to hide while throwing snowballs at my siblings. There are so many fond memories of that tree house including my personal favorite, running a zip line down to the fence and using an old auto seatbelt as a harness. All was well until the seatbelt broke from the friction, sending my older brother to a hard posterior landing. We still laugh about it today.

The coolest thing about our tree house wasn’t the trap door, the ladder built in to the trunk, the view of the yard, or even the great access it gave us to the roof of the main house. It was the sense of independence. It was our space; it didn’t belong to our parents, we could exclude our friends if we were so inclined, we didn’t even have to keep it clean. We built it, we maintained it, and we were free to do with it as we pleased. That little platform in the air was our kingdom. It was great.

Maybe your kids are asking for a tree house but you don’t know how to build one. So what? Of course there are basic things you need to do correctly like finding a solid tree and making sure the tree house has the proper support, but after that let it be whatever the kids want it to be. Let them help design it, gather the materials, and participate in the construction. Let them have as big a part in building their kingdom as possible. Who knows, maybe they’ll drive by the old place when they have kids of their own and find their tree house gone. But they’ll still have their memories; memories that will last a lifetime.

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How to Build a Tree House

Start by designing and planning your pooch’s new castle keeping in mind that Fido is an animal, not a human. Size is very important but only to the extent that it meets the needs of the dog; nothing more and nothing less. A house that’s too small won’t give your pet room to move and be comfortable. Remember this is your “best friend,” not some unused pool table to place in self storage.  A house that’s too big won’t stay warm with the dog’s body heat, while also being a temptation for him to use a corner of it for his toilet rather than going outside. While there’s no special formula for sizing a dog house, a good rule of thumb is to measure your dog then add 12″ to the length and 6″ to the width. The roof needs to slope so at the high end add 8″ to your dog’s height and at the low end 3″.

Next, you’ll want to make sure the house is built up off the ground. This keeps the dog off damp soil which will rob him of his body heat. The moisture is also bad for the floor, causing mold and rotting lumber. Inexpensive paver stones are ideal for this application.

You’ll need to make sure the house is well ventilated so moisture doesn’t get trapped inside. A roof or side vent is sufficient, but leave the door either completely open or loosely covered with a flap so the air can still circulate. Just as with the floor, moisture trapped inside the house will breed mold and rot the wood.

Pressure-treated lumber is probably your best best because it holds up well against the weather and lasts significantly longer than standard lumber. Some dog owners prefer to use regular plywood sheathing for the exterior walls then cover them with cedar or vinyl shingles. That makes the house look a bit more attractive; something Fido doesn’t care about but your neighbors might. Regardless of your materials the house needs to be weather proof, just like your home.

Finally, the key to any house is location, location, location. Look for a spot near your house to help the dog remain at ease. Dogs are pack animals and separating your dog’s house from your own by too great a distance causes the dog to feel as though he’s lost his pack. This can lead to aggression and other anti-social behavior. Look for a shady place if possible, and one that obstructs the dog’s view of the street. This will keep him interested in your back yard instead of the rest of the neighborhood.

Now that you have some direction….go build it and Fido will come.

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A Dream Home for Fido?

Spicy Asian Flank

Ingredients:
* 2 lbs. flank steak
* 1/3 cup sweet red wine
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 2 tbsp. lime juice
* 2 tbsp. soy sauce
* 3 cloves minced garlic
* 1 tbsp. lime zest
* 1 tbsp. brown sugar
* 1 tbsp. chopped cilantro
* 1 tsp. crushed red pepper

Place meat in a shallow dish. Combine all other ingredients, mix well with a wisp and pour onto steak. Cover dish and marinate in refrigerator for 6 hours, then freeze over night. Thaw completely before cooking. To cook, preheat grill at medium heat. Place steak onto grill and brush liberally with marinade. Cook for 5 minutes, turn, brush with marinade again and cook for another 5-7 minutes.
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Southwest Chipotle Porterhouse

Ingredients:
* 2 lbs. porterhouse steak
* 6 tbsp. vegetable oil
* 8 cloves minced garlic
* 6 tbsp. chipotle powder
* 6 tbsp. salt
* 1 tbsp. black pepper

Combine all rub ingredients in a small bowl, mixing into a thick paste. Rub paste into the steak, completely covering entire surface. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate 4 hours. Preheat grill at high heat. Grill steak at high heat for 2 minutes; turn and grill 2 more minutes. Reduce heat to medium and grill to desired doneness.
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Italian Steak Pizzaiola

Ingredients:
* 2 1/2 lbs. sirloin
* 4 plum tomatoes
* 2 tbsp. olive oil
* 2 tbsp. chopped oregano
* 2 tbsp. chopped basil
* 4 cloves minced garlic
* 1 tsp. ground black pepper
* 1 tsp. salt
* 1 cup fregula pasta

Preheat grill to medium. Brush steaks with 1 tbsp. of oil and let sit. Cut tomatoes in half and grill face-down until deep grill marks appear. Remove from grill and remove skin. Place steaks on grill, allowing to cook until desired doneness. While the steaks are grilling combine tomatoes and remaining ingredients (except fregula) in a saucepan. Crush tomatoes with a fork and simmer mixture over low heat. Remove steaks when done and cut into strips. Add steak strips to sauce and simmer on low for 10 minutes. Cook pasta for 10 minutes on medium heat. Drain pasta and serve, pouring steak mixture over individual servings.
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Mexican Tequila Strip Steaks

Ingredients:
* 4 eight oz. New York strips
* 1/2 cup tequila
* 2 tsp. grated lemon peel
* 2 cloves minced garlic
* 1 tbsp. black pepper
* salt to flavor

Mix marinade ingredients (except salt) in large bowl. Roll steaks one at a time through marinade, wrap in plastic wrap and place in refrigerator over night (save remaining marinade). To cook, preheat grill at high heat. Cook until desired doneness, occasionally brushing with remaining marinade. Avoid excessive turning so brushed marinade isn’t lost. Remove from grill and season with salt to individual flavor.
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Steak ‘n Bacon Knockout Punch

(note: this recipe requires 2 cooking cycles over two days; you’ll need a grill and crockpot)

Ingredients:
* 4 lbs. boneless rib eye
* 1 lb. bacon strips
* 1 cup brown sugar
* 1/2 cup water
* 1 cup beef broth
* 1/2 spicy BBQ sauce
* 1/2 tbsp. yellow mustard powder
* 1/2 cup chopped onions

Preheat grill at medium heat. Combine brown sugar, water, beef broth, BBQ sauce and mustard in a large bowl. Place bacon strips in bowl and allow to sit 1 hour. Cut rib eye into 4-6 smaller pieces and soak in marinade for 1 hour; save remaining marinade in refrigerator. Place both meats on grill; cook bacon only 1 minute (make sure it remains soft) then remove. Cook steak to rare, remove. When cool, wrap each steak in bacon. Wrap individually in plastic wrap and refrigerate over night. About 6 hours before the meal, combine remaining marinade with onions in crockpot (if there’s not enough marinade to cover steaks, mix another 1/2 batch). Add steaks and cook on low heat for 4-6 hours. Remove steaks from pot, place them on a platter and pour marinade from crockpot over the top.

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5 Sizzling Steak Recipes from Around the World