Can you use zipolc bags and decorating tips to decorate a cake?

As a student that has no money for decorating supplies I dont have all the things needed to decorate a cake. I have decorating tips and ziploc bags but im not sure on if I can use them together. How would I secure the tip with the bag?

Make a small cut on the corner of the ziplock bag.
Slide the decorating tip into the corner.
Put your frosting in the bag.
Push the frosting into the corner where the tip is.
As long as the hole is not too big the presure from the fosting should hold the tip in place.

Hope that helps

How can I contribute furniture as start up capital to my new business if I do not have receipts for them?

Hi,

I am have just formed a new company in my home and want to contribute my old furniture (in addition to money) as a start-up investment. This furniture is about 4 months old and I do not have any receipts for them. I do have CC statements though.
1) Can I contribute this furniture as start-up assets to my business?
2) How do I decide FMV for the furniture if I do not have receipts?

Thanks

You should start by reading the IRS rules for home office expense, and deciding if the furniture qualifies as being deductible. Personally, I wouldn’t try to take a tax deduction for it unless it was in an area of my home designated as the office, and 100% used for that purpose. If the furniture is in your living room and used partially for business use and partially for personal use, the IRS will see a red flag if you get audited.

If you do have a deductible home office, then the furniture in that office can be treated as a capital asset and depreciated over the life of the furniture. You may also be able to deduct the entire amount right away using Section 179 depreciation expense.

It seems the credit card statements could serve as proof of your cost. However, since it has only been four months you might also be able to get your retailers to provide you with copies of the receipts.

I would take a reasonable percentage of the furniture’s cost to assign market value. If it is only 4 months old, it is probably in near new condition. Nevertheless, it has gone down in value somewhat. I think they say a car goes down in value by as much as 25% when you drive it off the lot. Seems like you could value the furniture at 70-90% of what you paid for it, depending on its condition, since it is so new.

An even better way of valuing the furniture might be to decide what depreciation would be over the life of the furniture, then compute the amount attributable to the 4 months of home use and reduce the cost of the furniture by that amount. I hope this helps.

What is the best furniture company to buy long lasting, decent priced bedroom furniture from?

I am redoing my room, and I am going to get new furniture. I am getting a double bed, bookshelf, desk, drawers, and a glass case for my snow globe collection. I am trying to find a good brand to by from, but I have zero furniture experience… What is your opinion of the best furniture company, and where can it be bought?

Ikea

www.ikea.com

What design would you use to build a pyramid with the largest interior cavity, only using primative methods?

The design i was thinking about was a half oval (with 4 arches), with the open end down, and the pyramid built around it. The design should be structurally sound, and the construction materials used are only stone (like the egyptians). No current-day technologies can be used. Thanks for the help.

The big problem with your solution is that arches are not a contemporary technology – they came into existance long after the pyramids were built. That is why the chambers in the pyramids are relatively narrow and long, so that rock slabs could be used to span the gap. Some places used a kind of shelved over hang, like pushing a deck of cards to one side, to make a raised roof, but no balancing as you would find in an arch.

What kind of design work experience is necessary?

I have recently graduated with a graphic design degree and have real issues finding work in a design firm due to lack of experience. So have taken a job as an inHouse designer/ marketer at a hotel.
Will this type of job give me the experience that i need to be considered in a design firm or am i just wasting my time?

HI
My first job (18 years ago) was in the marketing department of a college. Once you have your first job and some experience it is much easier to get your second (that’s what I found anyway). You can always do some freelance design in your spare time too to make up your portfolio.

I know there are insulation and non-insulation can lights. Are recessed lights safe to use?

I get paranoid about these things. Even though I bought can lights to put up, is it safe to put insulation right up next to it even though it is rated that it can be?

Building codes vary from area to area but generally speaking, if the cans are IC (Insulation Contact) then it is rated safe to be right up close and personal with insulation. But this is not to say that insulation should go on TOP of the can. They are safe if installed properly.

Another designation you will find with these lights is "air tight". This link will explain in more detail.

What type of insulation is recommended for sound insulation?

I am building a cottage and would like to put some sound insulation in the interior walls of the bathroom. Is "sound insulation" any different than regular insulation? What type of insulation would be best for this purpose? Does solid foam insulation provide any sound deadening effect? Thanks.

Sound deadening will depend on the R factor. The higher the R factor the better the sound deadening.

What does the inspector look for to know if aluminum siding is hiding something nasty underneath?

How does an inspector know is the entire House is okay under the aluminum siding without looking under every section of siding? We are considering the possbility of buying a home that has aluminum siding on it, and we plan to eventually take it off, but how do we know for sure that we are not just buying a problem.
How likely is it that a home inspector will be able to tell if there is something wrong under the siding?
Do they check around the entire house under all the siding?
When siding is put on, do they remove all the old siding, or install it right on top of the old siding?
Can an average "do it yourself person" tear off aluminum siding and replace it with something else?
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
THANK YOU!!!

he is checking for moisture and mildew. maybe rot of any kind. ask him. if there is a problem and you are purchasing it, the seller is responsible. they will have to fix it before you buy so you will find out anyway. talk to your Realtor about an insurance that the seller buys, if anything happens for 1 year, that insurance covers it. it is about 300.00. that 300 is the sellers responsibility. make sure you have a realtor
an average person can take it off and add something else later

siding what do you ask for when getting an estimate?

My brother is paying for siding on my home! (he is a wonderful brother ,by the way) He told me to get estimates. for windows also. I dont know what to ask for! I need the old siding removed,and i want to keep the price down, since he is paying for it! Please Help! Thank you!
The first answer that i recieved from John was fantastic! Thank you So Much! This is an old house at least 50 yrs. old. My dad and mom built it! They had no experience building! It is a plain ranch type home with wood siding .the wood is really moldy and is roten. Ineed to know what type siding to go with? there are many types! I not able to wrap the house myself. ( i wish i could,I’d like to !) But physically i am not able! That is the main reason why we are hiring someone! I am checking around the neighborhood,to see if good work was done! It is not easy finding someone you can trust! I will consider all advice given to me! And thank you so much! I would like to get it done during the summer, I have heard that the windows are put in first! So i know that will take time! Thank a 3rd time!!!!
WoW JOHN! You are great! After all that imformation,NOW COME AND DO THE WORK! LOL Take care! All OF YOU will sleep well tonight ! Knowing you helped this unexperienced woman!!
Sorry thats inexperienced!

Read below for choosing contractors.

Do more research on siding and removal through google/yahoo searches.

If you do have the siding removed, have the contractor give you an estimate on installing house wrap to the exterior under the new siding.

House Wrap:
When you go out in bad weather, you wear a jacket to protect yourself from rain, wind and other elements. A home should be protected in the same fashion. Without a protective barrier, the home can get wet, which can lead to wood rot and mold growth.

Is there a better way to protect a home from these elements?

Using a house wrap during the framing stage of construction will prevent moisture from entering the home. This will protect the house from rotting and from developing mold or fungus. Additionally, air infiltration through the framed walls will be blocked.

The "best practice" for protecting your home from wind and water while allowing it to "breathe" is to install a layer of "house wrap" made of a thin layer of spun-bonded polyethylene.

Here’s how to do it:

Start at a corner, but make sure you have 2 to 3 feet of house wrap to overlap the corner. Wrap it around the corner and continue nailing or stapling as you move. Wrap the entire building, including door and window openings.

Use button nails or minimum 1-inch staples to fasten the house wrap every 12 to 18 inches along the vertical studs.

Make an inverted "y" cut, or "martini glass cut," over the window openings. Fold the flaps in through the opening of the two sides and the sill and fasten them inside.
Many builders do not install a drainage plane at all. The builders who do often install "building paper," a sheet of asphalt-impregnated felt paper, to protect the house from exterior water penetration. Unlike house wrap, however, building paper doesn’t effectively reduce air infiltration because it has many seams, while house wrap is a continuous sheet with minimal overlaps.

House wrap produces a breathable, weather-resistant barrier that will reduce energy costs and prevent wind-driven rain from entering the walls of a home.
===============================================
Windows:
If you are actually going to have the windows replaced, the best way to do this is replace the whole window including the frames.

Have the windows removed to the rough opening. Many contractors will tell you this is not necessary. If the house is quite old, the space between the rough oping and the window frame is likely not insulated and sealed properly.

Leaving the existing window frames in will not eliminate drafts properly.

Also, it allows you to see if there is may moisture damage to the structure that has to be repaired.

Here is an excerpt from this link:

http://www.doityourself.com/stry/retrofit

How Do I Decide Between Retrofit or New Construction Windows? (By: Bill & Kevin Burnett)

Q: What are the disadvantages to retrofit windows as opposed to the advantages of new-construction windows?

I’ve been shopping for new windows for my home and have found that labor and materials for retrofit windows is about one-half the cost of new-construction windows.

I understand that with retrofit windows the old window is removed and the new window is installed into the old window frame, which certainly cuts down on labor.

However, is there a quality issue? Can there be more of a chance of leakage around the window with retrofitted windows? Retrofit installers swear by their product. My contractor said he won’t install retrofit windows. What’s a homeowner to do?

A: Retrofit windows are installed into existing window frames. New-construction windows are secured to the frame of the House by nailing flanges. The cost difference is related to removal and repair of existing window trim and siding.

The major advantage of flanged windows is that they are one integral unit that is easy for the contractor or homeowner to install plumb and square within a framed opening. Retrofit windows are installed into existing frames, and if those frames are not plumb or square, there may be problems.

To install flanged windows the old windows must be completely removed. Exterior trim (and often interior trim) will have to be removed, exposing the framing so the new windows can be nailed or screwed to it.

Siding will also need to be cut back so that the edge of the framing is exposed. If you have a stucco exterior, installation will require some stucco to be chipped or cut away, then patched after the new windows are installed. Trim must be reinstalled. Finally everything must be repainted. Sounds like a pretty big job, doesn’t it? It is.

Retrofit windows, on the other hand, use the existing frame as the opening in which to install the new windows. No trim removal, no stucco or siding to repair. A seemingly much simpler and cleaner job. It can be.

So what to do? From our perspective it depends on the type of existing windows you have and the exterior trim and siding involved.

Most of our experience has been with the double-hung wooden windows that are common in old homes.

To install retrofits in this type of frame, the old sash is removed, stops are installed if necessary and the new unit is attached to the old wood frames with shims and screws. A little caulking around the joints and you’re done. This type of installation, if done properly, will provide an airtight seal.

If your existing windows are the steel casement windows used in the 1950s or the aluminum windows commonly used in the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s, we’d suggest you do some serious digging into the possibility of using retrofits.

If we were in the market to retrofit these windows, we’d undertake major research, look at some existing installations and satisfy ourselves with the looks, method of installation and quality of these products.

All this being said, we don’t think we’d be happy with existing steel or aluminum frames with new window inserts unless we were convinced that the frames were covered and the installation was airtight.

Tip: We’ve always found it better to install flanged windows with screws rather than nails. If minor adjustments have to be made to properly fit the window into the opening, it’s much easier to remove a screw or two rather than pull a nail with a cat’s paw. Use stainless steel or zinc-coated screws.
===============================================
Selecting contractors:

1/ Look up local contractors first. work out form the closest
to your location. If some you trust has had work done
similar to yours, ask them about the contractor they
used. If they were completely satisfied with their
contractor(s), ask for their telephone number.

2/ Select at least 5 your are interested

3/ Do a google/yahoo search on each of the contractors
you are interested in; look for praises (check who is
writing the praises to see if they have any connection to
the contractor <scam artists and coffident persons often
work in groups> google/yahoo search the people giving
the praise or references)

4/ When you are satisfied with at least 3 contractors per job,
have the give you written estimates with details of work
to be done, terms, guarantee(s), cost of extras (how
much do they charge if they find something not covered
by the contract), paymant schedules if necessary and
whatever else you can think of to protect yourself.

5/ If the contractor tries to pressure you into signing the
contract immediately with a high deposit (more than
15%) reject that contractor. Be careful, high pressure
can be someone who sounds very convincing, but has
many reasons why you should sign on the dotted line
NOW.

6/ It is always good to have another adult with you when a
contractor inspects the work to be done.

7/ If you do not get at least 3 written estimates signed by the

contractor – not you (do not sign yet) , go back to 1. repeat until you

get written estimates signed by the contractor – not you (do not sign

yet).

Read the estimates over with some who has some knowledge of the work

that has to be done.

This may take longer than you thought; do not rush into it. Research,

resaerch research, helps.

When you are ready choose by being informed.

Good Luck

How to control condesation from forming on underside of roof?

I have a 40’ by 50’ covered carport that is about 15’ above a concrete slab. How can I stop the condensation from forming on the underside of the roof? Will a parachute material spanned from the underside of the roof stop it? Fans blowing on the roof stop it? Fans blowing on the ground stop it? It is too large to insulate.

1word ..VENTILATION