Today's real estate market and a more transitional society means that home owners have a stronger focus on making changes to a home that will quickly raise the home's value on the future market. As our country continues to climb back out of the recession, home owners are purchasing homes that require some updatingáandáwant to keep costs down while looking to future value. Here are some top building materials you can put into play to raise your home's value fast, whether it's for sale next week or a decade from now.

Paint. Lots and lots of paint.

This wonderful material can make a very fast difference in your home's curb appeal, whether it's in painting the front door, adding accent touches to your porch railing, covering up some art that escaped your 2-year-old's paper or even to add some beautiful accents to your floor, walls or ceilings. With a little time and know-how, you can make a huge difference in your home just by updating the paint job.

Landscape and accent it.

Whether it's adding a tree or bush, putting in a water feature, installing beautiful pavers in place of that terrible cracked sidewalk or adding a few homey details to your porch and lawn, making your home's exterior beautiful is the fastest way to get attention when you've listed it for sale. If you are adding a tree or bush to your property, take its future size into account when deciding where to plant, be sure you mulch around it.áKeep the plantáfertilized andáwater it to get the best out of your investment.

Fix the floor.

Do you have patio pavers that are closer to trip and fall hazards because of the frost heaves last winter? What about that cracked tile that you - mostly - don't notice? Floors draw our eyes to other elements in a room, so make sure they're in good repair before you list your home for sale. The same goes for those old deck boards that have become a complete eyesore, because a gallon of deck paint that helps seal the cracks and damage can make your home look like a million bucks.

Get rid of the popcorn.

And the avocado tile in the downstairs bathroom. And the really cute goose tiles on the kitchen backsplash. When you're having prospective buyers in your home, they need to be able to see themselves in it. Even if you've figured out a really great way to decorate that includes the avocado tiles, that's still all they're going to see. If your home has areas that need some serious updating, do so with high-quality, neutral-tone materials that will let your buyer see themselves at home in your home.

Not every improvement is visible to the naked eye.

If your home has issues that may show up in an inspection, whether it's mold and mildew from an overly-damp basement, a sagging roof from aging rafters, an outdated electrical system that won't deal with today's electronics or a water leak that's causing problems with the surrounding structure. Spending a little money now to fix it is far better than having to spend more down the road on a bigger repair or having a contract dropped because of issues found during a home inspection.

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With an average of over 650 deaths annually and tens of thousands of heat-related injuries nationwide, working in the heat of summer isn't something to take lightly. Let's take a look at some common heat-related injuries that can happen on the job, including how to recognize, treat and prevent them.

Heat Rash

Heat rash is more an annoyance than anything else, but it can make you irritable and sore, keeping you from working your best. Try to keep your skin dry by keeping a towel close to hand while working, wearing wicking clothing such as linen or cotton and using medicated powders to keep the rash from getting worse.

Dehydration

Dehydration is a gateway problem, as it leads to most of the other injuries listed, the last of which can be fatal. Keep hydrated with lots of water and electrolyte solutions such as Gatorade or Powerade. If you're going through more than a quart an hour of an electrolyte solution, dilute it by half with water to prevent stomach irritation. By the time you feel thirsty, you're already becoming dehydrated, so keep the fluids coming.

Heat Cramps

Heat cramps can involve large muscles, such as in the legs and arms, or in the digestive system. If you have workers with heat cramps, make them rest in the shade with an electrolyte solution or clear juice for several hours to restore the minerals in their system. Just because the cramps go away doesn't mean they're ready for work, with further activity possibly leading to heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Severe heat cramps may require a trip to an urgent care or emergency room to get electrolytes back into their system quickly, especially if the cramps last over an hour, if the worker is on a low-salt diet or has heart problems.

Heat Syncope

Heat syncope is essentially dizziness or fainting when changing position due to heat and dehydration. It's usually caused by dehydration and lack of acclimatization to high temperatures, so make sure you keep your crew well hydrated and working lightly the first few days of a heat wave. Treat it by having workers with symptoms rest in a cool area and rehydrate.

Heat Exhaustion

Heat exhaustion can lead very quickly to heat stroke and death, and must be taken very seriously. Symptoms include heavy sweating, weakness, fatigue, dizziness, confusion, nausea, muscle cramps, fast and shallow breathing, slight fever and skin that can be flushed, pale, clammy or moist. Immediately move the worker to a cooler area, drape them with damp, thin sheets or towels or have them take a shower, bath or sponge bath in cool - not cold - water. Heat exhaustion can be the beginning of shock, so applying anything that creates too rapid a change can make the situation worse instead of better. Make sure they hydrate with water, clear juices or electrolyte solutions. If they can't keep liquids down, get them immediately to an urgent care or emergency room for IV treatment.

Heat Stroke

Heat stroke occurs when your body's temperature regulation system is out of options. They may still be sweating profusely or when a worker has lost too much fluids to sweating, they'll stop sweating and they'll develop a high fever of 104║f or higher. If emergency action is not taken immediately, they could suffer permanent disability or die from organ failure. Other symptoms to watch for include hallucinations, chills, a throbbing headache, confusion or dizziness and slurred speech. Heat stroke can rapidly raise the body temperature above 106║F within 10-15 minutes, so it's vital to immediately call 911, move the worker into the shade (preferably in a cool area) , then spray, sponge or soak the worker with cool water. If there's a breeze, a fan or another worker who can fan them, this will help with evaporative cooling to get their temperature down.

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Photo credit: j-imaging / Foter / CC BY-NC-SA

Photo credit: stevendepolo / Foter / CC BY

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Featherlite manufactures industrial ladders. Throughout the construction industry their ladders are described as the leanest, most flexible ladders in the world. Ladders are a simple tool, they are needed and used by people all over the world, but unfortunately, it is reported that over 100,000 people are injured after falling from a ladder each year. 300 of those people die from sustained injuries. With these kinds of statistics in hand, Featherlite seems to have taken charge in producing ladders that are all about safety and performance.

They have collaborated with one of the top extrusion companies in Canada to help manufacture their products. This partnership is important because through the process of extrusion, key parts of the ladders are made.

The process of extrusion takes a solid piece of material like metal or ceramic and pushes it through a die which creates cross-sectional objects with a smooth finish. These pieces have grooves and they are joined together with special connectors to make them a sure fit and a solid connection.

'The basic construction of a ladder, with all of its rungs and and steps, needs to be made of as many whole pieces as possible.'

In general, it is men who use ladders on a daily basis to help them make a living. Knowing this, Featherlite's ladders are built to withstand the combination of human weight and tools. Their ladders are made from as many whole pieces as possible and with...

• each step on the ladder quad braced with zinc coated steel diagonal braces.
• an oversized platform that has 70% more surface area for greater safety and comfort.
• wider and deeper-bases than traditional platform ladders.
• large PVC rubber safety boots that provide greater slip resistance because they are heavy duty.
• extra heavy duty non-conducive "C" channel side rails in high visibility safety orange and yellow for those who have to work in hazardous conditions.
• super tough copolymer utility tops for strength and durability.
• slip resistant serrated aluminum steps for safe climbing.
• sleeved spreader arms that strengthen the spreader-to-rail connection.

Featherlite's products include step ladders, straight and extension ladders, multipurpose ladders, and rolling steel ladders. All of their products are tested and made to exceed the standards set forth by the Canadian Standards Association, American National Standards Institute, and Occupational Safety & Health Administration. Their commitment to safety is evident in the design of each ladder they produce.

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Pyramex offers a spectrum of safety glasses for any activity, whether working or playing you'll be glad to have them on. Safety glasses play an important role in keeping your eyes safe and your vision intact when your eyesight may be on the line.

Pyramex manufactures outstanding safety eyewear products that enhance your ability to perform the job at hand while keeping your eyes safe. Wearing quality engineered eyewear designed to go above and beyond expectations in safety, durability and reliability when it counts, matters most when you least expect it.

Pyramex has been in business since 1991 designing safety glasses that meet the needs of industry and personal eyewear protection. Developing and evolving eyewear to keep employees safe by introducing innovative enhancements to Pyramex brand safety glasses takes expertise, teamwork, leadership and customer focus.

Pyramex safety glasses conform to ANSI requirements and CE certifications, including High Velocity Impact requirements and Ballistic Standards. Each model of eyewear integrates different specifications to meet the safety demands of individual trades.

Pyramex manufactures both indoor and outdoor lines of safety glasses for a variety of activities. Feature designs incorporate venting for air flow, flame resistant foam padding, non-slip temple padding, wrap around peripheral protection, brow guards and retainer straps.

Color specific safety glasses offer wavelength filtering for specialized jobs, while style minded users might simply prefer tinted lenses to look cool. Pyramex has integrated some of the best benefits in eyewear safety design such as:

• Anti-fogging to keep your field of view and your vision clear
• Polycarbonate lenses offer superior protection from impacts or chemical splash hazards
• UV-A/B ray filtering, glare protection and tinting prevent eye damage and visual strain from sunlight and other bright light sources
• Anti-reflective lens coatings offer scratch resistance to keep your view unobstructed
• Weather, dust and particle protection keeping your eyes free of debris

Each model of eyewear offers a variety of unique and useful features that enhance your ability to complete any task while keeping your eyes safe and your vision clear.

Pyramex recognizes the invaluable need for eye protection, and offers safety eyewear that will exceed your expectations while offering fit, function and comfort. Constant innovation in design, priority on safety and dedication to industry leadership makes Pyramex the best brand in the business.

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Room acoustics play an important part in the overall comfort and usefulness of any room or space. Often times the acoustics of a room can make it uncomfortable for the person occupying it. However, many people fail to understand the basics of what makes the sound in a room natural and pleasing to the ear. Bad acoustics in a room are not inescapable, with the proper knowledge and materials, any room can be acoustically pleasing.

Direct Sound vs Reflective Sound

Sound travels in waves at the very fast speed of over 1100 feet per second. When we hear sound we are hearing both direct and reflective sound. Direct sound is the sound we hear first because it is made up of the sound waves that travel the shortest distance directly to us. Reflective sound is the sound we here later, in an echo, because it is the sound waves bouncing off objects, often multiple times, and being sent back to us. Because the reflective sound travels further we hear it in reverberations as an echo. However, because sound travels does travel so fast the waves overlap and become distorted rather than distinct echoes.

Acoustic Materials to change Reflective Sound Distortion

When considering the acoustics in a room the most important thing to remember is that the more hard flat walls, ceilings and floor space you have the more surfaces there are for sounds to be reflected off. Also consider the amount of angles these flat surfaces create. Between just two flat surfaces a sound wave can be bounced at least 60 times a second.

When you factor in the amount of space and angles found in a normal room with six flat surfaces (four walls, ceiling, and floor) the number of times that a sound wave can be reflected enters into the thousands, all at full strength if left unhindered. Altering these surfaces with proper acoustics material will provide drastic changes to reflective sound and the acoustics of the room.

Absorbers and Diffusers

Acoustic absorbers are products made from special materials, often made of foam or cloth, that absorb the energy of the sound waves reducing the amount of sound that is reflected. Diffusers are shaped materials that alter a flat surface in order to scatter the sound waves around the room, much like a wave of light through a prism. Most modern acoustics material combines both principles of absorption and diffusion in to a single piece. The combination of both reduces both the amount and intensity of reflective sound that reaches the ear and reduces the distortion reflective sound causes.

Acoustical Barriers

Often called noise or sound barriers, acoustical barriers help to not only block sound from leaving the room, they also help block outside sounds from interfering with the sound in the room. Although absorbers and diffusers dampen the sounds that leave and enter the room, sound barriers are denser materials. This denseness leaves little room for sound to enter or escape reducing the sound distractions created outside and the sound distraction for neighboring rooms.

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Photo credit: allison.hare / Foter / Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0), passer-by / Foter / Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0)