After the 1991 passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, accommodating design became a prerequisite instead of an afterthought for businesses that serve the public. Even for private homes, ADA guidelines provide a good starting place in case your guests–or even you–face disabilities down the road. Keep reading to find out more about ADA regulations and how to make sure your venue can accommodate everyone who walks through your doors.

What the Americans with Disabilities Act covers

One of the most popular lighting trends of the past decade has been the use of via etsy.com

Antique or edison light bulbs generally come in a few different shapes. One popular shape is the tubular light bulb, and the DIY fixture above is a great use for the tubular light bulb shape. Tubular antique light bulbs really show off their filaments, and the glowing filaments are the star of the show!

2. Also Pretty Tubular!

Candelabra based antique light bulbs are very popular and are great for use in chandeliers, pendants, and other fixtures that use this smaller kind of light bulb. I didn’t want you to think that antique light bulbs only came in medium-based varieties. No, you can create a vintage lighting look with your fixtures that use candelabra based light bulbs, too.

4. Blowing the Dust Off an Old Look

Another popular shape for edison light bulbs is the globe. This envelope shape is more spherical and looks great alone, but when grouped together as in the above photo, you can see the reflection of the glowing filaments in all the globes of glass, and this is a pretty neat effect. Such a warm look.

6. The Industrial Look

Some people like to use antique light bulbs in new fixtures that look old, and some people like to use antique light bulbs in old fixtures that look new. In this case, very old cages have been restored to use in a new light fixture. This represents what edison bulbs are all about, holding onto the beautiful things of the past. In this age of integrated LEDs and the dawning of things like via etsy.com

This homemade light fixture features quartz crystals hanging down amongst the edison bulbs. This is pretty neat. The crystals are the perfect things to arrest the warm glow emanating from the antique light bulbs. What a creative idea.

9. Wall Sconce

Now that it is time to take down the holiday lights, you probably have realized how dark your yard really is without the benefit of the twinkling lights and various yard decorations. With the days very short and the nights long, you will likely want to have some outdoor lighting installed. This is something a Santa Monica electrician, like those at The Electric Connection, can help you with. Outdoor lighting isn’t just for summer. It is a useful tool year round and can provide an element of safety and security to your home as well as aesthetically appealing.

During these short winter days, it is a good idea to consider electric outdoor lighting over the solar variety. Because of the limited amount of sun available during the winter, the solar lights do not always get a full charge and are either very dim or fade out in the early hours when it is still dark outside leaving your landscaping under a cloak of darkness. The electric lights are much more reliable and give you a little more freedom in placing the lights in your landscaping.

It is best if you have the electric lights installed by an electrician. Santa Monica residents will appreciate a professional handling the wiring of the lights. This will give you peace of mind the job is done right and you won’t have to worry about electrical shorts or hazards being created when the lights are hooked into your home’s main power. One popular option many homeowners choose is the installation of a timer that will automatically turn the lights off and on at a designated time. You won’t have to worry about remembering to turn them off or on. If you are ready to dress up your landscaping this winter, give The Electric Connection a call today and schedule your landscape lighting installation.

We Respect Your Time – Custom Electrical Services knows that we live in a extremely busy world with hectic schedules. When you call one of our Ames electricians we will have courteous and helpful team members take your call and work with you to schedule your appointment.  Our uniformed Ames electrician will arrive in a warehouse on wheels.  They will have the part needed for your repair and if for some reason they do not there is no additional charge to you.  Our electricians have 24 hour access to leading Ames supply houses as well as access to all Des Moines metro area suppliers. This not only saves you time but money as well.

 We Respect Your Schedule – Our electrician in Ames understand that you are making time in your busy schedule to have your electrical problems fixed. Our friendly electricians are prompt and professional and even give you a narrow time window so you don’t have to wait around on them all day. We Respect Your Business – Custom Electrical Services knows that you have choices; we respect your business and will always do the job right the first time. Our Ames electricians never take shortcuts and always use the highest grade materials available.  We understand how important your business is to you as ours is to us.  We want to build long term lasting relationships with our customers so they know they can always count on one of our electricians in Ames to for all there electrical needs.

 We Respect Your Safety – Custom Electrical Services doesn’t just send anybody to your Ames home or business, we send one of our trusted professionals.  Your safety is our number one concern.  That is why we make sure all our service professionals undergo stick 3rd party certifications.  Our electricians are Drug Tested, Background Checked, and Professionally Trained.

Electrician in Ames 24/ 7 Service Area Map

Our on call Ames electricians have a large service area.  We cover not only the Ames area but also the entire Des Moines, Iowa metro area.  Even if you live outside of Ames please do not hesitate to give us a call 24 hours per day.  We can cover areas outside of Ames.  Our on call Ames electrician get your home or business up and running in no time.  Service calls and repairs are not the only thing our electrician can do for you.  At Custom Electrical Services we wire over 300+ new construction homes each and every year.  Are you the general contractor on your home or working with a professional general contractor?  Make sure you have Custom Electrical Services bid your next project.  Our design team and put lighting layouts on your plan and make sure you have the latest and greatest options for your homes electrical.

Every home has a fire detection system. This vital safety feature should be well understood. Smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors and security systems give homeowners peace-of-mind. Furthermore, when combined with a security system, these devices work together to form a complete home protection plan.

The second type of detector is an ionization detector. It uses a small amount of radioactive material to ionize the air in an internal chamber. This in turn, generates a voltage that can be measured. By-products of combustion will change the voltage that is generated and trigger the alarm. This type of detector is better at identifying active combustion with little to no smoke.

While both types of smoke detectors will safely alert a homeowner to a fire, combination alarms exist that employ both methods. Consequently, the responsiveness of the whole system increases. Hard-wired detectors are also available which can be wired to trigger all the alarms in a home if anyone detects a problem.

In any appliance that uses combustion, such as a furnace or stove top, a potential exists for hazardous carbon monoxide buildup. This by-product is tasteless, odorless, colorless, and highly toxic in large concentrations. Therefore, a carbon monoxide detector is highly recommended. It will monitor the levels of CO in the air and alert inhabitants before they become dangerous. They are available as stand-alone units that can be plugged in to standard wall outlets or as combination roof-mounted CO and smoke detectors.

Home security systems have been around for decades and make use of a combination of sensors including door, window, glass-break, and motion sensors. Historically, these devices were hard-wired and fed back to a central control panel. Many modern systems make use of wireless sensors that allow for easy retrofitting of existing homes. Door and window sensors utilize a small magnet and magnetic strip held open when the door or window closes. If the magnet is moved away, the magnetic strip springs closed and triggers the alarm.

Glass-break sensors are placed near windows and use a microphone to listen for the distinctive frequencies associated with glass breaking. Motion detectors take advantage of a variety of technologies, such as passive infrared, microwave, or ultrasonic. This technology detects something moving within its range. These can be part of exterior security lights or interior motion sensors. Security cameras can also play a role in home security. Install them indoors or outdoors.

When installed and used properly, a home security system can easily increase home safety while reducing the chances of burglary or fire. Most insurance companies offer discounts for home security systems. Because of this, the entire cost of the system may be offset or eliminated altogether. Be sure to ask your insurance company about discounts to homeowner’s insurance for improving or installing a new security system.