Entries Tagged 'Project' ↓
September 10th, 2008 — Handy Man, House Damage, Project
Every year, thousand of homeowners pick up their tools and go to work on their homes. Unfortunately, many are not prepared for the projects they are facing and they may end up causing more damage.
Here are the top ten mistakes that DIY’ers make when fixing or renovating their home.
1. Failing to make a budget.
Every project you do, from wallpapering to installing a new roof needs to have a budget. Set how much money you’re going to spend and then stick to it. Otherwise you may find that your costs are spiraling out of control.
2. Overestimating their abilities.
We all wish we were Bob Vila, but many of us just don’t have the skills necessary for some jobs. There are
times when you will need to call in a professional. Otherwise, you can end up injured, or you may irreparably damage your home.
3. Not having the right tools.
There is a tool for every job, and most homeowners have the garden variety tools necessary for every day projects. However, some home improvement projects will require special tools. Never try to make do wit substandard equipment.
4. Failing to take proper safety precautions.
If ending up in the emergency room doesn’t sound like a great way to spend a weekend, it is vital to make sure that you take safety precautions for every project. From turning off the electricity to wearing safety goggles, safety must come first.
5. Failing to recognize the scope of a project.
Ripping out your cabinetry and putting new ones in sounds pretty easy, but there is a lot of work involved, especially when it come to hanging the new cabinets. Instead of getting stuck with a half done project, make sure you understand every part of the process and that you have the skills necessary to get it done.
6. Not having enough help.
There are jobs that will require more than one person. While many of us like to think we can do it ourselves, there will be times when you need assistance. Make sure that you have enough friends or family lined up for the job before you start.
7. Failing to read directions properly.
Putting together a bike without instructions is one thing. Using acid on your masonry without reading the
instructions could be fatal. Never start a project without first reading the directions for everything you will be using.
8. Using the wrong materials.
If you have ever made the mistake of using the wrong kind of paint or glue, you know how frustrating it can be. Before you begin every project, make sure that you have the exact materials you need to complete it successfully. Scrimping is not allowed in DIY.
9. Failure to get the necessary permits.
While small home improvement projects may not need a permit, most will. It is far better to err on the
side of caution and ask than it is to face a hefty fine. In the case of additions, you may even be forced to tear down what you just built. Always get the right permits before starting any project.
10. Not being careful enough.
When you’re tackling a project, it’s easy to want to get it done and hurry through. However, you’ve got to make sure to take the time that it takes. The old adage “measure twice, cut once” certainly applies here. Always make sure that you are doing everything properly, using the right materials, and measurements.
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September 1st, 2008 — Aesthetics, Handy Man, Project, Windows
If you’re dealing with a lot of windows in your home and you are worried about keeping it cool inside, one of the best solutions is interior shutters. They will cost more than drapes, but they are easier to clean and much more permanent. The look of interior shutters can be customized to your individual preference and once they are installed, they can greatly reduce the amount of energy you are using to heat or cool your home. Here are some tips on how to install your own interior window shutters.
First, you will need to decide whether you want to hang the shutters on the inside or outside of the window. Remember, windows are generally not very plumb, and inside installation can be very tricky. It is usually best to err on the side of caution and plan to install the shutters on the outside of the window casing. This is much easier and will make the window look a little bit bigger.
To install your shutters this way, you will need to have a selection of wood strips that are the same height as your windows and thick enough to allow you to attach the shutters and close them properly. The strips of wood will be attached next to the window casing, completely flush with the window. You will only need to worry about putting them alongside the windows and not on the top or bottom.
These strips can be drilled in, but before you start, it is vital to make sure that you will not be hitting an wiring before you drill. If necessary, consult an electrician to determine the location of any wiring. If you have outlets underneath your windows, you will need to be even more cautious. Regardless of where your outlets are placed, it may be a good idea to turn off the electricity before you start your installation.
Once your wood strips have been installed, you can then add the hinges for your shutters. Attach each shutter and make sure it is plumb and level. Add the second shutter and repeat the process. Make sure you can easily shut and open them before moving on to the next window. If you haven’t already finished painting them, or if they need touching up after installation, paint or stain them and you’ll be all done.
Interior shutters come in a variety of finishes and designs that will add value to your home. While louvered shutters are popular, do keep in mind that they can be very hard to clean as well as paint. If you’re looking for a simple solution, a flat shutter or one with a raised design may be best. However, for air flow louvered shutters are still the best, since you can keep them shut and still benefit from a breeze.
If you’re looking for an easy way to change the look of a room or you are simply tired of drapes and having to clean them, interior shutters may be the perfect answer.
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August 27th, 2008 — Air Conditioning, Create, Design, Doors, Garage, Handy Man, Heating, Project, electrical system
When it comes to adding on to your home, one of the most logical places to start if you are on a tight budget is your garage. It’s already there and if it is connected to your house, you’ve already got an extra room right at your disposal. However, there are a few considerations that you will need to take into mind before converting your garage.
1. How is the ventilation?
Typically, your garage will not be hooked up to the ventilation system in your house. Before you make any plans to convert your garage, you will need to have an adequate method of ventilation. Typically, it is easy enough to add the room to your duct system. However, if the garage is a stand alone room, you may have to add a separate system.
2. How will you handle the doors?
A garage will typically have one large door and then a side door. If the room will be a bedroom or part of a living area, you will need to change that big door out. However, if you are just going to use it occasionally, you may be able to get away without replacing it.
3. How good is the electrical system?
Having extra outlets in your garage is helpful, even if you don’t plan on converting it. Typically, garages have a limited number of outlets, so you may need to add more. It is also a good idea to check the electrical system to determine whether or not is safe.
4. Heating and cooling is vital.
If someone will be living in the garage, you need to make sure that you have a way to control the temperature. Garages are typically not insulated very well, so you may need to add extra insulation. In addition, you will need to either work out a space heater or window air solution, or find a way to add your garage to the rest of your home’s heating and cooling system.
5. Where are you going to put your car?
While it is relatively easy to convert your garage into a new room, it does leave your car out in the cold. You may want to consider installing a car port alongside the garage if possible to provide some shelter for your car. If you’re not worried about it, or you have adequate parking space, this should not be a problem. It is never safe to combine a living area that will share space with a vehicle.
If you cannot find a way to convert your garage, you still may have another option. You can always add an extra room above the garage if necessary. This works well if you don’t have a lot of space on your lot and you still need extra room. This will require the help of a contractor to make sure that the new addition is stable and safe. In a pinch though, this is an easy solution that allows you to keep your car in your garage and still get an extra room.
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July 25th, 2008 — Book Review, Project
When it comes to dealing with the authority on home improvement, you can’t much better than Better Homes and Gardens. For decades they have been helping and inspiring home owners throughout the world. Let’s see if their latest book is worth the money and if it can help you with those nagging projects you need to finish around your home.
This is a massive tome of nearly 1000 pages so you can tell right off the bat that you’re going to be dealing with quite a few projects and advice. More than 4,000 color illustrations are included in this book that weighs nearly 5 pounds and each one takes you step by step through the process of completing these project successfully.
We liked the fact that the book is written so that even a novice can open it and get to work feeling confident. While there are a few projects included that are more suited to DIY pros, most can be completed by anyone with a minimum of experience. You really don’t even need to be “handy” to complete most of these, so this moved the book up high in our estimation. Not everyone is a natural born fix-it person, and it is nice to see a book focus on making home improvements easy.
Practically anything you could ever do in your home is covered, from building a deck to enjoy the outdoors to fixing that incredibly annoying faucet. 200 step by step projects are provided and there is also a section on quick tips for common issues in your home. Each project lists what tools you are going to need and the techniques you need to use the get the job done. You can easily make a project shopping list with this information to make it easier to get exactly what you need before you get started.
The book was based on the magazine’s popular Step by Step column and they stay true to this format. Instead of having to wait every month for a new project however, you’ll get them all at once. We found that it was well suited for the weekend warrior that needs to know exactly what each project is going to take in terms of material and time. We can’t all rip apart our houses and spend weeks putting them together, so this feature was definitely appreciated.
Overall, if you are planning some home improvement projects or you would just like to know more about how to fix things in your home, this is a terrific book. It is a little pricey, but when you think about the sheer size and the work that went into putting this together, it is well worth it. We highly recommend this title and it would make a great gift for anyone on your list that is interested in home improvement, or for yourself! Chances are, you’ll want to jump in right away and start fixing up your home after you read it.
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July 10th, 2008 — Create, Curb Appeal, Design, Flooring, Handy Man, Landscape, Outside, Project, Yard
Any home can look better when you add a nice walkway leading up to it. Luckily, just about anyone can do it on their own and it doesn’t take much time. We recommend allowing around two to three days to complete your walkway, so it can be accomplished on a weekend. If you need to break it up, you can dig on a Friday evening so that the next two days are free for the whole installation process.
You’re going to need some tools and materials before you get started. They include:
- shovels
- strings and posts
- landscaping nails
- ledger boards
- plastic guides
- rock dust
- gravel
- wetsaw or paver splitter
- numerous 2 x 4’s
- your pavers
- a level
Most if not all of these items are available at any hardware store. A wetsaw is pretty expensive, but you can rent one. If this doesn’t appeal to you, a paver splitter will usually be able to get the job done for you and they are a lot cheaper. If you are using a splitter, you’ll need to add a hammer and chisel to your material list.
Ok - let’s get started. First, you’re going to want to measure out your walkway. Keep in mind the size of your pavers and allow at least two extra inches on the sides for your filler. You’re going to want to dig out a path that is around one foot deep for the entire length of the path. Now, grab those strings and posts, and place them alongside this path. Put the strings at level with the ground above your new path. This will be your guide as to how high your finished path will be. You don’t want it too high or you’ll end up tripping over your own walkway.
Take that gravel and fill in the pathway completely with about ¾ of an inch of gravel. Once you’re done, tamp it down securely. Now, take that rock dust (sand works too) and fill in the entire path to a depth of about 2 inches. Tamp this down again. Take your ledger boards and lay them out along the sides of your path. Place your 2 x 4’s over these so that you have a wooden plankway. This provides a solid surface for your pavers.
Use those plastic guides on the outer edges of your walkway to mark off the edges. This gives it a nice finished look that is very even. You’re now ready to add your pavers. Put them in following the pattern of your choice. Make sure they are arranged properly. In most cases, you’ll need to cut a paver. Use the wetsaw or splitter to get this done and finish the walkway.
Now, add in rock dust along the sides to build everything up until it is level. Tamp it down. Spread out the rest of the dust on the pavers and sweep it into the cracks. You should do this a couple of times until everything is packed firmly in. This helps reduce the risk of weeds between your pavers and makes the surface a lot safer. You can add some grass seed along the edges to give it a more finished look.
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July 8th, 2008 — Aesthetics, Cabinets, Countertops, Flooring, Handy Man, Kitchen, Low Budget, Project, Renovate, Sink
Remodeling your kitchen can dramatically increase the value of your home. Whether you are trying to sell your home or you just want it to look nicer, there are a lot of options you can use when remodeling your kitchen. Before you get started, you’re going to want to come up with a budget and then determine how you want to spend it. For the purpose of this article, we’re going to discuss some basic options such as replacing countertops, sinks, cabinetry and flooring. The amount of work your kitchen needs is completely up to you and your budget.
First, let’s discuss new countertops.
There are numerous different surfaces out there that range from really cheap (formica) to very expensive (poured slabs). You’ll need to think about how you normally use your countertops before picking the new surface. Formica is pretty durable, but it is easy to stain. Marble looks terrific, but does have some maintenance issues. Poured surfaces are costly, but last the longest and need the least amount of care. Try to get some samples of various surfaces before you decide which one is right for you. For a compromise, try marble tiles. They’re cheaper than marble slabs and easier to install.
For your new sink you’ll also have quite a few options.
Most are easy enough to install, and come in sizes that will fit most existing installations. If you’re completely replacing your countertops, you’ll have more options when it comes to the kind of sink you can use. When picking a surface, remember that stainless steel looks nice but can be hard to keep shiny. Ceramic is a good solution, but make sure that it is properly sealed to reduce the amount of scrapes that can come with normal daily use.
New cabinets can be pretty exciting, and again, you’re going to have a lot of new options here.
Glass doors add a touch of class to any new cabinets, and you can add some variety by having a few with solid doors and a few with glass. If you can’t find the stain or color you like, get some unfinished cabinets and stain or paint them yourself. If your budget won’t allow new cabinetry, you can still overhaul existing cabinets by replacing doors, adding new hardware or simply giving them a fresh coat of paint or a stain.
When it comes to floors, the sky is the limit.
There are so many options right now it can be hard to decide which one is best. Many new kitchens feature poured concrete floors that are then stained to match the décor. However, this is expensive and labor intensive. If you’re remodeling on the cheap, you can find peel and stick tiles that can go on above your existing floor. This is a very easy and economical way to jazz up your kitchen with very little effort.
When remodeling your kitchen, try to figure out how much work you can do on your own. If you’re handy, you can save a lot of money that can be used for better fixtures or options, if you do the work yourself.
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June 27th, 2008 — Book Review, Project, Renovate
George Nash’s book, Renovating Old Houses - Bringing New Life to Vintage Homes is a wonderful resource for those of us that are living in aging homes. If you’re trying to recapture your home’s fading glory or you just need some tips on how to easily fix common issues in older homes, this is a terrific resource that is well worth the purchase price.
Before Nash gets into the actual projects, he provides the reader with some different philosophies and mindsets when it comes to renovating older homes. There are definitely purists out there that will only use old materials and techniques to fix up their homes, while there are those who will use new materials and change them so that they fit the character of the house. You’ll be able to use this section to determine which techniques and materials you should be using for your home as well as some useful workarounds if you can’t match something perfectly.
It should be noted here that there is definitely a difference between renovating and remodeling. When you’re renovating, you’re preserving the heritage of the home - remodeling is usually associated with modernization. While there is nothing wrong with remodeling, this book focuses mainly on keeping with a home’s original traditions and renovating it for restoration purposes.
Part of the best part of this book is that it is useful even for those who aren’t quite ready to tackle their own home improvement projects, but are interested in buying an older home for the purpose of fixing it up. Older homes are usually much cheaper, but there are some warning signs that you’ll need to look out for when buying it. Nash gives some great hints on how to get an inspection and how to find an older home that won’t turn into a money pit.
After the preliminaries are out of the way, Nash gets down to business with ten chapters that cover some of the most common renovations you can try with an older home. The best part of these chapters are definitely the color photos which make it easy to see what the project entails and how your house will look when you’ve completed the projects. Again, if you’re a fan of old homes, but not really handy, you’ll still get plenty of enjoyment out of the book for the pictures alone.
Necessary things such as handling cellars that are frequently breeding grounds for mold and mildew. Older homes tend to have issues with this, especially in humid climates, but you’ll get plenty of information to help you fix these issues quickly. You’ll also learn about fixing little things, like rotting window sills and how to replace the windows with newer and more efficient windows without losing the original charm of the older windows.
Sewage systems are also covered and this is very important for any older home. You’ll need to know how to bring everything up to code, from water lines to sewage lines and this book will walk you through everything you could ever want to know about fixing up an old home the right way.
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June 13th, 2008 — Book Review, Handy Man, Project
If you’d like to get the whole family involved in your next DIY project, this book by Eric Stromer is the best place to start. Repairing and renovating your home can be a great bonding exercise with your spouse or children and this book actually makes most of the projects a lot of fun to complete. The overall tone of the book is aimed towards family, and although it can be a bit “cutesy” in spots, don’t let the language throw you off. It’s well worth the read and contains some terrific projects the entire family can enjoy.
The whole book is around 200 pages and it is not an intimidating read at all. If you like a book that makes it very easy to understand the task at hand and doesn’t try to impress you with overblown terminology and difficult wording, this is the perfect solution. Each one of the projects contained is easy enough that a family with little DIY experience can take them on and not end up with a total disaster.
There are about six different sections in the book and each one contains around four projects. You’ll be able to pick the ones that you want to try first, and they are all quite functional, so while you’re having fun you’ll actually be adding to the value of your home, which is a nice bonus. You’ll get a complete list of necessary tools for each project and this is great if you don’t have everything you need on hand. You can pretty much take the book with you to the hardware store and use it as a shopping list.
While the main downside of the book is the lack of color photography, the plans are well illustrated and easy to read. If a lack of color is the only thing lacking in this book, that’s a pretty small complaint. It would have been nice to see some before and after shots, especially so that the family could get an idea of the scope of a project, but overall, this doesn’t really hurt the book’s value all that much.
Each step you’ll need to take in a project is numbered, which is great if you’re trying to assign specific tasks to your kids or loved ones. The instructions are very easy to follow and broken down so well that everything seems easier than it really is. Keep this in mind before you get in over your head. We recommend starting with the smallest projects first until you’re positive that the whole family can tackle the other projects and still have fun.
This book has all of the main ingredients necessary for success - an engaging writing style, materials lists, step by step instructions that are incredibly easy to follow and well thought out diagrams. While color photos would have been nice, this book is still well worth the money. If you’ve got a family and you’d like to involve them in the process of fixing up the home, this is definitely the perfect book.
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May 27th, 2008 — Aesthetics, Create, Handy Man, House Paint, Project
If you’ve ever tackled a painting project before, you know that it appears to be deceptively easy. However, when you get right down to it, painting can be pretty time consuming. There are some tricks of the trade that will help any painting project go a lot faster. Here are a just a few of the best ones.
1. Use painter’s tape religiously.
No matter how good at edging you think you are, chances are there will be some paint that ends up where it shouldn’t be. This means that you’ll have to go back over the area and clean it up and in some cases, you may end up ruining woodwork. It’s just easier to use painter’s tape the first time to avoid any accidents. The finished product will also look a lot better. Keep in mind that masking tape and other inferior taping products may end up with paint bleeding through, so make sure that you pick painter tape instead.
2. Do appropriate color tests ahead of time.
This sounds pretty simple, but many people end up putting a large amount of color on a wall only to end up hating it. Pick a spot that cannot be easily seen and test a couple of colors. Let them dry completely and take a look at it the next day. You’ll be able to get a better idea of what looks right on your wall.
3. Have all of your tools ready to go.
There’s nothing worse than having to stop in mid-flow and go grab something you need. Make a checklist of all of your tools and make sure that they are all within easy reach. The most common things you’ll need include a roller with at least two replacement sponges, paint brushes, painter’s tape, paint trays, edge guides and a mask if paint fumes tend to bother you.
4. Wear proper protection.
If you need to wear a mask, wear one - it’s a lot easier than trying to fight the fumes. If you’ll be painting a ceiling or high up on a wall, wear goggles. Paint in the eye is not much fun and it can permanently damage your sight. Make sure that you are painting in a room that is properly ventilated. If you’re having trouble, turn on a fan and take a break outside of the room to give your brain and lungs some time to recover.
5. Use dropcloths no matter how small the project is.
It only takes one tipped can or one splatter to ruin a floor. Don’t take chances, especially if you’re working on carpet. It’s simply too difficult to get paint out of carpet or rugs. If you’ve got hardwood floors, you’ll have an even worse time trying to remove it.
6. Always pick the right kind of paint for the job.
Oil based paint is very different from latex and will require different techniques. Not all latex paints are alike. Make sure that you are using a paint that is rated for your type of wall and how you plan to use it.
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