Sheetrock Damage

Sheetrock damage from leaks can be a real pain, in this case, it had leaked long enough that a wide area had warped and started to sag.
  The only option at this point is to rip out all the bad sheetrock (in this case about 1/3 of the living area) and tie in new bracing and install new.
   A projece of this size is costly and messy. 
  This was an older house and it had a popcorn ceiling.  A texture gun with a hopper is a must with this type of ceiling!!   I would NEVER recomend buying popcorn in a spraycan or rolling it on. 
  Sheetrock in my opinion is tough unless you have quite a lot of experience with it, I would recomend finding a friend or relative that knows something about it and offering them a good home-cooked dinner.... or maybe 20 : )

Happy Sheetrocking

Roof Repair

While roof repairs can be expensive and extensive, most leaks can be repaired in a cost-effective manner.
  On yesterday's project, I was dealing with a leak in an add-on where the roof met the add-on roof.  The sheetrock had been ruined and much had to be replaced.

I removed all the loose shingles and used a fiberous tar sealer to fill all the cracks and holes.
  I then went back with new shingles and roofed like you normally do roofing.  This completely sealed the joint between the two roofs.
   It is very important to get rid of all loose and bad shingles no matter how many are bad.  In this case we had whole sections that had blown up with the wind and were not nailed properly.
  If you can, it's better if you can do it on a warm day so the glue backing will stick to the shingles properly.

Happy Roofing

Foundation Repair

While we do not do major foundation repair, sometimes we do minor repairs and leveling to homes that have shifted with the North Texas soil. This house had some floor issues where the beams under the house had shifted and were pushing outward.

The floor was pushing the sliding door and entire wall outward...

We dug far enough down to get under the house...

We used jacks and very long threaded 3/4 inch bolts to attach to solid bracing under the house, and used the power of the bolts tightening against the solid bracing to pull the side of the house back together.   Quite a heavy chore, but it worked!!

Here is the finished product after we filled the dirt back in.  It held itself in place and was a very cost-effective repair...

Happy Digging!!

Backsplash

Here is a backsplash I installed Friday..

Started on a sheetrock wall, I sealed the edges with silicone

Starting the customers design

Pulled the plugs out to the front edge of the tile

Grouted it with white pre-mixed grout.  About a 5 hour process

from start to finish.

(Now we hope they paint the cabinets!)

Happy Backsplashing!

Commercial Bathroom Stall Doors

Here's a project we worked on a few weeks ago.

We set up at night to build new stall doors in the bathrooms,

semi-rustic (whatever that means) but this is what the design

came out looking like...

I decided that using outdoor privacy fence gate hardware would fit

best with the design.

We painted them later with the restaurant colors, it seemed to fit well

with restaurant style.

Happy Privacy!

When Mice Attack!

A rental property left vacant for just a few weeks....

This is pictures I took under the dishwasher.

All the plastic pipes under the dishwasher had been chewed on.

But it even got worse!!

The back of the pump housing was plastic as well, and it had been chewed through in multiple places...the dishwasher was a total loss.

The moral to the story is: rodents and pests can do costly damage even when no one is around and it looks as though everything is cleaned up.  It's good to have good repellent set about when a house is going to be vacant for a while.  Just the fact that rodents like to come in out of the cold, and must eat to survive, should warn us to keep repellent out to avoid this type of costly disaster.

Happy Hunting!

Closet Ideas

Here's some ideas from a closet we built.

(Click on a picture to enlarge it)

We used 3/4 inch MDF board only.  We cut it down for bracing, trim, shelves...pretty much everything except the hanging rods was made out of MDF board.

The biggest challenge was extremely small closet space.  We had to get creative to make everything fit. (Plus there was a designer working on this job, that's where the "creative" came in!)

Instead of over-cramming stuff, I built a box in the corner and left it empty, dead space.  We only lost that 12" x 12" very hard to reach corner.

We took over the garage for a couple days and used it as a shop...

Here is a finished view before the painters came in...

The shelves on the left are for normal shoes and high-heels.  In the top picture, you can see the shelves on the right that were spaced differently for taller shoes and boots.

The open spaces in the middle are for various length hanging clothes.

The man's side was similar, but all shelves were custom placed so you could use them from everything from tennis shoes to boots to work boots.

We like to visit Ikea and other large home improvement and furniture stores to get ideas on different styles. It's so much better to see it in person and see what works BEFORE you pay someone to build it!

We have even had a client that had cut-out cardboard so they could visualize the size of the shelves better!  A great idea!

Happy Closet Building! 

No Truck

This is what you do when you're a handyman and have no truck...

Popcorn Ceiling Removal Day

One of those days...again.  probably for 4 days.  Messy work!!

Life Sized Angry Birds Slingshot

  Here's an idea inspired by the crazy-popular Angry Birds...  I thought we came up with something pretty clever, but come to find out...lots of people have done it!

I simply used 4 inch PVC sewer pipe a couple of caps, a couple of elbows and a "T" then spray-painted it brown.

The biggest issue to me was keeping it stable from a lot of use and keeping it from twisting and turning when a lot of pressure was applied.
  I decided that using 2 "T" fence posts was the easiest and most cost effective solution.  I used bungee chords to tie it to the slingshot.
  The best launching device in our case (water balloons) was a 3 person water balloon launcher.  It turned out to be perfect for 5-10 year olds (and adults) to use!

(Here's a link to a review on the slingshot)

Here is a better view of the slingshot.  I attached it with 2 large hose clamps on each side for safety.

And here are some pigs about to get clobbered....
The slingshot is now traveling from party to party...

Angry Birds Here

Happy Pig Hunting!

Simple Shed Door

  Here is an idea for a simple shed door, we built this a couple weeks ago to replace an old rotted door.

  We only used one sheet of plywood siding and 8-1x4's

  I install these with the same 1x4 layout on the back as well as the front.  Then I use coated 1-5/8 inch screws through the front and back.  This gives it more stability but it is still not really heavy.
  One of the neat things about this design is that you can use a 1/2" sheet of plywood siding and it still holds itself rigid.
   We caulk the seams and screw holes and paint it.  Everything together comes to less than 90 dollars, including the latch, hinges and paint.
Happy Door Building!

My Favorite Drill

   One of the benefits from being in the remodeling/handyman business for many years is being able to sample a wide variety of tools!  

  I have tried many many cordless drills and this is my favorite so far.  It's great for daily moderate to heavy use.  

  

Click here for the Lowe's link to this product.

(There is also a double drill set available)

The lightweight feel and triple-no-shadow LED lights make this a product that you will never tire of using!  It is also an impact-style of drill and can drive 3 inch drywall screws into a 2x4 with ease.

   It can get quite loud, but the benefits far outweigh the advantages.

 Click here for a link to this chuck...also available at most hardware stores

I use this chuck for quick-connecting conventional drill bits when needed...

  The only drawback I have ever found is that if you use it more than 30 minutes straight, it can get quite hot in your hand where the skin between your thumb and forefinger meet.  I have come home many times with my skin red from use and now have some pretty good callouses!

  Overall I would highly recommend this product...

Happy Drilling!

Roof Leak

  We run across this all the time...a leaky roof that was repaired with roof tar or another cheap sealer...
  In the hot summer, most of the black tar you buy in buckets and cans and even some of the white and silver products, simply will not hold up to the heat.  It begins to break down after only 1-2 years.

This patch was done just 2 years ago and is already cracking.  Water had begun to leak back into the house.

Click here to view the product...

This is one of the great products that seems to actually work, I had a report this morning from a friend that said that after applying this product and letting it dry a couple days, they could put their bare skin against it without getting burned in direct sunlight in 100+ degree weather!
  It is a great product for sealing roof leaks as well.

  The only thing you may want to be aware of is that won't match your roof, so take care to use it where it won't be seen by people passing by..

Happy Sealing!!

Popcorn Ceiling Removal

It's one of those days... sleeting outside, popcorn ceiling coming down inside...
  Two biggest tips to popcorn ceilings...1, lots and lots of plastic.  Few jobs get messier, I'd like to see Dirty Jobs do one... 2, Find someone to do it for you..unless you are really don't mind getting dirty and have a lot of upper body strength for scraping over your head!
It can be done...we spray it down with a pump up spray bottle of water then carefully scrape it.  It's easy to gouge it with a scraper.. Next we go over all the bumps and scrapes with sheetrock mud, normally a 40 minute mud so we can shoot it with texture the same day.
  Just a cheep 50 dollar texture gun will do the trick, and it can be rented as well.
  A corner of the ceiling can be shot several times and pulled back off with a sheetrock spatula until you get the desired look as you experiment with thicker and thinner mud.
More to follow...
Happy Muscle Building

Rot Repair Trick (Siding)

  Siding has a tendency to rot along the bottom where rain splashes up and moistens the bottom of the wood that normally does not get painted. In the picture below you can see an extreme example of this.

When the budget is small, there is a way around changing out the entire sheet of siding and it can also prevent further damage to the house. In the picture below, you can see where we went over the rot with treated 1x4's and it now looks like it belongs there.

You must take care to caulk the top edge really well so additional water does not penetrate, and also make sure when you cover the rot that there are no openings that ants or other small insects can get through. Take care to paint the UNDERSIDE of the board as well that faces the ground so it will keep it from rotting in the future.

"Happy Fixin"

Mailbox Time!

  Here I will focus more on setting up a mailbox on the street rather than a "designer" mailbox..

  NOTE:  Make sure you double check with your local postal regulations BEFORE installing a mailbox, some towns have very strict rules on types of posts and boxes.  Height above the road is very important as well.   Many rural areas and addresses on highways require break-away posts.  Sometimes County maintenance will require them coming out to set it for you at their specs.
  When in doubt, match what all your other neighbors did and you should be ok!

   Hardware stores have a lot of new products available now that makes setting a mailbox much easier than before.

Here is a "Drive-in" anchor, available at True Value Hardware Click here to view it


Or you can go with the traditional type like the one pictured below that I installed in North Texas.

This set-up cost less than 55 dollars including concrete

  If you plan to set one in concrete and it's allowable in your neighborhood, Dig a hole with a post hole digger to a minimum depth of 18".   Use 60 lbs of fast-setting concrete so you can set the treated 4x4 in the ground and have it dry quickly.  While it is drying, assemble the mailbox and by the time you finish, the concrete should be hard enough to mount the box.

   If you don't have a saw large enough, most major hardware stores can cut the lumber for you.  Take the measurement the postal service requires and add 18" to it to set it in the ground at the correct.  If you have a curb in your neighborhood, you will only need to add about 12" to the length of the post because of the added height of the ground.
   Dig the hole, checking your measurements often until you are at the correct height, then level the post and pour concrete around it.

To make your job even easier, you can buy a mounting bracket for the top of the post that is NOT included with mailboxes.  This one is shown at True Value Hardware Here

  You can mount a standard mailbox to this bracket and they start out around 25 dollars.

Or you can get creative....

Here's a link I found this morning for a really fancy mailbox...

Happy Mailboxing!

Gel Stain

Gel stain is a really great product to use in the place of traditional stains.  You are almost unlimited on the types of finishes you can do. 
  Coat what you want to stain with a paint first, (you might want to experiment on a piece of junk wood first to figure out what outcome you want)
  When you start coating with the stain, usually with a cotton rag, the lighter you press down, the darker it will come out.  Pressing hard will leave it lighter.  Most of the time, it is better to apply several light, fast-drying coats rather than a heavy coat that takes a long time to dry and risks running.

Try different colors, I've seen many colors used as bases with very light gel stains applied over them with really amazing results.

   I have even seen one of my friends use coffee grounds to stain the walls in his living room....but that's another story...

  For me, this is the best product to use on fiberglass doors or even doors that only have primer.  It is very easy to use and apply, it can make you look like an expert in no time!

  I have found that taking regular breaks and stepping back to look at your work will help keep you on track and keep a uniform look.  Always compare your work with the first section you started!   It's easy to get lazy after half the job and lose the original feel and look.  Press through to the end, you will be amazed.

Happy Staining!

Below in the first picture is some trim I'm working on today.  A flooring company came in and left white trim against beautiful dark cabinets and I'm using gel stain to darken the trim to the cabinet color.  It will probably take 3 coats. 
  The last picture is the product I'm using today.

Foundation Issues

Cracks can be very anoying, but it's important to know what is causing the crack and the severity of the problem.
Cracks are mostly caused by small movements in the foundation generally enhanced by long wet and dry spells.  Here in North Texas, it is worsened by the blackland clay that tends to move much more than typical topsoil.
  Some cracks are caused by extreme heat causing wood to twist and buckle, more common in houses that have poor insulation.
  Take care in bringing in people to give you estimates on repairs, many companies make a living off of selling fear.
   When possible, use a company that a friend had good results with.  Get several companies to look it over and see if they all see the same problems. All estimates should be free.
  If you need actual repairs, try to use a company that has been in business a long time and guarantes their work.
Happy Spending!!

Below are 2 examples in a house we are working in today with a moderate to severe foundation problem.  The slab has moved so much that the sheetrock was actually sheered off in a couple places.  Only half of the doors even came close to closing.

  The foundation dropped in one area leaving large cracks under the baseboards.

Break-in Prevention

  Over the past few years we have encountered a dozen or more instances of robberies where the front door was kicked in and homes were robbed in a matter of 2 or 3 minutes. 
  Although it's not perfectly home-invasion resistant, this product is one of the stronger devices I have seen.
  Small chains and sliding locks work very poorly under pressure.
   You can look up a "Mythbusters" episode on door locks and make an informed decision for yourself.
  The solid double strike plate in the picture costs about 15-20 dollars at your local hardware store and you can drive screws straight into the wall frame.
  However.... I have installed many of these for people who were terrified of break-ins and there was a window right next to the door!! 
  Think about all aspecs of your home security before just doing one thing.

Privacy Fencing Tips

Here are a couple of things to consider when you are thinking about building or replacing a privacy fence.  I will only discuss lower cost fences in this post.

Planning:
*  Check with your City codes, many cities now require only steel posts to be used.
*  If you're within City limits, most will require you (the fencing company) to pull a permit before work begins.
*  Property corners must be marked clearly and a plat of the property must be provided.
*  This will require a land surveyor to come out and clearly mark the corners.

Material:
*  Whitewood, the lowest cost available.  3/4 inch thick and if taken care of, should last 8-10 years.
*  Cedar, a great durable wood, will last 8-12 years if taken care of.
*  Treated, STAY AWAY!!!  When we switched wood treatments a few years ago and went with a less-cancer-causing treatment, the lumber has become almost worthless.  The biggest issue is bad warping due to imp?roper drying.  I refuse to install it. 
*  Builder grade material....worse, never use it.  We've seen 4 year old fences falling apart...

Posts:

*  Landscaping timbers...should NEVER be used as posts, they warp and rot extremely fast.
*  4x4 treated posts are our wooded posts of choice... from 4-7 each, it's a bargan.
*  4x4 cedar posts, even better, but would recomend cedar posts with a cedar fence so it doesn't look missmatched.
*  Steel posts, the best...price varies greatly with the price of steel. From 12 to 22 dollars each.  Note that with steel posts you will have to purchase 3 brackets per post @3-4 dollars each.  The most expensive option, but the best option.

Treatments:

*  At the very least, put a clear coat over the fence as soon as it goes up.  We do this to all our fences.
*  So many stains and treatments, you have dozens of options.  Just make sure you put SOMETHING on it immediately.

Happy Fencing