Roofs require maintenance, like any other part of your house. An annual inspection should suffice for most asphalt shingle roofs. Check the roof flashings and shingles for nail pops. Other roofing materials like slate, metal and tile require less upkeep.
Prehung doors can be tricky for the DIY'er . Installing pre-hung doors takes some simple tools and some not so simple work. Read this column to learn what is needed and one of my special tricks.
Building a new home requires hundreds of choices. Get organized by keeping all of your choices and plans for your new home building project in a binder so no decisions fall through the cracks. Blueprints and specifications along with this binder will keep track of the entire project. Select amenities for your new home at the start so that workmen can plan openings and utility adaptations to stay on schedule.
Wood siding can develop mildew stains, especially in wooded areas. The best water repellent stains to use contain synthetic resins. The higher the price, the better the stain. You can also clean your wood siding with Oxygen Bleach.
Cast iron drain pipes are superb. They are quiet. Plumbing does not have to be noisy like plastic pipe systems.
Flag poles can be bought or they can be created. You can create a home built flagpole that will be durable and maintenance free for many years. The supplies to build the flag pole cost just a little over $100.00.
Beige masking tape is now just one of many job specific tapes on the market. Each of the colored masking tapes now has a different type of adhesive that keeps them from adhering forever to a surface. The tapes are labeled with the optimal amount of time you can leave them in place.
Vinyl siding has always tried to imitate the look and feel of real wood siding. But if you pushed against vinyl siding you would know instantly you were dealing with an imposter. The addition of foam insulation and new texturing methods has created a vinyl siding that does a fantastic job of simulating real wood.
Rag painting can make your walls look rich and professional. A glaze is used on a base color to produce laudable effect.
Insulated glass to replace your windows may be harder to install than you thought. Replacement window glass kits may be the way to go. Try a small window first.
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