All Around the House

Employees of hardware stores get asked very difficult questions on a daily basis. The reason for this is that the vast majority of the casual home owner or renter who makes their way into these stores in search of tools or supplies, rarely knows exactly what it is that they need. For this reason, it is good to be reminded from time to time that hardware store employees, while often very knowledgeable about their chosen department, are not miracle workers. They are not blessed with the psychic ability to be able to know exactly what each customer needs based on only the most ambiguous possible description. For instance, there is no hardware store employee in the world who could immediately find the right part for such a request as:“I’m looking for a bolt about an inch long.” The follow-up question would surely be something like: “What else can you tell me about the bolt?” And this is where many customers freeze up. They never thought to find out any more. They figured that a hardwa...

These useful tips for simple home repairs can save you from issues growing into major problems around the home. Hidden Dangers in Clothes Dryers An estimated 15,000 fires are caused by clothes dryers each year, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. They can cause serious injures and have resulted in deaths. Some fires are caused by lint build-up in the exhaust duct. Corrugated vinyl ducts seem more likely to lead to fires than metal ducts. The simple solution is to remove and clean ducts and lint traps frequently. Also important is to never leave the home when a dryer is running. Check Out: Check for Highly Flammable Dryer Lint in Duct Vents and Exhaust Stick With the Right Adhesives Adhesives have improved considerably over the years. Always choose a name brand adhesive made for the specific surfaces that require repair or mounting. Epoxies are good for metals. Heavy-duty adhesives can permanently attach heavy objects to walls. The key word is permanent. Remo...

Building a new home can be an exciting moment in your life, this place will be built as a dream home, unfortunately if you don’t know what to look for, your new dream home might have several unseen issues. Listed below are some of the most common home construction errors. 23 Home Construction Errors Foundation and Framing Errors The foundation is out of square or the layout is inaccurate. Footing drains are not carefully placed to prevent filling up with silt, being crushed during back-fill, or not breaking grade. Wall framing is out of plumb. This will come back to haunt you at every stage of construction; sheetrock, finishes, finish carpentry, installation of doors and windows all will become problematic. Framed walls constructed without blocking for proper attachment of sheetrock finishes, toilet accessories, and cabinets to be hung. Framing constructed without adequate fire-stopping. Thermal and Moisture Protection Errors Inadequate crawl space or basement ventilation ...

People do spend a lot of their time and money in building their homes. They keep the focus on every minute detail to ensure that their home structure is robust as well as looks aesthetically appealing. However, with the passage of time, there are some significant damages that need to be identified and repaired timely to maintain the robustness of the structure. The majority of the people often times neglect the roof maintenance until it becomes perceptible. The roof is the most important component of the building structure and it is important to regularly repair the damages to avoid major damages. The roof damages such as holes, blisters, leakage, and cracks must be repaired without delay as if they are not repaired they will give rise to major damage to the home foundation that will lead to more costly repairs. The roofs are exposed to harsh weather conditions and other damages. For that reason, it is imperative to inspect the roof on a regular interval to spot the damag...

As the snow recedes and the weather begins warming up, it is time to start landscaping. Start your spring landscaping plans with proper planning Landscape Design It is important to properly plan your landscape design properly, so you know where to plant your perfect landscaping accents. A proper design plan takes into account all aspects of your yard, from sunlight to drainage, then it incorporates in the mix of the different plants, so the left isn’t full of yellow flowers and the right is full of decorative grasses . To fully bring your plans to fruition start off with a drawing of your yard, front and back. Then start adding in your planting beds, draw in anything you want to add, from decks or patios to new planting beds or even a garden . While drawing up your plans, figure out if you want a low maintenance landscape .If you do want one, check out these 10 tips . To learn more about landscape design planning, check out this post , along with these 4 helpful tips on design...

When a toilet starts acting funny there aren’t that many things that can go wrong. A little expertise and a few dollars can fix many common problems with a household toilet. The Ways of a Toilet Before a person can fix a toilet, it is important to know a little about how they work. In the back of the toilet there is a float that controls the water level in the tank. There is a bar on the back of the handle that connects to a plug in the bottom of the tank. When the toilet is flushed, the bar lifts the plug and lets the water out. The water slowly runs back into the toilet through the refill valve and when the floating ball levels out it stops. These mechanisms are the basis for most home toilet repair since they are ease to get to and simple to fix. Five Simple Toilet Fixes Most of these require that you take the lid off the toilet tank. Remember that the water in the tank is clean but may splash a little if you flush the toilet with the top off. Loose Handle – Look at the back ...

A dry climate can make it hard to grow crops and cultivate food that’s needed for life. However, it also cuts down on unwanted organisms like mold and mildew. People who live where it rains often have more trouble keeping mold out of their yards and flower beds, as well as off of their driveways, patios, and sides of their houses. Some of them even have to deal with mold remediation to get mold and mildew out of their homes. The outdoor mold can be an annoyance and it can be unsightly, but it’s generally not dangerous. When mold moves to the inside of a home, it can be hazardous to health and it needs to be removed. The mold can come about from water damage, but it can appear through normal living in a damp climate, as well. The best thing to do is to keep mold and mildew from getting started inside the home in the first place. Most People Assume Mold and Mildew Won’t Bother Them People who have carpet in their homes are particularly vulnerable to mold growth in wet climates becaus...

Most of our New Year’s resolutions seem to have a lot to do with our physical bodies – losing weight, getting in shape, giving up unhealthy habits and the like. But there are many resolutions that could be made about other parts of your life – maintenance of your home and garden, for instance. Let’s face it, it’s tough keeping up with all the different tasks that must be done in order to keep your home looking its best. I know I certainly don’t get everything accomplished when I should, but I am getting better at this as the years go by. So in the spirit of the coming new year, here’s a look at potential resolutions for keeping your house and yard in tip-top shape. • Lose some weight … from your interiors. Look around your home and be honest: Is the clutter starting to creep in? Or has it taken up permanent residence? The holidays are a time when items come in to the house but don’t always go out in a timely fashion. That’s why this is a perfect opportunity to start looking around...