Posted by woodrow ~ January 30th, 2012
Of all the doors or gates to your home, your garage door and opener probably experience the greatest amount of wear and tear during a year of ordinary use. Imagine how many times that door has opened in the last 365 days; how many round trips have you made to work, school or the local grocery store? How many times did you open and close the door just to get something from the garage, to access your storage or laundry facilities?
If your garage door has stopped working noiselessly and as smoothly as when you had it installed, it’s probably long overdue for a tune up.
Start with a garage door inspection
The words “maintenance” and “repair” often represent opposite sides of home upkeep habits. Performing routine maintenance on garage doors can spare you the headache of repairing them. Put out the large fires first by doing a complete walk-around.
If it’s become hard to lock the garage door, the locking bar has probably worked itself out of alignment. You can stabilize it again by loosening the guide brackets and lining them up again. Inspect the tension on the return spring, since it can be the cause of poor opening and locking.
Whether you’ve done the work yourself or had a contractor in to install a garage door opener, it’s a good idea to inspect and secure the rails, brackets and roller tracks on the inside of the door.
Also check the tracks for plumb. If they’re out of alignment, do an adjustment to the track mounting brackets. Next, check the rollers for damage. Steel or nylon, they can chip or tilt to one side. You may need to replace these right away. The lift cable is attached to a metal roller bracket at the lowest end. If the cable is frayed, call in a professional repair company.
Basic, sensible maintenance
Use lightweight oil to lube the pulleys, rollers, and door tracks. Try graphite powder as a lubricant on latches to prevent corrosion and clogging with dirt and grime. Contractors recommend white lithium grease to lubricate the opener chain or screw. Good old WD-40 is sufficient to prevent corrosion on the springs. Spray it on once a year.
It’s important to replace any weather stripping or corroded weather seals on the bottom of the garage door. You can buy strips and fastener in a kit or apply new strips with galvanized nails.
A little effort on your part once or twice a year can extend the life of your door and opener. It’s worth it!
Tags: garage, maintenance, repair
Posted in General Remodeling, Home Maintenance, Uncategorized, Working With Contractors | 3 Comments »
Posted by woodrow ~ January 28th, 2012
Daylight harvesting, once deployed only in large commercial and industrial settings, is getting lot of airtime with home builders and renovators. The process is just like it sounds: You install a combined window treatment and lighting system that coordinates the amount of heat and light that comes through your windows into living spaces. It’s not a difficult job to coordinate the window louvers and blinds with dimmer switches on your lighting fixtures – with a computer!
As more and more homes are built or retrofitted with master controlled lighting and thermostat systems, we’ll find features like automatic dimming, daylight harvesting, and clock timers that measure ambient light and make adjustments. In short, your house wakes when the sun comes up, opens its eyes (louvers), harvests the light, and pops on the heat as necessary.
At noon, when the sun is brightest, your dimmers turn down the inside lighting fixtures and make the most of the sunshine. When partnered with a thermostat, the windows and lights of your home perform an elegant juggling act based on outdoor/indoor temperatures and sunlight that adds up to high energy efficiency.
Daylight harvesting and green lighting
According to Energy Intelligent Systems & Technologies (Enestec), several studies show that daylight harvesting produced cost savings for electric use as high as 60 percent.
The harvesting process is not that complicated. It involves the use of an ambient light meter that triggers computer-activated adjustments to combine ambient with artificial light to hit the level set for each room in the house. During the warm and summer seasons, the system closes louvers to reduce solar heat and block harmful UV rays.
To coordinate the effort, the system uses photo-sensors, control modules, dimmers, and fixtures that aim the louvers and focus light directly where you want it in the room. This can be especially helpful when dialing in each room depending upon the direction faced by the exterior walls.
Taken independently, each of these components alone can assist with your energy costs. When pricing, dimmer lighting tends to cost more than on-off switching. And programmable thermostats cost more than static models. But when added to the right types of windows for your climate, they add up to a greener home and lower utility bills.
So far, the adoption of a complete daylight-harvesting, climate-control system for residential use has been slowed by high installation and product costs. But there is little doubt that the harvesters are coming.
Tags: energy efficency, green, Lighting
Posted in Additions, General Remodeling, Green Living, Lighting, Windows | 2 Comments »
Posted by woodrow ~ January 23rd, 2012
It’s my nature to surf the world of online home improvement blogs. There’s great information out there, including home improvement ideas if you’re rebuilding or going green. But I’ve yet to see a blog give any bandwidth to a discussion about home safety and security. Are we just numb to the same old ideas of turning on a light when we’re gone or leaving a radio blaring?
For starters, you’d be amazed at how many people live in homes without adequate carbon monoxide protection. Are your HVAC system, cook stove and oven, fireplace and water heaters connected securely and situated in rooms with sufficient ventilation? If you’re concerned about protection, you can buy a home carbon monoxide alarm for less than $25 at most home improvement stores. Let your family hear the sound of the alarm by pressing the test button. That way they’ll know which alarm has gone off.
Fire safety and home improvement
Smoke alarms are routinely regulated for rental property, but when it comes to you and your family, do you voluntarily have ionization and photoelectric-type smoke alarms on each floor of your house? If not, add alarm installation to your home improvement plans. If you’re building a new house, The Home Safety Council (HSC) recommends that you add fire sprinklers. According to the HSC, ”fires and burns are the third-leading cause of unintentional home injury and related deaths.”
Plumbing safety
If you reside where winter temperatures drop below 20 degrees, be sure to insulate your pipes in all the crawl spaces and attic. Be sure to seal or insulate all the pipe vents, wiring vents, and openings leading into the house. You may want to educate yourself on how to fix a leaking water pipe. Use a patch kit until you can compelte a permanent repair.
Home security
Not everyone has a contract with an alarm or security company. But you can always install security doors that keep would-be intruders at bay. The latest generation of security doors comes in a range of styles, materials and colors, so you won’t be stuck with an ugly door that looks like it was made for a federal penitentiary. Locks come in an amazing range of options, too, from fingerprint activated models to dead bolts that you can activate with your laptop or smart phone.
Think about safety on your next do-it-yourself home assessment and take the necessary actions to protect your family as well as your investment
Tags: home improvement, home improvement ideas, safety
Posted in Additions, Electrical, General Remodeling, HVAC, Home Maintenance, Remodeling, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Posted by woodrow ~ January 22nd, 2012
You’ve heard a lot about green remodeling. Many new homes are constructed with green building materials, appliances, windows and doors. Green, in short, means that the initial builder or homeowner making a sustainable home improvement is concerned with energy efficiency, indoor air quality, the conservation of natural resources and, ultimately, home value.
Let’s look at the key elements of green building, one-by-one:
Energy efficiency
For new homes or additions, going green means employing advanced framing, a technique that uses up to 30 percent less lumber without compromising structural integrity. Next, green building relies upon the airtight drywall approach that builds the home’s thermal envelope. Airtight drywall means using caulk or gaskets wherever electrical, mechanical or plumbing systems penetrate the wall. Now, you’re tight and snug.
Energy efficiency is also dependent on the choice of efficient appliances that use less power or water to handle the job. While you’re at it, choose a high efficiency water heater and insulate all water pipes that connect to it. Choose the right levels of insulation for your climate and, if you’re truly going green, select sustainable insulation materials like fire-retardant cellulose.
Finally, change out all existing single-paned or non-insulated windows with replacement windows rated by ENERGY STAR for your local weather.
Green construction materials
Consider wood products certified by The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). An FSC endorsement means your wood was collected from sources that are responsibly harvested and renewable. Recycled or engineered wood – products that combine wood with non-VOC laminated fiber – are excellent choices over roof and floor trusses prone to splitting, warping and shrinking.
For painting, choose low-VOC and low-toxic interior paints that greatly improve indoor air quality. Carpeting certified as allergen-repellent or low-pile carpeting will also contribute to good air quality. Use tacking to hold it down, rather than slathering your indoor environment with toxic glues.
Conserving water
Many green home improvement projects in the kitchen and bath include the replacement of high-flow taps, showers and toilets with low-flow alternatives. High-efficiency dishwashers and laundry appliances cut both your power and water bills. Instead of that pesky lawn, choose native or drought-tolerant vegetation around your home that requires less water to maintain and thrives on natural fertilizer without requiring pesticides.
Renovating successfully means developing a realistic budget with room for overages and taking a range of bids from qualified contractors with sustainable experience.
Tags: green, green building, home improvement
Posted in Additions, Bathrooms, General Remodeling, Green Living, Kitchens, Remodeling, Windows | 5 Comments »
Posted by woodrow ~ January 16th, 2012
If you’ve ever had to live in a home a while with only half of your remodeling project completed, I feel your pain. Planning ahead for overages when you’re budgeting can spare you the headache of working your life around open walls or unfinished woodwork. Sometimes it’s just a matter of neglecting to deal with the little things up-front that drag your renovation to a blinding halt.
First things first: How much can you afford?
As you’re preparing a remodeling budget, learn as much as possible about your personal Debt-to-Income ratio. Even if your credit rating is strong, you can’t afford to borrow more for home remodeling than your existing financial health is projected into the future.
Beware the desire to over-reach financially
You can’t count on the economy to dramatically improve right now. If your home is the black sheep in the neighborhood, spending extravagantly on improvements to make it competitive for sale may be the final leap into fiscal madness. Can you really afford to upgrade all your appliances? Are you thinking of adding a room when some real estate experts claim that smaller square footage is likely to attract home-buyers right now?
How much to you need to dress up your home?
Do you need a new set of kitchen cabinets, or can you get by with a less-expensive refacing project using veneer or thermofoil? You can even boost resale margins with kitchen cabinet refacing. You could put down throw rugs, choosing to refinish the floor later. Dress up your kitchen with fresh paint and inexpensive, attractive backsplashes.
Will your upgrades bring a return in value?
Leaky windows and doors can be replaced without completely disrupting your home. If you’re tightening up your thermal envelope against rising energy costs, why not choose energy efficient replacement windows that appeal to cost-conscious buyers? Renovating successfully means taking the long view while tackling more-immediate problems.
Tracking your expenditures
Waiting for a final, soul-crushing bill is a poor strategy. Budget by affordable phases that allow you to pay as you go, completing each remodeling section before embarking on a new one. You won’t be living amidst sawdust and exposed conduit that way.
The best advice for remodeling during shifting economic tides is to plan wisely and spend realistically.
Tags: budget, home remodeling, Remodeling
Posted in Additions, Finish Carpentry, General Remodeling, Home Maintenance, Kitchens, Remodeling, Windows | 4 Comments »
Posted by woodrow ~ January 15th, 2012
The most-famous motto for all contractors and DIY handymen/women is “measure twice, cut once”. I’d prefer to move the phrase, “work safe, work smart” to the top of the slogan list. A report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) cites 37,000 emergency room visits a year to treat catastrophic injuries caused by nail guns. Just under half of the emergency visits are made by non-professional weekend warriors who are working on home improvement projects.
Photo by Kaj R. Svensson
There’s no law that says you have to be a contractor to own a nail nun that fires projectiles with the equivalent force of a .22 handgun. The most impressive nail gun safety video you need to see is Lethal Weapon II where Danny Glover nails a criminal with a framing gun. Tools are only as safe as the safety measures employed by the people who use them.
Working carpenters sometimes ignore safety procedures or choose to bypass optional tool safety mechanisms for the sake of speeding up their work. They rig the trigger so it’s always depressed so they just have to bump it against the surface. Unfortunately, the gun doesn’t discriminate whether the surface is dry wall or your thigh.
Nail guns for the home or job
Last year, The Boston University School of Management honored a team of students who developed a Smart Halt nail gun with a firing mechanism that automatically disconnects when it comes in contact with skin. So far, I haven’t seen such a product on the market. What I do see are air-based guns made at professional grade (instant fire) and two-step guns (requiring depressing the trigger and tapping the barrel against the nailing surface.
The most-common, air-powered tools on the market are stick-type nail guns, holding up to 40 nails at a time, and coil-type nail guns, loading up with as many as 300 nails in a canister.
Types of nail guns include framing guns (for dense material work, or installing vinyl siding, finishing guns, brad nailers and roofing guns.
Nail gun safety
The Occupational Safety & Health Administration is a great resource. I heartily recommend that you download their online brochure, Nail Gun Safety: A Guide for Construction Contractors.
Don’t wince at these common-sense tips, either:
•Always wear safety glasses.
•Remove your finger from the trigger area after you fire a nail.
•Use sequential firing guns and do not disable any features.
•Clear the room of additional workers and, especially, to not allow anyone to stand behind a surface that you’re nailing.
Work safe, work smart!
Tags: contractor, safety, tools
Posted in Additions, General Remodeling, Home Maintenance, Remodeling, Roofing | 2 Comments »
