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Plan Your Duct Work To Maximize Attic Space
2008-07-22 01:53:00
Most houses built today use common trusses that don't provide for attic space like older homes framed with traditional rafters. In a recent post, Creating Storage Room With Attic Trusses, I pointed out the benefit of using attic trusses to create inexpensive storage space. In order to take advantage of that newly gained space it's important to plan your duct work installation with your HVAC contractor.As you can see in the photos we have a very large attic storage room. Our house is cooled with a high velocity Space Pak central air conditioning mini duct system. Most HVAC contractors would want to lay a central duct down the center of the house and pull the room branches directly off the trunk. I made it a point to discuss with the HVAC contractor the importance of maintaining our new storage rooms floor space. To achieve the space that I wanted he ran a main trunk around the perimeter of the finished space just inside the trusses as you can see. With this layout we were able to ke...
More About: Work , Plan

How to Tile Shower Ceilings
2008-07-20 21:55:00
Last week I was asked if I could explain how to install tile on an overhead surface (shower ceiling). Well I've done it once so I thought I'd share my experience installing marble tile on a shower ceiling.The first thing that I'd like to share is the importance of a proper substrate surface to install tile on for showers. If you're going to do a tiled shower then you need to take every step possible to prevent water from leaking out and damaging your home.For this project I used Durock underlayment. I made sure to screw the Durock to the framing as specified. Next I sealed all the joints with silicone caulk first. Then I used special tape made by Durock and thinset to seal all the joints.Once I was ready to install the marble tile I spent some time dry fitting the first coarse of tile to come up with a layout that we liked. Marble tile is fairly heavy so it's best to work from the bottom up so that the lower levels of tile can support the work as you go. I only recommend using ...
More About: Shower , Bathrooms

How "Green" is Bamboo Flooring?
2008-07-19 17:46:00
I'd like to share a post that I wrote the other day over at Today's Green Construction. The post, Is Bamboo Flooring Green?, looks at the question of how environmentally friendly is the popular bamboo flooring that everyone seems to be buying lately. You might find it interesting to read about why I don't think the product makes sense from a "green" point of view. Check out the article to read more about it!Tags: home improvement, home improvement blog, bamboo flooringSubscribers to Home Construction Improvement can download my free spreadsheets. You can download the Propane Vs Oil Fuel Calculator or the Stair Stringer Calculator for free. Also visit me at Today's Green Construction

Lawn Mowing Tips
2008-07-19 16:22:00
How you mow your lawn has a significant effect on the overall health and appearance of your lawn. Following a few basic lawn mowing tips is the best way to promote healthy great looking lawns.Mowing Tips When you mow make sure you don't remove any more than one third of the grass leaf during any one cutting. If a lawn gets too tall and you just have to cut it down a lot to get caught up, bite the bullet and break it down into several mowings with 3 or more days between cuttings.Never cut grass too short, this is particularly important for cool season grasses. Higher heights usually provide for a deeper root system, better appearance, and is less likely to have weeds invading, particularly crabgrass. I find this tip to be very effective in keeping my lawn from burning as well.Try to avoid mowing your lawn when the grass is wet. The grass leafs do not get cut off clean and actually tear. Also you...
More About: Landscaping

SketchUp Is Really Great
2008-07-19 02:19:00
Recently I discovered the power and value of a free piece of software that blows my mind. If you've ever used any kind of drafting software like AutoCAD then you know that 3D modeling is something left for the experts. Furthermore the software needed to do 3D drafting is extremely expensive. Until now that is, Google's SketchUp is is absolutely free and a really powerful 3D modeling program.I had heard about SketchUp recently but hadn't taken the time to learn about it. Then two weeks ago I met with an urban planner for a project we're working on and he showed us some 3D simulations that were produced using SketchUp and I was blown away.There are so many great features that I can't possibly discuss them all in this post. However, some of the highlights that I found amazing are:You can import many different file types to use as your base map. You can import AutoCAD drawing files, digital photos and many more.You can use Google Earth to import an aerial photo.There are thousands...
More About: Design , Great

Should you be your own general contractor?
2008-06-09 01:22:00
Should you be your own general contractor next time you do a major construction project around the house? Will being your own general contractor save you money? Will being your own general contractor save you time? Will being your own general contractor get you the best products for less money?These are questions I hear from home owners all the time. Those are questions I asked myself years ago when my wife and I bought our first home while I was still working as a consulting engineer. In fact, I tried out that role when we completely renovated our 1950's ranch. Today I manage a large division of a construction company that provides both general contracting services and full design build construction management services. This short informational post will give you my thoughts on those questions.Should you be your own general contractor?This is a hard question to answer in my opinion. I'm writing this post today because last night my wife and I were watching the TV show Flip This ...
More About: General , Contractor , General Contractor

Boil Drinking Water Order
2008-06-07 20:13:00
Yesterday our town issued a "boil order notice" because the town drinking water supply tested positive for contamination with fecal coliform or E. coli bacteria. According to town officials:Fecal coliforms and E. coli are bacteria whose presence indicates that the water may be contaminated with human or animal wastes. Microbes in these wastes can cause diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches, or other symptoms. They may pose a special health risk for infants, young children, some of the elderly, and people with severely compromised immune systems.The symptoms above are not caused only by organisms in drinking water. If you experience any of these symptoms and they persist, you may want to seek medical advice. People at increased risk should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers.It is also important to note that Escherichia Coli (e-coli) is a specific species (subgroup) within the coliform family. They originate only in the intestines of animals and humans. Li...
More About: Water , Drinking , Order

Our Perennial Flower Garden
2008-06-05 21:14:00
We created a large perennial flower garden in our front yard when we built the new house. Over the last two summers we've been slowly adding plants to the garden. This summer we also added a concrete bird bath which our son finds rather amusing.This summer we also added a few petunias to add some color. Finally things are starting to blossom and give us some nice flowers to look at. My wife is a big fan of purple and pink flowers so most of the flowers we've planted are that color. I've managed to get a couple of yellow and white things in because I want to see lots of different things.In addition to the flowers we've also planted a few strawberry plants, some chives and rosemary. The great thing about planting perennials is not having to plant these year after year. I hate the idea of buying a bunch of plants that are going to die off. I'm sure in a few years this garden will be full of great plants and really be self-sustained.Tags: home improvement, home improvement blog, pe...
More About: Garden , Landscaping , Flower

Hydroseeding Lawn Update
2008-06-05 20:58:00
Two weeks ago we had a small area in our lawn hydro seeded. Finally today when I checked on it I see that the seed has germinated and the grass is about 2 inches tall. I've been a bit disappointed in how fast the seed started but the reality is the weather has been awful. The last two weeks has been hot and dry around here which is opposite of what you need for good grass growing.It's been so dry around here our back yard grass looks like it typically does in the heat of August so I really should be glad this seed even came up. I'm looking forward to seeing how this grass grows over the next year or so compared to the grass we planted by hand. I'm also curious to see how well this grass roots into the sub-grade because I didn't really prepare it as well as I wanted to. I'll post another update in a few weeks to let you know how our new hydro seeded grass is coming along.Tags: home improvement, home improvement blog, hydroseeding
More About: Landscaping , Update

Lawn Core Aeration
2008-06-05 16:42:00
What is Lawn Aeration?Aerating a lawn is a simple process of removing small cores of soil and grass to allow air, water and nutrients into the root zone. Another way of aerating a lawn is to use a spike aerator that punches spikes into the lawn to make small holes. However, this method isn't considered as effective as core aerating.What are the Benefits of Aerating Your Lawn?The biggest benefit to aerating your lawn is allow sufficient oxygen to reach the grass roots. Heavy soil compaction severely reduces the pore space around grass roots which limits the amount of oxygen in that region. Roots require oxygen to grow and absorb water and nutrients. Core aeration benefits lawns by:Increasing the activity of soil microorganisms that decompose thatchEnhancing water infiltration from rainfall and irrigationImproving root growthIncreasing water, oxygen and nutrient movement in the root zoneHelping to prevent run off of fertilizers and pesticidesHow do you determine if your lawn needs ae...
More About: Landscaping

$6,000 Kitchen Remodel Project Is Amazing
2008-06-03 18:14:00
The fine folks at This Old House asked me to share quite the kitchen remodeling success story with you. A young couple with children recently remodeled their 1970's style kitchen into a beautiful new kitchen on a $6,000 budget! They were able to accomplish the amazing kitchen remodel by finding great deals on Craigslist and local shops along with doing most of the work themselves. I know what kitchen remodels cost and I'm amazed at what they accomplished on such a tight budget. One of the great things about Craigslist is not only the great buys you can find but it's a great way to recycle things and help with the Green movement. When we lived in Boston and renovated our first home I used Craigslist to giveaway the old windows that we replaced. Instead of putting them in a landfill I placed an ad giving them away for free. A local artist actually took them to use as canvas' for paintings. So check out this great kitchen makeover and also check out Craigslist for buying used stuff...
More About: Kitchen , Project , Amazing

Septic System Maintenance
2008-06-03 16:41:00
Here in New Hampshire septic systems are the primary way of treating domestic waste water. In rural areas that don't have municipal sewer systems a septic system is the best way to treat waste water. I designed our new septic system for the new home we just built and my wife often asks me questions about what she can and can't pour down the drains. So I figured I'd write some posts on maintaining your septic system so that it gives you many years of good service.To help you better understand the proper way to maintain a septic system it's important to understand the basic way they operate. For those of you wishing to know more detailed information about how septic systems work I'll be doing another post on that in the near future. Most septic systems work basically the same way. Typically the waste is treated in a two step process.The first step in the septic treatment process is to dump all of the sewage into a septic tank. Once the tank fills with sewage it breaks down into t...
More About: Environment , System , Maintenance

Oil Vs Propane For Heating
2008-05-31 19:39:00
This year I wrote about comparing the cost of heating with oil versus heating with propane. The two posts that I wrote, Heating - Propane Vs Oil and Oil Vs Propane Fuel Calculator have been read more than any other posts I've written. So I thought it would be interesting to mention them again with heating oil around here above the $4.00 per gallon and propane in the $3.00 range. I've received lots of requests for the simple spreadsheet I wrote that helps you compare the two fuels for different furnace types and I've also received lots of comments and questions on the subject.So I thought it might be important to understand where propane comes from so that you can better understand how the price of it is influenced in today's market. Propane is a by-product from two sources: natural gas processing and crude oil refining. Most of the LPG used in the United States is produced domestically. When natural gas is produced, it contains methane and other light hydrocarbons that are separ...

John Deere Plug Aerator Update
2008-05-28 03:02:00
Several weeks ago I wrote about the new John Deere plug aerator that I ordered. It seems as though there has been a glitch in the order. I must confess it seems as though the error was on my side and not the supplier although I can't see anyway I could have made this error...but I'm a big boy and I can admit when I'm wrong. Apparently I ordered the spike aerator and not the plug aerator. NOT GOOD! The spike aerator really doesn't do what I want.Anyway, the supplier has graciously agreed to track down a plug aerator and only charge me the difference in the correct price. They are certainly going above and beyond on this matter and I truly appreciate it. I'll be sure to share with you this great site for ordering genuine John Deere products once I get all this straightened out.Tags: home improvement, home improvement blog
More About: Landscaping , Update , Plug

Wooden Swing Set is Finished
2008-05-26 00:57:00
Tonight I finally finished assembling the wooden swing set we bought for the kids. I can't say enough good things about the quality of this set and the relative ease of construction. Don't get ease confused with time consuming however!Our 3 yr old son is totally in love with this swing set. This set includes a great slide, two swings, a set of hanging bars, a tunnel, a rock climbing wall, the upper club house with covered porch, a lower club house and covered sand box area.All of the materials were top notch in my opinion. The wood was all really good with very few knots or splits. The fasteners were all heavy duty including heavy duty hardware for the swings. I would rate this swing set as a 9.5 out of 10!The only word of advice is make sure you have plenty of time and some help to work on this project. It took me and a friend about 24 man hours to complete. The book says it should take two moderately skilled people about 40 to 48 man hours. I think that estimate is fairly accura...
More About: Swing , Wooden

Seamless Aluminum Gutters
2008-05-22 22:57:00
Last week I had seamless aluminum gutters installed on the garage. When the house was first built I had them installed on the main house but I skipped on the garage to save some money. The reason I decided to put them on the garage was really two fold. The first was to keep the water away from the garage and keep the water from destroying the garden alongside the garage. The second reason was, I plan on installing a couple of rain barrels at some point and the extra water will come in handy.Both times I've hired the same gutter contractor to do the work and they always do a nice job. I like seamless gutters for a couple of reasons. First off they don't leak at joints and they are much "tougher" in my opinion. Secondly when they are installed right they actually look like a piece of molding from the ground level at a distance.As you can see in the close up photo, the gutters are pretty strong after all the supports are screwed into the fascia board. Each of those horizontal support...
More About: Landscaping , Aluminum

Titanium Hammer Debate
2008-05-22 13:51:00
Recently I've been noticing more and more carpenters using Titanium hammers like the one shown in this picture. Now my first reaction to this is are you kidding me, these things cost $200 and are about 45% lighter than steel. Now call me crazy but last time I checked force is equal to mass times velocity. So why on earth would you want a lighter hammer? So you can try to swing 45% faster to produce the same force?This has been bugging me for some time because I love new gadgets but when you look at a price of $200 I have a hard time understanding why anyone would spend that kind of money on a hammer. I started asking the guys what they thought and each of them told me the same thing. After years of swinging a steel hammer my body is worn out. Now that they own a Titanium hammer they all say that their arm pains have been substantially reduced. But the real question is does it work as well?I was really surprised that they all said it works just as well. So the real question is why? ...
More About: Tools , Debate , Hammer

Hydroseeding Part of Our Lawn
2008-05-21 23:12:00
Today the Hydroseeding contractor came and sprayed a small area in our back yard that I've had trouble getting grass to grow. As you can see in the picture the area that is bright green was sprayed with a combination of seed, water, fertilizer and paper mulch (recycled newspaper).I prepared the area by raking it to loosen the top layer of soil and remove small rocks and twigs. It only took them about 10 minutes to do the job. I lucked out by having a neighbor that was having the entire back yard done so they were willing to spray my small 500 sq. ft. area.Hydroseeding ranges from about 5 cents to 10 cents a square foot. My small 500 sq. ft. area only cost me $25 so I thought it was well worth it. I didn't take a picture of the truck today but it was pretty similar to the one in the attached photo. Hopefully we'll have some nice grass in a few weeks and then I'll be sold on hydroseeding.Tags: home improvement, home improvement blog, hydroseeding
More About: Landscaping , Part

Energizer Hard Case Professional Lights
2008-05-21 02:32:00
The fine folks at Energizer sent me three of their latest LED lights from the Hard Case Professional line to review. The three products that they sent for me to look at were:Energizer Hard Case Professional - 2 AA Swivel Head flash light can survive up to a 20 ft drop, puts out 80 lumens of light and even has a green and red LED low-level light feature. (See the photo)Energizer Hard Case Professional - Inspection Light can survive a 15 ft drop, rubber casing that won't conduct electricity and bright even LED technology.Energizer Hard Case Professional - Headlight can survive a 15 ft drop, allows hands-free work, removable third strap, and even has a green and red LED low-level light feature.I really was impressed with the quality of these lights. They are all really well built, supply really bright LED light and they actually do take a fall. I took the two flash lights out in the driveway and tossed them up in the air and let them hit the driveway. I picked them both up and they tu...
More About: Lights

Buying Blinds Online
2008-05-20 22:47:00
If you're remodeling, building new or just looking to change the look of a room you may be considering new window treatments. Recently while looking for window shades for a large commercial project we're building at work I came across quite a few online window treatment stores. One that I thought was pretty good was SelectBlinds .com.SelectBlinds.com has all kinds of window treatments from wood blinds to roman shades. I happen to like the standard folding shutters shown in the photo.
More About: Buying , Online

Buying Railings Online
2008-05-20 21:21:00
One of the products that we bought online when we built our new home were handrails for our new stair case. It seems as though most hardware stores and even the big box stores only carry a limited selection of handrails and brackets. There are lots of good online stores that sell every kind of handrail you could think of.Buy Railings is one of those online stores specializing in high quality metal railing products. This store specializes in all kinds of metal railings, everything from wall mount hand rails to bar & foot rails to finish off your custom bar in the basement! They sell high quality components that you'd see in restaurants, bars, airports, hotels and office buildings.The products are offered in brass, stainless steel and chrome finishes. They sell everything from closet hardware, bike racks, curtain rods, grab bars and more. Almost any type of metal handrail can be found on their site.Their site offers installation instructions for hand rails, foot rails and closet ...
More About: Buying , Online

Inspiration
2008-05-20 03:39:00
Inspiration! Tonight John Lester of the Boston Red Sox pitched a No Hitter. Why is this inspirational for me? John is a cancer survivor and his historical game tonight at Fenway Park was just what I needed as I face my battle with cancer again. Thanks John!!
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Hydroseeding
2008-05-20 02:57:00
We have a patch of lawn out back that I've not been able to get grass to grow on. I've tried planting it a couple times and it just doesn't seem to want to grow. One of my neighbors is having a Hydroseeding Contractor re-seed his lawn later this week so I'm going to have the hydroseeder stop by and squirt my small area out back.Hydroseeding is a pretty simple yet extremely effective way of seeding new lawns. Hydroseeding involves mixing, water, seed, fertilizer and mulch into a slurry type mixture and then spraying it onto the soil as shown in the picture. The mixture promotes quicker germination and in most cases quicker thicker growth.The water serves two purposes, first it acts as a carrier for the seed, fertilizer and mulch. Secondly it helps the seed germinate. You can even have "pre-germinated" seeds used if you're short on time late in the fall. The mixture typically uses a high phosphorus starter fertilizer to promote good strong root growth. The mulch is typically a pa...
More About: Landscaping

How To Repair Cracks In Asphalt Driveways
2008-05-19 17:02:00
If you own an asphalt driveway in a part of the country that freezes in the winter then most likely you have visible cracks in that driveway. Cracks are typically formed as a result of the freeze/thaw action and frost heaves. It is important to repair those cracks in the spring after they appear to help keep those cracks from turning into much larger problems.Once a pavement cracks it allows water to seep down into the sub-base. The water can then freeze and create even worse frost heaving and additional cracking and failure of the pavement. Sealing cracks in asphalt driveways is a very easy do-it-yourself project that doesn't require any special tools or knowledge.Last week I sealed several cracks in my driveway. I used Latexite 2X Premium Asphalt Crack Filler with pretty good results. The product is really easy to use. First you need to clean out the crack making sure to remove any debris, grass or old crack filler. Then you cut the tip on the bottle and fill the crack. They reco...
More About: Repair

Swing Set Update
2008-05-18 01:58:00
Today I spent most of the day working on the kids new wooden swing set. My friend Mike came over with his two boys and gave me a hand this afternoon. That was a HUGE help having a second set of hands. Needless to say the three boys were also lots of "help", especially asking us every 5 minutes if we were almost done.As you can see we got the upper "club house" put together today along with the swing support and tunnel platform. We also go the main roof on and shingled. The porch shed roof frame is up and I just need to finish putting the shingles on it. I should be able to finish most of this up in 4 more hours.So far I figure I've got about 18 man hours into the project. If it takes another 4 or so hours this project will come in under the 48 man hours the directions predict. I hope I'm correct in my estimate!! Stay tuned for more updates.Tags: home improvement, home improvement blog, wooden swing set
More About: Update , Swing

Top 5 Must Have Power Tools
2008-05-16 19:47:00
I've had a couple of people ask me what basic power tools should they buy for basic home improvement projects or a new workshop. I've listed my top 5 must have power tools that I think every home improvement do it yourself person should own. They are listed in order based on how versatile they are.1. Table Saw - It is my opinion that if you're going to buy one expensive power tool then go buy yourself a decent table saw. A table saw can do almost any cutting task you have and most likely give you the best results. I own a Delta table saw and I can honestly say it's my most used power tool that I own and one I couldn't live without. I will warn you that I think the table saw is also the most dangerous tool you can use. Make sure you respect the power and danger of this tool and understand how to properly use it.2. Miter Saw - I own a Bosch Sliding Compound Miter Saw and it's a close second to the table saw when it comes to how often I use it. I use my miter saw for everything f...
More About: Power , Tools

Top Five Money Savings Tips for New Home Construction
2008-05-16 02:55:00
Considering how fragile the economy is right now and how timid banks are to loan money for new homes I thought I'd share my experience with saving money on new home construction. It wasn't that long ago when getting loans was really easy and building large homes was the trend. Today banks are less likely to fun new construction because of the premium costs associated with new construction.In most real estate markets today you can purchase an existing home for quite a bit less money than a comparable new home. Because of this banks are much more likely to focus their loans on very good customers with plenty of equity (skin in the game!) and homes that will hold their value in this turbulent real estate market.Having said that if you're really set on building a new home there are ways you can keep the budget down and the banks more likely to fund your project. Here are my top five ways of saving money on new home construction.1. Square footage is the name of the game. No matter how...
More About: Money , Tips , Home , Construction , Savings

Wood Swing Update
2008-05-16 02:45:00
So far I've spent about 3 1/2 hours working on the wooden swing set for the kids. The directions said it would take two moderately skilled people about 20 to 24 hours to build. I hate to jinx myself but based on the progress I've made so far I can't possibly see how it will take me that long. So far I'm extremely satisfied with both the quality of this product and easy to follow instructions. Stay tuned for more photos and updates as I get further along.Tags: home improvement, home improvement blog, wooden swing set
More About: Wood , Update , Swing

Homelite UT42100 Electric Blower Review
2008-05-15 04:31:00
The fine folks at Home Depot sent me the Homelite UT42100 electric blower so I could try it out. I already own a much larger leaf blower so I was eager to try out this smaller one. This little guy packs quite a punch and makes cleaning up a walkway, driveway or small project site a breeze.This little 7 amp power house has two speeds; quiet and power, ranging from 120 mph to 150 mph. At a very reasonable suggested retail price of just under $30 it's really hard to find much wrong with this blower. The only thing I don't like (and I don't like this about my larger one) is the fact that you have to plug it into a electrical power supply. But, for $30 it's really hard to complain and expect a gas powered unit! The unit only weighs 5 lbs so it's very light and easy to use. I'll definitely use this around the yard this summer cleaning up my messes and keeping the walkways looking great.I would definitely suggest this product for anyone looking for a very inexpensive lightweight ...
More About: Review , Electric

My Melanoma Saga
2008-05-14 03:35:00
For any of you that read my blog on a regular basis you already know that I've been diagnosed with Melanoma (skin cancer) twice. The first time was really scary as I had Stage III Melanoma, several surgeries and a year of chemo treatment. Well....today I found out I have Melanoma again. Last time was just a very shallow lesion that didn't require any special surgery. This time it's a little worse and it sounds like I'll be having at least one surgery maybe two. The good news is from what they are telling me this isn't as serious as the first time I had it so hopefully the treatments won't be too bad.I share this with my readers for a couple of reasons. First and foremost I think that if I can help just one person by making them aware of the dangers involved with skin cancer then it's worth sharing my personal experiences. Two it helps me deal with the emotional battle that cancer plays on someone. Wish me luck....or better yet say a prayer for me and my family.
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