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FLUKE 1AC-A1 II VoltAlert
2008-04-24 19:30:00
Today I bought a new electrical tester. In the past I've had testers but none that I really liked or trusted. I read some reviews and this Fluke 1AC-A1 II VoltAlert received some decent feedback. What I like about this tester is you can use it several ways. It has a flat tip that allows you to stick it into a receptacle to test for power. You can also touch it to wires that still have insulation on them and get an accurate test result. When it detects voltage the white end lights up and makes a steady audible tone. So far I've found it to be quite useful.Tags: home improvement, home improvement blog, volt alert fluke tester


Basement Waterproofing
2008-04-24 19:00:00
One of the most frustrating things for people with basements is water leakage. With many homeowners trying to create as much usable square footage in their homes the basement becomes a target for family rooms, play rooms, man rooms and teenager hide outs. Unfortunately most basements have some sort of water leakage problem.The B-Dry® System Wet Basement Waterproofing Process has been time tested for over 50 years and in over 200,000 homes nationwide. The B-Dry® Patented Waterproofing System is backed by a full warranty which lasts for the lifetime of your building. If you're looking for a qualified basement waterproofing company then check out one of these licensed basement contractors.


Solar Flood Light Giveaway
2008-04-26 11:44:00
May 1st is the deadline to leave a comment on the Solar Light Giveaway post and enter to win a free set of solar flood lights. Make sure you sign up so you can have a chance to win these really great solar flood lights.


John Deere Plug Aerator
2008-04-27 13:53:00
Today I ordered a John Deere 40" tow-behind plug aerator. One of the most important tasks to do on your lawn is to aerate it. This helps get water and nutrients deeper down to the roots. A plug aerator also helps loosen the soil to keep it from being so compacted that air and moisture can't properly disperse.This plug aerator features 28 steel plugging tines for removing soil plugs up to 3" deep. A weight tray that accepts up to 175 lbs of additional weight to help improve plugging depth on compacted soils. Individual tines that can be replaced to improve serviceability and pneumatic tires for great maneuverability.I'm really looking forward to receiving this new piece of yard equipment so I can continue to improve the health of our new lawn. Working with your lawn is another easy to do ho
Read more: John Deere

White Dogwood Trees (Cornus Florida)
2008-04-27 12:55:00
Yesterday I planted two White Dogwood trees. We are trying to add new landscaping features to our large yard this year so it doesn't look like a huge open football field around the house. Planting trees, shrubs and flowers can be a rather simple home improvement project that can add significant curb appeal and value to your home.The Arbor Day Foundation has this to say about the White Dogwood Tree:An excellent landscape choice in all four seasons. Flowers are showy in spring. Leaves turn red-purple in fall. Glossy red fruits attract winter songbirds. Likes partial shade; moist, acid, well-drained soil. Grows to 25', 25' spread. (zones 5-9)This should be another great fit for our yard due to the acidic soil. We also have a well drained soil because just below the soil layer is a very deep l
Read more: Trees , Florida

Garden Mulching
2008-04-26 17:25:00
Today I filled the flower gardens with new pine bark mulch. I like to use plain pine bark mulch that has a dark brown color. I honestly can't stand driving by homes that use that "RED" mulch. Come on folks, there is no way you can get "RED" mulch from any trees grown around here. They have to be filling that product with dies to get it that color. Anyway, in a previous post, Mulching Flower Beds, I talked about learning all about mulching flower beds from none other than Roger Cook from This Old House. Roger was pretty serious about using a good quality pine bark mulch instead of all the designer mulches out there.So today my son and I headed out to the local mulch/loam place and we picked up a yard of pine bark mulch. This year I only needed to apply about an inch of mulch because last ye
Read more: Garden

Wood Swing Set
2008-04-28 21:46:00
Well we decided to spend our tax stimulus check on something we wouldn't normally buy. We've bought a huge wooden swing set for our kids. This will surely be a huge DIY project when it arrives. I'll have to put it together and put some type of wood sealer on the whole thing! Pictures will follow when construction begins!


How To Install Leviton 6260M Electronic Timer Switch
2008-04-28 19:24:00
In a previous post, Leviton 6260M Electronic Timer Switch, I wrote about these new timer switches that I purchased to use in our three bathrooms. Using timer switches will allow us to run the fans after we've left the room in order to make sure all the excess moisture is removed from the room. This is a great way to make sure enough fresh air is introduced to tight homes and also to make sure we're getting all that excess moisture out so we won't have mold and mildew problems.Tonight I installed the first Leviton 6260M Electronic Timer Switch. The specifications for these timers require that you have a ground and a neutral at the switch location. This is an important detail that you should investigate before you buy these switches. If you just have a switch leg in the box, i.e. the hot leg


Construction Costs Are Dropping
2008-04-30 13:08:00
The current state of the construction industry and slow real estate sales has finally slowed the demand of building materials to the point where prices are dropping. Between January 2007 and January 2008, framing lumber fell 15.6 percent, insulation 3.6 percent, and wallboard a whopping 22 percent. Some markets have seen even sharper drops in material costs.What does this mean for you? Well combine the dropping material costs with slower demand on construction crews and still historically low interest rates and now is a great time to build a new home, remodel and existing one or add that addition you've been putting off for years.A couple of years ago you would have had a very hard time getting contractors to return your call. Now if you call a contractor he or she is likely to show up at
Read more: Construction , Costs

Gutters and Rain Barrels
2008-04-29 20:30:00
It has been pouring rain here for two days and it reminded me about how many homes I see around here with significant water damage. One of my biggest recommendations to clients when they build a new home is to invest in good gutters. The conversation typically turns to the home owner telling me that having gutters in New England is a bad idea because of the snow and ice. I'll leave that arguement / disagreement for another post but I will say that I use them and I never have trouble with ice and snow.The reason that I strongly recommend gutters is simple. An average 1,000 sq. ft. roof will produce over 600 gallons of water from 1 inch of rain! So without gutters you now have 600 gallons of water splashing against your house after it hits the ground and soaking into the ground along your
Read more: Barrels

Peonies and Rhubarb
2008-04-29 19:44:00
We added a couple of other plants to the flower gardens last weekend. My wife loves peonies so we bought a couple of peony roots to plant. We actually had a few of these plants at our last home in Massachusetts so it was only natural to try to grow some more. Peonies like a well drained soil with a pH of around 6.5 to 7.0 (we'll need to use some extra lime to sweeten the soil as our soil is quite acidic) and a sunny location. The flowers on these plants are quite heavy when they bloom so it's a good idea to use some dowels or stakes to prop up the plants to keep them from falling over due to the weight of the flower.The other thing we planted last weekend was rhubarb. I grew up with several rhubarb plants in our yard and I used to love having strawberry rhubarb pies during the summer. Rhub
Read more: Rhubarb

Built-In Office Furniture Using Semi-Custom Cabinets
2008-05-01 20:27:00
One of the most used "areas" of our new home is the built-in office space that we created in our breakfast nook. One of the really cool things you can do with semi-custom cabinets is put together office furniture, entertainment systems, book cases or any other type of furniture assemblies.I created this built-in office furniture using a file drawer cabinet on the left, a desk drawer in the center and a regular cabinet on the right. Then I was able to order a solid hardwood desk top to cover it. In the right hand cabinet is our computer. I cut a circular hole in the desk top and installed a plastic "grommet" so we could run all of the computer cords into that cabinet.The upper cabinets are regular wall units with a "cubbie" cabinet mounted to the bottom of the center cabinet. That works wel
Read more: Built , Furniture , Cabinets

Solar Light Giveaway Ends Shortly
2008-04-30 21:19:00
If you're interested in winning the solar flood lights from Malibu you must leave a comment on Solar Light Giveaway tonight. Leave a great comment on how you would use these lights if you win. I'll be choosing a winner as of May 1st.


Proper Edging of Flower Beds
2008-05-02 20:35:00
The easiest way to edge a flower bed is by using a simple half moon edger. This tool is used to cut the sod along any shaped flower bed. You simply work your way along any line you want and use the tool to cut the sod. By cutting the sod along a nice clean line you are cutting the roots.As you can see in the photo, you want that cut edge of the sod to remain exposed. This prevents the grass from working its way into the flower bed. When you put your mulch in the flower bed make sure you taper the thickness down as you approach the sod edge. If you keep the roots exposed of the sod then they won't invade the flower bed.The half moon edger is very easy to use. When you're creating a flower bed you can use a rope or garden hose to lay out a nice curved design. Then all you have to do is follo
Read more: Proper

Blog Changes
2008-05-04 19:57:54
Any of you that read my blog on a regular basis will automatically realize that I've made some significant changes to the look of this blog. Please bear with me as I try and give the blog a new look and hopefully quite a bit more functionality so that readers can find all the good stuff I've written. Any feedback would be very welcome!
Read more: Blog Changes

Proper Edging of Flower Beds
2008-05-02 20:44:07
The easiest way to edge a flower bed is by using a simple half moon edger. This tool is used to cut the sod along any shaped flower bed. You simply work your way along any line you want and use the tool to cut the sod. By cutting the sod along a nice clean line you are cutting the roots.As you can see in the photo, you want that cut edge of the sod to remain exposed. This prevents the grass from working its way into the flower bed. When you put your mulch in the flower bed make sure you taper the thickness down as you approach the sod edge. If you keep the roots exposed of the sod then they won't invade the flower bed.The half moon edger is very easy to use. When you're creating a flower bed you can use a rope or garden hose to lay out a nice curved design. Then all you have to do is follo
Read more: Proper

Built-In Office Furniture Using Semi-Custom Cabinets
2008-05-01 20:38:11
One of the most used "areas" of our new home is the built-in office space that we created in our breakfast nook. One of the really cool things you can do with semi-custom cabinets is put together office furniture, entertainment systems, book cases or any other type of furniture assemblies.I created this built-in office furniture using a file drawer cabinet on the left, a desk drawer in the center and a regular cabinet on the right. Then I was able to order a solid hardwood desk top to cover it. In the right hand cabinet is our computer. I cut a circular hole in the desk top and installed a plastic "grommet" so we could run all of the computer cords into that cabinet.The upper cabinets are regular wall units with a "cubbie" cabinet mounted to the bottom of the center cabinet. That works wel
Read more: Built , Furniture , Cabinets

Solar Light Giveaway Ends Shortly
2008-04-30 21:24:31
If you're interested in winning the solar flood lights from Malibu you must leave a comment on Solar Light Giveaway tonight. Leave a great comment on how you would use these lights if you win. I'll be choosing a winner as of May 1st.


Construction Costs Are Dropping
2008-04-30 13:20:25
The current state of the construction industry and slow real estate sales has finally slowed the demand of building materials to the point where prices are dropping. Between January 2007 and January 2008, framing lumber fell 15.6 percent, insulation 3.6 percent, and wallboard a whopping 22 percent. Some markets have seen even sharper drops in material costs.What does this mean for you? Well combine the dropping material costs with slower demand on construction crews and still historically low interest rates and now is a great time to build a new home, remodel and existing one or add that addition you've been putting off for years.A couple of years ago you would have had a very hard time getting contractors to return your call. Now if you call a contractor he or she is likely to show up at
Read more: Construction , Costs

Gutters and Rain Barrels
2008-04-29 20:46:44
It has been pouring rain here for two days and it reminded me about how many homes I see around here with significant water damage. One of my biggest recommendations to clients when they build a new home is to invest in good gutters. The conversation typically turns to the home owner telling me that having gutters in New England is a bad idea because of the snow and ice. I'll leave that arguement / disagreement for another post but I will say that I use them and I never have trouble with ice and snow.The reason that I strongly recommend gutters is simple. An average 1,000 sq. ft. roof will produce over 600 gallons of water from 1 inch of rain! So without gutters you now have 600 gallons of water splashing against your house after it hits the ground and soaking into the ground along your
Read more: Barrels

Peonies and Rhubarb
2008-04-29 20:05:16
We added a couple of other plants to the flower gardens last weekend. My wife loves peonies so we bought a couple of peony roots to plant. We actually had a few of these plants at our last home in Massachusetts so it was only natural to try to grow some more. Peonies like a well drained soil with a pH of around 6.5 to 7.0 (we'll need to use some extra lime to sweeten the soil as our soil is quite acidic) and a sunny location. The flowers on these plants are quite heavy when they bloom so it's a good idea to use some dowels or stakes to prop up the plants to keep them from falling over due to the weight of the flower.The other thing we planted last weekend was rhubarb. I grew up with several rhubarb plants in our yard and I used to love having strawberry rhubarb pies during the summer. Rhub
Read more: Rhubarb

Wood Swing Set
2008-04-28 21:49:25
Well we decided to spend our tax stimulus check on something we wouldn't normally buy. We've bought a huge wooden swing set for our kids. This will surely be a huge DIY project when it arrives. I'll have to put it together and put some type of wood sealer on the whole thing! Pictures will follow when construction begins!


How To Install Leviton 6260M Electronic Timer Switch
2008-04-28 19:39:26
In a previous post, Leviton 6260M Electronic Timer Switch, I wrote about these new timer switches that I purchased to use in our three bathrooms. Using timer switches will allow us to run the fans after we've left the room in order to make sure all the excess moisture is removed from the room. This is a great way to make sure enough fresh air is introduced to tight homes and also to make sure we're getting all that excess moisture out so we won't have mold and mildew problems.Tonight I installed the first Leviton 6260M Electronic Timer Switch. The specifications for these timers require that you have a ground and a neutral at the switch location. This is an important detail that you should investigate before you buy these switches. If you just have a switch leg in the box, i.e. the hot leg


John Deere Plug Aerator
2008-04-27 14:01:41
Today I ordered a John Deere 40" tow-behind plug aerator. One of the most important tasks to do on your lawn is to aerate it. This helps get water and nutrients deeper down to the roots. A plug aerator also helps loosen the soil to keep it from being so compacted that air and moisture can't properly disperse.This plug aerator features 28 steel plugging tines for removing soil plugs up to 3" deep. A weight tray that accepts up to 175 lbs of additional weight to help improve plugging depth on compacted soils. Individual tines that can be replaced to improve serviceability and pneumatic tires for great maneuverability.I'm really looking forward to receiving this new piece of yard equipment so I can continue to improve the health of our new lawn. Working with your lawn is another easy to do ho
Read more: John Deere

White Dogwood Trees (Cornus Florida)
2008-04-27 13:09:03
Yesterday I planted two White Dogwood trees. We are trying to add new landscaping features to our large yard this year so it doesn't look like a huge open football field around the house. Planting trees, shrubs and flowers can be a rather simple home improvement project that can add significant curb appeal and value to your home.The Arbor Day Foundation has this to say about the White Dogwood Tree:An excellent landscape choice in all four seasons. Flowers are showy in spring. Leaves turn red-purple in fall. Glossy red fruits attract winter songbirds. Likes partial shade; moist, acid, well-drained soil. Grows to 25', 25' spread. (zones 5-9)This should be another great fit for our yard due to the acidic soil. We also have a well drained soil because just below the soil layer is a very deep l
Read more: Trees , Florida

Garden Mulching
2008-04-26 17:46:36
Today I filled the flower gardens with new pine bark mulch. I like to use plain pine bark mulch that has a dark brown color. I honestly can't stand driving by homes that use that "RED" mulch. Come on folks, there is no way you can get "RED" mulch from any trees grown around here. They have to be filling that product with dies to get it that color. Anyway, in a previous post, Mulching Flower Beds, I talked about learning all about mulching flower beds from none other than Roger Cook from This Old House. Roger was pretty serious about using a good quality pine bark mulch instead of all the designer mulches out there.So today my son and I headed out to the local mulch/loam place and we picked up a yard of pine bark mulch. This year I only needed to apply about an inch of mulch because last ye
Read more: Garden

Solar Flood Light Giveaway
2008-04-26 11:46:41
May 1st is the deadline to leave a comment on the Solar Light Giveaway post and enter to win a free set of solar flood lights. Make sure you sign up so you can have a chance to win these really great solar flood lights.


Basement Waterproofing
2008-04-24 19:52:35
One of the most frustrating things for people with basements is water leakage. With many homeowners trying to create as much usable square footage in their homes the basement becomes a target for family rooms, play rooms, man rooms and teenager hide outs. Unfortunately most basements have some sort of water leakage problem.The B-Dry® System Wet Basement Waterproofing Process has been time tested for over 50 years and in over 200,000 homes nationwide. The B-Dry® Patented Waterproofing System is backed by a full warranty which lasts for the lifetime of your building. If you're looking for a qualified basement waterproofing company then check out one of these licensed basement contractors.


FLUKE 1AC-A1 II VoltAlert
2008-04-24 19:41:31
Today I bought a new electrical tester. In the past I've had testers but none that I really liked or trusted. I read some reviews and this Fluke 1AC-A1 II VoltAlert received some decent feedback. What I like about this tester is you can use it several ways. It has a flat tip that allows you to stick it into a receptacle to test for power. You can also touch it to wires that still have insulation on them and get an accurate test result. When it detects voltage the white end lights up and makes a steady audible tone. So far I've found it to be quite useful.Tags: home improvement, home improvement blog, volt alert fluke tester


Solar Garden Lights
2008-04-23 11:36:45
Today I received the perfect gift for Earth Day. The kind folks at Malibu - Lighting the Way to Outdoor Living, sent me some really great solar garden lights to try out and do a review on. As you can see I installed them this afternoon after work and I was VERY impressed not only with the quality of the lights but also the ease of installation and the simplicity of the system.My wife and I have wanted to put solar walkway lights along our walkway since we built the house and I've been putting it off mostly because I couldn't find any lights that looked "rugged" enough to handle the elements and my sons outdoor torture! Let me tell you I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of these lights.The lights that they sent me to review are the Solar Select Premium Metal Garden Lights - LZ3001-2.


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