A tool left off many lists that every household should have is a 6-foot stepladder. That height is useful for most interior jobs and working on the lower portion of the exterior of the home such as the roof line.
Don't skimp on quality. A good ladder should last a long time. Metal, wood, or fiberglass are all great choices but a quality ladder will have the following features:
+ Wider spread between the legs
+ Rustproof hardware
+ Heavy side rails
+ Sturdy rungs and steps
+ Firm stance when open
The adventure writer Tim Cahill shares his 500 square foot cabin for the world to see. It's extremely modest and the decor is an afterthought but the location and simplicity are oh so appealing.
Old homes are not the only ones likely to be contaminated with lead paint. Any home built before 1980 should have it's interior and exterior paint tested for lead. The older the home the more likely a significant amount of lead was used in the paint.
In the mid-19th-century lead was used extensively by the more wealthy homeowners. So if your old home is of better construction and condition it could be more likely toxic. Children are much more susceptible to lead absorption and the consequence is irreversible brain damage.
Lead can be absorbed via fumes but also from paint chipping off and going into the soil or floors. This lead can be picked up in dirt and toys and ingested by children unknowingly.
Lead is most dangerous when sanding and scraping are going on. This ambient lead hazard is caused by lead particles hanging in the air and can be inhaled or settle on skin and clothes.
Our feature writer Deren S. Monday recently experienced a family health scare that prompted him to share this post which we've broken into 4 skills.
My father, a strapping 61 years of age, went into the hospital this last week. Don't worry, he is fine. Turns out a few decades of hypertension are starting to take a toll on the old ticker...
But... it got me thinking. When it's ultimately time to say goodbye (and let's face it: we all have to say goodbye someday) what will I remember most about my father? For me, that's easy.
I will remember seeing my father at virtually every athletic game OR practice I ever played in.
I will remember the long games of catch in the backyard, a backyard that seemed immense as a boy but now feels too small and inadequate for such huge memories.
And most of all, I will remember the hours spent in the garage, in the middle of 100-degree summer heat, refinishing and re-building pianos with my Dad, not knowing then what I know now: the man worked 15-20 hours ON THE WEEKEND ALONE just to support me and my sisters.
So what do I want my son and daughter to remember? Among other things, I want to leave a legacy of competence. I want them to feel they were taught the basic yet important things in life. When it comes to home improvement, here's the first of the top 4 skills I hope to pass on to my current and future children:
Practical Lesson #1: Building a Fence That Rots Before It Falls
Somehow we missed the news that yesterday was World Toilet Day. We want to stop and reflect on the most underrated of home necessities. Sinks and refrigerators continue to get all the glory but without the toilet, well let's not even go there.
Honor your toilet by keeping it operating efficiently and clean.
photo: Preters
Over at Lumberjocks you can peruse a ton of user submitted projects. Most of them are woodworking. Some masterpieces and some questionable but all home grown.
This homemade cyclone dust collector caught our eye as it's a unique problem solving tool that many builders would love to have in their shop. Basically it acts as an intermediary between the vacuum canister and the end of the hose. The sawdust is deposited in the bucket and therefore the vacuum doesn't lose power as it fills up and the bucket has a higher volume before it is filled.
Here's what the inventor said of his diy concoction:
As the White House continues to try and boost the economy several plans have been presented as part of the ongoing stimulus and one of them has been coined "Cash for Caulkers".
On the surface it seemed that the "Cash for Clunkers" program was a huge success and yes it did capture America's imagination like no other government program has in years and produced a surge in new car sales while getting some pollution spewing cars and trucks off the road. But at what cost? There are some reports that the "Cash for Clunkers" program only resulted in a limited amount of new car sales and each one of those sales was subsidized by the government.
Regardless of what you think of that program the latest attempt to infuse the economy is another homegrown program. The "Cash for Caulkers" is an ingenious way to kill two birds with one stone. Provide jobs for the thousands of out of work contractors and construction workers as well as help homeowners save money and energy in their homes.
Jetson Green has tipped us to BuildingGreen's Top 10 list of green building products for 2009. They breakdown their choices with a brief description, why it's green and what level of LEED credit relevance it's been awarded.
One of our favorites is the Pozzotive Plus CMUs and Concrete Brick from Kingston Block.
Pozzotive Plus concrete masonry units (CMUs) and concrete facing brick are manufactured using up to 30% post-consumer recycled glass as a portland cement substitute and an average of 50% post-consumer recycled masonry aggregate from local sources in the Northeast. The recycled glass pozzolan (with the tradename Pozzotive), made by Empire Resource Recycling, LLC, is ground to about 15 microns (a finer powder than portland cement) and used in place of the cement, saving about one ton of CO2 for every ton of cement replaced.
Pozzotive Plus CMUs have been made with up to 90% recycled aggregate, though 50% is typical. Compared to conventional CMUs and brick, Pozzotive Plus products require less energy to produce, are stronger, and have greater moisture and chemical resistance, according to the company.
Tomorrow is your last chance to win this Energizer Swivel head light. Remember you can post a comment and Tweet the contest to double your chances of winning.
Don't wait till the last minute and enter today.
Inspired by this T Square tattoo we spotted on a recent trip to Seattle, we decided to pull together a photo gallery of tattoos dedicated to tools.
It's difficult to tell which body part some of these tool tattoos are located on but many of them would be very difficult to cover up which shows true dedication to their tool tat.
The wrench seems to be the most popular tool put to ink and no better tool represents the working-class, DIY ethos more than a wrench.
Which one's your favorite?
We've got mixed feelings on renovating bathrooms before resale. On one hand a sharp looking countertop, tile and fixtures can certainly give a wow impression especially if the taste level and decor sensibilities are the same for the buyer but many buyers just want to know that there is a bathroom and where it's located as they plan on renovating it themselves and don't see added value no matter what type of remodel you do.
Trolling through HomeSavvi's Community boards we found a conversation that covers a deeper issue, bathtub resale value. There are so many spectacular looking showerheads and fixtures but a good percentage of homeowners still really value a bathtub, especially those with kids.
According to some reports the housing market is beginning to rebound with some areas reporting an increase in prices. But with inventory still at record levels the recovery isn't near.
"House prices have risen in recent months after a long plunge, according to the National Association of Realtors and the S&P Case-Shiller national index. Fewer Americans owe more than their property is worth, according to a report this week from Zillow.com.
But a full-fledged housing recovery will remain elusive until the market can absorb all the houses and apartments that were built during the housing boom. And on that front, progress has been slow.
About one in seven housing units was vacant in the third quarter, according to the Census Department. This year has registered the highest reading since the government began collecting such data in 1965." - via CNNMONEY
More Home Building News:
Builders Downsize the Dream Home - WSJ
Bidding Wars Resume - NYTimes
Replacing your homes windows is no small undertaking, either in time or money. The two major players in replacement windows are Pella and Andersen Windows. Both types of brands of windows are widely available so where do you start when comparing the differences between the two window giants?
Calfinder has put together a great side-by-side comparison between Pella and Andersen Windows. They breakdown selection, features, materials, eco-friendliness and cost.
This helpful graph is easy to read and a great reference.
