Interior

• Kitchen Remodeling
  Q: I understand how to re-laminate an existing smooth countertop with a new sheet of laminate. But, are there any methods to re-laminate a sculptured (bumpy) laminate with a new smooth one? Or, must I replace the countertops?
• Flooring
• Door Installation/Replacement
  Remember that leaking windows and doors are one of the primary places for energy loss and water leaks. So be sure that these areas are well prepped and sealed before painting.
• Drywalls
  Repair the drywall/plaster. Fill any nail holes. For nail pops, if they are nails, pick off the old compound, reseat the nail with a good shot from the hammer and respackle them. For screws, pick off the old compound and tighten the screw, then respackle. You may need to cover those holes with one or more coat, sanding in between to get a nice smooth surface again. If you are painting your wood trim, fill any cracks or nail holes with wood putty, sanding it smooth.
• Framing
• Ceiling Fans
  My ceiling fans came with clips and a small weight that you could attach to the top of the fan blade. I assume you have these. Place the weight on each fan blade, successively and spin the fan by hand. This way you should be able to tell which fan blade is in most out of balance. After you determine the fan blade to attach the weight, you adjust the weight along the blade (by trial and error) after allowing the fan blades to get up to operating speed (electrically). The further away from the motor housing, the greater effect, so start out with the weight close to the motor housing.
• Carpeting
  Drop-sheets for your interior are just as important if you plan on using caulking and spackling. Caulking and spackling presses into carpeting easier than it comes out, so be sure to cover your floor.
• Wallpapering

Landscaping and Fencing

• Landscaping
  Surface water from rain or snow melting should not collect against the house. If it does, it may work its way down the foundation looking for a path in. Always make sure the dirt is graded in a slope, even a gentle slope, away from the house if possible. If your house does not have gutters and downspouts you can ensure the water drains away from the house by using 6-mil black plastic and landscaping rock. Slope the ground about 6" in 10ft and cover the ground with an 8ft width of plastic. Wrap it up on the foundation 2 inches and then cover the plastic with a 2 inch layer of rock. This will ensure the water drains away from the house before soaking in.
• Driveways
  Driveway Culverts To carry water beneath your driveway, use non-perforated pipe in 10"-36" diameters. Crushed stone, gravel or compacted soil backfill material should be used as the bedding material around the culvert, with aggregate size not exceeding one inch. The minimum heights of cover for these installations are as listed in the table below.
• Excavation
  Bedding- Pipe should be bedded in gravel. However, selected soil backfill material may also be used with satisfactory results, provided it is compacted. The bedding material should be placed around the pipe to a depth at least 2" over the top of the pipe. When selected soil bedding material from the trench excavation is used, choose small, loose particles of soil that will flow around the pipe and minimize soil setting. Avoid large rocks that may damage the pipe or large clods of soil that cause voids and subsequent excessive settling.
• Retaining Walls
  Retaining walls come in two general types: wet or dry. The dry type is constructed without mortar and so, is the easier of the two to build. The main drawbacks to the dry wall are that it should not exceed three feet in height and it is not as stable as the wet wall.
• Walkways

Exterior

• Window Installation/Replacement
  Paint To determine how much paint you will need, determine the number of square feet of wall (and ceiling) surface you will be covering. Don't subtract for doors and windows unless they are a major part of the wall area. Simply multiply the wall height by the length, for each wall. Now divide the surface area by the spreading rate (or coverage rate) indicated on the can of paint. Figure the primer and top coats separately as they may have different spreading rates. With a tinted primer and quality paints you should not need more than one topcoat of paint.
• Decks
  Elevated decks have generally been supported by 4x4 and 6x6 solid timber posts. Under a properly designed deck, these can provide very satisfactory support. Deck posts support the deck above, they are its foundation. The first consideration, then, should be the ability of a post to support the structure and the people on it.
• Patios
  For light duty projects - such as walkways or patios - you will use a 4" depth of crushed stone. To determine the cubic yards of crushed stone needed to create a 4" base, multiply the total square footage by.01235
• Gutters
  2) Roof runoff and downspouts. The best option would be to have gutters collect the water, and downspouts that drain away from the house. I run the downspouts into PVC pipe and then run that under ground away from the house. It helps of course to have a house on a slight hill so that the pipes can surface away from the house. If your house is on a flat lot with no place to drain to, you can consider putting in a drywell or a bubbler. A drywell is a drum or tank in the ground, full of holes (and now bottom) that can accept your drains and then let them seep into the ground away from your foundation. The bubbler is similar to the drywell, but has a grate at ground level so water can bubble out the top if it isn't leaching away fast enough. At the very least, make sure the downspouts direct the water on to splash blocks that direct the water away from the foundation.
• Garage Door Repair/Replacement
  Q: I have a garage door opener that will open when the button on the wall is pushed but will only close when the button is held down. If you do not hold the button down the door stops and goes back up. The remote control will only open the door not close it. Any ideas?
• Siding
  When fastening ledger/header boards to wood, the ledger can be held securely with nails or lag screws. Use aluminum flashing to keep water from getting behind your ledger board. This should tuck up under your siding and bend down over the ledger, then down the face of the ledger board. Where aluminum or vinyl siding is in place, carefully cut siding away from house so that ledger/header board can be secured directly to the house.
• Residential Roof Repair
  A new roof system is a big investment. We want to help you get a quality roof system at a fair price from a professional roofing contractor.
• Residential Roof Replacement/Installation
  Q: I currently have a pitched roof with rolled roofing (staightline 40 feet long). A contractor told me I would need a new roof soon and said I should have the old roof torn off and put a shingled roof on as a replacement (there are two layers on there already so a tear off is a must). Does this sound like good advice and what is an average price for a job of this size (I was told $8500-$9000 by the contractor)?

General

• Painting
  With the right supplies, quality paint, proper preparation and your own effort, you can restore a brand new look to your rooms or paint your brand new rooms like a pro. Read on as we go step by step...
• Insulation
  Experts recommend at least on square foot of inlet vent and one square foot of outlet vent for each 150 square feet of attic floor area. However, this can be reduced by one-half if you install a vapor barrier beneath the attic insulation.
• Masonry
  If the foil side facing the wall is moist, you have water seepage into the basement. Find a masonry sealer like ThoroSeal to waterproof the wall.
• Caulking
  Rather than removing all the cracked glazing you can just apply a thin coat of caulking over your old glazing and push it into the cracks with a damp rag and then wipe it clean. Do it the same way for pin holes on your interior walls and your cracks and holes will be filled.
• Handyman Services
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Pressure Washing

• Residential Pressure Washing
  Power washers are good for removing peeling paint and knocking down all the dust and cobwebs off your house. After power washing, sand the edges where the paint peeled away and left bare siding. Scrape out all the soft wood areas in your siding and then clean them before applying spackle, wood Bondo or caulking. You can also use an exterior caulking (not silicone), which can be painted to spruce up your cracked glazing around any of your single-pane windows. Caulking also works well for filling in staple and pinholes on your interior walls.