Archive for January, 2010

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Turn Your Kitchen Renovation Into a DIY Project

Sunday, January 31st, 2010

You only want what is best for your home, and the most important area in the house is probably your kitchen. This is the case for most homeowners. It is the favorite, most used area where families and friends gather to socialize and eat. Of course, since you only want what is best in your house, you want to fill it with the most comfortable, best looking interior. If the budget allows, you would also prefer state of the art appliances available to you.

But, if you are looking to remodel your kitchen on a tight budget, there are so many ways in which you might upgrade the look and convenience of it. Many home stores exist that provide corporate help to you if you are thinking about how best to change the look of your kitchen for less.

DIY: On Your Own

One of the greatest ways to save cash when you are thinking of how to remodel your kitchen is to do it all by yourself with the help of dutiful family members and willing friends who you know would be willing to help you through the process. Doing the entire job, even the unpleasant tasks, will not only provide you a new look in your kitchen but will also give you plenty of time to bond with those you care about.

When you think of how you can update the look of your kitchen without much money, what you should do first is take the time to write down all the improvements you have in mind for your new kitchen. Think about what you would like to see in it when a project is finished. In doing this, you can then decide what appliances would best complement the updated look of your new space. Also, you should then decide if you want to replace your old cabinetry or simply renovate your existing cabinets with a fresh coat of paint. You could freshen things up with a new color that could make the room more inviting.

Another thing to consider in kitchen renovation is that plumbing costs a lot of money to replace. If you go with a design that allows you to keep your old plumbing as it exists, you will not have to hire a professional. By cutting costs here, you will not only save money on materials and labor: you will save a lot of time, hassle and effort that comes with tearing up your home.

Finally, make full use of your neighborhood Lowe’s or Home Depot. These stores are there to help you and give you ideas as to what would be best as you are trying to figure out how to budget your time, money and materials. For some helpful information, and to get you started with a list of the materials you will need for your project, go to their websites: http://www.lowes.com and at http://www.homedepot.com.

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Dos and Don’ts of DIY Projects for Home Renovations

Saturday, January 30th, 2010

How often has it been that your glorious plans for a dream home makeover keep gathering dust just because you’ve got daunted by either the high costs or the amount of efforts involved? With the general cost of living spiraling out of hand, the home renovation prices have also shot up considerably, making home makeovers quite inaccessible for the most of us.

Though laden with lack of expertise and other such dampeners, yet the concept of DIY projects at home have been gaining immense popularity in the recent years. So much so that today, you will be able to find a number of specialty DIY centers that supply materials, tools and gadgets to the DIY enthusiasts willing to take on the task themselves. Whether you are installing corner curtains, or building a new countertop, get lots of advice!

The Checklist

Before you embark on a DIY journey yourself, it is always advisable that you first do the spadework so that you are well prepared and know what to expect in the DIY tasks. To begin with, earmark the areas you plan to work upon. For instance, if you wish to take up the renovation of your living area, then you need to look for fixtures and tools accordingly and so on.

Moving on, now you need to analyze the level of complexity involved. Experts suggest that if any single task carries a risk of turning out to be more complicated than expected, it is always advisable to seek professional help beforehand. You can ideally be trained in the task to be done and in using the gadgets or tools involved. Alternatively, you can simply outsource the entire task instead of the DIY initiative to an experienced professional.

The Hazards

Lack of foresight and planning is the most critical hazard involved in taking up the DIY projects for home renovations. There have been cases where enthusiastic individuals have literally opened up a Pandora’s Box by starting on renovation projects, which later become too messy to be handled by the homeowners themselves.

In such cases, you carry the major risk of incurring heavy losses in the terms of money, time as well as efforts. The professionals you hire after such blunders are likely to charge you all the more for first correcting the mess you have created. Hence, if you change your mind in-between the DIY projects or fail to estimate the implications beforehand, you might end up defeating the original purpose of saving on the costs and incurring double the expenses instead.

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DIY Bathroom Plumbing – Sewer and Septic Odor

Friday, January 29th, 2010

One common problem many homeowners run into is a sewer or septic odor in their bathroom. It may not be strong, it may not be constant, and it may only occur occasionally but it can be annoying and/or embarrassing when it does happen. Often the first inclination of the homeowner is to attempt to use a cleaner or deodorizing agent to stop the odor. While this may mask the problem, it usually will not address it. One important note for homeowners with septic systems – be careful of what chemicals you put down your drains – bleach and other cleaners can harm the normal operation of your septic system – check with a professional first.

Every drain in your home plumbing system should have a trap installed as part of the line. This is simply a curved section of pipe that “traps” water in it. If you look under your sink you should see an example of a trap. This will usually be a straight portion of pipe from the sink connected to a curved section that dips down and then back up before connecting to another horizontal section where the water exits. If you were to look inside your wall you would see a “T” section where the pipe goes down to your septic/sewer and up to an external vent.

The purpose of the trap is not to capture jewelry or other object dropped down the drain as many think but to hold water to prevent sewer/septic gas (and odor) from entering your bathroom. Every time you use the sink, shower, or tub some water collects in the trap blocking the gases and odor. If a component of your bathroom is not used frequently (i.e, the bath in a guest bathroom) then the water can evaporate and allow some gases to escape back into the bathroom. The good news is that this is very simple to prevent and/or fix. The solution: pour water down the drain. If you keep the trap full of water by running the water periodically you should not have any problems with odor. If this was the cause of your problem then the odor should dissipate in a short period of time once there is water in the trap.

Another possible cause for odor is the build up of slime, mold, hair, etc in the tailpiece (the portion of pipe that comes out the bottom of your sink) or overflow of your sink. The popup stopper in many bathroom sinks and tubs can also build up this “gunk”. Use a small flashlight to check and see if you do have any buildup. If you do, clean the buildup out (remember to use a cleaner that is safe for your sewer or septic system) and see if that addresses your odor problem.

If the odor persists, it could indicate a more serious problem and you may want to consult a professional – they will have the tools to correctly diagnose and fix your problem.

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DIY Solar Panels – Can Be Built For Less Than $200

Thursday, January 28th, 2010

Except for saving money on your electric bills, there are also some other reasons to use solar panels. With the solar panels, you don’t have to be restricted to use some appliances. It’s also beneficial to the environment. Instead of getting electricity by burning fossil fuels, we should try to use renewable energy because solar power or wind power is renewable and available in any where.

Solar panels can be purchased in many places but the price is extremely high because they are made up of high quality materials. There is no need to buy a very expensive solar panel because you can make a cheaper solar panel by yourself and it will work as same as a ready-made one.

The materials you may need are electric stove or hotplate, sheet metals, electric drill, sand page, salt and solar cells. Making a solar panel can be very easy since there a re many guides available on the internet and they won’t cost you too much, around $40. Therefore you don’t need to worry about this. Even you don’t have any experience, you still are able to make one.

Solar cells are the main parts of a solar panel. The steps to build it are simple. Some of the steps are using sheet metal shears to cut copper and connect the solar cells together. After you finish making your own solar panel, put it on the roof or in your backyard, then you can start to get free electricity with the solar panel.

The estimated expense to build solar panel can be less than $200.

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Do It Yourself (DIY) Home Security – Simple For The Beginner

Wednesday, January 27th, 2010

There are many DIY home security systems as well as individual products available on the open market today that can be installed by the individual homeowner with relative ease and can be purchased through various retail outlets; from basic systems to complex ones that have video surveillance, the particular system you end up buying will depend on your expertise, budget and the perceived threat of intrusion.

Installing window and door contacts is a relatively simple job, which requires some rudimentary knowledge of how low-voltage wiring works, knowing how to handle a few basic hand tools, and an electric drill. DIY home security can have monitors and closed-circuit television cameras that can also be hooked into a digital recorder or a videocassette recorder to record any activity.

As a general word of caution, cameras should never be positioned in areas where your family members or visiting guests have an expectation of privacy. Bedrooms and bathrooms are areas in which the location of cameras should never be setup. DIY home security video surveillance and commonly used areas of your home as well as outdoors is basically excepted, however videotaping in certain areas may cause legal actions which are based on the violation of privacy, even in your own house.

If You Can Afford It, Go Wireless

Numerous devices, which are available as part of a DIY home security system, can be bought in wireless format. This does away with having to install expensive wiring running through your home which makes the DIY faster and easier for you to install. Even the use of cameras are available in a format that is wireless, which gives you the ability to make your installation outdoors without the need to put holes in your outer walls.

If you want to attach your system to a videocassette recorder, you will benefit greatly if you have a time lapse VCR, which has the capability of saving up to 24 hours of recorded video onto a single T-160 tape. The result of this is that the tape only has to be switched once a day. It is a smart choice to also keep at least one weeks amount of video.

While many people who hook up a DIY home security system have said that 24 hours is enough, if there are no disturbances or unlikely occurrences happening then just tape over it, others have the contention that it could be a day or so before it is possibly discovered.

Digital recording devices are the most beneficial in either a DIY home security system or a professional system and if you can equip it with a 600 Mb hard drive, you have the ability to record 24 cameras with the video being available for about 30 days before it begins to record over any previous images. An additional advantage is that the video can be played back through your home computer system and the still images can be outputted through your printer.

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A Home DIY Project – Putting in A Garden Pond

Tuesday, January 26th, 2010

It’s spring time and many homeowners are looking for the next big project to improve their own living space and boost the value of their property.

Garden ponds can greatly enhance your home’s property value and bring you to a new level of peace and serenity. Garden ponds have increased in popularity in the last ten years or so. It’s common to add fish such as koi, goldfish, tropical and sub-tropical fish. However, it’s not always just as simple as digging a hole, constructing a garden pond needs careful planning to avoid unwanted expenses that come with repairs and retro-fits. The easiest method is to buy a complete pond kit, or you can assemble the pieces separately including items such as pond liners, water features, pumps and more.

The pond has the ability to change the entire appearance of your yard. Flowers, fountains, pond lights and other garden accessories are a great way to make an ordinary yard look truly unique. Garden ponds can be installed above or below ground with pre-formed pond liners. Small fiberglass ponds with a rock-like finish are perfect for beginners.

Maintenance tasks are minimal and require less time than any other expressions of keeping aquariums or aquatic features. Garden ponds are a great way to attract many different species of wildlife to your home including especially invertebrates such as dragonflies and amphibians. Depending on how rural you are you may attract larger animals such as deer, and certainly birds. Unfortunately some of the creatures may not be welcome additions, including reptiles and raccoons.

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Garden Shed Designs – DIY Plans That Are Easy For Anyone!

Monday, January 25th, 2010

A little while back my wife told me she wanted to plant a garden. So I went to the hardware store and bought a tiller, shovel, hoes, bags of mulch, pots, and other garden equipment. Now I just needed to buy a good set of garden shed designs.

I never realized how much went into building a garden shed. One thing you need to think about how much weight the roof can hold when you build it. If you live up north this is really important because snow is really heavy stuff. You really need to make sure that you build a strong roof for your shed.

Also, sheds make perfect targets for prowlers looking to steal from you. You need to invest in a steel door and a heavy lock to protect your lawn and garden equipment. I would also suggest that you get a set of garden shed designs bigger than you think you will need. After you finish building your outdoor shed it will fill up fast.

Now if it gets real hot where you live you need to make sure the plans you purchase comes with a roofing vent because it can get awfully hot inside there in the middle of the summer. Please make sure to buy pressure treated wood and paint and seal it so it will last you a long time. With the right shed designs you will have a beautiful building that will last for years. Just be sure if you are going to build it yourself that you get a good set of plans to save you time and money.

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DIY Solar Energy – Reduce Home Electricity Bill With Solar Power

Sunday, January 24th, 2010

How do we use a Do It Yourself (DIY) home solar energy system to reduce our electricity bill? One of the major expenses of our homes is the electricity bill. We use electricity to power all our household appliances. Most electric power plants use either oil or coal to generate power. We know the supply of this material is limited therefore as housing development grows, the cost of electric power will increase as well. How do we shield ourselves from future rising cost of electricity? One option is to use a renewable energy source such as solar power.

The current challenge of using solar energy to power our homes is the high cost. If you were to engage a contractor to do the retrofitting, be prepared to invest a few thousand dollars. Many people would not be able to afford that. As an alternative, we can build our own homemade solar energy system via a DIY approach.

The idea of extracting the power from the sun ray is quite simple. We need to install an array of solar cells on the roof to collect the energy from the sun and convert it into electric power. The power from the sun is stored in rechargeable deep cycle batteries. Since most or our home electric components use AC current, we need an AC converter to change the DC power from the batteries into alternate current.

To reduce our household electricity bill is a matter of connecting our home appliances into the solar power system. The amount of power we can use from the system will depend on the size of the solar panels and also the number of batteries. If we were to aim for 10 percent energy cost reduction, the amount of money saved will be quite substantial after a few years.

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DIY Conservatory Construction Guide

Saturday, January 23rd, 2010

Building a self build conservatory is actually quite a straight-forward task and if you are a competent DIY enthusiast you will find adding a new conservatory to your home is relatively easy and not as daunting as it may first appear.

The following is designed to provide a general guide to the process of installing a new DIY conservatory and whilst not intended to be a detailed construction guide should provide you with the basics.

1) CONSERVATORY BASE

You have two choices with regard to the type of conservatory base. You can either select a traditional excavated base or you can use a pre-fabricated steel base which will speed up the installation process.

Traditional Base

If you choose the traditional base route you may prefer to employ a local builder to build the base for you as the accuracy of the brickwork is vital in ensuring that your new conservatory can be installed easily and efficiently. Your DIY conservatory supplier will provide you with the base plans to suit your selected conservatory and the base must be constructed exactly to these plans. Using an experienced builder to build the base should ensure that the base is built square, to the correct dimensions and that the footings are excavated correctly. If drains need to be re-routed your builder will have the necessary experience to do this for you during the course of construction. Always agree the cost before work commences and ensure you check the base yourself when the builder has finished to make sure you are happy with the finished result. It can be difficult to get a builder back on site once he has moved onto his next job and any discrepancies in the brickwork could cause problems during the conservatory installation.

Of course you can construct the traditional base yourself and many of our customers have done so but it is time-consuming and very hard work so the savings you will make here by doing-it-yourself will need to be justified against the amount of free time you have to do the job and your expertise in building the foundations and laying bricks.

Steel Base

Installing a pre-fabricated steel base is much quicker and easier than constructing a traditional base as there are no large excavations to undertake so there is minimum disruption to your garden and no need to move any drains. These bases are normally made to order, delivered in kit form and are quite straight-forward to install by two persons over a couple of days or so. If your conservatory features dwarf walls, these will normally be provided as steel cassettes with a variety of external finishes including brick tiles or alternatively, supplied ready for rendering. The base itself is fixed to the wall of the house and sits on adjustable legs that are seated onto concrete pads making it very easy to level the floor which will normally be supplied with insulation and often comes complete with flooring. A steel base can be a cost effective alternative base for your new self build conservatory, especially when you compare construction times and the fact that there is little disruption to your garden. Once completed, these factory built conservatory bases are often very difficult to tell apart from a traditional constructed base. You could even take the conservatory with you when you move house!

2) INSTALLING YOUR NEW DIY CONSERVATORY

Most DIY conservatories are supplied complete with installation instructions that are designed for the novice installer and will cover fixing the walls of the conservatory, installing the conservatory roof and glazing the conservatory structure.

In general terms these instructions will walk you through fixing the French door, the welded cill, the conservatory windows, the corner posts and the conservatory roof. The most important factor to continually check when installing any conservatory is to ensure the frames and cill remain plumb and level throughout the construction. All screw fixings and their positions should be in accordance with the guidelines provided by the DIY conservatory supplier.

The roof structure will include an eaves beam that will sit on top of the window and door frames, a ridge beam or wall plate that will be fixed to your house wall and glazing bars that will connect between the ridge or wall plate and eaves beam. All components should be supplied factory cut, marked and pre-drilled ready for fitting and apart from trimming the guttering to size there should be no need for you to cut any of the roof components. The roof layout plan will enable you to identify which component and which glazing panel should be fitted in which position. Where the conservatory joins the house you will need to fit lead flashing to form a weatherproof seal.

3) FINISHING THE CONSERVATORY INSTALLATION

With the conservatory walls and roof installed your next task will be to glaze the roof. If you have chosen polycarbonate roof glazing this is a relatively simple task and involves placing the glazing into position and knocking on the PVCu cappings to form a weather tight seal. The roof plan will indicate the required position of each panel. If you have chosen a glass roof the process will take longer due to the additional weight and nature of the material.

Budget DIY conservatories may be supplied with the windows and door factory glazed but made to order conservatories are generally supplied with windows and doors unglazed. Not only does this help to ensure that glass is not broken during the installation process but the windows are generally supplied much longer to provide slimmer sightlines and there could be health and safety issues if the frames were supplied glazed due to the considerable weight of a glazed window.

Most windows and doors are now internally beaded using a “knock-in” glazing bead and the glazing process should become relatively easy once you have glazed a couple of apertures. Glazing packers are used to support and pack the glass so it is square in the aperture and the glazing bead is knocked into place using a rubber mallet. If you are glazing during cold weather it is a good idea to emerse the glazing bead in warm water which will help make the bead more flexible and easier to position. Your installation guide will detail the exact process used.

Finally, silicone sealant will need to be applied to all joints in accordance with your installation guide and the internal PVCu trims will need to be fitted to the roof eaves beam, ridge beam and glazing bars.

Your new self build conservatory should now be structurally complete and weather tight ready for the finishing internal touches.

You will find much more information on installing a DIY conservatory by visiting our web site.

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Wallpaper Removal Home Recipe

Friday, January 22nd, 2010

Removing Wallpaper

TIPS: Wear rubber gloves when mixing and using this solution. The vinegar will dry out your hands.

Mix together 1/3 cup fabric softener with 2/3 cup hot water, or add cup white vinegar to a gallon hot water.

Pour either solution into a garden spray and moisten the wallpaper. Allow to stand 20 minutes or until wallpaper is loosened enough to be peeled off.

Remember that vinyl wallpaper will need to be scored before you apply the wet solution, so the solution has a means to penetrate the paper.

Then remove the wallpaper, starting at the bottom and lifting towards the ceiling. If it resists, take a scraper and use some elbow grease.

Ammonia and Hot Water to Remove Paper:

I mix about a quarter cup of ammonia with about 2 quarts of hot water. Using one of those round tools called a “paper tiger” which has a little scoring wheel underneath, I score the old paper, which pokes tiny holes in the paper.

Next, soak the aforementioned solution onto the old wall paper with a sponge. After 30 – 60 seconds, scrap the paper off. Repeat if necessary.

Fabric Softener Used To Remove Paper:

I just removed 2 layers of wallpaper using the fabric softener. I used a spray bottle and filled it about 3/4 of water and then 1/4 fabric softener. I sprayed the paper and by the time I had sprayed one wall, I was able to go back and started to strip the paper off. I was lucky that it came off fairly easy. On parts of the wall that did not come as easily, I just sprayed it again and got it off. You do need a drop cloth as it tends to be a little messy. But I had the wall done in about an hour.

Home Recipe for Wallpaper Removal:

Removing wallpaper can be a real drag, but there is an easy “home recipe” to help make the job less messy and a lot easier. You should already have the stuff in your kitchen. All you need is a big spray bottle, and some white vinegar. Just fill the bottle or sprayer equally with 1/2 HOT water and 1/2 WHITE vinegar. Spray equally over wall paper and allow it a few minutes to soak in. Then just simply begin removing the paper steadily, from top to bottom, if you can get a corner started before you spray, the job will be that much easier. Just remember HOT water and WHITE vinegar.

DIY Home Improvement Information

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