2020 Update — Originally Published August 2014 This has been driving me crazy for a few years now, as I’ve really been trying to cultivate the most beautiful lawn possible. You can call it pride, or maybe you’ll want to say it’s a “guy thing,” but when I come home from work at the end of […]
Repairs
Paver Walkway Burrowing Pest
2020 Update — Originally Published September, 2011 A few days back, we noticed a small sliver of stone was missing from our front paver walkway. As I took a closer look, I realized there was a hole underneath where the stone had been – and it looked kind of deep. I didn’t want to reach […]
7 Tips for Maintaining a Redwood Swing Set
2020 Update — Originally Published April 19, 2011 It’s 1999. My wife and I just moved into our new home with our 3-year-old daughter and infant son – and we pretty much plan to stay here forever. So naturally, we want to do everything right. And setting the kids up with a killer play area […]
Troubleshooting and Repairing a Broken Doorbell
During the ten years I’ve lived at this house, my doorbell has died on me twice already – and now it’s dead again. Replacing a doorbell isn’t terribly complicated, but given the repeated failures I’ve had it seemed a good idea to really check on everything more carefully than I’d done in the past. This […]
Carpet Tiles for a Quick Home Rehab
I never really considered the use of carpet tiles before. If I need to carpet a room, it’s usually something I contract-out because it’s clearly a talent – with wisdom acquired from experience. Best to have a professional carpet installer handle this. On the other hand, area rugs can be absolutely beautiful as well, adding […]
How to Refresh a Stone Landscape Bed
All mulch and stone landscape beds require periodic maintenance, well beyond weekly weeding. Maintaining a stone landscape bed, in my experience, warrants less overall effort than a mulch landscape bed. (And that’s a really good thing because overhauling [or refreshing] a stone landscape bed is a much heavier job!) For me, I’d say I address […]
Scratch Repair for Wood Chairs & Rails: 10-Minute Fix
My house has been called “lived-in.” And what that phrase seems to really mean is that we’re always breaking stuff. The kids, the dog, the ferret — but probably the biggest breaker-of-things? That would be me. (And my wife will surely attest to this!) Certain pieces of furniture tend to take a beating far more […]
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