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Building an outdoor shower

Kelli — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 14:29:20 +0000

Cottage Life handyman Wayne Lennox talks about materials, design features, and building tips for your very own outdoor shower.

Use a Rain Barrel to Conserve Water

Kelli — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 14:00:37 +0000

Collecting the rain that falls on your roof can help your garden and save some of your water usage. Master gardener Paul James, conservation expert Gina Hungerford and rain barrel builder Jeff Greer explain how to start your own water conservation system with easy-to-install rain barrels.

To save a little water from going down the drain, Hungerford offers a simple, efficient, low-cost method for homeowners to collect and recycle water. She suggests installing rain barrels, which are simply large containers that capture rainwater at the end of your downspout. According to Hungerford, a quarter-inch of rain falling on the average home yields a little over 200 gallons of water. A rain barrel can be filled within a matter of minutes during a good rain.

How to Build a Mudroom Bench

Kelli — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 13:39:57 +0000

The second the sun goes away, out comes the umbrellas and the raincoats and the Wellies. And with them a lot of messy wetness that can warp hardwood floors and stain your best rugs. Short of forcing your family to disrobe on the front stoop, your best bet is to create a stopping area just inside the door where everyone can leave the weather behind.

How Prefab Houses Work

Kelli — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 01:58:48 +0000

Manufactured houses often get a bad rep. There’s nothing like getting stuck behind a truck hauling half a house to get the jokes rolling. And “trailer-trash” is part of the modern vocabulary. However, just as Starbucks redefined coffee and “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” redefined game shows, “prefab” modules are redefining assembly-line houses. Those who favor them tout benefits like smaller price tags, better construction, increased environmental benefits and quicker move-in times. Prefabs are growing in size, too. They’re no longer two-room cottages without indoor plumbing; modular houses can grow to thousands of square feet with multiple stories and basements.

Mitering Border Corners

Kelli — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 01:43:08 +0000

If you’re making your wallpaper border into a frame around a door or window, you’ll need to deal with some right angles. That means mitering your border so the corners look good. The key is to get your border nice and flat before you make your miter cuts. That way, the cut ends should meet perfectly.

How to caulk or recaulk a bathtub or shower enclosure

Kelli — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 13:42:15 +0000

Don’t ignore loose caulk!

In a nutshell, caulk is used in a tub or shower enclosure to keep water from creeping up, under or around the tiles at joints between tile and the tub or shower pan, or on joints where walls meet. Leaky caulk is not to be ignored! I have often seen tiled bathrooms where the two or three bottom rows of tiles were loosened by water which crept up under the tiles from the bottom! The repair can be time-consuming and expensive. And you might not be able to use the enclosure again for a week or more while things “dry out”!

5 Tips for Applying Semi Transparent Deck Stain

Kelli — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 17:48:50 +0000

Applying semi transparent deck stain is an ideal way to add color to your patio as well as protect it. Being aware of the various tips and hints that can be followed during the process of applying the stain will ensure that you achieve a decent result.

Tip #1 – Preparation

In order to ensure that the stain takes properly, it will be necessary to prepare the surface in readiness of accepting the solution. In addition to sweeping up any dirt and debris that may be present on the deck, take some time to give it a more thorough cleaning. If you do not have a pressure washer, a scrubbing brush will be sufficient. Pay particular attention to any marks on the surface as this can result in voids in the stain if they are not taken care of. If any stains have seeped into the wood of the deck, rectify this by gently resurfacing the affected sections with sandpaper. Ensure that you wipe away any resultant dust after this process before beginning to apply any stain.

Stair Treads

Kelli — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 11:42:03 +0000

Stair treads can take a beating in any home. You can refinish your hardwood stair treads or use stair tread rugs to cover the steps. Add character to your home by using a combination of rug stair treads and wood stair treads.

DEAR TIM: The stair treads in my home are in sad shape. One stair tread is cracked and others are scratched from years of abuse. I know I can hide the problem with carpet stair treads, but that’s not really my style. What’s it take to refinish oak stair treads? If that’s too hard, would you recommend stair carpet treads as an acceptable solution? As you can tell, I’m floundering not knowing really what to do. Please point out any pitfalls if possible. Mary Beth M., Cincinnati, OH

How to Fix Broken Electrical Outlets

Kelli — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 15:19:06 +0000

Electrical problems come fully equipped with more than their fair share of stress — and with good reason. We all know what electricity on the loose is capable of, so utmost caution should be used whenever approaching a repair situation that involves electrical current. But that doesn’t mean that every electrical crisis needs to be left to the prosÂ—especially at the hefty hourly rate a licensed electrician charges. Many small electrical problems can be easily handled by the homeowner equipped with a modest number of specialized tools and a modicum of sense.

Modern Chemicals: Precaution Is In Order

Kelli — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 20:09:43 +0000

Modern chemicals do many good things for us. But some also do harm — to us, wildlife or the environment. With U.S. industries now using some 75,000 chemicals, and as we discover more about their downsides, public demand for greater precaution is growing. The dramatic increase in organic food sales in the last two decades is one sign of this growing public concern.

In 2002, the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit watchdog, released the results of a “body burden” study that found 167 chemicals present in the blood and urine of nine volunteers. Then in 2005, the group reported the results of its tests of 10 newborn babies, in whom it found 287 chemicals present.