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Archive for the ‘diy home repairs’ Category
Fix it Now
Whatever may be in disrepair around your home will eventually need quite a bit more attention as time elapses. Does your rain gutter hold water from 2 weeks ago when it last rained? As much as we would love to ignore this fact, what you may not realize that the nearest seam is breaking down and starting to leak, could be a small drip straight to the front porch or it might just be working its way through the fascia board and rotting away at the roof’s eave or a few rafter tails. Hence causing more dry rot and or concrete water damage than the earlier quick minor repair, sealing the rain gutter.
Procrastination isn’t the name of the game if we really ever want to get anywhere folks, a buck ahead for that proverbial rainy day and or as Napoleon Hill once wrote “money conscious or poverty conscious” which way is your mind taking you? Another marketing genius and extremely successful self made entrepreneur, is Jeffrey Combs and his whole mantra is about already being instead of waiting to be, it all begins at that perception of ” somethings else that needs to be done as a home improvement project” when it should be thought of as ” protecting the biggest investment in your portfolio”. See you at the new rich extravaganza !!
Thoughts will become things
Every now and then again we will find ourselves fixed on an idea, thought or premonition. And with the constant bombardment of commercialism, media news and advertising surrounding our lives how can this not be? When Andrew Carnegie figured a way to fabricate mountain ores into a battleship, this perhaps did not happen overnight, rather starting as an idea and slowly manifesting into something tangible. The power of your brains or thoughts as well as opposing thumbs can be the sole difference from man to animal.
Many a day and night we have all struggled to grasp and hold onto a simple life changing decision such as maybe “how am i going to stop that leak?” well we here are living flesh that, given all the elements of any equation, the human mind still has to concentrate to a point to enable a solution, think-think-think using your mind is the greatest gift that any one God will have ever granted. An education is imperative, no doubt, but having a masters degree in any field, still requires a plow…..
how to repair a frozen plumbing line
While on a recent trip to the northwest doing some research, during a walk through inspection in a 2 story home the kitchen ceiling showed visible drywall water damage. And directly above the ceiling was the upstairs bathroom. They had cut an inspection hole for access and discovered a frozen copper water line that was very near an exterior wall, ironically there was no visible signs of insulation in the exterior wall that was causing the extreme cold temps to permeate the pipes and freezing a section here. 
Using a wrench and tapping on the lines it was evident where it became solid and damaging the connections, we had cut this small portion out and removed it and simply added 2 SharkBite fittings for the repair in all of 10 minutes. SharkBite slip locking connector fittings have saved us tons of expense and time with labor costs and their ever present availability.
In this particular short sale acquisition of real property, we did not exert much effort in influencing the lenders BPO agent for it became very clear there were enough visual damages to validate a discounted CMA. Having these tools and knowing how to facilitate them has changed our financial futures forever.
Do It Yourself Home Improvements
With the housing market and the economy the way they are, the last thing most people are thinking about is making an investment in their home. While major renovations are probably out of the question, it is still important to maintain your house. This doesn’t require hiring an expensive contractor in most cases, and you can simply perform do it yourself home improvements.
To retain the value of your property, it is important to routinely make improvements and ensure proper upkeep. If you get behind on these, it is easy to let the state of your home deteriorate. A good way to keep up with the work is to make a list of things that need to be done and resolve to mark one thing off the list each weekend.
DIY tub spout diverter repair
Hey, tired of the way this economy seems to keep dragging? Let’s face the facts folks, every penny adds to a dollar and so on and so forth…. now take the water bill IE, it can be lowered within a few well invested penny’s on a daily count and of course this goes back to that ever elusive dollar again.
Your bathtub / shower combo has a diverter that when pulled slightly upward stops the tub fill and redirects the water to the shower head. IF the diverter is in proper order it will not allow little , if any water going into the tub. Rather when it’s ready to be replaced or repaired, the volume of water going up and out the shower head has been significantly decreased, because the diverter seal is not sealing 100% and losing/wasting gallons of water straight to the drain below. The end result is more time for rinsing off and higher water/utility bills. The rough plumbing 1/2′ nipple holds the tub spout in place and is very easily screwed off by spinning counter clockwise [lefty loosy-righty tighty] and replacing with a new energy efficient one. Although some replacement parts are available at some of your better home improvement stores in the do-it yourself plumbing repair section, if need be.
Remember that bath and kitchen remodels will bring you the best ROI on your diy home improvements, if done with taste and done correctly.
Even more reasons to DIY
On Thursday February 18, 2010, 5:31 pm EST
In any aspect of home repairing the article below hit the press this week and regardless of flooring, plumbing, siding or cabinetry in today”s market the new rich will overcome all the economic woe’s to live the life that we are all supposed to live. Get your DIY tip today and save again for that sunny day that’s just on the horizon.
The real estate crisis has gutted house prices, tipped millions into foreclosure, and rattled the global economy to its core. But for many would-be home buyers, the historic boom and bust have been a blessing in disguise. During the first half of the previous decade, easy credit and speculative excitement worked to make houses increasingly expensive. By the fourth quarter of 2005, median home prices had reached 2.77 times median household incomes. That is sharply higher than the 1.92 average of the 15 years ending in 2003 and too expensive for many families. But the subsequent crash in home prices–values have fallen roughly 30 percent at the national level from their 2006 peaks–has helped restore affordability to this once inflated market. By the third quarter of 2009, the price-to-income ratio–a key measure of housing affordability–had fallen below its 15-year average, to 1.84 for the nation as a whole.
Avoiding water Damage
The incredible thing about water and the world is there can be nothing in existence without it. Perhaps all my readers certainly understand this concept, unlike when traping water and the damage it will surely cause over any amount of time. The average home annual upkeep is approximately $2,100 U.S. with weekly or monthly service accounts included. The longer that i have facilitated products and fabrication of home repairs / home maintenance / remodels / and additions etc., the further my conclusions have generated the simple fact that water needs an out. As this element evaporates and emits the gases needed while drying, my team and i have seen it move 1000’s of pounds of cement, hardwood flooring, and stucco IE., to completely disintegrate and destroy almost any type of building material[s].![retaining wall french drain [A WATER CAN GET OUT SYSTEM]](http://www.my-diy-blog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/cimg0135-768x1024.jpg "retaining wall french drain [A WATER CAN GET OUT SYSTEM]")
The image here will allow the reader a little insight to this building to avoid water damage idea, this is a 4″ french drain designed to catch normal water runoff and push it to the downhill side of the 8″ block retaining wall, it is actually sitting atop the highest part of the lower footing [ not dirt ] and will filter through and out to the natural grade.
Fascia do’s and dont’s [how to prevent expensive repairs]
Can you believe my client actually paid for this for this fascia board/ termite repairs, removal and replacement, 2-1/2 years ago, in California during a drought period. We also will point out that 1×6 fascia board was not pre-primed before install and fastened by the drip edge metal roof flashing by the face nails through the bottom half of the drip edge flashing. Forcing it tight against and not letting it perform it’s designed task.
Extremely important is the fact that the moisture has to fall free from the roof and away from the face of the fascia board. This allows the costly repairs of real estate construction work, more time [6-10 years] between home improvement repairs.
Tools required: nail puller / small prybar / tin snips / electric reciprocating saw [sawzall] / straight claw hammer / primer / paint brush etc. DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME and REAP the REWARDS of HOME OWNERSHIP!
Splitting a 4 unit into 4 units
Multi family dwellings such as apartments or condos, if bought right and split right can be an extremely profitable and people helping real estate strategy. But these cannot be accomplished with just any multi family building, you must know how to see an opportunity that exists and when to move onto the next one.
Properties that can make the bank or break the bank.
Any DIY’er has the power to accomplish any of the acquisition strategies mentioned above by learning how to use OPM , the mentors in our community are also the practitioners that have walked the walk. Turning a pipe wrench for some plumbing repairs and improvements also have the ability to change your perception of this life and we like the future just as it sits in any economic environment.
Fascia board replacement [drip-edge metal]
To fully understand how to protect the biggest investment in your portfolio’s, the curb appeal that will allow all viewers to smile upon approaching, is the front elevation of the house. Damage caused to the fascia board, often is coming from the top of the roof and not dripping free to the ground or into the rain gutter. 
The illustration here shows how moisture from the roof line is able to fall from above and drip clear and free from the roofs eave, this will absolutely give your home a much longer life span, lower maintenance up keep per a better built fascia board / roof edge metal assemblage.
When the water falls free and does not soak into your hard work on a daily basis, keeping termites farther away and giving you more time to spend doing the things you love.