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Archive for the ‘home repairs’ Category

A Stucco NO! NO!

Monday, April 12, 2010
posted by Craig

stucco covering fence post needs lathe to stay onHere is a stucco no, no! In this photo, the simple project of combining a stair stepped yard border line, the walkway below the cedar 1×6 dog eared fence is poured in place and has the treated 4×4 fence post’s set during that concrete placement.

The public sidewalk  was poured on the graded slope so 2 elevations are the challenge. Stucco exterior finish was the call at all the concrete below the fencing, the proper approach would have avoided this problem, cement materials cannot adhere to wood for any length of time, but the answer is adding some stucco lathe screen or wire fastened to the post to allow the stucco brown coat some tooth to grab and hang onto for life!

This property is located in Redondo Beach CA, where the homes median price range is over $700 k, and 10 years ago even in this current market the ROI has more than doubled. Location, location, location kids, but the name of the game is real estate anywhere has proven to beat any stock market over time…

Dads Dig Drills

Tuesday, March 30, 2010
posted by DI-Myself

diy-home-repairsFather’s Day is just around the corner and I am still debating on what to get my Dad for Christmas. Usually I buy him socks or aftershave, but this year I have a little more money to spend and I want to get him something better. A friend suggested I browse a selection on power tools and the web and I agreed.

When I first started looking at the power tools, I was amazed at the variety. I never had any idea that there were some many tools to do so many things with. I decided to choose a drill for Dad. He was always working on DIY home repairs, so I knew he would put it to good use.

DIY smooth coat stucco

Friday, March 12, 2010
posted by Craig

Having been in this vocation for an awful long time, working mainly on high end real estate, estates on the southern coast of California, where quality and service is mandatory, the market is always changing. In this cyclical environment, the home improvement industries have to reinvent themselves to catch a lucky break. But some companies will survive without needin any such luck, by offering the best in there fields.smooth coat stucco product

Stucco means little to most of us, but the artisans that use and perform exterior plastering on perhaps just about any type of dwelling, know the difference between La Habra products or Mission stucco produce many colors, lines and textures. Cal Dorado though has the purest smooth coating product out, that we have found. With there 30/60 ratio, the higher the numbers the finer the sand for a super smooth easy application over your walls brown coat. An 1/8″ covering of any color you can dream of. Cal Dorado is one product stucco line that we here champion for, the new rich in the world of quality built real estate homes.

Fix it Now

Wednesday, March 10, 2010
posted by Craig

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.Are you waiting too long to get to that leak?

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

Sunday, March 7, 2010
posted by Craig

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.how to repair a leaky roof?

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…..idea power of the "NEW-RICH"

Rain Gutter dilemma’s

Saturday, February 27, 2010
posted by Craig

Average homeowners throughout this world can now relax and need not to fret any longer about their rain gutters. With the expansive widths of the average fronts of our homes, my experience here lies in the fact that rain gutters cannot perform as designed. no push causing malice [mosquitos/ dryrot / water damage]

Water has to have a 1/4″ per foot slope to jettison the moisture to the down spout at the end, and not a sole likes to see a highly noticeable crooked rain gutter attached to the front of their homes. It appears wrong and anti symmetrical, common fascia board widths consist of 4″ to 12″ heights while, after installation causing a loss in fascia profiles when buried by drip edge flashing and shingle overhangs accentuating this dilemma.

I’m launching an all new and improved rain gutter marketing campaign that will easily and virtually correct and eliminate all of these aforementioned appearance and functionality problems. Take this opportunity now and tell me your stories of and why this may inexpensively be of service.rain gutter over flowing?Napoleon Hill, Charles Hannel, Henry Ford, Tim Ferriss etc., all these great men that have changed many lives and authored books on self development, championed the fine art of mastermind groups to create change for all as well as a way to wealth through the laws of nature. “success requires no explanations, failure permits no alibis”

Lay one on us today!

3 way tub/ hot and cold + diverter

Tuesday, February 23, 2010
posted by Craig

This is another way to view the 3-way tub / shower diverter fill spout, because with the valve body buried inside the framing [wall] you use and see the hot and cold handles, but the one in the middle is the diverter handle, it’s only function is to put water in the tub or after turning clockwise, closes the tub fill spout and diverts the water to the shower head.standard 3-way shower handle set-up's Where as the single handle set up will mix the hot and cold and require only the flip of a switch on the tub fill spout itself.single handle mixing valve

When the 3-way style has a blown valve stem seal, it will noticeably be losing water to the tub as you are trying to take your shower. Wasting water and driving up those utility bills and costing you dollars instead of making any sense. The diy area of this plumbing repair is just a pair of wrenches and a potential valve seat rebuild kit. Most of which anyone can obtain at HomeDepot, in the plumbing repair section. Matching the brand and model is always extremely helpful. If not simply removing the valve stem and having it with you while searching for the plumbing repair part is your next best choice.

Keeping in mind that most bathroom or kitchen remodels are the most lucrative remodeling projects for your investment dollar, when it comes time to sell and move onto the next one.

Even more reasons to DIY

Sunday, February 21, 2010
posted by Craig

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.DIY plumbing repair with SharkBite

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.

Pre Paint Prep with BONDO

Thursday, February 18, 2010
posted by Craig

Thats right folks the same 2 part epoxy mix that autobody shops use on cars. In SOCal where some of the new rich reside is also Satisfaction Gauranteed seal of approvalwhere some of the best professional house painting occurs. Magazine model material, custom multi-million dollar homes with the same home improvement center paints the rest of us buy and use on our biggest investments in our IRA plans, the biggest dpainting preparation BONDOifference though is the prep work being done to create some of the finest home painting on the prestigious west coast.

I only emphasize this painting prep point, because I see the difference. Bondo or whatever brand you buy will change your homes detail of paint grade finish like night and day. Case and base nail holes, vacuum dents, mars and gouges, offset splices and even some miter joints go from nice job to vavoom. Interior spackling never really can give you that it truly is “all one piece look” but bondo does and does not shrink.

Avoiding water Damage

Wednesday, February 17, 2010
posted by Craig

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]

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.