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The most important factor in completing home improvement projects is having the right tool for the job. It's that simple. Home improvement isn't rocket science, and when you're unable to complete a task, it's usually not because you aren't smart or skilled enough. It's because you don't have that tool that does that thing you need in order to finish the job!
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You know what they say: "When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail." But what about if you have a bunch of different kinds of hammers? The truth is, like any other tool, hammers are specialized for many different tasks, and having the right one can be the difference between doing a job correctly and not finishing it at all. Here's a little guide to hammers on the different types we think...
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If you live in the United States, there's a lot of cultural pressure to become a homeowner. It's an official part of the American Dream™, and most people consider it a natural progression in the steps to growing up and becoming a real 'adult'.
But the question is worth considering: Do you really want to be a homeowner?
For a lot of people, buying a house is a mistake. If your timing is wrong, owning a house can tie you down financially and physically in ways that might prevent you from fully exploring and shaping a career or life path.
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Getting locked out of your house is a real pain. In our house, it happens almost weekly to a certain member of our family (his name begins with a 'B' and ends with a 'runo'). And while it's a great hassle to him, it unfailingly becomes an even greater hassle to everyone in his sphere. I have lost count of the number of times I've had to leave the gym, a restaurant, a glorious champagne tasting with friends to bail him out. Because it always...
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If you currently don't have houseplants, then maybe you should think about buying a house (remember, last week I talked about why you shouldn't). Then you'll be able to buy some plants for it! But let me back up and explain what I'm getting at:
A houseplant is a pain in the ass. It's something that requires near-constant attention, and rewards that attention with nothing more than the simple act of not dying...
My husband an I own a few rental properties along with our own home, so I have learned a lot about painting - what works and what doesn't. Today, I'm excited to share a few tips on how to paint like a pro. Though, I'll warn you, once you learn how to paint properly, you will begin to notice shoddy painting and want to talk about it with husbands and friends....who usually aren't that interested in the subject. Unless they're freaks like me.
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Making your home a better place doesn't take a lot of money, and you should never let a lack of supplies or tools intimidate you from trying a home improvement project. Remember, you can always rent or borrow any special tools you might need (a drywall jack, for example, is one of those things you probably don't need to own, but comes in really, really handy when the time is right).
That said, having the right tool for the job can be the...
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Hearing the repetitive dripping of a leaky showerhead can nearly drive you nuts! No amount of bending, angling or tightening the faucet does any good at all. Here's the first and easiest things you can do to try to remedy the situation:
1. Remove the showerhead from the pipe coming out of the wall
2. There will be a small washer or O-ring made out of plastic or rubber just inside the showerhead nozzle. If the O-ring is dry or damaged, replace it.
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Image: This Old House
Once your garage is purged of all that junk, why not take it up a notch with a speckled epoxy garage floor? Save pockets of dough by doing the job yourself. Our trusty friends at This Old House
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If you're a bonafide Do-It-Yourselfer you can't go one more day without, at the very least, a mini air compressor. Once you experience the ease of pneumatic tools, life as you know it will never be the same. It's too complicated, you say? Ha! Not after you see step by step how easy it is to rig up for interchangable pneumatic tools. I'm partial to the stapler for upholstery purposes.
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Good thing I clicked on TipNut.com before renting a power washer to clean our concrete patio and pool deck. There's more than a year's worth of mildew and/or algae buildup that has spread around the concrete surface. I remember that my grandmother's front steps looked like this.
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If you have one drop of DIY blood running through your veins, you know that ignoring bad caulking can cost you time and money. If you notice the caulking around your tub shrinking and gappy with a hint of mold or mildew, don't procrastinate. The biggest pain is cleaning out all of the old caulk,
Trying something the first time is gonna lead to a few fluff ups. Here's a well assembled list of ten to keep in mind as you embrace a new project.
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3. Not having the right tools. 4. Failing to take proper safety precautions.
5. Failing to recognize the scope of a project. 6. Not having enough help. 7. Failing to read directions...
"These days, you can outsource almost any job—but some things you need to know how to do yourself. Study [this] master list with step-by-step tips from the experts, and test your DIY aptitude each step of the way."
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"Your Construction Connection" tool site Toolbarn.com has assembled a list of suggestions of (moderately) simple DIY tips to make your house a little more environmentally friendly. Some of them are pretty obvious, and a couple are repeats, but there's a few gems worth pursuing.
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Tool and hardware site Toolbarn offers 33 tips to save yourself "time, money, and aggrevation," when maintaining and improving your home.
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Includes suggestions for:
"Wendy Bounds, author of The Wall Street Journal's home improvement column, Did It Myself, has five simple projects you can do yourself, most of which will cost less than $50. Bounds says if she can do these projects, anyone can. 'You can definitely do all of these by yourself, using the Internet if you get stuck, ' Bounds said."
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In the morning I awoke with the sudden realization that I couldn’t do the one thing I wanted to do most: use the toilet.
I thought of going outside, but it was broad daylight, and my neighbors are not that friendly.
Bodily fluids are great motivators, though, so, at 7:30 in the morning, I lurched...
I had the 'opportunity' to re-roof my garage this summer, and I thought I'd try to save you from some of the trouble I went through.
Laying down shingles isn't really very complicated, as long as you have the right tools and the slope of the roof isn't too insane. If you've got a small area to cover, it's a reasonable project to take on. But forewarned: it's hard work. For a smallish garage (about 450 square feet of roof) it took me two full...
