At Home / DIY

Problems can occur with any type of renovation project.  Prior to installing our new three piece acrylic bathtub and surround, we determined that the existing locations of both the shower arm and tub spout were too low.  While we had hoped to keep the existing plumbing intact, we realized that we would need to redo the rough plumbing to relocate the shower arm and tub spout.

Since our house already had copper plumbing pipes, we decided to replace the existing tub and shower pipes with copper, rather than PEX or CPVC.  Even though I have done some plumbing in the past, I had reservations about soldering the copper piping and fittings.

The more lights the better, right? Although lights are visually appealing and, personally, my favorite, the “Christmas Vacation” mentality can lead to a lot of problems if proper precautions are not taken. Christmas lights use a lot of electricity. Improperly installed, they can cause overloaded circuits and wires to overheat. Enough heat could be generated to eventually burn and ignite other items in the area.

We have all performed the recommended winter car maintenance to ensure proper operation and have put our summer clothes away for the year.  But have we readied our home for the winter as well?  Preparing your home for cold winter weather not only contributes to your general comfort, but it can also contribute to keeping money in your pocket.

As mentioned in the “Wallpaper Removal” article, my wife and I are currently in the process of updating our 1980’s home.  Concentrating on the kids' bathroom, we first removed all original wallpaper and selected updated paint colors and flooring.  Realizing that our dull, worn out, almond fiberglass tub was not going to fit in with our vision, we decided to look into the different refinishing and replacement options.  We also decided that if the tub was going to go, so to was the almond toilet and vanity.  Before I realized it, I was replacing everything but the rough framing.  While maintaining a positive attitude and considering our long term objectives, I began to tackle the project in my spare time while allowing the kids to use our bathroom.

A few years ago, our family moved into a home built in the 1980’s. The home has a nice exterior, other than the overgrown landscaping, and the interior plan is functional; however, the decor is original and is in need of updating. While my wife is a big fan of 80’s music, she can do without the decor from that era, and was determined on updating everything during our first month in the home.

Rainwater can be harvested with large, sophisticated, complex systems, linked rain barrels, or a single rain barrel. A single rain barrel is typically installed under a downspout as a repository for the rainwater collected by the roof gutters.