Show Notes: Home Improvement Skills For The Win! – On the House
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Show Notes: Home Improvement Skills For The Win!

By on February 6, 2021
home improvement skills

Thank you for tuning in to learn some new home improvement skills! And check in next week for more cool tips! 

Missed our live show? Don’t worry! Because we have a podcast of the show. It’s the same thing we aired on the radio, but ready for you whenever and wherever you are! Check it out here. 

Want to learn a new skill from an old post? Check out these Home Improvement Skills Every Grown-Up Adult Should Know, or these Caulking Techniques and Home Improvement Skills. Or how about these New Year, New Home: New Year Home Improvement Skills.

 

Got No Home Improvement Skills? 

Where can you learn home improvement skills

Don’t worry, there are plenty of ways to get the skills you need to properly maintain your new home, and even tackle those upgrades and improvements you have on your list. Let’s talk about where you can go to learn some new skills. Meanwhile, if you’re in the home improvement business and you’re currently struggling to find clients, fret not because there are tons of sites that can aid you in getting some home improvement leads.

Ladies and gentleman, the best source is a family member that has done home repairs well for many years and has a Saturday to dedicate to teaching you some “basics” based on what repair you need at the moment!  

  • Visit you local hardware store 
    • Up until covid19 hit, most hardware stores, especially large national chains like Home Depot and Lowe’s, both host classes and workshops designed to help new homeowners get comfortable with doing their own work around the house, making their own improvements, and fixing their own problems without spending a ton of money on contractors or specialists.  
  • The Internet 
    • Don’t underestimate the Internet here. Check out tutorials and how-to guides on sites like The Family Handyman and This Old House—good, reputable sources for home improvement information. Cross-reference anything you find with multiple sources though, just to make sure you’re getting good information. We mentioned above that the major hardware stores have their own tutorials and how-to guides online, check them out as well. 
  • Volunteer at Habitat for Humanity, or Another Home-Building Project 
    • Another great way to get hands-on experience with home improvement projects is to volunteer at your local Habitat for Humanity, or any other home-building project in your area. If you make it a bit of a regular thing, you’ll accomplish two goals: You’ll do something good for your community, and you’ll learn home improvement skills you can put to good use when you get home. Keep going back—you’ll learn more every time. 
  • Work On Your Friends’ Home Improvement Projects 
    • The fastest way to get some hands-on experience with the tools and projects you may want to do in your own home is to do the work in someone else’s. If you have friends or family tackling their own home improvement projects, they’re likely looking for help. After all, your friend needs help with their project, and you need some experience doing home improvement work, so it’s a win-win. 
  • Know Your Limits, and Get Help If You’re In Trouble 

With luck, you’ll pick up the skills you need pretty quickly, and when it comes time to work on your own home, you can do it with confidence. Remember, stay safe, go slowly, and do it right the first time so you don’t waste time, energy, and money fixing a botched job later on down the line. Good luck!  

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Don’t Block The Vents! 

Why is attic ventilation important in the winter? 

Proper attic ventilation is important to the protection of your home and your comfort throughout the cold months. Attic ventilation in winter protects your roof structures from damaging moisture. Improve your attic ventilation to keep your home in good condition and maintain good indoor air quality this winter. 

Proper attic ventilation protects against many troublesome home problems, making your house more comfortable indoors. It protects your roof against damaging moisture problems, including: 

  • Moisture variations that can warp roof decking 
  • Mold growth 
  • Frost 
  • Wood rot 
  • Popped shingles 
  • Ice dams 

In the winter, heat in your home rises – to the attic. With it comes moisture. When attics are not well ventilated, moisture collects in this area of the home. This moisture can seep into the structure of your home, affecting roofing materials as well as framing and contents of your attic. 

Proper attic ventilation in winter prevents mold and mildew growth, safeguarding your family against these harmful contaminants. Eliminating moisture problems through attic ventilation works to improve indoor air quality. It also prevents the warm, damp, and dark environment that pests love, keeping rodents and insects from nesting in your attic. 

Attic ventilation to-do list 

In addition to the attic ventilation solutions above, there are more steps you can take to prevent moisture issues in your attic and help maintain proper attic ventilation throughout the winter: 

  • Seal penetrations in the attic to stop free air flow. Seal nail penetrations and around electrical, HVAC, and chimney penetrations. 
  • If your roof vents have been damaged, replace them as well as crushed ridge vents to aid in proper ventilation. 
  • Do not cover your attic vents for the winter. Doing so in attempts to keep cold air out disrupts attic ventilation, leading to moisture issues. 
  • Make sure the space between the top of insulation and the roof deck’s underside is clear at the eaves. This allows air to move through the rafter space for good ventilation. 

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Easy Space Change-Ups for a Refreshed Look In Your Home! 

 Ways to Transform Unused Spaces in Your Home 

Pinpointing what’s missing. 

The best way to transform any underused space is to identify what you’ve been missing until now. Maybe you tend to work from home at the kitchen counter, read on the couch but get distracted by the TV or have a comfortable chair from your grandmother you haven’t yet found a spot for in your home. By designing the space to serve as a solution to those issues, it’s far more likely to be used often.  

Making room for additional storage. 

Most people desire additional storage space in their home, but it can be challenging to utilize underused wall space in an attractive way. When you can, creating built-in shelving or cabinets to help store smaller items such as extra toiletries, canned goods and spices that tend to clutter bathrooms and kitchens. Even set back a small, shallow pantry on a Sheetrock wall in between studs. You can do that pretty easily, and it’s extra pantry storage – it’s shallow, but it’s good for kitchen stuff. 

Relocating furniture. 

Some underused parts of your home may seem like the wrong spot for that reading nook or sketching desk – or practically anything. The area near the foyer of a home that often serves as dead space can be transformed. Moving furniture there makes sense as a spot for entertaining guests and also frees up another part of your home for other needs, such as an expanded living room or workspace. 

Opening up more. 

In homes with a small footprint, determine which spaces are the least used, and consider knocking down some walls to transform the space for greater balance. Removing the walls at poorly placed closets or walls that make rooms too small when separated. 

The backyard is a new domain with a multi use shed. 

Convert an an old storage shed that held the lawn mower and tools or custom built to serve as a backyard retreat or office, sheds are hailed as a great way to maintain privacy while doing work or unwinding in the evenings. 

Double up with a dual-purpose guest bedroom. 

The beauty of an extra room is the ability to give it multiple functions and design it to best suit your needs. Hidden components really help solve a lot of those clutter issues that we deal with every day. Under-bed storage and wall-mounted fold-down desks make it easy to offer a bedroom for overnight guests, but then transform it into an office or hobby room whenever friends and family aren’t visiting. 

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Safety Glasses 101 

Eye Injury Can Happen Anywhere and Anytime 

According to Workplace Eye Injury, almost half (44%) of eye injuries occur at home, and 40% occur during sports. Work-related accidents account for 15% of all eye injuries. 

In the workplace, OSHA provides assistance about when to wear safety eyewear. At home and during recreation, few requirements exist. Regardless, education about when to wear safety eyewear remains essential in preventing 90% of eye injuries in the United States yearly. Safety eyewear is simply the last line of defense for protecting eyes whether at work, at home or during recreational activities. 

Knowing When to Wear Safety Eyewear is Critical 

Knowing when to wear safety eyewear in the workplace is a significant issue. After all, about 2,000 workplace eye injuries take place daily. Don’t let ignorance be an excuse for injury. Start by understanding the most high-risk workplace situations. 

  • Manufacturing injuries happen most often around industrial equipment such as sanders and grinders.
  • Assembly workers are also among the top group for an eye injury in the workplace.
  • In construction, craft workers are at highest risk for high injuries with mechanics, plumbers, repairers and carpenters at the top of the list. 
  • Health care workers and laboratory staff also work in dangerous occupations. They face a constant risk for infectious diseases, like as HIV and hepatitis, transmitted through the mucous membrane of the eyes.
  • Janitorial staff face equal danger since they work regularly with chemicals. 

Statistics show, however, that the home is as hazardous as the workplace when it comes to eye safety. 

Eye Safety Neglected at Home 

Most people consider their home a safe haven. Unfortunately, the potential for eye injury is as high at home as in the workplace.

In fact, 44% of all eye injuries occur at home. Also, four out of ten accidents that cause blindness happen at home. 

Accidents can occur anywhere inside a home. Eye Injury Prevention says 33% of them take place in the kitchen, bedroom, bathroom or family room. Household cleaners are some of the biggest culprits and cause 125,000 eye injuries yearly. 

Outside, eye injury often happens during yard work. Hazards like mowers, trimmers and shovels propel dirt and debris into the air. Branches, twigs and thorns swing into eyes. Even gardening poses a significant risk with chemicals and sharp tools. Eye injury frequently happens during home improvement projects involving screws, nails and hand tools. 

When to Wear Safety Eyewear at Home 

During many routine household activities, everyone involved and nearby should wear protective eyewear. Keeping at least one pair in a central location is a good idea. Having several placed near working areas — kitchen, garage, shed, basement — is even better. 

When You Least Expect It 

Accidents usually happen when least expected, so always think safety first. Examine every situation carefully to assess the potential for eye injury and make sure to understand Why You Should Wear Safety Eyewear in the first place. 

 

 Mentioned Links 

~ Thank you~ 

A very special thank you to all of our callers! We live to answer your questions, so keep them coming! 

Thank you to our Technical Support: 

  • Danny Bringer – Chief Engineer  
  • Carol “Remodeling Babe” Carey – Executive Producer  
  • Sam Reed – Associate Producer  
  • Rico Figliolini – Digital Master 

 “Home Improvement Skills For The Win” Show Notes for On The House with the Carey Brothers aired February 06, 2021. 

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