Show Notes: Will DIY Team Projects Make Husbands And Wives Closer? – On the House
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Show Notes: Will DIY Team Projects Make Husbands And Wives Closer?

By on August 19, 2016

Is it true DIY projects will make husbands and wives closer? True or not? James and Morris have tips for cleaning, insulating your garage door and more this week.

 Thank you to our special guest Roger Gilley with Weyerhaeuser Distribution for sharing tips on improving your homes curb appeal. For more information visit: www.woodbywy.com

  

Brady Bunch’ Star Eve Plumb Sells Malibu Home She Bought At 11-Years-Old

“Here’s a story of a lovely lady” named Jan Brady who’s quite a real estate mogul these days.

The days of “The Brady Bunch” might have come and gone, but Eve Plumb who played Jan Brady in the hit show is still riding the wave of her early fame. The actress turned painter recently sold her home in Malibu for $3.9 million.

The 58-year-old purchased the beach house back in 1969, the first year of her role as Jan Brady, for $55,300, reports the Los Angeles Times. She was just 11-years-old. Talk about being wise beyond her years!

http://www.today.com/home/brady-bunch-star-eve-plumb-sells-malibu-home-she-bought-t101957?cid=eml_tes_20160817

 

Is It True DIY Projects Will Make Husbands And Wives Closer?

 It’s amazing the lengths that Home Depot, Stanley Tools and Benjamin Moore will go to make home improvement projects appear to be the ultimate in husband-wife bonding activities. According to glossy photos in their full-color advertising materials, laying tile, installing a bathroom fan and weatherproofing a deck together can do more for your marriage than a  romantic cruise. Is that true?

 Give us a call if you do projects with your significant other and tell us how your team did………

Painting

Building and installing closet systems

Installing a new flooring

Building a fence

Re-arranging the furniture

Hanging pictures

Wallpapering

Gardening

Installing shelving

Installing new kitchen backsplash

 

Five Ways to Enhance a Home Exterior During National Curb Appeal Month

 Tip #1 – Mix it up

You may have seen homes where the builder has used the same material for both the siding and trim, but it’s not necessary to match the two. Try mixing different types of siding and trim products together on your home, such as low-maintenance PVC trim pieces from WindsorONETM with vinyl siding from a company like James Hardie®.

 Also, don’t hesitate to combine cedar lap siding with fiber cement shingle panels, or mix vertical board & batten panel-type engineered wood siding with stucco-style panels.  There are no set style rules; let your home’s personality and style be your guide.

 Tip #2 – Use siding to add texture and depth

Texture is difficult to appreciate until it’s not there. A quick glance at photos of attractive homes shows how siding and trim can be used to add depth and variety in texture.

While some areas of the country are seeing a growing trend toward smooth siding, other markets favor more rustic finishes. Differentiate yourself by mixing them up—be creative and inventive in how you combine them. A straight or staggered edge shake on gable ends looks terrific with horizontal plank siding. Mix cedar lap siding with textured fiber cement panels to add character to a house that otherwise lacks architectural definition.

 Tip #3 – Break things up

Use horizontal elements such as a bellyband to break up the view; this gives you a natural place to change materials as you move up the façade. Siding materials used vary widely across the country, but you’ll often see lap siding, brick or stone on the lower portion of a house, and narrower lap or shingles on the upper portion as well as staggered or straight-edge shingles in the gables of the home.

 Tip #4 – Use trim to make a statement

It is easy to add visual sophistication with a few trim tricks. For example, use thicker trim at the windows to make them pop. Or, mix trim widths to emphasize windows and doors by using 4-inch trim for verticals and 6- or 8-inch trim on horizontal edges to exaggerate the size of the opening.

 Treat windows that are close together as a single assembly; trim them as a unit instead of breaking them into smaller elements. And take a little extra care with your home’s entry. Add a decorative element atop the door jamb or a mitered backband to the door trim to make the entry appear extra large and inviting.

Tip #5 – Be creative with color

While they can usually be stained or painted, many siding and trim products are now available prefinished. One example is real cedar, which stains extremely well and creates appealing shadow lines due to its texture.

 You may also wish to consider one of the two-toned prefinished products available in the marketplace today, such as those from Woodtone. Be creative but use complementary colors to avoid a mish-mash of hues. And, if your home has multiple levels, try using darker-colored siding below and lighter colors above to give your home extra presence.

 Thank your to our guest Roger Gilley for these tips.

 

Exactly How To Insulate A Garage Door

This Makes For A More Energy Efficient Space

 Studies done by garage door manufacturers prove that an energy-efficient R-18 insulated garage door can keep your garage about 12 degrees warmer in winter months and about 25 degrees cooler in summer. That reduces energy loss along the insulated walls and ceiling.

A new R-18 garage door costs about $1,400 (installed price for a two-car garage), so it really doesn’t pay to replace yours based on energy savings alone. You can, however, add insulation, doorstop weather stripping and a new bottom seal to your existing door to gain some savings and comfort. You can complete the entire job in about four hours for less than $200. Just buy the materials from any home center and gather up a utility knife, tape measure, straightedge, saw, dust mask, and a hammer and nails.

You can buy two types of garage door insulation kits at home centers. An R-8 vinyl-faced fiberglass batting kit provides a relatively high R-value. It takes two kits to insulate a typical 16-ft.-wide garage door. Or you can buy precut R-4 expanded polystyrene (EPS) panel foam online. Just cut each panel to length and bend and snap it into the horizontal rails on your door. However, at R-4 per inch, EPS has the lowest R-value. If you live in a moderate climate, that may be enough.

If you’re willing to do a lot of precise cutting, you can achieve a higher R-value, up to R-9.8 with 1-1/2-in.- thick foil-faced fire-rated extruded polystyrene (XPS). (Johns Manville CI Max and Dow Thermax are two brands.) Unfaced non–fire rated XPS rigid foam should not be used to insulate a garage door. It’s extremely flammable and when ablaze, yields toxic fumes.

Next, buy enough doorstop vinyl weather stripping to seal the top and sides of your garage door. You’ll also need new vinyl bottom seal to fit your existing track, or buy a new track if yours is damaged.

Start by washing each door panel with household cleaning spray and rags. Then rinse the areas with clean water and let dry. Next, install the retaining pins. Measure the height and width of each panel and add 1 in. to the length and width when you cut the batting to size for a snug fit Panel sizes may differ along the door, so measure each one as you go rather than pre-cutting all the panels based on one measurement. Fit the cut insulation into the panel with the vinyl side facing into the garage. Then secure it to the retaining pins. Repeat until all the panels are insulated.

Starting at the top of the door, tack the doorstop weather stripping to the top jamb. Mount the side doorstops the same way. Then press against the door to simulate how much it might move in strong winds . Readjust the doorstop so it seals against the door even in windy conditions. Then pound the nails in all the way. If the door has too much play to adjust the doorstop properly, or you can see light through the doorstop weather stripping, replace your existing hinges with spring-loaded versions that press the door against the weather stripping at all times.

Test the door

A properly balanced garage door should stay in place if you lift it part-way and let go. However, insulation adds weight to the door, and that may throw off the balance. If your door falls after you let go of it, hire a garage door service company to readjust the spring tension. Leaving the door in an unbalanced state can damage your garage door opener.

http://www.familyhandyman.com/garage/exactly-how-to-insulate-a-garage-door/view-all

 

It’s Window Track Cleaning Time

Window tracks are good at two things: Making it possible to open a window and collecting insect corpses. It’s a nasty reality, and it’ll gross people out if they see it. Here’s an easy way to clean up the dirt and insect… stuff from your window sills.

  1. Pre-clean with a vacuum (optional).

If your tracks are looking really bad, give them a once over with a vacuum attachment so you don’t use a bajillion Q-tips in step two.

  1. Dip the Q-tip in vinegar and run it along the nooks and crannies of your window tracks.

Depending on how big your windows are (and how many windows you’re cleaning today) you may need a bunch of Q-tips and a few fresh shot glasses. You want to have enough vinegar on the Q-tip so that it’s kinda “runny” when you start cleaning each track.

Tip: If your tracks are really gross and sticky (as in, this-is-the-first-time-you’ve-ever-cleaned-them, sticky) an old toothbrush might work better here.

  1.  Use the paper towels to mop up the vinegar and additional dirt and insect graves.

You can press the back of your finger against the towel as you “mop” up the vinegar. If your tracks are too narrow for a finger, try using one of those nasty Q-tips.

  1. Schedule another round in 3-6 months!

All done? Schedule this to-do for 3-6 months from now (depending on how fastidious you are).

http://www.hellawella.com/clean-your-window-tracks-q-tips-and-vinegar?tp=i-H55-Q5T-1RH-1e5K2-1z-1GL-1c-L4w-1dwMJ-22oXi9&utm_campaign=Daily&utm_source=Experian&utm_medium=email&cid=5535&mid=24329918

Website Mentions:

Rubberize it:  www.rubberizeit.com

 

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