About Fred

Hi! That’s me over on the right. I’m a 29-year-old home improvement nut living in the suburbs of Baltimore, Maryland. I’m very happily married to Kim, and we’ve twin sons, H & J. (initials only online to protect their identity). We live in a traditional, 2-story, rectangular colonial – the kind they built by the thousands in the 1980s. We love our house, and will probably stay here for at least 10 more years (or until the projects run out, whichever comes first).

I’m really into the construction and materials side of home improvement. I get jazzed up doing projects like framing up walls, pouring self leveling mortar, or power washing a deck. Fortunately, our house needs a lot of that, and it’s where my limited home improvement talent lies. I could look at a color fan all day and all I’d see is a disorganized rainbow. Do the blue and yellow go together? I’m not sure – that’s why we’ve got Kim and Jocie.

As far as hobbies – well, there’s blogging, and working on the house, and blogging, and technology, and blogging. You get the idea. I’m a programmer by trade, so I take care of all the programming on this site. My day job can be pretty demanding, and this is a nice way to get away from it all and do something that’s pure fun. (And, I’m learning PHP and Cascading Stylesheets – you can’t go wrong with that!)

I really enjoy the community aspect of blogging. It’s great that I can meet people like Andy at Build a Better Bungalow, who at the time of my writing is working on a basement in Chicago – 1000 miles away from us – and is facing the same challenges in refinishing his basement. Jennifer, Lisa Rae, modernemama, Amalie – all people I would have never met if it weren’t for the online community we’ve got here. I love stopping by your sites – please keep them up!

You’ll see me around the house-blogosphere – always posting as Fred or Fred@OPC or something like that. I’m glad you stopped by! Come back again soon.

Reusable Shopping Bags

These days being “green” is in style. So why not be in style?

Approximately 100 billion plastic bags each year are thrown away and sent to the land fill. Plastic bags take up to 1000 years to decompose, and when they do, they break down into toxins that poison the soil and water.

So an easy, environmentally safe solution is to bring your own reusable shopping bags with you! They are durable, easy to clean, and can fit more groceries, reducing the amount of trips unloading the car. They also look good! Many grocery stores even reward you for bringing your own bags, such as Trader Joe’s, who every time you shop with your own bags will enter you to win a monthly drawing worth $25.

These days, there are many stylish shopping bag options. I really like bags that fold down into a smaller bag so I can carry them in my purse or store them in my car glove compartment. Buy some here.

Or if you are looking more for style and cost-efficiency in a bag, then check out these.

In addition to carrying your own bags, here are some other quick tips to help the environment while shopping:
1. If you purchase something small, skip the bag and carry it out.
2. Ask your local stores to stop providing free bags, or offer incentives to costumers bringing their own bags.
3. If you must use bags at the store, opt for paper over plastic, and don’t double bag.

Image courtesy of Diana Lili M.

Craftsman Lawn Mower Maintenance

At some point during the winter, my lawn mower quit working. I would yank on the pull cord but to no avail. And so I began my Saturday determined to try everything I could before taking it to a repair center. Todd has a great post on maintaining a John Deere X300 over at Home Construction Improvement. His post reminded me of all the things I should have been doing anyway.

Lawn Mower Maintenance

FYI: I have a Craftsman rotary lawn mower with a 6.75Hp Briggs & Stratton engine. Mower model number 917.370721.

1. Inspect the air filter. Some mower filters are little foam squares. I’ve heard you can simply wash these and pop them back in. My mower had a paper filter. It was really dirty and in need of replacement. The correct filter for my mower was Craftsman item #33644.

2. Check out the spark plug. The spark plug on my mower is in front and has a spark plug wire connected that simply unsnaps. Unscrew the plug and have a look. A burnt out spark plug is easily spotted by the scorch marks. My plug was recently replaced and looked like it was still in good shape. It was manufactured by Champion item #J19LM.

3. Remove the old gas. The gas in the tank was from last season. I had added stabilizer but wanted to eliminate all potential problems. Over time gas will degrade and lose combustion. Stabilizer works to slow the oxidation process and keep gas fresh. All it takes is adding a little stabilizer when you fill up your gas can. As a precaution, I siphoned out the old gas (and later added new gas). Don’t do it the old fashion way! I speak from experience. Use a siphon like this.

4. Change the oil. It’s important to have an empty gas tank so you don’t flood the engine. All I had to do was tip my mower on its side and let the old oil pour out. Then, I added new oil till I reached the full level on the dip-stick. I used SAE30. Colder climates should use 10W-5. Also, my mower doesn’t have an oil filter to change.

5. Clean up the mower. I removed some grass and leaves from the underside and some more from the mower deck. I also removed the blade to sharpen it. I used a simple file but would recommend a grinder. Using a file is time consuming. Make sure you sharpen evenly to keep the blade balanced. Unbalanced blades become problematic down the road.

After all this I decided to give it a try. I was a little shocked when it started right up. Next, I happily mowed my front yard.

What do you think? What maintenance does your mower need?
Image courtesy of Sa’ d Khorsid.

Grilling Accident and Dry Leaves Cause House Fire

The following are pictures Kim took on a very sad day in our neighborhood last week:  the house across the court from us caught fire.  The fire and subsequent smoke and water damage have destroyed nearly everything in it.  Fortunately, no one was hurt, and the owners are fully insured.  The insurance company has already gone to work to triage the damage (those pictures were on our other camera).  We’ll certainly be watching how the insurance company performs.

The Story: One of the homeowners was cooking his wife dinner on a charcoal grill on the back deck.  A hot coal escaped from the grill and ignited dry leaves below the deck that had not been cleaned up last fall.  The fire quickly spread through the leaves and then caught the deck itself on fire. 

Kim smelled the fire from inside our house and ran out to see what was happening.  She called 911 and was told she was the third report of the fire in 5 minutes.  She said that within 2 minutes of the deck catching, the fire spread up the whole back of the house, up into the second story, and through the attic.   It’s amazing how fast a fire spreads through a stick-built house, particularly in dry weather…

The Baltimore County fire department arrived in just over 5 minutes and quickly contained and extinguished the fire.  We commend them for the quick and effective response!  It makes us feel very good to have a responsive fire department close by, even though we hope to never use them!

Of course, the kids loved seeing the fire trucks (I particularly like the picture Kim took of the fire truck in the third row).  It’s unfortunate that it was under these cirumstances that they got to see them.

What do you think?  Have you had a great experience with your local fire department?  Do you have leaves under your deck you need to rake up?!?

Industrial Basement Ceiling Look using an Airless Paint Sprayer

Have you ever wanted to create a basement that has an industrial ceiling look (the one that has become popular in many commercial businesses, especially restaurants?).  Instead of installing a drop ceiling or a drywall ceiling in the basement, you might consider using an airless paint sprayer to paint the joists, ductwork, and beams.  You could try to do the job with brushes and paint rollers, but it would be simply impractical.  There are too many angles involved to get it to look good using that method.

What color should I choose?  The ceilings I’ve seen done this way are either flat black, very dark brown, or white.  A darker color will tend to hide imperfections in the ceiling, but may also lead to the room feeling much smaller.  A lighter color may show more imperfections, but will make the room feel for open, and will make the ceiling seem higher.  You might also consider using an accent color (like a red or green) for the ductwork and other accent marks.

What Airless Paint Sprayer should I use?  We recommend the Wagner Spray Tech II 2,750 PSI Paint Crew Sprayer. That link will take you to Amazon’s page of refurbished units that cost about 40% ($80.00) less than buying new at Home Depot.  The advantages of this particular sprayer include the hopper being located on the ground, and a long spray hose.  If you’re going to paint the ceiling, you don’t want to be holding the paint itself above your head for long as some sprayers would require; it will get very tiresome.

What about electric wires?  Normally, electric for lighting would be hidden by drywall or a drop ceiling.  You will probably need to run wires in conduit if you leave the ceiling beams exposed.  Of course, requirements vary by locale.  You should always consult with a licensed electrician before finishing an electric project in your home.

Our friend Chuck just wrote a guest post on painting his basement ceiling white. I’m a much bigger fan of the flat black look, but Chuck wanted the room to feel open and airy.

What do you think?  Will you consider an industrial ceiling look for your home?  Have you already done this?

Algae Preventer / Killer for Discus & Angelfish Aquariums

That’s a picture of our tank.  We’ve been raising discus and angelfish (along with neons, corycats, and other tetras) for about 4 years.  At first, we were very diligent about water changes in the tank.  We changed out 1/3 of the water each week.  (We weren’t willing to do the 10%/day change that the discus would really love - that would be too time consuming).  Over time, we got lax on water changes – pushing the envelope to 3-4 weeks, and in worst cases, to 5 weeks or more.

During times when we didn’t change the water for extended periods, green and brown algae would begin to develop on the walls of the aquarium, and all over our plastic plants.  We were fearful of trying chemical algae preventers due to the harm they might cause the fish.  For those who don’t know, Discus can run anywhere from $10-$200 at retail stores, with prices only slightly better from wholesalers.  At those stakes, it’s not like killing a feeder goldfish; these fish are an investment.  Of course, we weren’t worried about harming plants; we prefer the low-maintenance aspect of the plastic ones we’ve picked.

We finally had a friend recommend Algae Destroyer Advanced by Aquarium Pharmaceuticals.  We added it to the tank.  Wow!  We were impressed.  Algae Destroyer worked almost immediately (2-3 days).   Both the green and brown algae have abated.  In fact, the algae used to be our warning sign that we were overdue for a water change, now we don’t get any algae – even if we don’t change the water for 6-8 weeks.  I haven’t noticed any distress among the fish (nor have we lost any in the last 6 months since we’ve been using Algae Destroyer).

You may want to use caution if you have young fish or live plants.  I have not tried this algae preventer under those conditions (although AP claims it will work for that situation).

What do you think? Has Algae Destroyer or another product worked for you?

Before and After: Pressure Washing the Fence

This weeks “Before and After” comes to you from my neighbors back yard. This is the same friend with the large stump that needed to be removed. He’s working hard to transform his backyard and part of that is addressing the dingy looking fence.

The fence looks to be about 20+ years old and has taken that grayish tinge. The fence-posts have been set in concrete which makes removing the fence that much harder. An easier (and cheaper) option was to use a pressure washer to remove the dirt, mold and years added by weather.

He borrowed Fred’s pressure washer. It’s a Troy Bilt, gas powered, pressure washer. One important feature is adjusting the pressure level. High enough pressure will damage the material you are washing. Low pressure will be ineffective. Make sure you set the pressure to the appropriate level. Generally, 1500 PSI will do the trick for most wood surfaces. Try this setting on an unseen area beforehand.

Check out the difference! Next he will clean up any rough spots, seal and stain.

And now it’s your turn! Link in your “Before and After” post and leave a comment below. Thanks.

Weekend Round-up: Solar Lamps, House Pooling, and an Awesome Fire Pit

Well, like I said two weeks ago, if I tried to commit to a round-up every week, I’d certainly fail.  Good thing I didn’t, ’cause I didn’t get to post one last weekend.  This week I did get some time, and here’s three things worth looking at over your weekend:

Number 1:  Todd @ Home Construction Improvement is giving away a free set of Malibu Solar Lamps.  All you have to do is leave a comment on the post to enter the sweepstakes.  Our entry includes aliens

Number 2: Jim @ Blueprint for Financial Prosperity ran a funny article on House Pooling – something we might all have to do if energy costs keep skyrocketing.  The consensus of most of the commenters was that Jim’s version of the idea might not save too much money, but the idea is interesting – and we all might need to employ strategies to save on home energy costs in the future.

Number 3: Last but not least, the coolest home project I saw this week was Jennifer’s outdoor firepit at Tiny Old House.  The whole fire pit area looks very inviting!  Makes me sad that our firepit is on 6 red brick squares on our deck…

Ok, that’s it for this week.  Stay tuned for more!

Introducing One Project Closer Quick Tips!

If you’ve found this page, you’ve discovered a new feature on One Project Closer — Quick Tips! 

Why Quick Tips? 

We needed a space to post smaller tips that aren’t really worthy of a whole post.  Many other blogs call these Asides or Extras.

Quick Tips will cover the same topics that the main posts do, but won’t appear on the main page or in RSS syndication. As such, they probably won’t garner much discussion.

Are Quick Tips Special?

Not really. Quick Tips work the same as all other posts on the site, except that they don’t show up on the main page or the feed.  They show up in the right sidebar instead!

What Happens If I Leave a Comment?

If you leave a comment on a quick tip, it will show up in the recent comments list on the right sidebar, and the author will be notified (so we will reply).  As usual, if you see something that’s comment worthy (like we made a mistake), just let us know.

How Did You Make This Work?

These four sites were extremely helpful:

Perishable Press’ WordPress Super Loop explains how to exclude posts in a specific category from the main page.  WordPress Garage’s Display Recent Posts in the Sidebar explains how to show recent posts in the sidebar.  We modified the code from WPG to filter on categories with some help from WordPress’ Codex Page on GetPosts().  Finally, JayPee has a great article on how to exclude a category from your WordPress RSS.  We chose to update the source feed for FeedBurner so that everyone’s Feed subscriptions were automatically updated to exlcude the new category.

If you want to do this on your site and are having trouble, just leave a comment here.  We’d be happy to help.

Photography by Chris Paulis

I’m a firm believer in making your home a place that evokes feelings of warmth, comfort, and happiness. One of the simplest ways I have found to do this is by displaying photographs of friends and family. As I began doing this in my new home, my dad (Chris Paulis) was just starting to get involved in photography, and we all quickly learned that he was incredibly talented. He has always been artistically inclined – drawing, making wind chimes, stained glass decor (lamps, garden stands, kaleidoscopes, etc.), and most recently photography. In addition to taking beautiful family pictures, he also has amazing photos of flowers, birds, lighthouses, and much, much more. In the past few months I have ordered multiple prints and framed them for different areas of the house. The art is not only a beautiful and classy compliment to the decor, but it also reminds me of my loving father every time I see them.

Some framing and printing tips:

• You may have seen in my earlier post (Before/After Home Office) how I incorporated some of his photos into our home office. With these particular pictures, I did not want to crop them (even though they were not standard size). Since I could not find a frame to fit these pictures without cropping them, I bought Matte-less frames. The picture is placed in between two pieces of glass and the wall color shows through to appear like a matte.
• With good art work, you don’t have to spend too much on a simple frame, therefore letting the art stand-out.
• If you find a good, cheap frame but don’t like the color, lightly sand, prime, and paint the frame. Its takes a little extra time and love, but is well worth it.
  
• I use Shutterfly.com for smaller prints and larger quantities. I have had good luck with the quality of their prints and the speed of production. If you tend to order lots of prints, they also sell packages at discounted prices per print.
  
• I use Adorama.com for larger prints. I have also had great experience with the quality of their prints and the speed of production. They also run frequent deals for larger prints. For example, I recently spent $0.99 for an 8×10 Lustre print of excellent quality.

Feel free to check out more Chris Paulis Photography.

Here are a few photographs that are my favorites and a few that I display in my home. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

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