One Project Closer

Hi! That’s me over on the right. I’m a 28-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 the one who’s 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.

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.

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?!?

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.

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!

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.

Tree trimming is important to keep your tree healthy and strong. Making the appropriate cuts early on will ensure the tree grows in a safe and long lasting manner. Generally, trimming in the winter is easiest when you can see the shape of your tree without any new growth (flowers, fruit, etc.). I found these tips helpful while trimming my own tree.

Dead or Diseased Branches

Look for dead or diseased branches. Dead wood is often dark and brittle. Diseased wood is usually discolored. These should be removed to prevent the disease from spreading and to make way for new growth.

Crossing Branches

Tree branches should not rest on one another. Currently, the top branch does not add much weight. But as that branch grows, the bottom branch will end up supporting an enormous weight. The top branch should be trimmed away before they break causing damage to the tree and anything underneath.

Split Branches

Split branches pose a risk of splitting the tree trunk or major limbs. As the limbs grow larger and heavier the point at which they meet becomes more susceptible to breaking. Strong winds can cause the trunk to split starting at branches like these.

Cutting the branch

Cut the branches in a way to prevent tearing. An easy method is to make a partial cut on the underside. Then complete from above. Finish by removing the stub up to the collar. This will encourage healing. Removing fewer, larger branches is preferable (to many, smaller branches) and your tree will recover better.

Tree Paint Compound

Professionals are undecided about using tree compound. Some still feel it aids in healing and prevents disease. Others feel the natural process has better results. From what I have found, tree compound will at least protect from disease. That’s reason enough for me. Purchase some here. Avoid the aerosol containers. These tend to gunk up and make it difficult to be precise.

What do you think? Would you use tree compound? What tips do you want to pass along?

I bought the Melnor AquaTimer Duo Hose Timer for $29.99 from Home Depot with high hopes. I’ve always wanted a fancy in-ground automatic sprinkler system, but haven’t been willing to spring for it. The Melnor AquaTimer promised the middle class alternative: just hook it up between the hose spigot and the sprinkler, set up a watering program, and you’re good to go for hassle-free watering.

Unfortunately, the Melnor turns out to be hassle-free for only seven days.

On or about the seventh day, you’ll find the plastic coupling on the top of the timer has broken and disconnected from the spigot (see below). Of course, the water will still be flowing at full force, flooding anything that’s down grade from where the timer used to be connected.

Our Experience

We’ve owned two of these units now. The first I connected directly to the spigot per the instructions from Melnor. It worked for about a week before the coupling failed. I realize that any product can fail once, so I took it back to big orange and exchanged it for another. I figured that the weight of the timer and hose hanging from the spigot may have contributed to the failure. So, I attached a small 5 ft. hose to the spigot, then the timer, and then the long hose to the sprinkler. One more week passed, this time with the timer sitting on the ground, and it failed again, dumping hundreds of gallons of water into the back yard.

Pros, Cons, and Verdict

Pros:

• Easy-to-use digital interface.
• Multiple programming options for watering on specific days, odd/even days, etc.
• Second non-timed connector for regular hose use.
• Promises to use only one 9-volt battery for the full watering season

Cons:

• Similarly-priced models can control two hoses (although usually lack digital programming)
• Works for about 7 days, then fails in the worst way

Verdict:  Great for spontaneous mud pit creation and flooding the neighbor’s basement. Fortunately, the 9-volt still has enough charge after 7 days to be used for something else.

What do you think?  Have you had a better experience with a Melnor product?  Can you recommend a hose timer that actually works?