Outdoor Articles
Build a Shed, Day 2: Subfloor, Framing, and Siding
Last time, we left off with Steve Wartman and his crew installing the double band-board foundation for increased structural support and an extra wide nailing surface. Today, we pickup with installing the subfloor, framing the walls, and stapling the plywood siding.Installing the Subfloor Steve is a big fan of Advantech subfloor for its superior weather-ability. He feels it results in less warping, twisting and delaminating. If you check the Advantech website, you’ll see that they claim the lowest water absorption rates in the industry....
Build a Shed, Day 1: Foundation, Gravel, and Joists
We’re back with our next contractor-follow where we show you how professional contractors would tackle home improvement projects. Today we’re sharing how to build a shed with Steve Wartman, owner of Wartman Home Improvements. For more details and how to contact Steve, check out our Meet the Pros page. Building a Backyard Shed Most homeowners that want a shed will have one built off-site and delivered to their home. That’s exactly what Fred & Kim did, and you can see how pleased they are with the results. Unfortunately,...
Front Door Keypads: Schlage vs. Kwikset
Keypad locks for homeowners are continuing to grow in popularity. Some of you may recall our first experience with the Kwikset SmartCode technology a few months back. If you read all the way through that post, you’ll see it didn’t all go according to plan. Well Schlage got in touch with me, and, after triple checking Kim and Fred’s door hole dimensions, I had them ship over a new keypad front entry set. Having installed and used both manufacturer’s keypads, I immediately noticed a few differences. Read on to learn...
Quick Instructions for Installing an Outdoor Motion Sensing Light
I’ve mentioned my friend Bj before. He’s the same guy that shared his experience with the Stōk Quattro grill, and about a week ago he told me that he discovered some lurker in his backyard with a ladder! Initially BJ was stunned by the stranger who obviously intending on climbing up to the second story balcony. After recovering, BJ phoned the police as the intruder ran off with the ladder. BJ later found footprints on his balcony. How scary is that?! It turns out the local police have had lots of call about this guy as he...
When to Spread Crabgrass Preventer (a Preemergent Herbicide)
Crabgrass is one of the most common annual grass weeds in North America–and one that is particularly common here in our little subdivision of Baltimore County, MD. Crabgrass grows from a single seed and shoots out wide blades of grass in the shape of a star. The plant grows very rapidly, moving from seedling to full plant in 14 days. OK State University has a great picture of crabgrass here if you’re looking to identify it. « ads The term annual grass weeds refers to the whole set of weeds that occur...
Stōk Gas Grill Review
This is a guest post by a good friend, BJ, who makes a mean enchilada. I have been a huge fan of charcoal grills for quite some time. I just simply love the smoky flavor that only charcoal can provide. However, clean up has always been a pain. I was thus both eager and hesitant to try the new Quattro 4 Burner LP Gas Grill by Stōk. This is the first gas grill I have ever owned, and I really was not sure what to expect. I’ll discuss my thoughts on assembly, features, and basic grilling below, but in short, I love my new grill.Assembly I...
Before & After: Bobcats, Beats, Backyard Garages
If you enjoy watching The Office, I hope you got my “Bears, Beets, Battlestar Galactica” reference. A more accurate title would be something like “Holy Crap That Looks Like a Lot of Work” or “I Want To Trade Backyards.” Anywho, this week’s Before & After comes from Big Sky Country- Butte, Montana where David (author of The Quivering Pen) pulled off a very impressive backyard makeover. Just reading through all the heavy labor makes me feel exhausted.For all his back-breaking labor, David wins...
How to Make a Kan-Jam-like Frisbee Game
Back in my prime (a whole six years ago at this point), I really enjoyed playing ultimate frisbee. I played the game as much as humanly possible. All through college I was the team’s co-captain, and I had a blast traveling to other universities and competing in tournaments. After college, I managed to find some pick-up games, but that didn’t last long. Life took over, and I didn’t have time to play. Remember the old saying, “If you can’t play, teach”? Well forget that. If you enjoy ultimate frisbee or...
Worx Jawsaw Chainsaw Review, Video
The JawSaw is a relatively new offering from Worx that provides the cutting power of a chainsaw with significantly reduced operational hazard via an innovative jaw-like blade housing. The tool is designed for cutting tree limbs, removing storm debris, and pruning in tough situations. The folks at Worx sent us a JawSaw and separate extension pole to try out and review. Fortunately, we had plenty of trees with dead limbs, enabling a thorough test of this tool. Unpackaging the JawSaw When the JawSaw arrived, the box was about as tall as me...
Prefabricated Shed Delivery Video: Learn How It’s Done
When Ethan went full time with One Project Closer back in March, we knew he’d need a place to work. For the last five months, he’s been roughing it — mornings are at the Panera Bread in our neighborhood (thank goodness for free WiFi!), and afternoons are in the basement at his house, with the occasional break to travel for PR events or to work with Habitat for Humanity in their Sandtown, Baltimore City chapter. (For the benefit of those of you new to our site: Ethan and Jocie own half of the site, and Kim and I own...
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