Just Do It - Yourself

 Hi All,

I just heard about yet another 'Do It Yourself' website called 'Do It Yourself.com'. Click here for the link.  So what makes this site different than other sites?  Well, its easily navigated, quick to load and has loads of tutorials.

How To articles are well written and organized in many cases organized in a 'step-by-step' basis.

How To's explanations are organized by topic. 
Topics include:
- Design Center
- Cars/Trucks/Boats
- Decorating/Painting
- Electrical/Electronics
- Exterior Home Improvement
- From Our Workshop
- Games/Rec Room
- Green Home/Green Living
- Hardware/Tools/Woodworking
- Household/Cleaning
- Interior Home Improvement
- Lifestyle/Crafts/Recreation,
- Personal Finance/Legal Matters
- Plumbing/HVAC
- Real Estate.

Whew - that's quite a list!

There is also a list of Your Projects on the top ribbon on the homepage. 
Projects include:
- Automotive Projects
- Bathroom Projects
- Bedroom Projects
- Decorating Projects
- Dining Room Projects,
- Electrical and Electronic Projects
- Exterior Projects
- Game Room /Rec Projects
- Garage Projects,
- Green Projects
- Holiday Decoration Projects
- Home Office Projects
- Kitchen Projects
- Landscaping Projects
- Living Room Projects
- Patio/Deck Projects
- Room Addition Projects
- Work Projects and other projects.

Furthermore, each category has more sub-categories once you click a link.  For example, the Your Project tab for Decorating/Painting has further links to Designing With Color, Decorating For Kids, Design By Room, Designers & Ideas, Exterior Painting, Furnishings and much more.

The site also has a forums - click here for the links to them - which are heavily used by readers. 
Use this link if you would like to sign up for any of the Do-It-Yourself newsletters.

Clicking on the search box at the upper right side of the page for the term 'replacing an outlet' gave these results.

From the results given, I would suspect that this is one of the better answers.
This article has a list of 'what tools you'll need to complete the projects', a step-by-step written narrative of how to complete the project, and links at the bottom of the page to other similar, but different projects.

All in all this is a helpful, comprehensive, user friendly 'how-to fix things' website.

Enjoy the projects and the links above!

Regards,

Stu
 

Spring Clean Up!!!!

Hi All,

With Spring officially arriving on Friday - tomorrow - at 6:45pm - now is a good time to blog about 'Spring cleanup'.Oh wait...its going to snow tomorrow...how can it be the beginning of Spring when we're going to get about 2"-4" of snow? 

Crazy weather...that's all.  In any event, folks can still get a jump on their spring cleaning by reading the rest of this blog entry.  And when you are done with the spring cleaning you can go to the next job on your list of things to do - like taxes...

Some articles and ideas that will make your Spring cleanup faster, easier and less unpleasant.   Click on this link from About.com titled 'Spring Cleaning For Lawns and Landscaping'.   And from the ever present Martha Stewart comes this entry in the form of a checklist - specifically a 'Spring Cleaning Checklist'. Wikipedia even got into the act with an article on Spring cleaning. 

A fairly well known name is house maintenance/repair/upkeep is HouseBeautiful.  This next link comes from their site and includes '13 Spring-Cleaning Tips'.

Believe it or not, Vogue has also gotten into the act as well with an article titled, 'Spring Cleaning: 8 Beautiful Items to Help You Tidy Up'.

And, finally, click on this link from Imperfect Homemaking for a 'Thorough Spring Cleaning Checklist'.  The author of the site - Kelly - has organized the cleaning by rooms of the house: foyer, bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen, dining room, living room/family room/playroom, laundry room, stairwells, outside the house and reminders.  A printable version of this Spring Cleaning Checklist can be found by clicking on this link!

Here's to fast and easy cleaning!

Regards,
Stu

Fall is Garage Sale Time!

Hi All,

Garage sales are awesome! Where else can you find gently used merchandise (clothing, toys, kitchen appliances, tools, computer accessories, kids clothing, toys and more...) at a fraction of the cost that you would normally spend for the same stuff at a Wal-Mart or Target or Sears or BuyBuyBaby?  Indeed - garage sales can save you big bucks!   Which is why I'm writing about them today!  I love to save money - who doesn't!

There are 4 major garage sale/yard sale sites on the web. They are:
1. YardsaleSearch.com
2. LISaler.com
3. Garagesalestracker.com
4. GSALR.com

YardsaleSearch.com lets users look for garage sales by state or by zip code.  Users can post a yard sale and get yard sale tips as well. The site has an informative blog as well.  One of the reasons why I like this site is the 'down home', country type feel to the site.  Click on this 'About Us' link and you'll understand why you feel so comfortable on this very, very useful garage sale site.

LISaler.com is another helpful garage sale website available to users. Like the prior site, users can find a yard sale and post an ad. Users can also find professional services on the site as well.  Clicking on the 'Find a Sale' link takes you to a page where garage sales are listed chronologically.  When I looked - 10/12/14 - I found garage sales that were taking place that very same day. How is that for timely? 

Clicking on any of the garage sales links takes you to another page that includes date and time of the garage sale, a map and a link for directions to the sale and, finally, a brief narrative of what items are being sold at the garage sale.  It is very, useful and comprehensive information for someone who likes to visit garage sales on a regular basis.

Users can find active sales by city by clicking on the box on the right side of the page. Finally, LISaler has videos that users can watch.

Another garage sale website that is very helpful is GarageSalesTracker.com.  At the top of the page, visitors to the site will see a box where the zip code and a distance can be entered.  Basically the site is asking you to enter a zip code to look for all garage sales within a radius....Entering a zip code and the radius option brings you to a results page.  Contact information, date, time and more are listed on the new page.  In additions, readers can get more details about the garage sale and driving directions.  One thing about GarageSalesTracker.com - there is some advertising on the site.  Somewhat annoying, but not a deal breaker.  From the home page, users can also click on a 'Browse Sales' link at the top of the page.

Finally, users would be remiss in not looking at GSALR.com.  It has many of the same features as the previous three sites mentioned.  Users see a big dialog box at the top of the page when they first visit the site. By entering the City and State, they are taken to a page of garage sales.  But first, they have to navigate a pop-up (annoying window) that asks the user if they want to sign up for free email alerts.  The dialog box can be closed by clicking on the X at the top right portion of the box.

Beneath the box appears a map with all the garage sales that were found.  Users can zoom out to view more sales.  On the right side of the page, users can find a comprehensive list of the garage sales.  Including address, details, time and more about any particular sale. Clicking the 'Details' box brings the user to another page that includes a map, address and, in some cases a very detailed description of the garage sale.  Whew!

There you have it!  Four great garage sale/yard sale sites for the inner antiques collector/shopper/hunter in all of us.  Good luck finding what everything you need for your house and kids at these sales!

Enjoy the sites - and enjoy the weekends and the treasures that you'll find at these yard sales.

Regards,
Stu

Do It Yourself - DIY

Hi All,

Lots of folks own homes and condos or co-ops.  Other folks rent the apartment they live in.

And there is quite a bit of difference from renting an apartment or owning a condo/co-op vs. owning your own home.

One of the major differences is that with a condo/co-op/apartment, a representative of the organization will do the maintenance of the property (fix leaks, paint, install new carpet, etc.)

But with a house the homeowner is the one who makes the repairs or does the fixes...either that or the homeowner pays a contractor to perform the work instead.

So...with that all said, today's blog entry is all about DIY - aka, 'Do-It-Yourself' projects for the home.  Simply put there are many, many DIY websites on the internet.  Today, I'm going to discuss one of the better ones - DIY Network - which can be found by clicking on this link: DIYNetwork.

DIYNetwork is from the makers of HGTV and Food Network.  DIY Network is available nationwide via DirecTV, DISH network and various local cable tv providers.  The site is authoritative, advertisement-free and easily navigable.  With all that out of the way, we can talk about the specifics of the site. 

At the top of the page is a ribbon that  has many of the DIY Networks' best features.  The ribbon has links to topics related to Painting, Windows and Doors, Floors. Decorating, Remodeling, Electrical, Plumbing, Bath, Kitchen, Outdoors and Rooms. Above this ribbon are further links to TV Shows, Experts & Hosts, Blog Cabin, Watch DIY Network and the Video Library.

One of the best aspects of the site are the drop down boxes that appear when users click on one of the topics in the ribbon.  The drop down menu for "Windows and Doors" (for example) is extensive - with sections on "Inside Windows, Walls, and Doors", "Shows", and "Best of Windows and Doors".  Even better is that the first section "Inside Windows, Walls, and Doors" has further categories like 'Floor Tile', 'Windows', 'Concrete Doors' and more.

Along with these links to repairs are sections that explain - for example - how to 'Repair Your Drywall', 'Wall-Covering Trends'.  Each category has different DIY projects that is related to that particular category. 

Users can also use the search box at the top of the page to enter some key words related to the project that they are working on - or need to find assistance with.

Examples of Electrical issues addressed by DIY Network include: Lighting, Appliances, Heating & Cooling, Ceiling Fans, Home Theater and Wiring. Click on any of these links to find out more.

Some of the specific projects that DIY Network discusses include 'Accent Lighting', 'How to Add Outlets', 'Tips For Air Conditioner Maintenance', '10 Things You Must Know About Home Security Maintenance Systems' and 'Family Friendly Home Theaters'.

Finally, users can look at videos or view photo galleries of various projects that they are interested in completing.  There is also a very complete list of topics on the site which is very, very helpful for finding projects!!!!

Just remember...this is just one of the many categories that DIY Network covers so there is a LOT of information on the site!  And, as you can see, DIY Network is comprehensive, well organized and easy-to-use...homeowners or amateur diy'ers would serve themselves well by visiting the site and utilizing its many DIY features.

Enjoy the site - hope all your home repair projects turn out to be easier and less expensive than you expect!

Regards,
Stu

Spring Home Maintenance

Hi All,

Attention home owners, attention home owners. Spring is here - heck after the winter we had it is a very, very good thing that spring is here already! Enough of that wintry, rainy, cloudy, cold weather. Be gone with you bad weather!

That being said, homeowners should be constantly vigilant about home maintenance at any time of the year; but spring especially is known for maintenance. What with rain, wind and the thawing of rivers, streams and canals it is a good time to take a once over look at your house.

So, without further ado a few good websites (and some comments and narrative about the sites) about spring maintenance for a single family dwelling (aka a house).

Straight from Consumer Reports is this link -and any time you can get something free from CR its a good day. Click here for the link entitled "Spring Checklist For the Home: Don't Let Problems Around the House Turn Into Money Drains'. The article talks about dirty air conditioners, hazardous decks, foundation fissures, faulty garage-door openers, clogged gutters,
leaky roofs', weakened trees, and cracked pavement. Good basic stuff for the homeowner.

Next on our list is a site from HGTV entitled, 'The Slackers Guide to Spring Home Maintenance'. This is my kind of article!

The article talks about diverting water, retaining the roof, checking the paint job on the exterior of the house, cutting shrubs and trees, lawn maintenance, maintaining windows and doors (an interior issue), pest control, plumbing issues (leaky and or sweaty pipes) and tile maintenance in the kitchen and the bathroom (check that grout!)

From a website by the name of Handyman Matters comes this site - click here. What's so good about this site you might ask? Indeed, good question!

For starters the site has a checklists for each of the four seasons - its a simple list but very handy if I might say so myself! What else does the site have? Click here for a DIY (Do-It-Yourself) section that has some Tips and Tricks on various home repair projects. Each tip is a sentence or two in length but combined they are darn useful. There is also a section of DIY videos which you can view by clicking on this link.

Finally, since we reopened the remodeled library we have created a separate section for home repair and home maintenance books. We thought that this would be a great way to help our patrons find material (think books and DVD's) on home repair and maintenance more easily.

Note that the material is down the first aisle next to the Children's Room in the library. Also, don't forget that the books and DVD's in this collection are further broken down into sub-sections like gardening, fireplaces, plumbing, landscaping, plants, trees/shrubs, home repair, home organization, furniture, storage, kitchen, home improvement, indoor structures and outdoor structures and probably a few others that I've mistakenly forgotten.

Enjoy the sites and the home maintenance advice - hope you don't need it!

Stu

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