Showing posts with label plumbing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label plumbing. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 15, 2017

50 Extraordinary Uses For Ordinary Things

Hi All,

The Family Handyman is a do-it-yourself, home repair, tips magazine that is published monthly.  We have a subscription to it at the Farmingdale Public Library

And it is a winner.  The magazine publishes articles on a huge variety of topics - including plumbing, electrical, cleaning, organizing, carpentry, drywall, sheetrock, painting, tiling, masonry, becoming a smart homeowner, storage/organization, tools and more - monthly. 

However, the magazine has an accompanying website - which can be visited by clicking here - that has even more information for consumers. 

One of the goofy articles - but by no means unhelpful - they published recently was titled '50 Extraordinary Uses For Ordinary Things'. Users can view the article as either an article or in a list format. Take your pick! Three of my favorites ideas were the three ring binders, foam ball hand protector and the mattress sling. Oh, okay...I also thought the power cord coilers, accessorizing your lawn mower and the wrench caddy were great suggestions as well.

The site itself has a sort of table of contents on the homepage. Options on the TOC include:
How to Repair, Rooms, Outdoors, Smart Homeowner, Stuff We Love, Do It Yourself Insider, DIY University and Get DIY Tips to Your Inbox.

Hopefully you'll find the site as useful as I do!

Regards,
Stu




Friday, September 9, 2016

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
 


Monday, September 21, 2015

Home Improvement Questions Answered!


Hi All,

Home Improvement is one of the largest, most popular topics on the internet.  There are dozens and dozens of websites dedicated to many, many home improvement topics!   One of the better ones on the web is the DIY Stack Exchange - Home Improvement

Simply put, Home Improvement Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for contractors and serious DIYers. It is 100% free and no registration is required.

Anybody can ask a question - anybody can answer a question.  The best answers are voted up and rise to the top of the lists. The site uses tags - which are keywords or labels that categorize your question with other, similar questions.  Using the right tags makes it easier for other to find and answer your question.

The front page of the site has tabs for questions on topics involving electrical issues, plumbing, wiring, lighting, bathroom, repair, hvac, drywall, wood and water.

Users who like this site can sign up for the weekly newsletter - click this link to sign up.

Got a question?  Click here to ask it? 
 
Click on this link for a tour of the Home Improvement Stack Exchange.  Users who need to help with a specific question or to find an answer that's not discussed in the tour link of the site listed above, can click on this 'Help Center' link. Its just a 2-minute tour - really.

Enjoy the site and hopefully they'll be able to help answer your home repair questions!

Regards,
Stu

Wednesday, April 30, 2014

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 NetworkDIY 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

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

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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