FYI / DIY
Learn about the Myths and Facts of Mold
Mold Inspection.
Learn about how a Thermal Inspection can save you money
Thermal Technology.
Learn about Lead Based Paint and the EPA RRP Rule
EPA Lead-Safe RRP Rule.
2010-2011 Remodeling Cost vs. Value
Is it worth the investment?.
2015 Remodeling Cost vs. Value
Back then vs. now…..Still Worth It?.
HOW IT’S MADE:
What stone will eventually turn into Travertine?
Lyme stone and it will eventually turn into marble.
What is Marble?
Calcium Carbonate — “Fish bones”
What are asphalt shingles made of?
Membrane base coated in hot liquid asphalt followed by another thicker asphalt coating with lime stone while still wet they are covered in colored granules to give color and texture. Then the back is covered in powdered stone to keep them from sticking to other shingles.
Vinyl flooring:
3 basic components: felt, foam and a clear protector
Solid ingredients: polyvinyl choloride (pvc), pigment, and calcium carbonate
Liquid ingredients: plasticizer, Fungi side, UV protector, and a blowing agent (gives texture)
To create the floor: Liquid foam which bakes at 430 F for 15 seconds is then pressed with a template and rebaked at 430 F which cures and activates the blowing agent to create texture and a finished floor.
Ceramic Tile:
They are made of : talc, four secret chemicals that manufacturers opt for you to not know about, the chemical compounds of tiles are 94% powder and 6% water. All the ingredients are milled through a grinder and mixed with ceramic paint. Then the tile is baked for 14 hours in a kiln at 390 F at the start elevating to 1970 F at its peak and then finishes at 390 F . The process of gradually increasing heat helps to form the durability and longevity of the tile. An interesting fact about ceramic tile is that border and corner tiles cost more because of the rounded edges taking more time to make.
A Good Laugh: Not the proper way to use this equipment!
GENERAL
The most common mistake made when installing kitchen cabinets is not leveling and plumming the cabinet.
The difference in the weight of manufactured stone as opposed to real stone is that manufactured stone is about a quarter of the weight (8-12 lbs. per square foot) Real Stone (32-48 lbs. per square foot)
Quartz Countertops weigh 15-20lbs per sq. foot
Hard Scaping: Brick pavers can easily fill difficult to trim corners ie. Around a mailbox
1 Cubic yard of mulch laid 2 inches deep will cover an area of approximately 150 sq. feet
To avoid light glare on artwork, light them at a 30-45 degree angle.
A 15 amp circuit can handle a maximum of 1440 watts.
FooFoot candles: The amount of light provided by a single lumens to cover one square foot.,
Measuring lumens:
Rule of thumb for difficult tasks ( sewing) require at least 2,500 lumens in an average sized room. A casual task (watching tv) requires about 1500-2000 lumens. A standard 40 watt indandexcent (the familiar pear shaped bulb) puts out 455 lumens, a 75 watt bulb equals 1190 lumens. A 150 watt bulb equals 2880 lumens.
Lighting your home 101
Recommended foot candles:
| Activity | foot candles |
| Entertaining | 10-20 |
| Dining | 10-20 |
| Casual Reading | 20-50 |
| Grooming | 20-50 |
| Kitchen | 25-100 |
| Studying | 50-100 |
| Sewing | 100-200 |
| Hobbies | 100-200 |
| Color thermometer | |
| 9000 | |
| 8500 | Northern Blue Sky |
| 8000 | |
| 7500 | |
| 7000 | |
| 6500 | Daylight Flourescent |
| 6000 | |
| 5500 | Summer Sunlight |
| 4500 | |
| 4000 | Deluxe Cool Flourescent |
| 3500 | Deluxe White Flourescent |
| 3000 | Deluxe warm White fluorescent |
| 2500 | Quartz halogen is about 2950, 100 watt incandescent is about 2850, incandescent fluorescent is about 2600, 40 watt incandescent is 2500. |
| 2000 | |
| 1500 | Candle light at about 1900 |
| 2000 | |
| 2000 | |
| 2000 |
Flooring
How to install laminate flooring 101To convert old flooring to smooth underlayment: Apply an embossing leveler.
When using plywood as underlayment for ceramic tile, use ½” AC plywood and leave ¼” expansion gaps.
To check a basement floor for moisture, tape a 2’ by 2’ square piece of plastic with duct tape to your basemtn floor on all four sides, wait 24 hours and check the plastic for moisture.
Hardwood floors : leave ½” expansion gap around the perimeter.
Vinyl flooring thicknesses range from 1/16th inch to 1/8th inch.
Allow grout to dry for 4 hours before buffing.
SOLVENTS
Denatured alcohol removes shellac..
Lacquer thinner removes lacquer.
Nail polish remover containing acetone removes varnish but not polyurethane.
LAWN CARE AND LANDSCAPING
Learn about water features and what it takes to make them work:
Water Feature Specs.
The best time to tackle crab grass is in the early spring, through a pre emergent herbicide. This will prevent the weeds from growing. After applying, it is critical to water the area with about 1/8” to 1/4 “ of water.
Perennials:
Most perennials can be divided up before new growth begins. It is also important to let the foliage brown and die naturally before you remove it.
Annuals:
Annuals can be grown inside before planting in the garden. Some annuals can be sown directly in the garden. Some examples of these are snap dragons, pinks and sweet peas.
Trees and Shrubs:
Pruning of trees and shrubs should be done right after the first bloom as soon as the blooms fall off.
Calculating ground cover based on triangular spaces:
Step 1: figure space you want between the plants.
Step 2: divide the total square footage of ground cover bed by corresponding denominator and round up.
| Space between plants | Denominator |
| 4” | .094 |
| 6” | .217 |
| 10” | .601 |
| 12” | .866 |
| 18” | 1.95 |
| 24” | 3.46 |
| 30” | 5.41 |
20 Drought Tolerant plants:
Grasses:
Buffalo Grass
Blue Grama grass
Fareway crested wheatgrass
Hard Fescue
Canada Bluegrass
Trees
Boxelder maple
Scotch pine
Common Blackberry
Green Ash
Black Hill Spruce
Colorado Spruce
Ponderosa Pine
Bur Oak
Shrubs
Artemisia
Siberian pea shrub
Silver berry
Alpine currant
Buffalo Berry
Threelobe spirea
Soapwood
Plants that grow well in moist places:
Herbaceous Perennials
Bee Balm
Buttercup
Forget me not, True
Lilly, Canada
Lobelia, big Blue
Shrubs
Arrowwood
Carolina Allspice
Dogwood, Red Osier
Dogwood, yellow twig
Flaviramea
Inkberry
Pinkshell Azalea
Trees
River Burch
Bald Cypress
Fringetree
American Larch
Swamp white oak
London plane
Red maple
Learn about the most common types of trees and their specifications:
Tree Specification Chart.
Maintenance Schedule for Plants:
Hair cut: prune spring blooming shrubs after bloom.
Drastically prune :(more than 1/3) spring blooms in early spring.
Prune: summer bloomers in spring.
Dead head: spent flowers immediately.
Remove foliage of perennial flowers only after they turn yellow or brown.
Fertilize perennials when planting and when 1st appears in spring.
Fertilize annuals (including veggies) when planting and throughout season.
Apply Pesticides as directed.
Plants grown for foliage will require high nitrogen.
Plants grown for flowers, fruits and veggies will require high phosphorous.
Fertilizer content: The first number on the bag is for nitrogen
Second number : phosphorous
Third number: potassium
N=nitrogen; p= phosphorous , K= potassium
INSECTS
Bats can fit through a 1/4” by 1/2” hole.
Mice can fit through a 1/4” hole
Rat can fit through a 7/8” hole
To deter them use stainless steel wool or copper wool to temporary plug the hole until it can be repaired.
