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"The Bitterness of Poor Quality Remains Long After The Sweetness of Low Price is Forgotten"
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Recently Written
- Tint Your Plaster For Touch Ups on Primed Walls & Trim
- Do Not Use Pens, Felt Pens or Chalk Lines!
- Hard To Find Reproduction Antique Hardware
- WCB Coverage – It’s a Must…Sometimes Even as a Homeowner
- Cutting a Hole In The Ceiling? How To Keep Drywall Dust Contained!
- The Secret To Buying Name Brand Power Tools Dirt Cheap!
- Roof Shingles All Over The Yard?
- WALLTITE ECO™ – The Purple Spray Foam Insulation
- Standard Wall Framing for Drywall
- Stuck For Design Ideas – Check Out “TRENDS”
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Do Not Use Pens, Felt Pens or Chalk Lines!
When you are doing your next drywall project, moulding installation, or any other project that will be visible in your home and painted… do not use any ink based marker (felt pens or ink pens) or chalk lines on any surface that will be visible on completion. These types of markers will bleed through latex primer and paint. Considering that 90% of paint used in homes today is latex, it is a safe bet you will be using latex paint as well.
Play it safe and only use pencils for marking out cut lines, holes and so on. Pencil marks will not bleed through latex paints
Roof Shingles All Over The Yard?
If you are having your existing roof replaced and tearing off the old shingles make sure you have a clause in your contract with the roofing company that specifies exactly how roof debris will be torn off and disposed of.
Under no circumstances should a roofer throw shingles directly onto your lawn or driveway without protection. As you can see in the image of nails below, roofing nails have a large head that allows them to stand up easily and this is dangerous. If a roofing contractor throws shingles directly onto your lawn, you will always worry about nails left in the grass – and there would 100’s, if not 1000’s!
The last thing you want after your new roof is completed, is to worry that you, your children, or others visiting you could step on roofing nails hidden in the grass!
Standard Wall Framing for Drywall
In a typical home standard wall heights are 96 3/4″ to 97″ depending on the moisture content of the framing material. In most construction wall framing you will have a single base plate and double top plate with 92 1/4″ pre-cut studs. As with all things in construction, there is a very good reason for these dimensions and the resulting total wall height. If you are using 1/2″ drywall you will have 1/2″ on the ceiling and 2 – 48″ wide horizontal sheets on the wall for a total of 96 1/2″. This leaves 1/4″ t0 1/2″ of space below the drywall board at the floor.
This spacing is critical and must be allowed for. On average, walls shrink in height about 1/4″ and if you do not allow for this space and fit your drywall boards tight from ceiling to floor, the pressure on the horizontal joint will likely cause unsightly problems, possibly causing plaster to crack, tape to separate and bulging, or all three problems. When properly installed, with the top board tight to the ceiling and the lower board tight to upper board the two sheets can move down with the wall framing as it shrinks – this will ensure the drywall joints remain free from pressure as the wall shrinks preventing any bulges and related problems at the joints.
See the image below for details on this required spacing:
Does Your Contractor Have Insurance?
Never let a contractor do any work on your home, property or commercial space without proof of current and valid insurance. Even a small job can result in serious accidents and damage. If your contractor is not insured, you may be left holding the bag! For example, you may think little can go wrong when hiring a fencing contractor or landscaper, but what if they back into the corner of your home with a bobcat, or dig up a gas line when digging holes for fence posts, who pays for the damage or repairs.
Keeping The Job Site Cleaned Up
Next to poor quality materials or workmanship, there is nothing more irritating and dangerous in construction than a messy job site…
How clean should a job site be? “Clean”, simple and sweet. There is no reason for any contractor to allow a site to become messy. It does not take to much extra effort to keep things tidy while you work – especially at the end of the day. No mess should ever be left when a contractor leaves the job site for the day. A messy and cluttered job site is dangerous to you, your family and friends, and anyone working on the site.
There should always be a garbage area, bin or trailer on site at all times where trades can dump garbage when they are done, especially at the end of the day. This ensures no tradesman has an excuse for not cleaning up. Even a temporary pile in the middle of a floor area is better than debris all over the floor.
I always have a cleanup clause in my contracts that requires every trade to keep their work area clean and all of their debris cleaned up and removed when they leave for the day or finish the job if it is less than a days work.
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NEW! Holmes Magazine
If there is one guy who's opinion you can trust for construction and renovation advice it is Mike Holmes from Holmes on Homes. Now you can get his advice delivered right to your door with the launch of his new magazine!
If you've been wondering where you can subscribe to his new magazine? Look no further, you can get a subscription right now for only $18.95 Cdn and save up to 52% off the newsstand price (6 issues). I got mine and am looking forward to the first issue. Visit HolmesMagazine.com to get yours today!
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58 Garage Plans - One Low Price!
If you are an serious handyman or do it yourselfer and are planning to build a garage or barn, You'll love these plans and designs for 58 garages! I stumbled on this package when looking for ideas and cheap plans. I was very impressed with what I got for the price. Check out 58GaragePlans.com for yourself, even though these plans are smaller and less detailed than regular blueprints, you won't regret buying this package - there is lots of ideas, construction details and plans for only $29.00!