2024 Update – This time it was a perfectly shaped and well-established blue spruce that took the hit. The wind knocked it to an awkward angle, and I could almost certainly pull it the rest of the way down by hand had I wanted. We had to secure this focal landscape tree to save it, and […]
Repairs
Paving an Asphalt Driveway
2024 Update – Surface tree roots and water drainage problems had been slowly killing my asphalt driveway for a number of years, but it was a convoy of construction trucks en route to the backyard that really finished it off. None of the usual asphalt repair quick-fixes could possibly help. We tried to get creative […]
Rehabbing My Crappy Fire Pit Patio
2023 Update – My fire pit paver patio area was disgusting. It didn’t start out that way, of course. But after a while, everything needs a facelift. Or a rehab. Or maybe just some TLC. The mold, moss, algae and weeds in my paver patio were out of control. Rust, rot and filth had consumed […]
To Rehab a Redwood Swing Set
2023 Update – Originally Published August, 2012 I previously wrote about maintenance tips for redwood swing sets – and in that article I mentioned I would soon be rebuilding a good part of my set with fresh manufacturer’s redwood along with some new replacement swings and accessories. I wanted to take my 11-year-old set and […]
Inspecting and Cleaning your HVAC Evaporator Coil
2023 Update: Periodic inspection and the occasional cleaning of your HVAC Evaporator Coil are critical home maintenance tasks to ensure optimal indoor air quality. No matter when you use your central A/C and heating system (for summer cooling and also winter heating), the air pushed through all the rooms of your house will flow through […]
My Wireless Waterproof Doorbell Epiphany
2022 Update: What I needed was a waterproof doorbell. All along. Repairing the classic mechanical door chime worked for me – carefully troubleshooting with each of the components: the transformer, the door chime unit and the doorbell push button. But after the repair, it was only a year or so before I had a new problem: […]
Replacing a Bathroom Faucet and Drain
It’s 6 AM. My daughter bursts into my bedroom shrieking, “The sink exploded and it’s not my fault!!” I don’t know exactly what’s going on, but I’m pretty sure this could be a bad start to the day. I run to the bathroom, and sure enough – water is literally shooting up from the bathroom faucet […]
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