Easy Home Improvement » easy home improvement

Extremely Cheap and Easy Ways to install Solar Screens?

admin — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 10:00:13 +0000

I have huge windows that allow enormous amounts of sunlight in. And it gets hot as all can be in here. Contact paper is out of the question. The mess to take off in the winter would be crazy due to wanting the sunlight in the winter. I found rolls of solar screen 48" x 25 ft. at Home depot online, for $78. Now, that’s just the roll, and I’m not paying $200-$300 per window (which is 48" X 80") for a custom made screen. Do you think I could simple use double sided tape to hold them up against the windows for the summer. I only want to cover 2 windows. And the whole entire window won’t be covered, just the middle. I have two small windows on the side that I want to be able to open. The curtains I have will be enough to cover those. I’m not too worried about looks. Just an extremely cheap and effective way to prevent this insane heat. I am home improvement illiterate! Sorry and THANKS!!!!
My windows are very small, so I have to use very small air conditioners, 5000 b.t.u. I know those are large windows but the parts that actually open are very small. It is an old home and the other windows are just as small. I do plan on installing 2 more in the house since it is all open, even the upstairs to the downstairs, I would like to take care of the excess heat coming in first. So hanging with double sided tape would work you are saying, correct?

you have a very good idea also look into thermal sided drapes. keeping the sun out is the main objective. ceiling fans and air conditioners with very high btu’s help also, good luck.

Was he Flirting or What?….Easy 10 pts?

admin — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 09:21:11 +0000

i am a cashier in a home improvement store….

So one day there was this guy whom came to my cash register im like "Hey, Did U find Everything OK"

He says " Hmmm,, I don’t know, Did U find everything OK?"

LOL…. do u think he was flirting??

(he’s been the store more than a few times)

Or maybe just a little creepy.?? I remember one time I was walking to my car & he was in his car & started waving & smiling.

Does he wear a wedding ring?

He is probably flirting, but just the same, Pay Attention.

He smiled and waved from his vehicle. That was it?

Probably flirting, again Pay Attention

Can anyone tell me how to get a government grant?

admin — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 00:02:13 +0000

I am looking for a grant for home improvement and one for education. I have found the government web site but I don’t understand how to use it. Can anyone make this easier?

Schools are the best place to get grant information for education. Not sure about grants to fix your house. I would think that you would need to have special needs or the house itself is special before you would qualify.

should i quit my full time job to be a car salesman?

admin — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 14:19:52 +0000

Im 19 and currently working at a telemarketing place for home improvement remodeling (http://www.homeimprovementking.com)
i set appointments for free in home estimates and make 13 an hour and $80 each sale
my goal is to make a better salary and buy a house here in california within 4-5 years.
Should i quit my job to be a car salesman?
Also how easy is it to get a job as a car salesman and how should i apply for the position?

If you know another route i should go please let me know.

First off anyone who thinks the car business if bad obviously never worked in it. they are stories heard from somewhere and because of that give us car salesman a bad rep. I’m 20 years old living in Texas and have been selling car for 2 1/2 years and couldn’t be happier. i make over $60,000 a year. no its not hard to apply you just want to have to sell cars bad enough. the hours are a little rough so if you have kids think twice. if your single go for it. it is not as cutthroat as people say it just depends on where you work. our sales team has been together for over two years and have alot of respect for each other. and a car sale should be no more than two hours. if i takes 4- 6 hours he is probably not doing enough fact finding with the customer or putting them on the wrong vehicle which slows you down alot. try it out you’ll know if its right for you.

Electrician New York City NY Easy Does It Electrical Services

admin — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 16:17:11 +0000

Electrician New York City NY Residential Commercial Electrical Upgrades Electricians Violations Removed Re Wire Installation Remodel Repairs Landscape Incandescent Lighting Recessed Track Fixtures Chandeliers Installed Surveillance Wiring Company Circuit Breaker Fuses http://www.easydoesitelectric.com (646) 436-4475 Serving all of New York City with over 15 years experience in the electrical and home improvement industry, Easy Does It Electrical Services offers quality work at the lowest prices on all phases of electrical and home improvement work. We offer all electrical services including rewiring, repairs and remodeling for residential, industrial, and commercial customers.

Easy Does It Electrical Services is one of the only electrical companies in New York to provide plastering holes made by our electricians. (Please Call for Pricing and Details on this Service.)

We take pride in our quality services and we warranty all our labor for five years!

24-Hour Emergency Service! Call us now for a free estimate!! We will schedule our work at your convenience.

With our radio dispatch equipment, our friendly uniformed technicians will arrive at your door within one hour.

Don’t forget to ask about our Senior Citizen, Contractor, and New Homeowner Discounts!

The name you can trust!

Duration : 0:0:36

Technorati Tags: Breaker, chandeliers, Circuit, City, Commercial, Company, electrical, electrician, electricians, fixtures, fuses, Incandescent, installation, Installed, landscape, lighting, New, NY, Re, recessed, Remodel, Removed, Repairs., residential, Surveillance, Track, Upgrades, Violations, Wire, wiring, York

How to stain pine wood without stripping it?

admin — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 04:15:01 +0000

I have a room in my house that is all pine (ceiling and all) I believe it was stained years ago, but with a light color. I’m putting a new floor in and I would like to stain the room slightly darker. Do I need to strip it first? or is there a product out, I can use to go over it to make it darker? ( I want it to be easy):) I know nothing is ever easy! Suggestions would be great. Trying to do some home improvements with the least amount of money. Thanks

Yes, Min-Wax makes a product called "PolyShades" that I use on circumstances like this regulary. The trick to a successful application is to know what to include, and how to apply it as it’ll be splotchy and look like hell if you don’t.

Using this straight from the can will drive you crazy when using a brush as each stroke that comes in contact with the one before it will grab and be considerably darker then the one before. . . that’s the definition of splotchy. If you are going to brush this you need to use a good china bristle brush and add "Penetrol" to the Polyshades to eliminate the lift and drag of this product; the Penetrol will help not only keep a wet edge, but it will promote adhesion if there’s a urethane or other clear finish. Another resource, if you get what’s know as fish eye (a what appears to be a water drops marks in the product during or after application) is fish eye eliminator. Apply a test area without the fish eye remover to see if it is going to be an issue before adding it to the stain. The Penetrol is a must. I’m not certain of the pines current condition but I sand the wood finish with #320 paper, vacuum and then tack cloth before applying the stain; you can use what’s called "No-Sand" or "Liquid SandPaper", but there’s a time application parameter in using these, and really nothing beats actual sanding. In 9 out of 10 applications I’ll spray this job as it provides the best finish.

Now, all this being said, I’m going to tell you that this is a tough job that requires a professional or professional ability to achieve an architectural grade finish with. I’ll help you with it if you feel you want to give it a shot, but, there are other more DIY friendly ways to achieve good aesthetics with this room if you’re willing to consider a solid type stain that willbe more like traditional painting for you. Kick it around and let me know. You can reach me here, or through my website which one of the internet addresses will appear at the bottom of my signature block below.

Wood ceilings & walls are common and a matter of design and taste. . . you see it alot in the Midwest, West and states like Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia and particularly in rustic and log cabin construction.

Mike Lonergan
TradesProfessional, Inc.
http://tradesprofessional.us

DIY Framed Art: easy & inexpensive

admin — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 22:42:19 +0000

For an inexpensive way to get fabulous and vibrant artwork that will really pop for your home, please watch this video!

Here is a list of websites that are full of inspiring prints! Locally, you can make a trip to Michael’s craft store to find decorative paper. Fabric is another creative and inexpensive way to frame art. This is a simple way to incorporate the colors you want into your décor without hunting for the perfect piece and paying a pretty penny. Decorative paper or fabric is the easiest approach for adding unexpected prints & patterns to liven up your home! This idea would be fun for a child’s room, office, dorm room or any other room in the home!

http://www.lcipaper.com/japanese-paper.html
http://www.paper-source.com/cgi-bin/paper/paper/index.html
http://www.paperstudio.com/catalog2.php?maincat=%20Decorative%20Paper

Please leave me a message if you have any questions, I will be happy to help!

Duration : 0:8:31

Technorati Tags: art project, cheap art, craft idea, craft ideas, craft project, crafts, decor ideas, decorative paper, diy art work, diy artwork, diy home improvement, diy home project, diy picture frame, easy craft idea, framing picture, home craft, home decor, home decorating, how to, inexpensive art, inexpensive art work, inexpensive artwork, interior design, Martha Stewart, picture collage, picture frame, scrapbook, scrapbooking

Do most ceiling fans have a ballast that can be replaced at a home improvement store?

admin — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 00:17:33 +0000

In my home I have an Ellington ceiling fan with uplights and downlights. The fan continues to work along with the uplights, but a few weeks ago 2 of the 4 bulbs in the downlights stopped working. I finally made an attempt to change out the bulbs with new ones, but was surprised when neither of the new bulbs lit. Just a day or two ago the third light went out. I’ve noticed each bulb’s filaments have a glow once the light switch is on, but they just won’t light up completely. My best guess is the ballast is going bad, but I wasn’t sure if there is one in a ceiling fan. If so are they pretty much standard across all ceiling fans and easy to replace?

As mentioned earlier if it is not florescent it will not contain a ballast. If the lights glow but never fully illuminate then maybe your not getting a full 110 volts required. A multimeter will tell you if this is the case.

Home Improvement & Repair Tips : How to Choose a Paint Stripper

admin — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 03:10:00 +0000

Paint strippers are used to remove old paint from surfaces in order to apply new paint. Choose a good paint stripper to make it an easy process with tips from a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) certified home repairman in this free video on home repair.

Expert: James Drew
Contact: www.jnchomerepair.com
Bio: James Drew is the owner and president of JNC Home Repair in Austin, TX. Drew is also an HVAC certified tech with more than two decades experience in plumbing, masonry, and carpentry.
Filmmaker: Todd Green

Duration : 0:1:28

Technorati Tags: diy, home improvement, home repair, maintenance, painting

How do I prevent ice dams on our roof?

admin — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 09:53:40 +0000

I know that clearing the snow off is the easiest way to prevent them. I’m trying to think of home-improvement type things that will prevent them from forming as well. For example, I’m thinking that making sure there is enough insulation in the attic, especially near the soffet (sp?) and upgrading our windows to energy star ones might help. Anyone have experience with this? Thanks!

Be careful adding insulation near the soffit, you don’t want to cover up any soffit vents.

The key is insulation AND ventilation. Ice dams usually occur because heat escapes your home up through the attic, warming the underside of the roof deck. This melts the snow and the water runs down the roof. When the water reaches the eaves of your roof, which are outside of your walls and have no heat under them, the water freezes. This happens continually, building up the ice dam. Ideally you want the underside of your roof deck to be as close to the outside temperature as possible. A good bed of insulation on the floor of the attic along with a vapor barrier is a good start. Then you need a balanced ventilation system. you want intake at the eaves and exhaust at the ridge. There are websites with calculators to help you figure out how much you need. If you need a warm attic and your insulation needs to go in the Rafters, make sure to use foam spacers to prevent the insulation from closing off the air channel near the soffits. In the winter months you’ll most likely be able to get a great deal from a roofing contractor to do the work.

Insulate, and Ventilate and your good to go.