Diagnosing Leaks – The Last Resort!
Attempting to figure out where a leak is coming from can often be the ultimate exercise in frustration. Whether the leak is coming from the interior, the exterior, or someplace in between, correctly figuring out where a leak is stemming from is enough to drive the most cool, calm, and collected of us entirely batty! […]
Powderpost Beetle Damage
If you have ever ventured into your basement and have noticed a number of holes in the wooden components of it, you may have come across Powderpost beetle damage. These holes typically are numerous in nature and are about the size of pencil lead or slightly larger. Any bumping (even lightly) of the affected wood […]
Help! My Door Will NOT Close…Or Will It?…
One of the more challenging items around the home that if you have been around long enough, you have surely had to navigate through at one point or another, is a door that just will not seem to close. Even more perplexing are situations where the door seems to not close and then all of […]
How To Get Up Oil Stains From Your Basement Floor
In New England, one of the things that is different about our homes in comparison to a lot of the other parts of the country is that we have basements. With the absence of a basement, many other regions have their homes built on concrete slabs. The pros and cons of having a home with […]
Do You Have Trees Growing Out Of Your Gutters?
It is not unusual for me to be walking around someone’s property with them and for us to notice something occurring that the Client was completely unaware of prior to doing so. This can range from a water stain that had gone unnoticed, to rotted wood, to a coyote living in their back shed (true […]
Scared Of The Dark?
Every year when the length of daylight hours slowly shrinks as we head toward Fall, the time of day that requires daylight to get things done naturally shrinks as well. There are some tasks though that one would normally think that you need daylight for, which may actually be more productively done in the dark. […]
Protect Your Butts!
Recently I was asked to testify in a court case that involved a bit of a messy situation between a contractor and a client. In this particular situation, the contractor that was hired to do the work was confident that they were done with the project, less a minor punch list that would take a […]
How To Get Tape ( And Other Adhesives ) Off A Wall
Many of those who know me are aware that I am a bit of an early bird. So much so that my haircut each Saturday morning typically occurs around 5am or so. Sometimes a little later, sometimes a bit earlier, but on average, 5am would be a safe bet as to where to find me […]
Can You Paint Pressure Treated Wood?
There is no shortage of old wives’ tales in the field of home improvement. As in many other aspects of life, there is guidance and methods of suggested approach regarding different aspects of enhancing your home that not only couldn’t be further from correct, but also may unintentionally cause pain in the long run when […]
How To Clean Old Paint From Paint Brushes
A good paint brush has always been a decent investment. Yes, of course you can buy what we in the industry refer to as a “throw-away” brush, but unless the project you are doing is literally a ‘one-time’ event, there certainly is value in learning to maintain this seemingly small investment. If you want to […]
