home improvement guy

What's involved in maintaining the cedar shakes that cover my home's exterior?

If you want your cedar to live up to its reputation for longevity and decay resistance, make sure it's treated or stained properly and checked periodically.

Left untreated, cedar shakes - individual planks of one of several varieties of cedar - will discolor and begin to soften, with a possibility of rot after about five years, depending on your climate. ...

Plumbing has always been one of the most frequently house problems. Naturally, if the sink is stopped up or the commode's kaput, you want it fixed, and fast.

That's why I advise homeowners to establish - before an emergency - a connection with a highly rated local plumber.

I also urge you to find your home's main water shutoff valve (it's usually near the water meter, by the way).

Quickly turning off water to your home could ...

October is Fire Prevention Month. To reduce the number of calls for electrical fires, here are tips from Leviton, manufacturer of electrical devices and lighting controls (dimmers, switches):

Extension cords are intended only for temporary use. Each year 3,330 residential fires originate near extension cords, the Electrical Safety Foundation International says, often because homeowners are using them incorrectly.

The average light fixture ...

If you or someone you know is planning work on a pre-1978 home, please make time to take precautions against the possibility of lead poisoning.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that about 500,000 U.S children ages 1 to 5 have elevated lead levels in their blood. Lead paint, estimated to exist in 40 percent of the U.S. housing stock, is considered the most hazardous source of lead for U.S. children, along with lead-contaminated ...

Condensation appears as a light coating of water, frost or ice. Unless the condensation is between the window panes, humidity inside the home is the cause.

Humid air holds water vapor until it contacts a surface whose temperature is less than or equal to the dew point. When this happens, the water vapor turns to liquid.

Because the interior surface of your windows is typically the coldest part of your home, condensation forms there first. ...

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 1 in 5 Americans has some kind of disability.

The cost to add an outdoor ramp and railing will depend on a variety of factors, but it can start at around $500. If space is too limited for a concrete or wooden ramp, another option would be a vertical platform that lifts and lowers. These cost from $6,000 to $10,000.

Service providers who can help you with this kind of work include handymen, carpenters ...