Comments on: DIY Home Repairs: Do It Safely, Do It Right

By: kisses

kisses — Thu, 27 May 2010 19:16:30 +0000

Home Depot has lots of books that are easy to follow. It's a lot of work, but it's not brain surgery. I build fences & decks for a living, and re-mod kitchens and bathrooms. If you are a do it yourself-er, then you can do it. Otherwise, most deck builders charge by the square foot, and where I live, the price ranges from $15 -$20 per s/f. Railings are $17 per foot, and stairs are really expensive. Figure out your s/f that you want to build, and then do the math.
I built my deck. The materials cost $1300 and it took me two weekends to build. Had I charged someone to build my deck, I would have charged over $10,000

By: zole

zole — Thu, 27 May 2010 02:03:23 +0000

If you're going to be drilling concrete, you need a hammer drill. Most hammer drills can turn the hammer feature off, and most of the non-SDS drills have torque clutches as well.

Professional Grade keyless chucks are very good, but, you have to get the 1-hand operation models (1 sleeve). They usually wratched closed and hold very tightly.

Most good drill bits will have flats ground into their sides so slippage shouldn't be a problem.

Brand name comes down to two things: grade (professional or hobbyist) and price (bargain bin or top of the line). Generally, you get what you pay for.

Some trusted professional brand names are DeWalt, Makita, Milwaukee, Ridgid, Hilti, and Bosch. Even some of those companies make hobbyist grade tools (yes, I'm looking at you DeWalt with your cheap-ass 12v toy-drill) so remember: you get what you pay for.

A good, general purpose hammer drill in a professional grade from a good brand name will cost you around $150-300 bucks. Honestly, I wouldn't go that way though. I'd get two drills. I'd get the hammer drill for masonry and big drilling (hole saws, big spades, auger bits, large step bits) and a smaller drill for everything else.

By: azphriend

azphriend — Wed, 26 May 2010 22:17:17 +0000

You can go ahead and pull a permit, and you really don't need to be dishonest about the timing- just don't mention it.
Go to your local permit office and apply for the permit. Once you get the permit, just wait a couple days to call in the inspection.
The important thing is to make whatever corrections the inspector recommends, and don't be too dissapointed if it fails inspection the first time. Most inspectors are willing to explain to homeowners what they need to do to make corrections.

By: john

john — Wed, 26 May 2010 06:04:24 +0000

You can learn a lot from us and watching the DIY shows and books, but nothing beats hands on learning. One project will teach you stuff that will tie into another. Take every thing w/ a grain of salt because there are never 2 projects exactly alike and you ll have to be flexible on all projects. GL

By: great southern trendkiller

great southern trendkiller — Tue, 25 May 2010 11:10:02 +0000

diy.net

By: Me-She

Me-She — Tue, 25 May 2010 09:02:36 +0000

Two important points: 1) These residents are getting ripped off unless their taxes have been reduced. This is a public works job in any part of the rest of the country. 2) If you can see down to the underlaying stone (about 4"), the sidewalk should be torn up and replaced with new concrete.

That said, there are several products that can be used to repair damaged concrete. Depending on the depth of damage, either the first or third product on the link here will do the job.
http://bonsalamerican.com/sakreteproducts_view.html?id=16rdW6rO8po%3D
This is by far the cheapest way to repair broken concrete. If you want more info on how to mix and finish the repair, please contact me directly for further instructions and I can provide detailed directions to make your job simpler. A 10' X10' area that is not too badly damaged could cost less than $100 to fix including any tools and should take less than 3 hours.

Good Luck!

By: brovin10

brovin10 — Tue, 25 May 2010 03:24:22 +0000

Good Garden Videos! See ny indoor video tips!

By: midwestmushroomcloud

midwestmushroomcloud — Tue, 25 May 2010 03:08:04 +0000

good advice you might know your stuff. dont waste water!

By: culley230

culley230 — Mon, 24 May 2010 22:07:06 +0000

Check the timer. I dont think You can fix this yourself unless you want to take a risk.

By: I-C-U

I-C-U — Mon, 24 May 2010 20:52:49 +0000

http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/knowhow/handbook