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Installing a Tile Landing (& Raising a Door Sill) :: Adding a Tile Landing to a Carpeted Room

Remodeling

When working in older homes, you must be conscious of the build up of flooring. As the years pass, it seems, we (in the general sense of collective humanity) always opt to...

by jb bartkowiak

How to Replace a Pre-Hung Door: A Door Layout Fix

Remodeling

This procedure requires the installation of what is known as a Dutchman. (See the section Moxie Mouth in the right side bar for a definition.) A Dutchman can be patched in and...

by jb bartkowiak

How to Texture a Ceiling :: One Example, an Essay

Remodeling

We were not that familiar with textured surfaces. There was a heavy textured swirl on the some the ceilings of our last house; in our current house, we had a stipple in...

by jb bartkowiak

Flipping the Hinges and Lockset on a Pre-Hung Door: A Door Layout Fix

Make-Maintain-Fix

In a nutshell, Dave has a situation in the hallway leading from his foyer to his kitchen. The basement door and the door on the powder room, immediately opposing each other, both...

by jb bartkowiak

Tub/Shower Faucet Repair (Follow Up): Stop and Waste Valves

Make-Maintain-Fix

When shut off values are equipped with a waste outlet, you can open these little grooved nuts and drain uphill water at a safe location in the basement, usually into bucket ....

by jb bartkowiak

Dripping Tub Shower Faucet :: Tub/Shower Faucet Stem Repair Procedure (3-handle faucet)

Make-Maintain-Fix

Shower/tub faucets, those that service both a tub and a shower head, come in 1-, 2- or 3-handle configurations. Of all of them, the 3-handle configuration is probably the most common, and...

by jb bartkowiak

A Door Layout Fix :: The Situation and Options

Make-Maintain-Fix

Dave and his family live in what is called an "Executive Line" home. All major production builders (as opposed to "custom builders), it seems, build in this line. And like most in...

by jb bartkowiak

A Bi-Fold Door Fix. Installing a Bi-fold Door Repair Bracket

Make-Maintain-Fix

... I never lost my cool at any point during this install. I will tell you that trying to retract flushed plastic sleeves from a bi-fold door is not necessarily an easy...

by jb bartkowiak

BiFold Closet Door Fix: Adjusting a BiFold Closet Door After a Carpet Installation

Make-Maintain-Fix

A few other points of note: These doors brushed at the bottom even with the Berber in place AND they were tight at the header; they were hollow-core and they were big...

by jb bartkowiak

Split Unit Inside Wall Condensate Lines Unfinished

Building a Chase for Ductless Split System Air Conditioner Lines

Remodeling

Ductless Mini-Splits are especially easy to install on an outside wall. That said, the indoor unit of these systems can set up to 25 feet from the exterior compressor. Consequently, ductless air...

by jb bartkowiak

The 15 Minute DIY Home Inspection :: A DIY Home Inspection Checklist for REO Properties & Fixer Uppers

Homeownership

With the housing market as it is, some us may have opportunity and/or desire to take a look a foreclosure or a short sale. Unfortunately these kinds of sales are often "as...

by jb bartkowiak