Hardware Store | South Eastern Connecticut Landscaping

10 Mar

Real Life Stories: The Impossible Job

Author: admin // Category: Home Gardening, Tips

Every home improvement person has it. The one job that beat them into submission and made them question whether do-it-yourself was worth the time and effort. This is my story.

Many years ago, before I became the guru of home improvement that I am today, I was just some guy with a problem that needed solving, and I didn’t have the money to have it replaced professionally. We didn’t have much snow that winter, but the temperatures were so cold that things were going wrong everywhere.

Pipes were breaking, pipes were freezing and just about every weather-related problem you could imagine was happening… to everyone else. I was lucky to have gone relatively unscathed through the majority of the winter.

At the time, I was living in the country, and the water was provided by an underground aquifer and pumped to the surface via a rather sizeable water pump. The pump sat in a concrete pump pit about 10 or 15 feet into the ground.

One day, the water just stopped flowing. There was nothing coming out of the faucets or toilets. My first thought was that somewhere the pipes froze, but after inspecting all the pipes and finding nothing wrong, I thought about the water pump. I climbed down the pit and found the pump had frozen.

I grabbed a heater and extension cord and prayed that I could warm it up and get it working again. I left the heater down there for several hours and went back, but the pump still didn’t work. I had the money for a new pump, but I didn’t want to pay for labor.

I was single with a crappy job and had barely enough to pay the rent and utilities every month. Buying the pump meant about two weeks of macaroni and cheese dinners, anyway. I went to the hardware store and asked about a pump and how a person installs it. They were helpful and encouraging, but it required wiring to the electrical box and all kids of things that I didn’t know how to do. Of course, that didn’t stop me.

It was rough taking out the old pump by myself. I was able to get everything wired, but my hands were freezing, and it was heavy. I was able to set up a pulley to get it out, but it was rough, and I thought my hands were going to freeze off. I had to take my gloves off to work the wiring and the pump leaked water, so I was wet and freezing.

With the old pump out, I placed the new pump into the pit. It took hours for me to get the pump set up in the right spot. I should have had about two or three people helping me out, but I didn’t even think about it. Snow was falling into the pit, and there was not a part of me that was not frozen and in pain from the cold.

Hooking up the pump to the pipes was simple, but working the wiring wasn’t. My hands were numb and didn’t want to work, and I didn’t understand the electrical diagram. I had to go to and from the hardware store to buy different things, and nothing ever worked. Meanwhile, there was no flowing water in my home, and it was getting colder as the day went on.

Finally, I gave up. I was freezing and sure that I had some low-grade frostbite. I went into my home and called a plumber. The next day, he came out and had the pump running in a few hours and went through to make sure none of the water that had been sitting in my pipes had frozen.

I learned a lot that day. I learned that you should never be cocky about chores you are not sure how to do, and you always need to be willing to ask for help. It was a major hit to my ego, and I called into question my skills at home repair, but I didn’t let it get me down for long. There will always be that one job that was a complete disaster. Today, I can recall this and laugh at how stupid the young me was, but I can tell you that if I should ever find myself in the same situation again, I wouldn’t need the plumber.

Image Source: flickr.com/photos/chop1n/4182196753

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28 Feb

Homemade Childproofing: Adapting to a Growing Child

Author: admin // Category: Home Gardening, Tips

Many people think that childproofing a home means just putting locks on the cabinets and putting a little foam on table corners. As the children grow, the standard treatments don’t always work, and it may require a little home remodeling.

As children grow, they start getting stronger and smarter, to the point where they can either unlatch the locks or simply rip them from the cabinets. It’s then that you have to come up with alternative means to keep them out, and that may mean a trip the hardware store.

Padlocks: Plastic locks on cabinets just weren’t working any more. My children were able to pull on them hard enough to loosen it and get inside the cabinets. It’s not that big of a deal if they get into the pantry for some cookies, but if they get into the cleaning supplies of silverware drawer, then it can be serious. I went to the local hardware store and purchased a large metal lock that can only be opened with a combination and placed it on both the silverware and cleaning drawer. It’s a bit more of a hassle for us, but it’s worth it if I don’t have to rush to the emergency room.

Super glue: Our refrigerator has been the target of heinous crimes by our children. We have lost gallons of milk and dozens of eggs, and we finally got around to putting on a fridge lock. It was fine for a while, but the adhesive wasn’t the greatest, and my children ripped it off. Yeah, I know. I have superhuman children. They get it from their dad. I bought some superglue and glued them to the fridge. They aren’t going anywhere. Ever. Make sure to stay near the locks until they are completely dry, so children don’t get their fingers in the glue.

Homemade coverings: There are several plug-ins at our house that we don’t use. We simply don’t have that many electronics, so we have lots of those plastic plug-in covers. My middle child now has the ability to pull out the plastic plugs, and I have had to resort to homemade covers. It’s a rather simple contraption of small pieces of wood that I have nailed together that completely covered the entire socket. I then screwed the entire apparatus to the wall. It’s not the prettiest site, but I don’t have to worry about my children being electrocuted.

When it comes to children, safety is one of the most important duties of being a parent. They are natural explorers, and when the store-bought locks aren’t working, then it’s time to get creative. Do whatever it takes to make sure your children stay out of trouble. Please share some of the ways you have adapted childproofing techniques.

Image Source: flickr.com/photos/exalthim/2398118452

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03 Feb

Dealing With Cabin Fever: Scratching the Fix-It Itch

Author: admin // Category: Home Gardening, Tips

The one thing about a blizzard that really annoys me isn’t the 20 inches of snow that fell and that I had to shovel out, or even the worry about the electricity going off. Rather, it’s the idea of being stuck at home for days at a time.

Many people, especially those in rural areas, are still surrounded by a 15-mile field of impenetrable snow that will take a few days of plowing to get through. When you mix that with the hours of children’s programming that you’ll be forced to watch since the kids are home from school, the result is a wicked case of cabin fever.

Suddenly, the walls are closing in on you, and you need something to do to pass the time away. Your mind immediately fixates on what you can do around the house. There are plenty of projects around the house, but you have no way of getting to the hardware store for the proper tools and accessories. It’s frustrating.

So what do you do? You may not be able to paint the living room or tile the bathroom, but there are plenty of things to do if you just look hard enough:

1. House work: What?! Mr. Fix-it doing housework? Preposterous. It’s time to get off your high horse and help get the house in ship shape again. Two to three days without leaving means that laundry and dishes will pile up, and your significant other will appreciate the help. If you organize the kids’ toy room or scrub down that bathroom sink, then you will be surprised at how fast time flies when you’re having… fun. OK, so it’s not really fun, but it will pass the time.

2. Little repairs: Is there some molding in the kitchen that’s a little loose? Is the door to the basement squeaky when opened? There are tons of little repairs that can be done around the house that don’t require special tools or accessories to complete. A can of WD-40 and a hammer can fix a multitude of little problems that have been on your mind for months. Now, you finally have the time to get it done.

3. Helping out neighbors: Odds are that you are not the only one stranded, and if you have any nearby neighbors, then you can brave the weather to see if they’re OK and if they need anything. You may have stocked up for the blizzard, but your neighbors may need food or water. Their pipes could have frozen or busted. Their furnace could have broke down. Make sure to be safe, and don’t try walking through 15 inches of snow to check on your neighbor a mile away unless you have a snowmobile or other conveyance.

There are plenty of things to do when stuck in the house during a natural disaster. The good news is that after a day or two, things should be back to normal.

Image Source:flickr.com/photos/christmaswithak/3123036265

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07 Jan

Mr. Fix It: Finding the Right Tool for the Job

Author: admin // Category: Home Gardening, Tips

Being a mostly self-taught do-it-yourselfer, I discovered early that if you want things done right, then you need to have the right tool for the job.

It’s easy to forget that when you are desperately trying to get a job done and you don’t have the one size wrench or screwdriver you need, it can be a real pain.

So what do you do? If you were anything like me, then you improvised, usually to disastrous results. Let me tell you about a few instances when I didn’t have the right tool for the job and the consequences of improvising.

1. Children’s Toy: It seems like nowadays, if you want to construct a children’s toy such as a bicycle, then you need to have an engineering degree, which is funny since I studied physics and still can’t get this stuff together. Many times, these kits come with some cheaply built wrenches or other tools to help you build, but no such luck this time.

I needed a wrench or, at the very least, a crescent wrench, and I had them, but they were downstairs in the garage and I wasn’t feeling the walk. I surveyed the room like MacGyver, trying to ascertain what piece of mundane equipment I could use for a wrench. My wife has been into beading, and she had purchased a dainty pair of pliers to help grab the beads. I saw my opportunity and took it. The consequence was a rounded nut that wouldn’t turn even when I went downstairs and got the right wrench.

It then required a trip to the hardware store to buy a new nut (I didn’t have that size) and to buy a tool that could turn the stripped nut. Yeah, me.

2. A hammer by any other name. A hammer by definition is basically a tool to hit something. It has a few handy dandy points like the nail puller, but it’s main purpose is to hit something. We had some molding that had come loose, thanks to the added motivation of our children, and come off. There were some nails sticking out of the bare wood. I certainly did not want my kids getting hurt on it, so I decided to nail them in just to be safe.

Of course, it was about 8 p.m., and I was tired. The last thing I wanted to do was go all the way to the garage just to grab a hammer. I mean, anything can really be a hammer right? Wrong. Once again, I surveyed the room and found a heavy ceramic (what my mother would call a “pretty”), and I would call it a substitute hammer. It’s heavy, and I was sure it could take down one of those little nails.

I grabbed it and lightly tapped the nail and nothing really happened. I guess I needed a little more force. Needless to say, the “pretty” broke into about four pieces and wasn’t so pretty anymore. Add to the fact that my wife did not know I was using her “pretty” as a hammer meant I had a lot of explaining to do. The biggest consequence was 24 hours of being in the doghouse.

My advice to all you do-it-yourselfers out there is not to cut corners and to grab the right tool for the job when it needs it. Believe me, it will save you time in the end.

Image Source: flickr.com.com/photos/juniorvelo/3606555008/

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17 Jan

What’s In Your Crawlspace?

Author: admin // Category: Tips

crawlspace

Most of today’s homes have crawl spaces, but few of us ever venture up there. No one really likes to think of crawling up into that tight space, but there may be a few reasons to consider it. It is important to schedule an annual checkup for your crawlspace, since this can help you spot potential signs of trouble and get them stopped before they become larger issues. Let’s take a look at how to inspect your crawlspace for a very common problem and how to fight it.

If you live in a humid area, or your area gets a lot of rain, you may notice a mildew smell in the house that you can’t get rid of. Chances are, your crawlspaces have become damp and the mildew is forming up there. It is important to get rid of this problem as quickly as possible, since mold could also be forming inside that crawlspace. Take this opportunity to check your crawlspace and see what is going on up there.

Once you’ve determined that your crawlspace is indeed a bit damp, there are a few things that you will need to do. First, it is important to ventilate the area. Most crawlspaces are closed up all year round and little air can circulate through there. This creates the ideal breeding ground for mold and mildew spores. If your home does not have a vent, you will need to install one.

You can find appropriate vents at your local hardware store, and the process of installing them is quite easy. Locate a spot on an exterior wall and cut a hole through to the outside. Place the vent in, and properly secure it. You now have a way to get rid of that moisture buildup!

This will help, but you may also need to see what is causing dampness in your crawlspace. If the mildew is not severe, it may just be the side effect of living in a moist climate. If it is severe, chances are you may have a leak. You will need to inspect all the walls inside that crawlspace and look for any leaks that may be occurring. If you do find a leak, repair it immediately. Overtime, this can lead to serious water damage on your ceilings and walls.

Lastly, it is a very good idea to completely clean out your crawlspace. If you are storing excess insulation or even household items up there, remove them and find a new storage space. Insulation is a particularly nasty culprit when it comes to mildew and can be the source of a lot of mildew odor problems. If your crawlspace is permanently smelly, get fiberglass insulation that has a vapor barrier. Install this throughout the crawlspace, with the vapor barrier facing the top of the crawlspace. This will help keep the odors inside the space instead of in your home. This is a great solution if the damage has already been done and you need to get rid of the smell of mildew in your home.

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