Prepare Your House For Sale

Cost Of A New Seeded Lawn

I  know it is now time to put the lawn mower away a break out the snow blowers in the Great Midwest.  I cannot help myself as I cannot believe how many people have not heard of a lawn installation process called hydro-seeding in the great state of Wisconsin.   I know we run behind the times on fashion and other new things,  but we really need to start thinking here people.  People are still using a caveman way of throwing grass seed in the air and covering it with straw,  you see it all the time here.  I know its heard to believe.  Then even using granular fertilizers that can run off and cause harm to other areas.  The really bad stuff is rolled out straw blankets.  These blankets are held together by a plastic mesh which animals can become entangled in and die.  Not to mention we are covering the earths soil with a plastic compound that will never never dissolve.   I see it here in Wisconsin all the time,  is no one concerned about our wild life and environment.

The real kicker is there is a process called hydro-seeding that is 100 times better than the straw/seed and the grass / straw process uses unsafe granular fertilizers of the past.   The hydro-seeding lawn installation process gives you a new sod quality lawn in 4 weeks and costs half the price.  Did you get that?  Sod quality like lawn in 4 weeks.  The best part no animals dying in plastic nets or old granular fertilizers in our hydro-seeding process.   I could install lawns and erosion barriers with seed and plastic netting all day and make tons of money; but I won’t.  The hydro-seeding process saves our environment and wildlife.  That’s enough reason right there.  You want more of a reason,  that even some builders don’t know?  It is more economical to hydro-seed then use the roll out plastic/straw blankets.   That’s right even builders are not aware of the advantages of hydro-seeding.  You see most of them have set up deals with landscapers who don’t use hydro-seeding machines because it would cost them to much.  You see the machines are costly at first, but really pay for themselves in the end.

Their is another very sad factor of this whole thing,  it is illegal help in our great country that is one of the causes for all this damage.  The landscape companies take advantage of these poor people by paying them very low wages and getting away with it as these people are not even suppose to be here as they are illegal.  So,  instead of buying the hydro-seeding machines, they exploit these poor people for their own huge money gains.   The landscapers using illegal help don’t want to tell the builders they work with, that hydro-seeding is better and safer as it was cost them more money.  The builders on the other hand would get a much better lawn at cheaper rate which is safe for all.   You maybe asking your self how is it cheaper?  You see the landscaper company owner still charges a premium rate for a low quality product.  So, the only one who sees the benefits is the landscape company owner.   There are many builders that just think it is the cheapest route to get their lawns and erosion barriers put in.  Builders making millions and millions and they don’t even know.  So,  without general home owner being told about hydro-seeding and all of its benefits,  how would they know?

There are some high quality builders that know about it and just automatically figure since it is new and high tech that it is expensive, but it is not at all.   The people in the southern parts of the country have been using hydro-seeding for many years already.  The builders here may have also run into high priced hydro-seeders when it first arrived here and just said it’s to expensive.  This is not the case anymore if they would just take 1 second and read a letter or take a phone call from a quality hydro-seeding company representative they would see that hydro-seeding is far better for new lawns and erosion control.   The new home owner  would be the other one to benefit highly from hydro-seeding.  Besides a hydroseeded lawn being very economical for a home owner to put in, it is also less expensive to get and keep a great looking lawn.   The straw/seed landscapers don’t want you to know,  it costs more in fertilizer and still grows 50% weeds and then you finally get 50% grass.  A straw/seed lawn takes 2 years to grow in.  hydro-seeded lawns take 4 weeks!  You do the math on materials and time spent.   It is really obvious that hydro-seeding is by far the most economical and best product.

The International Association of Hydroseeding Professionals maintains a list of professional hydro-seeders for the whole country (www.hydroseeding.org.)  It is a great source to help find out about hydro-seeding and professional,  look for the contractors that have the I.A.H.P. symbol by their company name as these are members the others are just known contractors in that area,  stick with the members.  The Wisconsin listings has members right at the top of their list of contractors.  Many contractors can have large areas that they will service,  so just call and ask. 

I really wish some people who would be interested in helping the environment would help spread the word about hydro-seeding.  If you want more info, please leave a comment or e-mail and we can talk about hydro-seeding and it’s benefits to all.  People building a house need to ask their builder if they know of a quality hydro-seeder in the area.  If they don’t just check the site above.  I don’t like to give free advertising to a site, but I feel it is a worthy cause.  I even encourage all builders to look into and just because one hydro-seeder is a little high, does not mean all are.  I have heard of hydro-seeders going as low as 6.5 cents per square foot for large builders.   Think of what you can buy for 6.5 cents.   This shows you how cost effective hydro-seeding.  Most home owners are looking at about 8-16 cents depending on what part of the country you live.

I will try to help spread the word, but I cannot do it alone.  I could use any help I could get.

Remember Always Safety First.

How to Clean Your Gutters Now

I just want to remind everyone by a repost how important gutter cleaning is.

How To Clean Your Homes Gutter System

August 28, 2007 on 4:21 am | In How To / Repair Your House | It is that time of year again and your house needs to have it’s gutters cleaned.  When I look at houses and find clogged or dirty gutters it tells me that there will be more water damage possible along the way.  The gutter system on a house is a very important way of getting the water away from your house.  Water is a large factor in most damage seen in houses.  Water damage from the roof line all the way to your foundation is directly linked to getting the water away from the house all together.  I advise clients on this all the time as it is a easy way to keep your largest investment in good shape, just by keeping your gutters clean.

Ok, Now I have told you why you must do it, lets get to the tips on how to get it done and safely.  The following items will be needed:

1. Ladder with wide steps and rubber tread on steps is preferred and obviously 
   long enough to reach your gutters.

2. A water supply hose long enough to reach the gutters.

3. Rubber gloves or small hand tool to remove large clumps of debris.

4. Rubber bottom shoes or boots to give better traction in wet conditions.

5. Extra person to help with hose and ladder placement. (Always Safety First)

The above items will have you prepared to clean your gutters.  Start at the farthest end from the down spout.  The gutters as long as they were installed correctly will pitch or slant down towards the down spout.  Flush the debris towards the down spout removing large mounds of debris as you go and throwing them on the ground for clean up later. Remember safety first, this is why you throw it on the ground. Trying to hold a hose, small removal tool and you all on top of a ladder is enough already, let alone now trying to put it all into a bag at the same time.  Inspect the gutter system for leaks or needed anchoring repairs at this time also.

Watching your down spout drain and flow will give you a indication on how full of debris your down spout itself is.  The more turns or elbows the more clogged it can become.  Now that you have reached the end of the gutter and the down spout connection hole, take your hose and put about two inches or more into the hole.  Even if the down spout is filled, the water pressure will build and force the remaining debris out.  You can use your hose almost like a plumbers snake to help with the clogs.  Turn the water pressure up also to give a larger volume of water behind clogs.  You can also do this in reverse as you can take the hose and feed it up from the ground inside the down spout if the clog is close to the bottom. 

You will want to give a verbal cue to your helper when you are going to throw down the debris,  because otherwise you might not have a helper for very long.  Safety is always the main concern when ever on ladders and using tools. The debris piles can easily be picked up by your helper or you once you are done cleaning out the gutters. 

So, there you have it.  Clean gutters!

Now,  there are attachments that have a u-shaped head on them that can be attached to a hose or even pressure washer attachments that can make the whole job faster, easier and safer.

Remember safety first.

How To Replace A Door Knob

The door knob is a very needed item in your home.  Think about it, if you did not have any?  Ok, a little humor here today.  The style is up to you.  What do you need the new door knob for?  All new remodel or just a broken handle in your house.  The style should stay the same through out the house.  It gives the look of good clean lines with all matching,  non-matching can be viewed poorly by many people.

The door knob is a standard size for the most part.  If you get into a designer knob make sure you have the correct size opening to put it in.  If you don’t you will need what is called a hole cutting saw.  Now that you have your door knob lets take the old one out. 

The following tools will be helpful.

-standard screw driver

-Philips head screw driver

-wood chisels

-hammer

The above tools may not all be needed.  There are normally two screws on each side of the handle on the inside of the door. remove these screws.  Once screws are out of the handle, it should just pull apart from each side. The striker or plunger is held in the center of the door by two screws one on the top and bottom.  These are seated well most times and need some  work to get them out.  There should  be nothing left in the holes.  Slide your new  striker or plunger in and then take the handle and slide it in from each side.  Make sure if it is locking type that the lock switch is on the inside of the room side of the door.  Tighten up the screws on the plunger now.  You can then tighten the screws on the door handle now also.

That should complete your installation of the door knob.  The only way this would not be done is if you needed to chisel the around the striker / plunger to make the new one fit.  This is normally not needed.  Which you would have seen this when you attempted to slide it in.

The tools above can be narrowed down to one cordless screw driver and a standard/Philips head bit can do the whole door knob installation.

So, there you have it.  Now step back and look at your new door knob.

Remember safety first.

How To Clean Your Homes Gutter System

It is that time of year again and your house needs to have it’s gutters cleaned.  When I look at houses and find clogged or dirty gutters it tells me that there will be more water damage possible along the way.  The gutter system on a house is a very important way of getting the water away from your house.  Water is a large factor in most damage seen in houses.  Water damage from the roof line all the way to your foundation is directly linked to getting the water away from the house all together.  I advise clients on this all the time as it is a easy way to keep your largest investment in good shape, just by keeping your gutters clean.

Ok, Now I have told you why you must do it, lets get to the tips on how to get it done and safely.  The following items will be needed:

1. Ladder with wide steps and rubber tread on steps is preferred and obviously 
   long enough to reach your gutters.

2. A water supply hose long enough to reach the gutters.

3. Rubber gloves or small hand tool to remove large clumps of debris.

4. Rubber bottom shoes or boots to give better traction in wet conditions.

5. Extra person to help with hose and ladder placement. (Always Safety First)

The above items will have you prepared to clean your gutters.  Start at the farthest end from the down spout.  The gutters as long as they were installed correctly will pitch or slant down towards the down spout.  Flush the debris towards the down spout removing large mounds of debris as you go and throwing them on the ground for clean up later. Remember safety first, this is why you throw it on the ground. Trying to hold a hose, small removal tool and you all on top of a ladder is enough already, let alone now trying to put it all into a bag at the same time.  Inspect the gutter system for leaks or needed anchoring repairs at this time also.

Watching your down spout drain and flow will give you a indication on how full of debris your down spout itself is.  The more turns or elbows the more clogged it can become.  Now that you have reached the end of the gutter and the down spout connection hole, take your hose and put about two inches or more into the hole.  Even if the down spout is filled, the water pressure will build and force the remaining debris out.  You can use your hose almost like a plumbers snake to help with the clogs.  Turn the water pressure up also to give a larger volume of water behind clogs.  You can also do this in reverse as you can take the hose and feed it up from the ground inside the down spout if the clog is close to the bottom. 

You will want to give a verbal cue to your helper when you are going to throw down the debris,  because otherwise you might not have a helper for very long.  Safety is always the main concern when ever on ladders and using tools. The debris piles can easily be picked up by your helper or you once you are done cleaning out the gutters. 

So, there you have it.  Clean gutters!

Now,  there are attachments that have a u-shaped head on them that can be attached to a hose or even pressure washer attachments that can make the whole job faster, easier and safer.      

How To Install A Bi-folding Door

How to install a Bi-fold door and tools needed.

Now, we will work with the idea that you have your doors and have measured the opening of the area you wish to place the doors in. Most doors come in standard sizes, 24″,32″,36″ and so forth. If you have a odd sized opening make sure you buy a door that states it can be changed to fit, other wise you will be making lots of trips back and forth. The old saying measure twice and cut once, stands true in all areas of home improvements and building.

Normally your will need the following tools:
-Cordless drill or corded
-Hack Saw (Most of the time the track these doors are supported by and move on are metal)
-drill bit(can be optional)
-Standard screw driver
-Phillips screw driver
-Tape Measure
-Pencil

Now, make sure the opening you want to put this door in is free from cluter and regular obstructions as these doors pull out towards and over to the side. If you already have not done so, remove the old door and all of its hardware. Now, if you are replacing a damaged Bi-folding door to begin with, here is your chance to save time. If you can find the same door the track will probably be the same, so then all you would have to do is apply the roller hardware to the top of the new doors and insert them. That would be it and your done.

For those who are not as fortunate take out your tape and measure the top of the opening. Remember measure twice and cut once. The track needs to fit the opening from side to side. You can be alittle short or have a small gap in each side as this will not hurt anything. Now, a small gap is about the thickness of a quarter or coin. Now, before you cut your track look at the mounting holes on the track. Try to make sure you have holes close to each end of the track, some times this will require a small cut made on each end to get your holes and length right. The door can sag if the track is not supported close enough to the edges.

Take the track and hold it in the opening to make sure it fits. Mark the holes in the top support of the opening. You can now take and pre-drill the holes for the mounting screws. Make sure the drill bit is smaller then the mounting screws. If you don’t have a drill bit just take your time and have someone hold the track up and put the screws in with the cordless drill or hand held screw driver. The track should be centered from front to back in the opening. Be careful as to not have the drill set to high and spin out your screws or break them. Also, make sure according to the door company or hardware as you look at and see if it has to be in the track before you screw it in.

Depending on when you have to hang the doors, place the hardware on the top of the doors at the edges or sides of each door. Once these are installed, mount the pull handle in the center of either the left or right door on the inner edge where the two doors meet. Remember, these doors pull out towards you and slide to the side on the track. Also the above is when the the two doors that make a bi-folding door are attached to each other by hinges. If not install hinges now. Most will have one hinge mounted in the center of each door on the inside. Now, if the doors need to be placed in the track at this point, get the help of another if you can and angle the door out towards you and slip the top hardware into the track.

There, you know have installed a bi-folding door.