diy

I’m a big fan of 3M’s Command adhesive strips. If you’ve never used them, they’re great. They stick like crazy, but release without damage when you stretch them out by pulling the little release tab on the end.

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One of my projects for holiday break has been to fix the under-cabinet lighting in our kitchen. We have a series of fluorescent fixtures that use the skinny little T5 bulbs. Some have started flickering and flashing, while others just won’t turn on.

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Not long ago, a burned out bulb was the bane of the Christmas decorator’s existence. While a single bad bulb can’t take out an entire string of modern Christmas lights, there are still things that can go wrong with your lights.

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Have you ever considered making your own laundry detergent? If so, then you’ve come to the right place… What follows is a quick rundown of how to make your own powdered or liquid laundry detergent and save a bunch of money.

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How to Seal Brick and Mortar

by michael on August 22, 2010 · 6 comments

After moving into our first house, which had an all brick exterior, I was surprised to learn that wind-driven rain can lead to water intrusion through a brick wall. While proper flashing and weep holes should keep this from creating problems, those details are rarely done right.

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How to Find Your Septic Tank

by michael on April 20, 2010 · 0 comments

We’re having some landscaping done this spring, so we decided that now would be a good time to have our septic tank pumped out. We’ve been in the house for just under four years, and we’re not sure whether or not the previous residents ever had it done so we’re probably overdue.

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As a quick followup to my previous article about making your hot water last longer, I wanted to share some interesting numbers related to water heater safety that I found in the owner’s manual that came with our new water heater…

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How to Make Your Hot Water Last Longer

by michael on February 21, 2010 · 1 comment

Perhaps this should be filed under “Duh!” but… I finally got around to going under the house and adjusting the thermostat on our new water heater. We’ve been noticing that our hot water isn’t lasting nearly as long as it did with our old water heater even though it has the same sized tank.

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