How-To Handyman Home Repair

Plumbing – Soldering Copper Pipes

Chuck 708-574-8052 — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 12:42:18 +0000

Mark Donovan of HomeAdditionPlus.com demonstrates the process of soldering copper pipes for small home plumbing projects.

Plumbing Training – Sweating Pipes The Right Way

Chuck 708-574-8052 — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 12:41:24 +0000

Big Tony The Plumber show you the proper way to sweat copper pipes. Big Tony will actually answer Any questions you may have regarding plumbing. Visit the website for more free instructional DIY videos.

How To Balance a Ceiling Fan

Chuck 708-574-8052 — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 19:19:45 +0000

How To Balance a Ceiling Fan

A wobbly ceiling fan can be annoying and even potentially dangerous. Follow Brent Holland of Build.com as he shows you the step-by-step process to repairing and balancing your ceiling fan.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4N6sfStszVo

Installing Drywall in Your Garage

Chuck 708-574-8052 — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 00:53:38 +0000

Here’s two videos on installing drywall in your garage.

Get tips on hanging drywall in this free DIY garage remodel video. One thing that I would add is that you can purchase a countersink drill bit attachment just for drywall that will fit any drill so that all your screws sink below the surface just enough to allow the mud to cover them over. Drilling on an angle should be avoided.

Expert: teacher
Bio: Jon holds a Bachelors of Science in Education and Human Sciences degree, with an endorsement in Industrial Technology Education from the University of Nebraska in Lincoln.
Filmmaker: Jon Olson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrNoWwtN7G8

Installing Drywall in Your Garage : Drywall Installation Techniques

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuwXJbnkf30

Top 10 Home Repair Tips

Chuck 708-574-8052 — Wed, 25 May 2011 02:28:26 +0000

Your house could blow up. Okay, I’ve got your attention, and I’ll explain the exploding house thing in a moment. We like to present good how-to handyman home repair tips here that show you how to actually perform the work yourself. Today we’re watching a video that’s slightly different. Many of you may feel overwhelmed as you try to prioritize your list of home repair tasks. The video below was made by the nice people at Coldwell Banker, and I guarantee that you and every Chicago handyman will find it helpful.

This is an interview-style video. It features a perky young woman with impressively big hair interviewing the much older “John,” who is identified as a “housing guru,” and sports a snappy plaid short sleeved shirt. This is all on the up and up, mind you, and they jump right in to a Top Ten countdown of the best home repair tips for you do-it-yourself handypersons.

Here’s a rundow of John’s Top Ten, but I’ll leave it to you to get the details from the video below. The list covers these items: (10) the location of your furnace filter; (9) outdoor caulking; (8) indoor caulking; (7) how to fix a leaky faucet; (6) the basics of unstopping a clogged drain; (5) your electrical panel; (4) fix a squeaky door hinge; (3) the location of your water shut off valve; (2) how drainage works around your foundation; (1) keep your house from exploding.

That’s right. Keep your house from exploding. I hate when that happens, don’t you? To find out how to prevent your house from blowing up, watch this stimulating video now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvG8Vxe21Xc

Learn How To Replace A Cracked Floor Tile

Chuck 708-574-8052 — Tue, 24 May 2011 00:44:39 +0000

The video here will show you how to replace a cracked floor tile all by yourself. A cracked tile is not only unsightly, it could even be dangerous. A guest could trip on that cracked tile, and then they could sue you for everything you own (including all of your good tile). There is also the fact that cracked tiles, if left unrepaired, will lower the value of your precious home. Let’s try to prevent these tragedies from happening!

Here to help us, thanks to the miracle of video, is Ryan Parker. He’s a fine young man who owns Parker Home Renovations in New Braunfels, Texas. He’s an expert in this kind of thing. Ryan’s video shows us how to replace cracked tile floor tiles with an ordinary grout scraper, pry bar, hammer and safety glasses. Ah, this is do-it-yourself home repair heaven!

Tile can crack in any home. Ryan reminds us that buildings tend to settle over time, which causes hairline fracturing of the tiles. Those hairline fractures can be virtually invisible, by the way, but can eventually cause visible cracks. (This is true of the foundation of a house, as well.)

Here’s a summary of the video: Scrape, scrape, scrape that grout away. Beat the tile with a hammer to crack it even more thoroughly than it already is. Pry the busted tile off the floor with that hammer. Scrape the space clean. Mix up and apply some fresh gooey stuff. Set a new tile into the space, into the goo. Before you do any of this, of course, you’ll want to don those safety glasses and some work gloves. In case my summary wasn’t clear enough for you, here’s that video now:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Tp50Mno1Zk

Taping Two Pieces of Drywall

Chuck 708-574-8052 — Sun, 22 May 2011 20:25:00 +0000

Learn how to apply tape to two pieces of drywall when installing drywall in this free DIY video.

Even though the concept of hanging and finishing drywall is pretty basic and easy the actual work can be pretty hard. Sometimes you are up and down scaffolding all day or stilts and it gets tiresome.

And its not something you can just jump into as a career. Anyone can hang or finish drywall but it takes a little practice before you can become good enough to make a living from it. Quality and Speed are the main two aspects of finishing.

Tips On How To Install Drywall : Taping Two Pieces of Drywall

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9odqlQIchu4

How to Fix a Leaky Toilet

Chuck 708-574-8052 — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 17:14:10 +0000

How to Fix a Leaky Toilet

Before fixing a leaky toilet tank, shut off the water to the toilet. Fix a leaky toilet tank with tips from a certified HVAC tech and plumber in this free video on plumbing repairs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xDMdpr9qAU

Finding A Good Reliable Electrician

Chuck 708-574-8052 — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 19:26:05 +0000

These days finding a reliable electrician can be hard. When it comes to our home we want the best work done for the money that we can get. One way to find a good electrician is by word of mouth. Word of mouth is the best way that any trades person can be advertised. Because word gets around very fast to other people. Check with your relatives, friends and neighbors to see if they can recommend someone to you that does good work and that has did quality work for them. This is a good way of finding a reliable electrician to do work in your home.

Look in local newspapers for advertisements. Pick up your local paper and look for advertisements for electrical work done in your area and the surrounding areas where you live. Look in the yellow pages for electricians. The phone book can be a good way to find a reliable electrician to do the work for you. Use the internet to search for an electrician. The internet will have websites that will lead you to electricians in your surrounding area. All of these ways are good ways to check the electrician out before hiring them to do work for you.

How ever you find someone to do electrical work for you, make sure they come from a reputable company. It is best to check that the company will do the type of work that you are needing. And if they can start the work you need in a good time frame when you want it done. Check from them that their work is guaranteed and that they will stand by their work. Get a quote in writing and compare it with other company quotes. Check how long they have been in business and if they have a good reputation and are an established company. And ask them if they are carrying insurance. All of these things will help you to find a good reliable electrician.

It is good to check out an electrician to see if he is good at his work and reliable. There are those people that do not run a legitimate business and are not dependable or capable of doing the job. You need to find this out before you go and hire someone like this. They are usually pretty easy to spot. Here are some of the things to look for if someone is not running a legitimate business. There only phone number they give is for their mobile phone. They try and talk you out of doing the job right because they see a easier way of doing it. They make the work sound way more complicated then it really is.

They won’t give you a written quote for the work in writing. They won’t give a firm price to you for the work being done. They have no references from jobs they have did. They can not show you any paper work of any certificates they have or any qualifications that they have for this type of work. These are the things that you need to watch out for when hiring a electrician.

Should You Do Your Own Bathroom Remodeling?

Chuck 708-574-8052 — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 19:22:36 +0000

Are you interested in remodeling your bathroom? If so, you are not alone. Each year, thousands of homeowners make the decision to remodel their bathrooms. Many make the decision to have a professional do the remodeling for them, while others choose to do their own remodeling. Have you decided what you would like to do yet? If you have yet to make a decision, you may be wondering whether or not it is worth it or even possible for you do your own bathroom remodeling.

One of the reasons why many homeowners choose to remodel their own bathrooms is because of the money that they can save. If you want to have your bathroom professionally remodeled, you can do so, but you will have to pay for a professional contractor. Depending on how much of your bathroom you want remodeled and who you hire to do the work, you could end up paying a fairly large amount of money; money that you may not necessarily have to spend. Therefore, if you are looking to have your bathroom remodeled, but without having to go broke, you may want to think about doing your own bathroom remodeling. In fact, if you have prior home improvement experience, there is a good chance that your remodeling may appear as if it were professionally done.

Another one of the reasons why many homeowners choose to doing their own bathroom remodeling is because of the freedom that they have when doing so. If you decide to remodel your own bathroom, you can not only decide what you would like replaced or repaired, but you can also change your mind if you want to. Of course, you can also change your mind when relying on a professional contractor, but your changes may result in extra charges. That is why if you plan on remodeling your bathroom as you go along, it may be a good idea to do your own remodeling. Not having to have everything planned out, such as your replacement tub or toilet, is one of the many benefits to doing your own bathroom remodeling.

Although there are a number of advantages to doing your own bathroom remodeling, there are also a number of disadvantages. One of those disadvantages is the time that it may take. The time that it will take to complete a kitchen remodeling project will depend on a number of different factors. Those factors include the amount of remodeling you need done, the amount of time you can devote to working, as well as your remodeling experience. One of the reasons why professional contractors are able to remodel whole bathrooms in a relatively small amount of time is because of their experience. Their experience often allows them to work quicker. If you have prior home improvement experience, there is a good chance that you would get your remodeling done in a decent amount of time, but there are never any guarantees.

The risk of injury is also something else that you may want to think about, when looking to do your own bathroom remodeling. Your risk of injury will all depend on the type of bathroom remodeling project that you are working on. For instance, if you are using sharp remodeling tools, you are putting yourself at more risk. Although it is important to worry about staying safe, you will not want it to consume you. As long as you stay aware of your surroundings and know what you are doing, you should be able to complete your bathroom remodeling project without any problems or injuries.

The above mentioned advantages and disadvantages, to remodeling your own bathroom, are just a few of the many that exist. When it comes to determining whether or not you could or should do your own bathroom remodeling, you may want to keep the above mentioned points in mind. If you find that the benefits out weight the disadvantages, it may be a good idea to perform your own bathroom remodeling. However, as you already know, the decision is yours to make; you can do whatever you want to do.