Expert Advice for your Lawn & Garden TV Host of Today's Homeowner® and home expert for The Weather ChannelGarage and Storage, Interior, Exterior, Today's Homeowner Published 09/25/2006 by Danny Lipford
To meet the needs of a growing family, we convert an existing underused carport into a 13′x15′ playroom for the family’s three children. Plus, there’s enough room for two storage rooms and a grilling station for Mom and Dad.
Although time consuming to create, a custom tapered roof with modified rafters and rolled roofing material provided the needed slope to solve drainage problems. With a combination of new walls and modified existing walls the playroom quickly took shape. A new concrete slab was poured and fiber cement siding replaced damaged wood siding. On the inside, a two man crew managed the drywall work. Finishing touches included moldings, a fresh coat of paint, a custom built entertainment center and built-in lockers for the kids. Outside there’s both covered and uncovered space for entertaining or just plain relaxing and with a great new grilling station even the cooking chores don’t seem like much work.
Everyone knows the importance of using safety equipment around the house and do-it-yourselfers are even more aware of the need when using power equipment. The problem is finding the safety gear when you need it. Keep safety equipment easy to find and mostly dust free with baggies. Place safety glasses, dust masks and the like in resealable plastic baggies. Attach a binder clip to the baggy and hang your safety equipment in your garage or shop on pegboard or by nail.
The new woodboring bits from Ridgid are designed to reduce work time for general carpentry, rough woodwork, and a number of other home maintenance chores. Three features in particular make them faster. The first is the self-starting screw tip that pulls the bit into the material. Second is the cutting edge - the cutting spur and the side lip can both be re-sharpened and they say the cutting edge slices through wood six times faster, with a reasonably clean hole. Third is the 1/4″ hex shank, which makes for fast bit changes. The bits come in six sizes: 1/2″, 5/8″, 3/4″, 7/8″, 1″ and 1 1/4″ with prices ranging from about $4 to $6. For less than 13 bucks you can find a three piece set of the smaller sizes or for a little more - a six piece set for about $25. A pretty good value in general purpose bits.
As the weather cools down most homeowners turn their attention away from their lawn and garden but there are a few things that are actually good to do during the Fall season. One is to test your soil for pH and nutrients. Contact your local extension office for a test kit and instructions or check your local home center. Soils with a pH of 6.o or lower may need limestone added to them to neutralize the soil. Another thing to consider doing is digging up tender bulbs like begonias, dahlia and gladiolus that won’t make it through the cold temperatures. Store them in a cool, dark, airy location.
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