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Home improvement and renovation tips

Spring home maintenance tips 2

Here are some more tips to get your house ship-shape early on this season. If you're replacing screen inserts in windows and doors, why not clean them first? To avoid stretching or breaking the screens, lay them flat -- preferably on a cloth to avoid scratching the frames. Hose them down, and give them a ...

Spring home maintenance tips – Give your house a physical

It's official. Spring is here. Plan your spring cleaning and maintenance chores so you can get them out of the way as fast as possible, leaving the rest of the warm weather months forâ€¦ bigger projects! Actually, spring's a good time to inspect your house for damage caused by the rough winter weather, and a ...

Framing tips and timesavers

With spring in the air, a handyperson's thoughts turnâ€¦ outdoor projects. Building an addition. Getting that shed together. Here are some framing tips to speed the job. Toenail tips While you normally build wall frames on the ground and then raise them, there are times when you need to install studs on the vertical. Then, ...

How to line up shingles

If you have to shingle around a dormer, how are you going to make sure that the tabs on each side of the dormer keep their pattern? A slight variation in each course will show up when you meet the top. It's called "tying in", and here's how to do it. Shingle along the bottom ...

Two ways to shingle better

Here are a couple tips to help you reroof this spring.There's more than one way to pattern those shingles. The standard pattern with a three tab shingle is to stagger them evenly, so the offset (with 12" shingles) is 6". Surprisingly, this is known as a 6" pattern. It's easy, but deviations show up pretty ...

Shingling tips. How to roof a valley

Where two sections of roof intersect (such as the gable roof of a dormer and the main roof, or two wings of the house), they create a "valley". This joint collects extra rainwater, and can be a great way for water to get into the house, so it needs extra protection. Here are a couple ...

All about flashing (part II)

Here are some more flashing facts. We'll look at the two options when a sloping roof meets a vertical wall.Horizontal along the wall: In this case, a piece of 10" flashing bent in half (or valley flashing) will do the trick. Slide one end up under the siding, and nail the bottom half over the ...

All about flashing (part I)

Put that raincoat away! We're talking about the sheet material (metal, vinyl, etc.) covering joints on the outside of your house to keep moisture from getting in.Here's a quick rundown on what to use where.Vents: Wherever vents protrude from your roof, you need flashing to seal out water. The flashing is flat with a hole, ...

Framing options for your roof

Even if you're having a contractor put up the roof on your new house or addition, it's worth your while to think about the type of roof framing you want. Here are a couple options you'll want to consider.Conventional framing uses rafters which sit on the top plate of the wall, and meet in the ...

How to choose the right roofing material

If your roof's in need of a facelift, you have a bundle of reroofing options. Here's a quick rundown on four of the most popular materials.Asphalt shingles last 15 to 30 years depending on core composition and weight). They're also relatively inexpensive and easy for the do-it-yourselfer to install (as long as your roof's not ...