DIY Home Projects

[rebel100]

reloading bench, dies.....................oh man forget it, that's the stuff I want.

What part of NE are you in? Isn't that stuff banned in the frozen liberal wasteland once so proud of it's freedoms? (I realize it's not of course...but i see jobs up that way all the time that pay 3 times what I make in Fla. but I won't even apply as they won't allow me to bring all the toys.

[merolpn]

What part of NE are you in? Isn't that stuff banned in the frozen liberal wasteland once so proud of it's freedoms? (I realize it's not of course...but i see jobs up that way all the time that pay 3 times what I make in Fla. but I won't even apply as they won't allow me to bring all the toys.

I live in CT and work about 10 minutes from CharterOak. During the major storms I work out of the Newtown office. It is frozen right now, that's for sure. As for toys, it is not that bad up here really. But good luck getting any parts right now if you build. EVERYTHING is GONE!

Part of the reason I never left and just deal with it here is that............ A) I'm used to it and ..............B) I have been very fortunate with my job.

[mrs.b]

In that case, I would just buy her the air compressor! I would add a few things to that purchase too.......air chuck (she can fill her own tires) 1/2" Impact (she can change the tire), Heck while I was at it, shop vac, circular saw, table saw, radial arm saw, belt sander, paint guns, reloading bench, dies.....................oh man forget it, that's the stuff I want.

My father-in-law has all that at his place, so it's just a short drive to use the things, and not have to find my own storage places for them. I like the arrangement just fine! He's my "fix it" mentor; retired military and loves carpentry. He's taught me how to do most of the stuff without risking loss of fingers or other appendages, or making the projects look too much like novice DIY jobs. I just want some of the smaller stuff for quick projects, like a nail gun, and maybe a belt sander (kitchen cabinets really want to be repainted white, they told me so).

For filling or changing my own tires, oil, and all the other mechanical biz, my mechanic does a great job at these things. Where auto maintenance is concerned, I will happily continue doing my part to keep that economy alive and well. I love my car too much to punish it with my attempts at DIY.

[merolpn]

My father-in-law has all that at his place, so it's just a short drive to use the things, and not have to find my own storage places for them. I like the arrangement just fine! He's my "fix it" mentor; retired military and loves carpentry. He's taught me how to do most of the stuff without risking loss of fingers or other appendages, or making the projects look too much like novice DIY jobs. I just want some of the smaller stuff for quick projects, like a nail gun, and maybe a belt sander (kitchen cabinets really want to be repainted white, they told me so).

For filling or changing my own tires, oil, and all the other mechanical biz, my mechanic does a great job at these things. Where auto maintenance is concerned, I will happily continue doing my part to keep that economy alive and well. I love my car too much to punish it with my attempts at DIY.

If you have access to all of the tools you need and don't have to store them, Its winning situation for you. I used to have many more mechanics tools (worked at a garage as a kid) but I have a company truck now and my girlfriend has a decent car. I don't miss the days of repairing my own cars, or any others for that matter. If you want a small finish nail gun, that is always something nice to have around. You can run it off of a very small compressor. Up here in the North around October all of the pawn shops become littered with nail guns and construction tools and then the stock gets thin again around April. Basically, people think they can just jump into remodeling, roofing....ect but in the fall when work dies off, they quit. It happens so frequently that many pawn shops hang signs that say "NO NAIL GUNS"

So if you have one close, look around. I always look up the current prices on my iPhone and offer no more than 50% of the value. Also, here all pawn transactions of incoming items are reported to the police so, I don't really worry too much about perpetuating the drug trade.

[mrs.b]

Had today off the second job, so today's project: Replaced all the fixtures in the master and guest baths. New "seats" (just the seats, the actual facilities were fine and functional), faucets, shower head, door handles, and towel rods. Also picked up three framed mirrors on the cheap - Home Depot has large framed mirrors for $29.99, a steal for a mirror that size! - so tomorrow I'll take down the huge builder-special mirrors that reminds me of the 1980s, paint (hopefully both bathrooms but we'll see what time allows) and place pretty framed mirrors.

Someday, I want to swap placement of the master bath with the walk-in closet because it should have been built that way to begin with to put the bath on the outer wall of the house to allow a window, but for now, a face-lift will work until I have the kind of cash and know-how and/or contractor I trust to make that happen. Also want to someday swap where the kitchen and dining room are because it should have been built that way also, but that would require an almost complete redo of the plumbing and electric in the house, and it'll probably be more cost-effective to sell and build new.

[Westerner]

Ok, I have a problem and this seemed like an appropriate thread. Our top loading GE washing machine is making a grinding noise during agitation. We took the front off and figured out that it's because one of the tub's "feet" has, I think, made a hole in the bottom of the machine (the bottom piece of metal), and the other "foot" is now rubbing against the metal whenever the machine agitates. Is this an "unbalanced washer" problem? Any ideas on how to fix it would be GREATLY appreciated!
(If this is derailing this thread I can make a new one. )

[ffdpsoldier]

I wish I was more handy. I want to redob the ceiling in my basement and add in some drywall. I have a lot of room in my basement lookes like 1 room was a stormshelter/ bedroom. 1 was a bar with enough room to be a dining room. Then a big room whiched housedthe washer n dryer, water heater, and gas furnace. Overall I like to turn it into one big mancave. Right now its a bug magnet and I would need a good way to keep them out of the house before I do the ceiling, than I will need to rebuild the bar , lay in carpet. And replace the windows. All together I estimate 10,000$
I was also considarding adding a bathroom downstairs because I have a outside door that leads to the basement and I'm thinking of renting it out as a duplex once its all finished

The people living next door converted there garage into a small studio apartment which I might considard as well. However that would cost a lot more than what it might be worth... plus my house was made in 1919 or so.

[mrs.b]

Ok, I have a problem and this seemed like an appropriate thread. Our top loading GE washing machine is making a grinding noise during agitation. We took the front off and figured out that it's because one of the tub's "feet" has, I think, made a hole in the bottom of the machine (the bottom piece of metal), and the other "foot" is now rubbing against the metal whenever the machine agitates. Is this an "unbalanced washer" problem? Any ideas on how to fix it would be GREATLY appreciated!
(If this is derailing this thread I can make a new one. )

Not derailing! Do you have pictures of what you're talking about? It sounds similar to something that happened with our old Maytag, and we patched it to get a bit more time until we were cozy replacing. Could not say if the patch was the right way to go - someone else here will probably have more reliable solutions - but if it is the same deal, it at least bought us the year we needed to get our budget right to buy new.

[mrs.b]

You can do it, ffdpsoldier! I'm not handy, just cheap. I'd move my master bath and closet next weekend, but the plumbing in our place is weird, and we'll have to have part of our slab foundation pulled up to move some of it. Not something I'd try on my own.

There are tons of DIY resources out, and doing it yourself, you can space the work out as budget allows so you barely feel it, and before you know it, the project is done. Check diynetwork.com for some how-to's on drywall, and search a few other resources to confirm anything you're uncertain about. For electrical, plumbing, or structural concerns (i.e., don't alter beams without checking), I'd call a professional (others here sound like they're cozy with it, I'm just a chicken about that stuff), but if you do the majority of the work, you can bring costs down considerably.

[bluebooger]

the ultimate DIYer

Alone in the Wilderness - YouTube

I bought the entire dvd set from amazon
great show