Handyman Tips

These handyman tips are good to use whether you’re planning an addition for a growing family or simply getting new storm windows, finding a competent and reliable contractor is the first step to a successful and satisfying home improvement project.

Your home is your most valuable financial asset. That’s why it’s important to be cautious when you hire someone to work on it. Home improvement and repair and maintenance contractors often advertise in newspapers, the Yellow Pages, and on the radio,TV and the internet.. However, don’t consider an ad an indication of the quality of a contractor’s work. Your best bet is a reality check from those in the know: friends, neighbors, or co-workers who have had improvement work done. Get written estimates from several firms. Ask for explanations for price variations. Don’t automatically choose the lowest bidder. The lowest bidder may not be your best choice.

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Handyman Tips-MAKING DREAMS COME TRUE

After choosing your floor plans and building your foundation , the next step is to install the treated sill plates and the floor joist on. The floor joist are placed 16 inches on center to put your sub floor on. The sub floor usually consist of 4 by 8 sheets of OrientedStrandBoard 3/4 of an inch thick that is attached with either staples or 8 penny nails placed 8 inches apart on all floor joist. After installing all of the sub floor the next step will be to install the outside walls. These articles are a series of events to help you understand how to build your own home or improve your existing home one step at a time.

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Handyman Tips-MAKING DREAMS COME TRUE

Handyman Tips-Building Your Dream Home-Helping D-I-Y's Save Money

After you have applied for and received your building permit. The first thing you will want to do is to consider what type of foundation to build. The foundation is the most important thing in building your new home. It keeps out water,ice,fungus and insulates against the cold and heat and also resist movement of the earth. The foundation you use depends on two things,the total build load and the weight load of the house.
There is three types of foundations, basement,crawlspace,and slab. The basement is the most expensive but also provides the most room for the money, and it also is the easiest to work on everything under the house.
The crawlspace is no. 2 and needs to be built in such a manner that you can set up and work on everything under the house.
The slab foundation is no. 3 and if it is built right will last forever.
When you start to build your foundation after you have purchased your Land you will need Insurance on your property and you will need to apply for a Do-It-Yourself Mortgage.

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Using Plastic Pipe and Fittings

CPVC plastic pipe is ridgid and is gaining popularity for water lines in the construction of new homes across america, not only for its ease of use but also because it can be repaired by the do-it- yourselfer. Its not like any other pipe because nothing ever sticks to the inside of the pipe over time to make the diameter smaller. It is available in all popular sizes and it can be cut to fit using a saw, a plastic tube cutter, a power saw or a hacksaw that can be purchased at your local Home Improvement Center. After cutting to proper length you can trim the burs off with sandpaper to scuff the surface before gluing. You use a plastic pipe cleaner on the surface to clean the pipe before gluing. When you are ready to put the pipe and fittings together, it is very important to put the solvent glue on both surfaces that you are putting together, this guarantees the fittings to permantly stay attached. All of the above materials and tools are readily available at most all home improvement centers in the Plumbing department.

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Bending Copper Pipe

Now that you have accomplished the task of cutting soft bendable copper pipe it is now time to learn how to bend the pipe in such a manner that you dont kink it or collapse the pipe. To accomplish this task you will need a coil spring tubing bender purchased at your local Hardware center. The tubing bender needs to match the outside of your copper pipe. Flexible copper tubing can be used for water supply lines in some cases but is used more commonly for gas lines. Connections can be made with solder,compression fittings or flare fittings. I live in the crossroads of America and the soil and gravel creates an acid that sometimes eats holes in copper pipe. Soft bendable copper pipe is not recommended for use in new home construction because you cannot bend it over 90%. It is recommended to use ridgid copper pipe in new homes and it comes in 1/2 inch and 3/4 in pipe and then is downsized at the fixture to 1/2 inch so that you get maxium pressure at the faucet.

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Cutting Copper Pipe

Materials needed--Tubing cutter and emery cloth

Because copper pipe is very soft and easily deforms, the proper tool must be used for cutting.
A copper tubing cutter can be purchased in any hardware store or home center. Cutters look
similar to a "C" clamp with rollers on the inside of the "C", and a knob on the end. They come
in a wide range of sizes, from very small (for tight spaces and small diameter pipe), to very
large (for copper drain pipe). Choose the one that's right for the job you're doing. If you'll be
working in tight areas, then choose the compact model with the short handle. If you'll be working
in an open area, then a cutter that's medium sized and allows for good leverage will be the best choice.
To begin the cut, open the cutters wide enough to accept the pipe you're cutting. Center the cutting
wheel over the mark and tighten the cutters until snug on the pipe. Slowly make one full turn of the
cutter around the pipe making sure that the score mark ends up in the same place it started.
Tighten the cutter clamp another 1/2 turn and spin the cutter around the pipe another full turn. Keep
repeating the tightening and turning until the pipe sections fall apart.
Check the cut to make sure it's burr-free. Any burrs can be removed with a piece of emery cloth.
Use the reamer that comes with the tubing cutter to remove any burrs inside the pipe (arrow shaped attachment).
PLEASE NOTE! Although it is very easily cut with a hack saw, copper pipe should never be cut
in this manner. Saws produce rough, jagged and uneven edges which will cause problems when the
time comes for soldering. These problems may lead to total joint failure quickly, or years from now.
When working with pipes with water in them it is advisable to take a piece of white bread and roll it in a ball and put it in the wet pipe to stop the water from running while you solder the joints together.

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