After photograph – existing posts fitted with caps and new contemporary balustrade
Freshening up an existing entry way need not be a major production. Blend existing posts
with new handrails; add decorative caps and bingo! A more up-to-date appearance!
Before photograph- vintage 1980 entry handrail
After photograph- modern replacement balustrade attached to original posts.
For another example of balustrade work from the archives CLICK LINK HERE
A remarkably common roof puncture hole from Hurricanes or any high wind sufficient to snap limbs from a tree. If the limb is 30 feet or higher above the house roof and has sufficient length to weigh around 40 or 50 pounds there is enough time for the sharp shard point to stabilize with the help of the bushy leaf end into a nearly perfect straight arrow descent and penetrate through 1/2 inch or even 3/4 inch roof deck board.
Under the right circumstances this improvised field expedient pilum could even come through the ceiling into the room below and pierce a bed or chair or table (hopefully unoccupied). Yes, one should try not to tempt Mother Nature with unnecessarily tall trees directly above one’s abode. The unthinkable can occur more frequently than one can imagine. Or so I have heard.
In any case this particular repair from last week’s Hurricane Dorian required little more than a small piece of plywood, some shingles and a few hours of sawing, hammering and nailing.
As Sgt. Esterhaus famously said: “Let’s be careful out there” (Click Link)
Before picture:
After picture
Tired, beat up, worn out stairway treads refurbished with Trex planks and bottom extension step.
ViviLnk
No more digital thermostats!
After 3 super duper programmable wonder boxes which could do everything except run
the furnace we dragged the vintage 1960 era bimetallic analog milk horse out of
retirement and watched in amazement as the house warmed up and cooled down without a hiccup!
The only problem was temperature control.
In the 1960’s no one quibbled about 71/72/73 degrees.
Close enough was good enough.
Enter another fine analog product from yesteryear- the lipstick tube.
With a twist of the dial the temperature can be adjusted in increments of 1/2 degree!
Ma is happy, I am happy, the furnace is happy.
Happy, happy, happy!
By the way, credit for the lipstick tube adjustable switch courtesy of
Fred MacMurray in “Dive Bomber”
Framed pictures and plaques suffer nicks and dings and other damage when they lean
against each other stored on a shelf or worse, stacked flat on top of each other in a pile.
With the variable length, width and thickness of a typical framed picture and
plaque collection storage and transport is an adventure at best.
One solution is to pack them vertically in individual partitions protected from
any potential injury.
This crate made with pegboard sidewalls and adjustable partitions created with
dowels solves many storage and transport requirements.
Yes, you can backcut moulding with a tablesaw for the perfect
tight joint. Not really much more complicated than the traditional
handheld coping saw. Back cut all the coped joint ends at the shop and
square cut each piece to finish length at the jobsite.
Today’s project features a miniature kitchenette- two 22 inch wide
cabinets, a 19 inch diameter sink and a 28 inch wide refrigerator
stuffed into a 4 foot by 7 foot space.
What to do with the scraps from an heirloom black walnut yard tree
after the tree itself is no more?
Something I do not see very often- a commercial metal door jamb 1 full inch out of square!
The strange part?
This door jamb has been misaligned from the date of original installation
some 30 years ago and has worked more or less satisfactorily since the air seal
was not important to overall function.
Recently, however, with age, the door sagged just enough to mill a scrape
mark on the aluminum threshold and bind so to open and close the active door
without effort was a problem.
My assignment was to adjust the door back to original operational specifications
WITHOUT resetting the entire jamb.
Easily accomplished with a few shims.
Now the door works as just as it did when first installed with the lock bolt and
latch properly aligned and the threshold unmolested by door sag.
But the jamb is STILL 1 inch out of square!
I can economically fix what is broken, but not always repair everything that is wrong!
A classic staple of shed construction for over two centuries, the tin roof remains a popular
choice for sheds and out buildings in the 21st Century!
2×4 rafters crossed with spaced 4 quarter deck boards (recycled or repurposed
as the yoots say today) this roof is strong enough to support the weight of a full grown adult.
Economical and durable for any number of uses- firewood storage, utility sheds and out
buildings around the back forty.
Try it, you will like it! Get yours today! More roof stuff CLICK LINK HERE and CLICK LINK HERE
Kattermann's Handyman Blog 