HomeAdditionPlus.com Monthly Newsletter

Home Improvement News for the DIY Homeowner

April 11, 2010            Edition: 0052

HomeAdditionPlus.com April, 2010 Newsletter

Newsletter Topics

• Latest Happenings

• Wiring a Light without a Ground Wire

• Removing Baseboard Hearing Element Covers

• Solieque Vanity Countertop

• Lawnmower Tune-Up

• Solid Door Wood Restoration

Latest Happenings

It’s been another busy month here at the Donovan home. I have nearly wrapped up my master bedroom remodeling project. I started this project off by gutting the bathroom and installing a custom ceramic tiled shower and floor. I then moved on to replace the bathroom vanity, countertop and sink, baseboard trim, light fixtures, and other bathroom accessories. All that remains is the installation of a glass shower door, which is now on order. Once I have the glass door installed, I plan to film a new video on the process of undertaking a bathroom remodeling project, so stay tuned.

With the warmer spring weather now upon us, I’ve also started some outdoor projects. I had our garage roof re-shingled last month and obtained bids from about a half a dozen different roofing contractors, including the big box home improvement centers. Consequently, I updated my Asphalt Shingle Roofing Bid Sheet to reflect some of the new pricing and trends in the asphalt shingle roofing business. If you have plans for re-shingling your roof, be sure to check out this bid sheet as I guarantee it will save you hundreds of dollars or more on your roofing costs.
 

Wiring a Light without a Ground Wire in the Electrical Box
 

As usual I received a number of questions over the past month on various topics. One common question that I have received over the years was in regards to what to do when replacing a light fixture and not finding a ground wire in the electrical box. This is a fairly common situation, particularly with older homes, however it’s not such a big deal. See my article on “Wiring a Light without a Ground Wire in the Electrical Box” to learn more.
 

How to Remove Baseboard Hearing Element Covers
 

As part of my bathroom remodeling project, the old baseboard heating element covers needed to come off. For various reasons these covers get rusted and damaged. In my particular case we needed to eliminate a length of the heating element covers to make room for the new vanity. See my article on “How to Remove Baseboard Hearing Element Covers” to learn how to safely and adroitly remove them. Also, if you are interested in restoring them back to their original “beauty”, see my Ebook on “How to Restore Baseboard Heating Element Covers”.
 

Solieque Vanity Countertop
 

As part of my bathroom remodeling project I installed a new type of vanity countertop that really looked sharp. Solieque vanity countertops are manufactured using a blend of acrylic resin and natural minerals and can be designed for your specific size countertop requirements. To learn more about this neat technology see my article “Solieque Vanity Countertop”.
 

Lawnmower Tune-Up
 

With spring upon us I would be remiss if I did not mention the need for an annual lawnmower tune up. Yes, you can try to just pour some gas in the mower and pull on the cord, but chances are come July you’ll find yourself with a lawnmower that is sputtering or a blade that is more hacking your lawn versus cutting it. See my article on “Lawnmower Tune-Up” to learn what you should be doing now versus in the middle of the summer.
 

Solid Door Wood Restoration
 

Finally, I wrote an article on “Solid Wood Door Restoration”. As I went through the process of remodeling my bathroom I needed to do something about the bathroom door. The old 6 panel solid pine bathroom door had become water stained and pitted from the occasional and errant splash of shower water. Consequently it needed to be either replaced or restored. I chose the latter and it came out looking great. Besides the article, I also did a short video documenting the process of restoring a solid wood door. Check it out at “How to Refinish a Door Video”.
 

As always, if you have any specific home improvement questions or would like to see specific new home improvement related content send your questions to me at mark@homeadditionplus.com.

Again, good luck with your DIY home improvement projects and enjoy the warmer weather!

Mark J. Donovan

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