Looks like you can teach an old dog new tricks. This video from FineHomebuilding.com taught me some new ways to remove nails. Turns out you don't have to rely on brute force, a strong hammer and lots and lots of swearing, which is my personal technique. Finesse works much better. The video has some great tips on removing bent, headless and galvanized nails. Check it out before beginning your next demolition project.
Notice to all contractors: When demolishing a house, make sure you have the right one. A Russian woman in Nizhny Novgorod returned to her home to find it leveled. "There was nothing left," she said, "not even a log." She's now taking the construction company to court, refusing the builder's offer of money.
There’s no doubt that a remodeling, addition or new construction job brings stress to the homeowners. Just ask me. Last spring we added a new upstairs bedroom and a downstairs entryway and mudroom, losing our attic space, emptying our garage and losing a bay in the process. Where to put the stuff and how to find it again were just two of the stresses encountered. We chose to hire a project manager, so hiring of all the subs was his problem, but we stressed and sweated over every decision. In fact, most veterans of a remodeling project will tell you that the two key qualities you need to survive a home project are the ability to make decisions and spend money—fast. If you’re indecisive or wildly controlling when it comes to finances, better take a relaxation class. Like to cook in your own kitchen and sleep in your own bed? Well, you’d better plan how you’re going to stay in your home while the work is being done and what facilities you will need to live without. One of our colleagues just moved the kitchen out to the patio for the summer. They ate off the grill and stored all refrigerated and pantry items in the garage. Their main stress was weather! So, you like your morning coffee and a chance to get the kids or yourself on the road? Forget it—during a house remodel, your schedule begins at 7 a.m. with the builders. Sick? Too bad. I had the flu and had to give up my bedroom because they were working in there. Oh, and I HAD to pick my fixtures right away, flu or no flu. Funny, that bath was a week late being installed. Why did they need my choices that day? Remember back when you had work and a life? Well, during remodeling, the house becomes your work and your life. I’m getting stressed just writing this. Oh, did I mention the errors or “disappointments,” like the lovely golden paint color that came out some shade of Band-Aid®, the stairs that weren’t supposed to have noses, the doors that don’t block sound and the garage door that sounds like the depot downtown? Don’t like to communicate? Well, forget that. You’ll have to find as many ways to explain the layout you want as there are words for snow in Eskimo. But, in the end, whether you are your own contractor or the boss, the silence, beauty and new space are entirely worth it once it’s done. So, sign up for a yoga class, get sleep now and start planning for your remodel. At the very least, book a massage for yourself along the way.
One of the biggest DIY questions is how to remove popcorn ceilings. Once the "groovy" feature of '70s and '80s homes, popcorn ceilings are now passé. The problem is that many of them contain asbestos, particularly those installed before 1980. While the standard advice is to wet the ceiling down and scrape the popcorn off, test the material first. Do not sand or scrape the ceiling until you know if it contains asbestos, which is dangerous to humans only if it is disturbed. It's simple to take a sample to the lab—just call your local health department and ask for guidelines. Results usually come within two weeks. There are also testing services and kits that can be ordered online and mailed to the lab for analysis. If you find you have asbestos, you can always encapsulate the paint with fresh wallboard. Releasing carcinogens into the air you breathe is just too big of a risk to take when updating your home.
It should be clear by now that we here at BobVila.com are big fans of reuse. And that's why we loved this story about deconstructing and reusing the old buildings of Buffalo. Many of the estimated 10,000 abandoned buildings in this once thriving manufacturing city are packed with quality building materials. It's criminal to see it thrown into a landfill to rot. By setting up a system for reused building materials, Buffalo is creating local jobs and capturing a market that already exists. Area nonprofits like Buffalo ReUse, are stepping up to do the deconstruction work cheaply and offer building owners a tax deduction to boot. Salvaged building materials are then resold to builders. This can result in big savings on high-quality materials like wood, banisters, flooring, or fixtures. Old flooring material from Buffalo ReUse sells for $1.50 a square foot compared with $6.50 for comparable materials through retailers. I'll take fourfold savings any day —especially if I'm trying to build new and turn a profit.
When it comes to containing dust on construction sites, more often than not it's a jerry-rigged affair. In my experience, it usually consists of some tarps haphazardly nailed or taped in place and held down with whatever weights are lying around. These set-ups are usually insufficient—dust always escapes and there is the risk of damaging the interior of the home during the set-up. Or the whole thing falls apart during the project. No more! ZipWall of Arlington, MA, offers a lightweight, portable, easy-to-assemble, and virtually airtight solution. The system is made of telescoping twist-lock poles that hold screening material in place against the ceiling. According to their website, a 20 foot long ZipWall can be set up in less than a minute. They are sold in pairs and come in 12 and 20 foot lengths. They are available at distributors throughout the U.S. Suggested retail price is $119 for the 12 foot and $192 for the 20 foot version.
