Homeownership can be challenging, rewarding and exciting. This is particularly true as you settle into a new house and get to know its character quirks, which can range from floor squeaks and sticking doors to flickering lights and midnight water leaks that threaten to the destroy the home. It was one of those surprise water […]
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Dreaming for a Dream Home
I saw an interesting study recently on what Americans want in a dream home. Northshore Fireplace surveyed 2,000 Americans to determine their hopes for a house in the future. It turns out, people are thinking big. According to the results, the average American wants a home with 7.5 rooms in a comfortable 2,195-sq. ft. […]
How to Do Your Own Chimney Maintenance
(guest post by Jesse Peralta) Home is where the hearth is! A fireplace not only makes for an attractive focal point for a room, but also creates a warm and cozy atmosphere. However, homeowners should make sure this warm corner is regularly cleaned, thereby keeping the house and family safe from chimney fires. Though […]
What Is Asbestos and Its Exposure Risks?
(guest post by Judy Olsen) Asbestos is a naturally-occurring mineral that possesses fireproof properties that made it a popular material for use in insulation, floor tiles, drywall, pipes, sealants, shingles, siding, and drywall. Asbestos was also used for crock pots, hair dryers, and car brakes. Even baby powder had, at one point, asbestos content. […]
Advice for Building a Home Theater
Nothing can boost your in-home entertainment experience like a fully-equipped home theater. Although setting up a media room at home is an exciting project, it involves a lot of meticulous planning and work. You need to pay attention to important aspects like the most suitable audiovisual devices, the lighting, the viewing angles, the speaker […]
Pavestone Patio & Drystack Fire Pit
Just in time for the coming spring landscaping season, EHT covers the construction of a large paver patio and its accompanying dry-stack walkways and fire pit. First, we focus on a lakeside patio built with a flexible base and surfaced with Pavestone pavers by Quikrete. You can check out construction details, complete with step-by-step photography, […]
Stair Stringer Installation
Back to my ongoing stair remodel… A funny thing happened on the way to installing the remaining treads: Everything went haywire. I’ll try to sum it up as succinctly as possible:
Stair Rail Removal
Getting back to my ongoing staircase remodel… I already replaced the lower flight of the split-level stair treads, but I couldn’t replace the upper flight before first removing the handrail. So, this next phase of the project called for some orderly demolition. […]
Stair Tread Installation
Our last blog post showed how to remove wooden stair treads. This post will show how to install the new treads, which were provided by L.J. Smith Stair Systems.
Stair Tread Removal
Okay, back to my ongoing staircase remodel… You’ll see in earlier blog posts that I’ve already stained and finished the new treads and newel posts. Now it’s time to remove the old treads in preparation for the new ones. Although the old treads weren’t the prettiest pieces in the world, I was hoping to salvage […]