Handyman Life

Handyman Life

October 21, 2014 in Uncategorized

Refinishing Hardwood Floors

Before Refinishing from wkendrider

Hardwood floors are undoubtedly the one feature any renter or prospective home buyer is looking for when searching through pages and pages of listings. However, destroyed hardwood floors tend to detract some buyers from investing in an otherwise great home. Their first instinct is to completely scrap the floors and invest unnecessary money in new flooring. But a smart buyer knows that with a few tools from their local hardware store, they can make their floor look like new again.

Take for instance this Reddit user, wkendrider. An admitted home improvement novice, this renter was able to improve the look of his home completely with $250 and less than a week of work refinishing hardwood floors.

After first pass through with sander by wkendrider

Depending on how damaged the floor is, you may have to experiment with what sander and grit to use. A random orbital sander with 60 grit will work just fine for slightly damaged floor, a 120 grit being more appropriate for completely ruined floors. Be warned, the sander you rent from your local hardware store will probably weigh upward of 110 pounds. So if you struggle with carrying laundry up the stairs or have existing back problems, you may want to get a helpful friend or neighbor to give you a hand.

Once the scratches, stains and damages have come up from the floor, you will want to decide on what kind of stain to refinish the floors with. This of course depends on how close you want to remain to the original floor color. For a warmer hue, you will want to go with red oak. But if you’re going for a lighter look, limed oak might be more your speed. Apply as many coats as it takes to get it to the color of your liking.

After staining by wkendrider

After the stain dries, you will want to apply Minwax Fast-Drying Polyurethane for Floors to finish your floors. Depending on what look you want the hardwood to have, you will again have to choose from multiple options. From glossy to satin, apply this poly evenly with a roller to get your hardwood shiny and presentable.

After adding poly by wkendrider

Once the poly dries, it’s time to put the furniture back in the room. You have completed the task of reviving the seemingly unsalvageable. The time you invested will be invaluable and allow you to have a larger budget for some other home projects.

And if you pull up some carpet and find you don’t have the hardwood you desire, reach out to us for all your Chicago flooring needs!

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July 29, 2014 in Uncategorized

Home Automation Basics

Home automation is fast becoming a buzz word in home improvement. Those videos of yesteryear featuring automatic homes and clever gadgets are a reality. Chicago Handyman can show you home automation options that enable you to control all the electronics in your home from the palm of your hand.

Perhaps your coming home from a long day and want to turn the jacuzzi on so its warm when you arrive. You can also set the room temperature and the lighting with a simple swipe of your smartphone.

So what does a home automation system look like in your home? Typically there is one central access point to which all the information from your home will travel. The video below is a great demonstration of what a full scale home automation installation will look like.

“a good automation system is one that you forget you have…” – youtube guy

July 27, 2014 in Uncategorized

What Would You Do With Your Own Ghost Town?

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Kitsault, British Columbia, is a town not unlike many written about in fantasy novels and movies. However, this place and its history is entirely real. U.S. mining conglomerate, Phelps Dodge, founded this community for the workers of its molybdenum mine in 1979.

Only 18 months after the residents established their place in this community, they were forced to evacuate in the middle of the night. With the prices of molybdenum crashing, Phelps Dodge could no longer afford the town and ousted his residents without notice.

Follow this virtual tour and discover this gorgeous relic from the 1980’s:

This rustic sign leads you into this town preserved by time and vacancy.

These picturesque views of mountains and lakes surround you as you drive into town.

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Apartment buildings were available for those who didn’t need a single family home.

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And while weather may have worn on the outside of this home…

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…the inside, while dated, is in great shape. Must be the lack of people lousing it up!

And now, this once deemed worthless town has just been sold to businessman Krishnan Suthanthiran to the tune of 7 million dollars! Check out this video below where he shares his vision for the future of this ghost town:

He seems pretty passionate, but if you have a little over $7 million to spare, maybe you can barter a deal and make your very own dream town!

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This plaque became futile not even a year later.

This town hall is just one beautiful aspect of Kitsault’s community center

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This Maple Leaf Pub served as the post-work watering hole.

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This trailer-esque elementary school housed 85 students.

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A fully stocked library remains in tact today.

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A grocery store full of shopping carts is ready to filled with food.

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While this town may be stuck in the 80’s, it has the modern conveniences of a gym…

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…and pool and jacuzzi

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July 26, 2014 in Uncategorized

Bathroom Tile Installation

It was a sunny afternoon in October. I get a call for a standard bathroom tile caulk job around the tub. I get on site and can see it is going to need more than just caulk. I propose replacing the tile around the bottom of the tub. The owner agrees and I get right to it.

Chicago Bathroom with plaster walls. There was no seal between the walls and tub causing water to destroy the wall.

With the first flick of the scraper tool, the tiles start crumbling off the wall. Before I know it, I am looking right through the wall. I put my hand against the wall behind where the tile was, when I pulled away, my hand was dripping water. I explain to the owner that the walls need to be reinforced, and completely rebuilt with a waterproof membrane.

The Deeper I get the worse the condition is revealed. This doesn’t deter me. I rip open the wall and tear back to a point where I feel comfortable that I can get a good seal around the tile, and create a solid wall.

I’m not going to bore you with the details, because believe me, its a snooze fest. But suffice it to say, I left the bathroom in better condition than I found it and that is more than I can say for most bathrooms I visit just after thanksgiving.

Below you will find a photo of the finished bathroom tile installation. Chicago has a large spectrum of building and construction styles that have rolled through over the years. Its always fun to use an old structure, to make something modern clean, and structurally sound.

Well that’s all the big words I can think of today, I’ll catch up with you next time. Be sure to give me a call for an estimate on your Chicago tile installation. Cheers!

Here is the completed tile installation in the Chicago 3 flat. The White tile makes for a cleaner look, and brightens up the room a ton.

July 26, 2014 in Uncategorized

Do you need a permit?

In Chicago a permit is necessary for structural changes to a building. Most remodeling, tile, doorways, cabinetry and bathroom fixtures can be replaced without a permit. We have listed below the instances where it is not necessary to have a permit (source).

A building permit is NOT required for the following repair or replacement work at any building:

Interior finishes such as carpet, hardwood flooring, tile, paint and wallpaper
Interior non-fire rated ceiling tiles (excluding grid)
Cabinetry and furniture without electrical and plumbing connections
In-kind replacement of non-fire rated interior doors
At grade non-combustible walkways and patios
Playground equipment
Fences max. 5’-0” high on private property (excludes landmark buildings and landmark districts as well as chain link and masonry fences)
Vinyl, aluminum, wood, EIFS or other similar nonstructural exterior finishes on all one story buildings except Hazardous occupancy (excludes landmark buildings and landmark districts)
A building permit is NOT required for the following construction or alteration work at any building:
Temporary tents max. 400 sq. ft. that comply with all zoning and construction type setback requirements and are not less than 2 feet from all property lines and not less than 6 feet from all residential buildings & erected for not more than 60 consecutive days

A building permit is NOT required for the following repair or replacement work in non-mixed use residential buildings (excluding hotels):

Shingle roofing with slope of 5 in 12 or steeper on residential buildings with max. of 3 dwelling units & 3 stories
In-kind replacement of non-fire rated doors/windows, hot water heaters, boilers, furnaces and AC condensers in buildings with max. of 3 dwelling units & 3 stories (excludes windows and exterior doors in landmark buildings and landmark districts)
In-kind replacement of toilets, sinks, faucets and tubs
Interior stairs in same location within a single dwelling unit
Not more than 1,000 sq. ft. of drywall without any alteration of underlying structural, plumbing, electrical or ventilation systems
Low voltage wiring for phones, speakers, burglar alarms, doorbells, thermostats and computers (excluding fire alarm systems)
Replacement of not more than 250 bricks in buildings with max. of 3 dwelling units & 3 stories (excludes landmark buildings and landmark districts)
Vinyl, aluminum, wood, EIFS or other similar nonstructural exterior finishes on residential buildings not more than 3 stories in height (excludes landmark buildings and landmark districts)
A building permit is NOT required for the following construction or alteration work in residential buildings with 1-3 dwelling units:
Alteration of existing interior stair system with no change to existing stair opening in detached single family residences
Alteration of low voltage wiring for phones, speakers, burglar alarms, doorbells, thermostats and computers inside non-mixed use buildings (excluding fire alarm systems)
Gazebos max. 150 sq. ft. (open air with roof and no walls) that comply with all zoning and construction type setback requirements and are not less than 2 feet from all property lines and not less than 6 feet from all residential buildings. Combustible gazebos shall not be less than 3 feet from property lines.
Enclosed sheds max. 70 sq. ft. that comply with all zoning and construction type setback requirements and are not less than 2 feet from all property lines and not less than 6 feet from all residential buildings. Combustible enclosed sheds shall not be less than 3 feet from interior property lines. Only one enclosed shed is allowed per lot.

Note: This does not constitute a waiver from the regulations of Title 13 (Building & Construction) and Title 17 (Chicago Zoning Ordinance) of the Municipal Code of Chicago. All construction must be code compliant.