Drywall/ Plaster Repair – When rehabbing old houses, cracks and holes in the plaster are common. Often, holes in ceiling plaster are the result of water infiltrating either from the roof, or from a split plumbing line. Holes in walls are often the result of vandalism, but could be the sign of more serious foundation issues. Once the root cause is fixed (see basic water repair section) cut a square area and replace with inch drywall. Once your piece is cut, secure it with multiple drywall screws, mud the gaps, tape, re-mud then sand to a smooth finish. In underground floors if Basment Waterproofing is required call a professional like Basement Doctors before you Repair the walls

Basic Water Pipe Repair Usually the hardest part of water pipe repair is finding the leak. You do this by turning on the water, listening for falling water, then visually inspecting where the water is coming from. Once you find the leak, cut out the old section of pipe and cut a section of new pipe to replace it. It is very important to dry the ends of the pipe and rough up the end of the old and new sections of pipe with your sandpaper. Apply flux to each section of pipe and to a coupler that will be used to join the pieces. Put the new section in place. Heat the coupler with your butane torch and apply solder around the edges of the coupler. Once it is sealed all the way around, allow the solder to dry and move on to the next leak.

Drain Repair Drains work by using the force of gravity to expel waste water down and out of the house. Improperly working drains can be the result of improper pitch in the drain line or a clog. Clogged drains are a very common problem. When a working drain gets clogged, Draino or a quick snake will often do the trick. If that doesn’t work, unscrew the drainpipe and inspected for clogs. If a clog is found in there, simply remove the clog, replace the drain and test the drain. In a vacant house, a clog can become impenetrable. If you encounter such a clog, you need to cut it out and replace that section of drain. Using a saw or grinder cut out the clogged section of pipe. Once the clog is cut out, cut a similar length of PVC pipe to replace it. Either connect the new pipe to the old with PVC connectors or with a fernco connector. If you use the PVC connectors make sure that you clean the old pipe thoroughly and apply PVC cement to ensure a proper seal.

Replacing Light Fixtures When I am working on electrical fixtures, I like to turn off all power to the house. If this is not feasible or if other people need power to perform other work, I just turn off the circuits one by one as needed. Be sure to check the wires with a voltage meter to insure the power is off. Remove the old fixture by unscrewing the wire nuts or by cutting the wires. Strip off a section of the wire casing and attach you new fixture with wire nuts. Be sure to tape off any exposed wire with electrical tape. Since each fixture will come with its own set of instructions, be sure to read those instructions thoroughly to insure proper installation. Electricity can cause severe injury if you do not follow instruction implicitly.

Window Installation To measure your window, open it all the way and measure from inside of the window casing. Buy your new window as close as possible. Remember, you can make up for a window that is too small, but it is much harder to expand an opening for a window that is too big.. Next, remove the old window, making sure not to damage the wood frame. Once the window is removed place wood shims on the sill and level the shims. Once the shims are level secure them in place with screws (drilling pilot holes will keep the shims from splitting). Put the new window in place. At the sash, place more wood shims between the wood frame and the window to fill that gap, and then secure the shims in place by screwing through the window frame and into the wood frame. Repeat this step about six inches from the top and six inches from the bottom of the sides. Once the sides are secure, make sure you can easily open and close the window. Fill the gaps around the window with expanding foam insulation.

Refinishing Wood Floors Almost every house I buy has stained, smelly tattered carpet covering stained hardwood floors. Rather than re-carpet the floors, I like to refinish the hardwood. First remove the old carpet. Then remove all of the tack strips, staples, nails and quarter round molding. Once the floor is clean, run your drum sander with the grain of the wood. Make sure that you get a thorough explanation from the rental yard on the operation of the drum sander and that you understand it completely before you begin this project. Working a drum sander is a lot like working a self-propelled lawn mower. It is very important that you keep the drum sander moving at all times though. If you leave it sit it will quickly eat into the floor. I start with 36-grit sandpaper, then 80-grit, and then 100-grit. Once the main body of the floor is sanded, do the edges with an edge sander using the same grits of sandpaper that you used on the main floor. When all the sanding is complete, sweep the floor, and then vacuum the floor. After vacuuming, I suggest a damp mopping. Once the floor is dry apply your choice of stain, Allow to dry then coat with 2 – 3 layers of polyurethane. Replace the molding.

Laying Tile Start by removing the old coverings whenever possible. Once the old covering has been removed put down a cement backer board over the entire area to be tiled. Fill in the joints of the backerboard with mortar. Begin tile installation by troweling on a thin application of mastic over a three to four foot area. Set the tile in place and push gently to secure the position. Continue in this fashion until the tiles are all in place. Allow the mastic to dry for 24-hours before grouting. If you are laying a natural stone tile be sure to seal the tile prior to grouting. If you don’t, the tile will appear hazy. Remove all tile spacers. Mix the grout and push the grout into the seams using a rubber float. Immediately wipe up excess grout with a damp sponge. After an hour or so, wipe down the tile with a piece of cheesecloth to get rid of the haze on the surface.

Texturing a Ceiling Ever wonder how those skilled craftsmen got your ceilings textured so randomly yet so perfect. It’s easy, and there is very little skill involved. Dip a paint roller with a long (4 foot) handle into a bucket of top-coating mud. Roll the mud onto the ceiling. Cover a ten-foot by ten-foot area. Push your texturing brush into the mud and pull back quickly to create a random (yet perfect) dimple pattern all across your ceiling. After it dries finish by painting with a white ceiling paint. (Note: This project can be messy. Either do it before you put your floors in or cover them completely. )

Painting a Room Be sure to prep the wall surface prior to painting. Do this by applying a thin coat of spackle to any pin holes or cracks, then sand to a smooth finish. Next, apply one coat of latex primer to the surface of the walls using a roller. After the primer dries apply your paint. Two coats of a flat paint will generally provide complete coverage. To edge the walls, apply painter’s tape to the trim, and brush the paint onto the edges. After you have painted the edges, remove the painter’s tape and you’re done.

Landscaping Most foreclosed houses have neglected exteriors. This is a key area in reselling or renting out your house. The exterior is the first impression people will get of your house. Most of the time, I remove all the overgrown 1950’s era plants and replace them. If there are any good plants in the landscape, I try to remove them in a way that they can be re-used in the landscape. If they are too large to remove, prune them to improve their appearance. After removing the old shrubs, cultivate the bed and mix in organic materials like manure, compost or peat moss. Arrange your new plants on top of the beds. Once you are happy with the arrangement, remove any burlap or plastic and plant them. Be sure not to bury the root balls of shrubs. You want to plant the shrub with just a little of the ball showing above the ground surface. Follow spacing instruction on the containers so that your new landscape doesn’t look like overgrown in two years.

Erin Cureton is the lead partner of Cureton Property Alliance. Erin is also a leading fundraiser for the Medina County St. Vincent DePaul Society. He highly recommends Cleveland Ohio Carpet Cleaning

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