Initial Site Work For House Building Lot

By Todd Fratzel on Foundations

Site work has begun on the new house that we’re building and I’m following here with the Total House Construction Series – Foundation to Finish. The site work for this house building lot consists of: Excavation for house foundation Installation of driveway Installation of waterline and electrical service conduits Construction of on-site septic system Installation…

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Replacing Plastic Toilet Seat Hinge Bolts

By Todd Fratzel on Plumbing, Product Reviews

Yesterday I wrote about the Defective Plastic SoftClose Toilet Seat Bolts on our Toto toilet. Below you can see a photo of the plastic bolts after I removed them from the toilet. The head of the bolts totally deteriorated and fell apart causing the toilet seat to become loose. I was wondering all day today…

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Replacement Windows

By Todd Fratzel on Energy Conservation, Windows

Home replacement windows are an excellent way to make your home more energy efficient. With today’s rising heating costs it makes sense to evaluate the need to replace your old drafty windows. Replacement windows can be purchased to fit any opening and match most any house style. Before ordering replacement windows you should consider some…

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Defective Plastic SoftClose Toilet Seat Bolts

By Todd Fratzel on Plumbing, Product Reviews

That’s not a dirty toilet in the photo! Those bits and pieces are from the plastic toilet seat bolts that have disintegrated! This is an expensive Toto toilet that I happen to like very well. However, I’m less than thrilled with this defect that has occurred less than two years since we bought it. Toto…

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TileJax Tile Spacers

By Todd Fratzel on Flooring

Anyone that’s installed ceramic tile before knows that spacing the tile is a crucial element in a beautiful finished project. Traditionally most people either set the tiles by eye (left for the pros) or you buy these little rubber “X” shaped spacers (see photo below). Today I came across this new type of tile spacer…

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Circuit Safety Tip

By Todd Fratzel on Electrical, Safety

Best Way To Label Home Electrical Circuits I recently learned a new electrical circuit safety tip that works really well. Turning off the circuit breaker for the circuit you’re working on is the first electrical safety rule to follow. So being able to identify the circuit you’re working on quickly and accurately is very important.…

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Framing A Raked Wall

By Todd Fratzel on Framing, Garages

Today I finally got a chance to work on framing the walls that will enclose the stairs to my work shop located in the attic above the garage. The walls for the stairway enclosure are more complicated than traditional framed walls. I will be framing raked walls in order for the walls to follow the…

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Ranch Style Home Floor Plan

By Todd Fratzel on House Plans

The Ranch Style home that we’re getting ready to build that I mentioned in the Total House Construction Series – Foundation To Finish has a rather large footprint for a ranch style home. The house has a living square footage of 2,348 with only two bedrooms. 2,348 square feet may not sound like much but…

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