Archives: Home Improvement

Recommended Home Improvement and Construction Tools

By Todd Fratzel on Power Tools

Every day readers ask me to recommend home improvement and construction tools. So I’ve decided to start a list of the tools that I use and recommend. Over time I’ll continue adding tools in different categories so you should be able to find a recommendation or two for most any tool you’re looking for advice…

Continue reading »

Get Your Central Air Conditioning Ready

By Todd Fratzel on Air Conditioning

Central Air Conditioning With summer finally here I thought it might be important to remind folks of a few things to consider before you start up your central air conditioning for the summer. Central air conditioning needs to have some basic yearly maintenance to keep things running properly and effeciently. Each year you should: Replace…

Continue reading »

Bessey BTB30 30-Piece Bar Clamp Set

By Todd Fratzel on Hand Tools

Bessey Clamps My wife says I’m addicted to clamps. She may be onto something because I’m a firm believer that no work shop will ever have too many clamps. Having said that if you’re a serious DIY or wood shop type of person then you know that Bessey makes some of the best clamps on…

Continue reading »

Planting Phlox Above Rock Walls

By Todd Fratzel on Gardening

Phlox Flowers Phlox flowers are a great perennial choice in rock gardens and above rock walls. Year after year this low growing perennial comes back larger and larger until it creates a large carpet of flowers. Phlox works very well in rock gardens or planted just above a rock wall so the flowers can droop…

Continue reading »

Mold Growing On North Facing Deck

By Todd Fratzel on Decks & Porches

Deck Mold Growth Our new home has maintenance free siding, trim, windows and doors. However, we decided to “splurge” a bit on the decks so we installed beautiful Cambara decking (Cambara or Erbina uncinatum is a beautiful hardwood with straight clear grains similar to mahogany). In fact we installed the Cambara on the farmers porch…

Continue reading »

Metal Studs – DensGlass Sheathing – Foam Board

By Todd Fratzel on Framing, Insulation

Exterior Metal Stud Walls I recently wrote an article, How To Install DensGlass Exterior Sheathing On Metal Studs, which detailed the use of DensGlass Sheathing on exterior metal stud walls behind a brick veneer. Now we are installing a layer of 2-inch thick Dow Foam Board over the DensGlass sheathing prior to installing the brick…

Continue reading »

Paper Vs Plastic | Battle Of Collated Nails

By Todd Fratzel on Product Reviews

Paper Collated Nails If you use pnuematic nail guns then you know collated framing nails typically come held together in strips by plastic or paper. Over the years it seems as though the plastic collated nails have dominated the market place with very few manufacturers offering the paper version. However, recent changes by some manufacturers…

Continue reading »

Protecting Vegetable Gardens From Frost

By Todd Fratzel on Gardening

Protecting Vegetable Plants From Frost We just planted our raised bed vegetable gardens last weekend and tonight there is a chance of a serious frost! I should have known better than to plant our garden before Memorial Day. Here in northern New England it’s never wise to plant your garden before Memorial Day for fear…

Continue reading »

Copyright © 2009-2023 Front Steps Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Home Construction & Improvement™ is a Trademark of Front Steps Media, LLC.