Category — DYI

Building a wind generator is a much more cost effective solution than buying one. The average price of a 1000 watt generator is USD $2500. I would have to save up for more than a year to be able to buy one. That’s why I built my own wind generator.

It’s not as difficult as you might think either. A wind generator has some basic parts. I’ll deal with the tower first.

Many people have researched and found that buying a wind tower is very expensive. That’s true, but when I built mine I actually made $100 getting it. You see, many people these days have switched to satellite television, but they still have those television towers up. I was doing some construction at a house and noticed this. I asked the guy if I could buy it off of him. He told me “I’ll give you $100 dollars to take that thing away.

The next part of a generator is the generator. I really like wind generators because they allow you to produce AC or DC power. This is good for several reasons. First, if you don’t have the money for a battery system you can hook up an AC motor and generate AC power for your house. As you can afford batteries you can switch the motor to a DC one and charge the battery system.

Now for the most important part of your generator- the blades. Another trick that we’ve learned to make blades is to use PVC tubing. I know it sounds crazy, but a correctly cut PVC pipe works great as a wind generator blade. The plus side of using PVC as blades is that they are very strong.

The last piece you need for your wind generator is the vane. This can be made out of anything. Mine is a triangle I cut out of some plastic.

Assembling the generator is usually a whole day job– good for a weekend– you need to set up the tower and secure it with 5 guy wires. These wires are important as they provide stability so your generator doesn’t fall down. You will have to mount the turbine on the top- which should be done before you set up your tower. Make sure to attach the wires to the generator because I’ve forgotten.

You will probably want to do some load testing on your generator to see the wattages it produces at different wind speeds. This website has great information about building wind generators.

I built my own solar panels and a wind generator and saved well over $30,000. I get a cheque from the power company because I produce more energy than I use. If you’d like to learn how you can do the same check out Building A Wind Generator.

Structurally, there are quite a few changes you can make in an attic. It’s just a question of how far you have the guts to go, or more exactly, how good your carpentry is and how many friends you can press into slave labor for your attic.

Quite a few years back, dormers were all the rage for the attic. They were built to let more light into a dim attic. However, since they presented wildly difficult decorating problems for the housewife, the dormer gradually became a shed dormer.

What’s the difference? Instead of several miserable little window dormers, the shed dormer is an extension to the roof area that continues almost all the way across the width of the house. In other words, you have one big dormer with several windows (or even a picture window) sharing the same wall. Inside you get lots more light, and wind up with truly usable space in your attic.

A shed dormer for your attic is, however, a rather extensive building project. Unless you have the time and skill for it, you will probably be better off if you put the harder part of the job in the hands of a competent contractor. You may be able to split up the remodeling: call in a professional to tackle the actual structural work in your attic and leave the detailed interior finishing for yourself.

Structural work, if poorly done, can result in damage to the house, not just the attic alone. Then, too, the problem of weather enters the picture. It’s very important to cut out the opening and close it in again as quickly as possible. Should a torrential downpour come along while your roof still has a gigantic hole cut in it, the results would be more than embarrassing for you and your attic.

Building Procedures

With the above qualifications out of the way, here’s the step by step procedure (in general) for building a shed dormer.

1. Working from the inside, cut out and completely remove the roof sheathing and covering in the area in your attic that will be occupied by the dormer. Leave the rafters intact for the time being.

2. Attach double studs (two studs nailed together side by side) at the two corners of the opening that are near the edge of the roof. The height of these timbers is the finished height of the new roof. To calculate this distance, be sure to allow a minimum interior height below the finished ceiling of your attic of 7 ft. 6 in.

3. Nail a double plate to the ends of the studs.

4. Frame in the rest of the studs plus any rough opening for the windows. Studs should cover not only the front area but also the triangular sides of the new dormer for your attic. 5. Add stringers. These timbers rein force the new roof and also act as a nailing surface for the new ceiling in side. Stringers overhang the plate at one end by about 6-8 in. Carry the other end through the cut-out roof opening and spike each stringer (incidentally, they are either 2×4 or 2×6 timbers) to the old rafters near the top. Use a level to make sure each stringer is perfectly horizontal.

6. Nail a 1×6 timber flat at the top of the new opening.

7. Set the rafters (2×6 timbers for this) in place alongside the stringers. One end of each rafter rests on the plate and is nailed both to the plate and to the adjacent stringer. The other nail is toenailed to the 1×6.

8. Cut out the old rafters so the roof opening is outlined only by the new timbers.

9. Add the roof sheathing using standard tongue-and-groove boards.

10. Sheath the front and sides of the dormer. In both cases, you’ll probably use the same wood as for the roof of your attic.

11. Add the waterproof roof coating (roll roofing, shingles, etc.)

12. Put on the finished siding (clap board, shingles, etc.)

13. Fit the window frames into the rough openings in the front of the dormer.

14. The rest of the job is mostly interior finishing.

The shed dormer can be an attractive addition to your attic.

Would You Like More Tips For Your Attic?

I’ve Got Loads Of Great Ideas And Expert Advice To Really Develop Your Attic.

Click Here For Free Ideas: http://www.finishedbasement.org/

It’s just about time you learn how to fix a leaky faucet if you constantly experience having to wake up in the middle of the night to the irritating noise of drip, drip, drip from a leaky faucet. By doing so, you will eliminate the need for a plumber, and consequently, high plumbing costs. And of course, the best part is, no more sleepless nights.

You might think you really need a plumber to fix a leaky faucet. But no, you can do it by yourself! And with these simple and easy to follow steps, you will never have to dial a plumber again.

Here are some basic tools and materials you will need:

- Screwdriver – Washers

Before You Start

1. Look under your sink and search for a shutoff valve. Turn its handles counter-clockwise (off) to switch off the water supply. Remember the saying “righty-tighty, lefty-loosey”. This will guide you in switching your water supply on and off.

2. Keep an assortment of replacement parts at hand. This includes washers, O-rings, and etc.

3. Make sure to plug down the drain (maybe with rags). This is to avoid having small parts like screws and washers go down the drain.

4. As you work, keep in mind the exact order of the parts from the moment it was taken apart and line them up. This will serve as a guide when it’s time to reassemble it, so you wouldn’t have a hard time tracing what goes in first.

Begin Working!

1. First, take the faucet handles off. You can do this by using your screwdriver to remove the screw that is holding them on. Once you’ve removed the screws, lever the handles open using a flathead screwdriver.

2. Faucet handles removed, you may now proceed to removing the old washer located behind the handle. If no washer is present, then don’t fret. Buy one and use it later on.

3. With the new washer that you just bought, replace the old washer. Put it where the old washer used to be. Keep in mind that the hole in the washer must be just a little bit bigger than the post where the handle turns.

4. Start putting things together. Put everything in place, according to the opposite order of how you took it apart. After, you can put the handle back to its post and screw it on. When you screw it on, make sure that you don’t screw it in too tight so that you wouldn’t damage the brass fittings. Just keep it hand-tight.

5. Test it. Turn your water on by turning the handles of your shut-off valve clockwise or to the left.

6. Hopefully, your faucets wouldn’t be leaking by this time. That is if everything went well. If not, you can always try to tighten the screws a little bit more or do the whole procedure over again. If you were still not able to stop the leak, it’s probably time you face it and call a plumber.

Miscellaneous Tips

In going to the hardware when buying a washer, ask an employee for assistance. He could recommend the specific washer that is used for your sink.

Sometimes, leaky faucets are due to lime build-up. If you notice that a lot of lime build-up is on your faucet handle post, remedy this by using lime away products to clean the build-up.

There’s no need for you to stay awake at night and listen to the annoying noise of a leaky faucet instead of enjoying fitful sleep. Learn to fix a leaky faucet yourself and say goodbye to plumbers, high plumbing costs, and sleepless nights.

Know how to fix a leaky faucet yourself. Find your faucet guide.

Steam showers have become all the rage in bathrooms today. A good steam shower allows people to experience the relaxation and the detoxification that they used to only experience when they go to a spa. However, there are people who wish to go beyond the standard steam shower that a spa offers. They don’t only want to have a steam shower of their own, but they want it customized to their needs. It’s no wonder therefore that custom steam showers are now being ordered by a lot of people for varied reasons.

Some people have custom steam showers made in order to meet their specific needs. As we all know, each individual is unique. It follows therefore that we all have unique needs, whether it concerns food or a steam shower. A custom steam shower can help a person address his or her specific needs whether it involves something that will help them relax better or something which will render the steam shower more effective.

There are also those people who buy custom steam showers simply to proclaim their individuality. By having a custom steams shower built, they are able to look into the mirror and proclaim to themselves and to the world that they have a unique steam shower. Customization today is seen by a lot of people as a status symbol. If you have something customized, then you must be really cool.

Here are some factors to consider if you want to have your steam shower customized:

1) Function: Some steam showers can be customized by changing the way that they work. The steam outlets can be adjusted in order to fit the person’s specifications. By building custom steam showers in this manner, a person can make sure that he or she can enjoy the benefits of the steam shower at its best. A steam shower can be customized in order to help a person detoxify, get rid of a pound or two and it can even be customized in order to help a person relax.

There are also those who try to improve the way their steam shower functions by playing around with the construction materials. They manage to make their steam showers cost less or retain more heat. They are able to make sure that they can improve the steam shower simply by looking around at available materials and analyzing how these materials work.

The function of the custom steam shower is vital since it determines the specific benefits the person gets when building it.

2) Design: A lot of steam shower kits available today have a typical finished product look. A lot of people misinterpret this information as to how the steam shower should be assembled. The more creative ones, however, tend to take the small picture or caricature merely as a suggestion and proceed to give their steam shower the look that they desire.

A lot of people like to add a touch of history to their custom steam shower. Some design their custom steam showers to partially resemble a Venetian bath house. Others like to build custom steam showers with an Asian twist. Whatever you choose, you can make your steam shower reflect your personality.

Actually, designing a custom steam shower is not that hard at all. However, you have to be very careful as it is often the case that design is inexorably tied to function. You need to make sure that the design of your custom steam shower does not affect or hinder in any way the enjoyment you expect from it.

For the weekend do-it-yourselfer there are several projects to be completed to make your home secure. The average homeowner will often not recognize some of these home security projects as a way to make their home more secure. So let’s start with some of the obvious.

Install your own home security system.

By doing it yourself you will be able to pick the pieces you want to start off with and add to at a later time. However, if you feel the task of install a wired system too daunting, you can always opt for a wireless system. Wireless systems are the simplest to install. With a wireless system you may want to have a second phone line installed to accommodate the wireless system.

Install sturdy door and window locks

Each exterior door should have a dead bolt lock installed on it. The dead bolt must have at a minimum of 5 levers inside the lock and should be a double cylinder. They are more difficult of a lock difficult to pick.

The sliding glass doors are another favorite of intruders. The doors can be easily pushed off of the track. Patio bolts provide a good defense especially paired with a deadlocking handle.

Check the lighting around your home

How well is your home illuminated at night? Are the doors and windows dark or well lit? Motion activated lights are a great way to illuminate the outside of your home without having to leave the light on all night long.

Check the shrubs and bushes around your home

Have the bushes grown up so tall that you can not see the window from the street? If so, it is time to break out the hedge clippers and trim back the bushes. Tall bushes are a great place for a bugler to hide in and work on breaking into your home.

Add home security devices

If you already have a home security system installed, take an inventory of the accessories. There are a lot of home security accessories, such as sirens, strobe lights, motion detectors, surveillance cameras, and glass break detectors that can be added to your security system.

A commonly overlooked accessory category is fire and smoke detection. Consider adding smoke, heat and carbon dioxide detectors to your home security system.

A secure and locking mailbox

Why do you need one? Simple, two words identity theft. Around the first and fifteenth of every month people pay their bills. Their mail boxes are filled with credit card statements, utility bills and a host of other bills. For an identity theft, this is great information to use to steal your identity.

Video cameras

Video cameras have come down in price and the features that you can get in a camera are astounding. For the outside of you home invest in night vision video cameras that use infrared emitters to ‘light’ up the area they are watching.

All of these DIY home security projects will increase your safety and protect your home from burglars and intruders.

If you want to learn how to drywall it can be a tricky process but fortunately learning how to install drywall is never as hard as people may say. You will want to learn how to do it right so finishing drywall is not a huge chore for you. Make sure you have the right equipment before your start the project. This will all depend on where you want to install the drywall and how large a surface area you are working on.

The first step is to sand down your walls and make the surface smooth. You should use a rag or cloth to get rid of sand after you are down so the wall is clear and white. Never skip this step. You should have the wall smooth and totally washed before you do the drywall process. You should follow all instructions from the dry wall kit to get a great finish.

You will not plaster any holes that are visible and you can use a putty trial and a scraper to do this. You may also need joint putty and a patch. Depending on the size of the hole you might need to put down another layer of plaster on the area. You will have to repeat this procedure twice until you get the wall totally smooth.

Follow all the steps in the drywall kit and you will be ready with your wall. Once you do that step you can get your paint brushes out and ready to go. You should pick the right tools and paint for your project and this will help you get a better finished look. Move the furniture away from the walls for the whole process and then you can move them back after you are done with the paint job. You’ll want to spruce up your whole home with curtains, furniture and any other home décor ideas you may have.

More than difficult, dry walling takes patience and time. You might want to consider other options besides drywall to improve your walls depending on what they need. If you need you can just cover the areas that are falling apart by putting up lining or you can try to cover up areas that need to be covered. Figure out what way will save you the most time and money in the process. You might be able to make simple repairs to your walls rather than redoing the whole thing. If you have serious issues with the walls like rotting or mold then you might want to call in an expert to do the job right. You also want to avoid breathing anything dangerous during this time. Make sure you do the job right no matter how you do it.