Hammer Time

The other night, I was going through the visitor numbers on my blog site and ran across a new visitor.  New visitors always get me excited, because I like to hit the "referral" button and see how the newbie ran across my blog. Sometimes the paths are predictable, but once in a while, you come across one that makes you scratch your head and wonder how they found you when they were looking for something so completely different.

This one new visitor was a case in point.  He or she had been looking for tips on how to repair water damaged floors.  It took me a while, but then I remembered I had posted a couple of stories about re-doing my entry way, and I must have mentioned the water damage I had encountered.

Wow.  I wonder if I helped the person, or if he was just annoyed he had wasted his time.  I'd like to think I did help him, because ... well, goddamnit I'm getting pretty good at fixing shit around here.

I know Jan gets nervous when I start something, because she thinks I'm going to fuck it up and then we'll have to call someone in to make it right, but we haven't had to so far.  And besides my success with the entry way, I've done a few other projects over the summer that I'm sort of proud of.  In fact, I took pictures when I was through, and I'd like to share them in the hope that I can give someone the confidence to start saving money and fixing up their homes for fun and self satisfaction.

The Mailbox Project.  During the winter, some yahoo snow plow driver hit my mailbox and snapped it clean off. Well, since we had drifts that lasted into March, I just stuck what was left of it in the snow by the road and got by until the thaw.  Then the mailman stopped delivering because he didn't want to get out of his jeep and put the mail in the box that was now lying on the ground.  I was getting tired of running to the post office to pick up my mail, so I thought about a solution, and just taking things from around the house, put in a very respectable mailbox ...

Best Looking Mailbox On The Street

The Toilet Project.  When a house gets to be about 20 years old, there are probably a few things that need to be updated.  I'd never replaced a toilet before, but then there's always a first time for everything.  So I went to my local home improvement store and got a terrific deal on toilets.  Two for the price of one.  The only problem with the second one was that it had a part missing, but as you can see, no problem.  The first toilet was intact, but I had to do a little carpentry work to fit it into the space.  Again, no problem ...

Who Needs A Water Tank When There Are Other Alternatives?

I Should Have Bought That One With The Front Flush Lever

The Drain Project.  After I put the toilets in, I found that they were draining a little slow.  So I checked out the basement and figured out a new plumbing configuration to help with the drain time.  Sure, it got a little complicated, but I figured it out ...

A Work Of Modern Art

The Roof Project.  One day after a mighty blow, I was walking around the house to see if we had lost any shingles.  The shingles were still there, but I discovered a disturbing bow in the roof.  When I went in the attic to check it out, I found that one of the rafters had broken. Boy, talk about shoddy craftsmanship by my builder. Well, I either had to have part of the roof taken off to fix it, or I could tackle it myself ...

That Roof Won't Bow Any More Than It Is Now

After thinking about all of my success with home repair this summer, I believe it might be time for me to hire myself out to help others with their predicaments.

If you're interested, just give me a call at 555-687-2474. That's 555-OVR-CHRG.

P.S.  Here are pictures of my finished entry way.