The Handyguys Podcast - Working Together on that Honey Do List Home Energy Savings Tool tests

Basement Finishing Series

Installing a sconce in 7 easy steps

Installing a sconce from Rejuvenation.com

In this video The Handyguys discuss installing a wall sconce to add ambiance lighting, that wont glare on the screen, to a basement home theater. Glare is the issue, planning is the answer When you are considering lighting for your home, whether it be for a home theater, television viewing area, home office, kitchen or [...]

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Energy Star Fraud And Basement Egress Requirements

Energy Star FAIL

The Handyguys cover two topics in this show. We discuss fraud, abuse and lack of accountability with the U.S. government’s Energy Star program and then discuss basement egress requirements. Energy Star Fail The Government Accountability Office (GAO) [sorry, said it wrong in the podcast] investigated the EPA and Department of Energy’s Energy Star Program and [...]

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Eliminating Squirrels And Basement Carpet

Squirrels can Destroy

The Handyguys take two fan questions on very different topics. Destructive squirrels and carpeting options for a basement. Squirrels The Handyguys received the following question from Larry, a listener of the show: Hi, I have squirrels eating away at the lead pipe flashing (roof jack). that surround the PVC vent pipes that extend out of [...]

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Water Powered Backup Sump Pumps

Basepump Ejector pump

Water powered backup sump pumps Never have water in your basement again due to a failed sump pump or a power outage. Water powered sump pumps do not require any electricity to operate. In this episode we address backup sump pumps, in particular water powered sump pumps. We were contacted by a listener via twitter [...]

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Basement Systems Continued and How To Remove Paint

Peeling Paint

In this episode Brian & Paul continue the discussion of various Basement Systems and also take a listener question about paint removal First up, we get right to Will’s question Hiya Handyguys, We have just bought our first home ever! It’s an older, fixer-upper house in a historic district in Knoxville, TN. I painted houses [...]

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Basement Systems And Listener Questions

Ranch Style House

The Handyguys address a listener question about his air conditioning and then talk about basement finishing systems. Our listener Marc used our new call-in feature on the website and asked us about his air conditioning system. Marc’s question, in summary is I live in a ranch style house that has two HVAC zones. We spend [...]

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Basement Systems Continued And Paint Removal

Saniflow Saniplus

Basement Toilet Installs, Water Saving Flush Valves and Dryer Vent Cleaning First off – The Handyguys begin by addressing a listener question. Julianne asks: Hi! I am considering purchasing a bi-level home. When you walk in the door, you have the choice of going upstairs where there is a kitchen, bathroom and 2 bedrooms… Or [...]

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Avoiding Costly DIY Mistakes

Having to pump water from a finished basement is a costly mistake

Costly DIY Mistakes and Listener Questions First off – The Handyguys welcome listeners from RFC Radio and give them a brief background on The Handyguys. Costly DIY Mistakes This week we talk about the most costly mistake a DIYer can make when finishing a basement—not taking care of potential water issues before finishing your basement. [...]

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Soundproofing – Keeping The Noise Out

Click on this thumbnail for a full sized version. This is where I am going to write about the image

Getting the Noise Out! The Handyguys analyze the noisy question that is a major issue in modern homes.  How do you isolate yourself from disruptive sounds originating in another part of the house?  Whether the problem is noisy children or televisions; sometimes we just need to get away from it all.  The Handyguys are no [...]

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Basement Finishing Best Practices And Common Mistakes

Don

The Handyguys answer a basement remodeling question and then list some basement mistakes. The basement finishing topic is popular among handy folks around the home. Many handyguys across America and the world have basements that they want to remodel to create new livable space. Basements are no longer scary, dungy places but can become vital [...]

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Part 2: An Interview With Roger German (The Basement Guy!)

basement book picture

Basement Interview part 2

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Part 1: An Interview With Roger German (The Basement Guy!)

basement book picture

The Handyguys complete their basement finishing series with an interview of a basement refinishing expert Roger German. Part 1 of 2 of Roger German’s interview, Part 5 of the basement finishing series. Brian and Paul are fortunate for the opportunity to interview an author and basement finishing expert. Roger German is the author of Remodeling [...]

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Material Choices When Finishing A Basement

home improvement Pauls Grass sort of looked like this

Part 4 in the Basement Finishing Series The Handyguys are becoming the “Basementguys” in this new fourth installment of the basement series.  The Handyguys discuss basement materials and revisit some old advice they gave about mowing lawns. First up… a discussion about some advice that Handyguys gave in Episode #15 on lawn care.  Is it [...]

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Finished Basement Planning And Dealing With Building Codes

A nice door makes entering your basement inviting

The Handyguys give an overview of how to plan for your finished basement. Part 3 in the Basement Finishing Series Now that your basement is ready to finish, you need to develop a plan to execute that construction job down under. The Handyguys know some creative visionaries can see the complete construction plan in their [...]

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DIY Basement Finishing – Is My Basement Ready

Home improvement and Another during and after picture of a Handyguys basement

The Handyguys help you determine whether your unfinished basement is suitable for finishing in their home improvement podcast. Part 2 in the basement finishing series.   Are you tired of that dirty old basement which is filled with all of the junk that you don’t need? Have you been waiting to use that pneumatic nailer [...]

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DIY Basement Finishing, Yes Or No

The gas fireplace going in and complete in Handyguy Brian’s basement

The Handyguys discuss how to evaluate home improvement ideas and whether finishing your basement is a job for the DIYer. They also discuss a new site for finding and reviewing contractors. Episode #1 in the Basement Finishing Series There are many projects to do around the house but sometimes the handy guy can bite off [...]

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