In this audio podcast The Handyguys discuss how to upgrade the entry doors in your house, with a Door Devil™, for increased security and then discuss a flowchart for determining if DIY projects are right for you.

Door Security

The Handyguys have discussed home security in the past but it usually involves systems that alert the homeowner or the police when there is a break-in. The device we talk about on this podcast designed to deter the bad guys from gaining entrance in the first place. The product is the Door Devil™ and Paul and Brian try it on for size!

Top 3 DIY upgrades recommended by Police

• Adding a 2nd 2 cylinder Deadbolt
• Adding a Peephole
• Adding a door frame reinforcement device

In some areas break-ins are on the rise. Some people’s first reaction is to say “we need to get an alarm system”. Unfortunately many break-ins occur in houses that HAVE alarm systems. The thieves don’t care because they’d kick the door and run in/out in Blitzkrieg or NASCAR Pit crew style before the alarm company was even notified or police can respond. Thieves are in, out, and gone in 4 minutes or less. Certainly, the alarms provide incentive for them not to linger, but don’t provide the deterrent or defense necessary to protect the home. One common denominator to many such break-ins is ‘Kicking the Door’. The Door Devil™ addresses this and addresses it in a robust and secure way.

Installation

You can upgrade the security of your entry doors with a Door Devil™ very easily. The instructions are clear and easy to follow. No special tools are required. The image below outlines the basic steps for most installations. In the podcast we discuss some of the special circumstances that you may encounter. Make sure you listen to the podcast for our impressions as we discuss the product, its installation and considerations you will need to make before installing one (or more).

Click this image to see it larger. Make sure you check out the free shipping promotion for our listeners!

DIY Reality Check Flow Chart

Its time for a DIY reality check! Have you ever considered doing a DIY project but have been uncertain if you have the right skills, time, ambition, money or help to get it done? Run your project through the DIY Reality Check Flow flow chart. We can’t take credit for creating this but none the less we like it, a lot. In the podcast you can hear us explain the flow chart. We run the previously discussed Door Devil project through the flowchart and got the green light to go ahead with the project. We then try the steps with a couple other projects and got a couple “stops”.

So, before you begin that next, new, uncertain, DIY project try running a reality check. It could save you some grief down the road.

We would like to thank Rachel from http://heart-of-light.blogspot.com/ for providing the flowchart. Thanks.

Door Devil has provided The Handyguys their products mentioned in this podcast and have compensated us for our production time. However, the opinions of The Handyguys are entirely our own and we have not been paid to make positive comments.

The Handyguys take a detour this week to interview Craig Smith from http://www.servicemagic.com/ to discuss a recent survey on home maintenance costs.

Do you know how much you spend each year to maintain your home?  Are you spending too much?  The servicemagic.com survey summarizes the actual cost of maintaining a home. While some homes are slow drains on your income, others are more like a sink hole that will suck your bank account dry.  A quantitative look at the data may help you determine whether you should keep fixing your home or think about planting roots in another neighborhood.

Check out the Podcast for the full interview and let the Handyguys know if you have a question about your home.

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 head and just start driving nails until they have a beautiful basement. However, for the rest of us, we need to write out some basic plans, study the building codes, and determine whether we have enough money to complete the work. That’s right, you are going to need a handful of hard earned cash to get your basement finished well.

But where do you start? First, you should determine if you can afford to finish your basement. The Handyguys tell you how much it will cost per square foot to get the job done. Make sure you can afford the job before you begin making your plans.

Once you have determined that your wallet is up to the task, get out the graph paper or install a design program such as Google Sketch Up to draw out your new basement. The Geeky side of the Handyguys suggests using the computer, but it certainly is not required. The building inspector just needs a drawing that shows your dimension, windows sizes, outlets and other items that the Handyguys discuss on this episode.

What about code issues? What do you need to consider to get those plans right? There is more to consider then just electrical loads, outlet placement, etc. You need to do load calculations on your HVAC system to make sure that it can handle the load of your additional living space. If your central heat cannot take the load, you will want to consider other sources of heat (generally you do not need to cool the basement space as the earth does a sufficient job).

The links below may be helpful for fulfilling your local codes. However, you must determine the codes that are established in your local jurisdiction! That is the only way to be compliant.

Check out the podcast for more information and view these helpful links:

General code checklist

Heat Loss and Gain Worksheet

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 you recently purchased? Then it is time to begin finishing your basement. But before you shoot your first nail, you have to determine if your basement is a good candidate to be converted to living space. You don’t want to spend a lot of time and money finishing your basement if water, mold and moisture are going to ruin your hard work.

The Handyguys take a look at some of the hurdles you must face before even thinking of finishing your basement. They provide some tips for the do-it-yourself minded individuals who would love to see a nice play room, entertainment room or billiards room in your basement.

Do you have enough electrical power to handle the new space you want to finish? If not, you may need to upgrade your service. Consider talking to an electrical professional to evaluate your current electrical service and panel.

In addition, you must have adequate heating and a/c for the new space.

The common problem you must correct before beginning finishing work is to mitigate against any kind of water or moisture penetration. You don’t want that new Berber carpet to become moldy or soaked from a freak rainstorm. You should have a good water mitigation plan in place handle the threats that nature brings. If you have severe water problems, you may want to talk to a few local water mitigation contractors to see what products they offer to prevent water penetration. If you decide to have a drainage system installed, be sure to wait a couple of years to confirm that it stand up to all kinds of weather. You don’t want to discover that your new system fails during that huge thunderstorm when the power goes out.

Another common problem is Radon. This natural gas is not something you want trapped in your home. There are reasonably priced systems available to prevent radon gas from seeping into your home but you want to deal with this issue before you begin finishing the basement. It will make your life a lot easier.

In addition to problems from the outside, there are potential problems already in your basement.

Is your stairwell adequate?

Is your ceiling height high enough for finished space? Are utilities and ductwork going to be in the way?

Check out this week’s podcast for more details.

Part one of the Basement Series can be read and listened to here.

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 more then he (or she) can chew. The Handyguys discuss the basic issues to consider when determining whether a new projected should be contracted out or performed yourself.

Some of the topics discussed include:

• How Long will it take?
  • weeks, months, years to never finish
• How much will it cost?
  • A little to a lot
• When to bring in a subcontractor
• DIY satisfaction
• Do you have the right tools and skills?

Even if you have the ability to do the job, there are a lot of issues to consider before doing it yourself. In addition to carpentry skills, you need time, patience, lots of tools and a good back to finish your basement. If you are lacking in any of these categories, you may want to consider hiring a contractor for the job.

The Handyguys then discuss an article from remodelingmagazine.com. Its their annual cost vs. value report. Some of the data is excerpted below.

The Handyguys then discuss how to find a good contractor. Turn to your neighbors was Paul’s suggestion. But what if you do not have a neighbor or friend who has had their basement finished? What then?It was agreed that just hitting the yellow pages may not be a good route. You need some good, objective advice. You can get that advice at www.homestars.com.

This website is designed to help you review and research contractors that are in your local area. Check it out… it may save you a lot hassle in the future. Check it out!

Lastly – So, you are going to go through with it or you have already finished your basement.  The Handyguys will be continuing to talk about finishing your basement over the next few weeks. If you have finished your basement yourself and would like to chat with the Handyguys on the air about your experience just let us know. If you are in the middle of a project and would like to dialog on the air about where you are in the process we would be open to that as well. email us@handyguyspodcast.com or use the contact tab on the website.