The Handyguys June 19th, 2008

 

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The Handyguys complete their basement finishing series with an interview of a basement refinishing expert Roger German.

Part 2 of 2 of Roger German’s interview, Part 6 of the basement finishing series.

Brian and Paul complete their interview with basement remodeling expert Roger German. Mr. German is the author of Remodeling a Basement from the Taunton Press’ “Build Like a Pro” series of books. This is the second half of our interview.
In part 2 of the interview, Roger discusses the following:

• Basement Extras
• Lighting
• Drop Ceiling vs. sheet rock
• More on water mitigation

Thanks to listening to this interview with Roger German.

This post will conclude our 6 part series on basements. As always if you have any questions about any DIY or home improvement topics feel free to contact us. You may also comment on these posts.

In next weeks episode we will address several listener/reader questions as well as provide plans and give guidance on building and arbor for your garden.

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The Handyguys May 29th, 2008

 

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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 true what one of the Handyguys said regarding your mower height?  Handyguy Paul said that if you mow the lawn lower, the grass will grow faster in order to get more sun and generate more food for the roots.  It sounded too good to be true so he sought out to prove his own advice.  Paul performed a little experiment on his backyard.  We could show you a picture here but Paul was a little embarrassed.  He cut a 30 foot swath down the middle of his back yard an inch shorter then the outside edges of his yard.  He wanted to see if it would grow any faster then the rest of the yard.  What was the result?  You will have to listen to the Podcast and see if the Handyguys offered good advice or bad advice.

The Handyguys then discuss the many choices that you have in regard to basement materials.  You want to finish your basement but what materials will you choose? Should you use steel studs or wood?  What about the pre-fabricated basement systems?  Drop ceilings or sheet rock?

The Handyguys also discuss sound blocking options.

Photo © 2008 Bungalow Chronicles

Good design will help your basement blend in with the rest of your house and not feel like a cheap addition. Planning and good material choices with a good decorating sense will go a long way.

Material talk and more discussions about your basement on episode #19 of the Handyguys Podcast.

Thanks for Listening

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The Handyguys May 22nd, 2008

 

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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

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The Handyguys February 7th, 2008

 

 Episode #4 - Get Organized [18:21m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The Handyguys talk about two big topics in home improvement today: a house that is “green” and a house that is organized. First is a discussion of a new product called the GreenSwitch. GreenSwitch is a wireless system that allows you to control several electrical switches and receptacles with a single switch. This switch provides an easy method to turn off all unnecessary lights and other electronics, thereby saving energy. You can even connect a thermostat to the switch to automatically set it to your away set-back mode to conserve power.

The Handyguys like GreenSwitch, but the price is steep. They would love to see technologies such as GreenSwitch and other wireless home automation and security products a little more integrated. You can find out more about what the guys think about this new technology on the podcast.

The other popular topic is home organization, which applies to garages, pantries and closets. Paul is getting ready to start a project on his master bedroom closet. It could use some attention, and his honey wants him to organize the space with some new shelving. Paul could probably build some shelving himself, but his honey-do list is long and he wants to get this job done sometime this year. At the same time, the budget is tight, so outsourcing this job to a custom closet company may be out of the question. What do you think he should do? Check out the show for details on how you can help!

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