In this audio episode of The Handyguys Podcast we honor Home Inspection Month by talking home inspections and discussing our DIY Home Inspection Checklist, we also talk about selecting plywood.

Home inspection month

April was Home Inspection Month. See http://www.ashi.org/media/psalist.asp

Click to download the .pdf of our DIY Home Inspection Checklist

That reminded us to discuss our DIY Home Inspection Checklist. It’s easy to do and will help you reduce repair costs by identifying potential problems early. You can download the checklist by clicking on the picture to the right.

Also, you may want to listen to a previous show where we discuss most of the items on our checklist.

Plywood

Lots of project use plywood, from construction to fine furniture. learn how to spot decent plywood and how to avoid junk.

The Handyguys discuss:

• projects: furniture vs garage shelving
• what makes one type better than others
• Types: including Baltic birch
• Where to locate good plywood (home center, lumberyard, specialties supply houses)
• How to transport plywood

How do you get your house ready for the Winter Season?

Win this toolkit. Click on the picture to learn how! Hint: valid use of duct tape wins!

Join the Handyguys in a not-so-methodical checklist for the winter season.  This is not your every day handyman (or not so handyperson) checklist.  We have some extras you may not see on other lists. Listen to the podcast as we discuss these items. True Value had all the supplies we needed to get our houses in order.

• As the days get shorter and darker, it is a good time to check all of your outdoor lights.  Make sure they work.
  

  Paul was able to discover these fancy CFLs at our local True Value. They look great don’t you think?

  Perhaps it is time to install a light with a motion detector to secure your outdoor entrances and windows.

• Also, you can now get some wife pleasing outdoor CFL lights.  You don’t have to settle on the curly cue CFL bulbs

• Watch out for leaks and/or water penetration.
  • gutters/downspouts
  • grade flowing toward house
  • clear insulation around soffit vents to avoid ice dams
• Bring in your outdoor furniture
• Replace the grates and flavor bars on your Grill.  True Value has the parts you need for this.
  

  Why not refresh your busted down grill and enjoy a few more cookouts this season. Paul picked up the new flavor bars and grate at True Value. The steaks came from the cow he bought.

• Winterize your yard tools
• Seal/weatherstrip and caulk around window and doors and latch those windows for the winter
• Insulate your unfinished basement.. especially around the rim joist
• Clean your Dryer Vent before it is too cold to work outside
• Install some heavy drapes on your windows to stop drafts.  That’ s what they did in the old days.
• Last chance for pre-winter fertilizer.
• Final chance for exterior touch up paint
• Is it time to stain the Deck in the fall?  Isn’t the sun closer to earth in the Winter?  Brian says no.  Paul says yes. Which is it?

Disclosure

Phased Remodeling, Vinyl Siding and Grading

Phased Remodeling

Painting is an easy and relatively inexpensive way to change the look of a room.

In this episode The Handyguys start off discussing Phased remodeling inspired by an article in a recent “Home Improvement Times”. What is phased, or serial remodeling? Are there advantages to this approach in tough economic times? What are the disadvantages? We then address two listener questions, one on what should be included in a vinyl siding job and one about grading, moisture and stucco. Listen to the podcast for a discussion by The Handyguys Brian & Paul.

Vinyl Siding

We then address a question from a listener about vinyl siding, Lou Ann writes:

I really enjoy your podcast, and I have a question for you. We are getting our 60 + years old house resided with vinyl siding. They will be replacing the existing aluminum siding. My question is…what can I expect? I’ve gone to website that tell you to take down all your framed artwork from the walls. What happens to all the stuff already cut into the siding, dryer vents, water pipes and such?

Hope this isn’t a stupid question. Thanks for your help.

Lou Ann – No, that’s not a stupid question at all. It is standard practice that all the penetrations through the siding are properly flashed and trimmed out when the siding is installed. It couldn’t hurt to ask your contractor though. This may be specified in your agreement but it doesn’t hurt to make a call. Do not let them charge extra after you ask. We discuss this and talk about some of the things the siding contractor will need to deal with in the podcast. Thanks for your question Lou Ann.

Grading

Gary writes us, concerned about an inspection on a new house.

I bought a house 6 weeks ago , one of the comments on the inspection report was the grading by the bedroom needed attention as it was to close to the stucco and would allow moisture to pass , this section is a new addition to the house and is built on a concrete foundation , at the front of the house however ( built in 1947 ) the stucco goes all the way under the soil as such clearly built with a different code . How do you prevent moisture ingress here ? Is the stucco sealed ? How do I know if its still effective?

Thanks for the great show

Gary – Thanks for the pictures. You do not need to be concerned with the stucco or sealing it, your bigger concern is the relationship of the grading to the wall and floor behind the stucco. Your grade dirt and mulch should be below the level of the bottom of the wall. You are lucky, you have a window. Measure from the windowsill to the floor, on the inside, then measure on the outside down. This will give you an idea if the grade is too high. For our listeners and readers – we followed up with Gary and his grade is low enough.

That’s it for this weeks show. Make sure you subscribe and tell your friends.

The Handyguys are interviewed by a local Ohio Newspaper.

The Handyguys were interviewed by Joy Brown from the The Courier in Findlay Ohio. We recorded the interview and turned it into a podcast.

Some of the topics covered in the interview:

• Spring repairs
  • Gutters, repair or replacement
  • Shingles
• Spring Time Home Inspection
  • Check out the home inspection checklist as part of Episode 57
• Are you ready for a DIY project?
  • Do you have the right skills?
  • Have you helped someone else with your particular project?
  • What resources do you have? Tools? Money? Time?
  • Are you ready to DIY was also discussed in regards to basements in Episode 16
• Background on Handyguys Podcast
  • How we got started
  • Where we learned what we learned
  • Some of our most successful projects
  • Some of our project failures
• Some other online resources
  • Tile – John Bridge
  • Plumbing – Terry Love
  • Electrical – EZ DIY Electricity
  • Woodworking – The Wood Whisperer

You can check out the article written By Joy Brown after the interview here http://www.thecourier.com/Issues/2009/Apr/19/ar_news_041909_story3.asp

Thanks for listening. We will be back next week with more home improvement advice. As always, if you have any questions about you home just let us know.

The Handyguys provide a Springtime house inspection checklist  which you can download free of charge!

Follow this Bungalow's restoration at http://stuccohouse.blogspot.com/

Winter can be tough on houses so the beginning of the spring season is a perfect occasion to give your house an annual inspection. Check your house top to bottom, outside to inside, and look for things to add to your Honey Do List. Preventative maintenance will save money on costly repairs down the road.

The Handyguys start their inspection outside. First the roof, then grading, windows, doors, and painted surfaces. Look for anything out of place. Then move inside – start upstairs and move through to the basement. Along the way you will check out bathrooms, bedrooms, kitchen and then the basement.

Click on this image to download the checklist!

The attached document can be printed out and used as a checklist when doing your home inspection. This document is geared for a springtime inspection, but it can be used any time you want to give your house a quick once over.

Listen to the podcast before you conduct your inspection as the Handyguys Brian & Paul discuss each item on the checklist and add their commentary.

Alternatively, you can always hire a home inspector if you have concerns about the condition of your house.  Check out our show about professional home inspectors

If you have any additions for the checklist please comment. We will update the checklist periodically. If you find this useful, please consider sharing it with others. You can also click here http://www.handyguyspodcast.com/downloads/SpringInspection.pdf to download the checklist

Lastly, you can follow us on Twitter if that’s your thing. We are @handyguys and we will tweet when we are about to record our show.  We are using twitter to answer questions, solicit show ideas, notify listeners of new shows and possibly other things once we figure out how to best utilize twitter for our fans.

Thanks for you support.

The Handyguys go to the top dog to discuss home inspection!

The Handyguys interview Brion Grant, president of the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI) , the oldest home inspection organization in North America.  Brion Grant explains the importance of hiring  the right home inspector; one you can trust and rely on.

Handyguys Brian and Paul know all about home inspectors as they have utilized these experts when purchasing  older and newer homes in the past.  But how can you be sure that the home inspector you hire is knowledgeable and capable of helping you with the biggest purchase you will ever make?  Brion Grant explains that ASHI home inspectors have not only the knowledge to do the job but the experience.  In addition to passing certification tests, ASHI inspectors must have performed at least 250 inspections.  They have seen a lot and can identify the poorly built deck or dangerous wiring on that new house you are about to purchase.

But don’t just rely on ASHI certification to find your inspector. Like any other contractor, you should ask around and get references before hiring an inspector.  Listen in and find out about home inspectors on this week’s podcast.