Boosting curb appeal improving the front entry

Improving the front entry will gain curb appeal, welcome neighbor’s and be inviting to home buyer's. It’s time to tackle your home’s exterior and upgrade the front porch to add curb appeal and gain resale value. Here are some inexpensive things that can do that is relatively easy to make a bold statement on your home. As these days get shorter and now is the time to start the “must-do” improvement projects.

Update the front porch

First impressions matter, decorate your front porch to add character to your home. Improving the entrance by adding some color by painting or staining the front door in a fresh coat of gloss paint or strip it down and stain the front door to attract an appealing look of natural wood. A fresh new coat with home painting from your helpful Mr. Fix-It Handyman Service will refresh your exterior. Consider a festive seasonal wreath and a new welcome mat to top it off. Seasonal décor states that you are settled in and committed to your neighborhood. Container gardens and shutters give pleasing visual interest to any home. Replace outdated light fixtures or wall sconces with stylish models.

Make a window box

Get enormous curb appeal by adding a simple window box. You can enjoy the attractive garden view from indoors. Embrace on a broad range of designs with a multitude of products that are available today on the market. From wood, plastic, resin, and metal you can craft a garden that you can make a window box yourself for all to enjoy.

Sit and enjoy the moments

From classic rocking chairs, benches, and contemporary outdoor seating you can sit out the endless possibilities. Sit back and enjoy a fresh glass of lemonaide to catch up with a neighbor to enjoy the moments.

Give your yard class

Add perfectly-planted flowers for color, manicure the shrubs to achieve visual interest and add illumination to the landscape to gain ambiance on summer nights. Help illuminate a path to your new front entry space. With these simple touches you can give the yard class with a bold look.

Use your outdoor space to it’s fullest potential while boosting curb appeal and improving the front entry. Hammer that first impression and enlist our home service professional to fix up your front porch. Contact our trusted experts at Mr. Fix-It Handyman Service to help maintain your home.

How to cleanly re-caulk a bathtub or surface to prevent premature damage

You can make small improvements to spruce up your bathroom and make a dramatic difference, one of the easiest things to do is to re-caulk your bathtub and shower to help prevent mold and structural water damage. To understand these two failures will help you take the appropriate action to avoid unexpected expense of a home repair in your bathroom.

The first failure is the old caulk needs to be replaced with new bathroom caulking. The typical lifespan of caulking is no more than 10 years. Maintaining your shower, lavatory sink, bath tub are critical home maintenance tasks to prevent water intrusion.

Second the most common failure is the type of the correct caulking to use. The proper caulking to use is one that is designed specifically for bathrooms. Vinyl and latex based siliconized caulks are readily available in most regions. You want to choose the right caulk which is water and mold resistant and rated for bathroom use is the right solution. To get a professional pleasing appearance to match your décor in your shower or tub it is best to use a colored grouted caulk found in most tile supply stores for the tile surfaces.

The problems with caulk

Acrylic, silicone and latex caulks are very popular since the ease of use. However, they pose significant performance problems. In dry settings, they eventually dry up, peel and crack. In wet settings, when they are exposed to continual moisture, they re-emulsify, soften, peel, and eventually wash out of the joints, and sometimes turn black in color from mold and mildew. Caulk is not chemical resistance and when certain cleaners are used, the caulk reacts and eventually loses its bond, which allows moisture to compromise and penetrate through the surface creating mold and rot! Caulking your home is a routine task.

Over time, most caulk will mold, dry up, peel or crack. Exposed caulk or grout joints often result in severe water damage and costly repairs.

Common signs you might need to Caulk your Bathroom

If your current caulk in your bathroom shows mold or discolorization, signs of cracking, missing or damaged caulk, or any part of the caulk bead no longer adheres to the surface then it would be wise to re-caulk to prevent water intrusion behind gaps and seams around bath fixtures.

Prepping the caulk surface

Removing the old caulk is vital of a good caulking job. Since this is a harder task there are plenty of products on the market to make the job much easier. With the right tools and knowledge you can save valuable time on your re-caulking project. Pick up a handy caulk removal tool, towels, and some caulk softener at your local hardware store. Apply the caulk softener over the old caulk. Let the product sit for two hours on the surface. Careful here and don’t let the softener product dry out. Grab your handy caulk removal tool and go to work removing the soft caulking. Use the flat plastic side of the tool to clean up the excess areas and wipe and scrub the surface clean. Once the surface is dry and free of caulking apply your bleach or rubbing alcohol cleaning product that you normally use to clean the bathtub. Scrub all the soap residue on the surface you are working on to clean the area squeaky clean. Take a break and let the surfaces completely dry out. To ensure the strongest seal on a bathtub, fill up the tub with water before applying new caulk.

Apply the new caulk

Grab your caulk gun and caulk tube and cut the tip off about a 45 degree angle. Insert the tube in the caulk gun. Grab some painters tape and apply the tape around both sides of the caulking bead edge. Apply the caulk to the shortest wall first surface using a steady constant pressure to ensure you are not ending up with more in one spot or less in another. When you reach a corner, stop and finish with that wall first before proceeding to the next wall. Use your finger and steadily push the caulk in to the joint and release some pressure when you reach a corner so you won’t pool the caulking over, after you have completed all walls around the bathtub. Wet your finger and run along the new caulk line to make sure it is smooth and even. Remove any excess caulk with a wet rung out towel with water or appropriate cleaner printed on the caulking tube. Remove the tape at this time. Be sure to remove the tape slowly and carefully so not to remove the caulking with it.

Let it dry and cure

Your last easiest step is the most important, let it dry and cure. Consult the instructions on the back of the caulk tube to find the appropriate amount of cure time. Do not use the fixture until proper cure time to prevent water intrusion issues.

Get help with bathroom shower, bathtub, or sink caulking

Replacing caulk is an easy way to save money and Do it yourself for home repairs. Although you could save yourself the hassle if you don’t have the time nor inclination to do your own bathroom caulking, invite our Mr. Fix-It Handyman Service craftsman to come out and get your bathtub or shower caulking done now for your bathroom.

Common washing machine signs to keep an eye out before repair

With much wear and tear on most home appliances a washer can really take a beating over a year. In fact the average American family washes nearly 300 loads of laundry per year. It is bound to act up at some point in time after a few years. Keeping a skillful ear and eye to identify issues can avoid the need for an expensive repair or replacement.

 The agitator doesn’t work

The agitator is the plastic device in the center of top loading washers that wigs and wags spinning left and right rapidly during the wash cycle to make your clothes come clean. If the motor engages but the agitator doesn’t that is a sign that the transmission is going out.

On Whirlpool washers the agitator has plastic clogs which can break off internally within the device to help prevent transmission failures.

It is easy to check to see if the agitator is working, simply lift the washer lid during the wash cycle to view the agitator is shifting the clothes around. Your pants socks ad shirts won’t get clean if the agitator is not working. So it is worth having this problem looked at sooner then having an expensive repair bill later.

Clothes are dripping wet after the spin cycle

The transmission may have something wrong if the water may drain but the spin cycle may fail to engage. The spin cycle is important for removing as much water from your clothes as possible. So the dryer doesn’t have to work as hard to dry the clothes later on.

If the transmission has something wrong the motor may engage but the drum won’t spin, leaving you up duck’s creek with sopping wet clothes? You wouldn’t want to make your dryer to work overtime causing more wear and tear on the dryer making to wear out faster since it even wastes a lot of energy. So it is best to call in an washer repair professional today then delay if this is the problem you are having.

Water doesn’t drain from the drum

During the normal operation of the washing machine, the washer drains right before the spin cycle starts. A problem with the water pump could prevent water from draining out of the tub. When this happens you will notice the wash tub is still full of water when you lift the lid to transfer your clothes to the dryer. This will require an appliance repairman to come take a look at the problem.

If your washing machine is acting up and you eyed the problem. It would be wise to contact Mr. Fix-It Handyman Service to schedule your appliance repair visit today. Do it yourself washer repairs is not recommended since it could cost you more in the end to fix.

Back to school with home organization

Home organization with summer ending and kid’s getting ready to go back to school, it’s a fun time of year to get your home organized for the school year. While the young one’s are meeting new friends and learning new skills it is a great time for you to get the household in order. When your home is an obstacle course with all those shoes lying around it’s time to get a shoe organizer at a back door entrance. Hang hooks for jackets and bags to gain some extra storage space. An organizer not only helps clean up but saves time in the morning to grab the shoes and head to school.

Create a drop zone

Grab a few cloths wrapped wired baskets and create a drop zone to drop stuff off when you walk in the front entrance. Utilize a drawer by the front entrance to drop your keys, phone charger, wallet, favorite lipsticks and other important stuff.

Gutter and drywall repair

No matter your home maintenance needs, it’s never a bad idea to hire a handyman for that little extra help during the busy back to school season. With summer time ending blues and afternoon showers often leaving some home owners with leaky roofs and soggy drywall. Water damage can cause havoc on your homes structural weakness and can cause wood rot. In fact heavy rain and high winds can cause gutters to pull away from the side of the home, so water can seep through walls and ceilings. Before summer ends make sure the gutters are securely fastened and properly cleaned and flowing. As drywall repair and replacement can be a big project, it’s better to fix the problem before it turns into a safety health hazard down the road.

Check your dryer vent

With the work load your dryer is about to endure over the up coming months of the school year. This is a smart idea to help you save some money with the energy efficiency savings you dryer can endure with a clean flowing dryer exhaust vent. Not to mention a restricted dryer vent may cause premature failure on your dryer's internal components. Lint can build up in the dryer vent with consistent use can wear out the heating element, thermal fuse, high temperature limit safety switch, and other mechanical components prematurely of the dryer. It is recommended to clean your dryer vent at least once a year depending on the size of the household and dryer usage. Ask about our dryer vent cleaning services.

Get your home organized now can eliminate the hassle of juggling repairs and improvements with sports schedules and homework. Call Mr. Fix-It Handyman Service and we will work with your busy schedule and offer the quality home repairs that your casa deserves.