Home Improvement for Women

How to install your own electrical and nonelectrical home items – all the while, saving money and becoming more self-sufficient.

1. Install a dual carbon monoxide and smoke detector

Safety First! Install smoke detectors on every level of your home, including the basement. Make sure there is an alarm near every sleeping area. Because smoke rises, mount smoke detectors approximately 4 to 12 inches from the ceiling. Do not install smoke detectors next to windows, doors, or ducts, where drafts might interfere with their operation. Test your smoke detector at least once a month. Change the batteries at least once a year, and make sure that your smoke detector is UL certified.

2. Install a new doorknob

Doorknobs are functional jewelry for your home. You will need a Phillips head screwdriver and your new doorknob set with the matching strike plate. Detach the doorknob using the screwdriver by pulling out all screws once they are loose. Remove the metal strike plate.  Insert the new bolt into the door and screw it into place.  The slanted side should face the direction that the door closes.  Place the new knob trim between one new doorknob and the door, and insert the doorknob.  Insert the other knob and trim piece on the other side of the door.  Make sure the two are aligned so that the long screws hold them together.  Tighten the screws gradually, alternating sides so that each comes together uniformly.

3. Install a dimmer switch

• Step 1: Getting to the wiring: Unscrew the switch plate and the old switch and lift it out. If the box is metal, be careful not to let the screw terminals on the sides of the switch touch the box.
• Step 2: Testing the circuit: Touch your tester to each wire. If the test light stays off, it is safe to proceed.
• Step 3: Refresh the wiring: Before you replace any wires, especially on a three-way switch – note which wire attaches to each switch terminal. Use masking tape to mark each wire and write what it was attached to. Cut off the wires at the switch terminals and strip about 1/2″ of insulation off the two cut switch wires.
• Step 4: Match the wires: You’ve got a lot of choices here, so pay attention: If your dimmer has two black wires it has no polarity, so twist each dimmer wire together with either one of the switch wires and screw on a wire connector. If the dimmer has a green wire, connect it to the grounding wire. If a dimmer has black and red wires, wire the black one to the incoming power line and the red one to the lights. Keep the wires well apart from each other during this process. Gently fold the wires back into the box and attach the dimmer to the outlet box with screws. Replace the cover plate and press the dimmer dial on to the shaft of the dimmer.
• Step 5: Let there be light: Restore the power and set the mood.

You did it yourself! Barbara’s Way

Home staging – the art of making your home highly appealing in today’s volatile real estate market is a smart way to spark buyer interest that can result in a quicker (and potentially more profitable) sale. When done well, staging can make your home look bigger, brighter, cleaner and, best of all, like the kind of space a potential buyer can imagine moving right into. Brokers have used professional stagers for years, but there’s no reason you can’t implement some of their most effective strategies yourself.

The first step is to clear the clutter. If you haven’t used something in three months, box it up and store it away; if you haven’t used it in a year, get rid of it. If you can’t do either, find a place to hide it, like a covered container. Be ruthless with furniture, too. Professional stagers often remove half of the owner’s furnishings, leaving rooms looking much bigger.

Once the clutter is gone, you can swap out furniture and accessories among rooms; it can give your house a fresh new look without spending any money.

Choose a few pieces of appealing art, and be creative about how you display them. Try grouping pictures, staggering them a bit higher or lower than the next. Or position them in a triangular arrangement. If you have high ceilings, consider hanging art in a verticle line to accentuate their height.

Remove heavy drapery and replace with something light and airy. Natural light improves the look of any space and makes a room appear larger. Extend curtain rods to make narrow windows seem wider. If your ceilings are low, hang the rods at the ceiling line and let the curtains create an illusion of height.

Once you’ve let the sun shine in, turn your attention to the artificial lighting in your home. Most rooms aren’t shown off to their best advantage because they are improperly lit. Aim for about 100 watts (use a variety of light fixtures) per 50 square feet of space. Once you’ve got lighting in place, install dimmers so you can vary brightness levels according to your mood and the time of day.

Don’t be surprised if after all your hard work, you find yourself wondering why you ever wanted to move in the first place. Do it Barbara’s Way!

For more tips, videos and how-to’s, visit barbarasway.com

I get so many e-mails asking about how to fix a wobbly fan that sometimes I think the entire country is shaking! It’s not surprising, though, because ceiling fans are such a great, low-energy way to cool your home. A lot of people have them. Luckily you can fix the problem easily in a few simple steps.

If you think that the fan problem is a loose screw near the electrical box (located in the ceiling right above the fan’s motor), make sure to turn off the electricity at the service panel before proceeding.

WHAT YOU NEED: Phillips head screwdriver, tape measure and pliers.

HOW TO GET IT DONE:

1. Check the fan blades to see if they are loose. If  your fan is installed from the ceiling by a rod that extends down from the electrical box to the motor, check the connection between the rod and the motor and tighten any and all loose screws with a screwdriver or pair of pliers.
2. If the ceiling motor is attached directly to the ceiling, examine the ceiling mounting and tighten any and all loose screws.
3. Measure the distance of the blades from the ceiling. It is important that all the blades reside on the same plane. Hold one end of the measuring tape at the ceiling while rotating the blades manually to check the distance.
4. If a blade is not level or an equal distance to the other blades, you must gently bend the blade that is out of place. It is easier to do this step with an extra pair of hands. One person should hold the fan while the other person bends the blade.

Now you can enjoy the cool air circulating from the ceiling fan you repaired yourself, Barbara’s Way!

A portland cement and water mixture is fine for foundation and walkway cracks, but use a gravel mix for repairing large cracks on driveways. A gravel mixture is made from 1 part portland cement, 2 parts sand, and 3 parts gravel. When combined, it should be the consistency of a thick paste, like peanut butter.

WHAT YOU NEED: Garden hose with spray nozzle, wire brush, chisel, hammer, safety glasses, cement adhesive, portland cement and water mixture or gravel mixture, putty knife or trowel and plastic drop cloth.

HOW TO GET IT DONE:

1. Thoroughly clean the crack with the spray nozzle of your house. Brush out any remaining debris with a wire brush.
2. Open the crack with a chisel and hammer. This works on the same principle as opening a crack in plaster, which I talked about earlier. This extra depth and width increases the strength of the repair job. Wear safety glasses during this procedure!
3. Brush cement adhesive into the crack.
4. Apply the patch mixture with a putty knife or trowel. Force the mixture into the crack as much as possible. Then smooth it off so it is level with the original concrete.
5. Allow the patch to dry for about 2 hours. Then cover the area with a piece of plastic drop cloth.
6. Keep the area covered for about 5 days. Lift the covering once each day and sprinkle the area with water.

*Note: If the patch is on a driveway, don’t drive a car over the patch for at least 5 days. This gives the patch time to dry and cure before carrying heavy loads.

The large crack has been fixed! and you did it youurself Barbara’s Way!

If your hose springs a leak, there’s no need to replace it. First, identify the location of the leak: Place the hose on a flat surface, such as a driveway, and turn it on. Mark the leaking area with a piece of chalk. Turn the hose off and dry it so you can make the repair.

What you need:

Water proof duct tape, utility knife, plastic couplings and connectors and liquid dish washing soap

How to Get It Done

Step One:

Pinholes and small cracks can be wrapped with waterproof duct tape. Wrap the damaged area plus at least 1 inch past the damage in both directions, making tight overlapping spirals. Do not pull the tape so tightly that it flattens the hose or stretches too much. If it’s a very hot day, more than 80 degrees fahrenheit, make the repair in a cool place, such as a garage, or at least in the shade. The heat may make the hose expand and distort the repair.

Step 2:

For larger breaks, you will have to cut the hose and create a watertight connection with couplings. Use a sharp utility knife to cut the damaged section from the hose. Make the cut as straight as possible. Ragged cuts may inhibit a good connection. Take the damaged piece to a home center and use it to find the right size replacement couplings. Make sure the couplings fit the diameter and material of your hose. Some hoses are made of rubber and others of vinyl. Couplings are sometimes made for one material or the other.

Step 3:

Attach the male and female couplings to the cut ends, following the manufacturer’s instructions.

Step 4:

If the fittings don’t slide in easily, soften the hose in hot water and lubricate it with some liquid dish soap.

Now you have fixed your leaky hose and you did it Barbara’s Way!