Home Improvement Today?

was entertaining when these fresh outta boot camp kids had to be shown how to use it.

 

Most kids now dont know how to use these things. Its not a bad thing, but if you need to drill a hole and dont have a good battery, you need a backup.

 

At least you have safe jack stands.

 

Lol, yeah, we just got a harbor freight near us like 2 years ago. I was using them just a little bit ago to take the rear wheel off my mini bike to fix the rear brakes dragging.

 

I started hand nailing all my framing together , I mean who wants a framing nailer anymore , too damn noisy

 

This you cutting your own 2x4's

 

What? Mr Makitta isn't using one of these?

 

I have a Hitachi cordless framing nailer

 

I used to use one of these all the time when I was doing electrical work.

 

Building a new portico. Wasnt able to finish the deck/railings because the 4x4 I reluctantly had delivered with the deckboards rather than pick myself due to my bed being full of work equipment was shaped like a damned banana..

 

And they were more then happy to shamelessly deliver it...UGH.

EDIT: Forgot to say, looks good!

 

Ive been going that lumber yard for years and when I wrenched at the bike shop I worked on half of the employees’ bikes/wheelers.. 90% of the time they hook me up. Theyre getting their 4x back, and will then in turn most likely deliver it to someone else, unfortunately.. couldnt use it if I wanted to, the PVC sleeve wouldnt fit over that even if I buttered that bad boy up first

 

I bought a couple of lights last weekend to replace a motion light on the house and swapped a standard porch light on the shop with a motion light. I tried to install them today and ran into a couple of issues. I'm hoping you all can offer some insight, so I can get them installed properly.

The problem with the shop light install was that there's no junction box. Behind the existing light is just a bracket screwed to the siding and a drilled hole for the wire. What would be the proper way to mount a round junction box that the new light wants to mount to.




The existing light on the house is mounted to a single gang outlet box, but the box isn't mounted right and is loose. The new light also wants a round junction box to mount to.

 

^ What you have there is not code legal - unfortunately, most outdoor lights are attached to the house in that manner.

Can you post a picture of the light - the mounting part in particular?

To answer your question, a fairly easy thing to do is cut a round hole in the siding, and mount a pancake box (1/2 height round junction box) to solid substrate under the siding, or run long screws into the studs.

There might be some easier tricks, which is why I want to see the light itself.

 

the first thing I see is a reason to bust out something to kill that damn spider

 

The mounting plate for the light going on the shop looks like the picture below with a couple of long screws to attach the light.



The mount for the house light looks like the screenshot below. It's just clear plastic with a couple of screws to attach it to the junction box.

No worries. That spider is long dead now. I'd already doused the hell out of it with spray. It was just dying a slow death that the time.

 

Finished a Radon mitigation project. The local health unit was doing a Radon survey in January and I participated. 3 months with a sensor, then return it for reading. Turns out I've got Radon at the level they say to do something within 2 years. Been here for almost 40 years, so damage might be done...but I went ahead and vented the sump pump pit.

The basement is an integral part of the house, not something forgotten until there's a problem with the water heater, furnace or whatever. The woodstove that heats the whole house is there, so the basement air is the upstairs air.

I sealed up the pit but haven't re installed the pump. I need to cut a manhole in the plywood and rig a clear Lexan or acrylic porthole for inspection and work, then re-install the pump. I had 12 volts running right past (going to my tracking solar panel array) so I nabbed power from it. Works out that the 12 volt fan is a bit more efficient than the 4inch 120volt muffin fans.

Rented a Milwaulkee hammer drill and 4 inch core bit. It took longer to run the extension cord than to cut the hole. What a pig! Must have weighed 60 pounds. $70 for half day rental. Total cost of the project about $150. No way I was going to pay a professional to install a fan. sorry all you professionals, I'd hire Peter (Oz) in a heartbeat for the right work.

 

I had a similar issue. I used this mounting block

$18 Arlington 8141 Vertical Siding Lamp Mounting Kit with Built-in Box for 1/2" Vertical Siding LAP

https://www.amazon.com/Arlington-Ve...N913R86D6GP&psc=1&refRID=VJ8WJXVX1N913R86D6GP

I'm not sure if it will work in your situation.

 

This... go to a hardware store and ask for a new work light box. To do it right, a 4” hole saw cut into the siding and the new work box placed in that hole. Even if the box is surface mounted, there are ways to hide that.

This was a surface mounted new work box. Easily hidden behind a diy trim piece.