Home Improvement Today?

Quick Q for anyone that knows:
Am I supposed to put flashing tape across the nailer part of the z flashing between courses of siding? So a continuous piece of flashing tape connecting the z flashing to the house wrap — kind of like I did for my entry door. I’m trying to copy exactly what the main house has but can’t see underneath the siding for this one.

 

Not sure, but if it were me I would. I believe Tyvek makes tape exactly for that purpose.

 

Seam tape, yes you should do that.



https://www.dupont.com/products/tyvek-tape.html

$60 Tyvek Sheathing Tape 1.88" x 164' Pack of 6

https://www.amazon.com/Tyvek-Sheathing-Tape-1-88-Pack/dp/B017E3BKBS?keywords=tyvek+tape&sr=8-3

 

Yeah I went ahead and put flashing tape over it. I guess seam tape is only supposed to make paper to paper connections. Flashing tape has some tar-like crap under it to adhere to metal.





Going to finish the front garage opening and then it’s on to trim and electrical.

 

What cordless lawn string trimmers do you like? I'm not committed to a specific battery system yet...I have a few

$102 Milwaukee M18 Cordless Lithium-Ion 6-1/2" Circular Saw - 2630-20 - ( MILWAUKEE ) - BARE TOOL

Milwaukee M18 tools but might want to go higher voltage for yard equipment. And the M18 trimmer seems overpriced.

 

Take a look at Greenworks 80V stuff
I have their:
Whacker
Chainsaw
Backpack blower
Stick blower

Happy with them all

 

I bought the smallest, cheapest Makita 18 volt unit.

My usage is kind of semi-commercial, I mow 8 lawns. For routine work on residential lawns it has performed excellent, if I have a lot of clean up to do the gas power machine is obviously much faster. The included Makita string proved to be amazingly tough as well.

Something I also like is that it can ride around in the cab or the truck, no gas smell/spills to worry about.

 

Running the weed eater at my house takes a good 3 hours, gas powered is way more convenient.

 

I have the 36V (18Vx2) Makita which I'm pretty happy with especially with 6ah batteries

 

Doing office improvement today and stumbled across this in what was the dark room decades ago. Multiple light fixtures and one solid run of wire lol even wrapped around the terminals and everything. First for me!

 

Actually found one like that in my garage when l was rewiring everything.

 

So my disabled mother has been having a little more trouble lately getting to the basement for various task. She requested a handrail on the other side of the steps. So here we are. I will warn you, this is more function over form. It doesn't look as pretty as it could be, but was done for under $100 and is approved by her.

Picked up the best 4x4 fir I could get on a Sunday...



Cut to length and also trimmed the boards going around the outside of the steps. Also took off 3/4" on the 4x4 up to the stairs so at least the rail would line up with the top bracket. Thank goodness you's guy's and everyone else can't see it, as it's pretty barbaric. I used my multi-tool instead of getting the table saw out. Post is lagged into the stair risers with 1/4" x 5 1/2" lag screws, so it isn't going anywhere. Those long structural screws were ungodly expensive and the lag screws were only 80 cents a piece.





Installed the hand rail. They didn't have the length I needed so I made due with what I had. It's sturdy and serves it's job, so whatever. I did get it pretty close to the same angle of the other one.





Some caulk, paint, and stain over the next couple days and it'll be passable.

Also those stains in the ceiling tile are from plumbing leaks I've solved or just about got solved, so no need to remind me

 

Personally I prefer the power head out of the veggie pulp. I have a Ryobi brushless expand-it and 9/10 keeps up with the 2stroke 23cc powerhead. I’ve had a few brushed trimmers with the motor at the veggie pulp side fail after 2 years of nominal use; I guess I got my $79 worth.

 

So this snowballed into more work. Not that it needed it, but I noticed the trim on the outside of the steps needed done. That led me to see how badly the wall was painted.

So I had some leftover doctors office gray as I call it. Painted the post and outside trim of the steps. Handrail got stained and spar varnished. I'll need to strip the other handrail to match. No stain I had or could get could come close to the old stuff.



I also plan on taking off the old carpet and stair treads. There's too much glue on them to salvage, so some 1x10 stained and spar varnished will be the ticket.

 

Wow yeah - is mom ok with wood treads?

 

Yesterday I paid $649.43 total to have my downspout pipes FROM the house and the shop video inspected and located. There are a couple breaks, one is 3'7" down right under a sidewalk (poured in 2021) and the other is perpendicular to that from the shop around 5 feet away from the first mentioned break, supposedly 2'6" down (which may or may not compute as they are both down slope)

The beef is the water backs up at footing at the corner of my house. I have tried routing it out with my pressure washer and special hose but no luck.

So the result of all this I have contacted an excavating company. Gonna be the big dig.

 

I would have used that as an excuse to buy a borescope. Almost $650 would have bought a pretty good one...

 

No kidding.