I know, a lot of folks are going to “quit smoking” or “lose weight” again. This time, why not give it a rest and plan some DIY New Year’s resolutions? I won’t have any problem making that list since I’ve always got home improvements on my plate. And then there’s the honey-do’s.

I’m willing to bet I’m not the only one. How about you? Hopefully, Santa will bring you some cool new Christmas present tools. I don’t think that’s on my horizon but who knows? Here’s a few DIY projects I’ve been brainstorming:

• Build a wood walkway to my front door. Something like a short boardwalk. See; there’s a concrete sidewalk next to my attached garage that leads to the front door, but it’s a bit low and catches standing water when it rains hard. It’s not so bad that I need to install a French drain, but it certainly is an irritation.
• Install a laminate floor in the entry way closet. That’s all that’s left of my whole home reflooring project and I’ve kind of put it on the back burner.
• Finish my walk-in pantry. There’s a door from the kitchen to the garage/woodworking shop and I stole a bit of space there last year and built a pantry for more storage space. It’s part of my perpetual remodeling syndrome. What’s left? Installing a prehung door and finishing the floor.

Plenty of time to do all that; I just have to expense it. That’s the joy and grief of being a freelance writer - I get to schedule my own time, but the cash flow is not as consistent to a 9 to 5 gig. Some days chicken; some days feathers.

So what’s on your list? Add your comment to this post and we’ll see what’s popular.

As the weather becomes more enjoyable, it makes sense to get off the couch and plop down on a chair or glider on the porch. But it’s not always much fun with rain, scorching rain, and other bothersome elements of nature.

If you’re a baby boomer, no doubt you recall watching TV with Andy Griffith playing guitar on the front porch after consuming dinner, teaching Opie all the important moral lessons of life. Ah, the good old days, before ipods and DVDs…

Building a porch roof can solve these peevish environmental issues though. And it’s a great way to add value to your home equity. Always be sure to check with your homeowners association and local building code before embarking on this journey.

And don’t forget to update your homeowners insurance policy when you’re done!

This might or might not be a project you want to tackle on your own. It is a bit more complex than the typical DIY project, simply because it involves so many aspects of the different trades. Some residential structural framing, some roofing, painting, and possibly a bit of rain gutter and downspout installation.

Basically, you can get as primitive of fancy as you want. And there’s always the option of screening the porch in. Why do I say that? The mosquitoes have once again invaded my neck of the woods, pesky little sods! And why is it that only the females sting? As Rudyard Kipling wrote, “For the female of the species is more deadly than the male.” Ouch.

Remember that old John Prine song Grandpa was a Carpenter? “He was level on the level, shaved even every door, voted for Eisenhower, ’cause Lincoln won the war.” La la, dum de dum…

Great song, and it hearkens back to the days before pneumatic nail guns, digital transits, and laser levels. Tools were simple, and what could be simpler than a water level? All you need is a clear plastic tube, some water, and for the truly extravagant, a bit of food coloring.

And make no mistake, it’s easy to make a water level if you don’t want to shell out a few bucks for an electronic one. It really only take a few minutes and very few dollars. This is really big-money craftsmanship on a depression-economy budget.

When I was in my carpentry apprenticeship, we were taught that the Egyptians used the water level principle to build the pyramids. That leaves me scratching my head though. Where would they have gotten plastic tubing?

Unless the aliens brought it when they visited in their UFOs. Like the guy in the tin foil hat said, “How else do you explain them hieroglyphics?”

I used one almost every day when I installed suspended acoustic ceilings. Which I did for a living for about 14 years. Lasers are great but they don’t go around corners. In a cut-up building, a laser will have you spending all your time setting the dang thing up.

In those days the life of a journeyman carpenter was good. Today, at least here in South Texas, there’s very little commercial construction work if you can’t speak Spanish.

Obama Says No to Border Control

Basically, the same is even more true for residential home construction. But don’t get me started with my opinions of illegal aliens, their condescending attitude, and how the government coddles them. That’s another topic for another time.

How a Water Level Works

The concept is simple. Water seeks its own level. Actually, a 2′ or 4′ level relies on the same principal with the water or spirit vials. But it introduces a potential of inaccuracy because it also depends on the straightness of the wood or aluminum section that holds the vials and how well calibrated the vials are to it.

The water level has no such complications. It’s as simple as the 3-4-5 method for squaring. And you know what they say. KISS or “Keep It Simple, Stupid!”

A lot of you have been asking when I was going to post more articles from the deck design and building series. Understandable, since for many of us, spring has sprung.

Well, the good news is that I just posted the next two today. The first next one in the series is Setting Posts in Deck Construction. Makes sense because the prior one explained (in excruciating detail!) how to lay out the post spots.

The next one is Deck Building: Beams and Joists. Along with the posts, these structural components determine how it all holds up, meets building code, and carries the load. After all, your parties will be craaazy, yes?

There’s more to come so stay tuned!

I recently wrote telling you that I had posted an article on deck design fundamentals and that I had more articles in the series. Yesterday I skipped the gym (grrr!) and got busy posting the next two of them.

I’ve already discussed the first article in a recent post. Article number 2 is all about wood framing concepts. It’s not really rocket science, but it’s important to have a firm grasp on components like posts, floor joists, beams, and the type of concrete to use when setting posts.

Moving on from there, we come to article number 3: Lumber sizing and spacing. This is a critical planning stage of the project. Basically, the larger the lumber, the greater spacing between components. Well, there’s more to it than that, but when you read the article you can dig into the meat of it.

Even though all these concepts are generally accepted by deck contractors, you still need to consider your location and local building codes. For example, if you build stairs with handrails there are safety standards. Obey the code.

If you live in a climate like mine (South Texas), this is a great time to get busy with the building. If you’re farther north and still in the grip of winter like a head lock, you’ve got time to kick back and do extensive planning.

I hope you found this post and the related articles helpful. Check out all the home improvement articles on many topics: electrical, green building and energy efficiency, flooring, woodworking, and more.

Building a deck or wraparound porch is a great DIY project to start planning for now. When the weather warms up enough (or, like where I live, it already has) you’ll be ready to go.

I posted an article yesterday named Wood Deck Design Fundamentals. It’s actually the first of a series of deck building articles that I wrote last year. When I sat down to write, it was going to be one article, but there’s just too much information. It turned into six articles eventually.

I’ll be posting the other ones in order, so keep checking back. As I add the articles I’ll include a URL list in the articles. I wrote them under contract for another site and I’m just now getting the electronic rights.

Like any other project, most of the critical work is done in the planning phase. A deck is not just any old outdoor structure. As you can see in the article, there are six basic styles and the beauty of it is that you can mix and match styles, add a hot tub, and design it to fit in naturally with your landscaping.

Each article in the series addresses the next step in the project; framing, layout, lumber sizing and spacing, etc. The only thing really left to the DIY builder is to research local building codes. So bookmark the site and come back often if there’s a deck waiting to happen at your home!

Did you find this post interesting? Visit the main site for more home improvement articles. (Free of course!) And feel free to suggest topics for articles you would like to see.

Kelly, admin@icanfixupmyhome.com