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.

Ah, the central bathroom plumbing fixture, the revered throne, that peak of civilized functionality, the toilet. Toilet, commode, water closet, loo, john, call it what you will; what would we do without it? Wait, don’t even go there.

But when things go wrong and the throne starts to rock n’ roll or leak after flushing, there’s only one thing to do: replace the wax ring. It’s not a hard job, just a bit awkward and the fumes wafting out when you lift the bowl will knock your socks off.

Luckily, this is not a job that needs to be done often. There are other common toilet problems that can be even more perplexing. The fill valve can frustrate some folks, but adjustment is usually easy.

Be aware that there are two types of wax rings on the shelf at Home Depot. The first is just a wax ring; the other incorporates a plastic support or “horn”. This second is highly recommended. Trust me, it’s worth the extra few clams.

So when it comes time to perform this task, either do it yourself or find a pro at Angie’s List - Where thousands of consumers share their ratings on the local contractors and service companies they hire. Learn more.

Well, not completely off the electrical grid. I don’t really think the technology is there quite yet. It may be on its way in the near future since alternate energy research is a cornerstone of the Obama administration’s set of goals.

Just last Friday I was talking to a friend that works at a facility that manufacturers wind turbines. He’s impressed with these so I suppose he’s got the inside scoop. Now, it’s really great to install one of these but there are limitations.

Are Wind Turbines Right for You?

For example, you really need the real estate. They are not recommended for small properties. And some folks are not overly fond of the noise the blades make when they cut through the air like a hot knife through butter.

Thin-Film Solar Panels are the New Kid on the Block

Next on the list are solar panels or photovoltaic cell technology. Until recently, these panels have been fairly clumsy and didn’t give a very good ROI. Things are changing on this front though, with the development of thin-foil solar panel technology.

This stuff is awesome, by all reports. The overall manufacturing cost has been slashed since it uses nanoparticle ink that’s printed on rolls of conductive metal foil. And since the foil is thin and flexible, well, you can imagine the possibilities.

Frankly, I wish we would get our heads out of the sand and go with nuclear power plants. But with all the political resistance, I wouldn’t take the bet on that one.

My sister-in-law called me last week. She’s putting her house on the market and had a few handyman type things that needed attention.

The first thing was fixing some kitchen cabinet door hinges. Even though this home is in subdivision where the $250,000 homes sit on 1-acre lots, the builder skimped on things like cabinet door hardware, toilet fill valves, and hiring carpenters that are really US citizens. Don’t get me started on shabby construction.

The next thing to take care of was cleaning the ceiling fan in the great room. The ceiling fan is mounted about 18′ above the floor. I can only imagine that more folks have this cleaning problem since a lot of recent 2-story homes have this set-up.

The trick is not to bother with setting up a big ladder configuration. This will work but it’s not worth the effort.

So here’s the solution: buy a telescoping fan brush or do what I did; I used the telescoping paint-roller pole that I already had and used tie wire to attach a swifter duster to the tip. Easy-breezy, lemon-peezy.

Just spray it with some pledge or cleaner of your choice and have at it. It’s a 10-minute DIY job.

I have a huge collection of hand tools. Many of these, like my Whitney Punch, see only rare action time, but when they’re needed, they really come in handy and make the job easier. The electronic stud finder is also one of these.

It’s usefulness is not limited to hanging pictures. For example, yesterday I was installing some baseboard in the living room. The wall is already painted so I couldn’t see the drywall nails to locate the studs. Enter the stud finder.

But alas, it turned stubborn on me and refused to turn on. So I just went to Home Depot and bought a new one. I like tinkering with things, but I was on a mission. Operation Honey-Do List.

They ranged from $15.99 all the way up to $60. For $60, it better wash my truck and scratch my back.

I ended up picking a Zircon StudSensor Pro LCD. It’s a mid-range model that you too could own if you’re willing to shell out $19.97. Sure beats tapping the wall and hoping for the best! Heck, it does everything I want it to do.  It has two settings - one to alert on shallow studs, and the other to alert on deep studs, which is what? Intellectual Pine?

Another handy feature is the WireWarning alert that lets you know when it notices a hot electrical wire. Nothing ruins my day like 120V greeting me via a 10d nail!

For those of you that have been following my Perpetual Remodeling Syndrome as I pursue my home improvement adventure, I’ve just posted an update.

This installment is how I beefed up the fluorescent light fixture in our kitchen. It was an easy project but increased the light output by about 40% with no increase in utility bills. The total cost for materials was about $20. Oy vey, such a deal!

I’ve still got a lot of work to do around here; it seems like every time I finish one thing, another one crops up. For example, on Saturday last, we had a real gully-washer of a rain storm and some of my landscaping timbers floated off!

Normally, I enjoy running in the rain, but this storm was so nasty, I cut out my planned hillwork workout on the Kemah Bridge since visibility was ZERO.

I’ll need to replace them, but I’m still deciding what to use. There’s a thin line between style and stupidity when it comes to landscaping materials.

Anyhow, stay tuned for further developments!

In most cases, wood trim, door and window casing (interior), and other types of molding are purely decorative - icing on the cake so to speak.

Seeing as how they are meant to add a decorative touch, they just don’t look right when they don’t conform where they’re being applied because of surface inconsistencies. In many cases, you can tweak it by bending wood trim. There are two common methods of doing this:

• Building a PVC steam chamber. You can do this in your own wood shop.
• Back-cutting the trim. You can do this in many different ways; using a coping saw or a compound miter saw are common.

A common time to tweak trim is when installing baseboard after installing your floor. Why? Interior partitions (drywall walls) are rarely perfectly straight and you usually don’t even notice it until you go to nail up the base; then it becomes glaringly obvious.

I like to use a variety of methods to cope (pun intended ;-)) with this. First, if the wall curves in at a stud, I’ll nail the base up but use a shim so I can still set the nail, but then pull the shim and caulk the gap. Not perfect, but it splits the difference between beautiful and butt-ugly.

Chances are nobody will notice the hack, but they certainly would notice if the baseboard swooped in. That would detract from your new floor project.

Contrariwise, if the wall swoops out at a stud, you have no choice but to nail tightly to that stud, but you can let it float a bit on either side, once again caulking the gap.

Another trick is to first nail up the base and then nail quarter round to it at the bottom. It gives it a three dimensional look that detracts the eye from irregularities.

Using methods like these are what sets the craftsman apart from the rough framer. Think out of the box. Improve your DIY home improvement projects.

Yes, the work continues. I’ve updated the Perpetual Remodeling Syndrome page. The previous time I showed some pictures of the vinyl baseboard I installed.

This time the focus is on the door trim and handle I used. Click on the picture on the left to see what the finished job looks. The color is just a bit off; the door and trim is actually gloss white.

The compact fluorescent bulbs did something odd to the way my digital camera picked up the color, I think.

The next mini-project I will post will be on what I’m doing to my kitchen lighting to make it about 60% more effective.

And then there’s installing laminate floors in the closets, making oak transition trim for the places where different floor tiles meet up, install closet shelving, build an entertainment center, yet more painting, actually finishing the walk-in pantry I started a loooong time ago…

You get the idea here, I think. That’s why I call it “perpetual”.

Be sure to check my RSS Feed periodically to follow my progress.

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!”

OK, now I know that only sounds like fun to 50.3% of you. The rest of you are going to pay a professional lawn service company to do the grunt work, right?

Either way, it’s kind of cheerful to see things sprouting. Judging from the news, a lot of you are still in the grips of Jack Frost, but I’ve had my raised bed vegetable garden in for about a month now and even had to run the air conditioner for a few minutes yesterday.

I even broke out my Brill push reel lawnmower and gave it a go. These are great as long as you don’t mind mowing your lawn on a regular basis. Otherwise, you need the horsepower of a motorized one.

One thing I did have to do this spring is buy a new weedeater. I went with the Ryobi mostly because I trust the brand name. But it does have one cool thing - installing the cutting line. You don’t have to disassemble the whole head assembly.

Just feed the line through the head to the halfway point and twist the bump feed knob to reel the line in onto the spool. How cool is that, I ask you?

I may think of other projects as time goes on (or the wife will for me), but for now I need to go concentrate on something more immediate; I have to remove a tree stump thanks to Hurricane Ike.