!TOP VALUE HOME IMPROVEMENTS!

Vanity install

2011-11-21T07:30:00.000-05:00

Vanity install complete. Customer went from double to single sink. One of the double sinks was not draining correctly. After old vanity removal we know why! The sink drain on the left run goes uphill to the stack! Also the supply lines were ran outside the studs and the original home builders had bumped out the wall two inches to hide them. Nice!
We tore out the 2 inch bump out, removed all the old plumbing, installed a new single drain and the supply lines now come from the side rather than run the length of the back wall. Re drywalled the back, installed new vanity and counter. What should have been a two hour job took 10 hours.

Pharmacy rough in

2011-11-19T07:19:00.003-05:00

Completed the rough in of a pharmacy. Here are the pics.

NEED A NEW MICROCHIP CAR KEY AND DONT WANT TO PAY THE 150+ TO A DEALER? HERES HOW

2011-11-05T07:11:00.005-04:00

I recently got a new truck that came with only 1 key and one remote. A new remote from the dealership with programming $80. A new key for it is a different story because it is chipped. The price on a new key with programming was $179 per key. A chipped key has a receiver in the key head which is read by a scanner when placed in the ignition(tells the car the key matches). Auto companies say it is for extra security. It prevents someone from copying the key and stealing your car. If someone is going to steal your car it is not because they will steal your key, get it copied, then sneak on by your house , put a key in and drive away. Your car will be stolen regardless of the security key because it wont be used at all. These keys prevent you from going to your local hardware store on getting a $2 copy and force you to spend big $$$ at the dealership or locksmith. Here is how to get around it.

Step one:
go to your local hardware store and get 2 keys cut (price for me was $4.09. They will tell you they cant make a copy because they are chipped, just tell them make it anyway it is bypassed. Now that you have your new keys they will unlock the car and unlock the ignition but will not start the car.

Step 2:
remove the bottom of the steering column cover (it should be 1-4 screws). look for the chip sensor. In mine it is the black ring around the ignition cylinder. When you stick your key in the ignition it unlocks the cylinder and the key sticks through the ring telling the computer the key matches.

Step 3:
There is one screw underneath the sensor module attaching it to the column. Remove the screw. There are wires that run from the dash to the ignition with slack. When you remove the sensor let it hang to the floor.

Step 4:
take your old key and stick it inside the ring and electrical tape it securely to the ring. Make sure you start the car at the same time with your copied key so your car starts (sometimes they need to face a certain direction).

STEP 5:
Now snap or cut the teeth off the key. This way you don't just leave an extra key under your dash. Then just stuff the ring anywhere under your dash with the loose slack and tape or wire tie it to column wires. Test one more time for start, then reattach bottom column cover.

STEP 6:
I ordered my doorlock remote on ebay for 5$ and free shipping with programming instructions ( as simple as turning key 10x and hitting lock button.

STEP 7:
Enjoy your new non chipped working keys. The total cost for 2 keys and remote from the dealership was $440 but I only spent $9.08 and it only took 20 minutes. It will not make your car any less secure because you still need a key to start.

RECENT EXTERIOR WORK

2011-11-04T17:14:00.005-04:00

Here are a couple of exterior jobs finished in the last week. Paint on all of them. First a colonial home, the second a colonial home and pool house.

Something that needs to be taken care of SOON!

2011-10-27T02:02:00.000-04:00

If you live in a region that will soon be experiencing temperatures that hover around freezing for the next several months, winterizing your inground sprinkler system is a must. Check out this how to video and skip calling someone out to do it for you!

Office job completed!

2011-10-20T11:19:00.003-04:00

Our commercial office job is completed. Install of hardwood floor, walls and drywall with textured mud walls. Now for the rain to stop. Two exterior paint jobs on hold right now because of the two weeks straight rain.

REMODEL DONE !

2011-10-03T19:11:00.004-04:00

finely done with remodel.It was tear out of old carpet and installation of 1200 sf of wood floor on the 2nd floor and one room in the basement, painting of entire house, installation of carpet on two stairways and kitchen redo.(not alot of painting picks because they all are the same)

BATHROOM BEFORE AND AFTER

2011-09-01T06:24:00.004-04:00

Pics of a bathroom we just finished. Customer was going to paint, install toilet and sink themselves(that's why its not done in pics)

Hardwood floor and paint

2011-08-11T12:38:00.002-04:00

Installed wood floors in hallway and bedroom and paint in the same home.

Exposed aggregate concrete

2011-08-11T12:33:00.002-04:00

Its been a while since my last post so I have some new photos. Here is exposed aggregate porch sidewalk and patio pics.

Busy working!

2011-07-18T20:27:00.002-04:00

Sorry for the lack of posts but i have been busy working 13 hour days so I do not have the time. I have also not worked on anything particularly interesting so i have no photos. I have just finished the ftp migration of my company website from www.topvaluepainting.com to www.topvaluehomeimprovements.com. I am trying to edit all the back links now but i probably will miss some oh well.

FOUND DECK PICS!

2011-07-04T11:10:00.002-04:00

I recovered the deleted pics from my sd card from last post so here they are.

DECK FINISHED LOST PICS

2011-06-29T07:22:00.002-04:00

We just finished a two story deck unfortunately the pics were lost on a phone switch :( We are now onto painting a residential interior. I wish I had the pics for the deck. I might try to use recovery software on my sd card. If I find them I will post later.

My Bank Sucks!

2011-06-18T13:42:00.002-04:00

My bank for my business accounts has recently merged with another one and the service has been horrific. I received a new debit card about 2 weeks ago. The letter with it said to activate anytime. On the 16th my current card would not work and on the 20th all account info would be onto the new bank account. Everytime I called to activate the recoding said cant activate at this time. I called the bank last week and told them they told me ya some are having that problem because of the merger. So how do I fix it? HURR DURR we dont know.

So after some more incompetence and poor customer service I sent the corporate office this email:

Hello,
My old debit card was cancelled on the 16th and the new one will not activate. So i am without a business card. I needed to pay my state of michigan builders license renewel fee. Now I will have late fees for not renewing on time. Plus I cannot use for supplies. I have to be on the job sites at 6 am and have no time to pull cash from my account. This response i recieved from my bank branch at xxxxxxxxx rd. was they should have sent an explanation letter out. Well reading the explanation letter is not going to make my card magically work. Then I was told it is because of the changeover. Nice excuse. There is no excuse for this. I do construction and if my company installed a faulty granite counter top. I would replace it, apologize, and give them a discount or something else of value for the inconvenience. I would never tell them " well the granite factory was changing over the saws, thats why your counter is fucked up" and leave it at that. This is unacceptable and I am debating closing my account and going to another bank.
regards
Scott

I then decided because the bank would not activate my card for me and the activation # on the front sticker would not work that I would call the number for lost and stolen cards on the back. So I had them activate it no problem at all. Why couldnt the bank do this?

within 5 minutes of having that fixed I got a phone call from the bank headquarters responding to my email (which is impressive since it was noon on a saturday not 15 minutes after my email. I explained everything that had happen and that because no one from the bank would help me I called the lost card number and had them do it. Her response.... WAIT FOR IT...... Well its good you got it straightened out. No sorry about that or anything just its good YOU YOU YOU fixed it because we dont give a fuck and it is not our problem. What the fuck. Does anyplace even care about customer service anymore?
Well that was my rant I hope you enjoyed.

One of my Gtabs on ebay BID BID BID!

2011-06-16T21:31:00.003-04:00

One of my g-tabs for sale on ebay
here is the link BUY THIS SHIT!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250839732612&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT#ht_1264wt_1135

here is also a link to my other blog:

lifeofaserialflasher.blogspot.com follow!

This is 100% working condition and mint shape.
all features and programs 100% stable
4months old, added 16mb sd card, carbon fiber backing and screen protector
rooted
clockwork mod
vegan gingerbread rc1 (android 2.3.3, fuly wiped and fresh install)
build # GRI40
overclocked to 1.4ghz with 2.6.32.39 cyanogenmod root@pershoot-ubuntu #1 kernal)
kernal also mounts both external and internal storage at the same time
10 slot kernal can be set from 216mhz to 1400mhz!
linpack score 51.447
quadrant score 2932
faster than motorola Zoom and Ipad!!
if you do not know what these mean do not ask me google it !!!

upgraded to 32 mb (16 internal+16 micro sdcard)
carbon fiber backing and screen protector

Processor & Memory

1.4GHz NVIDIA Tegra 2 - Dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 CPU
512MB DDR
Storage
32 gb (16mb internal+16mb sdcard)
Operating System
Google Android 2.3.3 (gingerbread)
Graphics & Video Support

10.1" TFT-LCD with LED driver system and 1024x600 resolution
NVIDIA Tegra 2
OpenGL ES 2.0
32-bit LP-DDR2, DDR2
S1080p H.264/H.263/ VC-1/MPEG-2/4/WMV9/DiVX 4/5 Video Decode
1080p H.264/MPEG-4 Video Encode
Supports multi-standard audio formats, including AAC, AMR, WMA, and MP3
1.3-megapixel camera
Battery & Power
3650mAh Li-ion polymer battery
12V Power adapter
Operating Conditions
Voltage: 7.4V
Operating Temperature: 32°F to 113°F
Storage Temperature: : -4°F to 113°F
Package Content
gTablet
USB cable
Power adapter
Cleaning cloth
ESD cover
Warranty
User guide
Quick start guide
Color, Size & Weight
Width: 10.5"
Height: 6.8"
Depth: 0.54"
Weight: 1.55 lbs.
Color: Black
Networking & Communications

WiFi : 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth: Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
Audio
Built-in 2 x 1-watt stereo speakers
Connections
USB 2.0 (Slave)
Mini USB 2.0 (Host)
3.5mm stereo headphone
Micro SD
Dock for HDMI/Headphone/USB (optional)
DC Input (Power)

Installing a doorbell

2011-06-06T09:10:00.002-04:00

Doorbell wiring requires a transformer that connects to a 120-volt circuit. It reduces the
electric voltage to about 12-volts.
Be sure to turn off the electricity before you wire the doorbell transformer to the house power. Turn off the breaker and tell other family members what you are doing. The transformer will have a hot screw and a neutral screw.The black wire from the
house power will connect to the hot screw and the white wire will connect to the neutral
screw. This will give the doorbell transformer power. There will be one hot wire and one
neutral wire that runs from the transformer to the chime box.
The doorbell wiring will use two hot lines that run from the chime box to the doorbell. If
the doorbell is controlling two locations, then it will most likely have two different
chimes so you know which door to answer. The cable will connect to the transformer
with two hot screws for each doorbell. The cable will also attach to each doorbell with
these two hot cables. When the doorbell button is pushed, the circuit will complete the
electrical current and the doorbell will chime

Another missed day of work!

2011-06-01T15:35:00.002-04:00

Another shitty day. My truck broke down and could not get it to run. After 8 hrs I think I have it working. had to pull the throttle body off and clean (plus drill out 2 airways with a drill because they were packed with carbon.) Replaced aic valve, throttle position sensor, new egr valve and pipe, fuel filter. I then had to spray throttle body cleaner through the pcv valve line and run out. Seems to start and stay running now but we will see tomorrow morning. GOOD TIMES!

WAITING OUT THE WEATHER

2011-05-26T08:52:00.002-04:00

The rain really has to stop here. We started a job on tuesday outside and then rain for the rest of the week! Then holiday weekend. We will not be able to work on it till next tuesday. It has rained 43 out of the last 50 days here.

FLOOR DONE!

2011-05-19T17:35:00.004-04:00

I finally got the trim in the mail. Went back installed the track, laid last row of tile and then hammered in the pvc trim. The track was straight aluminum so to get it to curve I had to cut V shapes on the back side all down the curve section to get the track to bend to the curve. The actual trim was easy to hammer in because its flexible. I myself would have got a wood finished trim but the customer wanted black.

Advice? New company name

2011-05-15T09:03:00.002-04:00

My DBA is up in October so I want to change my company name for the new DBA. When the economy was good Painting in the name would get us alot of painting work(which we wanted because it is fast and easy money), but with the economy destroyed and the fact it is not going to improve most people try the painting themselves. So for more work that is not painting I need to change the name. I was thinking Top Value Construction? I would like to keep top value in the name and limit it to only one more word for website and add, and signage purposes. I have until Oct to change all the car signs, websites, business cards, estimate forms, logos, adds, paperwork, etc. So give me your thoughts. We are builders and do every kind of skilled trade service.I might take the top ideas and make a poll out of it. In return a picture with advice.

Not done yet

2011-05-09T10:13:00.003-04:00

I did not take pics of the floor yet because the customer decided to use a curved floor so I had to order a flexible floor transition (shown in pic). I'll have to go back once I get it and install the transition and the rest of floor to meet it. Then Ill have pics. Shipping said 1-5 days but its a special order item not stocked so it could be 1-3 weeks:(

floor work for the weekend!

2011-05-04T17:34:00.001-04:00

Will be removing a laminate kitchen floor and installing a tile one instead. Pretty small about 200 sf. I'll post pics when done.

Americans easily distracted.

2011-05-02T09:10:00.002-04:00

Lets see poorly shooped birth certificate, economy and dollar failing, gas at record high, economy on verge of collapse, starting election campaign, looks a little fishy to me. No proof or evidence of his death. no proof or evidence that he was even involved in attacks 10 years ago and even if he is dead probably killed 10 years ago. What a timely release of info. Im sick of all this bullshit they try to feed us here and it boggles my mind that anyone could believe this shit! Our government are like magicians and U.S. citizens are too dumb to follow the hands during the tricks.

Posting adds

2011-04-26T09:33:00.004-04:00

I spent all day yesterday updating links and renewing expired adds for my business. It was very fun as I forgot half of my passwords and login info for all the sites.

RAIN RAIN GO AWAY!

2011-04-25T09:05:00.003-04:00

It has been raining here in Michigan for like a month. Its almost may and we had snow last week. This weather needs to stop its killing business. April-June are the best months of the year and if i cant work outside its going to be tough!