Home Construction Improvement

Colonial Style Fluted Window & Door Trim

Todd — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 00:23:29 +0000

Window & Door Trim

Today’s mass produced homes rarely use architecturally pleasing window and door trim. Most homes today are built with a very basic colonial trim with mitered joints. Obviously this is done in an effort to reduce building costs while providing a basic look.

Older homes traditionally featured very ornate and detailed window and door trim. This was especially true for homes from the colonial and federalist period. Walk into one of these older homes and you’re immediately impressed with the craftsmanship that was needed to trim one of those homes.

Colonial Style Fluted Trim

We’re building a custom home for come clients right now and they had some very specific requests for window and door trim. The home owners wanted us to create a more detailed trim package that included fluted casing around the windows and doors. They also wanted to use a “picture frame” approach to the windows without the more traditional stool and apron look. They also wanted to incorporate “rosettes” into the design to eliminate miter joints that might “open” up.

Having this information we ended up mocking up several different combination’s of baseboard, casing, rosettes and plinth blocks. Mocking up sample window and door trim is an excellent way to get all the proportions right and also to make sure things will look the way you want them to before purchasing lots of trim materials.

Final Trim Selection

Rosettes

The homeowners selected the rosettes that you see in the photos for all the corners of the windows and doors. Rosettes are an excellent product to transition the corner of casing to help eliminate shrinkage gaps that are often found in mitered joints. As you can see the rosettes add a very elegant look and texture to the door and window trim. The rosettes that we used were 5/4 (full 1″ thick) and 3-1/2″ by 3-1/2″.

Fluted Casing

Fluted casing can really dress up an otherwise boring window or door. On this project we ended up using a 3″ wide fluted trim. Having the trim slightly narrower than the rosettes and plinth blocks adds a nice reveal. The fluted trim is only 4/4 (3/4″ actual thickness) so that allows a nice reveal out of plane again compared to the rosettes and plinth blocks.

Plinth Blocks

The plinth blocks are attached at the base of the door casing to form a “column base”. Plinth blocks add a very nice detail but they take some tinkering with to get the proper proportions. In fact, on this job we changed the plinth block dimensions during the mock up phase several times.

We ended up using a piece of 5/4 material that’s 3-1/2″ wide (same width as the rosettes). The key was settling on a height that was the proper proportion to the door height and baseboard. I think you’ll agree the proportions look very nice with this detail.

Baseboard

The baseboard for this project ended up being 4″ tall 3/4″ base with a cap molding for a total height of 5-1/4″. The home owner hasn’t decided yet whether or not to use a shoe mold at the intersection of the hardwood flooring. The baseboard detail used here is a fairly standard colonial style baseboard.

Home Construction & Improvement published by:

Milwaukee® 8 Piece Screwdriver Set Review

Todd — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 23:01:57 +0000

Milwaukee® 8 Piece Screwdriver Set

Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation recently introduced the 8 Piece Screwdriver Set as part of its new line of hand tools. Similar to the 11 in 1 Screwdriver that launched in April 2010, the new set features patented ECX™ bits to perfectly fit the hybrid specialty screws users often encounter in electrical boxes, conduit couplers, outlets, and other common job site
fixtures.

“Every feature in this set is a direct result of discovering common issues and complaints on the jobsite and delivering innovative solutions,” says Tim Albrecht, Group Product Manager- Hand Tools for Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation. “For example, we added a steel top to the slotted drivers in this set for additional durability and protection because we found that this tool often suffers the most jobsite abuse.”

In addition, each screwdriver shaft is made of shock resistant steel for added durability and the bit type is clearly marked on the top of each handle for quick identification while in a tool belt. For further utility, an integrated wire stripper and wire bending hole allow the user to strip and/or bend up to 12 gauge wire before fastening to electrical boxes.

8 Piece Set Includes

8 Screwdrivers:
#1 and #2 ECX™ (4″)
#1 and #2 Phillips (3″, 4″)
1/4″ and 5/16″ Slotted (4″, 6″)
3/16″ Cabinet (3″, 6″)

Innovative Features

Clearly the folks at Milwaukee have created this set of screwdrivers for electrical contractors and DIY’ers that perform electrical work. As you can see in the photo above some of these new screwdrivers come with a handy integrated wire stripper and wire bending hole. One feature that I really enjoyed was the new ECX™ bits that fit into specialty screws that are showing up in electrical devices. I used these new screwdrivers on our recent kitchen backsplash project that required new electrical outlets and those new bits make a huge difference.

Overall Impression

This is a really nice set of screwdrivers especially if you’re in the electrical profession. The hardened tips, comfortable grips and bit type markings on the end make this a great set. The new ECX™ bits really impressed me when working with electrical outlets. If you’re in the market for a new screwdriver set then give this one a fair shot.

Home Construction & Improvement published by:

Hurricane Earl Prep Tips for Your Home

Todd — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 15:04:55 +0000

Will he or won’t he? With Hurricane Earl threatening the nation’s Eastern Seaboard this Labor Day, there are steps homeowners can take to weatherproof their homes that won’t break the bank.

Kiplinger’s Personal Finance offers six pieces of essential hurricane-preparation advice, including:

Brace your garage door to prevent more-extensive damage. “A lot of people believe that the roof is the most vulnerable part of the house,” says Ray Stone, vice-president of catastrophe operations for Travelers Insurance. “But it’s not. It’s the garage door.” Most garage doors are not reinforced, and when the wind gets into the garage, it creates a positive push at the same time that the wind swirling above the structure creates a negative pull. That push-pull combination can cause the roof to fly off. See the National Weather Service information sheet to learn about kits that you can buy at home-improvement stores to brace your garage doors.

Secure your windows and doors. Broken windows can let in wind and rain, and they can also increase the pressure under the roof. Storm shutters provide the best protection, but boarding up windows when a storm is on the way can help, too. Don’t bother taping your windows, though. “Putting masking tape on the windows literally does nothing,” says Stone. Make sure doors have several locking mechanisms so they don’t fly open; deadbolts are best. And it’s important to secure windows and doors at all sides of the home — not just the one facing the body of water where hurricanes could form — because hurricanes can swirl in any direction. See the Institute for Business & Home Safety’s DisasterSafety.org for details about how to make your windows and doors more secure.

Take inventory. “The last thing you want to be doing after you’ve been affected by a hurricane is to try to remember everything you had in the house,” says Stone. “Having an inventory will make the process of getting through the claim and getting back to normal so much easier.” The Insurance Information Institute’s KnowYourStuff.org is a great place to get started. Keep the inventory in a safe place away from your home.

For the full list, visit http://kiplinger.com/columns/ask/archive/6-steps-to-protect-your-home-from-hurricanes.html

Home Construction & Improvement published by:

Last Minute Lawn Tips for Labor Day

Todd — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 22:13:46 +0000

Labor Day Lawn Tips

With Labor Day almost here the experts at John Deere wanted to share some Do’s and Don’ts that are sure to make your lawn the talk of the neighborhood.

Do…

Adjust the height of the mower deck to mow only the top one-third of the blade of grass. This helps encourage a deep root system and keeps the lawn looking and feeling healthy.

Mow in the mid to late-morning, when it’s cool and dry. After the morning dew dries off is the best time for the grass–it isn’t suffering from afternoon sun stress, but it isn’t so damp that grass clumps form in the blades.

Water your lawn if you notice curling grass blades or “footprinting.” If you’re dealing with drought, mow on the high side.

Don’t…

Fertilize just yet. It can help revitalize a stressed lawn but it takes time, and the lawn should stay clear of activity for several days to allow the fertilizer to penetrate.

Cut your grass too short. Higher heights usually look better, provide for a deeper root system, and help prevent from invading weeds.

Mow the same direction every time. This will leave streaks and striped lines that grow back irregularly and look rather unsightly.

Home Construction & Improvement published by:

Stanley Quick Change Nail Set Review

Todd — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 18:40:31 +0000

Stanley FatMax Quick Change Nail Set

Stanley recently introduced the FatMax reversible nail set (58-501). Most carpenters, woodworkers and serious DIY’ers have a set of 3 standard nail punches floating around between their tool pouch, tool box and truck console. So when Stanley introduced this all new reversible, quick change nail set I was very interested in checking it out. So they sent us this innovative new tool to test and evaluate.

Features

The new FatMax reversible nail set includes a double-ended nail set insert which fits into the main shaft. As you can see above the reversible tip can be removed and reversed depending on the need. It includes a 1/32″ and a 2/32″ nail set, which are the two most popular sizes. Not that many people use a 3/32″ nail set unless they are setting really large nails or punching out headless nails.

To remove the reversible tip you simply pull the knurled locking collar forward to release the tip. In addition to the reversible nail set tip you can also insert any standard bit tip (standard, phillips, square, etc). This can be pretty handy especially if you don’t always carry a screw driver in your bag of tools.

Overall Thoughts

The Stanley FatMax reversible quick change nail set works great. The reversible tip fits snugly into the receiver handle and transfers the striking force effectively. The tip is easy to swap from 1/32″ to 2/32″ nail set or to a common bit tip. Priced at just $10 we feel it’s a good value. My only concern is losing the reversible tip and then being out two nail sets compared to one if you just lost your good old reliable single nail set.

Home Construction & Improvement published by:

Cupolas Create Curb Appeal

Todd — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 10:00:00 +0000

Cupolas Add Value

Adding a cupola to your home or garage is a great way to create curb appeal that is sure to get your neighbors attention. Cupolas are making a come back in the industry and it’s obvious why. This small architectural feature gives home owners many options to show off their style and personality.

Size Matters

There are many manufacturers offering pre-fabricated cupolas in many styles, shapes and sizes. One of the most important decisions to be made is the size. Sizing a cupola is difficult and it’s best to consult the manufacturers recommendations or an architect. The total height of the cupola and spire in the attached photos is approximately 9′-6″. As you can see the cupola probably could have been even larger for such a large house.

Some basic guidelines are to choose a cupola width based on the width of the roof it sits on. The basic rule of thumb is to select a cupola that is one inch wide for every foot of roof ridge length. So, as an example, if you’re roof is 32 feet long (or wide) then you would select a cupola that’s at least 32 inches wide. Remember this is a minimum and I would recommend selecting the next biggest size if possible.

In these photos the cupola is about 36 inches wide and the garage roof is about 38 feet long. Frankly I think a 48 inch wide cupola would have looked even better.

Top Your Cupola With Style

In addition to the cupolas, you can top them with custom weather vanes, spires and finials. Most of these are fabricated from copper or aluminum. Typically they are installed on some type of structural rod that is attached to the cupola or roof structure below. In the photos above you can see the copper clad roof and copper finial.

The cupola shown is the Stephenson “Governor” Series 36″x55″, you can see details at www.cwohio.com/PDF/CW2503_StephensonCupolas.pdf . The finial is the 44″ Excalibur, sold by Directions for Home and Garden, www.directionshg.com . You can also buy cupolas from companies like Amazon here.

The other option is hiring a qualified carpenter to build a custom cupola. My friend Rob over at A Concord Carpenter Comments has built some beautiful historically accurate cupolas including this beautiful cupola restoration.

Installing A Cupola

Once you buy a cupola you’ll need to cut the sides to fit the pitch of your roof. After the cupola is cut to fit the roof you can install it on the roof by screwing some attachment blocks to the roof, then setting the cupola over the blocks and screwing the cupola to the blocks.

Adding one of these classic architectural details to your home can add unique curb appeal and plenty of back yard discussions with friends and family.

Home Construction & Improvement published by: