Vigoro Ultra Turf™ Turf Fertilizer with Weed Stop®

I recently stopped at The Home Depot and picked up 5 bags of Vigoro Ultra Turf™ Turf Fertilizer with Weed Stop®. Our lawn is only 3 years old and it’s taken lots of patience, fertilizer and soil testing to create a really great lawn. Each spring I apply a fertilizer with a crabgrass preemergent. Crabgrass is one of the few non-grasses that I really can’t stand. I can deal with a few dandelions but crabgrass just looks awful.

When To Apply Crabgrass Preemergent

The key to successfully eliminating crabgrass is applying the preemergent at the correct time in the spring. In order for the products to work properly you’ve got to apply it before crabgrass germinates. Germination typically happens when the soil temperature reaches 55 degrees or greater. Seeing that we still have some frost in the ground here in New Hampshire I’m fairly certain I haven’t missed the germination period yet.

How Much To Apply

Figuring out how much fertilizer to apply is usually fairly easy. Most bags of fertilizer will tell you how many square feet they cover based on a certain application rate. The large bags that I bought should cover 15,000 square feet each. We have 1.34 acres of land which equals 1.34 acres times 43,560 sq. ft. per acre which equals 58,370 sq. ft. 58,370 sq. ft. divided by 15,000 sq. ft. per bag equals about 4 bags. I always buy one additional bag because I never seem to be able to apply is just right without running out.

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Spring Home Maintenance Tips from Marvin Windows and Doors

Spring is a season of clean-up for most of us after a long hard winter. The folks from Marvin Windows and Doors have been kind enough to share some spring home maintenance tips which will help you save money.

• Make sure your gutters and downspouts are clean. If your gutters or downspouts are blocked, water can infiltrate your home through the eaves. And if your downspouts don’t carry water well away from your foundation, you could get water in the basement during spring rains.

• Look at your roof. The freeze-thaw cycle can lead to cracked or broken shingles. Also look for shingles that are missing, curling or cupping. If you have a flat roof, look for any pools of water – a sign that your flat roof isn’t draining properly.

• If you can do it safely, check the flashing around chimneys and vents, and in the valleys between roof pitches. This is a common area for leaks.

• Check the caulk and seals around your window frames, both where the window glass meets frame and where the frame meets the side of your house. If there are any gaps, seal them with caulk or a foam sealing product.

• Test your windows from inside the house to make sure they’re operating smoothly. Check to be sure the weatherstripping is in good shape. Lubricate the mechanism with a dry lubricant — oily lubricants attract dust and dirt, which can eventually restrict the window’s movement.

• Give your patios and decks a pressure washing. Also check your patio door. As with the windows, inspect the caulking where the door frame meets the side of the house. Make sure the tracks are free of debris and check to see that the door slides smoothly.

• If your windows or patio doors need replacement, remember that the federal government is offering a tax credit of up to $1,500 for energy-efficient products purchased in 2010.

• Look at the siding on your house. For wood siding, make sure the paint is in good shape and check for loose nails. For vinyl siding, look for cracking, warping or gaps between the panels.

• If you have brick siding, check for “spalling.” That’s when the face of the brick chips or pops away, leaving the interior of the brick exposed to moisture.

• If you have air conditioning, clean away any leaves or debris that have accumulated on the outdoor condenser unit. Then get the AC inspected and serviced by a professional contractor.

• Trim the shrubs around your home so they’re not touching the house. Make sure the ground slopes away from your foundation, to drain away water. If there are depressions or gaps, fill them in with stones and soil.

• Change the air filter on your furnace and check around the base of your water heater for leaks.

Photo Credit: sallysue

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This month we’re going to give all of you a chance to win a cool painting tool that’s sure to make painting quicker and easier. Check out the following information about the EZ-Twist PaintStick. Look for the details after this article about how you can enter for a chance to win this cool new tool!

EZ-Twist^TM PaintStick^®

Minneapolis, MN – HomeRight makes painting faster, neater and easier with the new EZ-Twist PaintStick – the ultimate painting tool for homeowners and experienced do-it-yourselfers.

Paint a room with professional results in one-third the time compared to using a roller and messy paint tray.
The EZ-Twist offers tray-less painting and draws paint directly from the can – no tray, no bending, and no mess or drips on floors or carpets.

The PaintStick holds up to 18 ounces of paint in the handle. Simply twist the paint through the tube onto the roller and paint up to an 8’ x 8’ area without refilling. A small twist applies a small amount of paint for precision painting. A larger twist applies more paint to cover a larger area quickly. The twisting action provides control for easier painting.

The EZ-Twist is sold with a high-quality roller cover. This roller offers a virtually lint-free finish with flat, satin, velvet, semi-gloss and gloss paints.

Tackle the difficult project of painting a ceiling, the roller’s spatter shield reduced dripping and spattering.

The EZ-Twist handle provides an ergonomic fit for greater comfort. The long tube extends reach for walls and ceilings – almost no need for a ladder when painting. Even paint ceilings without worrying about getting paint on you, your clothes or the floor by snapping on the Spatter Shield.

When finished painting, attach the EZ-Twist to the paint can cover and return paint to the paint can. Clean up is easy. Fill the EZ-Twist with water and flush.

The EZ-Twist 5-Piece Painting System comes with the EZ-Twist PaintStick, Roller Cover, How to Paint DVD, Spatter Shield, Paint Can Cover and Fill Tube.

Where To Buy

PaintStick EZ-Twist
MSRP: $39.99
Model Number: C800775
Availability: www.homeright.com

EZ-Twist^TM PaintStick^® Giveaway

If you’d like a chance to win this EZ-TwistTM PaintStick® then there are several ways. Please note that you only need to leave ONE comment for each method listed below. If that method gives multiple entries we will tally all your entries on our end. No need for 50 comments!

• 1 Entry: Leave a comment telling us what project you’d use the new EZ-TwistTM PaintStick® for. Please be sure to leave your email address.
• 10 Entries: Subscribe To This Site – Follow this link: Subscribe to Home Construction Improvement by Email This is a great way to keep informed about other giveaways and all the great content here on Home Construction Improvement. (We can only track email subscriptions, not plain RSS subscriptions)
• 50 Entries: Blog About The Giveaway – Help spread the word about Home Construction Improvement and this great giveaway. Write a short post about Home Construction Improvement and this specific giveaway with a link (please use a nofollow link) back to this post. Be sure to leave a link to the post in the comments.

Dates

All entries must be received by 11:59 PM (Eastern) 31 March 2010. The winner will be announced on April 1st! So enter to win the EZ-TwistTM PaintStick® giveaway contest today!

Fine Print

Only residents of the U.S. and Canada are eligible. Spam entries will be thrown out. (Spam entries are determined at the sole discretion of Front Steps Media, LLC. All rules are subject to change without notice.

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Bosch’s New 3-Mode 18V Impact Drill/Driver

Bosch recently introduced this new 18 volt impact drill/driver which we think will make quite a splash in the cordless tool category. Anyone that’s followed this site for any length of time knows that we use quite a few Bosch Tools and think they make some of the best quality tools on the market today.

The new Bosch Impact Drill/Driver is exciting because it’s really three tools in one. Impact drivers have become a must have tool today but the 26618-01 comes ready to perform normal drilling operations in two different drill modes. The ability to have all these features in one tool makes this a very versatile product.

Bosch 26618-01 Impact Drill/Driver Features

• Drill Mode 1 – RPM: 0 – 750
• Drill Mode 2 – RPM: 0 – 2,800
• Impact Mode – BPM (Max): 0 – 3,200
• Impact Mode – RPM: 0 – 2,800
• Impact Mode – Torque (Max): 1,500 in.-lbs.

Kit Includes:

• (2) — 18V Litheon™ FatPack Batteries – BAT618
• (1) – 30-minute Litheon™ Battery Charger – BC630
• (1)–Double-ended Phillips Bit
• (1) – Belt Clip
• (1) – Carrying Case

Bosch 26618-01 Impact Drill/Driver Review

The folks at Bosch recently sent us the 26618-01 Impact Drill/Driver to test and review. One of the first things we noticed was the great quality carrying case. Bosch always seems to go above and beyond with the quality and styling of the products and it all starts with the case. Everything fits into the case easily and it’s no mystery where things fit (unlike some other tools cases on the market today).

Impact Driver Power

The 26618-01 leads the pact of 18V impact drivers with 1500 in-lbs of torque. That’s quite impressive when you consider the last impact driver we tested had the same torque with a higher voltage battery system. With all the engineered lumber being used to frame buildings today an impact driver with power is essential.

To test this impact driver we used several fasteners that are found on many of our job sites. We tested the 26618-01 with 3-1/2 inch long deck screws and 3 inch long, 3/8 inch lag bolts. All of the fasteners were installed into TimberStrand engineered lumber. With the 1,500 in-lb torque we weren’t at all surprised that this impact driver was able to quickly and easily sink the fasteners completely into the engineered lumber.

Dual Drill Modes

The dual drill modes is a really nice feature especially if you do any drilling into hard and soft materials. On the high speed setting the drill is great for drilling into metal with small bits. The slower speed/higher torque setting is perfect for drilling wood with large spade and auger bits. The mode selector is conveniently placed on the top of the tool for easy access.

Battery Life

The 18V lithium-ion battery packs are great. We installed a dozen lag bolts and dozens of long screws and the drill/driver was still working. The crew used this tool on and off for over a week on the same charge. After that much work we think the battery qualifies for an ata-boy!

Balance / Ease Of Operation

This tool is very well balanced and it’s small size is a benefit when working in close spaces. Bosch gets high marks for the design of this tool and it’s ease of operation. Frankly you really don’t need an owner’s manual with a tool that’s built with these simple to use features. The 1/4″ quick change chuck works very well and makes changing bits a breeze.

Overall Impression

The Bosch 18V Impact Drill/Driver is a top quality tool that met and exceed all of our expectations for a good impact driver. Considering this tool also works as a great drill in addition to the impact features makes it a top pick for us. Retailing under $400 at authorized Bosch retailers we think it’s a great price point for a tool that does what three tools would normally do. If you’re interested in buying the tool online check out this link.

If you buy this impact drill/driver we’re confident you’ll be just as impressed. We’ve never been disappointed in a Bosch tool!

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Update: This article was written in 2009. The outlook for asphalt prices in 2010 is not very good. As of February 1, 2010, asphalt prices have gone up 20% since December of 2009 (ref.). It’s very hard to predict what will happen to prices in 2010 but it’s likely prices will be 10% to 20% more than the prices shown in this article.

Asphalt Driveway Costs

Recently we had the “wearing surface” of our driveway installed. Before paving the wearing course I did some quick estimates of the asphalt driveway cost. When we built our home three years ago I only had the first 2-inches of base asphalt pavement installed. I opted to wait before I installed the wearing surface (top 1-inch) to save money and also let the sub-base and base settle over several winters.

Now that we’ve been through several winters I decided it was time to finally install the wearing surface before the pavement was damaged by water and settlement. So I thought it might be fun to show you how to calculate how many tons of asphalt pavement you need to help understand what an asphalt driveway cost. Alternatively you can use a driveway cost calculator.

How To Estimate Asphalt Driveway

Asphalt driveways are typically priced by the “ton”. Currently in this part of New England asphalt driveway costs about $110 to $130 per ton installed with little to no base prep. In order to estimate the cost of a driveway resurfacing or a complete new driveway you need to understand how to calculate the total tons. We use the following equation:

Tons Of Asphalt Pavement = Square Yards Of Pavement * 0.057 * Depth Of Pavement In Inches

So my example is as follows: 1 Inch thick wearing surface with 3,423 square feet of pavement. To get square yards I needed to take 3,423 sq. ft. of pavement divided by 9 sq. ft. per sq. yard = 380 sq. yards. Therefore my tons of asphalt = 380 sq. yds * o.057 * 1 inch = 22 tons of asphalt pavement. If you assume an average cost of $120 per ton then the driveway costs $2,640.

If you’re building a new driveway then you need to base it on a depth of 3-inches. Most asphalt driveways have 2 inches of base pavement followed by 1 inch of wearing pavement. Obviously the asphalt driveway cost will depend on exactly how thick your new driveway is.

If you’re interested in learning more about overall costs of sub-base preparation and paving options then you may want to check out: Cost Of A Driveway.

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New EPA Lead Paint Laws Effect Remodeling Projects

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has new lead paint laws going into effect on April 22, 2010. The new lead paint laws require any renovation work performed on houses built before 1978 to be performed by a certified contractor. Obviously his new law is causing some serious moans and groans from both home owners and contractors. Contractors will be required to provide home owners the Renovate Right Brochure which contains useful information about the new law.

Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Law

The new law that goes into effect on April 22 involves training and certification of remodelers, safe work-site practices, verification and record keeping. It’s very important to understand that the new law pertains to projects on any house built before 1978 with a few exceptions as follows:

• The home or child occupied facility was built after 1978.
• The repairs are minor, with interior work disturbing less than six sq. ft. or exteriors disturbing less than 20 sq. ft.
• The homeowner may also opt out by signing a waiver if there are no children under age six frequently visiting the property, no one in the home is pregnant, or the property is not a child-occupied facility.
• If the house or components test lead free by a Certified Risk Assessor, Lead Inspector, or Certified Renovator.

What Does The New Law Mean To You?

You’re probably wondering what this new law might mean to you and your next remodeling project. The obvious answer is a healthier home for you, your family and people that perform renovations to your  home. The other obvious answer is an increased cost for contractors to adhere to the new rules which ultimately means an increased cost to you.

Over the last few months I’ve heard several small contractors say they will steer clear of and avoid older home renovations. A significant amount of small replacement window contractors will most likely go out of business and stop providing inexpensive window replacement services. While we think the new law is important in protecting public safety we also know it will result in much higher prices for consumers and less competition for consumers.

If you hire a contractor to do a renovation in your home that was built prior to 1978 be sure you hire a certified contractor. You should ask to see your contractors RRP certification prior to hiring them. Contractors performing work without the certification face penalties of $37,500 per day!

New Law Will Take Time To Work Effectively

With over 38 million homes containing lead paint in the US no one can argue the importance of good lead paint laws. However, from the few meetings and conversations I’ve had it’s clear to me that this is going to take some time before it’s very effective. Most of the literature and training has left contractors confused, upset and frustrated. However, with time these new laws will become part of everyday routines for contractors and ultimately help save lives. We certainly hope the EPA works quickly to fill in the blanks and help contractors implement this new law.

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