Home Improvement...Real Life

                                              

Home Fix-Up

© Fred Levine

Robert Fulgham wrote a wonderful little book called  All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.

Several things from that book have stuck with me.  Here are 2:

Put things back where you found them.
CLEAN UP YOUR OWN MESS.

We are in the middle of moving.  We are downsizing, that's my story and I am sticking to it.  Having grown up in the plumbing business and spending most of my adult life in it or a related business I have absorbed a thing or two.  I have learned several things from both my prior experiences and my current endeavor of getting the new digs ready .  Now that we are moving into a pre-owned home, albeit only 1 ½  years old, there are things that need to be done.

I am writing a sequel to All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.  It's going to called Everything I Learned About Construction Came From Stepping On Nails! That title is a throwback to my days of going work with my father as a kid which is whole other book. Here are basics. You can learn from it too.

First things first. Set a budget, then throw it away it will never work out that way...I promise you.

Stuff I Have Learned

• Home Depot, Lowe's and Menards can be your best friend AND your worst enemy.
• Home Depot is best for rough material, Lowe's is best for decorator and finish material.  Menards is worthless unless you want to buy wood, paint, frozen food and stuff you will never need by manufacturers you have never heard of.  Don't even try to find someone that is helpful, they are terrible.
• Don't be afraid to try repairs or installations but know your limits.  Don't buy a new tool to do the job unless it REALLY will save you time and money. Or, you will REALLY have a use for it later. Just because it's a cool tool that have always wanted doesn't cut it right now
• Hire a pro if the job is beyond your ability. If you can afford a new place, you can afford 2% more to have the little things done. If you spent $50,000 on a new place, you can afford another $1,000 to hire a contractor!
• Spackle is cheap, good paint is expensive, get over it.
• There is no such thing as paint and primer in one can, it's a lie.
• There is no such thing as paint that covers in one coat, it's a bigger lie.
• Buy good brushes and rollers, they last forever with care. Buying cheap is like buying a $3,000 lens and a $5 filter, it ain't worth it.
• Use a dust mask and a drop cloth.  You will thank me.
• This will probably get me in trouble with the people give me a paycheck every week.   Buy paint from a PAINT STORE!  They know everything about paint.  They weren't selling screwdrivers 10 minutes earlier.  I prefer dealing with stores owned by the manufacturer.  Those people know their product and stuff.  They have training and deal with contractors EVERYDAY.  They know the tricks.
• Close enough doesn't cut it here.  You are going to live there.  If you are proud enough to say "I did that". Be proud enough to have it look great.
• When all else fails, a strategically placed picture works wonders.

To be continued.

-Fred