DIY Home Repairs at WomanTalkLive

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• ToolBox TomGirl: What’s All the Buzzzzz About?

  Thursday, May 2, 2013

  
  Jo Ellen Soesbee

  Have you noticed the bomber bees? These are the black bees that seem to hover around when you are sitting on the deck? I used to laugh and say they were drones that were trying to listen in on my personal conversations.

  Because it is springtime, it is mating time for the bees and you may have begun to notice them around your house.

  These black bees are carpenter bees. Some refer to them as wood bees because they love to bore holes in the wood around your home to raise their families. The bee looks very similar to a bumblebee but the carpenter bee has a black abdomen where the bumblebee has a black and yellow abdomen. They help pollinate flowers and though they will buzz real close to you, they rarely sting. The male carpenter bee doesn’t have a stinger. The female has a stinger but she stays in the nest to protect it and will sting only if threatened.

  If you have wood bees, you will know because you will notice small holes in the wood around your home (deck, eaves, and walls). The holes are about this size of your finger and you will see what looks like sawdust around the holes. But, I hate to tell you – it’s not sawdust, it is feces (yup, poop that looks like sawdust – I guess if you eat wood you eliminate wood).

  The bees build their nests in the wood by boring holes (about 1” wide and as long as 6’ or more). The bees tend to return to where they, themselves hatched out. As a result damage can build up over time from them drilling holes and excavating tunnels. The bees deposit an egg at the end of each tunnel and leave a ball of pollen for the larva to feed upon before sealing up the tunnel. Larvae tend to be noisy so they then attract woodpeckers that can cause further damage to the house.

  The good part is that they work very slowly. If you deal with them quickly you can minimize the damage to your home. Below are some ideas on how to keep the bees away and then deter them from returning next spring.

  1. Pour almond oil in and around the carpenter bee holes. Carpenter bees do not like this oil and it will drive them away and discourage them from returning to their nests. Look into the holes with a flashlight to make sure the bees and larvae are evacuated. This could take up to three months. (Make sure you fill the empty holes with a steel wool pad and seal opening with wood filler or wire mesh. Leave in place until you can replace the damaged sections of wood).
  2. Apply paint or varnish to the wood around your home. Carpenter bees prefer untreated wood, and this will deter them from building a nest. Be certain to coat all sections including the underside of trim.
  3. Apply a botanical pesticide if efforts to drive the carpenter bees away fail. This may occur with large infestations. Common pesticides include neem oil and pyrethrins that come in oils, sprays or dusts.
  4. Discourage them from returning to old tunnels for over wintering or laying new eggs, by plugging the holes with wire or aluminum balls covered with a caulked fill. Put several coats of an oil-based stain or paint over the area to deter the bees from returning. (Catch the hole early – it takes the female six days to bore an inch and you can possibly vacuum out the female. Then caulk over the hole before a nest is built. You can caulk her into the nest, but she will die in there rather than boring her way back out). Please don’t kill her – we need these bees to pollinate our flowers and crops.
  5. Paint using oil-based paints. Carpenter bees avoid oil-based paints as well as wood covered in bark. Most carpenter bees will avoid hard wood as well, so choose oak over pine when building.
  6. Use vinyl or fiber cement trim or siding on the outside of your home.
  7. Or, my favorite – using your DIY skills, make a home for them and take them somewhere else to live (NOT your neighbor’s house). They will come back to it each year and leave your house alone. Give your bees a structure of soft wood with a straight grain for easiest access. Leave it untreated. You could even go so far as to drill a small half-inch hole in it. This will encourage your carpenter bees to nest here. Carpenter bees will stay with a nest, generation after generation, rather than seeking out and building a new nest. According to Ohio State University entomology department, the female bores in for 2 inches, turns and bores another 6 inches, so make sure your structure allows this much space.

  Hope you have a buzz free spring and summer with the tips I have given you.

  To women holding hammers,

  Jo Ellen Soesbee
  The ToolBox TomGirl

  ***

  Are there projects around your house taking you away from the things you would rather be doing? Let US take care of your TO DO list so you can spend time doing what makes you happy. We now offer Stay At Home senior repair services. Call for details. The ToolBox TomGirl is available to help you around the house. Contact Jo Ellen at 443-286-6923 or joellen@toolboxtomgirl.com.

  Sign up for Jo Ellen’s eNewsletter and educate yourself one home repair at a time.

   

   

• ToolBox TomGirl: Paint Perfect

  Thursday, April 4, 2013

  
  Jo Ellen Soesbee

  I love painting. NOT. Because I don’t like to paint I have learned many simple strategies to make it go faster and look better in the process. This week I am going to share some of my secrets (okay – my painters secrets too) with you. Later, if you know of any that you want to share with me – please do.

  1. Preserve your paint by keeping the lid tight when not in use. To keep the lid clear of paint build up, punch a few holes in the channel where the lid fits to allow all the paint to drain back into the can.
  2. New drywall MUST have drywall primer on it before you begin your painting. Make sure you use drywall primer – nothing else will do the job.
  3. Paint your room in the right order. Top down. Cut in the ceiling with a brush being sure to get all the edges. Then you roll the rest (roll the paint on from the ceiling edge backwards). Allow the paint to dry and move on to your walls. Put painters tape on the trim so the leading edge slightly covers the molding so that the paint will not seep underneath. Cut in the ceiling, corners and baseboards. Begin with a paint-heavy stroke about ½ inch from the joint and then use a second lighter stroke to smooth the paint out to the joint. The jury is still out on whether or not you should do the woodwork before or after. I think that in rooms with a lot of woodwork it is easier to do it first and keep a clean line around the edges afterwards. But, you have to decide this one yourself.
  4. Having the right brush is extremely important. Don’t buy the cheap one that has the bristles falling out (you get what you pay for). If you tug on it gently and you come away with some, you will be wasting time pulling them off your freshly painted wall. Use synthetic brushes with latex or oil-based paints and natural bristle brushes only with oil based paints. Sash brushes have the angled head and are great for your sharp lines. Stain brushes are stubby with short bristles (this keeps the stain from dripping).
  5. Having the right roller is another important choice you will need to make. The smoother the surface, the shorter the cover nap should be. For most of my painting jobs I choose a good quality polyester or nylon cover. They can both be used on either latex or oil based paints. Foam rollers are pretty nice also and can be used to apply smooth coats for less cost. Make sure you “defuzz” the roller before using it. I usually run my hand up and down it a few times getting the extra fuzz off or you can wrap tape around it so when you take the tape off the extra fuzz will be gone.
  6. Finally, light up your life when painting. You need extra light when painting so that you can see the entire room without shadows. You want to have a smooth, clean finish on the walls with no drips, smudges or missed spots. Work lights are reasonable at your local hardware store and I guarantee you will use it for other projects in your home.

  To women holding hammers,

  Jo Ellen Soesbee
  The ToolBox TomGirl

  ***

  Are there projects around your house taking you away from the things you would rather be doing? Let US take care of your TO DO list so you can spend time doing what makes you happy. We now offer Stay At Home senior repair services. Call for details. The ToolBox TomGirl is available to help you around the house. Contact Jo Ellen at 443-286-6923 or joellen@toolboxtomgirl.com.

  Sign up for Jo Ellen’s eNewsletter and educate yourself one home repair at a time.

   

   

• ToolBox TomGirl: Electrical Safety Tips

  Thursday, March 7, 2013

  
  Jo Ellen Soesbee

  Recently I used the bathroom at a customer’s house and was shocked (not literally) to see that she had an “OLD” extension cord on the floor – by the toilet no less, with four other cords plugged into it. If I hadn’t had to go so bad I may have screamed in fright. I didn’t want to scare my bladder (if you are over fifty you understand why). To make it worse, those cords were then plugged into a wall socket that is not up to code. It is not a GFCI outlet (this means it would trip if water got on it). I quickly gave her my standard lecture on electrical safety, scared her with stories about water and electricity, and then gave her the name of my electrician.

  With that story on my mind, I am listing here some safety measures that you need to consider when it comes to electricity.

  1. If a breaker keeps tripping it is an indication that something is wrong. Don’t ignore it. It can mean the breaker is bad but most likely it means you have too large of an electrical load on the circuit. You need to have this looked at by the electrician (not Uncle Bob – unless he is a licensed electrician).
  2. Never work in the electrical panel yourself. Leave that up to the professional. You could die!
  3. IF you do have an electrical fire, DO NOT throw water on it. Use the chemical fire extinguisher (I know you have one that you know is up to date and working, right?).
  4. Look out for lights that flicker or trip the breaker. This usually means a loose wire or bad fixture. Replace it.
  5. A GFCI outlet trips repeatedly when there is an issue. Check to be sure it is not the appliance plugged into that outlet by moving it somewhere else and testing it. If it is the outlet it may be because the receptacle has worn out, you have loose wiring or a piece of exposed wiring is making contact with the metal box.
  6. Never go into a flooded basement or other living space until the utility company has been there. The electrical current travels through water and you will be electrocuted. You need to have the electric meter disconnected before going in the flooded room.
  7. Appliances that generate heat such as televisions, computer monitors, clocks, etc. should have several inches of clearance all around to allow for good circulation and cooling.
  8. Check your electrical cords regularly for frayed areas, kinks in the cord that may have caused broken wiring inside, or cracks from drying plastic that is used to protect the cord.
  9. Do not modify the plug at the end of the electrical cord. Do not clip off the third prong or attempt to squeeze down a large prong so it fits in the outlet.
  10. Always have GFCI outlets installed around water areas (kitchen, bath, pool, crawl space, and unfinished basement).

  Please be safe when it comes to electricity. Although it may only “bite”, it could do more damage. It is always better to be safe BEFORE something happens.

  To women holding hammers,

  Jo Ellen Soesbee
  The ToolBox TomGirl

  ***

  Are there projects around your house taking you away from the things you would rather be doing? Let US take care of your TO DO list so you can spend time doing what makes you happy. We now offer Stay At Home senior repair services. Call for details. The ToolBox TomGirl is available to help you around the house. Contact Jo Ellen at 443-286-6923 or joellen@toolboxtomgirl.com.

  Sign up for Jo Ellen’s eNewsletter and educate yourself one home repair at a time.

   

   

• ToolBox TomGirl: Dispose-ALL

  Thursday, February 7, 2013

  
  Jo Ellen Soesbee

  I received a call this week from a customer who had a roommate that stopped the garbage disposal from running by putting in sweet potato peelings. If she was like me, no one ever told me that you could not grind up all your leftovers or potato peelings in the garbage disposal. I thought it was a Food Dispose ALL. I am here to give you some good advice and save you frustration time and money.

  Do NOT grind up your leftovers, peelings, the dinner leftovers, or the crap from your refrigerator that’s un-identifiable. Really. No matter what you think and what it says on the box, this is not going to keep your garbage disposal in working condition.

  Here is my advice on garbage disposal etiquette. You can choose to take it or pay me later to come fix the monster under your sink (the one that growls at you from time to time).

  1. Scrape the leftovers into the trash can and then rinse the rest into the garbage disposal. Run cold water during and immediately after putting anything in the hole.
  2. Do not try to ground up fibrous foods such as banana peels, corn husks, celery, or plant vines.
  3. If you want to fix your disposal yourself be sure to unplug it and turn it off. Check out to see if anything is stuck inside and clear it out. Insert your Allen wrench into the socket at the bottom of the disposal and turn it to try and free the jam. Turn your disposal back on and if it doesn’t work make sure you press the red reset button on the bottom (the button will be popped out if it has been tripped).
  4. If you have a disposal with no place on the bottom for the Allen wrench, you can stick a wooden broom handle in the hole and try to turn the flywheel. Again, try the reset button.
  5. If the water backs up while the disposal is working correctly, the problem is in the drain pipe, not the disposal.
  6. Do not use a disposal if you have a septic system because too much food waste will interfere with the normal decomposition of septic waste.
  7. To keep the disposal smelling fresh, grind up lemon or lime rinds every once in awhile.
  8. To keep the disposal assembly clean, grind up ice cubes every once in awhile.

  Ladies, always remember that the systems we use in our lives (including our disposals) operate under the rule that if you put too much garbage in, you will clog. Or, even worse, get too much garbage out.

  Here’s an extra tip: If the disposal will not turn on (no noise) – the problem is electrical. You may need a new switch, the circuit may have tripped, or the garbage disposal is dead.

  To women holding hammers,

  Jo Ellen Soesbee
  The ToolBox TomGirl

  ***

  Are there projects around your house clogging your flow? Let US clean up your mess so you can spend time doing what makes you happy. Besides teaching you how to DIY, we also jump in and help you get your to-do list done, fast and cost-effectively. Sometimes you have to let someone else handle your garbage. The ToolBox TomGirl is available to help you around the house. Contact Jo Ellen at 443-286-6923 or joellen@toolboxtomgirl.com.

  Sign up for Jo Ellen’s eNewsletter and educate yourself one home repair at a time.

   

   

• ToolBox TomGirl: Freshen Up With Paint

  Thursday, January 17, 2013

  
  Jo Ellen Soesbee

  You can freshen up just about any room with a new paint job. It doesn’t have to be expensive or time-consuming. Don’t get overwhelmed with the painting because you don’t know the basics or don’t have the proper tools and knowledge. Painting can be relaxing and is very rewarding. You get to see what you did for a long time (hopefully not too many of you screamed when you read that). With a little knowledge you can take some of the scary stuff out of painting.

  1.  A gallon of interior paint costs anywhere from $12-$50 or more, depending on the quality. Painting a 12×12 foot room, both walls and ceiling, will most likely cost around $25-$100. Add to that the cost of your primer, brushes, rollers, drop cloths and other miscellaneous items ($10-$50).

  2.  Hiring a contractor to paint for you will cost approximately $200 – $400 for the same 12×12 room. This does not include the price of painting the ceiling.

  3.  Remember the saying “you get what you pay for”, if you buy cheap paint you will get cheap results. My favorite paint is from Sherwin Williams but Home Depot and Lowe’s also have good quality paints at a fair price.

  4.  Painting requires prep work. If you want the job done right you want to be sure to tape the edges, remove door handles, remove the switch plate covers (TURN OFF THE ELECTRICITY) and other decorative fixtures.

  5.  Do not take shortcuts with supplies: cheap paint brushes leave streaky marks and lose the bristles, cheap paint rollers leave fuzz on the wall, and cheap paint will take more than one coat.

  6.  Cover all furniture and flooring with something that will not let the paint go through to what is below.

  7.  Paint all crown molding, baseboards and wainscoting.

  Hint: A quote from a contractor for painting may be cheaper in the winter, early spring or late fall (off-season).

  Okay now, go on and paint that room or call someone else to do the work for you. You know the basics and can make an informed choice.

  My crew and I are available to help you around your house or business. We love to do this stuff. We now offer services to make your home a place where you can stay no matter what age. What you don’t want to do – we will.

  Did you know that I give motivational talks on being a woman in business and in the construction industry? How about the fact that I give hands-on lessons in DIY? Yup – just like you, I am a woman, multitasking and enjoying my life to the fullest. I would love to talk to you about your DIY needs of any kind – even ones where you want us to do the work while you watch T.V.

  To freshening up with paint,

  Jo Ellen Soesbee
  The ToolBox TomGirl

  ***

  Put the ToolBox TomGirl to work at your house. No matter how much you want to DIY, there are times when you just want it done for you. ToolBox TomGirl, LLC. brings expert, licensed female and male master craftsmanship to your project. To schedule a consultation or estimate contact Jo Ellen 443-286-6923 or joellen@toolboxtomgirl.com.

  Sign up for Jo Ellen’s eNewsletter and educate yourself one home repair at a time.

   

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