Steve Jackson

2,630 reputation

11635

bio	website	diy.blogoverflow.com
	location	Houston, TX
	age	33
visits	member for	2 years, 9 months
	seen	May 5 at 11:30
stats	profile views	211

First time homeowner. It's pretty amazing how all those - "We can fix that" problems you noticed during walkthroughs remain undone after three years.

I spent 13 summers as a kid working in my grandpas's woodshop, following around my master electrician/engineer/all-world-handyman dad, or doing random construction crew work. I've dabbled at everything except plumbing, and I'd say I'm an expert at holding. Holding the flashlight, holding the dumb end of the tape measure, and holding heavy things above my head while someone digs in a toolbox.

	2,630 reputation	bio	website	diy.blogoverflow.com	visits	member for	2 years, 9 months
11635 badges		location	Houston, TX		seen	May 5 at 11:30

summary answers questions tags badges favorites bounties reputation activity

390 Actions

suggestions reviews revisions comments badges posts accepts all

Nov 2	answered	How can I increase the heating efficiency of a forced air system?
Nov 2	comment	How can I increase the heating efficiency of a forced air system? It was originally duck tape, because it sheds water. At least that's what my grandpa taught me. Wikipedia isn't so sure: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duct_tape
Nov 2	comment	Why should I use advanced nails instead of wood screws for strength? @Eric - I had no idea that's why they used glue, I just figured it was cheap and easy.
Oct 31	comment	How do I reduce height of the curb on my driveway? Lots of good ideas here thanks!
Oct 31	comment	How do I reduce height of the curb on my driveway? This is pretty close to what I was thinking. Now I just need to find a stackexchange site that can answer a question of how to actually get in touch with anyone in the permits office for my county. I'm up to 7 unanswered VMs over three weeks for another issue.
Oct 31	comment	How do I reduce height of the curb on my driveway? I built a wheelchair ramp for the house, but I'm not sure how it would work at the curb or driveway. The driveway is cut at the curb line - so any ramp would extend into the street at least a bit. Pretty sure my HOA would be unhappy and we're already on uneasy terms over other accessibility compromises. The ramp would have to be left in place most of the time (I can't run out there and move it around as needed) so anything built on the driveway is also going to get driven on by someone at some point. Not sure how to compromise between sturdy and nonobtrusive with a wood ramp.
Oct 31	asked	How do I reduce height of the curb on my driveway?
Oct 30	comment	Should I install tamper resistant receptacles +1 The cost difference is negligible. I replaced all my downstairs outlets last year (plugs were falling out anyway). My 14 month old can pull out the plastic inserts on the nearly new "normal" outlets in my upstairs office - no sweat.
Oct 28	revised	Is there a technique or tool for consistently placing drywall screws correctly? added 6 characters in body
Oct 28	answered	Is there a technique or tool for consistently placing drywall screws correctly?
Oct 28	comment	Can quick-drying mud be used on the same drywall joints where slow-drying mud was used? I honestly don't know if this will work (seems like it would). However, you'd introduce a new learning curve when using quick dry - might not actually save any "actively working" time on the project. Each coat of mud is applied a little different, so you could do a dozen seams all the way using the normal stuff and if you've mastered that do the rest with quick dry. Last comment: The final coat is the one I spend the most time futzing with, so doing the tape coat with normal mud and the final coat with quick dry seems backwards to me.
Oct 27	comment	Are standard light bulb bases being phased out? This is a travesty! What will happen to all the "How many x does it take to screw in a lightbulb jokes?"
Oct 27	comment	How best can I discover what is up with my electrical bill? This looks pretty interesting - any experience with it?
Oct 26	comment	What are the pros and cons of soffit vents vs. roof vents? @Joe I wouldn't worry about the snow thing in most cases, but my brother tells me some states require an install above the roof snow line. May or may not affect the placement and make a soffit vent an alternative. Also can't really speak for places that live under feet of snow, I know they've got exchangers for stoves and whatnot, not sure how bathroom exhausts are handled.
Oct 26	answered	What are the pros and cons of soffit vents vs. roof vents?
Oct 25	comment	How can I keep leftover drywall mud from drying out in the box? When I built my son's nursery I bought the 1 gal buckets (I could only work a couple hours a day and had no idea how much mud it would take - answer: ~ 15 gals ) and once I had four collected I bought the 3.5 gal box of premix and divided it up into my buckets. I recently pulled out a bucket of over a year old mud and it was fine with a little water.
Oct 25	answered	What consistency should drywall mud be?
Oct 23	comment	Should I stop to hand-sharpen my chainsaw, or bring extra chains? +1 for unforseen problems. The one time you need a new chain is always when you have to hike 2 miles to get it.
Oct 23	comment	How do I replace missing drywall strips after an asbestos abatement? Good answer! One addition - if this is your first time I'd have a sponge and water ready for cleaning mud where you don't want it. Also if you are unhappy with a mud coat you can come back in the first couple of hours and smooth it out a bit with the sponge.
Oct 21	comment	How do I prevent water from collecting against side of house? Putting a skimcoat of concrete is pretty easy if you've prepped the surface well. A pretty front walkway is a pro job, but for something like this you can do a good job if you get it angled a bit and leave it alone.