Have your tank inspected by a septic tank professional every three to five years – more frequently if your family uses a lot of water and/or a garbage disposer. You can reduce the strain on your septic system by using less water and staggering showers, clothes washing, bathing and other heavy usage.
Here’s the best way to remove finish nails from old woodwork. After carefully removing the woodwork from the wall, pull out the nails using a vise grip. Grasp the nail with the vice grip on the unfinished side of the wood and pull the nail through. Repeat this procedure until all the nails are removed. This method keeps the finished face of your woodwork intact.
To save trim during remodeling, use two small, flat prybars. Slide the thin end of one behind the trim, pull, then insert the second in the space that opens up. Alternate pulling each bar to inch the trim off. If finishing nails protrude from the back, use slip-jaw pliers with a rounded top jaw to pull them through.
If you’d like your project to turn out as strong, solid, and lasting as if a professional woodworker built it, do what they do…use your tri-square to check for squareness after each cross cut. Edges on boards that will be edge-joined must be absolutely square, so carefully check all sides. If a cut is not exactly square, use a block plane to trim. It takes a little extra time, but the improved results will be well worth it.
If you have a small air compressor or other machine in your workshop that vibrates, you can dampen it by putting special foot pads of corrugated cardboard squares under each of the legs. Make the pads about 2 in. thick by gluing several squares together. Glue so the corrugation of one piece lies at right angles to that of the next square of cardboard.
You can find out if you’re ready to buy a house by asking yourself some questions: Do I have a steady source of income? Have I been employed on a regular basis for the last 2-3 years? Is my current income reliable? Do I have a good record of paying my bills? Do I have few outstanding long-term debts, like car payments? Do I have money saved for a down payment? Do I have the ability to pay a mortgage every month, plus additional costs? If you can answer “yes” to these questions, you are probably ready to buy your own home.
Generally speaking, a mortgage is a loan obtained to purchase real estate. The “mortgage” itself is a lien (a legal claim) on the home or property that secures the promise to pay the debt. All mortgages have two features in common: principal and interest.
You’ll present your paid homeowner’s insurance policy or a binder and receipt showing that the premium has been paid. The closing agent will then list the money you owe the seller (remainder of down payment, prepaid taxes, etc.) and then the money the seller owes you (unpaid taxes and prepaid rent, if applicable). The seller will provide proofs of any inspection, warranties, etc. Once you’re sure you understand all the documentation, you’ll sign the mortgage, agreeing that if you don’t make payments the lender is entitled to sell your property and apply the sale price against the amount you owe plus expenses. You’ll also sign a mortgage note, promising to repay the loan. The seller will give you the title to the house in the form of a signed deed. You’ll pay the lender’s agent all closing costs and, in turn, he or she will provide you with a settlement statement of all the items for which you have paid. The deed and mortgage will then be recorded in the state Registry of Deeds, and you will be a homeowner.
To save on heating and cooling costs, close your curtains and shades at night; open them during the day.
Cover liquids and wrap foods stored in the refrigerator. Uncovered foods release moisture and make the compressor work harder.
