When Relocating, Make Things Easy on Yourself

Face it, moving is traumatic. Whether you're moving to get a better job or just to keep the one you've got, you've got a lot of things to juggle, what with trying to wrap up things at your old place and coordinate getting situated at the new.

Moving Strategies

There are strategies you can use to make the transition more seamless. Here's a few.
Have a professional do the heavy lifting for you. This is a great time saver. They are called movers in the US but are removal companies in the UK. That sounds like a "glass half full, glass half empty" thing to me. I love US/UK language differences!

Plan ahead. It's never too soon to start on a game plan. Things will escalate the sooner the move gets. It you are moving because of business obligations, they will expect more from you before you leave; no loose ends.

Register your new address with the post office. Time sensitive things need to follow you as soon as possible. Yeah, you can change as many as possible before the big move, but some will slip through the floorboards.

Transfer Your Services

Not many professionals leave it all at the office. We always bring work home and make things happen after usual business hours. For this you need a seamless transition of broadband services.

Satellite TV is a bit easier. One of the big selling points of Dish TV is "leave it there, we'll get you a new one". Good hype. but a Godsend for transitioners.

When you move into a new home use local recommendations from Angie's List for fine-tuning your new home. Take the Tour!

Health Care VS the Economy

The Obama administration has been getting more and more of a backlash. First, the health care reform that was supposed to sail right through began to stumble. Now, it's not just wading through molasses, it's mired in the primeval Wahingtonian tar pits.

Here's the issue: citizens, both on the right and the left, are increasingly asking why Obama is so focused on nationalizing the private business sector that he has no time to spend on saving the economy.

Recent polls show that overwhelmingly, people that are losing their jobs and homes are not concerned with changing the way their present medical insurance works.



The Distraction that Cash for Clunkers was

Even the cash for clunkers program is questionable. The administration is hailing it as a huge success. But was it? Many of the car dealers are still waiting for their money.

Ironically, from a financial point of view, the clunkers program benefited Japan more than it did Detroit. Who in their right mind wants to buy any American car other than a Ford? Toyota and Nissan were the big winners with this mis-guided program.

And on a fundamental level, I have to ask, why should my tax dollars subsidize someone else's new car purchase? This "cash" is our money, not the government's.



ACORN in Deep Trouble?

"ACORN has violated serious federal laws, and today the House voted to ensure that taxpayer dollars would no longer be used to fund this corrupt organization," said second-ranked House Republican Eric Cantor of Virginia.

Still, 75 democrats voted to keep ACORN afloat with tax dollars despite overwhelming evidence that they committed election fraud to get Obama elected and recently conspired to assist in setting up a brothel employing immigrant children as prostitutes.

At least some members of the House concluded that this is not the way to stimulate the economy, whether Obama is willing to pull their funding or not.

Re-Building After a Hurricane

I write hurricane articles fairly regularly during the season, pretty much to get folks to prepare early, not at the 11th hour.

I keep most supplies all year round, but the specific ones I need for the big blow, I can get at Home Depot early in the day. I've found that here in the bedroom communities south of Houston, folks that commute to the city are expected to show up, stay until the last minute, and storm-proof the facilities. "Do ya want yer job next week?"

That's the way it was when I worked for Marriott. It was a difference of opinion. I thought my family and my major lifetime investment was a priority and my boss thought a hotel property (which the guests had mostly fled) was a more important investment. Good old Howard said, "Take one for the team, Kelly!"

I don't think so.



Anyway, there is plenty of devastation in the wake of a major storm. Sometimes a remodel is needed, but there are times when nothing short of a demo and re-building will do.

If you have to re-build or you're just adding on, I suggest doing it right. Go green construction and use Insulated Concrete Forms for your exterior walls. Not only are you going to save money in the long run, but you will be able to withstand those winds.

Go for it, uh-huh!

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Finding a Roof Leak

Roof leaks can be frustrating. The good news is that you don't have to call in a roofing contractor right away to find it. As long as you're handy and don't have a fear of going on your roof, go for it!

Different roofers and handymen have their own methods for finding roof leaks. Myself, I like to start at the bottom and work up. In other words, I begin my sleuth work by examining the ceiling inside the home.

This can give valuable, time-saving clues. If the stain evidence is close to the chimney or a skylight, chances are it's a flashing issue. I'll check in the attic to make sure. If so, it's an easy fix to replace the flashing, or just slather on some roofing cement. It all depends on the particular situation.

If it's not that obvious from first glance inside the home, I fall back on my steps for finding a roof leak. Being methodical is key.



Don't get me wrong. I am not a roofer. I'd rather take a whipping than do a tear-off and re-roof. I did it once and that was it for me. Then again, I love to tape and float drywall and paint. Those two things will make most roofers gag!

If you don't want to do the investigative work and repair yourself, be careful in picking your contractor or handyman. Sometimes, tracking down the actual leak is an art form because for the hard ones, you really have to know framing structure and the mechanics of shingles, flashing, etc.

Prior experience is invaluable. After a few years of doing this detective work, a real sense of "Oh, I remember how I solved this one before," intuition is developed. And if you're paying by the hour, this is important.

If you have to hire someone, I recommend Angie's List. highly. Their ratings come only from feedback from homeowners in your community, not simply a claim in the phone book or newspaper.

Did this post help you? If so, get more. Just email me at subscribe@icanfixupmyhome.com. In the body of the email, give me your name. Then you'll get an automatic email that asks you to confirm your subscription.

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Launch of the Home Improvement Newsletter

I've gotten around to launching the newsletter feature for my I Can Fix Up My Home site (ICFUMH, or Ick-Fum ;-). Would have gotten it done sooner, but it took a while to find software that I liked.


In addition to this blog, there's also a separate home improvement blog over at ICFUMH. The two blogs aren't identical, but I see the newsletter as something in size between a blog and the site itself, which already has over a year's worth of free articles with new ones being added all the time.

It's also a great platform to share information that I get from my partners about new tools, materials, and building practices. And when they inform me of tool specials and promotions, it's a great way to pass that information on to you. If I put it on the blogs or elsewhere, it would just be too static.

I'd hate for anyone to try to get in on a great promotional deal that happened a couple of months ago. Those kind of things have a short window of opportunity. But in this recession economy, I've been seeing some very good deals.

If you would like to subscribe, welcome! Just email me at subscribe@icanfixupmyhome.com. In the body, give me your name and your location as well, if you feel comfortable with that. Then you'll get an automatic email that asks you to confirm your subscription. This is not mere jumping-through-hoops; it just makes sure that nobody is goofing on you. It happens.

I mean, who hasn't sent in 100 bill-me-later, postage-paid subscription cards to Playgirl magazine for the ex-boss after being laid off?

Be sure to add listserv@icanfixupmyhome.com to your email white list or address book, because some email clients will put unknown mail in the junk or spam filter file.

If you would like to virtually join me training for the Chevron Houston Marathon, check out my online marathon training schedule. That link is for week 1, and we are now in week 4. Just follow the links at the bottom of the pages.

It's not too late to jump on the bandwagon, even for a first-time marathoner. For example, this week's total mileage is just 19.4 miles. If you are planning a different marathon on a different date, feel free to print out my schedules and do them on your schedule. Stay motivated!

I post the next week's schedule every Friday or Saturday. Since it's a 26 week schedule, we've got a way to go. Pun intended!

Preparing for Hurricane Season

It's been a quiet hurricane season so far; not a hint or whisper of a Katrina or Ike. Unfortunately, most of out memories are short-lived.

Don't fall into this trap, folks. Prepare now, now, I tell you! Don't be one of the Gomers standing in line at Home Depot.

There are many things you can do to prepare now. First and foremost is getting your supplies together for protecting your windows.

For most folks of frugal means, this means 1/2" plywood. The best way to secure them is with Plylox hurricane clips.

Need tools for storm-proofing your home? Take 10% off all new Porter-Cable tools and accessories. No coupon code required. Discount will be applied automatically at checkout.

Those of you with deeper pockets might choose to go with metal storm shutters.

That done, focus on these items:

• Flashlights
• Batteries
• Canned food and bottled water
• Emergency medical kit
• Weather radio with a hand crank
  

With luck, we'll dodge the bullet this year. Statistically, this is a good probability. But like the old commercial says, "It's not nice to fool with mother nature!"

Hanging Wallpaper Made Easy

Hanging wallpaper, or vinyl in some cases, is one of those DIY jobs that make some DIYers cringe with nausea. Why? Not because of the smell of the wallpaper paste. Usually, it's from a past frustrating experience.

Getting a grip on this job is like learning to tape and float drywall. What it really takes is patience. The main points, which are outlined in detail in this article on properly hanging wallpaper are straightforward.

The problems that most people have are really easy to solve. For example, I can't tell you the number of comments I've gotten asking why the job got botched.

The Importance of Using a Plumb Bob

Me: "And what tool or method did you use to plumb the first drop?"
DIYer: "Tool?"

See where I'm going with this? If the first drop is off, even by 1/8" from top to bottom, you'll never recover if the paper you're working with has a pattern. If anything, it'll get worse as you go along.

Task Lighting and Level Viewing

More experience paper hangers develop almost what seems a sixth sense for lining up the pattern. But matching the pattern can be a challenge for novices. On many patterns, the repetitions are not so obvious, and in fact what you thought was correct alignment at first glance turns out not to be so.

It's a visual thing. The first trick is to have proper work lighting. Natural sunlight seems to work best for me. That's not always practical. On my contract jobs, this twin work light has been the best I've found. In fact, I use it in my home wood shop.


Secondly, you need to looking at the seam horizontally. So much can change when you look at an angle. It's a real sinking feeling to get a whole wall done, step back to admire it, and realize, holy flying crap! It looked good up close! What happened??

The moral of the story is: have patience, go slow, and step back and check your work often.