With the general seepage resulting from pressure from the saturated dirt outside the basement, trenches can be built to divert the water to the basement’s sump pump. With the other two locations—corners and staircase attachments—direct action may be taken on those two areas to curb the flood potential and attempt to waterproof the basement for good!

Here are some tips to work with when learning how to waterproof your basement:

• Identify the source(s) of water entering the basement. If the water appears to be coming in through one spot, attempt to identify that spot and reinforce it.

• Prepare to dig a trench in order to divert any water to the sump, the drainage hole in the basement floor. Be certain that the drainage grate is clear and able to let the water drain freely.

• Develop means to pump water into that drainage hole, the “sump pump.” Be extra careful when dealing with water and electricity; they make a dangerous combination when mixed! Avoid using extension cords to power your sump pump. Be sure to use grounded sockets. Industry has now even come up with a solar powered sump pump; that may be a safer, less deadly option.

• Locate ways to reinforce breaches in your basement’s wall integrity. Watch carefully for leaks around corner joists, staircase attachments, and crawl space entrances. See if your local building supply is familiar with products that other persons in your locale have used with success!

How you will ultimately fix your hole in your wall will depend upon the composition of your wall. Walls made from plaster require different and more permanent repair than drywall holes. The goal of wall repair is to make the wall appear as though nothing happened in the first place. Both plaster and drywall are capable of being tastefully repaired in such a way that the damage and repair will be invisible.

Here are some tips to follow when exploring how to repair a hole in your wall:

• Ascertain what your walls are made from to determine the correct procedure to be followed.

• If the walls are plaster, the hole can be filled in with new plaster as well can you fix a crack on your plaster wall. Tape around where the plaster has been applied. Apply builder’s mud to the patch, and then sand the surface until it is smooth. When the patched and taped hole has been smoothed and brushed off, the surface is ready to paint or wallpaper.

• If the surface to be fixed is drywall, it may be possible to secure a replacement piece of drywall to fit into the hole. If the hole is a small hole, it may be possible to repair it with tape and mud alone. Tape over the hole and then smooth the edges of the tape down with mud. Allow it to dry thoroughly and then paint it or paper it as needed. A step to sand it smooth may or may not be needed to prepare the spot for painting.

• In order to give the wall a newly finished look, it may be necessary to apply a thin coat over the entire wall in question after the repairs have dried.

The key to being pleased with your project is in choosing a railing pattern that you like and want to see at your own porch. The railing should reflect your design preferences just as you would decorate a room in your house. Just because it has a utility function, it does not need to be drab or unpleasant. Take advantage of new and modern styles to achieve the look you desire.

Here are some tips when learning how to put on porch railing:

• Measure carefully before making your final size choices for your railing. Be certain that the railing is tall enough that small children will be kept safe.

• Be sure that you can adequately secure the railing to the flooring and steps as well as to any adjacent walls, for stability.

• Don’t compromise safety for frugality. Think of your porch railing as an investment that will enhance your safe enjoyment of your  house.

• Whether you install a wooden railing or a metal one, take steps to protect the porch under the railing when you attempt to paint it. Using a rust-resistant paint on metal railing or treated wood and a paint that will further seal it and protect it from the weather is your most sensible act when you are at the painting phase of the installation.

Door hinges come in many forms and made from many different substances. A shiny new set of hinges on a freshly painted door can make a world of difference when sprucing up an old door!

Fallow these helpful tips on how to put on new door hinges:

1. Do you intend to get new hinges similar in size and make of the old hinges? Will the new hinges be able to fit into the existing holes in the door? If not, you will need to make arrangements for having new holes drilled.

2. Once you have brought your new hinges home from the store, line up the new hinges with the existing holes. Use a pencil to mark lightly where the new hinges will be attached, both on the new door and on the doorframe where the door will hang.

3. Stand the door up to be sure that your hole drawings are in the proper locations before drilling the new holes.

4. Drill the new holes in both the doors and in the door frame where the hinge will attach to the building.

5. Screw in all of the hinge hardware, being sure that the hinge is in an acceptable location.

6. Add the final pin that attaches the door portion of the hinge to the wall portion, and be certain that the door swings freely when open and closed.

7. Lubricate the hinge before finishing the job.

Here are some tips on how to level your pictures in your home:

• The way in which a picture is hung will determine its potential for remaining level. Hanging the picture from a single nail and its picture wire is merely asking for that picture to tilt as it hangs. Hanging it from more than one nail or picture hanger greatly improves your chances of having level pictures.

• Hanging your pictures from pre-measured vertical picture wire affixed to a picture molding is an even better method of ensuring that your pictures remain level, although many newer houses do not have the old-fashioned picture molding which used to be so popular.

• Absent the convenience of picture molding means that you will possibly be using the wire at the back of the picture to hang it. It will be more stable and remain level for a longer period if it is hung from an actual device intended to support the hanging of pictures rather than using its own picture wire.

• The best way to ensure that pictures remain level for a long period of time is to routinely recheck them with your level to be sure that you are really seeing your pictures in a straight line!

Here are some tips to follow when learning how to install new door framing:

• After measuring the existing frame and determining the amount of wood it will take to cover the space involved, purchase your new frame.

• At that same time, purchase any hardware needed to put up the frame.

• When you have chosen the hardware, test the door in the frame to make sure that it will swing freely on its hinges and will close properly. If not, figure out why—it will never be any easier to fix! Make the necessary adjustments and then prepare to install the frame.

• Use good-grade wood materials to build your new frame. Hardware centers selling lumber products should have a ready assortment of molding woods available for you to choose your framing materials from.

• Be sure that you follow the old adage of “measure twice and cut once.” It is cheaper and more efficient to measure twice; cutting twice gets expensive!

• If you want your frame to be a certain color, the easiest time to stain or paint it is before it is installed. Stain or paint it and then, being sure that it is fully dry, hang the frame in place.

Begin to dig a trench in the spot where you want the water to begin to flow. This trench that will direct the water away should have a resulting grade of 1%, with the beginning of the trench being 1% higher than the end of it. That difference in grade will allow for a gentle slope which, when filled with rocks, will enable the water to run off through the rocks and away from where it could do damage to your lot.

Here are some tips for installing a French drains:

• Choose a location to divert the water to where it will not create any damage. That may be difficult; you may simply have to choose a location or you may need to install a Dry Well.

• Before beginning to dig your trench, check with the local utility authorities to be sure that you will not be digging near any of their pipes or easements.

• Plant a clean stick at the beginning of your trench and a second at the proposed end of the trench. Tie a string which is the length of the proposed trench firmly to the first stick at its ground level, wrapping the other end around the second. Use a string level to be sure that the string remains level. Firmly tie the second end to the second stick; these lengths will be compared to view the progress of your digging. You ultimately want your trench to be 100 feet long with the shallower end being six inches higher than the deep end.

• Fill the trench with rocks to provide a guide for the water as it runs off through the drain.

• Some experts on French drains advocate a narrow drain; others advise a wider drain with a width of 8-10 inches for water conduction purposes.

• Be sure that the new drain does not cause problem for any of your neighbors with lower-lying lots near yours!

Drywall may be purchased at home goods stores in sheets which can then be matched and hung on the framing of the house. There is an art to aligning the pieces properly to provide gap-free walls and well-fitted corners. Ceilings may also be made of drywall.

Here are some tips to remember when you are learning how to install drywall properly:

• The temperature in the room where drywall is being installed should not be too low or too high. If the temperature is too low, the drywall may expand and not fit where it is installed, causing poorly closed seams and a poor appearance.

• If the drywall sheets are bumped in transit, that may result in cracking of the gypsum surface even if the paper on the surface remains unscathed. Be sure to check your drywall pieces for any evidence of damage before bringing them home to install. If you notice any damage once you have installed the drywall, fix any cracks in the drywall that are apparent.

• Take care to use the proper length of nails when nailing the drywall sheets into place. The recommended size of drywall sheets is ½ inches thick; the recommended nail size for that size is 1½ “ to secure the drywall to the framing.

• Take special care when joining the seams to attach the drywall carefully at the seams to close off all air.

Here are a few tips and observations about how to install crown molding:

• Crown molding installation is not a job for the novice. It is important to learn which side of the crown goes up before you attempt installation, and that you learn how to properly cut the molding to achieve the desired look. Properly cut crown molding and installing it so that “up is up” is what makes the molding installation look elegant when the installation is complete.

• If you are not familiar with using an electric saw, enlist the help of a friend who is! Many of the installation techniques may involve using a saw in an upside-down position; this trick should not be attempted by someone unfamiliar with saws in the first place!

• Be aware that installing crown molding is more than just measuring pieces of molding and nailing them onto walls, if you want to get the true crown molding effect. Proficient installers use a miter and a bevel to achieve the elegant layered effect that most consumers associate with expertly-finished crown molding. Those techniques potentially involve some of the upside-down sawing with a power saw that was referenced above.

• Installation of crown molding is not a task for amateurs! Use care when undertaking the procedure! Watch out with that power saw on the ladder! Here are some tips to get out any scratches in your hard wood that may occur during the process of adding the crown molding.

When choosing an attic ventilation system, you need to first establish what goal you are trying to meet: cool air in the attic, a boost for your home’s heat and air system, or the many other functions that an appropriate attic ventilation system can aid by improving efficiency and economy.  Possible types of attic ventilation to be considered for installation in your home include attic fans, mounted in the ceiling of the attic and venting to the roof, fans installed in an attic window, as are found in older homes, smaller turbine-type fans mounted through the roof, louvers installed in attic gables to permit air flow, solar-powered attic fan systems which require no electricity, and numerous other features which provide equally good ventilation for your attic.

Here are some tips to consider when learning how to install attic ventilation:

• First, find out whether the makers of the heating or cooling system in your huse have established any recommendations concerning attic ventilation to enhance the operation of their system(s).

• Consider the state of your attic as it exists now. Is there any operating or old, unused attic ventilation? If there is already pre-existing ventilation material present, can it be adapted to use again or does it need to be modified or removed to make way for a newer ventilation system?

• What pieces are you prepared to add to the new ventilation system. What, if any, modifications need to be made to the attic to complete the job? Can all of the new parts be obtained locally, or will they have to be ordered? Can you order them online, or will they need to be ordered through a store?

• Assemble all of the parts needed and determine from reading the instructions on each whether you are able to install these based on the instructions on the parts themselves.