Nothing lasts forever, especially in today’s culture of constant upgrading. If you rely on your tools, hardware and equipment to earn a living, you’ll need to read this article. Below are some of the best products available for contractors or weekend handymen. And they WON’T cost you an arm and a leg. 

Door Repair – Go to doitbest.com for great hardware of all types. They’re the self-proclaimed world’s largest hardware store and they have everything you need to install a new door or repair the old one. They have great hinges, levers, door knobs, thresholds, bolts and screws. Order online and get free shipping.

Photo Credit: The Home Depot

Ryobi 18V Canister Vacuum – It’s listed at Home Depot for $49.97 and has a customer rating of 4 out of 5 stars. The wet/dry cleaner has a detachable blower for easy control and quicker results. It also comes with available storage for accessories and an easy-pour spout for trouble-free cleaning. The Roybi is a lighter vacuum and isn’t meant for industrial sized jobs, but it’s great for lighter cleaning duty. (more…)

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Save yourself from expensive surprises down the road. As you’re shopping for your new home, you should know how to identify signs that a house is in poor condition.

House inspections can be costly and, even though you should always get an inspection once you start escrow, you sure don’t want to pay for one if the house has serious problems. Save the inspection for the good prospects and know how to weed out the bad ones.

Photo Credit: iLoveButter

The Telling Signs:

• Check the roof out on all sides. Look for missing tiles or shingles and signs of aging. A new roof can be very expensive and, although you’ll get a roof inspection during escrow, this will help you determine whether or not the house is worth the effort.
• Stand back and look at the exterior walls of the house to check for soundness. The walls should be flat. Look for cracks at the corners of windows – this is a sign of foundation problems. (more…)

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Photo credit: keko

If you’re anything like me, you love to love your furniture — even long after its era of trendiness has passed. The great thing is that you don’t have to kick your couch to the curb. No ousting the ottoman. Don’t even think about stashing the stools. There are several ways in which you can spruce up old furniture to give it a new reputation in your home.

Slip covers are very handy, but many of them come in only drab colors and styles and only if you were born under a lucky star can you find one that actually fits your piece of furniture properly, unless you’re willing to shell out lots of shiny pennies for a custom-made cover. An afternoon of craftiness can alter any slip cover to fit your misfit and make it look like the two were made for each other.

Try to find the slip cover that best fits your couch, love seat, or chair, and go ahead and slip it on. Match up the seams in the cover with the corners and folds in the furniture. If there are places where the fabric sags, gather it up into a swag or pleat and sew or glue an embellishment to the area. You can apply bows, tassels, beads, or buttons.

To make the slip cover pop and give it some character, you could add piping to the seams, sew on colorful buttons, add a lacy or beaded trim to the bottom edges, or even dye the fabric a bold new color. (more…)

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