DIY Sealing the house

Another chore that should be accomplished in the first weekend (or as soon as possible) is to seal up the siding and any other holes you may find in your house.  Remember the bird?  Well he made his nest in our dryer vent...see the first picture below.  Not good.  All sorts of creatures can get into your house from a hole that big!  Also, check the siding everywhere!  Any holes or chipped paint must get re-sealed ASAP.  Our house appears to have had a big dog chewing on the siding at some point...also not good.  Additionally, make sure to repaint any spots where the paint may be chipping.  These unsealed points are not waterproof and the moisture can seep into the woodwork/siding and suddenly you have mold growing in your walls or crawl space!

Tools you will need:

• Screwdriver
• Utility knife
• Drill
• Lots of waterproof, paint-able caulk
• Much paint, various colors
• Paper towels/wipe-alls/rags

Difficulty Level:  Moderate

Step One:  Fix the Dryer Vent
Immediately get the hole closed off as well as you can the first chance you get. Here was my closing day fix...not pretty but keeps the birds out!  I re-drilled the (one) screw which was holding it up and used some masking tape to keep the metal mesh in place.  Duct tape would have been much better but I didn't have any on hand.

For a real fix, go to any home improvement store and buy a new vent cover!  They come white and with a grill in place.  Removing the old vent is simple enough.  To make sure the new vent has a good seal, put a generous bead of caulk around where the new vent will go.  Press the new vent on firmly and then drill the new vent into the siding/wall.  It will be messy, use some towels to clean off the extra caulk.  The best way to get a good seal is to run your index finger along the seams of the caulk, between the siding and the vent cover.  Again, wipe away excess.  When finished, my new cover looks as shown. Much better!

Step Two: Fixing the Siding


Again, anywhere the siding has been chewed up or even where there are simply poor joints, these need to get re-sealed to prevent moisture from getting into your siding/framing.  Our house has pressed cardboard siding which has many seals and joints that are coming apart or just poorly sealed.

My plan, which may not be the best, is to re-caulk all the openings.  Many of the joints have old caulk that needs to be removed before putting new in.  There's not much that can be done about the picture to the left...where the siding is all but destroyed (a chew toy for a big dog?).  These panels need to be replaced entirely.  Unfortunately, we want to spend our money elsewhere on the house and cannot afford to re-side.  As long as the joints are sealed and repainted, the siding will keep out the elements just fine.

Make sure to get caulk that is made for outdoor use and is paintable!  If it is desired to repaint, then get a caulk that will dry white to make it easy to see where the touch-up paint needs to go.  If painting is not in the plans, then get caulk that will dry clear.  This way the holes and creases will get sealed even though it may not look sealed.  Plus, no more painting!

Step Three: Painting the Trim

Not only will poorly constructed siding let moisture in but also peeling paint.  Make sure to examine the entire house including the trim.  Scrape off any paint that is obviously peeling and get a new coat of paint on ASAP!  This will prevent mold and keep the wood from rotting.  Candice and I have decided to repaint a nice deep green color instead of this purplish-magenta.

More pictures are to come once we get some of these projects completed!

DIY Change the Locks

The first project that needs to happen in your new house is to change the locks!  You don't know who may have the keys that the seller gave you...especially if they rented the house!  Candice and I got the locks change in the first weekend....and you can too!

Now you have a couple of options.

1. DIY and buy new locks from a store
2. Hire a locksmith to install new locks
3. DIY and take your locks off the doors, take them to a store (locksmith or even Lowes) and have them re-key your locks for you

Candice and I opted for the first choice simply because we didn't like the color of the locks we did have...and they were old anyway.

Tools you will need:

• Screwdriver
• Maybe a helping hand (I was able to do it myself with a lot of frustration

Difficulty Level:  Easy!

This project is very simple.  The most difficult part is getting all the inner mechanisms of the locks to fit together nicely while screwing the assembly together from the outside.

Step One: Take those old locks off!  

The old locks. A regular keyed lock plus a deadbolt.

Taking the locks apart is simple. On each piece there are two screws on the inside of the door.  There are also two screws on the edge of the door holding the strike in place (the middle piece which keeps he door closed).  Once all the screws are out, the assembly should just come apart.

No more locks!

Another view.

Step Two:  Attach the Strike

The first piece of the lock to get attached is the strike, or middle part.  Simple screw it in the place where the old one was.  Make sure to align it correctly with the door!  Assuming your door opens inside, you will want the smooth side facing the door frame, allowing the door to open and close easily.  At this point you may want to screw in the small metal piece which attaches to the door frame (or leave the old one in place)

Step Three:  Attach the Handle 

Lastly, and the most difficult, you will need to slide the two remaining parts (handles) together, through the strike.  Make sure everything fits together nicely.  This is the part where you may need three (or more) hands to hold everything together and still get the screws in!

The new locks completed!

You may need to adjust the length of the strike assembly.  I had two for two of my doors.  The locks we bought had two settings...3/4in and 5/8in.  Your locks will have instructions showing how to slide the strike assembly to adjust the length to fit your door.  For my locks it was as simple as slipping a flathead screwdriver into a slot and then pulling the lock out.

The disassembled deadbolt.

The disassembled lock.

Other features, such as a keychain,
are simple to install with a power drill.

Okay, You Are Officially Homeowners...Now What?

Candice and I officially closed on our home as of Thursday May 3, 2012!  Hooray!

Take your time and celebrate!  Go out for a nice dinner, see a movie, do whatever you and your family do to have fun and relax.  You are now homeowners!  :)

As for us, we are going straight to work this weekend.  There are three main projects we would like to get (at minimum) started this weekend.  I plan to post specifically on each topic.  Here is a quick rundown:

1) Change the Locks - Especially if your house used to be a rental (as ours was) there is no telling how many people have a key to your new house!  Get the locks changed out ASAP.

2) Fix any Holes - We found quite a surprise waiting in our dryer vent...See the video for more information :)

Yup, there was a bird living there.  And as we tried to get him out, the dryer vent fell out of the hole in the external wall...into our house spilling the bird and its nest into our house as well!  We had a merry chase trying to get him back outside, and keep the dog inside!  Long story short, shore up any holes.  We taped up the vent hole on the outside for a quick fix.

3) Repair Siding - There are many parts in our siding where the joints are no longer sealed.  These also need to get fixed ASAP.  Anywhere your home isn't sealed nicely, moisture could get in and then mold and rotted wood follow shortly after...

4) Meet your Neighbors - Not really a weekend project but a great idea...go ahead and meet your neighbors!  You may be surprised how helpful they will be and you definitely don't want to start out with any hard feelings towards them.  We have 3 of our neighbors so far and one family has shared some of the more interesting history of our house that no realtor or seller would ever tell us!  Plus they have already offered to help with some renovations and borrowing tools and the like :)

ps Our dog is named "Hoeffer" after this guy.  Oh and read this book about him if you are interested in learning more.  Fantastic little-known hero of WWII and an excellent story.