Category Archives: Home Projects

Home Projects to Repair or Improve

PVC dog cots – measurements for small dog cot

Posted on by September 16, 2014avatar
small pvc dog cot

I was approached by a reader to assist in coming up with measurements for a smaller dog cot for her dogs. Donna was kind enough to send pics of her puppies and the cots so I could post them. Aren’t they cute? [Show picture list] Donna built the PVC frame using 1″ pipe: the long sides of the PVC were cut 24″, the short side of the PVC were cut 18″. Donna told me that when assembled there was 22″ and 16″ of the PVC exposed between the corners so that had to be the width of the finished slings Donna told me the circumference of … Read more…

Gray weathered wood finish – success at last

Posted on by September 17, 2014avatar

My end goal with my house is to covert over to a beach themed cottage decor so I would love to have some pieces with a gray weathered wood finish. Most of the stuff I will be staining to look like weathered wood will be pine so I have been testing various solutions. Helpful videos For those of us considering a solution of vinegar and steel wool to stain wood there are a couple of videos I would recommend to learn about the process. Rundown – Ebonizing Wood Follow Up explains what iron acetate — the result of steeping steel … Read more…

Tips for ceiling fan installation

Posted on by July 31, 2014avatar
Tips for installing ceiling fans - TheDIYGirl.com

Having just installed 5, count them 5 (house came with no fans) ceiling fans since moving in, I have some pointers for newbies that will make the process a little easier. Ceiling fan installation isn’t bad, even when doing it alone. Some of this information comes by way of learning from my past mistakes… Know the support you’re installing into: If your outlet isn’t a braced outlet do not trust it. My builder said all ceiling lights were braced to hold fans, even the light on the outside covered patio. I’m not thrilled that I have to go on trust and … Read more…

Improving pantry shelving

Posted on by August 8, 2014avatar
Improving pantry shelves - TheDIYGirl.com

I moved into a home with a decent size pantry, but it only had three 12” deep wire shelves. While I find them tolerable in clothes closets, I don’t like the way everything falls over on wire shelves in a pantry. It was really a pitiful use of space that wasn’t going to work for me and I wanted to improve the pantry shelving BEFORE I started unloading boxes.   I went to Home Depot and purchased four tracks and shelf clips which are technically called pilaster standards and supports. I also bought a 4’ x 8’ sheet ¾” MDF. I … Read more…

DIY shelves for garage storage

Posted on by September 21, 2014avatar
DIY shelves for garage storage - TheDIYGirl.com

After moving I was desperately in need of storage space in the garage (I basically went from a 4 car garage to a small 2 car garage – talk about downsizing) and after researching I decided to design something similar to the shelves on DIY Design Fanatic with some minor modifications. Another site suggested moving the legs in at least 5” from ends to prevent sagging in the middle of the shelves, at the last-minute I decided to add center supports under each shelf. Other than that, DIY Design Fanatic had a perfect plan. Below is my finished DIY garage … Read more…

My builders grade house before pictures

Posted on by October 13, 2014avatar
TheDIYGirl.com

I moved to northeast Florida to a new construction home. Big change from the foreclosure fixer upper I came from, but not any less work. I went into this knowing it’s not a perfect house. It’s seriously lacking in storage – of any kind. I’m going to be on a mission to utilize every square inch of useable space since I’m downsizing big time. The house is also builders grade, builders grade, builders grade. I’m not knocking it – it provided me a home in the price range I could afford – but sometimes builders grade isn’t great quality and it tends … Read more…

Repairing washing machine rust

Posted on by September 21, 2014avatar
Repairing washing machine rust - The DIY Girl

I have an “antique” washing machine — it was made in 1995 and has served me well for almost 20 years. At one point I had a home warranty and it broke down and was $7 short of being replaced, but instead the bearings were replaced. I have always been good about leaving the door up on my top loading machine after using it so it could dry out. But I started noticing rust spots on some of my clothes and realized it was rusting around the plastic insert for the bleach dispenser. I finally pulled the dispenser out and … Read more…

Dripping faucet is an easy fix

Posted on by March 4, 2014avatar
Dripping faucet is an easy fix - The DIY Girl

I have a Moen kitchen faucet that suddenly started dripping right after I put my house on the market to sell. Not exactly the look I wanted for showing – a spattered sink and dripping faucet. A failing faucet cartridge is almost always the reason for a dripping faucet and is usually not a difficult fix. Figuring out what cartridge you need In the past I have taken bathroom faucet cartridges to the hardware store and they have matched it up to the correct replacement. This time I couldn’t even get the handle off and needed directions on how to … Read more…

Tips on preparing house to sell

Posted on by March 13, 2014avatar
Tips on preparing house to sell - The DIY Girl

Maybe some things you might not think of in the flurry of activity to get your house on the market… Clean Windows — clean them and keep them that way checking before each showing to make sure dogs or kids haven’t left smears behind. If bright and sparkling sells houses, letting the light in through clean glass is the first step. Clean fans blades — you don’t want everything else to be sparkling clean and have a prospective seller look up and find caked on dust layered fan blades. Get up there with a ladder and give the entire fan … Read more…

Leaking dishwasher float

Posted on by October 28, 2013avatar
Leaking dishwasher float - The DIY Girl

Having recently moved to an extremely humid area I was not happy with how mildewy the dishwasher was getting between uses earlier this summer. I live alone, don’t go through the many dishes most of the time and they were sitting in that damp environment too long. Wash my dishes in a moldy, mildewy environment? It just wasn’t very appetizing so I decided to quit using the dishwasher and hand wash for the remainder of the summer. Now it’s October and I’m getting ready to sell the house so I thought it was time to go back to using the … Read more…