How To: Be your own contractor
When it comes to remodeling or building your home, there's no need to feel intimidated. Go ahead--take the chance to make your mark.
When it comes to remodeling or building your home, there's no need to feel intimidated. Go ahead--take the chance to make your mark.
In order to build your very own home studio, you'll need the following: a microphone, drafting tools, paper, contractors, the Internet, and recording equipment.
Learn how to spot a dishonest contractor for home repair. It’s no accident contractors have such a bad reputation – they get more fraud complaints than any other workers! Here’s how to find a reputable one – and skip the scammers.
Ilyce Glink with ExpertRealEstateTips tells us about how often home owners ask her "How much should I pay a contractor before he or she starts the job?". The one who will be answering this question is Line Epstein, Vice President of Baker Construction Group. "You should never pay your contractor in full before the entire job is completed" -he says. "Not that he's going to run off with your money, but you want to keep some incentive to get the job done right. You should give a deposit of 5 to ...
HoloLens developers have created some useful solutions for visualizing building models and viewing construction plans overlaid on the job environment.
When faced with old, damaged plaster walls, one technique to dress up the room is to install drywall over the existing plaster. A drywall overlay gives the walls a smooth, fresh surface that's ready for new paint, paper or trim. This is a common technique used among professional contractors hired to renovate houses bought under foreclosure. For example, real estate companies that invest in foreclosures often deal with houses that are more than 50 years old and exhibit serious signs of aging. ...
Trafficmaster Allure flooring is attractive, durable, and above all else easy to install. This video features professional contractors installing Allure vinyl flooring in a large garage, including all of the steps necessary to install this great new type of flooring yourself. No professional experience required!
Need to install some foam sealant insulation? In this tutorial, Mark Donovan of HomeAdditionPlus.com shows you how to install foam sealant installation between window and door jams. Traditionally most contractors would stuff batting insulation into jams by hand, a process that takes a lot of time. Here, we learn a better way.
This video tutorial discusses high quality installation of home insulation procedures for raised floors and floors over garages. This video is a must-watch for all insulation contractors in California to ensure that they receive an energy compliance credit.
Got a pair of old blue jeans that fit you like a glove but you recently spilled a can of paint all over the bottom and now it just makes you look like a contractor every time you wear it? Don't toss your jeans out!
Why pay a contractor to do projects that, with a little effort and perseverance, you can do yourself? In this video tutorial, you'll learn how install crown molding in a rectangular room by coping your inside corners. For a step-by-step look at the crown molding installation process for a rectangular room, take a look at this DIY how-to.
This video tutorial discusses high quality installation of wall insulation procedures. This is a must-watch for all home insulation contractors in California to ensure that they receive an energy compliance credit.
This video tutorial discusses high quality installation of attic insulation procedures. this video is a must-watch for all home insulation contractors in California to ensure that they receive an energy compliance credit.
This informative video tutorial discusses proper installation of home insulation to obtain California energy compliance credit and pass quality inspection. This video is a must-watch for all insulation contractors working in the state of California.
Host Meghan Carter visits ACE Concrete in Sun Valley, California to discover the basics about concrete countertops. From selecting a good concrete contractor to preventing cracks and staining, this is what you need to know when considering a concrete countertop.
Home repairs might seem foreign to some people, but it's not as hard as dealing with contractors. If you have to patch up some holes in your drywall but don't know how, let this video series be your guide. In these videos, lean how to fix a drywall hole using a lath strip piece of wood.
Home repairs might seem foreign to some people, but it's not as hard as dealing with contractors. If you have to patch up some holes in your drywall but don't know how, let this video series be your guide. In these videos, lean how to fix a damaged corner bead on drywall.
Home repairs might seem foreign to some people, but it's not as hard as dealing with contractors. If you have to patch up some holes in your drywall but don't know how, let this video series be your guide. In these videos, lean how to patch around an electrical box on drywall.
It's fitting that students at the University of Washington can catch a glimpse of the new, 135,000 square-foot computer science building in augmented reality before construction is completed.
Knowing how to use a tool and how it works, is important for any handyman or contractor. This is important, because if anything happens, they'll be able to diagnose what the problem is and find a quick solution for fixing it. In this tutorial, you'll find out how to remove the bearings to a Bosch 1611 and 1615 router in case you need to. It's a tough project that requires you know how to remove certain parts and then know how to put it back together again. So good luck and enjoy!
Starting a business has to involve a desire to benefit someone else other than you. If all your reasons for starting a business are to benefit you, chances are good that you have missed the big picture. At least one reason you have to want to stat a business needs to be to help someone else. Either use proceeds from the business to help a charity of your choice or to solve a problem or provide a solution to a need for the target group that your business serves. Focus on one issue to start wit...
The legal travails of Magic Leap appear to have no end in sight, as a lawsuit filed by an ex-employee further threatens to dampen the startup's 2018 launch.
The leading platforms enabling augmented reality technology lead our headlines in Market Reality this week.
To revise a line from the Blues Brothers, when it comes to ARKit apps, we've got both kinds — home utilities and games. As such, two more candidates for each category have made their way to the app store.
Tips on designing an outdoor kitchen, finding a contractor, fitting your budget, and cooking the perfect outdoor pizza.
This video series takes you through every step of building a building in SketchUp and is taken from chapter 4 of "Google SketchUp for Dummies" in case you want to follow along. PART 1 explains how to switch to a 2D view to get you ready to build the floor plan. It's a good idea to have accurate measurements of everything you want to build before starting this project. PART 2 familiarizes you with the tools available in SketchUp to help you create your floorplan. PART 3 shows you how to draw t...
IKEA won't be alone among ARKit apps for visualizing home décor and improvements when iOS 11 arrives next week.
Traces of bacteria at a precinct in East Harlem created an all-out scare after doctors diagnosed an NYPD officer with Legionnaires' disease, a deadly infection caused by Legionella pneumophila.
Last week, the U.S. Justice Department issued criminal indictments against seven Iranian hackers. These hackers, working for private companies in Iran, are accused of orchestrating DDoS attacks against U.S. financial institutions from 2011-2013 as well as intruding into the control panel of a small dam in Rye, New York. It is thought that these attacks were a response to the U.S. tightening financial restrictions on Iran during those years and the NSA-based Stuxnet attack on their uranium enr...
Building a house in Minecraft is easy, but what if you want to build that house or building underwater? This guide will take you through the process of constructing a building underwater using the Poncho Pack mod in Minecraft 1.8
The Stirling engine is a relatively old type of external combustion engine that has never really found a niche despite its unique advantages over conventional internal combustion engines. This video for the DIY-inclined will show you how to make your very own small Stirling engine out out of a tin can and some other basic materials. It may not power your house, but you will be able to amaze and educate your friends with this awesome little device.
This five part series shows you everything you need to do build a mousetrap from beginning to end. An extensive, and thorough explanation on building this fun and classic toy. This is a great tutorial for the entire family to enjoy. It's also fun to build your own toy from you own hands on a budget and using things you can find right in your home.
This extensive video series is all about making your own simple steam engine and boat, which is known variously as the "putt-putt" or "pop-pop" boat. Science Toy Maker gives the full details on making your own homemade steam engine model boat, which is similar to the one seen in the move "Ponyo".
This instructional video series is on how to build any type of 2/5th (40%) scale, fully functional tank. The specific model demonstrated is the M60 Patton. An MBT. A destructive force. If you have any questions about your backyard tank build, please address them to "Dave's Tank Foundry" at Scaled Tanks.
If you're not an everyday woodworker, then building a deck may be a challenge for you. But it's not as hard as it might seem. If you follow all of the required steps for deck building, you'll have one of the best ones on the block, and be pretty darn proud of it, too!
Learn in great detail how to build your own SRV Stratocaster using recycled guitar parts. Instruction includes how to select the best parts for your new guitar.
Adobe Dreamweaver is one of the most powerful and best pieces of software for designing, creating, editing, and building a website. If you have ever wanted to make a website, this video will show you how to use Dreamweaver to do it. If you haven't built a website, then you really haven't engaged with the internet.
A new picket fence can add character to a home. Learn how to install a picket fence from a professional contractor in this free home improvement video series.
Repair, spackle, and paint a kitchen like a professional. Learn how to paint a kitchen with tips from a painting contractor in this free video on home decor.
Tax season is always stressful, especially for entrepreneurs and small business owners. Rather than wait until March to get your finances in order every year, learning how to keep track of your expenses is a valuable skill that saves you and your business time, money, and plenty of anxiety.