Drywall/ Plaster Repair When rehabbing old houses, cracks and holes in the plaster are common. Often, holes in ceiling plaster are the result of water infiltrating either from the roof, or from a split plumbing line. Holes in walls are often the result of vandalism, but could be the sign of more serious foundation issues. Once the root cause is fixed (see basic water repair section) cut a square area and replace with inch drywall. Once your piece is cut, secure it with multiple drywall screws, mud the gaps, tape, re-mud then sand to a smooth finish.

Basic Water Pipe Repair Usually the hardest part of water pipe repair is finding the leak. You do this by turning on the water, listening for falling water, then visually inspecting where the water is coming from. Once you find the leak, cut out the old section of pipe and cut a section of new pipe to replace it. It is very important to dry the ends of the pipe and rough up the end of the old and new sections of pipe with your sandpaper. Apply flux to each section of pipe and to a coupler that will be used to join the pieces. Put the new section in place. Heat the coupler with your butane torch and apply solder around the edges of the coupler. Once it is sealed all the way around, allow the solder to dry and move on to the next leak.

Drain Repair Drains work by using the force of gravity to expel wastewater down and out of the house. Improperly working drains can be the result of improper pitch in the drain line or a clog. Clogged drains are a very common problem. When a working drain gets clogged, Draino or a quick snake will often do the trick. If that doesn’t work, unscrew the drainpipe and inspected for clogs. If a clog is found in there, simply remove the clog, replace the drain and test the drain. In a vacant house, a clog can become impenetrable. If you encounter such a clog, you need to cut it out and replace that section of drain. Using a saw or grinder cut out the clogged section of pipe. Once the clog is cut out, cut a similar length of PVC pipe to replace it. Either connect the new pipe to the old with PVC connectors or with a fernco connector. If you use the PVC connectors make sure that you clean the old pipe thoroughly and apply PVC cement to ensure a proper seal.

Replacing Light Fixtures Be sure the power is off to the fixture by checking the wires with a voltage meter. Remove the old fixture. Strip off a section of the wire casing and attach your new fixture with wire nuts and electrical tape. Insure that no unexposed wire remains. Since each fixture will come with its own set of instructions, be sure to read those instructions thoroughly to insure proper installation. Electricity can cause severe injury if you do not follow instruction implicitly.

Window Installation Carefully remove the old window. Be sure not to damage the old wood frame and the window sill. Once the window is removed place wood shims on the exterior of the sill and level the shims. Secure the shims. Place the new window in the opening. Place more wood shims along the sides at the top, middle and the bottom. Once the sides are secure, make sure you can easily open and close the window. Fill the gaps around the window with expanding foam insulation or fiberglass insulation.

Refinishing Wood Floors First remove the old carpet. Then remove all of the tack strips, staples, nails and quarter round molding. Once the floor is clean, run your drum sander with the grain of the wood. It is very important that you keep the drum sander moving at all times though. If you leave it sit it will quickly eat into the floor, leaving the finished floor wavy looking. Start with 36-grit sandpaper, then 80-grit, and then 100-grit. Once the main body of the floor is sanded, do the edges with an edge sander using the same grits of sandpaper that you used on the main floor. When all the sanding is complete, sweep the floor, and then vacuum the floor. Apply your choice of stain or apply polyurethane directly to the wood. Finish with 2-3 coats of polyurethane. Replace the trim molding along the floor.

Laying Tile The key to a good tile project is a good foundation. Whether you are tiling a wall or floor, the foundation must be plumb or level and the surface must be flat. Once the old covering has been removed lay a product like Hardi-Backer, an extremely durable cement-based product. Begin tile installation by troweling on a thin application of mastic over a three to four foot area. Set the tile in place and push gently to secure the position. Place a spacer next to the tile and position the next piece. Continue in this fashion until the tiles are all in place. Allow the mastic to dry for 24-hours before grouting. If you are laying a natural stone tile (travertine, slate, marble) be sure to seal the tile prior to grouting. If you don’t, the tile will appear hazy. Remove all tile spacers. Mix a grout color of your choice, push the grout between the tiles with a rubber float and clean up all excess grout.

Texturing a Ceiling To get a perfectly textured ceiling, dip a paint roller with a long (4 foot) handle into a bucket of top-coating mud. Roll the mud onto the ceiling. Push your texturing brush into the mud and pull back quickly to create a random dimple pattern all across your ceiling. After it dries finish by painting with a white ceiling paint or a color to complement your walls.

Painting a Room Prior to painting any room, always inspect the surface of the walls. Take the time to fix any small pinholes or cracks with spackling paste and sand to s smooth finish. Once the walls are smooth, look for gaps between the walls and the trim. Fill the gaps with caulk and smooth the caulk with a wet finger. Paint the trim first with a white semi-gloss paint. Next, apply one coat of latex primer to the surface of the walls using a roller. After the primer dries apply your paint. A flat latex paint is the best choice for hiding small imperfection in your walls surface. Two coats of paint will generally provide complete coverage. To edge the walls, apply painter’s tape to the trim, and brush the paint onto the edges. After you have painted the edges, remove the painter’s tape and you’re done.

Landscaping Most foreclosed houses have neglected exteriors. This is a key area in reselling or renting out your house. The exterior is the first impression people will get of your house. Most of the time, I remove all the overgrown 1950′s era plants and replace them. If there are any good plants in the landscape, I try to remove them in a way that they can be re-used in the landscape. If they are too large to remove, prune them to improve their appearance. After removing the old shrubs, cultivate the bed and mix in organic materials like manure, compost or peat moss. Arrange your new plants on top of the beds. Once you are happy with the arrangement, remove any burlap or plastic and plant them. Be sure not to bury the root balls of shrubs. You want to plant the shrub with just a little of the ball showing above the ground surface. Follow spacing instruction on the containers so that your new landscape doesn’t look like overgrown in two years.