# general DIY advice?



## WNYcarpenter (Jun 19, 2007)

Ronny88 said:


> Hey there,
> 
> I just bought a fixer-upper and I'm looking for a good resource for general home improvement advice. I'm really a novice at this, and the more general the information, the better - as I really have no clue what I'm doing! The only resource I've found that is as general as I would like is http://homeimprovement-hub.com but I would like some other home improvement resources as well. Any suggestions? Thanks -
> 
> Ronny


 You've come to the right place! The DIY Chatroom is as good as any resource in my opinion.

If you haven't already, spend some time browsing this site and you'll find how much valuable information there is! Welcome:thumbup:


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## Ron6519 (Mar 28, 2007)

Home Improvement books are also a good investment. You get to see some of the subjects asked about here. Your library might have a good section. Borders and Barnes & Nobles are good sources.. You can look through the books to see which ones fit you and your projects.
You might have a knowledgeable family member, friend or a new neighbor who can be looked to for guidance.
Ron


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## KUIPORNG (Jan 11, 2006)

Internet search/ books and this forum is what I used so far and they seems working fine....


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## Ronny88 (Jul 30, 2007)

Any specific sites or forums other than this one that you guys can recommend? Or is this the only one I need??:laughing:


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## Clutchcargo (Mar 31, 2007)

www.hammerzone.com is pretty good.


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## SecretSquirrel (Jun 22, 2007)

Ronny88 said:


> Any specific sites or forums other than this one that you guys can recommend? Or is this the only one I need??:laughing:


Fine Homebuilding is a really good rag. The website isn't bad and they have a forum called 'Breaktime' but it's a little tough to navigate. You can't lurk there without signing up. For the woodworking guys there's a forum called Knots.

There's also the DIY Network. I can get DIY Network on DirectTV via their Choice Xtra package and I'm sure it's on cable but probably bundled in some type of "enhanced" package. They also have a message board but I don't go there anymore. I got the hots for Amy Matthews in 'Sweat Equity'. Man, I love to watch that girl bust out a wall. 


HGTV-Pro has a forum but it's dog slow loading up while waiting on 100MB flash animations to do their thing. Uh, maybe that's an exageration but you'll see what I mean if you go there. It's fairly product oriented and marketed. In the Foundation forum there's one thread there that has 923 posts (and counting). Why in creation the moderator has let it go that long is beyond me. It'll take you 4 days to read the blasted thing.

One of my favorites is the JLC-Online Forums. You have to be a contractor in order to participate but it's a great place to lurk and to pick up some tidbits.

And you got your Bob Vila and whatnot. All you have to do is Google for 'DIY Forums' and it'll make your head spin. I really like it here though... good group of people and the pace is easy enough to keep up with. So there ya have it... Squirrel's Top Five Review.


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## Ronny88 (Jul 30, 2007)

ok, thanks everyone for all the useful help. i'll check those out and get back to you with more questions that I'm sure I'll have!


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## diy_amateur06 (Aug 17, 2007)

I have found helpful information at http://homeimprovementblog.net/ Hope this helps


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## Mike Swearingen (Mar 15, 2005)

This site and www.DoItYourself.com are good ones for general DIY help!
Mike


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## ratherbefishin' (Jun 16, 2007)

Ronny, did you have an inspection done on the house before you bought it? If not, it would be well worth your money to do one before you get started on anything. It can help you determine what, if anything, besides the obvious cosmetic things, needs to be done and give you a better idea of what order to do things in. For instance, if it needs electrical or plumbing upgrades and you plan to rip out and replace drywall, then's the time to do it, not after you put up the new rock. 

General knowledge is great to put together a game plan and you've already been given some good resources, but when you get started be sure to ask very specific questions on each project. It's no fun having to do things over. (Yeah, I admit that's the voice of experience....lol!) Congrats on your purchase.

Bob


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## Keith in Connecticut (Aug 23, 2007)

Hi,

I'm going to hang a small cabinet over the toilet. The house was built in 1952 and has plaster walls. Do I have to find the studs, or is the lathe strong enough?


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## joeyboy (Apr 10, 2007)

KUIPORNG said:


> Internet search/ books and this forum is what I used so far and they seems working fine....


Same here, and I'm doing work to my first house ever. I've done tiled floors, stucco walls, mounted light units, lots and lots of painting on all kinds of surfaces, pest control issues, landscape stuff, masonry stuff (aside from stucco, stuff like building a block mailbox, custom legs for a table, etc). This site / internet searches / books are the best. I think it's 'orthos home encyclopedia that was the best book I found, although it was kinda old. Should probably go get that from the library again lol :laughing:


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## jiggyjack (Mar 30, 2007)

Have you looked at the market lately? Now may not be the best time to get into "Fixer upper homes" 

You can easily lose a ton of money by trying to flip houses now. Value of homes are dropping and the Contractor prices are staying the same.

Even if you do if you DIY the mat. cost is going to be the same.

Point being what was once a $300,000 home is now worth $260,000 yet the cost of labor and materials is still the same, so the profit margin is much smaller. The smallest mistake can cause you to owe MORE than you can sell your house for.


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## joeyboy (Apr 10, 2007)

Oh, I can't believe I forgot - contractortalk.com; it's only for lurking (if you're not a contractor). It's not as 'general' as you may be looking for, but I think you'll find you need to get past 'general' for some projects, adn when I do I go and just read over there. I find a ton of stuff - tips and tricks of random stuff from members, and just their general attitudes about repairs kind of puts me in the right mindset (always doing things the right way, never cutting corners, etc).

Here's a thread from over there you may like, just to get you started:
http://www.contractortalk.com/showthread.php?t=18131
(it's called 'share a tip - 50 words or less. I found a bunch of cool, small general stuff in there - for example, I was getting the feeling my level was off, and in that thread someone's tip is to test a level's accuracy, just flip it on the same surface and see if it's reading the same. Seems obvious enough, but I didn't think of it, tried it, and realized how horribly off my level really was!)


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## frenchie (Aug 27, 2007)

Keith in Connecticut said:


> Hi,
> 
> I'm going to hang a small cabinet over the toilet. The house was built in 1952 and has plaster walls. Do I have to find the studs, or is the lathe strong enough?


You need to find the studs.


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## AtlanticWBConst. (May 12, 2006)

joeyboy said:


> Here's a thread from over there you may like, just to get you started:
> http://www.contractortalk.com/showthread.php?t=18131
> (it's called 'share a tip - 50 words or less. I found a bunch of cool, small general stuff in there -


 
Shhhhh....don't tell everyone about our secret little "Tip" threads over there .... :wink: :laughing:


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## joeyboy (Apr 10, 2007)

AtlanticWBConst. said:


> Shhhhh....don't tell everyone about our secret little "Tip" threads over there .... :wink: :laughing:


haha dude it took all of my will not to lie just to register to be able to post!!! Not that I wouldn't have been found out the second I posted or anything :huh:


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## ToThePoint (Feb 25, 2012)

I would like to contact WNYcarpenter offline- live in the Jamestown area and could use a company like his- seems very knowledgeable.


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## Crackers (Aug 8, 2007)

And your Home Depot associate. bring lots of pictures, they are (usually) good for general stuff.


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## jjrbus (Aug 28, 2009)

I like Holmes on Holmes. 

http://www.hgtv.com/holmes-on-homes/show/index.html


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## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

Notice, this thread was started in 2007.


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