New Home Renovation TV Show Casting Call

A new Home Renovation TV Show is in the works. I received an email from Rick Spence, a producer of this new TV program that will "follow the trials and joys of home renovation".

If you are planning a home renovation project and would like to be part of this show, read on:

Here is the info I received from the producer:

Are You Renovating? A Bathroom? A Kitchen? Your Whole House?

The How To Channel is currently looking for homeowners to feature a premiere Australian program showcasing real renovation stories.
If you are undertaking a renovation in Sydney starting in December / January for completion in early March and would like to be considered, then send us a description of your renovation plans and your reason for undertaking the renovation as well as 3 photos of your house, and one of your family.
Send all enquiries to renovations@howtochannel.com.au

Here is a link to some info on the website at the How To Channel on Realestate.com.au:

Handyman iPhone App

DIY Handyman Toolbox is a new app that comes in either a Metric or Imperial versions.

DIY Handyman Toolbox - METRIC, is a handy, easy to use application to help you work out common handyman calculations like volume (cubic metres), area (square metres) and also to convert measurements from imperial to metric, or metric to imperial.


Also included is an optional area to include the unit price of the material and DIY Handyman Toolbox will calculate the overall cost for you as well as the required amount.


FEATURES:
• Volume - Cubic metres & Price Calculator
• Area - Square metres & Price Calculator
• Conversion - Convert measurements from imperial to metric or metric to imperial.
• Very easy to use.
• Clean, professional user interface design.
DIY Handyman Toolbox is useful to the Home Handyman as well as professional trades people, as a quick and simple way for working out material amounts and total prices.

HANDY FOR CALCULATING ANYTHING THAT NEEDS TO BE ORDERED IN SQUARE METRES OR CUBIC METRES.:
• Flooring - Timber & Carpet
• Walls - Paint, Wallpaper and Plasterboard (dry wall)
• Gardens - Mulch & Gravel
• Concrete

This application will save you a lot of time when working on your home improvements and renovations.

Click here for more info on the METRIC version.

Click here for more info on the IMPERIAL version.

Chainsaw Sharpening and Maintenance

My chainsaw started to do something strange the other day. It started to cut on an angle to the left in a curved crescent shape. I am by no means a chainsaw expert and had no idea what was going on.

After searching on the web I found this great document on the Stihl website. My chainsaw is a Husqvarna, but the fundamentals in this PDF are relevant to all chainsaws.

My problem was probably a number of things. I had hit some dirt cutting into an old tree stump and one side of my teeth were a bit blunter than the other side. I may have also been sharpening one side more than the other. Plus my chain bar was wearing unevenly.

So either way the problem does exist and it is easily fixed by having the chain professionally re-sharpened and the bar filed even.

The PDF can be downloaded here:
http://www.stihllibrary.com/pdf/SharpAdvice110606.pdf

DIY Concrete iPhone App - Imperial Version Now Available

The Imperial version of my handyman iPhone app' DIY Concrete is now available on the iTunes App Store.

This version has a redesigned user interface and handles all the calculations you need to work out and order concrete for your project in cubic yards or in 80LB pre-mixed bags.

Click here to go directly to the iTunes App Store.

Click here to go to the DIY Concrete website.

DIY Concrete Imperial - is a handy, easy to use application to help you work out the volume and cost of concrete (cement) required for your project, in cubic meters or 80LB pre-mixed Bags.

DIY Concrete Imperial - is useful to the DIY Home Handyman as well as professional trades people, as a quick and simple way for working out concrete volume and price requirements.

This application calculates the volume you require when ordering for a large amount that will be delivered by truck, as well as a 80LB Pre-mixed Bag calculator for the smaller DIY Handyman projects.

As well as calculating the volume, you can also add the cubic meter price or bag price to give you an overall cost of the concrete order.

All you need to do is enter the Length and Width in feet and the Depth in inches. The price component is optional. Then press the "Calculate" button.

Click "Reset" to start again with clean empty fields.

Also included are a couple of DIY Concrete Tips for on-site 90 degree set-out and the ratio for a standard concrete mix.

DIY Concrete - New Handyman iPhone App

Here is a new app that I have created for the DIY Handyman, and it is also handy for the professional trades person.


DIY Concrete is a handy calculator to help work out the volume and pricing of your concrete projects. The application will calculate cubic meters and price for the larger projects that require delivery by concrete truck, and it also calculates the qty of 20KG Pre-mixed bags required for the smaller projects.This version only calculates in metric, but the imperial section will be added soon, and will be available as a free download when available.

Here is a link to the DIY Concrete website for more info.

Also, click here to go directly to the iTunes store and download the app.

Handy Guide for DIY Floorboard Replacement

Here is a link to a post that has some simple instructions on how to replace a damaged floorboard.

All the instructions for this simple DIY repair job are on the Readers Digest site with step by sep instructions, including images.

How to choose the right nail for the job

Choosing the right nail for your job isn't always as simple as it may seem. And going to the local hardware store sometimes makes the job even more difficult with the large choice of nails available.

I found this simple guide for choosing the best nail for the job at the Readers Digest site.

Hopefully this makes it a little bit easier for you.

iPhone Handyman Application

Sticking with the iPhone application theme from the last post, here is another useful application for the DIY handyman.

"Handyman Sidekick" is basically 4 project calculators, Painting, Wallpapering, Flooring and Gardening. This application can be set for either metric of imperial units of measure. Personally I like the paint calculator which makes working out the total amount of paint needed very easy.

Here is a list of features from their website:

# Home screen that lets you choose between Metric or Imperial Units of measure. Choose one and all calculators are now in the proper Unit of measure.

# Automatically Saves your Unit of Measure as you preferred default (no need to set it every time you enter the application).

# Paint Calculator (Use this to know how much paint to buy for a given room. Sophisticated down to the level of entering details such as number of windows and doors in the room.

# Flooring Calculator (Use this for any type of flooring; find out how much carpeting, hardwood, laminate you will need).

# Wallpaper Calculator (Use this to know how many rolls of wallpaper you will need; before you even leave your house for the store!!!).

# Garden Calculator (Use this to know how much mulch you should buy for your gardening projects)..

Click here to go to the Handyman Sidekick website for more info:

King Gee Jack Of All Trades

I have caught the last 2 episodes of a show on Channel 9 at 12.30pm called "King Gee Jack of all Trades".

I must admit the show looked very promising, with 4 guys battling it out to see who is Tradie of the Year, but the show ended up being quite disappointing. With more than half of each episode allocated to showing fluff, you don't really get to see much building of anything.

However, if you watch the last few minutes of the show to see who the winner is of that episode, you can then enter their online competition to win Cat® mini excavator or skid steer loader.

Click here to go to the competition website.

Chalk Line - Must Have Tool

Here's an article on one of those handyman techniques that I take for granted. It is as simple as stretching out a piece of string covered in chalk, and then giving the string a flick. Now you have a straight line marked out in chalk. The first time people see it they are not sure what is going on, but after that first time, it is easy to perfect.

Here is a link to the Readers Digest site that shows a step by step guide to using a chalk line.