Around The House

Hey everybody!  Wick here.  

Summer is upon us. Let the leisure begin!  Here is my layman’s guide to summer leisure.  My top 3 backyard leisure upgrades are:

1) A hot tub.  I know you’re probably thinking hot tubs are only good for the winter but not so!  Karoline and I use our hot tub year round. I would say we are frequent users. We are in it almost every night.  Now they are pricey but you can of course find used ones on Craigslist or refurbished ones. Since we use it often it’s very easy to maintain.  Just a dab of chlorine every so often. As a side bonus it’s very therapeutic for any relationship. Since you can’t bring your phone into the tub you are forced to look at and converse with each other 🙂

An upgrade to the hot tub is the cold plunge tub.  We found this on the side of the road but you can find these at any feed store.  Hop in here. Does wonders for your complexion:)

2) The sauna!  Gaining popularity recently.  There was an article stating you’ll live longer if you sauna.  Easier to maintain than a hot tub too. I’ve seen a few outdoor ones at recent listings.  Costco carries a good one for about $2k.  

3) Lastly the humble hammock.  This is the most affordable item from today.  Karoline picked this gem up recently and it’s quilted and comfortable! I love hanging out in the hammock.  It pairs well with a beer and shade in the hottest days of summer.  

Please share your backyard highlights with us!  And if you know anyone who needs to buy or sell a home please send them our way!  And as always thanks for watching!

In this month’s video, Three Tips for Maintaining Your Painted Walls #WicksTips. Happy Summer, everyone!

Hi All! Wick here. It looks like I play the banjo but I don’t. I just know that one strum and do it forever. This reminds me of house terms. I hear a lot of people use house terms like they know them but they don’t. I’ve labeled this common ailment “mishouseanunciation”. Today let’s look at the most commonly misused house terms!

Let’s talk electrical:

“220.  221. Whatever it takes.” Be the first person to let us know what movie this classic phrase was first uttered and win a prize! There are 2 types of systems that provide electrical power inside your home. 220 volts and 110 volts. 110 volt system is a safer way to deliver electricity because it has half the voltage running through it. You appreciate that fact when you accidentally electrocute yourself installing a gfi outlet. Larger appliances like your water heater or dryer run on 220 volts which typically need double the power.  

Fuses vs breakers. Fuses are older style safety devices found in a fuse box. They are one time use. If a power surge happens the fuse blows (just like the fuses in your car) which protects the house but you then need to install a new one.  A breaker on the other hand (found in a breaker panel) can be used multiple times.  

Let’s chat chimneys:

The firebox is where you put the wood and make a fire. The hearth is what you make the fire on top of. The flue is the channel from the fire box to the top of the chimney where the smoke escapes. The damper is the small door you can open and close to allow smoke to exhaust out or close it off to keep the cold out when not in use. For example my chimney has 2 flues. One for my fireplace and an older one that was used to exhaust an oil furnace. My fireplace flue has a damper on it. The flue for my old oil furnace does not because it’s not needed.

Lastly: 

Let’s talk framing.  Headers,  joists (roof and floor), collar ties and rafters.  

Headers span an opening. They are a single beam or a sandwich of 2 2x’s of differing widths (maybe 2×8’s or 2×10’s) that span an opening. Found over openings like this or doors or windows. Headers allow the opening to exist.

Floor joists are the boards going across the floor that make the floor and support the wood floor or tile floor that’s on top of it.  Ceiling joists are the same but for the ceiling. They hold the drywall up.

Rafters are pretty much like joists but they specifically are the sloped pieces of wood that hold up the roof shingles.  

Lastly, collar ties are the shorter pieces of wood that connect one rafter to another rafter providing support to the roof to keep it from collapsing in on itself.  Ceiling joists help with this effect as well.

That’s it! Now you too can walk around your house, pulling up your pants every so often and start throwing around house terms.

I hope this was helpful! As always if you know anyone wanting to buy or sell a house please let us know! We would love to help them out:)

Thanks for watching!!

Hi All.  Wick here!  Today’s topic is closets closets closets closets closets.  If you happen to watch modern family you’ll find that mildly amusing:)
My wife recently cleared out a closet for me in our room!  Things are looking up for the Wickster! I even scored this bottom drawer in the deal:)  I used to use the closet in my sons room across the hall. Needless to say we live in a small home and don’t have a lot of closet space.  So what do you do when closet space is at a premium?

Here are some options!

1) Use the Elpha closet system from the container store.  It’s still a bit pricey but it’s not as expensive as some big name closet organizers.  And it gets the job done!

2)  If you only get one drawer for your clothes (like me:) then you need to maximize your closet space.  I love these pants hangers. One side is open for easy access:). Also you can use these velvet hangers which are slimmer and hold clothes better.  Plus a quick shoe rack from bed bath and beyond will complete your cheapest closet make over.

3) Two extreme ideas if you can do them are … first to build a bump out in your room to add closet space.  No foundation needed just a 2 foot deep closet attached to the side of the home.  We considered building more closets into this wall.  And two, if you have a small spare room in the house that you don’t know what do with turn it into a walk in closet!  You know. Just sayin.

3) Lastly change your clothes!  That’s right. What if you had fewer clothes that were more versatile?  Clothes that mixed and matched to make more outfits than you thought possible?  Some expensive, some not so expensive? What if you had a closet full of clothes that inspired you to get out there and get the job done?  Join us and our long time style coach Scarlet Chamberlain for a special video about style/clothes/fashion!! Fashion is for guys too. Like me!  Thanks Scarlet!