Things I wish I knew before I started my project...

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Topic: Things I wish I knew before I started my project...

BeeCee

Thu, 04/26/2007 - 12:16pm

Things I wish I knew before I started my project...

Ok, I would say that my JQ (Jane Quotient) level is pretty high if not almost up there at the top of the scale. Yet, I STILL almost ALWAYS run into issues when doing projects. I don't think your projects can ever be 100% perfect all the time, in fact, as long as you expect something to go wrong in a project, you'll be prepared for it. In fact, most of my learning has been by digging my self out of problems with the issues did arise, and now I'm that much wiser for it. Here's some of the things I've learned recently on some of my projects - hopefully you'll be able to start off a few steps ahead if you do a similar project. Be sure to post what you've learned here too to help other Janes get a leg up!

Pipe Fitting Types
When installing a new toilet, be sure to know if you have a pipe fitting or a compression fitting in the pipe coming from the wall. Even though it may appear that your connection fits, if it's not the right type, you'll have leaks. Compression fittings often have thinner threads and are sometimes tapered, so they'll need to fit to a compression pipe. Contrasting that, pipe fittings are usually straight and the threads on the connection are thicker. Save yourself time and specify which fitting you have when you go to the home improvement store.

French Door Opening: In or Out
After years of dealing with a sliding glass door that wouldn't slide, we decided it was time to get French Doors installed. I found some pre-hung doors at the local home improvement center and discussed with the sales guy (yeah - guy) that I knew what I wanted. I wanted them to open out onto the patio and to have the left door be active - meaning, that's the door that would have the handle in it.

Well, when they were delivered, I was out of town so this one I left up to a handyman friend of mine to install and I DIDN'T COMMUNICATE with him that these were to open out, so he just installed what he was given. When I came home, I found that the doors opened inward! Yikes! Learning lesson here is when you purchase your pre-hung doors, check the threshold to see which way it angles down - the lowest point of the threshold will be pointing toward the outside of your home. Therefore, if you want your doors to open out, be sure that they open toward the lowest point of the angled threshold. Grrrr.

Purchasing New Door Handle Sets - get the right brand for your key!
To go along with my new French Doors, I needed a new locking handle set. I found a style that I fell in love with and then took it to get keyed to my existing house key so that all locks worked with the same key. When I got there, I found our that my key type wouldn't fit into this lock set - the groves were different. Check your brand - Schlage locks go with Schlage keys, etc. Ok, now I know...

What things have you learned during your projects that might help others in our community? Post them here.

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I SO KNOW what you're talking about! I wish I knew...

peggie writes:

Thu, 04/26/2007 - 12:20pm

I'm right there with ya sister! I wish I knew the truth about texturing a wall. I had to patch my wall - a pretty big hole, and when I was done, I had a completely smooth area where my patch was and then a texture (they call it Orange Peel) on the rest of my wall. I guess I never really knew that they did an extra step in between drywalling and painting. So now I'm in the process of figuring out how to texturize a wall. Any help?

texture wall patch

yc writes:

Fri, 08/15/2008 - 5:29pm

Your home improvement store should have this "texture in a can", it's an aerosol can that sprays out orange peel or other similar textures. They provide a straw that you attach to the nozzle to give you different textures. I think it costs about $8. I used it when I had to redo some of my walls. Just practice on a piece first, so you know how it looks before you spray it on your wall. Make sure the patch is well sanded before covering it with the texture. My project turned out surprisingly well. Good luck with yours. YC OOps, I just realized your question was in 2007- I am sure you've figured it out by now.

Things I wish I knew before I started my project...

paulupa123 writes:

Sun, 09/14/2008 - 1:50pm

BeeCee, Don't feel like that's the rookie in you coming thru. I'm a 33 year profesional with an engineering background. I've never been to the job that didn't have issues. Infact I've never even heard of it. I am however in search of it. When I find it I'm going to photograph it, Blow it up, frame it and hang it over my fireplace. That way I can retire, sit in my rocking chair and tell folks all about the perfect job. Other than that what makes a great journeyman is the ability to work around mistakes and supply issues. Honestly I actually look for the issues to pop-up. If they don't I become suspicious and hunt all the harder. After all I know it's there, why am I missing it? Can it be that cleverly disguised? What have I over-looked? Basically the earlier you find them the easier and cheaper the fix. So happy hunting and enjoy the projects as much as I do. Gerald