Using Pinterest to plan our new swimming pool deck

While we were removing the existing pool, I created a Pin Board in Pinterest so that Kay and I could share ideas about the deck designs we liked. During this time, everything was fair game. We would see a particular deck or even a particular feature and we would send it to our shared Pinboard. Kay and I created a shared Pinterest board with swimming pool deck ideas that we liked. This went on for several weeks and we would talk about what we liked and didn't like over our morning coffee. Pinterest was a great way to curate ideas and narrow down our design plans. We tagged deck … Continue reading...

Time to replace our old swimming pool and deck

Kay and I have lived in our current home for over 25 years. Right after we moved in, we installed an above-ground swimming pool and hired a contractor to build a deck around the pool. Fast forward two decades and it was time to replace our pool. We thought about an in-ground pool but decided the cost was prohibitive and we had been really pleased with the longevity and usefulness of our previous pool, so we decided to simply replace our existing pool with one just like it - a 28' round Doughboy pool from Leisure Time Pools and Spa's in OKC. Our prior Doughboy pool gave us a solid 20 years … Continue reading...

Looking for home renovation financing?

As the COVID pandemic drags on, more people are staying put in their home and choosing to renovate rather than upgrade to a bigger or updated home. Paying for renovations to your existing home, especially for homeowners without substantial equity in their home, is a challenge. The traditional method to finance renovations is to use a home equity line of credit. However, this requires a substantial amount of equity in your home to qualify for a loan. For example, if you owe $300,000 on a $400,000 home, traditional lenders will typically loan up to 80% of the equity of the home, meaning the … Continue reading...

When do I need to replace my roof?

Oklahoma weather is hard on roofs. The extreme temperature shifts from summer to winter, along with strong winds, can cause shingles to crack and split. If these cracks are not repaired, ice and snow during the winter can cause the crack to expand and eventually cause the roof to leak. Strong winds in particular are challenging on Oklahoma roofs. Wind can lift the edges of poorly installed or worn shingles and peel the layers of shingles, causing leaks and damage. In most cases, you can expect a well-installed asphalt shingle roof to last anywhere from 15-30 years, depending on the quality … Continue reading...

Building a fence at your new home

Now that you have moved into your home, you are ready to build a fence. Who do you call? How do you find your property lines? How much do I need to allow for an easement? Building a fence is more digging holes and stringing up wire or installing a few fence panels. The size of your property, you location, and the local building codes and regulations, and the reason you are building a fence all affects how you start and what kind of questions you have to ask. A wrought iron fence can be expensive to build and install, but last a lifetime. The easy way - call a fence company The … Continue reading...

Do Smart Thermostats really save you money?

Many new homes are being installed with smart thermostats - ones that connect to your in-home WIFI network, work with your smartphone, and learn your habits to better adjust your thermostat settings and supposedly save you money. And they CAN save you money in many - but not all - instances. Smart internet-connected thermostats are certainly cool and convenient, but will the energy savings at your home pay for the cost of these new thermostats? Like many tech questions, the answer is "it depends." If you are retrofitting your existing home with a smart thermostat, you will want to look … Continue reading...

Installing a Smart Lock for your home

The Schlage Sense deadbolt door lock offers an external digital keypad that allows remote access for anyone with a key combination. You can easily create discrete key codes for different family members, allowing you to know who unlocked the door.

I came home from a weekend away and discovered the lock on our back patio door no longer worked. Kay and I decided it was time to upgrade to a "smart lock" that allows us to lock and unlock the door remotely, provide security access codes to family members, and lets us leave home without a key. Part of what prompted this upgrade is a recent tornado warning. Kay and I were out of town and our son and daughter-in-law came to use our storm cellar and couldn't get into the house. I had hidden a key a year before but forgot where I hid it, so they were forced to go to a neighbor's house instead. By … Continue reading...

Sow Oklahoma wildflower seeds in the fall for great color in the spring

While most people think of planting as a springtime activity, fall is a great time to sow wildflower seeds that will blossom next spring. That is the way nature sows seeds - flowers lose seeds in the fall, the seeds germinate all winter, and the flowers bloom in the spring. You can mimic nature's methods with carefully timed seeding. You don't want the seeds to germinate immediately so timing is important. You want to sow the seeds after the first freeze, but before the ground freezes in the winter. Luckily in Oklahoma we often have our first freeze in October yet the ground doesn't freeze … Continue reading...

Adding a Deck – Turning a Liability into an Asset

Once we had the substructure in place we installed the decking. This went fairly quickly. Finishing the railing and trim took a bit longer.

How do you turn a liability - a small back yard - into an asset? Although some buyers prefer no back yard or as little yard as possible, the vast majority of home buyers, especially those looking to purchase in the suburbs, want a home with a back yard big enough so kids can have room to play. In 2015 our son Adam and daughter-in-law Cheri decided they wanted to move to a bigger home. Four kids in a 1,200 square foot home makes for cramped living conditions. Our daughter-in-law had purchased her current home when she was single with only one child. Because she had to care for the home … Continue reading...

Dewalt app for home improvement enthusiasts

We use this Dewalt app all the time on construction projects around our home in Edmond. It is handy for simple area or length conversions, calculative volume for concrete, dirt or fill sand, and a variety of other tasks.

Do you like to work around your home on various home improvement projects? Maybe pour a concrete patio, or build a deck on your patio, or lay tile in your master bathroom? After living at the same home for well over 20 years, we have done a variety of improvements to our own home here in Edmond. In doing so, we ran across a helpful free app from Dewalt that makes any home improvement project easier. Download Dewalt App for iPhone In early 2017 we poured a concrete slab for our shop. I was able to calculate how much fill dirt and sand was needed, and then calculate how much concrete to … Continue reading...