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Butt Gaps: Not good for any of us.
The more I inspect, the more I respect the challenge of constructing a home. Products, codes and best practices are constantly changing....

Paul Cummins
May 2, 20202 min read
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Building Museum Great on a Hot Day!
Washington's Building Museum has a feature called LAWN. Built on scaffolding is a turf hill with hammocks and corn hole games. On a...

Paul Cummins
Jul 15, 20191 min read
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Gotta Get Fresh Air In!
Just like you can't use your deck in the summer without a 9 foot umbrella, you don't want bugs entering as you go inside repeatedly to...

Paul Cummins
Jun 12, 20191 min read
117 views
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Does anyone want to paint trim 40 ft off the ground?
Ok, this is a picture of a polar bear in a snowstorm! NOT! This is the kind of board you want to replace those rotten trim boards on...

Paul Cummins
Apr 4, 20191 min read
155 views
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Outdoor hinges
Door to lovely rooftop deck had interior hinges installed. They are rusting and the pins can be knocked out easily and the door removed...

Paul Cummins
Mar 15, 20191 min read
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Draft and Pest Barrier
New Xcluder product to fill gaps and holes. Says it won't rust. Comes in door sweeps too. #exterior #pests

Paul Cummins
Jan 18, 20191 min read
103 views
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Loose Vinyl Siding
Just takes a very simple tool: Click on image for link. #exterior #maintenance

Paul Cummins
Sep 29, 20181 min read
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The Sun's Power!
93,000,000 miles a way, a billionth of it's energy hitting the day side of earth, and yet it's mere glancing reflection off a window can...

Paul Cummins
Jul 23, 20181 min read
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A dryer vent to be proud of!
Give up on those ugly, plastic dryer vents, that clog easily and rats can chew through (Yes it happened to me... rats died in bathroom...

Paul Cummins
Jul 5, 20181 min read
189 views
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Security film beats bars any day...
This photo shows security film on a bathroom window. Before the invention of the film the glass within 18 inches of the floor, or over...

Paul Cummins
May 9, 20181 min read
113 views
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Fun to fix your old screens!
Just need a spline tool and utility knife. Click on image for video. For pet screen click here. #remodel #exterior #maintenance

Paul Cummins
Sep 24, 20171 min read
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I shudder to think what your house looks like with big-box-bought plastic shutters!
The plastic ones don't do your older home justice and they are too short for your vintage windows...wooden replacement ones are available...

Paul Cummins
May 10, 20171 min read
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Get rid of mold and algae on siding!
House wash--gets rid of mold and algae! Wear goggles! Wear old clothes! Just attach it to your garden hose. When empty simply refill...

Paul Cummins
Mar 10, 20171 min read
424 views
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Belly Board and Z-Bar... racehorses or rock band?
Sorry, not that much fun! Belly board is used as trim at the bottom of siding and Z-bar is the flashing above it. In the photo above...

Paul Cummins
Jan 31, 20171 min read
756 views
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When weeping is good for you!
Those vertical gaps between bricks where there is no mortar let the wall breathe. They're called weep holes but mice and other critters...

Paul Cummins
Jan 25, 20171 min read
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Not Your Father's Stucco
This foam cladding system ran into serious problems before drainage was accommodated. Ask what kind is on your house! Click on image...

Paul Cummins
Jan 8, 20171 min read
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Face lift on worn concrete!
Think peanut brittle you can walk on! Click on image for a how-to on coating your worn concrete stairs and patios with a slip and...

Paul Cummins
Jun 8, 20151 min read
43 views
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