#exterior

Paul Cummins

May 2, 2020
2 min

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. Each system requires that the installer understand how it works. The slightest error gets compounded when it's repeated with a thousand parts. Partial knowledge is always dangerous, thus I always try to remain humble and ready to learn more. Cement fiber board is a wonderful invention developed in Australia were wood is dissolved readily

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Paul Cummins

Jul 15, 2019
1 min

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 blazing Sunday afternoon families were having a wonderful time. Other exhibits include the progression of home building from mortise and tenon, to balloon framing, to platform framing, to high energy efficiency buildings. The display below shows how vinyl siding works. Go visit! #exterior #misc

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Paul Cummins

Jun 12, 2019
1 min

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 get more beer! #exterior

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Does anyone want to paint trim 40 ft off the ground?

Paul Cummins

Apr 4, 2019
1 min

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 the peak of your roof. WILL NOT ROT. DO NOT NEED PAINTING. CAN SIT IN STANDING WATER. Yes they are more expensive but only need to be installed once by brave people whose ancestors fought off flying monkeys. They are made of PVC, vinyl, yes, plastic. Click on image for link. This is another option: Boral Truexterior trim boards. They han

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Paul Cummins

Mar 15, 2019
1 min

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 by anyone from an adjacent roof. Click on image for stainless steel hinges with fixed pins that will also allow the door to open wider...to get those kegs to the deck more easily! #exterior #maintenance

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Paul Cummins

Jan 18, 2019
1 min

Draft and Pest Barrier

New Xcluder product to fill gaps and holes. Says it won't rust. Comes in door sweeps too. #exterior #pests

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Paul Cummins

Sep 29, 2018
1 min

Loose Vinyl Siding

Just takes a very simple tool: Click on image for link. #exterior #maintenance

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Paul Cummins

Jul 23, 2018
1 min

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 melt vinyl. This will help. Click on image for link. #exterior

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Paul Cummins

Jul 5, 2018
1 min

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 wall and maggots poured under the molding... 100's of them!) Click on image for link. Here's another armored choice for kitchens and fan vents...keep the birds out! Armored Vent Cover #plumbing #HVAC #ventilation #exterior

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Paul Cummins

May 9, 2018
1 min

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 bathtubs had to be tempered. Also any bars on windows need to be able to be opened from the inside. See a lot of this in DC. But this new film is remarkable. Click on image for link. #exterior #safety

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Paul Cummins

Sep 24, 2017
1 min

Fun to fix your old screens!

Just need a spline tool and utility knife. Click on image for video. #remodel #exterior #maintenance

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I shudder to think what your house looks like with big-box-bought plastic shutters!

Paul Cummins

May 10, 2017
1 min

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 at a reasonable price. I replaced mine with these. Used one coat of primer and two coats of paint...they still look new after 7 years. Click on image for custom wood shutter link. #exterior

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Paul Cummins

Mar 10, 2017
1 min

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 with 50/50 bleach/water plus a half cup of laundry detergent and do it again and again...also effective on decks and plastic patio furniture. Pretreat any nearby plants with a coat of fresh water before and after using the bleach spray. Click on image for link. #mold #cleaning #popular #exterior

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Belly Board and Z-Bar... racehorses or rock band?

Paul Cummins

Jan 31, 2017
1 min

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 the bottom portion of T-111 siding has been cut away and a belly board flashed with Z-bar above has been added. Often the Z-bar flashing is not sloped away from the house which means water pools near the siding and the flashing will deteriorate sooner. Steel Z-bar can be expected to last about 15 years, even if painted. If a starter strip is

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Paul Cummins

Jan 25, 2017
1 min

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 can enter through them. Don't caulk them up! Just push these into them. Click on image for link. Here is a beehive created between outer walls where just one weep hole was used for entry! #concrete #exterior

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Paul Cummins

Jan 8, 2017
1 min

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 for further details. #concrete #exterior

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Paul Cummins

Jun 8, 2015
1 min

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 maintenance-free, attractive surface that will even out settled and cracked slabs. Naturally, surface prep is crucial... concrete must be clean and dry and cracks must be filled with polyurethane caulk. Call a concrete company near you if you don't want to DIY. #concrete #exterior

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