TodaysHomeowner.com’s Top 10 Articles of 2018 - Home Improvement – Today's Homeowner

TodaysHomeowner.com attracted a record number of visitors and page views in 2018. Here are the 10 most-viewed articles. Not all of them came from 2018 — there are quite a few ‘oldies but goodies’ in the mix — but all provided help that homeowners needed after a quick online search, and drove engagement on our social media channels.

from Home Improvement – Today's Homeowner http://bit.ly/2SvfvQu

Do It! How to Properly Paint Cabinets - Home Improvement – Today's Homeowner

Here are Danny's tips for properly painting cabinets — the key is preparation.

from Home Improvement – Today's Homeowner http://bit.ly/2EZq7Dy

Customize Your Space - Home Improvement – Today's Homeowner

Whit and Andrea's home no longer meets their family's needs, so Danny and Chelsea show them how to customize their space.

from Home Improvement – Today's Homeowner http://bit.ly/2SvlS6D

Fall Fixes for John and Rebecca’s Backyard - Home Improvement – Today's Homeowner

David and Ally's bathroom is dark, gloomy and stuck in the 1980s! Here's how Danny and Chelsea will make it bright, inviting and modern.

from Home Improvement – Today's Homeowner http://bit.ly/2EYvjYb

Dark, Dated Bathroom Becomes a Marble Marvel - Home Improvement – Today's Homeowner

David and Ally's bathroom is dark, gloomy and stuck in the 1980s! Here's how Danny and Chelsea will make it bright, inviting and modern.

from Home Improvement – Today's Homeowner http://bit.ly/2EYGhO9

Andy and Leigh Dale’s Dining Room Do-Over - Home Improvement – Today's Homeowner

Andy and Leigh Dale Younce love the updated kitchen in their 1960s home — but nobody's crazy about the dining room. Fortunately, Danny and Chelsea have a plan to fix it!

from Home Improvement – Today's Homeowner http://bit.ly/2VtsAMi

This Faucet Shows When the Water’s Hot (or Cold) - Home Improvement – Today's Homeowner

When the water is cool, a ring on this faucet lights up blue. When it starts to get warm, it turns to magenta and when hot it turns red.

from Home Improvement – Today's Homeowner http://bit.ly/2Aq5f51

How to Build a Storage Shelf Under the Kitchen Sink - Home Improvement – Today's Homeowner

Here's how to build a shelf that will fit under the kitchen sink and will nearly double the storage space so you can organize all your supplies.

from Home Improvement – Today's Homeowner http://bit.ly/2Swi7hg

3 Things to Consider Before Buying a Home Warranty - Home Improvement – Today's Homeowner

When you buy a home, you want to protect it as thoroughly as you can. A home warranty might help you do that — or it might be an unnecessary expense.

from Home Improvement – Today's Homeowner http://bit.ly/2CIlewM

4 Ways to Use Video Walls at Home or the Office - Home Improvement – Today's Homeowner

Want to add more tech to your home? Here’s how you might use video walls in your home.

from Home Improvement – Today's Homeowner http://bit.ly/2QevkJi

Tips to Effectively Maintain Your Heating and Cooling System - Home Improvement – Today's Homeowner

Most homes have a heating, ventilation and air conditioning system that they rely on to keep themselves comfortable during inclement weather. HVAC systems have become more complex as technology has developed, but there are still things that you can do to keep your HVAC system functioning and as good as new. It is important to […]

from Home Improvement – Today's Homeowner http://bit.ly/2Vn597p

How to Build a Custom Shoe Storage Rack - Home Improvement – Today's Homeowner

Building a custom shoe rack is a simple way to maximize closet space. Here we utilize the narrow space at the front of the closet.

from Home Improvement – Today's Homeowner http://bit.ly/2htNV3e

How to Stain Grout Lines in Tile Floors - Home Improvement – Today's Homeowner

Most grout used in tile floors is porous and can become dirty over time. Watch this video for tips on how to apply colored stain to grout lines in a tile floor to make the grout look like new.

from Home Improvement – Today's Homeowner http://bit.ly/2GHaN0E

Protected: 2019 Home Improvement Resolutions - Home Improvement – Today's Homeowner

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

from Home Improvement – Today's Homeowner http://bit.ly/2Q5LtRn

Why Your Home Needs a Granny Flat - Home Improvement – Today's Homeowner

A granny flat is a small dwelling located close to the main house and contains a bedroom, kitchen, bathroom and living space. Here's how to tell if your home needs one.

from Home Improvement – Today's Homeowner http://bit.ly/2rXJuow

How to Recycle a Christmas Tree - Home Improvement – Today's Homeowner

Why trash Christmas trees? Instead, consider recycling them, allowing them to naturally return to the earth. Here are tips on how to do that.

from Home Improvement – Today's Homeowner http://bit.ly/2Rjoo2k

Everything You Need to Know About Insulation’s R-Value - Home Improvement – Today's Homeowner

Insulation's R-value measures its resistance to heat flow — the higher the R-value, the better it insulates per inch of thickness. If you're still confused, here's a crash course on R-value!

from Home Improvement – Today's Homeowner http://bit.ly/2GIrI2R

Installing Shop Fans – Big Ass Fans

With it coming up on the holidays, things are winding down for me in the shop. I’ll be taking off a little bit of time to regroup from my extremely busy year and spend time with family…..It occurred to me earlier today that I built a 4,000 sqft shop this year, which is just incredable. It seems like it was so long ago. 2018 has been outstanding and I hope you’ve enjoyed coming along with me this year as I tackled a large assortment of projects. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. But one last video for the year. As I was looking through footage I realized I installed fans earlier this summer in the shop but never released the video covering the process. So lets jump into it. 

Fans I installed:

• Big Ass Fans
• Haiku Big Ass Fans

I installed two different kinds, inside the shop I installed a giant Big Ass Fan in the center of my woodworking space and four smaller Hakui fans on the covered porch.

If you aren’t familiar with the Big Ass Fan brand, they make crazy efficient and stunning looking equipment. If you watched the shop build you’ll remember that I installed their lights. Since I wanted to place this 7’ diameter fan in the center of my woodworking space, I first started by taking out the light that marked center of my ceiling then also removing a few ceiling panels where the fan would need to go. 

This size of fan requires a mount to be fabricated that will span across the bottom cord of two trusses which is why I’m having to take down the ceiling panels to expose the bones. If you don’t want or require such a large fan there are models that will allow you to attach the fan to one truss which would mean you wouldn’t have to expose the trusses. 

I fabricated my mount from two pieces of angle iron backed up to one another. I first cut them to the length needed to span two trusses then joined them together by drilling a hole dead center for a nut and bolt, using my Triton Super Jaws and a pair of vise grips to hold them in place for me. I repeated the steps in order to make two brackets at the same time. 

After getting those punched I moved the pieces down to the ground, separated them, and drilled two holes on the flat portion that will be sitting on the truss.

With those together now I grabbed the hardware that will attach to these mounts in order to hang the fan from. I positioned it in center and marked the location of the holes that needed to be drilled out. When punching through metal I always work up to the final size hole if it’s somewhat large. So for these I start off with punching a 1/4” hole, then step up to the final 1/2” size which is the bolt I’m using. 

Once I got those tighter I ran the wiring through the center tube for the electrical bits then dropped that down in the center of the mount. Now it was ready to set into place. To keep it from moving I temporarily clamped it in place while I crawled up top and attached it with lags to the bottom cord of the trusses. 

Something I really love about this fan is the wall mounted remote, it’s more of a speed indicator as it not only turns the fan off and on but also dictates how fast or slow it spins.

I didn’t want to run the wiring on the outside of my ceiling material so that meant I had to crawl up into the attic….let me remind you this during the heat of summer!….and get into the tiny tiny point on the far side of the roof in order to feed down the wire to Brian. My recommendation is if you are building a shop, even if you don’t install fans at the start, leave yourself a wire from where you’ll eventually want the controller to the placement of the fan. Just coil it up and leave it in the attic so you don’t have to do all this crawling around. 

Alright, next up was mounting the motor into place, which might take two people because it’s pretty heavy.

Next up was mounting the airfoils. These do come in different diameters but mine are 3’ long, which including the center hub span, makes this fan 7’ total. And let me tell you….it’s crazy how much air this fan can move, and also how still and quiet it is. Even when I crank it up all the way you don’t hear any sounds from it other than the air itself moving.

And that’s it for the installation part of the big fan, so next was throwing back up the ceiling panels that were taken down earlier. To get around the fan’s stem I used a rotary tool to make a cut around it. 

While I was mounting fans, next I moved to the porch. I love working on my covered shop porch when the weather is nice enough so having the option to get some moving air out there was a must for me. For this area I’m going with a smaller Big Ass Fan called Haniku. These fans have over 1000 options for finishing combinations but I went with Carmel and Black to match the cedar beams I have on the porch. 

These fans are ultra quick to assemble. It was honestly as simple as attaching the fan blades, attaching the center tube with the wiring in it, then adding both hubs that keeps the top and bottom ends of the tube looking nice once it’s mounted.

Haiku has won more than 75 international design and technology awards and one thing they strive for and hit, is ensuring their fans don’t wobble. I found out they have a 13 step process to hand balance each fan so you won’t have to be distracted by the repeated off balance rhythm so many fans make. 

After I mounted the bracket on the ceiling where I wanted the fan, I placed the ball into the socket, that’s what I’m describing it as at least, and turned it on. These fans also come with a remote and allow you to control the speed. Ha we were laughing because there is an actual “whoosh” button : )

Also, big high five on not only the quality of the fans, but also the instructions, and even making the remote magnetic. Just from head to toe, from aesthetics to function, everything on these products screens thought, effort, and quality. 

If you’re looking at mounting fans in the shop or even in your house I can’t recommend these enough. They are highly efficient, exceeding the Energy Star requirements for ceiling fans, extremely quiet, and have a customizable look for every space. 

If you’d like some of your own, check out the Big Ass Fan website here.

And while you’re checking things out, check out April Wilkerson merch here.

Ok, that’s it for 2018! Not only was I able to build my shop this year, I was able to put a big dent in my to-do list for outfitting and personalizing it. And that’s a great feeling. Thanks for coming along.

I’ll see you in 2019.

The post Installing Shop Fans – Big Ass Fans appeared first on Wilker Do's.

from Wilker Do's http://bit.ly/2Sq84dA

Can a Smart Home Automatically Be Considered an Energy-Efficient One? - Home Improvement – Today's Homeowner

Smart homes certainly make life more convenient. But can a smart home automatically be considered an energy-efficient one?

from Home Improvement – Today's Homeowner http://bit.ly/2TcaMmN

Get the Weathered Look with These Wall Boards - Home Improvement – Today's Homeowner

Here's how to get the rustic look of reclaimed wood from an old barn or a fence.

from Home Improvement – Today's Homeowner http://bit.ly/2VePg2P

The Simple Way to Connect a Miter Saw to a Wet-Dry Vacuum - Home Improvement – Today's Homeowner

An old bicycle inner tube and a pair of scissors are all you need to connect your miter saw to your wet-dry vacuum.

from Home Improvement – Today's Homeowner http://bit.ly/2Q2p1Zy

The Guide to Home Water Filters — And Why You Need One - Home Improvement – Today's Homeowner

Want cleaner drinking water? Look to filtered water — here’s an overview of various systems available.

from Home Improvement – Today's Homeowner http://bit.ly/2Q2f6TO

How to Insulate Water Pipes to Prevent Freezing - Home Improvement – Today's Homeowner

Watch this video for tips on how to insulate water pipes and keep them from freezing during cold winter weather.

from Home Improvement – Today's Homeowner http://bit.ly/2CAqUsE

A Year of Simple Solutions - Home Improvement – Today's Homeowner

Today's Homeowner is looking back at the little things that made last year a little bit simpler. We compiled a list of Joe Truini's top ten Simple Solutions of 2018 that are sure to help you around the house.

from Home Improvement – Today's Homeowner http://bit.ly/2BCUigm

Are Electric Baseboard Heaters an Energy Efficient Way to Heat a Home? - Home Improvement – Today's Homeowner

Henry asks, “Are electric baseboard heaters a good way to provide extra heat for a home?”

Electric baseboard heaters are one of the most expensive ways to heat a home, but they can be easily turned off or down in rooms where more heat isn’t needed. Read on to find out more.

from Home Improvement – Today's Homeowner http://bit.ly/2s0Ptcx