Tag Archives: Creative

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  Grandpa and the Elves

  Posted on April 10, 2024 by mikew in Fix It & Use It

  One of the great rites of passages for aging men and women is the day people look upon their handiwork and shake their head in disbelief and awe. Often backyard workshops and garage hobby spots became the artist’s studio or engineer’s laboratory. When the fateful day comes for the person to move on they leave […]

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  Clever Gadgets of a Great Generation

  Posted on March 6, 2024 by mikew in Fix It & Use It

  Our grandparents (or great-grandparents) were an innovative, scrappy, do-it-yourself generation. It wasn’t until them that we had McDonalds, TV and highly efficient house building methods. Occasionally I come across impressive displays of mid-century ingenuity that bring a smile “golly-gee-willagger!” Here are some of those clever finds for your enjoyment. In this 1950s home it looks […]

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  If Your House Could Speak

  Posted on January 3, 2024 by mikew in Fix It & Use It

  [The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this letter are mostly fictitious. No identification with actual people (living or deceased) or structures is intended or should be inferred.] Dear capable caretaker, [THE APPROACH] It has been my great honor and duty to shelter you from the frigid weather, and chilly rainfall. I have […]

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  Search and Find Your House: 2023 Edition

  Posted on January 3, 2024 by mikew in Fix It & Use It

  It has been a privilege to serve the hundreds of clients I worked with in 2023. It is a privilege to have the trust of so many real estate agents, house buyers and house sellers. I’ve enjoyed the time with each person engaging in the biggest financial decision of their life and I’ve felt the […]

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  Uncommon Piping Fixes

  Posted on August 9, 2023 by mikew in Fix It & Use It

  In the spirit of celebrating the creativity and new ways of fixing old problems. In the enjoyment of the scrappy-spirited do-it-yourself who is getting the job done. In the age of pictures, images and memes. I offer you some of my home inspection PIPING discoveries! DIY Water Feature! As hundreds of gallons flow off your […]

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  Nature’s Little Surprises

  Posted on April 10, 2023 by mikew in Fix It & Use It

  In the course of my inspections there are little things I come across that cause me to smile and take notice. As an inspector there are plenty of the not-so-pleasant nature surprises but I want to share a few of the more wonder-full ones. I often expect to find nesting wasps and yellow jackets under […]

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  Further (mis)uses of tape

  Posted on January 20, 2023 by mikew in Fix It & Use It

  The interesting application of our favorite adhesive has shown up in more ways! In elementary school I joined the sticker-collecting obsession and covered my binder. I didn’t have the cool trapper-keeper that the cool kids had, but the stickers made up for it. Flue-ky Repair – (mis)Use #9 It sure looks like ducting where it […]

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  Stuff That Once Crushed It!

  Posted on January 10, 2023 by mikew in Fix It & Use It

  As you will see, I crushed the pun-point in this one. A Toilet That Crushes It! This is not the type of toilet you see everyday but this house built in 1946 had one of the most forceful flush systems I’ve seen in a long time. Imagine dropping four gallons of water from seven feet […]

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  You almost had it, my DIY friend!

  Posted on December 20, 2022 by mikew in Fix It & Use It

  Sink Drain Pipe Whoops After posting an article about sink drains and p-traps I found a creative new way to install these drain pipes. This was a first for me and looked like an optical illusion when I took the picture… I’m trying to think of something witty to write but can’t come up with […]

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  Re-Stocking and Stocking-Stuffing

  Posted on November 29, 2022 by mikew in Fix It & Use It

  ‘Tis the season to get the handy “candy” for home owners and maintainers. Winter months can raise the urgency of delayed repairs, the coming new year stirs inspiration of project progress, and Christmas seems to promote the purchasing of stuff. These suggestions come from one who is always looking for a few handy items to […]

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