I broke one of my personal rules recently and brought home some used construction materials for a potential project at my house.  I learned a looong time ago that it’s basically never a good idea to bring leftover materials home.  What made it home was the copper piping attached to the used and abused shower valve from a bathroom remodel I finished less than a month ago.

To my own amazement, I actually used it this last weekend for an outdoor shower in my yard.  It’s not that I really save much money using it, since the valve was shot, it was more that I had something to work with that gave me inspiration to build.

The shower is now half done, of course.  I’m hoping to finish it up before the weekend.  I’m using driftwood that I’m collecting from the beaches around Maui for the sidewalls.  I’ll put up a picture of the shower in my next post.  There’s the regular showerhead, a foot sprayer for sandy feet, and then a third hose bib with a dedicated hose for washing down my dog.  There’s going to be a bench for Hoku to stand on while I wash her, that way I won’t need to bend down for 20 minutes straight.

My goal for this shower is to not spend more than $50 dollars on materials.  I’ve already spent just over $40 on the simple valves, fittings, and copper pipe.  I’m hoping to not have to purchase much more than a few pieces of lumber. 

Ideally, I’d put up a video on how you can build your own outdoor shower for under $100.  At that price-point, everyone should be able to afford one.  Or you can hire me to build one for you, however, you’ll need to ad at least one zero to the cost.

  Winter Time Roof Leaks

Knowing when it's time to repair or just replace your roof

 There is no question in my mind that the roof on my house is on it’s last legs.  The torn  off shingles on the ground after a storm are always a reminder to me that it’s days are numbered.

 Every year I seem to be repairing a new leak.  “Why haven’t I just replaced it” you might be wondering.  Well, read below to get some ideas.

 

Reasons to repair your roof before it’s already leaking.

 

-  Prevent water damage from ever happening.  Old roofs don’t usually fail until you’re in the middle of a big storm.

 

-You can schedule the job during the dry season and take your time collecting bids.  If you wait until it’s too late, then you’ll find yourself in the rainy season with a bunch of roofers that are too busy to call you back.

 

 

Reasons to Not replace an old roof

 

-You’re planning on doing a remodel in the near future that will require changing the roof.  Hold out as long as possible until it’s time for the remodel.

 

-You’re planning on selling the home a few years down the road.  If you can holdout a couple more years then you can throw on the new roof the same month it goes on the market.  Home owners love to see a home with a fresh paint job and a pristine roof.

 

-Your house is under water in the financial sense and you might have to walk away from the loans.  In this case, you should be careful investing any kind of money into your house.

 

-You don’t have the money to do it.  Putting it on the credit card isn’t a great idea.  Do you have a service that one of the local roofing companies could benefit from?  Maybe you could work out a trade scenario to bring down the cost.  If you’re flexible on the scheduling then they might be more flexible on the price.

 

I’m personally going to continue to hold out on fixing my roof.  I’m hoping that I can add on a second floor to my house in a few years.  Until then, I’ll continue to add new shingles where needed, and tar up any random joints. 

 

Last Note:  Always hire a licensed and insured roofing company to do your job.  Don’t be afraid to ask for proof of insurance.  Call in their lic. # to your state and make sure that it is current.

 

 

Spend Some Money to Save Some Money.

 

When it comes to wear and tear on your house, nothing takes more of a beating than the Exterior.  You may find that one side of your house is looking great while another side is falling apart.  This is actually normal, and is usually caused by the weather elements consistently hitting your house from one direction.  Most of the damage that I see on properties here in Hawaii is caused by either wind, rain, sun, salty sea spray, termites, rats, or leaks/irrigation overspray.   Let's go over some of the common things you can do to keep your house alive and looking good.

 

Exterior Paint.  You are going to want to paint your house every 5- 10 years depending on a few elements.

1. The Quality of the Paint Used.  The bottom line is that the cheaper paint doesn’t last as long as the more expensive paint.
2. The quality of the application.  The amount of paint applied and how well it adhered to the surface can make a big difference.  Pro painters will take the time to prepare the surface to be painted and then will possibly spray on the paint before either rolling or brushing the paint into the surface.  Just spraying the paint onto wood doesn’t guarantee a quality bond between the two materials.
3. The amount of weather the section of house experiences.
4. How much you like the color.  There is a good chance that you liked the color in the store and then hated it on your house.  Try painting some sample colors on your house before making a decision. 
1. Protect horizontal surfaces.  This goes for decks, concrete, asphalt, stone, brick, etc
   1. You can't go wrong with sealing your wood deck once a year.  This will insure that it lives a long life.  If you're building a new deck, then consider using a product that doesn't need much maintenance such as Trex.  If you living in a jungle environment then you might need to just cover your deck.
   2. Stone and Concrete can be sealed every two years.  If you're power washing the surface then you'll have to do it more often.
   3. Fill in cracks in your asphalt and apply a sealer once a year.
2. Roofing Issues
   1. It's probably time to put on a new roof if you find yourself needing to make repairs.  Be sure to repair any damaged areas immediately, before it starts raining.  Check your roof after windstorms for damage.  You might find that doing repairs buys you a few years but eventually you're going to need the replace the entire roof.  Be sure to get three bids and make sure the company you choose has insurance.
   2. If you have a reflective material built into your roof.  Chances are that it is cooking your asphalt shingles and shortening the life of your roof.  When it comes time to replace your roof, consider using metal roofing, which can take the heat better.  People use asphalt roofing mainly because it is the cheapest, not the best performing.  Don't be afraid to spend more in the beginning in order to spend less in the long run.
3. Windows
   1. Clean your windows regularly.  If you can't do it then hire someone else to do it.  Your house isn't clean if your windows are dirty. 
   2. If you have heat coming through your windows into your house, then you should consider having tint applied.  You'll get your money back in energy savings.
   3. Repair holes in window screens or replace the entire screen frame if necessary.  There are always screen companies around willing to help.
4. Water Damage
   1. I can't tell you how many times I've seen sprinklers cause serious damage to houses.  Walk around your house while the sprinklers are running and make sure water isn't landing on any surfaces that could be damaged.
   2. Clean out your gutters and make sure the water coming out the downspout is getting drained away from the house. 
   3. Get water leaks fixed immediately upon discovering them.
5. Termites and Pests
   1. Termites can cause serious damage in a short period of time.  You should call a professional immediately after seeing any signs of activity.  Be sure not to poison yourself in the process.  Do your homework and see what will work best for your situation. Have multiple companies come out to give you their opinion.
   2. The best thing you can do for rats, mice, and Cockroaches is to eliminate pathways for them to travel to and into your house.  You will never be able to kill off the creatures living outside your house, just focus on keeping them from coming in. 

 

That’s it for now.   Remember that you are not alone with your struggle to keep your house up and running.  I work on houses for a living and still have a difficult time keeping up with my house.  The best advice I have for you is to hire professionals to do the work your house and leave your weekends open for relaxing.  If I need something done on my house, I find that it’s best if I just work harder during the week so I can afford to pay my crew to come work on my house when business is slow.

 

In my opinion, almost every single house in the islands can justify installing an outdoor shower.  People who have them can attest that it's a luxury worth having.

An Outdoor shower doesn't have to be fancy, however, there are few things you definitely have.

• Hot and Cold water
• Privacy
• Convenient location
• Outdoor elements.  Example: Plants, Views, Pathways, etc
• Proper water drainage

If you can take care of these main items, everything else is icing on the cake.  Every property is going to have at least a few possible locations for a shower.  When choosing your spot, I'd recommend factoring in all of the items above and choose the spot that maximizes the most.

We've designed and built many different styles of outdoor showers.  Budget is often one of the most constraining factors when building them.  I'd reccomend figuring out the maximum amount you'd be willing to spend and then figure out what you're going to do.

We'd be happy to help.  Just give us call.

Thanks, Brett

 

Maui Home Improvement is happy  to help answer your construction questions about home repairs or new construction.  The more feedback you get on your home improvement project the smoother it's going to go. 

So if you're considering remodeling your bathroom, kitchen, or business then please ask away.