This is the second part of my article on installing beadboard in a kitchen area, after the demolition of some '70's era wall tile. You may see the first part here. We now move on to the carpentry work itself, and I'll show you a couple other things I did in the ongoing process. Take quick look at the gallery to see where I'm going.

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First off, safety: I was working with a jig saw, compound miter saw, hammers and nails. Especially when cutting small pieces of trim, pay attention to where your fingers are with relation to the saw blade. Remember, if it'll cut wood, it'll cut you. If you are working near known (or unknown, for that matter) electrical circuits, be certain you interrupt the circuit at the breaker box -- you really don't want to be surprised by a live 110 volt line; not that anything like that has ever happened to me.

The materials:

• Beadboard -- I calculated the square footage of the project, added 10% for cuts and waste, and rounded up to the next full sheet; in my case that was three, 4' x 8' sheets. Cleverly (or luckily), I finished the work with about a quarter sheet remaining, mostly in little pieces. It's really not a big deal, you can always get more at about $17 a sheet; I just hate to waste materials.
• Trim (see the gallery) -- cost me, on average, about 60 cents a foot and I used about 125' of it; I did have some left over, given that I bought the longest sticks -- 16' -- of the PVC base shoe I could find (to minimize the visible joints and help preserve the water-tight integrity of the junction at the beadboard and the counter top.) To determine the total footage needed, I measured all the joints I would have to cover, added 10% and rounded up to the nearest stick length -- usually 12' or 16' lengths.
• Finish nails -- 2" 6d (6 penny) and 1 1/2" 4d; a box of each. I used the 2" for the beadboard and the other for the trim. They run about $2.80 per one pound box.
• Painter's and silicone caulk -- generally, the difference is that painter's caulk is white and can be painted, and silicone is clear (or color tinted) and, depending on the variety, may or may not be paintable, so read the label. The painters caulk runs about $1.35 and the silicone anywhere from $4-6. (If you have a project that requires just a bit of caulk, look at what Diane recommends.)
• Outlet covers -- I replaced the original ones with new, over-sized ones for about $1.05 each -- OK, not for the reason you think; my penetration cuts were very tight; the bigger ones just look nicer and I got the almond tint to better go with the future paint color. So there ... .

The time for the project: it took me about 17 total hours to put up the beadboard and trim, but I took my time.

The tools for the work:

• Jig and compound miter saws (allows you to easily make angle cuts, should you need them).
• Caulking gun.
• Hammer
• Screwdrivers
• Electricians pliers, for the range hood project. These guys are not required, but they sure are handy.
• Framing square -- optional. You can also use a carpenters square or just be fastidious (your word of the day) with your layout lines.
• Measuring tape.
• Carpenters pencil. You can use anything that will make a mark; I just am accustomed to using them.
• Nail set, so you don't dimple the wood when sinking the nail below the surface of the beadboard or trim.

The process:

1. I took the initial measurements (twice), laid out the beadboard with a framing square, and made the cuts with my circular saw. I generally made the cuts about a half inch smaller than the measurements, given that I was going to use one inch(+) trim and that would cover it easily. No problems in that regard.
2. When I had penetrations to deal with -- outlets, switches, and the like -- I was very careful with my measurements and made the cuts with very close tolerances (1/4"). If you goof up a penetration cut, that piece of wood is likely useless and you get to begin all over again -- lucky you. Keep in mind that over-sized covers are only so big and certainly won't cover a hole way out of position.
3. I marked the locations of the framing lumber, behind the old sheet rock, so that I could easily find the 2 x 4's to put my fasteners into. The studs were not always on 16" centers (imagine that), so I had to make sure I knew where they were so as to not be nailing into air, if you get what I mean. I did this in two ways -- marking the counter top and the cabinet bottoms.
4. I placed the beadboard into position, tacked it with several of the 2" finish nails, checked the fit and alignment (near perfect, of course!) and stuck the wood into position with more nails. The only problem I encountered was in one corner, when I joined two pieces together only to discover, a few seconds later, a stream of water jetting out from the wood. Well, that certainly couldn't be good! I quickly removed the piece of beadboard, found where I had put a finish nail into a vertical copper water line (where it shouldn't have been, both by code and common sense), shut the master water line valve off (always good to know where that is) and plugged the leak with plumber's epoxy. What a lifesaver; given the location, there was no room for any other kind of repair. I would have had to cut into both walls and the studs and the water line ... .
5. Then I cut the trim with my miter saw -- love that saw. I made careful measurements and precise cuts and the work turned out well. I nailed the trim with my 1 1/2" finish nails; I set all the finish nails (beadboard and trim) with my nail set.
6. Lastly, with the painters caulk, I caulked the lap joints of the beadboard, the joints in the trim pieces, and the nail heads. The only thing remaining is to sand, prime, and paint the work. Finito!

I also did one other little project in the course of the work; I installed a range hood. Now was the time to take care of this, as I had access to the area to easily run the electrical wiring. Fortunately, the ducting was in place from a previous installation, so the whole job only took me about two hours in total, but had I had someone to help me with the final part of the work -- securing the hood in place, overhead -- I could have saved a few minutes. I was conspicuously short one of the three hands needed to move that part of the project along in an efficient manner.

That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it. All in all, a fun job and one that can be easily accomplished in a weekend, including the multiple trips necessary, to the home store, for stuff. You can do it.

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I recently had a great opportunity to install a bunch of bead board in a kitchen; that part of the work was reasonably easy, and a lot of fun. The difficult part was demolishing the old wall tile that was on top of the sheet rock. I want to cover both aspects, but I'll do it in two segments -- demolition and construction.

If your project will ultimately end in hanging some tile, look here for some hints.

Take a look at the gallery; it will provide a sense of the process in removing the tile from the sheet rock wall structure.

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First of all: safety. During the demo procedure you're going to be hacking away at the tile with a variety of simple (but very manly) tools.

Wear a good pair of gloves, preferably leather -- I started, not so cleverly, with some old cloth ones I had in my truck; after the second or third time I had to pry some slivers from my fingers with a pair of needle-nose pliers, I got the picture. Don't follow my example.

Eye protection is mandatory; if the tile slivers were bothersome in my fingers, I can only imagine how my corneas would feel about it.

I also shut the power off, in the section I was working on, in case I just happened to come across some hot lines while I was hacking away. Fortunately for me, no issues there.

The materials: None to speak of, in this part of the exercise.

The tools: Two kinds of wrecking bars, a 16 ounce hammer, a mason's rock chisel (I prefer the kind with a sturdy plastic hand guard), small and large pliers, and some roll plastic -- used to collect as much of the fine debris as possible, on the counter top. I had all of these guys in my shop, so no dinero expended here. Had I been required to buy the tools, it likely would have run me about $90.

The time involved: it took me about 5 hours to remove the tile. During about half the work, I was able to press ahead with a fair amount of speed; the balance was just nasty, getting a few square inches at a whack. That was not much in the way of fun.

The process: After placing the plastic drop cloth, I began at the right end of the walls, where I had the most access and I could get up close to the work. Initially, I just used the claws on the hammer, and when the going got tough, I would use the wrecking bars, sometimes in combination with the rock chisel, to pry the stuff from the walls.

I didn't want to do a lot of damage to the sheet rock (or drywall) underlayment, as the budget didn't allow for either the time or money to replace the backing. Patience won out over speed, and I caused very little damage to the wall or the budget. If you use the rock chisel as a base for the wrecking bar (see the gallery), you'll minimize the damage, while moving the process along nicely.

One of the routes I consistently took, along the demo road, was to crack the tile along the mortar joint "fault lines." It's much easier and faster that way: while mortar, in its hardened state, is pretty solid, it's easier to split than the tile, no question. You get bigger pieces, and it's easier to work your way around the corners of things like electrical outlets.

OK, so much for the demolition. It's easier than it sounds and, frankly, kind of boring. The fun part is in the bead board carpentry work, and some other interesting stuff I did during the course of the project. We'll hit that in Part II, next week.

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Weed block is good stuff. It has a myriad of uses, from keeping weeds down to backing a wall, to stabilizing soil, to, well, a bazillion things -- more than you'd think; we'll get into them. It's a material that will keep weed and grass seeds from germinating while allowing air, moisture, and nutrients to pass through to the soil and nourish the roots around your plantings.

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The principle rationale behind landscape fabric is to keep weed and grass seeds from growing where they're not welcome. And how does one go about doing this? The easiest natural way is to block sunlight from getting to the seeds. If you've ever seen a yellowing patch of grass where someone has left a trash bag or tarp on the turf for several days, that's a prime example of sunlight starvation and is a good example of how the process works.

By way of a very over-simplified explanation, deficiency of sunlight is a contributing factor to chlorophyll deficit and the turf loses its green hue. Landscape fabrics facilitate this process for killing unwanted weed and grass seeds.

Let's enumerate the significant uses for the fabric:

• As noted, the main uses are in planting beds, under porches and overhead decks, beneath graveled walkways and patios, et al, to starve the weed seeds of sunlight and keep them from growing.
• Helps to retain moisture by minimizing evaporation.
• Stabilizes the soil by reducing erosion damage and drought cracks in the drier parts of the year.
• Used as filter fabric in the construction of french drains, where it is wrapped abound the drainage gravel, and in dry creeks, where it is the underlay to keep weeds from growing in the rock bed.
• Behind retaining walls, to keep the soil pigments from leaching through and staining the front of the walls.
• As an underlay for water features, although I recommend that you use a double or triple thickness for this application. You sure don't want to punch a hole in the pond liner, given that you won't discover this little problem until the feature is completed and filled with water.
• As a mulch base, to keep the material from inter-mixing with, compacting, or sliding on, the soil. HINT: if you are mulching a sloped area, I recommend that you use a woven fabric, with a higher friction coefficient, so that the mulch has a better chance of staying put in a heavy rain. Very disheartening to see a truckload of mulch, freshly placed, slide to the bottom of a hill as the result of a thunderstorm; not that anything like that ever happened to me.

Some folks use regular old plastic sheeting, in varying thicknesses, as a mulch base. It has a number of disadvantages -- mulch will easily slide on it, it generally doesn't stand up well to wear and tear, it is very susceptible to long-term sun damage, and it will suffocate the soil.

It does has a singular advantage in its use as "soil solarization," wherein you use the greenhouse effect to heat the soil and kill noxious seeds and plant pathogens. Soil solarization is a long-term process and is used to best effect when your planting plan is slated for the cool weather of the Autumn.

If you don't have the time for soil solarization, there are a number of non-selective herbicides available for weed suppression and they provide a relatively quick response to weeds in your prospective planting area. HINT: ensure that your chosen herbicide is not a "soil sterilizer" as that will prevent desirable seeds and plants from growing for a considerable period of time (like, um, a year.)

But, I digress. When you lay the fabric down, ensure that you leave no gaps between the pieces or in a few weeks the new weeds peeking through the open areas will show you the error of your ways. Be sure to overlap the edges at least a foot; to keep them stuck to the ground you can use rocks, cinder blocks, bricks, old tires, etc.

But why not use the tools designed for just such a purpose -- pins or stakes? They may have the added benefit of keeping the neighborhood homeowners association from showing up at your door wondering just what in the world you are doing with the all the plastic, junk, and rubble in your yard.

After the fabric is placed and properly pinned, it's a simple task to lay out your plantings, give them the "50 foot look" to ascertain whether they are in the proper spot and aesthetically arranged, and then simply cut a big 'X' at the plant site. Fold the flaps back, dig your planting hole, add your fertilizer and any necessary amendments, plop that baby in there, and back fill with your excavated soil.

Put the flaps back around the the base of the plant, leaving sufficient space around the root ball for watering, pin them securely, mulch the area, and call it a day. You can do the other 400 plants tomorrow!

So much for landscape fabric; at a cost of about eight cents a square foot for plastic and 11 cents for a woven product, it's a real good deal and will save you a bunch of cash in chemicals and labor down the road.

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The nitrogen cycle: not to worry if you didn't pay attention in chemistry class

Very simply put, fish waste and vegetative debris (from pond plants, tree leaves, turf runoff, etc.) produce toxic ammonia. Bacteria added to the water converts the ammonia to nitrites; a secondary bacteria turns the nitrites to nitrates (a much less dangerous component) which is then utilized by the plants as fertilizer or off-gassed to the atmosphere as nitrogen. The cycle then begins anew.

The parts of the filtration system

The skimmer's job is to contain the pump and catch the bulk of the floating debris. It generally has an easily removable basket or net, for leaves and such, and filter mats (a material similar to that used in your home furnace and air conditioning system) to retain the smaller debris and also provide somewhat of a home for the beneficial bacteria to colonize upon. You want to have a box with an easily removable top for access to the pump, net, and filter media.

The biofalls provides the structure for the top waterfall, does the initial aeration for the circulating water column, and contains the largest amount of breeding surface for the beneficial bacteria. A very common medium is a form of lava rock, a very porous material generally kept in a mesh bag for easy convenience in cleaning. (Other media -- plastic balls, etc. have also been used as bacteria incubation devices.) This is the location where most of the ammonia biological conversion action takes place, although the stream boulders and gravel on the liner itself also offer a substantial safe haven to the bacterium.

For the non-mechanical parts of the system: fish eat algae, thus helping the bacteria to do its job in controlling the green menace; the perennial question is how much and how often to feed them? A good guideline is to underfeed rather than the opposite; feed them as much as they will eat in about 3-4 minutes, and not more than twice a day. If they leave food on the surface, you've given them too much. Clearly, some experimentation is called for in the feeding aspect. Don't worry, they won't starve while you do the testing.

How many fish? Many fish enthusiasts use a ball park figure of one inch of fish for each 10 gallons of water. Here's another way to look at it. The fish count is probably the most difficult analysis to make in working to enjoy a pond with good clarity, and it's more art than science.

Not technically a part of the filtration system, the pump's volume of water put through the system is important in reducing algae formation. Stagnant or slowly flowing water is conducive to algae formation; that's reasonably intuitive, don't you think? A good rule of thumb is to have a pump with sufficient capacity to circulate the pond water every two to three hours. Look here for a good calculator.

The boulders, rocks, and gravel in the feature

Beneficial bacteria like rough, irregular areas on which to colonize. It stands to reason, then, that the more rock under the water's surface, the better. Aside from reducing UV degradation of the liner, boulders and gravel on the liner provide a convenient place for the bacteria to call home. Covering the liner above the water line stabilizes the liner, precludes shifting when the pond is filled, and keeps the sun from beating up on the EPDM.

Plants

Aside from the fact that pond plants are just neat looking, they help to purify the pond water by absorbing the undesirable nitrates from the water column; additionally, when properly selected and planted, they convert atmospheric carbon dioxide to help oxygenate the water.

Even if you don't intend to stock your water feature with fish, you should strongly consider the inclusion of plants. In an open water pond they can help shade the water to retard algae growth (use enough to shade 50-60% of the water's surface). In a pondless stream, marginal plants are of great help in keeping the water clean and will make great accents even if they don't float.

Decision time: open water pond or pondless waterfall

With regard to water quality, it's tough to make an easy decision on the best choice. Open water ponds usually have more water volume to facilitate the growth of algae, but it's easy to scoop junk like string algae from the surface. Pondless features, because they generally use more rock and, thus, have more available interstices (another word of the day) in the rock, are able to colonize bacteria more easily.

You can walk on the pondless basin to pick up debris which might eventually degrade into a water quality issue; you can't do that with an open water pond (at least most of you can't). If you're a fan of UV sterilizers (say it ain't so), a pondless is likely not for you.

At the end of the day, the choice is certainly yours; the one non-water-quality factor that usually influences the decision-making process is the safety that a pondless water feature provides. And, of course, it's really fun to "walk on the water."

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Location, location, location

How many times have you heard that phrase? Given that a water feature is a prime addition to your personal real estate, it pays to give it special consideration. To thoroughly enjoy your water feature, you should site it within easy, useful access to a patio, porch, deck, or a frequently used pathway.

It is a plus, of course, if the feature can also be viewed from the inside of your home. Should you be able to accommodate the above requirements, the next item to consider is the aspect of easy maintenance.

Algae, the most difficult clarity issue associated with ponds, likes sunlight. If you can site your pond where it gets morning sun and afternoon shade, you get bonus points, as you will minimize algae growth, help keep your fish cool in the hot afternoons, and still allow the widest variety of plantings in and around the pond.

Not to worry, however, should your water feature end up in the direct sun (as many do); there are a number of fish and plant-safe products available to control algae. Barley bales are gaining increasing homeowner popularity in the control of algae; they are initially slow acting and will not kill the existing algae, but are proving very effective in prevention.

A minor downside to having a full sun pond is that, in the heat of summer, the water will evaporate more quickly than it would if the boulders were in the shade, thus requiring more frequent refilling. This is more true with a pondless waterfall than an open water pond.

A final consideration is that of leaf fall in the Autumn. If you can site your water feature away from trees, you will have less vegetation to remove from the surface of the water, the skimmers, and filters.

Pond or pondless

Open water ponds allow for fish and plant life and a place to dip your toes on a hot afternoon. They also require more maintenance to keep clean and may be not be such a great idea if you have young 'uns. What to do? How about a pondless waterfall?

A pondless waterfall is essentially the same as an open water pond without the open water; the water flows into a rock basin as it begins its recirculation cycle. Pondless features require less maintenance, have fewer components, less of an algae problem (I'll explain later), are safer for small children and pets, and will support plant life, but not fish.

Pondless waterfalls came into increasing popularity about six or eight years ago and, in my experience, accounted for about 95% of the water garden work we performed. I highly recommend them.

Filtration basics: caution, engineering content ahead

There are three basic types of filtration systems -- biological, mechanical, and water sterilization. Let's briefly look at each of them:

• Biological -- uses beneficial bacteria powder (good bugs) to break down pond wastes into, ultimately, plant fertilizers. Mother Nature is very helpful in this simple component of pond health and maintenance; more on this in a moment.
• Mechanical -- uses filter boxes to remove debris such as leaves, trash, and algae from the surface of the water. Initial installation costs are very reasonable and maintenance requires only infrequent filter media replacement, at minimal cost. Biological and mechanical systems used in tandem to remove solids are very effective.
• Sterilization -- uses ultraviolet lamps to kill and agglomerate (your word of the day) algae for removal by a mechanical device. The big downside here is that it also kills the beneficial bacteria and has an initial (extra installation) cost, and recurring costs in the form of replacement lamps and power expenditure. You see where I'm going with this?

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I have built a number of ponds and water features. In so doing, I found that the biggest concern my customers had was about water clarity. With proper planning and foresight as to the location and type of the water feature, the size and amount of rock, the kind of filter media, and the addition of fish and plants, I was able to allay their fears. It's a lot less terrifying than it sounds.

Let's go through the stuff noted above. You can then proceed with your pond construction and enjoy the process, without worrying that it will be a pea-soup green bog at the finish.

Since I have found that siting of the water feature is of primary importance, take a quick look at the gallery to note different locations and conditions for the ponds, and we'll continue.

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Looking for the carpenter bees

After the cleaning job was complete, my next task was to figure out where the carpenter bees were likely to make a home. I knew from prior observation that they appeared to prefer the undersides of beams and drink caps (though, curiously, not the bottoms of the deck boards) and stuck pretty much to spots that were in afternoon shade.

So I made it my mission to get as much of the stain as I possibly could into the confined space under the caps. The initial stain job on the roof support structure, from three years ago, was still in excellent condition, given that it was well-protected from the sun. I will stain that part next time around.

Finally, the staining begins

I began the actual stain work by filling my spray bottle and shooting the liquid vertically upward, between the balusters, onto the bottoms of the drink caps. I shot enough stain such that it would drip down onto the plastic drop cloth; that was the only way I could be sure that there was complete coverage. I then wiggled the brush into the area to spread the stain around as best I could.

After that exercise, I applied the stain to the tops of the caps, the balusters, and finally the kick plates at the bottom of the balusters. I made certain, particularly on the horizontal surfaces, to apply plenty of stain; that was doubly true for any that had cracks -- there I really slopped it, then brushed it in thoroughly.

I waited until late afternoon to begin the deck staining. Because the temp was in the low 90's and the deck surface still hot to the touch, I was concerned that the stain would "flash dry" before I could brush it out. Not a problem. While the dry time was certainly less than that of the stain applied in the shady areas, I had ample time to apply it, get it into the cracks, and brush it out.

I always tried to keep a "wet edge" (i.e. I didn't stop in the middle of a board), so I worked my way up and down the long axis of a section of boards three wide, as opposed to applying the stain perpendicular to the boards. And did I mention that I applied liberal amounts of stain to the cracks in the decking? OK, I thought so.

The little stuff

After the upper structure of the deck was complete, I headed for the support posts, and the outside ledgers, giving them a thorough coating. This was not so much for bees as termites, although I have never had a problem with those guys on my deck, probably because of the massive footings and pressure-treated lumber.

I also stained the bottoms of the new copper post caps, mostly for UV protection. When they were dry, I attached them them to the tops of the posts with silicone.

As for the need for post caps, you may have noted, particularly in your drives in the country, that fence posts typically have some form of protection for the top; it's not decoration. The top of the post suffers from rain getting into the cracks in the top of the wood, from UV radiation degrading the surface lignin of the wood, and even the acid contained in bird droppings. It's very important the you not leave your post tops exposed to the elements as they will be one of the first things to rot.

The wrap up

Refinishing a deck is not difficult; in order to ensure a good outcome, it does require some preparation, but it's hardly a back-breaking problem. If you initially employed good construction techniques (e.g. used good quality materials, sunk your screw heads below surface level, and applied a suitable protectant) then the rehab will be substantially easier than if you got stuck with a sub-standard build. In either case, failing to take care of your deck will, at the minimum, leave you with an unsightly appendage (yet another word of the day) to your home, or perhaps a safety issue. With the proper care, it shouldn't be either.

Survey your deck and do the rehab. You'll find that the end result will be cause for immediate gratification.

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My impetus (your word of the day -- look it up) for this deck project was the very startling evidence (sawdust, clearly where it didn't belong) that the carpenter bees were back! I was not happy about that at all; over time, they can wreak havoc on a deck with their hole-drilling activities.

Even though I had stained all the visible (and accessible) parts of the deck, they are ingenious little beasts and, finding the uncoated areas, began punching their perfectly symmetrical holes last year. I thought I had discouraged them with my site-specific Sevin dust applications and caulking of their homes. Well, apparently not.

Let's get started. First off, safety: I used disposable gloves and wore glasses. It's not like anything I used was nuclear-grade, I just wanted to not wander around for a couple days with stain marks on my hands; just because the stain is water-cleanup doesn't mean, when it's dry, that it won't stick around. The glasses will keep the stain from getting into my eyeballs, which, I'm happy to report, didn't occur.

The time: I split the project into three chunks. I did the prep one evening, the handrails the next morning, and the deck and support structure after siesta -- it's hot in north Georgia at midday, and the sun was blasting the work site! So, total time about 10 hours.

The tools:

• A street broom to scrub the deck surfaces.
• A small hand scrub brush to hit the guard rails, balusters, and drink caps.
• A sponge for the smaller areas to be rinsed.
• A bucket to mix the deck cleaning materials.
• An orbital sander to smooth out the rough spots on the drink caps, with 60 and 100 grit sandpaper.
• A screw gun to replace or tighten the loose deck screws.
• Disposable gloves.
• A piece of plastic to protect from drips and splashes (any old piece of drop cloth will do.)
• A spray bottle to get the stain up under the guard rails, where the carpenter bee condos are.
• Water from my rain barrel. The local water restrictions, because of the area drought conditions, prohibit the use of domestic water for cleanup; I don't like to waste water, in any case.

The materials:

• Baking soda, to provide an abrasive component to the cleaning process; a four pound box, for about $6.
• A non-chlorine laundry detergent ("Oxyclean"-style ); 50 ounce size, for about $5.
• Behr's Semi-transparent Deck, Fence, and Siding wood stain for about $24 a gallon. It was a "penetrating oil formula with easy water cleanup" and contained a mildewcide.The label indicated a warranty period of three years on decks and five years on fences. I chose this product as I had had recent good success with another product of theirs -- concrete floor stain. I used just over two gallons (naturally) but I had purchased three -- better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it, in my view. In any case, I have a large expanse of pressure-treated steps that need their periodic coating, and this will do a dandy job. They are in full shade so they need a treatment only every four or five years, lucky me.

The process:

Preparation

I initially took the time to re-drive the screws that had poked their heads above the guard rails and decking, then I replaced those that were not cooperating -- that'll teach 'em! Bare feet and exposed screw heads don't make for a good combination.

With my orbital sander I, first with 60 and then with100 grit sandpaper, sanded all the drink caps to remove any splinters or sun-damaged areas. The horizontal surfaces of a deck (or any similar structure) take the biggest beating from UV exposure. The decking itself was in very good condition, with some minor cracking in the boards that were in the sun for the larger part of the day.

Then I scrubbed the deck and guard rails with a 50/50 mix of the baking soda and non-chlorine detergent. I had previously ruled out using any harsh or toxic cleanser as I didn't want any undue damage to the recently pruned plants surrounding my deck.

The baking soda provided the abrasion I wanted in order to get the dirt off the decking, and the detergent was excellent in reducing the algae levels. I wet the deck with my rain barrel water, applied and thoroughly scrubbed two buckets of the cleaning mix, and then rinsed the stuff off with more rain water.

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I rebuilt my back deck about three years ago, doubling it in size, pouring new footings, enlarging and reinforcing the support structure, adding a steel roof, and making provisions for a future screening job. At the conclusion of the work, I coated the wooden parts with what I thought was a high-quality finish in order to repel water and maintain the color.

Instead of lasting for the better part of the five year warranty, it made it about a year and, although it never evidenced failure by peeling, checking, or overt color loss, it just kind of went down hill. The consequence is that it's been sitting there for the past two years, baking in the north Georgia sun, while I was otherwise occupied.

Take a look at the gallery to see what I did to rehab the deck and, after the jump, press ahead for the details. Thanks to my DIY LIfe colleague, Kelly Smith, for other information on refinishing a deck.

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We are finally at the end of our five part project: the transformation of a backyard into a very nice landscape.

This part covers the construction of a very cool little water feature. The initial design did not envision a pond, but there was a highly suitable area just off the deck patio, and it really called for something that wasn't a plant or a brick. Voila!... a water feature, with the splash of a waterfall that is amazingly efficient in helping to mask the background sounds of the neighborhood.

If you've kept up with the project thus far, here, here, here, and here, you know the story of the construction. This part wrapped up our efforts, and we could begin to enjoy the finished work.

The gallery will give you the inside story on the construction of the water feature; after the jump, we'll go over the details.

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Safety: nothing much remarkable here, except for the care we took in the addition of the 110v line that powered the pump. We installed a GFCI, per code and common sense, so that we didn't have an unfortunate interaction of water and amperes.

So, let's get to it! We've already discussed the materials, so let's proceed with the process:

We dug a hole in the ground -- a good beginning!
The site was of primary importance. If you have the perfect site for a pond and you can't see it through a convenient window, or it's not close to an outdoor viewing or sitting area, you have pretty much wasted your time.

For this project, there was an ideal site adjacent to the deck patio and right along the pathway to the upper patio. Could it be better than that? I think not. Initially, I built the waterfall with the "stream" flowing away from the patio and the view was of the rear of the waterfall.

After rough construction of the structure, however, it quickly became apparent that this was not such a great idea, so I tore the structure down and moved the whole thing to a spot about two feet uphill, turning the long axis of the waterfall towards the patio, so now we would be able to view it across its entire length. Much better!

Your turn.

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This is Part IV of the five part series (getting close to the end!) of a backyard transformation at the home belonging to my son and his wife. You may see the first three parts, here, here, and here. They covered the initial stages of design layout, prep, and paver installation.

Because the paver work was the biggest part of the project, we want to back up just a bit and look at the detail involved in the installation. It'll be helpful, especially if this is your first experience in laying pavers. Check out the gallery for some good information and we'll get started.

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First things first; safety: we cut a bunch of pavers for this project, using a circular saw and way too many masonry blades. That was my bad; I let the budget get in the way. In retrospect, we should have rented a splitter or brick saw to speed the project along. The labor savings would have easily balanced the rental expenditure. The usual helpful items, therefore, are gloves, hearing and eye protection, and knee pads, unless you happen to own a pair of knees younger than, say, 35.

A detailed look at the process of laying the pavers:

1. When we moved uphill, away from the deck and to the fence patio, we ensured that our paver courses were very straight. Generally all it takes is to give it what I call the "50 foot look" -- move away from the project sufficiently far so that you can discern any wavy lines. If you have a really big stretch of pavers, you may want to put in a bunch of individual string lines to keep things from going astray.
2. We cut the brick edges with a circular saw mounted with a masonry blade. Aside from the bunch of blades that we went through, the cutting gave rise to dust and hot brick chips; gloves and a dust mask were the solutions to that issue.
3. We were careful to stagger the joints of the pavers, for both appearance and structural stability. Additionally, we took pains to ensure that we were mixing the tints of the bricks so that we didn't end up with a swath of pavers that were all one color; on more than one occasion, we pulled bricks up and replaced them with a different hue.
4. We paid attention to our string line, to ensure we followed the grade to the back fence. This also helped us with noting any low points in the work, thus avoiding a visual deficiency and a "watering hole." We wanted none of that, thank you very much.
5. We cut the edging with our circular saw; you could use a jig saw or a hand saw, as well. The plastic edging is preferable to a steel product, in my view -- it bends and cuts more easily and doesn't rust, a big plus. We stuck it in place with 8" spikes every two feet on the straight edges and half that distance on the curves.
6. We took great care to have nice, smooth curves on the patios and walkways; for one thing it looks great and also makes cutting the edges a bit easier. That said, we had some fairly tight curves that required a bunch of cuts, on both the outside and inside. No getting around this: if we didn't want big gaps between the pavers, it was going to be a lot of work, but well worth it. Just be patient, the end result will be rewarding.
7. Tamping the pavers -- noisy and dusty, but absolutely essential to successful completion of the work. We had the luxury of using the sand from the site, so we didn't have to pay for it or have it delivered -- what a deal. Aside from using it as the base, we spread it repeatedly on the top surface, broomed it roughly into place and walked the tamp around on it, going a variety of directions to ensure that the pavers were locked into place. The top-dressing of sand is not just to fill the joints. The sand, on a microscopic level, is very sharp; the grains interlock with others, and the rough edges of the pavers, to provide mechanical stability and keep them from "creeping." (OK; so I managed to sneak in a little engineering -- good for me). It's important to make a number of tamping passes, in different directions, to ensure the pavers aren't going to eventually take a walk. Be aware, also, that tamping is noisy business; ear protection is recommended and take care not to irritate the neighbors; it happened to us. 'Nuff said.
8. At the conclusion of the tamping, we checked the edging to be certain that it hadn't moved. If it does happen to walk a little bit, pull up the nails, snug it up against the pavers and re-spike it, adding more nails if warranted.
9. Finally, we took the top soil that we had collected and spread it out in the prospective planting areas. We also packed it into place against the edging to hide it, and add some lateral strength to the pavers. Every little bit helps.

So, there you have some additional info about how we installed the pavers. It's not hard work and it does really make for a sturdy, attractive hardscape.

Next week we will look at the water feature construction, one of the most appealing parts of this whole project. Join us, if you please.

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As a DIYer, you likely feel comfortable tackling any number of projects. Depending on your experience, you may satisfy every conceivable code requirement in effect today (or not). This feature will touch on the most common construction violations.

Clearly, codes vary depending on your particular neck of the woods; as a bonus feature, they are constantly in flux, so sometimes it's difficult to know where you stand with the local building code folks. On the premise that it's better to do the right thing, especially concerning safety, here are some no-no's and some helpful hints. If you have a doubt as to what you are building is safe, check with someone who knows.

Look at the gallery to get a leg up and we'll get started. There is no particular order, rhyme, or reason to the situations depicted, aside from the fact that they might possibly give you fits and, certainly, delays in getting your final occupancy certificate. Forewarned is forearmed.

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1. Missing or damaged outlet or switch covers can provide access to live wiring and certainly give you a poke, especially when you are not expecting it, like maybe in the middle of the night.
2. Damaged outlets -- may either not accept the prongs of a plug or may not fit tightly, with a consequent fire hazard.
3. No GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupter) where required, generally in wet areas like kitchens, bathrooms or water features. The moisture present will safely open the circuit.
4. Don't mix low voltage lines (speaker wires, etc.) in the same run with high voltage; at the least, you'll probably get an annoying audio hum.
5. Electrical panels without a proper cover may subject you to higher than normally expected voltage, if you should contact it -- you might get a hit of 220 volts instead of 110 (as if 110 volts would be your preference.) It's not like Michael Keaton in Mr. Mom, where he said in response to a question about the voltage on a wiring job he was clumsily performing, "220, 240, whatever it takes." If you contact a 220 line, you'll know what it is, after you return from low earth orbit.
6. Don't string "temporary" electrical circuits using extension cords. It's not like leaving your Christmas lights up all year long; somebody will eventually cut them and get a poke.
7. Don't stuff excess wiring in a standard electrical box (easy to do with GFCI outlets); get an adjustable or over-sized box. Too many wires (like this; ya think?) make for crossed circuits and maybe a fire.
8. Always use a splice box when connecting ends of live wires. And don't bury it behind a wall where you have no access.
9. Don't put a smoke detector close to an HVAC duct; the smoke stream may bypass the sensors and fail to alarm.
10. Be sure, with recessed lights ("can lights") you don't pack insulation around the fixture or you may get an opportunity to see if your smoke detector is properly installed.
11. If you are in charge of rough electrical installation, ensure you protect the lines from screws and nails; use the covers ("nail plates") that are readily available. A little prevention here is a whole lot better than the cure -- not that I ever put a nail through an electrical line.

OK, enough to keep you occupied on matters electrical. Leaving interior framing to Kelly Smith's expertise, let's move on to a project popular with many DIY-ers: deck construction.

Decks:

1. Starting at the bottom, a logical enough spot, I suppose, let's discuss footings. The general rule of thumb for footings is "two by two by two," at least here in Georgia, where the frost line in a harsh winter is about one inch -- sorry about that , you guys in northern Maine. You don't have to form them to do a pour, but I think it's easier to do so, and looks a bunch nicer than a concrete "cow pie" under a support post. You can use scrap lumber or cardboard tubes. Depending on local requirements, you may also have to install rebar or anchors as additional protection against movement. The principle consideration is the frost line as it may be as much as four feet deep.
2. You may have to install base plates, on the bottom of the support posts, to tie the posts to the concrete footer; this prevents structural collapse should a vehicle strike the post. The taller the support posts, the more important to have the base plates.
3. Probably the very most important thing you can do to make your deck secure is to bolt the deck to the residence. I frequently see stories of decks, overloaded with party-goers, collapsing because the builder nailed the ledger closest to the home with 8" spikes -- really? What was he thinking? Machine bolts, with washers, are best, followed by lag bolts (in rare instances), but never, never nails.
4. The need for guard rails depends on the distance from the deck itself to the ground; locally, that dimension is 42". But, think about this for a moment. If you have small children that could take a header off a 24" deck, doesn't that call for some protection, even, perhaps, a seat bench?
5. Stairways need a minimum width of 35"; handicap provisions (ramps, wider access, et al) may additionally be required and they are quite onerous (your word of the day -- look it up.)
6. Treads and risers, on the stairs; you can use the "rule of 17" -- the height of the riser and the depth of the tread should equal about 17". A common pairing is a 10" tread with a 7" riser, but you have to make the numbers work out to provide a comfortable set of steps. Treads should, additionally, be made skid proof with tape or non-skid paint.
7. Balusters, the vertical pickets in the hand rails, should be located not more than 4" apart; keeps the kids from sticking their noggins through and getting stuck.
8. Do I really need to remind folks that building a deck that is exposed to weathering requires that the wood be protected against decay? That pretty much calls for pressure-treated materials or paint and must include the open and exposed ends of the wood. Additionally, the fasteners must generally be either hot-dipped galvanized or stainless steel to avoid a corrosive reaction with the treated wood. This, my friends, is a big deal. Clearly, you don't want your deck to fall apart when the nails or bolts rust away.
9. All structural beams and girders (the support system for the decking) must be built with multiple 2 x 4 to 2 x 12" lumber, so you can't use those old 4 x 4's you bought at a garage sale.
10. Hand rails (not to be confused with guard rails) must generally be used if there are four or more steps in the run of stairs; makes sense so that you don't slip off the side of the steps. Check with your local code guys for the hand rail size and mounting requirements.

OK, enough from me on this matter. It's pretty much common sense, but there are some rather arcane (another word of the day, and one of my favorites) rules that defy explanation. All I can tell you is that probably someone, somewhere, did something stupid to generate the regulation and this is the end result. Carry on.

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This is Part III of a project wherein my son and his wife, and I, transformed a rather pedestrian backyard into a really enviable park-like setting. Take a look, if you will, at the first two phases of the work, here and here, and we'll continue with the project. This part covers the rough sidewalk construction, with the subsequent expansion of the deck patio, and the walkways radiating from it, to the upper patio at the fence and the gate at the side of the residence.

The gallery will provide you a good overview of this part of the job.

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We began this phase of the work by doing the rough layout of the paver walkways to the back, or fence, patio, and around the deck, to the fence gate at the side of the residence.

Safety: we used the circular saw extensively on this part of the work; hand, eye, and hearing protection are certainly called for.

The process:

We now had the pavers on the ground: so very happy about that. Join us next week, when we backtrack a bit and fill you in on some of the detail work involved in getting the pavers planted. You'll appreciate it when you do your first paver project.

See you then!

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I recently offered up a DIY Life construction feature on building a rain barrel. I am very happy with mine; the (somewhat spotty) rainfall here in the north Georgia metro area, combined with my water saving techniques, puts ample water in the barrel to take care of my annual flowers and the newly installed plants in my yard.

When I built the barrel, I mentioned that I would temporarily use a hose for a discharge line but that, after some testing, I likely would make the change to hard pipe. My intent was to discard the hose laying on my deck and, more importantly, increase the discharge flow from the barrel. I am very pleased to report that my goals have been well satisfied. If you have a rain barrel, this upgrade just might be the thing for you.

Take a look at the gallery -- it'll be helpful.

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First off, safety: be careful when cutting the PVC pipe; the edges may be sharp. You'll likely get PVC primer or glue on your hands, unless you wear gloves; just be careful not to get either of those items in your eyes (to quote Yoda from Star Wars, "very sorry, you'll be"). Wear protective glasses.

The materials:

• Two, 3/4" PVC ball valves; the kind used generally used for irrigation work -- $6.
• 3/4" adapters; three female, one male (your needs will vary, depending on exactly how your system is configured) --$1.50.
• One 45 degree elbow -- $.38.
• Eight, 1" electrical conduit clamps (see the gallery) -- $2.50.
• Three sticks of 3/4" Schedule 40 PVC pipe -- $6.25. I needed three because of the length of the run.
• Hose repair kit -- $3. Get the in-line kind.
• PVC primer and glue --I had these in my shop; probably cost about $5 for the pair.
• Metal roofing screws -- had these, also. Any kind of 1-2" screw will work, to attach the clamps.
• Teflon tape -- had this; probably runs $1.
• Brown spray paint -- $1.
• Hose -- had an old 6' piece that I cut down to the requisite length.
• A three foot length of pressure-treated stock that I had cut from a 2 x 4; you may use anything handy for a support.

The tools:

• PVC pipe cutters -- I had these; you may use any kind of saw to cut the pipe.
• Screwdriver for the hose clamps.
• Screw gun

The time: took me about an hour for the project, once I had all the parts on hand.

The process:

1. The first part of the project was to decide exactly how I wanted the discharge business to work. I needed flexibility to run the water into a bucket or watering can and also be able to attach a hose at points along the system.
   
   Just as easily done as said! I laid out the appropriate combination of pipe and fittings and went to work, measuring, cutting, assembling, and gluing the valve for the barrel to its adapters and pipe (see the gallery, again, for a good view of the entire process), then setting this assembly aside. Just for grins, I applied a bit of silicone at the junction of the barrel and adapter threads. I didn't, at this point, cut the main line to length, connect it to the elbow, or attach the valve at the end.
2. I had already (cleverly) preplanned my use of water in the barrel to drop the level by about 3/4; then I just leaned the barrel back against a deck chair, unscrewed the old valve, Teflon taped the new one, and inserted it into the old hole. What a deal!
3. I cut the hose to length (inserting the repair kit connector and hose clamps), leaving a little slack so I could move the barrel if need be, and attached it to the discharge valve assembly and the PVC pipe and adapter at the elbow.
4. I hung the main piping along my back deck, allowing for about 14" of fall over 20' of pipe (or about 3/4" per foot) and attached the line with the clamps and metal roofing screws.
5. I cut the main line to the correct length and then cut, assembled, and glued the pipe, valve, and hose adapter together. I made sure that I had sufficient clearance between the valve and the ground to allow me to stick a bucket or watering can under it, or attach a hose.
6. Lastly, I secured the valve to a support which was attached to my deck stairs.
7. As a concession to my neighbors, and with a modicum (your word of the day -- look it up) of good sense, I spray painted the glaringly white pipe with brown paint. Finito!

There you have it. As promised, the system is now complete; through testing I have determined that the water flow from the barrel is now about 3 gallons per minute, or a half a gallon more per minute than before the modifications. That is a bit more than I expected from the increase in valve orifice size, but very pleased to have it.

If you have a rain barrel, why not spend an hour on the retrofit and gain the increased efficiency? You'll be glad you did.

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This is the second part of my five-part series on the transformation of a backyard into a very nice park-like atmosphere, consisting of paver walkways and patios, a water feature, and sod and plantings. The home belongs to my son and his wife (hereafter known as s/w). Take a look at Part I to see how we got started. Part I finished with the completion of the fence pad demolition.

Peruse the gallery, to see where we're going, and let's proceed.

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See Part I for the tools and materials; not much in the way of safety concerns at this point, except maybe for staying out of the dogs' way at meal time -- you dog owners know what I mean.

The process

That's where we were at about the end of the second day. The next task was to lay in the pavers for the rest of the two patios and the connecting walkways. Join us next week, if you will, for Part III.

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I really liked Anna Sattler's post on winterizing your lawn mower; I did most of what she recommended. I'd like to expand on her offering a bit, to show you what additional stuff I do with my mower to keep it in good shape for the summer's campaign.

After you've completed the work on your mower, look at Diane Rixon's tips on a program for keeping your turf healthy. You will likely have to make some modifications to accommodate the turf you have, but the info is good stuff.

Take a look at the gallery (also good stuff, if I do say so myself), and we'll hit the high points, with a bit of engineering thrown in for good measure.

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First of all, safety: remove the plug wire from the spark plug. You laugh, but every year about 80,000 folks end up in emergency rooms with mower injuries, and I'll bet not a few come from maintenance activities. Gloves are highly recommended when handling the mower blade. And don't drop the mower on your hands when it's up in the air to remove the blade or get to the drain plug.

Materials: I needed a spark plug and a paper filter; the total cost was about US $7. I had a case of oil on hand, so no cost was incurred there, but a quart of oil runs about a buck at the auto parts store.

Time: It took me about 30 minutes to change the oil, plug, and filters. Sharpening and balancing the blade took an additional 15 minutes or so.

Tools:

• A ratchet and a 5/8" socket to remove and reinstall the blade.
• A catch pan for the used oil.
• A screwdriver as a balance pivot for balancing the blade, and to open the filter box on the mower.
• A grinder to sharpen the blade: I used my drill press with a grinding wheel. Alternatively, you can use (slowly) a metal file for this exercise.

The process: here's the point where I recommend you re-visit the gallery: a picture is worth a bunch of words.

WARNING -- there's some engineering content in the following, but don't let it get in your way.

1. Remove the plug wire from the spark plug.
2. Remove and replace the plug, ensuring that you do not over-tighten the plug and strip the threads. To do so will cause you immense amounts of hand-wringing when you pay the tab for a machinist to re-cut the threads; it's a lot more than the price of a plug. Check the plug annually to determine the need for replacement.
3. Remove and properly replace the air filter(s). You will likely need a new paper filter; the foam pre-filter needs only to be washed and dried before re-use. Keep in mind that the mower needs clean fuel, oil, and air to perform well. A dirty air filtration system will reduce the airflow and change the stoichiometric air-fuel mixture such that it runs poorly.
   
   Some mower engines allow you to change the mixture. Be careful if you do so, as it's a fairly delicate process to get the correct ratio; follow the directions carefully. Replace the paper filter every 25 hours or so; more often if you operate your mower in a dusty or dirty environment.
4. Change the oil when it's warm -- don't burn yourself! -- so that the dirt is in suspension, and it flows more easily from the engine. Aside from the fact that dirty oil will damage the piston rings and cylinder walls, it may have a high acid content, which will ultimately corrode the engine internals. Make sure you don't overfill the engine oil crankcase and cause any damage to the engine. Change the oil every 50 or so hours, or more often if you run the machine under dirty conditions or high temps, but at least seasonally. And, for obvious reasons, don't toss the oil out in the woods or in the storm drain.
5. Balance the blade by sharpening the cutting surfaces -- this will take a while, the first time. Be patient and take small amounts off the blades, checking the balance frequently, until you get the hang of it. I have used the screwdriver method for years; you might want to buy a balancing kit. I sharpen my blade at each oil change: a dull blade doesn't cut the grass, it shreds it, so that 's your clue to get the blade and your grinder together.
6. Re-install the blade in the correct position; you'd be surprised how many folks put it back upside down and can't figure out why the grass doesn't get cut -- don't be one of them.
7. Once everything is back in place, start the engine to determine how successful your blade balancing project was -- excess vibration is generally not a good thing, and that's especially true with a mower blade. An out-of-balance condition will ultimately cause a bunch of damage to the engine, and you'll be out big dollars for a new one. Other-than-normal vibration is readily apparent: to paraphrase the U.S. Supreme Court on pornography, you'll know it when you feel it. If it's not right, re-balance the blade, or buy a new one.

OK, that's my small contribution to making your things mechanical run better and helping you save money. If it's done by a small-engine-repair guy, this same tuneup will cost you over a hundred dollars. Put those savings to something else, like maybe a ball game, to see how the grounds-keeping pros make all the fancy patterns in the grass.

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This is Part I of a five part series detailing the rehabilitation of a "plain Jane" back yard into a really nice landscape. My son and his wife live in a cool little town adjacent to West Palm Beach, Florida. Their home is somewhat akin to a "shotgun" style, with a similarly shaped back yard.

Over the course of a week, I helped my son with the latter stages of the plan that he and his wife had begun to implement shortly after they moved into their home. The back yard is now a very welcoming part of their home, complete with paver patios and walkways, a water feature, new sod and plantings, and provisions for the future expansion of irrigation and landscape lighting.

For all things neat about your yard, don't miss Diane Rixon's Avant Yard, here on DIY Life. Additionally, if you want to consider something other than pavers, take a minute and look at my feature on some of the options.

Check out the gallery for the process involved in the initial stages of the construction and, after the jump, we'll get into the fun stuff.

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My son and his wife (hereafter known as s/w) conceived and initiated the design several years ago. The first tasks involved some fairly extensive planting and transplanting and then moving parts of the fence some 20' rearward in order to accommodate the future expansion of the landscape plan. During that exercise, we relocated the back panels and gate and added new side panels. Additionally, my s/w purchased three pallets of brick pavers from a neighbor unable to use them. We subsequently moved them (in a thunderstorm, thank you very much!) to the backyard of their home.

This is what the backyard looked like, after the fence was moved, and just prior to the start of rehab project:

First off, safety: I recommend gloves, knee pads, and eye and hearing protection. We had only a water line to contend with (the power was overhead) and my son was aware of the location, otherwise we would have had the utilities marked.

Tools: we had all of these guys except for the rented tamp; if you had to buy them, you're probably looking at $150.

• Shovels -- flat and round-point.
• Rakes -- leaf and garden.
• Wheelbarrow (optional) -- we had to move the debris only a short distance to the pile, but it would have been helpful for the big chunks. We opted for a garbage can for the dust and small stuff.
• A vibrating plate tamp; don't get a "jumping jack" tamp used for compacting the soil in a trench; it'll crack the bricks and it's a beast to handle. Cost was about $200, delivered and picked up by the rental store.
• A circular saw with masonry blades, to cut the bricks. In hindsight, we should have used a block saw or a brick splitter; it would have been more expensive than the three dollar blades for the saw, but immeasurably more labor-efficient . (My bad.)
• Levels -- string line, carpenters, and torpedo.
• A string line -- used to determine the grade over long distances.

Materials:

• The pavers, of course. As noted, my s/w bought three pallets from a neighbor for $700, about half the regular price; what a deal! You buy pavers by the pallet (generally) in about 125 square foot amounts for $3-5 a square foot, depending on the style. Pavers are available smooth and tumbled, in one-, two-, and three-shape combinations, in circle kits, and in mixed colors, as we had. I recommend that you accurately lay out your intended design before you buy the pavers. Failure to do so will likely cause extra trips, extra cost, and require you to possibly buy an extra full pallet to carry out your project when a small adjustment in the design would have saved you that money (of course, I'm not intimating that anything like that ever happened to me.) Don't forget to budget for the delivery costs.
• Paver edging - runs about a buck a foot; get what you need for the perimeter plus 10% to accommodate the cuts.
• Spikes to secure the edging -- we bought a box of the 8" size for about $72. You'll need one spike about every two feet of perimeter edging.
• A half pallet of fieldstone for the water feature -- $100.
• A small pond pump -- $125.
• Plastic pond liner (discontinued, on sale) -- $75. In my contractor life, I would have used 45 mil thick EPDM liner, but this pond would be in the shade, it was to be quite small, and the price was right.
• Preformed concrete steps -- recycled from the yard; see them in the photo above.
• Bedding and top dressing sand for the pavers -- recycled from the yard; this was Florida, after all.
• Top soil -- also recycled from the yard and used for planting and filling the low spots in the yard.
• Sod -- about 800 square feet at $.45 a foot, picked up.
• Palm trees and miscellaneous plantings -- bought and installed prior to, and after, the construction phase.

The process:

1. We pulled up the step stones for later use in the pond.
2. Then we transplanted, or set aside for the post-construction phase, the necessary plantings. We "heeled" the plants in to protect them from drying out.
3. We then began the demolition of the back parking pad. We had some concerns, from our earlier fence-moving project, that we might face several unpleasant parts of the task, to wit: very hard concrete, and mesh rebar in the pad. It turned out that the amount of the mesh was minimal and the 3-4" concrete pad was sort of a "tabby" mix, made with an aggregate of sea shells (imagine that, sea shells in Florida) instead of gravel. We just pried the stuff up with the point of a shovel and broke it into small chunks. We had budgeted a bunch of time for this part of the project but it only took a couple hours. Very happy about that. We were additionally fortunate that we had to get the debris only outside the fence line, about 15' away.

OK, that's it for this portion of the project. Join us next week for Part II, when we begin the paver work.

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A while back, in another feature on concrete, pavers, and stone, I touched on staining and sealing concrete. I recently had another great opportunity to stain and seal a 1300 square foot floor and, because of the advances in technology, it was a lot easier than last time. (If you need to repair the concrete first, take a look at Diane Rixon's great article here.)

Take a peek at the gallery; it will give you a sense of just how easy the process is, and we'll continue.

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First off, safety: the cleaning/etching material is a mild acid. It's formulated to take the top "skin" off a concrete surface so it will surely do that to you, as I discovered when I slopped some on my leg. No major harm, but I knew immediately what happened. The major problem, I'm guessing, is if you got some of this stuff in your eyes -- that clearly should be avoided. So ... eye, hand, and foot protection are all recommended, along with long pants and long sleeved shirts (neither of which I wore, naturally). Also, as you might imagine, a smooth, wet floor might readily lend itself to slips and falls. 'Nuff said.

Tools: We had all of these on hand. If you had to purchase them, it likely would run a couple hundred dollars.

• Broom for cleanup and spreading the etching liquid; no metal parts, please, or you'll see them go up in fumes.
• Vacuum to get all the dirt from the corners and under the door thresholds.
• A 5 gallon bucket to mix the acid with the dilution water.
• A hose and nozzle for wash-down.
• A mop (optional) for getting the acid into the corners -- wasn't a problem for me.
• A scraper (optional) for use if you have concrete lumps on the floor -- we did; it was very helpful.
• Painter's tape and masking paper to protect the baseboard and lower portions of the walls.
• A floor squeegee for easy removal of the surface liquid.
• A paint tray and a 1/2" nap roller with a long handle to apply the sealer.
• A sprayer, to apply the stain.

Time: It took two of us about four hours, in total, from cleaning to finishing the first coat of sealer.

Materials:

• One gallon of the diluted solution (one gallon acid to one gallon water) will clean and etch about 350 square feet of concrete. If your concrete is very smooth, and ours was, you use the stuff straight up (undiluted) to cover about 175 square feet. One gallon of acid costs about $22; we bought 7 gallons of Behr concrete cleaner/etcher for about $162 (taxed.)
• We used Behr semi-transparent stain at $23 per gallon; seven gallons cost us about $169.
• We used Behr sealer at the rate of about 150-300 square feet per gallon; because we had a surface that was reasonably smooth, we were at the high end of the application rate. We bought 5 gallons at $25 a gallon for a total of $131.
• For the bathroom floors, we used Behr non-skid floor finish additive; a $5 bag is mixed with each gallon.

The process: Our surface was smooth interior concrete but I have seen this process applied successfully to exterior concrete, pavers, and stone; if you do that, take care to protect your adjacent plants and other sensitive items. Although I have no personal experience with it, this procedure may also be used on vertical surfaces. Depending on the manufacturer, the process may vary, so pay attention. Remember, when all else fails, read the instructions.

1. As with just about all else in life, preparation is everything, so thoroughly clean the target surface; failure to do so will leave little-bitty (or maybe great big) lumps in the final product. A problem for us was bugs landing in the stain and sealer, and we surely didn't want Jurassic critters under the seal coat. You just have to be observant and pick the little rascals out as you see them.
2. Tape the paper to the baseboards, lower portions of the walls, and the doors. If you're concerned about splashing acid or stain on something, paper that area over.
3. If you have smooth concrete, as we did, use the cleaner/etcher at full strength; anything rougher (your determination) and the diluted stuff is good.
4. You can apply the acid out of a plastic bucket (as we did) or sprinkling can, but a sprayer is not recommended.
5. Spread the acid with a broom, covering all the surface, to include the corners and adjacent to the baseboards and door thresholds. Let it sit a few minutes, then scrub the area vigorously with your broom. A problem we had was that the humidity was so very low that the acid would tend to dry too quickly and that's a big no-no. Fortunately, with two guys working, we could keep the process going, but you'll have to really keep moving.
6. Without letting the acid solution dry on the floor, wash the floor thoroughly with fresh water, scrubbing the surface as you do so. If you have the ability to pressure wash the area, you're golden. We then used a floor squeegee to get rid of the surface water.
7. After the surface is dry, it should have the roughness of medium grit sandpaper; you may have to repeat the process if it doesn't.
8. Let the floor dry thoroughly before you apply the stain. We used the time to re-tape the protective paper on the lower walls.
9. Now we applied the stain with the sprayer, spraying in a circular motion, for a "mottled" appearance. (If you want a more uniform look, you'll have to roll the stain after application.) We applied the stain at a rate of about 300 square feet a gallon. Let the stain dry for four hours and then make a decision on a second coat, which we decided to apply. We let that coat dry overnight.
10. OK, getting close to the finish line. Apply the sealer with the roller and pan; it may go down "milky", but will dry clear. Let it dry a minimum of four hours, then apply an additional coat. After it dries, you may apply up to four additional layers.(Keep in mind that, at some future point, you're going to have to apply more sealer for protection of the stain.) We used a non-skid additive, in the sealer, for the bathrooms.
11. Most sealers will be dry to the touch in about an hour; check the manufacturers directions as to how soon you can walk on it, move furniture, or drive on it.

You can see that the process, while some time consuming, is pretty easy. You can do the job for a bunch less than you'd pay someone else. Why not give that old garage floor or back yard patio a new look? You know it would be really, really nice. Good luck.

Want more info.? Check out this video on sealing outdoor concrete.

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I live north of Atlanta, Georgia where it tends to get a bit hot and humid from June through September.

My home has a number of temperature-stabilizing facets to it, the best one being that I have high-efficiency windows with argon-filled, low-e, dual paned glazing. Right now, in fact, I have the windows partly open, and even with an outside temperature of about 88 degrees, it's a very comfortable 71 degrees inside.

But ... there's no airflow through my home office (lucky me, to be able to work from my home, however.) Although I have ceiling fans in four other locations, in- and outside of my home, I have been slow (lazy?) to put one in the office; that ended today. Let's take a reasonably detailed look at how to install a ceiling fan. (Kudos to Kelly Smith for his nice article on this same subject.)

Follow the sequence of the gallery to get a good idea of how simple it is to hang one of these babies.

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• Ceiling fans, in the Summer, don't decrease the air temperature in your home. What they do is increase the evaporation rate of your skin ("wind chill") to make you feel cooler. In the Winter it's a tad different. When the fan direction is reversed, the upward airflow from the fan moves the stratified (your word of the day; look it up) hot air from the ceiling down along the walls to the living space where it hits the cooler air nearer the floor, in a somewhat crude mixing pattern, transferring the warm air to the cooler, via forced convection.
• More fan blades don't equate to more air moved. Too many blades restrict the amount air that can be drawn through the blade area; additionally, extra blades increase the motor load, upping the power use, and reducing the motor RPM, thus reducing the airflow. Many fans have 5 blades for aesthetic and balance reasons; I have four, five, and a six blade fan in my home; I really prefer the four blade fans for reduced noise versus optimum airflow.
• Pick the correct fan size for a specific room; don't get the same fan for different sized rooms. A bunch of research has been conducted to determine optimum size -- go with it.
• The optimum pitch of the fan blades is between 12 and 14 degrees, with increasing efficiency, and increasing motor size and power requirements, above that range. While you can generally choose some facets of the fan's design, like the number of blades, pitch is pretty much not your call. That said, my experience is that an 11-13 degree blade pitch fan is more than suitable for the majority of home installations.
• The distance the fan is from the ceiling, and the floor, is quite important. As you might imagine, the closer the fan is to the peeps in the room, the more breeze you'll feel. Most installation codes (and common sense) require that the blades have a clearance of at least 7'. I mean, if all your NBA pals are wandering about the family room, do you really want to get sued? On the other hand, a minimum of 12" distance is recommended from the fan blades to the ceiling, in order to achieve optimum air circulation. So, you'll have to know the ceiling height in order to ensure that the blades are 8-9' from the floor. That distance will then dictate whether you will require a flush mount, or down rods, available in various lengths.
• Fan power consumption is minimal -- fans use only 10% of the energy of an air conditioner, or about that of a 100 watt bulb (what a deal!) The general consensus is that for every degree you increase the set point on your a/c thermostat, you can enjoy a 6-8% power savings. (Look for an Energy Star fan for the most efficient model.)
• Ensure that your prospective fan has a reversing switch. Except for a real "cheapo", I suspect that most fans do, but it doesn't hurt to check. HINT: some boxes indicate that the blades are reversible; this means that they can be turned upside down to have a choice of color schemes.
• A final note -- be sure that you have your fan rotation properly set for the appropriate season; in the summer, you want the airflow to be down, so the fan should be set to rotate with the leading edge up. The reverse is true for the heating season.

Alright, enough nerd stuff; on to the fun.

There are a bazillion options for fans and light kits and remotes. I bought my fan at a "home store" and was very satisfied. This is the third fan, from the same maker, that I have installed, and I have two of the same model -- 52", four blade, three-speed reversible, sealed bearings, 12 degree blade pitch, three lamps, pull chains for the fan and lamps.

First off -- safety: you're working with electricity here, so extreme caution is called for. Throw the circuit breaker(s) and test the line(s) before you go to work. Don't just "slap" the wire to see if you get a jolt! Please note I mentioned circuit breaker(s) -- some of you folks may have fans that are wired into two wall switches; shut both circuits down and check both of them or you may get bitten.

The time -- took me about one hour and 15 minutes to do this installation, but I was in no particular hurry.

The tools --

• flat and cross-tip screwdrivers
• wire cutters
• electrical tape
• circuit tester
• ladder
• work light

The materials --

• The fan, of course, described above; it had all the required parts except the electrical tape -- $78.
• A switch to replace the old rheostat -- $.78
• A suitable metal electrical box to support the weight of the fan -- $2.59
• a new cover plate for the switch -- $1.06

The process --

All fans, in general, have to be installed in pretty much the same fashion, and have basically the same parts. That said, there are always nuances, so read the material enclosed with the fan. As my dad used to say, "when all else fails, read the instructions." So, here goes ...

1. Ensure all the power to the fan is off.
2. Remove the old fixture.
3. As necessary, replace the old electrical box if it won't support a 35 or so pound fan; better safe than sorry.
4. Hang the fan support bracket on the fan box.
5. Temporarily supporting the fan -- a helper is really valuable here -- make the wire nut connections between your house and the fan. Don't be surprised to see that you may have to tie the black house power line to the black (fan power) and blue (light kit power) leads on the fan motor. You'll also have to connect the white neutral and the green ground lines to their respective leads. You'll likely have to cram a lot of wire into a little bit of space; that's why I like to tape the wire nuts to the lines so they don't come apart in the "stuffing" phase of the project.
6. Lock the fan motor in place with the keeper.
7. Hang the fan motor cover.
8. Assemble the blades.
9. Attach the blades to the motor.
10. Attach the light kit, if you have have one, connecting the appropriate leads.
11. Install the lamp globes and lamps.
12. Replace, as necessary, the fan switch and cover plate.
13. Re-energize the circuits and test the fan.
14. Ensure the blade direction switch is set in the correct position.

OK, good job. Clean up the mess so The Boss doesn't disparage your mechanical acumen (yet another word of the day -- a three-fer!) by tripping over your tools and junk. (Remember that leftover parts are not always indicative that the manufacturer was overly generous with his nut and bolt inventory.)

If you've found this article helpful, you may be interested in my features on water conservation, rain barrels, and "greening" your home.

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The process:

• Dig the foundation below your frost line, and about a foot wider and longer than the finished work. Pour your footer with the "sakrete" at least 12" deep, or more, depending on the frost line. It doesn't have to be perfectly level -- you can let gravity take care of that. If you are going to add rebar to the block wall, now is the time to insert the steel about a foot into the concrete, after eyeballing about where the cavities of the block will end up. Let the footer cure for about 24 hours, unless you used the rapid-hardening type of "sakrete", in which case you're good to go in about four hours.

• Lay the first row of blocks over the pieces of rebar, with the ends of the blocks as close as possible, and check that the tops are level. If not, you can shim the bottom of the blocks with flat stone chips. Lay up the succeeding rows of block, making sure that you don't line up all the block joints on top of one another. (This will, of course, ultimately cause the wall to fail and subject you to muffled laughter from family and friends alike.) As you lay up the block, you may mortar the joints together, or pour the cavities with the rebar, or pour all the cavities. As opposed to other walls, you don't have to batter or set the walls back; they go straight up. Again, let the wall cure from four to 24 hours, depending on your choice of concrete.

• Now the fun begins. With the rock hammer, chip a bunch of rock to shape. For stacked stone, the usual configuration is akin (your word of the day -- look it up) to a small loaf of bread. If you want to veneer the rock, knock the stone into pieces about the size of a piece of paper (legal or otherwise, your choice). You'll break a lot of rock to get the shapes you want, but don't be discouraged. This work is labor-intensive, but you'll be surprised how quickly you get the knack of it; press ahead.

• With an inventory of prepared rock at hand, apply the mortar mixture to the wall and the stone and then stick it on the wall, with a slight twisting motion, to squish the two layers of mortar together; hold it for a few seconds. For stacked rock, set the succeeding row on top of the one below it, making sure you alternate the joints, for the sake of a good look. For veneer, you can use stone chips (not to worry, you'll have an ample supply) to use as spacers for later grouting (there's a pic in the gallery).

• Alternate colors, sizes, and shapes as you move up the wall. HINT: When you get about halfway up the wall, start thinking about the rock that will be in the top half and cut them so they they aren't all little tiny pieces just below the caprock level, leading some of the bystanders to ask " how come all the rock at the top is about the size of a little tiny piece?" Plan ahead.

• OK, getting to the finish line. Hammer your caprocks into shape and mortar them to the top of the wall; if you filled all the cavities, this will be a snap, as you have a very flat surface to work on. It's only a little more effort if you filled only the cavities with the rebar. Make sure the caps are stable and don't rock and roll -- at some point someone will sit or walk on the wall and you don't want them (the peeps or the caps) to fall off and break.

• Grouting. Using the grout bag or a small trowel or your finger push the grout into the joints (after removing the spacer chips, as necessary). Let it dry a few minutes then smooth it with a damp rag. Avoid getting grout on the face of the rock; it's hard to remove when dry, as you might imagine.

Clean up the mess and wait for the adulation (yet another word of the day) to begin. You will be the envy of the neighborhood, oh yeah!

(Thanks to the good folks at Stone Forest Materials in Kennesaw, GA for the use of their displays for several of my photos.)

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