DIY Life

After a long off-season of rainy weather, my boys were restless to get riding again. My oldest took off his training wheels last summer and was eager to get back on the bike and practice his new skills. My husband is riding again too, and we're all excited for an active summer.

As the parents, it's our responsibility to make sure that our children are safe. Gone are the days where kids set up ramps on the dead-end road and fly over them without a thought to the dangers, and without a helmet. Now, many states and provinces, including my own, have laws requiring helmet use. First and foremost, the best way to encourage bike safety is to practice it yourself.

Are you sure you know how to best use a helmet, minimizing the potential for injury should something happen?

Follow me through the break for an important checklist, so that you and your family stay safe while riding.

While re-screening your window screens isn't brain surgery or rocket science, it does call for a keen eye for detail and a somewhat steady hand. Spring is here or getting here, depending on where you call home. One of the upsides of that are those glory days where we don't have to run the air conditioner or the heater. Money in the bank!

So, good window screens are called for to keep the pesky insects at bay. A trip to a repair shop will convince you to tackle re-screening yourself. Older screening material was metal, and frankly, a royal pain in the butt to work with. Today's is more along the lines of a nylon, fiberglass, or other composite. Quite user friendly.

The process is straightforward; remove all the old screen and splines and replace. The only real trick is getting the proper stretch. I've found it best to use a north-south, then east-west approach. A bit of practice and you'll be the envy of your neighbors in no time flat.

Before you go to the store for tools and supplies, take a sample of the existing spline (a round rubber strip that retains the screen material in the slot). Several sizes are available; you'll need the same size spline and spline tool.

A few months back, the control knob on my clothes dryer broke. Since it involved only a minor DIY repair job, I thought this a fab opportunity to try shopping for spare parts online. Result? A 10 out of 10 experience. I used PartSelect and was really happy. Other likely-looking choices include PartStore and big box store sites like SearsPartsDirect, to name just two of the many sites out there.

I was thrilled with how easy it was to locate such a tiny and obscure plastic doo-dad via the Web. Thrilled because ordering it online was possible in the first place. Also thrilled because such sites make simple appliance repairs easier for the beginner DIY'er. Interested? After the break, I'll share what you should know before cracking out that credit card:

The Speed Factor. Buying spare parts online saves you lots of valuable time. In the olden days, you would have to flip through the phone book to find likely parts suppliers. Then you would have to make some phone calls. Next, you would waste at least an hour driving to and from the supplier.

Ah, Spring: the time of year when flowers bloom, bunnies hop, and the sound of dozens of "For Sale" signs being hammered into the ground echoes throughout every neighborhood. While you can go house-hunting at any time of year, Spring is the season traditionally associated with buying or selling a house.

But home purchasing is full of potential pitfalls: what should you look for? How do you protect yourself and your family from shady sellers and predatory lenders? Who's the best inspector for the job? Do you even like the neighborhood? And what does a Realtor mean when they say "cozy," anyway?

All these questions (except maybe that last one), and many more, are addressed in a fantastic Ask Metafilter thread: Chunks of homebuying wisdom from The Hive Mind. Dozens of people weighed in with what they know -- and what they wish they had known -- about buying a house for the first time. It's invaluable reading for anyone who is in the market for a new residence, or just thinking about it.

[via Not Martha, a little while ago.]

Stumped by a difficult DIY task or a fix-it job gone wrong? Here's a possibility to consider: How to Mend it.com. This Brit site lets readers submit questions for other readers to answer. It's a lot like super-popular Yahoo Answers, but it's devoted entirely to fix-it topics. Car repair, home maintenance, renovations, large and small appliance jobs, computers, plumbing, lawn mowers, film projectors, boats, heating and cooling systems, toys, roofing, car alarms, and even musical instruments. Yep. They're all covered here.

Lots of questions seem to go unanswered. However, many others get one or even several replies. Worth a shot if you're having a problem and don't want to pay big bucks for a repair service. To test the site's mettle, I searched washing machine repair. This brought up over 15,000 questions on the topic. Problem is, (assuming you're searching for answers) you're going to have to hope that plugging in a more specific search term will take you to the questions best-suited to your situation. Obviously, you are not going to want to scroll through all those questions page by page.

Bottom line: if there's one fix-it this site could use, it's a more sophisticated search function. But give it a whirl anyway. It's free advice, people!

Quality antiques are beautiful and add a unique flavor to the home. However, I learned a thing or two on the subject when I used to write a regular column on the antiques market in Savannah, Georgia. Most of all, I learned that dealers, antique malls, and private sellers abound, and their prices can vary wildly. Don't shell out big bucks for antique furniture until you've learned the basics. Here are five top tips to guide you in your search:

1. Carefully examine the finish. Does the finish look very old (at least one hundred years old) or has the piece been refinished? This could be the case if it the finish is particularly smooth and clean. Newer knobs or drawer pulls are another giveaway indicator of refinishing. This can be detected by searching for indentations on the outside of drawers or cabinets, or by identifying disused screw holes on the inside.

A refinished piece is less valuable, so be aware that this should be reflected in the sale price. A truly old, unfinished piece will be somewhat worn-looking, and you can also expect to see a buildup of wax or oil, and dust or grime in the wood's crevices.

Just yesterday I was moaning and groaning over HGTV's 2008 Dream Home. Yes, I was singing a song of envy that goes something like this (and you can let your dog howl along with me): Why, oh why, does my house need so much stuff done to it? Why, oh why, do these beautiful dream homes have to be out there taunting me? Etc. etc. Today, however, I discovered a site that shows I'm in good company: Broke Homeowners.

Who are Broke Homeowners? Well, seems they are a couple somewhere out there with a house they've been working on a lot. Hence that "broke" feeling. Check out pics of their indoor and outdoor renovations, including putting in a stone patio, landscaping with trees, renovating the basement, and building a folding staircase for attic access. The Broke Homeowners are selling gear with their logo on it, too. (T-shirts say "Broke Homeowners. You're not alone. We understand.) They even have a blog. Er, a blog that hasn't been updated for quite a while. C'mon guys! I need moral support!