Stephen Alberts

Apr 19 2022

DIY vs. Getting a Professional Handyman’s Help

Whether you’ve just bought a new house or you want to fix up the house you’re already living in, home improvement projects typically get people wondering whether they should hire a handyman or try to tackle the task themselves.

We put together this article as a resource to use when you’re choosing between hiring a handyman and trying your own hand at a project.

Making the Decision

When you’re confronted with the choice of doing it yourself or hiring help, there are a few aspects of the project to consider. Those aspects are as follows:

Time and Effort

You might be thinking to yourself, “I won’t overlook details that a handyman would notice! I have a good number of skills, and I feel confident in this project.” While this may be true, you most likely have a day job that takes up a good chunk of your time. A handyman, on the other hand, does this type of work for a living and therefore can carve out the time to complete the project in an efficient manner. A handyman is used to sticking within deadlines, as that’s what they do day in, day out.

If you choose to complete a project yourself, you’re working on your own timeline and for your own rate, which means that you might not finish the project as speedily as a handyman would.

The Tools Needed

When you’re getting ready to start a project on your own, you might fail to consider all the tools needed to get it done the right way. While you probably have a hammer and nails lying around at home, there are other tools you may need that you don’t have on hand.

This means that you might not be able to finish, and your project will be left hanging simply because you don’t have the right tools. Hiring a handyman won’t run you into such a situation.

The Safety Risks

If someone lacks experience, they are much more likely to get injured while on the job, whether it’s from using tools incorrectly or from another accident. A handyman, on the other hand, will know how to get a project done quickly and safely. They will complete good quality work, and you’ll be able to avoid a trip to the hospital.

Potential Permits

Certain projects require a building permit before they can get off the ground. A permit basically states that construction work will be done safely. Some cities allow permits to be procured for DIY work, but other cities will only provide permits to licensed contractors. Make sure to look up your city’s rules before moving forward.

Related Expenses

Doing the work yourself can save you labor costs, but you’ll only really be saving money if you don’t make any mistakes along the way—because mistakes cost money to fix. When hiring a handyman, you’re also saving money by forgoing the purchase of tools.

The Value of Your Home

If you plan on selling your home, you might want to lean towards hiring a handyman. Real estate brokers aren’t interested in selling a house that has been shoddily patched up by someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing—or even by a skilled amateur. A handyman’s work always looks professional and will allow your home to sell for what it’s worth.

When to Hire a Pro

There are a few instances when you should always hire a professional:

Large plumbing problems
- Leaking fixtures
- Blocked sewer lines
- Natural gas leaking from your water heater
Foundational problems
- When the issues with flooring go deeper than the surface and impact the foundation
Electrical repairs
- Anything bigger than changing a lightbulb or replacing a fixture should be done by a professional—especially when it involves exposed wiring.

Making Your Choice

If you decide to pass up on the DIY project this time and hire a handyman, get in touch with One Man & A Toolbox. We’ve been helping people since 1997, and we would love to help you.

Apr 12 2022

Types of Pull-Down Attic Ladders That Make the Climb Easier (Copy)

Having an attic in your house can be great because it provides a nice out-of-the-way storage space, but climbing into an attic isn’t always as great. Continue reading for some solutions to the hassle of climbing into your attic.

What Can Help?

Different types and styles of ladders are available on the market. Having a good attic ladder is essential. The best attic ladders will offer comfort, safety, and convenient ease of access, and they can even conform to your specific sense of home-fashion style (if you’re the type of person to whom things like attic ladder style matter).

Types of Ladders to Consider

Just as there are different types of attic openings, there are different types of attic ladders. Attic ladder types vary by installation/placement style, storage method, and safety rating.

Regular ladder—A simple and affordable ladder to use for attic access is a regular ladder. This is not the easiest attic-entry method, but it can be a good choice if your attic has no ladder at all.

Platform ladder—A platform ladder is a short folding ladder that usually comes with steadying rubber heels, which is a good choice if your attic has a partial ladder attached to the door that doesn’t reach the floor.

Attic extension ladder—This is your typical door-attached folding attic ladder.

Wooden attic door with attached collapsible ladder—This is the same as above, but it includes an attached attic door.

Folding attic ladder—These ladders conveniently fold vertically like an accordion.

Telescopic wall-mounted ladder—You can mount this kind of ladder to the wall directly under an attic door that reaches the wall. It also folds vertically like an accordion.

Collapsible ladder WITH handrails—This kind of ladder is the top choice for safety and comfort level. The ladder also has handrails for extra climbing support and safety, and it conveniently folds like an accordion.

Installation

You can choose to install your new ladder on your own or with the help of a professional.

DIY

When you purchase a new attic ladder, you’ll be able to follow the included instructions for DIY installation.

Professional Help

If you’re not quite the handy type, or if the installation has proven more challenging than you’d imagined it would be, then consider contacting a carpenter or your local handyman for some assistance.

Consider Installing a Pulley System

A pulley system can be installed to help make folding your attic ladder back into place simple. If you’re handy, you can create one of these on your own by doing a little research on how they work. There are also kits available for purchase. If you buy a kit, it should come with instructions, a blueprint, and all the necessary hardware needed to install your attic ladder pulley system.

Conclusion

Once you’ve decided on a more convenient attic ladder and it’s been installed, it will be much easier to store and access things you want to keep but have no current use for.

Mar 22 2022

Expand Existing Closet Space with Smart Shelving Options

The comedian George Carlin once pointed out that people had to have entire houses to live in because they needed a place for all of their stuff. You could live in a storage unit or box if you didn’t have anything, but possessions require space.

There is nothing worse than realizing that you do not have enough closet space to store your clothes and all of your many worldly possessions. Fortunately, there is smart shelving that can help you organize your closet and give you easy access to all of your stuff.

Shelf Installation

Nothing can give a closet more space than a few extra shelves. Built-in shelving units will create plenty of room. The type of shelving you will need will depend upon your wardrobe, the size and shape of your closet, and anything else you need to store.

There is a basic plan for maximizing closet space.

Sections

You can have your closet divided into two sections. One side of the space will be devoted to clothing. The other side will house accessories, blankets, and other items you have in the bedroom.

The Clothing Side

The clothing side of your closet should have everything in easy reach. You can start building it from the ground up.

Seasonal Storage

Unless you live in a place where the weather never changes, there are probably clothes in your closet that you are not using. You can put a long chest at the bottom of your closet for seasonal items you rarely use in the off-season.

Shoe Rack

One way people save space is to build a shoe rack in a closet. If you have a good number of shoes, this can be a good solution. If you only have a few shoes, you can always put them on top of your seasonal storage shelves.

Sweater Shelves

Have a few long thin shelves installed to hold your sweaters and jeans. They will be easy to reach when you need them.

A Bar for Shirts

You can hang your shirts just above your sweaters. When you section your closet, the bar will only be half as long as normal, so there will be no more wasted space.

Ladder for a High Shelf

There is always a high shelf in every closet that is impossible to access. You cannot use it because you can’t reach it. A professional carpenter can build a custom-designed ladder that will lead right up to that hard-to-reach shelf.

Make Good Use of Your Closet Doors

If something falls out every time you open your closet door, you may not realize that the solution to the problem is on the door itself. You can put hooks on the door. You can hand jewelry, hats, or even shoes from the hooks. You can hang a laundry bag or shoe rack from the door as well.

Once you have your custom-made shelf, you will be surprised at how well everything fits into it. Your clothing and your other possessions will be easy to access and store, and your clothes will look fabulous.

Feb 25 2022

Three Flooring Options Guaranteed to Upgrade Your Commercial Space

Nothing spruces up a business like a flooring replacement, and with a new year upon us, there’s no better time to get it done. Luckily, there are a wide array of options when it comes to commercial flooring—and having variety can be great, but it can also make it difficult to choose the best option for your business.

There are four things you should consider before making a flooring choice for your business:

Durability
Style
Maintenance level
Cost

You want to get the most out of your flooring option—that’s the whole point of using it to upgrade your space. We put together this article to share with you the top three flooring options, and from there you can choose which one best suits your commercial space.

Commercial Laminate Flooring

If you’re looking for a worthwhile wood and stone alternative, laminate is the way to go. It’s made of synthetic material, which means that while it doesn’t break the bank, it will still make your floors look beautiful. Compared to genuine hardwood, it’s an affordable option.

There are also plenty of details to choose from—like smooth, hard-scraped, embossed, and distressed laminate flooring.

Something else that many business owners love about laminate is the fact that it’s resistant to scratches and stains. You never know what could happen inside your commercial space—and laminate makes it so that you don’t have to worry about incurring damage. The wear layer of laminate also works against yellowing and fading that UV light can cause—it holds up against these things much better than vinyl can.

If you’re partial to the hardwood look, or if your business is an office, boutique, fitness studio, apartment complex, or cafe, then laminate might be the perfect choice for you.

Laminate is also comfortable to walk on and great for everyday use. Not only that, but it’s also extremely low maintenance and easy to take care of.

Commercial Vinyl Sheet Flooring

Vinyl sheet flooring provides a modern twist to a classic choice. It is known for its wide variety of styles ranging from tile to stone to decorative wood—with all of these options, you’re sure to find something that fits your commercial space.

Vinyl sheets are very durable, and they consist of multiple layers that can handle heavy-traffic areas with no problems. If you’re looking to show off the unique aesthetic of your commercial space while sticking with a tried-and-true durable choice, then vinyl sheets are for you. They’re commonly found in office foyers, hotel lobbies, hospitals, and schools.

They are resistant to stains and scratches because of their strong wear layer, and they don’t involve much maintenance when it comes to cleaning them.

Commercial Floor Tile

Floor tile is known for how stunning it is—and if it’s glazed, it is 100 percent waterproof. There are many tile selections to choose from, anything from porcelain to ceramic and the many options in between.

Commercial floor tiles are thick and sturdy and perform well in high-traffic areas. There are tons of patterns available, along with numerous designs and shapes. No matter the aesthetic of your commercial space, floor tiles can boost its look.

This style of flooring is best for restaurants, lobbies, spas, and luxury spaces. If you want to catch people’s eyes, then this is the flooring option that will do it.

Keeping up on the maintenance of your floor tiles also can ensure that they’ll last for quite a while. The tiles can be easily sanitized (since they’re a nonporous material) and cleaned in a flash with a broom or a mop. They’re also cheaper than genuine stone while offering the same degree of stunning looks.

Your Commercial Space

Anyone who runs a business knows that a good floor can do wonders for a commercial space. While a solid floor might not be the first thing that customers notice, the fact that it’s not catching their attention because it’s falling apart is always a good thing.

Whether you’re in the market for a classic floor that flies under the radar and simply provides a good foundation, or you want one that acts as the centerpiece of the room, our team can help you find what’s perfect for you.

A good floor can tie your business together, and we want your business to be the best that it can be. We care about it just as much as you do.

When it comes to flooring, small changes can go a long way. At One Man & A Toolbox, we want to help you figure out the best option for your commercial space. To talk more about flooring, get in contact with us to see what we can do for you.

Feb 10 2022

How to Take the Pressure out of DIY Pressure-Washing Projects

It’s inevitable that paint will start to look dingy after a time. It’ll show the effects of the weather, get a little dirty, and maybe even get moldy. If you have pollinating trees nearby, it’s likely that they’ll feel free to share their pollen with your home and stick it all over the paint job. And if you have pets, there will probably be muddy pawprints on your porch—this is just how life goes.

You might think that repainting is the way to go, and that is many peoples’ first instinct. But we’ve got something easier that can fix up your less-than-perfect-looking paint—pressure washing.

Pressure washers aren’t magic wands, and they can do some real damage in the hands of people who don’t know how to use them. That’s why we put together this article—so you can be armed with the knowledge (and the power tool) to get your home in tip-top shape.

Choosing the Right Pressure Washer

Pressure washers are machines that spray water at high pressure, as their name would suggest. If you want something that can handle a two-story home, then it’s probably best to steer clear of electric pressure washers because they tend to be better suited for jobs like cleaning lawn furniture and sidewalks. If you’ve got a big job on your hands, you want a pressure washer that runs on gasoline.

You can consult the employees at your local home improvement store to see what pressure washer is the exact match for you, but a good rule of thumb is that if your home is wood, stucco, or aluminum-sided, a pressure washer that can generate 1,200–1,500 psi should do the job. If you’ve got a brick, stone, or vinyl house, you’re going to need something that can create 2,500–3,000 psi.

It’s also imperative to use the right nozzle to get the job done correctly (a twenty-five- or forty-degree nozzle tip should do the trick) and an extension wand if you’ve got a two-story home. The last thing you want is to use pressure wash while using a ladder—for exactly the reasons you might assume. You can also use brush attachments and angled attachments to get those hard-to-reach spots.

Cleaning your home with more than just water will improve the look tenfold. Add detergent to the mixture, and it will get the dirt out much more efficiently than just water. TSP Heavy Duty cleaner not only eradicates dirt, but it also destroys mold—this makes it that so you don’t have to use bleach—and it can be used on brick, stone, wood, and cement.

Staying Safe

Safety is important when it comes to DIY projects. Even if you’ve got all of your washing supplies in place, there are still some further measures to take:

Wear eye protection. This will shield your eyes from any errant pieces of debris.
Wear the right shoes. We recommend heavy-duty boots.
Wear protective gloves.
Expect to get wet.
Use a heavy-duty extension cord if you’re using an electric power washer. Water and electricity never mix.
Do not use a ladder, even if someone’s holding the bottom.
Never point the power washer at another person or an animal.

How to Pressure Wash

Now that you’ve got everything you need, let’s get started. First, you’ll want to attach the water source (hose) to your machine and work out the kinks. If you need to connect a couple of hoses to make sure they reach around the house, now’s the time to do that.

Select the nozzle from the array of them that came with your pressure washer. The higher the angle of the nozzle, the more area you’ll be able to cover. For general cleaning, it’s recommended that you use a fifteen- or twenty-five-degree nozzle. Never use the zero-degree nozzle, as this can cause damage to the siding of your home. If you’re cleaning the outside of your home, the forty-degree nozzle is a good choice, and if you want something gentler, go with the sixty-five-degree nozzle. You can also use the rotary nozzle if you want to remove especially stubborn stains, just don’t linger on one spot for too long.

Whatever nozzle you choose, make sure it’s securely fastened to the wand—and remember to shut all windows and cover any flowers or shrubs around the house.

Practice, Practice, Practice

You’re not going to be an expert at this type of job right away. Start slow and practice on a low area so you can get a feel of the machine. We recommend working horizontally at a slightly downward angle, guiding the wand with two hands. If you start from the top, you’ll avoid streaking—and remember not to stay in one place for too long so you can avoid damaging your home.

There are many types of jobs that a pressure washer can handle, like decks, sidewalks, a home exterior—even a car. As long as you stay safe and follow these tips, you’ll be well on your way to a sparkling clean home.