WNY Handyman

I have heard this question many times.  How do I cut crown molding?

Quick note for everyone. Buy more crown molding than you think you will need.  The extra 10′ of molding will be a lot less money than the time and money you will spend on gas.

I still remember the time I asked a worker to put crown molding up in a room only to come back 2 hours later with 1 single piece of molding up in the room.  I asked what was taking so long.  He told me it took him over an hour to adjust the 2 angles on the saw.  Unfortunately, I assumed he know the “simple crown molding trick“.  Crown molding can be incredibly tricky unless you know the trick.

The simple trick to cut crown molding:

1. Angle your mitre saw at 45 degrees
2. Place your crown molding on the saw upside down at the angle that it would be placed against the wall/ceiling
3. Make your cut
4. Place and adjust

How to cut crown molding

It isn’t often that you find a real estate bargain on a body of water.  However, certain times of year are better than others.  If you purchase a property in September, don’t expect to be using it until next year.  In NY State, a closing will take from 45-60 days.  Even with a cash deal, the time that it takes to complete the search, survey, and title work is significant. If you add to that the time that it takes for the lawyers to work you into their schedule, you will understand why it can take so long.

In any event, if you are seeking a lake bargain, this might be the time of year.  Many who have decided to sell will plan to list and sell at the end of the useful summer season.

The following is located 7 doors in from the lake on a canal. The township is North Harmony.  According to the real estate listing, the cottage “needs work”.  Many would call this a handyman special.  I am always a bit concerned when there are no interior photos of the property.  When purchasing something like this, you might want to expect it to require a cash deal.

To my eye, the exterior looks nice.  The location on the water is a huge plus and at $79,999 (as of 08/30/2011) you won’t find many properties at a lower price with water frontage.  The benefit of the canal front properties is the ability to tie your boat up in your back yard.

Click on the picture to view the complete listing on the Chautauqua County Board of Realtors site.

Lake Chautauqua fixer cottage - Handyman Special

You won’t often hear me talking about a “bargain” at $287,000, but the square footage and location of this home justify that label.

This house is located in a  cul-de-sac in the Windsor Ridge subdivision, was built in 1995, and has more than 3,000 square feet.  To build a comparable home in Windsor Ridge would likely cost you more than $370,000.  There are many negatives to buying a home that is 15 years old, but the positives probably outweight those factors. The primary thing that I would tell anyone purchasing this home is to set aside 10k for repairs in the next 2-3 years.  You never know when the furnace, A/C, or hot water tank will decide to fail.

One MAJOR big ticket item that was already completed is the roof.  After 15 years a roof is nearing the end of its useful life.  This item is already taken care of.

• Concrete driveway
• Attached deck
• Rear awning
• Cul-de-sac location
• Glamour bath

Click on the image to be taken to the listing information. Good luck.

Lancaster House for Sale

This short guide will give you a method to build a simple chair rail that is inexpensive and easy to build. The end result provides a much more finished look that your typical off the shelf molding can. With the cost of molding today, the price per square foot should be about half (50%, 1/2) of what you would spend for molding and will look like a custom job. Hey, it is a custom job.

Tools needed:
Router
Router Bit (chamfer bit, cove bit, or any other profile you would like to see)
Table Saw (optional. Purchase your lumber in the exact width -1″x2″ nominal- if you don’t have one)
Hammer
150 grit Sand Paper

Material Needed:
Pine board: For each 8′ of wall length, you will need 1 8′ 1″x4″ pine board. As knot free as possible without spending too much.
2″ finish nails
Paint (trim color of your choice)
Caulk (I prefer White Alex Plus Acrylic Latex Caulk Plus Silicone)

When you begin, you should already have your wall surface material in place. In this case, you can see that we used a Ply-bead material.  Once that is secured to your wall, you will add your face material.  This must be nice and level as it supports that cap and provides you with the nice visual level line.  Your cap piece will be secured to this.  If you desire a profile on this piece, do so before securing.  In our case, we routed a 45 degree chamfer on the lower edge.  When you ease the edge of a trim piece, it gives a much nicer (and more professional) visual.

You should either have a level line, or level as you go.  The length of your run will probably determine which way you go. If you are doing a 20′ long room, snap a level chalk line, or use a laser level to create a line to follow.  Secure your 1″x2″ to the wall using your finish nails.  The 2″ face should be against the wall and your profile (chamfer or other) should face down.

Once secured, you are ready for your cap.  The cap pictured is simply a 1″x2″ piece of poplar.  You can use any type of lumber, but I prefer poplar due to the lack of knots and ability to hold paint very well.  Set your piece down upon the face molding that you just secured and press so that it is flush with your wall.   Just about any wall will have some waves or imperfections.  You can take much of that out by pressing your lumber cap in toward the wall.  If you are using a white paint (like me) you will be able to cover anything that exists with a nice smooth bead of caulk.

Once your cap is in place, simply secure with finish nails by nailing into the face piece below (the 1″x2″ piece).  You should angle back to avoid exiting out the face.

There you have it.  A simple chair rail detail that is inexpensive, professional, and custom looking.  Good luck with your own chair rail. Get creative and consider incorporating moldings into your face piece. The room that the 1×2 cap piece provides will allow you ample depth to experiment.

Buffalo Storage Unit Auction

Metro Storage Unit AUCTION!
Sat. August 6 @ 10AM
1575 Main Street,
Buffalo, NY

30 +/- Units!

Miscellaneous Household Goods Including: Chairs, Couches, Washers, Dryers, Stoves, Refrigerators, Kitchen & Dining Room Sets, TV’s, Mirrors, Lamps, Stereos, Mattresses, Box springs, Shelves, Bikes, Skateboards, Heaters, Décor, Grill, Tools, Toys AND SO MUCH MORE!!!

$50 Deposit per unit won – will be given back once unit is empty!
Registration starting 9AM sale day.

Cash Realty & Auctions
www.cashauction.com
716-885-2200

Update 8/15/2011: The bunk beds are in.  I am really surprised at how much space a bunk bend affords you.  This was a rather tight room (we were calling it the “no-room-room”), but as you can see the bunk beds fit nicely and provide a nice amount of space for a dresser/desk.  The ceiling fan will be moving.

Bunk Beds with lights

Bunk Beds

As we mentioned earlier, our next project is a Lake Erie Cottage.  We should be closing before the end of the month (July 2011) and have already been hard at work with some project planning for when we arrive.

Project 1: Bunk Beds
My son and any of his visiting friends will need a place to sleep.  The air mattress will get pretty old after the 2nd night.  I decided to build a simple set of bunk beds.  What kid wouldn’t want a set of bunk beds?  My goal was to find a set of plans online that were for a simple bed that feels right in the space.  I didn’t want anything that was too fussy (Bunk Bed Plans) or too large.  Price was a consideration as well.  A minimal amount of hardware such as rail brackets or ladder hangers would be a great way to save money on the project. If the ladder and rails are integrated into the design, there wouldn’t be a need for $50 in extra hardware.

Bunk Bed Project

I ended up selecting a plan from ana-white.com.  The plan is simple and has an integrated ladder.  This is built with common lumber and comes in at about $80-$100 in material (not including mattresses).  If you are going to build your own set from the Ana White plan, be sure to read the comments. The material list is not accurate.

This project is an easy one to build since it is essentially 4 wide ladders that are then bolted together. If you choose to take them down, simply remove the bolts and hide them away.

Update 8/01/2011: The bunk bed project is moving along. The structure has been built and painting is taking place. As you can see, the garage is a bit of a mess.

Bunk bed painting