Harper Home Improvement and Handyman Services, LLC

09/11/2020

05/25/2017

Making old faded shutters look new again.

02/19/2017

Pinterest project

12/09/2015

Before and after glass tile installation Harper home-improvement handyman services

02/25/2013

A Sampling of Home Improvements

02/20/2013

You may be tempted to get out the pruning shears after the leaves fall, when you can first see the underlying structure of the plant. But horticulturalists advise waiting to prune until late winter for most plants, when they've been long dormant and just before spring growth begins. To get advice specific to your plants and region, consult master gardeners at local nurseries or horticulturalists with your state university's cooperation extension department. One exception: You may need to hire an arborist to remove deadfall or trim limbs close to your home or power lines that could cause problems in a winter storm.

03/14/2012

The Non-business Energy Property Credit--Homeowners who install energy-efficient improvements may qualify for this credit. The 2011 credit is 10 percent of the cost of qualified energy-efficient improvements, up to $500. Qualifying improvements include adding insulation, energy-efficient exterior windows and doors and certain roofs. The cost of installing these items does not count. You can also claim a credit including installation costs, for certain high-efficiency heating and air conditioning systems, water heaters and stoves that burn biomass fuel. The credit has a lifetime limit of $500, of which only $200 may be used for windows. If you've claimed more than $500 of non-business energy property credits since 2005, you can not claim the credit for 2011. Qualifying improvements must have been placed into service in the taxpayer's principal residence located in the United States before Jan. 1, 2012.

02/20/2012

After each winter, be sure to go up on your roof and examine it for any leaks or weak spots. You want to look for curled or damaged shingles, and if found, replace them. Taking care of small damages in your roof prevents you from experiencing expensive issues in the future.

02/09/2012

Paint Roller Techniques and Tips-Paint faster and smoother with the right rolling techniques
First you'll need to fill holes with lightweight spackling compound and sand them smooth when it dries. Then go over the entire wall with 100-grit sandpaper mounted in a drywall sanding handle. The ultimate setup for this job is a pole-mounted drywall sander with a 100-grit mesh drywall sanding screen, but any method of sanding off old paint lumps and bumps will do. Next mask off the baseboard and window and door trim. Slide the blade of a flexible putty knife along the edge of the masking tape to seal it. Otherwise paint will bleed underneath.
Use a quality roller sleeve-A good roller cover is the most important part of your rolling setup.
Lay the paint on the wall with a sweeping stroke. Start about a foot from the bottom and 6 in. from the corner and roll upward at a slight angle using light pressure. Stop a few inches from the ceiling. Now roll up and down back toward the corner to quickly spread the paint. You can leave paint buildup and roller marks at this step. Reload the roller and repeat the process in the adjacent space, working back toward the painted area. Roll back over the entire area you've covered to smooth and blend the paint. Don’t reload the roller with paint for this step. Use very light pressure. Smooth the paint along the ceiling using a long horizontal stroke without reloading the roller with paint. If you are skilled enough to roll within an inch of the ceiling while rolling vertically, you can skip this step. Lay paint on wall areas above and below windows and doors with a long horizontal stroke. Then smooth it off with short vertical strokes so the texture will match the rest of the wall.

01/30/2012

It might not be your dishwasher! Many of the key ingredients in Dishwashing products have been removed recently to better protect the environment. That leaves our dishes looking less than stellar most times. We’ve found a product that can assist with this issue, keep you from purchasing a new dishwasher or re-washing dishes. Dishwasher detergents are not formulated to remove hard water minerals during the main wash cycle. Water containing dissolved carbonates of calcium and magnesium which inhibit the formation of lather with soap or detergent. When hard water dries on dishes and glassware, the carbonates are deposited out as “lime scale.” The water in your house may be “hard” or “soft” depending on its mineral content. Water that contains more than one grain of calcium and magnesium per gallon is said to be “hard.” According to the US Geological Survey, 89.3% of US homes have hard water. Indiana falls in the “extremely hard” category. Lemi Shine solves this problem. Combined with your auto dish detergent, Lemi Shine removes tough hard water spots, stains, and film during the main wash cycle. Lemi Shine is comprised of 100% all natural fruit acids and oils.

01/19/2012

Assemble a Home Owner’s Manual
Rounding up all of your home’s stray manuals, paperwork, and repair history can help take some of the stress out of common emergencies. Round up all of your materials before you choose a binder. But buy a few more binder pockets than you think you’ll need. You’ll be surprised how fast those thick manuals fill up pockets. A good contractor can be hard to find. Include a business card holder for the names of professionals who have done a good job on past projects. Save a copy of any lot description or map you received during the purchase of your home – it will come in handy if you are laying out landscape plans or calculating square footage for fertilizer or seed applications. (Keep the deed and other official papers in a secure, fireproof location.) If you didn’t save paint sample cards from past redecorating projects, don’t worry. You can copy the custom-mixing information from the label on top of the paint can and use that to order additional paint for repairs. Don’t have space for a whopping 4" binder? Divide the files alphabetically into a pair of 2" binders -- one just for product manuals and warranties and another for decor and service or home-improvement records.