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Great Value DIY ('Do-It-Yourself') Home Improvement Suggestions |
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Here are some ideas about
how you can improve the look and value of your home at Cape La Jolla Gardens
without spending a lot of money. Some of these items
require almost no DIY experience at all, others require that you can use a
power drill or can re-wire an electric socket safely. Choose your projects
appropriately and have fun! If in doubt, hire a
licensed contractor to do the job. If you have any comments or other ideas for Great Value DIY Home Improvements, please send me an e-mail at wcooper1@san.rr.com . |
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Location: 4840 Shawline Street, San Diego, CA 92111 Tel:
(619) 278-0757 Open
Hours: Mon - Fri 6:00am - 10:00pm, Sat 6:00am - 9:00pm, Sun 7:00am - 8:00pm Cross
Streets: Clairemont Mesa Blvd. & 805 Fwy
Location: 4255 Genesee Avenue, San Diego, CA 92117 Tel:
(619) 277-8910
Location: 7292 Miramar Road, San Diego, CA 92121 Phone: 619 695-0600 Store Hours: Mon - Fri: 7:00 am - 5:30 pm, Sat: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm, Sun: 9:00 am - 4:00 pm |
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Home Improvement
Suggestions:
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Benefits: Hides the ugly looking gray
breaker box in the bedroom! Time
Required: 1 day
(for the 2-3 coats of paint to dry). Cost: $5, for one can of white gloss
spray paint (e.g. Krylon, Hammerite, etc.) or just use the touch up paint
that you may have been given by the builder. Tools
Required:
Screwdriver, to remove the breaker box cover screws, paintbrush, old
newspaper to rest the breaker box cover on while it is being painted. Level of
Difficulty: Easy Number of
People Required:
One Notes: Paint the screws heads also! |
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Benefits: Allows a cool breeze to flow
through the unit and allows you to check out visitors without having to open
the door to them. You can see them, but they can't see you through the screen
door. Time
Required: 3 Hours Cost: ~$180 for parts, including door,
lag bolts, door locks, re-keying charge, bottom door sweep, self-tapping
screws, white gloss spray paint, exterior sealing caulk, front door magnetic
door catch. HomeBase will install the door for ~$85 or you can do it yourself. Tools
Required: wrench
for lag bolts, electric drill & drill bits, pencil, step ladder, 1"
wood blocks, screwdriver for self-tapping screws, old newspaper (for touch-up
spray painting). Level of
Difficulty: Medium to Difficult. Number of
People Required:
2, one to hold the door and the other to mark the drill holes. Notes: Check out the web page detailing all the parts you need to install this security door. |
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Benefits: More space for bath towels. Time
Required: 2 Hours Cost: Check at HomeBase or Home Depot.
They make nice bathroom/towel cabinets to whatever size you specify. Tools
Required: Stud
finder, electric drill & drill bits, screwdriver, tape measure. Level of
Difficulty: Medium Number of
People Required:
1 person Notes: You can also install custom size linen cabinets at the top of the stairs on F units. |
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Benefits: Improved security. The old
residents can't get back in now! Time Required: 1-2 Hours (including the time to
drive down to Home Depot or HomeBase. Cost: $5.50 per lock for Home Depot
re-key the existing lock barrels (EZ-Set and Kwik-Set locks only).
Alternatively, you could just go and buy a new combination lockset and deadbolt
for ~$15-$20 and install them yourself. Tools
Required: Cross
head screw-driver. Level of
Difficulty: Easy. Number of
People Required:
1 Notes: |
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Benefits: Reduced noise and creaking when
opening and closing the garage door. Your neighbors will love it! Time
Required: 1 hour,
including 55 minutes to drive down to Home Depot and back! Cost: ~$4 for a can of 'Gunk' Silicone
Spray. Tools
Required: Elbow
grease (!), stepladder to reach the upper hinges on the garage door. Level of
Difficulty: Easy Number of
People Required:
1 Notes: The best $4 you ever spent on maintenance at CLJG! |
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Benefits: Easy clean up of the oil leaking
from the bottom of your new car! Time
Required: 1 week
+ 4 hours, including the week required to let the resin harden. Cost: $~100, depending on which brand
of resin you buy. Don't use paint Tools
Required: Paint
brush, 9" wide roller, paint tray, 4' roller extension rod, garage floor
cleaner/degreaser. Level of
Difficulty: Easy Number of
People Required:
1 Notes: Use garage floor cleaner (careful, very caustic acid!) to remove the existing spots of grease or oil on the garage floor, before you apply the epoxy resin. Apply the coats thinly. Two thin coats of paint is harder wearing than one thick coat! |
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Benefits: Increases the amount of light in
the bathroom. Time
Required: 3
Hours, including 1 hour to go get the parts at Home Depot or HomeBase. Cost: ~$30, including 4ft long double
florescent bulb light fixture, 2 x 40 Watt Bulbs, 3 screw cap conductor
connectors, 10-25 ft electric cable (use the standard indoor electrical
contractors cable, e.g. 'Non Metallic', 12 Gauge, 20 Amps rated, 2 insulated
copper conductors plus ground, PVC sheath). Tools
Required: Screwdriver,
Wire Cutters, Stanley Knife, 6 ft. Step Ladder. Level of
Difficulty: Medium Number of
People Required:
1 Notes: Before you start,
remember to turn OFF the power to the bathroom lights at the breaker box! IMPORTANT: If in doubt as to how to wire up this light fitting safely, use a licensed electrical contractor. |
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Benefits: Allow you to run appliances in
the storage room, without having to run an extension cord from the garage. Time
Required: 1 Hour 15
mins, including the hour spent driving to Home Depot. Cost: ~$5-$10 to buy a combination
light switch/power outlet socket. Fits in the same hole as the light switch
did, but now Earth, Live and Neutral wires are utilized. Tools
Required: Screwdriver Level of
Difficulty: Medium Number of
People Required:
1 Notes: Before you start,
remember to turn OFF the power to the garage lights at the breaker box! IMPORTANT: If in doubt as to how to wire up this power outlet safely, use a licensed electrical contractor. |
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Benefits: Allows you to spray water all around
the sink, rather than just where the faucet is facing. Nozzle has two modes
of operation, spray or fill. Time
Required: 45
mins, including the 30 mins spent to walk over to 'Linens 'n Things'. Cost: ~$10 for a 'Eurojet' nozzle from
Linens n' Things or you can get a Moen brand nozzle at Home Depot. Tools
Required: Large pliers or adjustable grips. Level of
Difficulty: Easy. Number of
People Required:
1 Notes: This one is so useful and 'cool looking', you'll wonder why you didn't have one before! |
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Benefits: Now you can store things in the
storage room with less risk of moisture damage. Looks better too! Time
Required: 2-3
Days. Cost: .~$100 - $200 , Tools
Required: 9"
roller, roller extension rod, 5+ gallons (for a single garage/storage room)
of "Drylok" Latex sealing paint (available from Home Depot) to
cover both the walls and the ceiling, plastic sheet to keep the paint from
dripping on the floor. Level of
Difficulty: .Easy Number of
People Required:
1 Notes: Note it is a better investment to buy a 5 gallon can of paint than to keep coming back for more paint. |
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Benefits: .If your one of the 50% of A,B,D
or E unit owners at CLJG, whose satellite garage wasn't finished by the
original builders, this applies to you. This improvement will make your
garage look more presentable, especially for prospective renters and buyers. Time
Required: 3 days. Cost: .~$100, including 10 boards of
8'x4'x3/8" drywall, ~200 drywall screws, drywall compound. Tools
Required: .Power
drill to screw in the drywall screws in the studs, ear plugs(!), 5-10
cross-head screw bits, Stanley knife, Hammer, 10 ft Ruler, pencil, drywall
compound trowel. Level of
Difficulty: .Medium
to difficult, requires a lot of lifting, drilling, board cutting, elbow
grease. Number of
People Required:
2 Notes: A power drill makes this job a lot easier! Rent a pickup truck (from Home Depot for ~$20 per hour) to get the drywall home. |
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Benefits: Increases the privacy for you at
your front door, while still allowing light to enter from outside. Keeps 6
foot tall, nosy visitors from gazing into your front room! Time
Required: 2
Hours, including the hour to go down to Home Depot or HomeBase. Cost: Although you only need about 2
square feet of the self-adhesive, vinyl 'glass block' frosted covering sheet,
it might come on a 17 3/4" wide x12' long roll, so it may cost ~$10-$20.
But then you can give (or sell!) the rest to your neighbors. The brand of
vinyl I used we got was called "d-c-fix" made by Loroman. (If you
can't get it locally, email me at wcooper1@san.rr.com as I may still have some left. No
guarantees!) Also you can order it from Home Trends Catalog, 1-800-810-2340,
Item # 22114, $15.95 plus postage. Tools
Required:
Scissors. Level of
Difficulty:.Easy
- just cut to the shape you desire, then peel off the backing and stick on
the glass. Number of
People Required:
1 Notes:. |
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Benefits: Looks a lot better than the now corroded (!) metal tray
that the developer installed. Time
Required: 1 day,
mostly for the flooring adhesive to dry. Cost: $30, maybe less depending if you
can get the linoleum off-cut for a cheap price. Try to find an off-cut that
roughly matches your existing linoleum pattern. HomeBase and Home Depot
sometimes carry off-cuts or small linoleum sections. Tools
Required: Stanley
Knife, Scraper (or Trowel), Adhesive applicator (rectangular shaped trowel
with jagged edges for uniform adhesive spreading), 1 Quart 'Henry 356
Multi-pro' Flooring Adhesive. Level of
Difficulty:
Intermediate, requires moving the appliances (carefully) forward a few feet,
then a bit of preparation work to ensure that the metal surface is clean and
free of debris. Then the rest is straightforward cutting gluing and affixing. Number of
People Required:
1 Notes: First thing to do before you go to the hardware store to buy tools & materials, is to measure the exact size of the metal tray you wish to cover. It'll save a lot of time later! |
