During my year off from blogging one of the Big Projects for the homestead was a total kitchen make-over. We could afford it because my dearly loved Mother-in-Law died last April, after just a month in assisted living, at the ripe old age of 87. Turned out she had so much money in her checking account that even after expenses and splitting what was left with hubby’s brother, I could finally get a nice new kitchen to go with the dining furniture she also left to us.

For eighteen long years the kitchen has been separated from the main living space with a bar, even though the front door enters the kitchen rather than the living room. That bar has been variously attached to the right and left sides of the kitchen (thus changing the traffic pattern), and for the past six years it simply floated in the middle, topped with a piece of plywood painted for paper-flip football, mini-table tennis and various other games. Never managed to have four actually stable, matching bar stools at any given time, but our annual visitors were encouraged to buy or build their own, which would be exclusive to them whenever they were in-house. Some of them are pretty amazing, but of course none of them ever matched. And that front door, just so you know, was a hollow closet door that never actually closed or locked, we used to brace it against wind and possible night intruders with a bucket full of dirt.

Never had any upper cabinets because the huge 6×8 foot window took up the most of the wall. Worse, it extended well below the countertop level, becoming a catch-basin for all sorts of junk and dirt. My nephew managed to break 4 of its 12 glass panes some years ago with a bad shot from the second tee, I’d replaced them with cardboard and scrap lumber. Very, very ugly. So, for the very first time in my life, I got to go out and buy real building supplies from a real supplier and design the room just as I wanted it to be.

Not that there weren’t some significant “Uh, oh” moments involved, of course. We knew the front door opening had to be enlarged to handle a real, live actual front door. Which we got at such an astounding discount at the freight salvage place (along with window, cabinets and drawers) that we went ahead and bought two. One for us, one for daughter’s place out back. That Saws-All and re-framing job wasn’t so bad, it was the window that took most of the summer. Made me entirely miss out on mid-summer preservation of the harvest, the entire front of the house was wide open and covered (barely) with a sheet of plastic. Put in a standard 2.5×3 foot window – double pane! – and this allowed me to put upper cabinets on both sides once the sheetrock was replaced and painted.

Moved the plumbing so the sink could be right under the window instead of next to the door, put the stove against the far wall and out of its corner hidey hole, replaced the beams on two sides to shore up the roof and attic, and gave up on my planned hardwood floor before the holiday hoards descended. Maybe next year…

New cabinets, new countertops, nice recycled glass tile work (still not grouted), new furniture. All that’s left is a new ‘fridge, but that must await whenever Habitat for Humanity gets a stainless or black glass one they’ll put aside for us. So for Christmas, to celebrate what we described to my retired State Department sis and brother in law as our dramatic rise from Third World to Developing Country, they got me a nice brushed stainless (matches the outlets/switches) Cuisinart bread machine. Because they know that I make a lot of bread, and wanted to give me something they knew I’d use. Hubby continued the theme with Cuisinart super bagel toaster and coffee maker for Christmas, the clean look of matching appliances makes me feel positively… modern!

And while I won’t complain about the bread maker – which is incredibly convenient – I’m now back to kneading bread by hand as I always have because its ‘dough’ cycle doesn’t have a whole wheat option, as its bread cycle does. And my family won’t eat anything that even vaguely resembles white bread. Just spoiled that way, I guess.

Have used the dough cycle for baguettes, for bagels, for pretzels, pasta dough and for basic cloverleaf rolls. All of which require further processing outside the machine, which can only bake loaves. Every single time I’ve had to dump the unmixed mess out onto the counter and start all over again, because the machine can’t handle whole wheat for anything but bread. Now I don’t bother with it, but it still looks nice on my counter along with the rest of the appliances. It does keep us in whole wheat loaves of regular old bread, and I’ve even learned how to factor for sourdough instead of yeast, it does very well with that. It beeps for me to add sprouts and seeds and whatever else can be added after the first rise, and the finished breads are downright scrumptious. Heck, I could go into business with some of the best of ‘em!

But mostly, it just looks very cool on the counter next to the toaster and the coffee maker. Which, if anybody wanted to know, is the best contraption since indoor cooking, for sure. But that’s a whole different blog post…

Until next time, look forward to spring, get those seedlings started, and know that it indeed is entirely possible to make the transition between Third World and Developing Nation right here in America’s very own hinterlands!

Homestead upkeep and the ability to build-it-yourself for all sorts of projects; energy conservation and independence; food production, preservation and storage; wise husbandry for livestock; ways to turn your homesteading abilities into cash income for your family… There are so many subjects to cover for anyone who wants to connect more firmly with the earth, to spend their life in time more thoroughly engaged, and to take more responsibility for their own environment and sustenance.

But we must begin at the beginning so that all else will follow along its natural path. Now that we’ve got our Homestead Tool Kit [Part I and Part II] collected and put together, it’s time to start on some of the most common repair and maintenance jobs a homeowner will face. The more you can do for yourself, the less you’ll have to pay others to do it for you!

1. Doors and Windows

The most common issues you’ll have with doors are bad hinges, sticking/scraping, and need for replacement. For windows there will be the fairly common problem of broken panes, and sticky frames that make it difficult to raise or lower. We’ll deal with screen door and window screens that need repair later. For both doors and windows it’s good to know how to install weather stripping to conserve heat and energy as well as how to replace it when it gets old.

Door Hinges
If a door doesn’t hang properly, or doesn’t want to close all the way, check your hinges. If they are loose or undone it doesn’t take much time to repair. First check the screws and screw holes. Are any screws missing? Have the holes become enlarged over time with use?

A screw hole should be one size larger than the screw itself. If yours aren’t, choose the proper drill bit and enlarge them accordingly. You may need to purchase new screws occasionally. Get good ones with deep driver scores to help prevent stripping.

Use wood glue to glue a wooden matchstick or dowel (the depth of the hole) into the hole, or fill the holes with wood putty. When it’s dry, drive your screws.

Always check the hinge pins as well, as these can work themselves out over time and frequent use. Once they get past the first joint of a hinge the door will have problems. If you see pins that aren’t properly in place, just hammer them back down and oil the joints.

Door Replacement
Hold the new door up to the opening before attaching to see how well it fits. There should be about 1/16″ clearance at the top, 3/8″ at the bottom. If your door hole is not precisely square, measure the tilt and plane accordingly. Always plane from the edges toward the center so as not to damage the corners. There should be about 1/16″ clearance on the sides of the door as well.

Prop the door into its correct position using scrap wood to hold it to the right height. Mark the location of each of the hinges. Remove the door and stand it on its side, trace the outline of the hinges in the marked locations with a pencil. Then attach the hinges to the door, hang it in the opening and firmly attach the frame portion of the hinges.

Planing can often solve a sticking or poorly-fit door problem even if the hinges are sound. Whenever you’ve removed a door for this sort of job, it’s a good idea to replace screws or the entire hinge if it’s old and rusty or the pin won’t stay in place. Use the methods above.

Sticking Windows
If your windows are difficult to raise and lower, you’re going to miss out on some fresh air and have a harder time managing your indoor temperatures – a waste of energy you’ll want to avoid. Sticky windows should be fixed.

First remove the window stops – the vertical strips of wood that are nailed or screwed along the inside of the frame that the sash rubs against – and remove the window (or part of the window that raises and lowers). Remove any built-up paint on the window sash and frame if that’s the problem, using a heat gun or paint remover and scraper. If the problem is a bad fit due to warping, plane the edges smooth.

Wax the sash along the edges that contact the frame and replace the window. Install the stops a hair’s breadth away from where they were previously located, to give the sash ample room to move up and down. Gaps and air leaks in both doors and windows should be managed with weather stripping.

Replacing broken window panes
Windows get broken. It’s a fact of life, so it’s good to know how to replace panes. If your home has fairly standard windows you can usually buy glass panes already cut to size at the local hardware store. If your windows use panes that are not standard, the hardware store will usually cut to size for you. Some homesteaders like to cut their own, but glass isn’t that expensive. I save myself that extra work.

Once the broken pane and all the spackling used to keep it in place one one side is removed (be careful not to cut yourself, and do wear safety glasses), just put the new pane into place against what is left of the spackling on the other side. Use a caulking gun to apply a proper sized bead of spackling – can be bought in tubes just for the gun – around the edges of the pane. Carefully press the bead into place. When it’s firmly set, fill any gaps in the other side’s spackling.

A more thorough replacement job can be done by removing all the spackling on both sides of the broken pane and then holding the new glass in place with C-clamps onto wood scraps both sides of the new pane. That way you can apply new spackling on both sides at once and then remove the C-clamps when it’s firmly set.

Well, that’s the basics on doors and windows. These days it can cost a homeowner a hefty chunk of change if they have to call a repairman – at modern hourly wages plus the markup on materials – to do these jobs. That’s more hours that homeowner has to work for money on something else. Your home is your investment, so it might as well be your time and energy that preserves that investment!

Links:

Home Problem Solver: Door and Window Repairs

Repair: Doors and Windows