Home technology expert Ross Trethewey teaches us what to know about indoor air quality or IAQ. Ross explains that this valuable metric is often overlooked, but it’s just as important as eating high-quality food and clean water. He explains the consequences of air-tight building, the tools we can use to monitor air quality, and how data is important for creating healthier indoor environments.
Next, Mason Mark McCullough takes us on a house call to help a homeowner solve their firebox issue. After upgrading their coal-burning fireplace to a natural gas model, they noticed the firebox is failing. Mark shows the homeowner what it takes to fix the fireplace and replace the broken masonry.
After that, we meet host Kevin O’Connor back at the shop to talk with landscape contractors Jenn Nawada and Lee Gilliam about spring landscapes transitioning to the summer season. The three discuss how to prepare for summer, what to prune, what type of mulch to apply, and how to prepare the yard for the stresses of summer.
Finally, Kevin takes us to meet with general contractors Tom Silva and Zack Dettmore to work on organizing a tool box. Zack’s attention to detail when it comes to organizing caught Tom’s and Kevin’s eyes, and he shows them what they can do to organize their tools to his standards.
What To Know About Indoor Air Quality Testing
A lot of research has gone into assessing and guaranteeing the quality of our food and water. However, air quality is just as important, if not more so. The average American eats 4 pounds of food each day, drinks 8 pounds of water, yet breathes 30 pounds of air. Indoor air quality deserves its own focus.
How to Restore A Firebox
There are plenty of ways to breathe new life into an old fireplace, such as installing a gas-burning insert. But that’s only the case if the firebox is safe. When a homeowner faced an issue of a crumbling and cracking firebox, he called mason Mark McCullough for the job.
Where to find it?
To prep the space, Mark lays out plastic sheeting over large furniture and lays out a drop cloth in front of the firebox. To remove the old concrete and firebrick, Mark begins prying it out with his hands. He then cleans out any branches, or broken masonry and uses a vacuum to remove the soot.
For the new firebox, Mark will use yellow fire brick, as it best matches the original. He then lays the mortar using a masonry trowel. Mark adjusts his technique as he lays bricks on the Franklin Curve, carefully setting them at a forward-facing angle. He then smooths out the mortar joints using a brick jointer.
How to Transition A Landscape From Spring to Summer
Like the seasons themselves, a yard’s needs change throughout the year. Transitioning from spring to summer requires a certain approach. Landscape contractors Jenn Nawada and Lee Gilliam explain what homeowners should do to help their yards transition smoothly.
Where to find it?
Lee recommends using a slow-release fertilizer for established lawns to promote balanced growth and help prevent them from burning in the summer heat.
It’s also a good time to apply pre-emergent weed control for weeds such as crabgrass.
How to Organize Tool Storage Drawers
Host Kevin O’Connor and general contractor Tom Silva enlist the help of carpenter Zack Dettmore to better organize a tool storage cabinet.
Where to find it?
To create custom drawer foam inserts, lay out tools on the foam board. Once you’ve arranged the tools, neatly trace around them to create a form guide. Follow the tool outlines with a utility knife and scoop out the foam innards until the tool fits snug in the opening.
Use aluminum u-channels, and custom-cut them to the perfect dimension to divide different drill bits.
To create a U-channel drawer storage
- Use the miter saw with a metal cutting blade installed, measure, mark and cut the u-channel to each desired dimension.
- Smooth the cut edges of the u-channel with a metal file.
- Apply the magnetic tape to the back of the u-channel. The tape is peel-and-stick, so there’s nothing particularly difficult about this step to keep in mind.
- Place the u-channels in the drawer in the desired orientations.
- Place the drill bits in each compartment.
Original Air Date: May 23, 2024, Season 22; Ep. 25 23:42
Products and services from this episode
- Tool drawer foam insert manufacturer: Kaizen Source
