Dan Edward Phillips's (danedwardphillips) Blog

This is a good time to clean and inspect your rain gutters here in Humboldt County, Northern California.  The redwoods are almost through "shedding" and rainy season is soon to come. Plan some time this weekend to clean out all the debris that have accumulated in the rain gutters over the fall an...

If you will be placing your home on the market for sale, remember that your garage is an important part of your home.  Buyers will want to see it and it should be an appealing part of your home. While your home is on the market for sale, do not use your garage to store packing boxes, they belong ...

Before considering placing your home on the market for sale, take a walk through the homes interior and around the exterior.  When you do make a list of all the items that need repair.  Then get started! The buyers lenders will expect a "turn-key" home with no repairs required under current loan ...

The city of Eureka, California has an abundance of old homes, many dating back to the 1880's and in some cases before.  Some are famous, but most are single-family homes that have survived the years. In my trips thru town when time allows it is fun to just drive down a side street and view the ol...

Adding a shop to your home?  Before you pour the slab, give some thought to adding a bathroom!  A bathroom in your new garage or shop will take up only a small amount of space.  Yes, it will need both a water line and a line to the sewer or septic but the additional cost to install them is minima...

One of the requests that I have for sellers when listing their property is for them to make a list of; "What do you Love about your Home". I ask the sellers to email it to me or call me when they have finished it and I will stop by and pick it up. I then compare the list supplied by the sellers w...

If you are considering placing your home on the market and there is a large area of 'overgrown brush' on the property, have it cleared before listing the property.    In this area Blackberries and other plants grow fast, have them cleaned out so buyers will at least be able to view the area if no...

Replacing boards on your deck is very important to the safety of your family.  When you do replace deck boards, remember that 'wood does have a memory'.  Do not make your decision on which side faces up by the appearance of the board.  Make your decision based on the end grain of the board.  Look...

This post has excellent advice for both the home buyer and the DIYer.  Thank you to Jeremy Wrenn of Wrenn Home Improvements in Wake Forest, North Carolina for the post!  Please leave comment so Jeremy's original post. If you think all fasteners are the same, you're wrong.  Just ask Jay Markanich....

An important post on the subject of lights and lighting.  Thank you to James Quarello of JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC in Wallingford, CT for the post.  Please leave comments on James original post. Light, we all need it to see, unless you’re a bat. Now that the Holidays are upon us, lights a...