Mark McCullough’s Approach to Masonry | Ask This Old House

In this video, This Old House mason Mark McCullough explains his outlook on masonry projects and how homeowners, despite being nervous, can tackle these jobs themselves. SUBSCRIBE to This Old House: http://bit.ly/SubscribeThisOldHouse. Mason Mark McCullough explains why homeowners are afraid of trying their hands at masonry projects and why he thinks they can handle it. Mark explains the most common fears and misconceptions about masonry and a helpful outlook on overcoming them. Most Homeowners and DIYers Get Nervous When It Comes to Masonry Mark knows that most homeowners and DIYers get a little nervous around masonry. The materials are heavy, and once the project sets up and cures, it’s there forever. This makes them feel like masonry is less approachable than other trades like carpentry or electrical work, but Mark believes this is a misconception. “Don’t Be Afraid!” One of Mark’s most repeated phrases is “Don’t be afraid to,” followed by a technique or direction for the homeowner. He uses this phrase deliberately, as he truly means they shouldn’t be afraid. He wants them to try new techniques and tools, use a bit more material or strength, and get used to how masonry materials react. It’s All About Getting Dirty The average person isn’t used to getting dirty, and masonry is one dirty trade. They typically pay someone to get dirty for them, but once they get past the apprehension, they can tackle these projects themselves. The Tools Aren’t As Scary As They Seem Most homeowners have to deal with some intimidation when it comes to using new tools they’ve never tried before. The different types of trowels and jointers are very specific to masonry, so most folks don’t have any experience with them. The same applies to a compactor, which looks intimidating but is actually quite accessible for the average person. It Takes the Right Mindset All of these tools, techniques, and tasks can get a lot easier when you have the right mindset. Once you accept that you’re going to get dirty, lift heavy objects, and try new tools, but also recognize that there will be self-satisfaction at the end of the job, these masonry projects aren't nearly as scary. All it takes is the right mindset. Looking for more step by step guidance on how to complete projects around the house? Join This Old House Insider to stream over 1,000 episodes commercial-free: https://bit.ly/2GPiYbH Plus, download our FREE app for full-episode streaming to your connected TV, phone or tablet: https://ift.tt/mtqSiIh About Ask This Old House TV: From the makers of This Old House, America’s first and most trusted home improvement show, Ask This Old House answers the steady stream of home improvement questions asked by viewers across the United States. Covering topics from landscaping to electrical to HVAC and plumbing to painting and more. Ask This Old House features the experts from This Old House, including general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, landscape contractor Jenn Nawada, master carpenter Norm Abram, and host Kevin O’Connor. ASK This Old House helps you protect and preserve your greatest investment—your home. Follow This Old House: Facebook: http://bit.ly/ThisOldHouseFB Twitter: http://bit.ly/ThisOldHouseTwitter Pinterest: http://bit.ly/ThisOldHousePinterest Instagram: http://bit.ly/ThisOldHouseIG Mark McCullough’s Approach to Masonry | Ask This Old House https://www.youtube.com/user/thisoldhouse/

How To Install a Pea Stone Walkway | Ask This Old House

In this video, This Old House mason Mark McCullough helps a homeowner connect their driveway to their front walk, matching materials and style for a timeless look. SUBSCRIBE to This Old House: http://bit.ly/SubscribeThisOldHouse. Mark McCullough takes us on a house call to help a homeowner extend her front walkway to her driveway. After Mark sources some matching materials, the two work together to branch off the existing walkway, creating an additional path leading to the driveway. They lay cobblestones, spread pea gravel, and lay large bluestone pavers to complete the look. Walkways that stretch from the front door to the sidewalk are great. But to make them truly functional and keep folks from walking across the front yard, they need to connect to the driveway as well. Mason Mark McCullough helps a homeowner take an existing walkway consisting of centuries-old cobblestones and connect it to her driveway using carefully-sourced materials. Here’s how it’s done. Difficulty: ⅖ Cost: Roughly $30 per linear foot Time: A weekend Where to find it? Mark extends a pea stone walkway to make a connection between an existing walkway and driveway. To get started Mark uses landscape string [https://amzn.to/3TttxT2] and stakes [https://amzn.to/3yOV1ci] to outline the desired width of the walkway. This ensures the walkway is square from the house. After digging down about 4 inches with shovels [https://amzn.to/3yRX0MY], lay down landscaping fabric [https://amzn.to/3lzFv0R]. Landscape fabric is setting a nice bed for the pea stone gravel [https://bit.ly/3TrEe8P] and is a sustainable way to keep weeds away. Once the walkway is prepped, dig a trench bed to lay the cobblestone [https://bit.ly/3FCYNt1]. The trench should be 2-3 inches wider than the intended border. (cobblestone around 9”x5”). Instead of doing a complete dry lay, Mark opts to use a small amount of mortar [https://bit.ly/3LC9Nut] to give the cobblestone some reinforcement. Laying Cobblestone Edging and Pea Stone: 1. Place the first cobblestone into the mortar. 2. Tap it down with a rubber mallet to set it into the mortar, then add or remove mortar as needed so the top of the stone is level. 3. Add the next four cobblestones, using the string line as a level. Tap the side of the cobblestones with the rubber mallet not worrying about the gaps between each stone. (They will be filled with pea stone) 4. When the first five cobblestones are laid, lay a level across them, and adjust the stones to achieve level edging. 5. Install the rest of the cobblestones to the opposite end of the trench; check for level after placing every five cobblestones. 6. Spread out roughly 3 inches of pea stone over the landscaping fabric. 7. Mark suggests using a rake to smooth over any dips in the gravel. 8. After the gravel is poured and leveled, Mark suggests using a hand tamper to help compress the gravel down tighter. 9. Last step is to drop the bluestone into the pea stone. Looking for more step by step guidance on how to complete projects around the house? Join This Old House Insider to stream over 1,000 episodes commercial-free: https://bit.ly/2GPiYbH Materials: Landscape paint [https://bit.ly/3JKX06D] Landscape stakes [https://amzn.to/3yOV1ci] Mason’s string [https://amzn.to/3TttxT2] Cement mix [https://bit.ly/3LC9Nut] Cobblestones [https://bit.ly/3FCYNt1] Landscape fabric [https://amzn.to/3lzFv0R] Gravel base [https://bit.ly/3LLMHSr] Bluestone pavers [https://thd.co/3JIaMqv] Pea gravel [https://bit.ly/3TrEe8P] Tools: Pick axe [https://amzn.to/3lI2oiY] Shovels [https://amzn.to/3yRX0MY] Wheelbarrow [https://amzn.to/3JFMayB] Hand tamper [https://amzn.to/42Bj5Nv] Rubber mallet [https://amzn.to/3LKCrd6] Rake [https://amzn.to/3ZcOpPJ] Plus, download our FREE app for full-episode streaming to your connected TV, phone or tablet: https://ift.tt/mtqSiIh About Ask This Old House TV: From the makers of This Old House, America’s first and most trusted home improvement show, Ask This Old House answers the steady stream of home improvement questions asked by viewers across the United States. Covering topics from landscaping to electrical to HVAC and plumbing to painting and more. Ask This Old House features the experts from This Old House, including general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, landscape contractor Jenn Nawada, master carpenter Norm Abram, and host Kevin O’Connor. ASK This Old House helps you protect and preserve your greatest investment—your home. Follow This Old House: Facebook: http://bit.ly/ThisOldHouseFB Twitter: http://bit.ly/ThisOldHouseTwitter Pinterest: http://bit.ly/ThisOldHousePinterest Instagram: http://bit.ly/ThisOldHouseIG How To Install a Pea Stone Walkway | Ask This Old House https://www.youtube.com/user/thisoldhouse/

How To Organize a Shed | Ask This Old House

In this video, This Old House carpenter Nathan Gilbert helps a homeowner take her cluttered, messy shed and completely organize it using a customizable shelving and storage system. SUBSCRIBE to This Old House: http://bit.ly/SubscribeThisOldHouse. Nathan Gilbert goes on a road trip to Texas where he helps a homeowner organize her garage. After the homeowner explains that she has six kids’ worth of toys in her garage space, Nathan decides to set up a track system with adjustable storage. The pair get to work attaching brackets for shelving, bikes, ladders, and tools, helping to organize the space for its best use. When toys and tolls start piling up in the shed or garage, getting organized can feel overwhelming. Rather than letting that mess keep you from using the space to its full potential, get organized with a smart adjustable storage system. Carpenter Nathan Gilbert shows us exactly how it’s done on this house call, while he helps a busy mom of six clean up her shed. Difficulty: ⅕ Cost: Around $100 for one storage rack set Time: A day Where to find it? Nathan installs a storage track system [https://amzn.to/3Jyw8Xe] in a shed for a Texas homeowner. Nathan explains there are many organizational track systems available on the market. He suggests considering what you’re storing and how often you’ll need to access the items being stored before deciding on a system. 1. Locate the studs and mark them. Measure out the distance between each stud using a stud finder to determine where your other rails will need to be. Measure from the center of one stud to the center of the next one. Most studs are going to be between 16 to 24 inches on center apart. 2. Measure how high you want your railing to be. To make sure that your railing is going to be straight, use a level and mark off where each railing will start and end. And mark pilot holes 3. Mount the rails using a drill and the provided screws. Drill pilot holes and screw steel rail onto the wall. The rails already have pre-drilled mounting holes. 4. Give the rails a gentle tug to make sure they’re set in sturdy. Then attach rail cover over the steel rail 5. Hang hooks and attachments on the rails Looking for more step by step guidance on how to complete projects around the house? Join This Old House Insider to stream over 1,000 episodes commercial-free: https://bit.ly/2GPiYbH Tools: Stud finder [https://amzn.to/40QJRQv] Tape measure [https://amzn.to/3JHZm6b] Level [https://amzn.to/3FOMCtt] Drill driver [https://amzn.to/3TEDey9] Plus, download our FREE app for full-episode streaming to your connected TV, phone or tablet: https://ift.tt/fPtj7L4 About Ask This Old House TV: From the makers of This Old House, America’s first and most trusted home improvement show, Ask This Old House answers the steady stream of home improvement questions asked by viewers across the United States. Covering topics from landscaping to electrical to HVAC and plumbing to painting and more. Ask This Old House features the experts from This Old House, including general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, landscape contractor Jenn Nawada, master carpenter Norm Abram, and host Kevin O’Connor. ASK This Old House helps you protect and preserve your greatest investment—your home. Follow This Old House: Facebook: http://bit.ly/ThisOldHouseFB Twitter: http://bit.ly/ThisOldHouseTwitter Pinterest: http://bit.ly/ThisOldHousePinterest Instagram: http://bit.ly/ThisOldHouseIG How To Organize a Shed | Ask This Old House https://www.youtube.com/user/thisoldhouse/

Why is Furnace Maintenance Important? | Ask This Old House

In this video, This Old House plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey teaches host Kevin O’Connor about furnaces and why it’s important to maintain them properly. SUBSCRIBE to This Old House: http://bit.ly/SubscribeThisOldHouse. Kevin O’Connor gets a primer on furnace maintenance from plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey. Richard first explains to Kevin how a furnace works before explaining the different checkpoints that an HVAC technician would use to check the furnace. After that, Richard shows Kevin the dangerous conditions that can exist if the furnace isn’t serviced by a professional at least once a year. Where to find it? Richard emphasizes the importance of a yearly service call for furnaces and AC units and what to expect from technicians when they come. Richard explains that a proper technician would check all the regular safety devices to make sure they work. That would at least include: Safety device check – Richard explains what’s on the furnace and how to check them. Next, Richard explains that they will do a combustion test with a combustion analyzer – this test measures how much fuel is going in and what are the emissions going out. It measures for temperature, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen oxides. This test is important because defective furnaces could literally kill you, either through carbon monoxide or through an explosion, and should be tested once a year. Richard also points out that the air filters should be checked and replaced if necessary. This step should actually happen twice a year, so homeowners should be doing it six months after the service call on their own. Richard tells Kevin that the last thing a technician should check is the AC coil. They’re just looking to make sure it’s clean. If the filters are not getting changed regularly, some of that dirt and hair can end up on those little fine coils and prevent the air conditioning from working correctly. Looking for more step by step guidance on how to complete projects around the house? Join This Old House Insider to stream over 1,000 episodes commercial-free: https://bit.ly/2GPiYbH Plus, download our FREE app for full-episode streaming to your connected TV, phone or tablet: https://ift.tt/9tol4ir About Ask This Old House TV: From the makers of This Old House, America’s first and most trusted home improvement show, Ask This Old House answers the steady stream of home improvement questions asked by viewers across the United States. Covering topics from landscaping to electrical to HVAC and plumbing to painting and more. Ask This Old House features the experts from This Old House, including general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, landscape contractor Jenn Nawada, master carpenter Norm Abram, and host Kevin O’Connor. ASK This Old House helps you protect and preserve your greatest investment—your home. Follow This Old House: Facebook: http://bit.ly/ThisOldHouseFB Twitter: http://bit.ly/ThisOldHouseTwitter Pinterest: http://bit.ly/ThisOldHousePinterest Instagram: http://bit.ly/ThisOldHouseIG Why is Furnace Maintenance Important? | Ask This Old House https://www.youtube.com/user/thisoldhouse/

How to Play Country Guitar

Are you ready to learn how to play country guitar? In these Howcast video, musician Boo Reiners will teach you everything you need to know to get started. He'll show you how to play popular country licks, rhythms and chords, as well as some of the fundamentals of playing lead and rhythm guitar. No matter your skill level, you'll be able to learn how to play country guitar in no time! ⏰ Time chapters ⏳ 00:00 Intro 00:03 Electric Vs Acoustic guitar in country music 03:14 How to play with a flatpick 06:33 What is country guitar 08:14 How to play open chords aka cowboy chords 09:46 How to play boom-chick rhythm 💌 Let's stay Connected 💌 ➡️ our website:https://ift.tt/CrBsikc ➡️ Facebook:https://ift.tt/XTjNyUh ➡️ https://ift.tt/NFuzc4P ✨ If you liked this video, I'm sure you'll like these videos as well ▶️ https://youtu.be/mKB1V5aFBnQ ▶️ https://youtu.be/d6UHixBK_LY About us:- Emphasizing high-quality instructional video production, Howcast brings you leading experts and accurate, reliable information on makeup tutorials, cute hairstyles, and nail art designs to soccer tricks, parkour, and skateboarding, plus how to Dougie, how to kiss, and much, much more. Howcast empowers people with engaging, useful how-to information wherever, whenever they need to know-how #Howcast #countryguitar Related searches: