News
Repairs in accordance with building codes is a matter of safety!
In every class, I teach my students the importance of their localities building codes and how important it is that their home repairs are made in accordance with building codes, because it is a matter of their home’s safety. If they are not sure if a repair was made properly, want to plan future projects and advice on DIY projects, I always offer a Home Examination.
Read MoreFire Prevention Week
A few years ago, I attended a Commercial Construction Certification Seminar in Philadelphia. At 3AM my hotel phone started ringing. Hope was on the other end, it seems that the smoke/carbon monoxide detector in our bedroom was sounding, but there was no fire. Was carbon monoxide “the silent killer” getting into my house? I told…
Read MoreOk, it did not go on, but they learned how to use the scientific method to find out what went wrong, THEY LEARNED.
Baron Of Whitfield’s DIY Story “Greetings Brian, I need your advice on how do I determine if the switch is faulty? I get a short in power when I turn on the switch the light flickers and turns off. Let there be light! I had this light switch in my hallway that after I turned…
Read MoreIs Your House Ready For Winter?
Insulation Insulation Insulation Student question to me: ” how do you know if you are in need of insulation in your attic. I answered ” do you have insulation in your attic? ” Read on for my advice!!!! Are You Getting Ready? Ok, I know, its still hot and humid. But, the days are getting shorter…
Read MoreOMG Page 26
Just to let you know, Nassau Community College holds a special place in my life. It was a stepping stone for me, my kids, and many other students. It is a stepping stone for all who want to learn something new and to improve their lives. Last February I received a call from Elizabeth Turner…
Read MoreStay At Home Project #1 Update “Hardening Off” Really??
First tomato flowers of the season!!!!Yea
Read MoreStay At Home Project #1 Update: We are In Trouble!
Ok, so I completed the wire rack shelving and got the lights installed. Seeds were planted, covered with plastic to keep in heat and moisture for my babies. All right, they are starting to show me something, maybe they want to meet me? Yea man, looking good. Ok, so I told Hope that in order…
Read MoreDIY Tabletop Cell Phone Stand
I was talking to Billy this past week, you remember Billy from the “Royal Flush Episode? “ “You know Brian, I have too much of this stuff. Instead of just putting it into the Blue Bucket, any ideas how I can use it around my house? Let’s Make A Cell Phone Stand Here are the tools…
Read MoreStay At Home Project #1 Update: (seeds were planted March 15th)
Okay, so you are probably wondering what’s going on with our plants. Well, it came time to thin out the seedlings. I just couldn’t do it, I couldn’t kill any of them. So, off to the barn I went with all the babies. I ended up separating and transplanting ALL the seedlings. I doubled what…
Read MoreStay At Home Project #3 “Pegboard in my kitchen, are you kidding?”
If you guys know me, you know that I love to cook. But in order to produce a good meal you really have to be organized with your ingredients, spices and cooking utensils, namely, your pots and pans. So, where do you think we keep the pots and pans? You guessed it, in that beautiful,…
Read MoreStay At Home Project #2 “How Safe Is Your Drinking Water?”
I received a phone call from our son Matthew, he lives in Los Angles. “Hey Dad, why don’t you install an under counter RO water filtration system? So, you are probably saying to yourself, where is Brian going NOW, what is a RO system? Well, RO stands for a Reverse Osmosis. A Little Back Ground…
Read MoreA Call For Help–
Knowing that we all must stay at home and have minimal contact with outsiders, I called Joy to see what was going on. She told me that she has a water leak in the basement and turned the house water off. Wow, what a bad time for this to happen. I asked Joy if she…
Read MoreStay At Home Project #1
Ok, you guys know me better, I am not just going to sit around all day and watch the news, trying to figure out where I am going to get my next roll of TP. I decided to get busy with the projects I have had on the back burner. So, here is my challenge!…
Read MoreMarch TIPS: Exterior Home Examination with the Home Inspector
I love the month of March, it is my favorite month because it signals the end of winter. This is the month where winter’s northerly winds start coming from the South, picking up heat from the beautiful Atlantic Ocean. I remember standing in front of the house on Pacific Blvd. in Long Beach, eyes closed,…
Read MoreFeatured in the Long Island Herald Newspaper
There was a small business fair at the Freeport Memorial Library that TLC for Good Home Health participated. As patrons came up to our booth, they reviewed our home improvement course and other services we offered. One of the patrons was the editor to the Long Island Herald, Freeport Edition. Her name is Nadya Nataly…
Read MoreWhat A Special Couple of Nights
Every so often, Something Special Happens, something that tells you that your hard work and dedication is making a difference in the lives of others. This past week, at the Wall Repair and Interior/Exterior Paint Workshops, I started to feel confident that I am on the right path. Something Special Happened when your students listen…
Read MoreOMG Its Broken
OMG its broken, now what do I do? Hope has always complained that I am too systematical. I always need to know why, how, when, where, and the list keeps going on for about everything we discuss and everything I do. Whether for a new dance move we are learning or what we are going…
Read MoreBilly’s Home Repair Tutoring Session “The Royal Flush”
It’s difficult not to have the closest toilet working. Imagine waking up in the middle of the night and have to go all the way downstairs to use a toilet. Now imagine doing that for 3 years! For the last 3 years Billy has been utilizing his downstairs bathroom because his toilet upstairs was leaking.…
Read MoreAre You Ready for the Winter?
Growing up in Long Beach, I remember it was a very cold December Sunday, my Mom telling Dad that she saw a puddle of water next to the boiler. The puddle wasn’t too big, but it was there. My Dad did nothing about it, focusing more on the NY Giants game. Well, the next day the circulator pump stopped. We had no heat and hot water! Bad time of year for a break down. It took a week to get things back together. By the way, the Giants lost that day. Don’t wait to get your heating and hot water systems checked out now.
Read MoreFire Prevention Week
“The following excerpt is from the NFPA website” About Fire Prevention Week (FPW) Since 1922, the NFPA (National Fire Protection Agency) has sponsored the public observance of Fire Prevention Week. In 1925, President Calvin Coolidge proclaimed Fire Prevention Week a national observance, making it the longest-running public health observance in our country. During Fire Prevention…
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