I'm pleased to announce a new addition to our Network of Craftsmen: Saul Gomez of Blue Ridge Custom Painting, LLC. We've offered interior painting services in Asheville since we opened our doors, but Saul brings our painting service to a whole new level. He heads an experienced team who can paint the whole exterior of your home. He also does interior painting and deck staining. Another reason I'm excited to introduce Saul to our team is that he does wallpaper removal and popcorn ceiling removal. This is a much-needed service in the many vintage homes in Asheville, so if you have an outdated ceiling finish that you're ready to get rid of, give us a call and we'll be glad to connect you with Saul. Take a look at some of the work he's done recently. He's a meticulous painter who obviously takes great pride in doing a good job. Getting your home repainted from time to time is an important part of maintenance. It's not just for looks... it protects the finishes and the underlying structure.
So don't put off your home maintenance... if your house needs a fresh coat of paint, give us a call and we'll be glad to connect you with the right team for the job. Today I want to highlight some excellent work done by Jesse Scott of J. Scott Handyman and More, LLC. Jesse is one of the craftsmen in our referral network, and he sent some awesome photos of a tuckpointing job he recently completed here in Asheville. "Tuckpointing" (which is also called "repointing") simply means replacing the mortar between bricks. Bricks can last for hundreds of years, but the mortar between them usually wears out in about 25 years. Water gets into the joints and freezes and thaws repeatedly until finally the mortar crumbles away and if the wall is left unrepaired, the bricks tumble down. In this case, the bricks were part of the foundation of a house. They had been plastered over and painted blue some years before, so he had to remove the crumbling plaster first, then carefully replace the mortar where it had disintegrated. Let's get a close-up of that beautiful wall. I know from experience that tuckpointing is hard physical labor, and Jesse did a great job! It's not just a question of hard work... good masonry repair also requires know-how, and that is where Jesse's experience really shines through. In his words, I custom blended the mortar batch by batch to ensure that the bricks would not “deface” any further. Most folks just shove in a bunch of mortar from off the shelf, and that is not the correct way. The mortar needs to be as soft as, or softer than, the bricks. If not, then the bricks “deface” and degrade prematurely. So this isn't just a quick patch job... it's a real repair that will last for another generation. As a bonus, the newly-exposed red brick looks great against the green siding, much better than the crumbling old blue plaster. Talk about curb appeal! His customers must be very happy with their new foundation. If your home needs repairs done with the same care and experience that Jesse brought to this brick foundation, give us a call. We'll put you in touch with a craftsman who's just right for the job.
Jesse's clients ordered the doors beforehand, but as Jesse noted, the two panels "were not even close to being square." Due to an error by the manufacturers, there was an uneven gap when the two doors met. I've experienced this problem myself when ordering pre-made pieces from a mill, so I know it can be a real head-scratcher. Should you send the parts back and have them fixed, or try to work with what you've got? Fortunately, Jesse came up with an elegant solution: He added a piece of trim down the center to cover the gap, then painted it to match the doors. This is more than just a "stop gap." It actually adds functionality! Now you can really close the doors completely so that you can truly block off the room. This would be really handy if you had a small house and your living room occasionally doubled as a guest room. I really like this barn door trend. It makes a nice focal point, plus it's much easier to install and maintain than a pocket door, and the doors are still out of the way when you open them. This set of doors is sleeker than the "rustic" look we've been seeing lately. I think it would work with almost any decor, from a "modern farmhouse" look to a more contemporary style.
If you need someone to install a sliding barn door in Asheville, give us a call, We love this stuff! Since today is Independence Day, I thought I'd take a break from my usual blog posts and share four of the reasons we're celebrating today, above and beyond our usual Fourth of July festivities. We have so much to be thankful for! Two All-American Craftsmen I'm grateful to have more calls for work than one man can answer, and this year I've started referring some of my customers to local handymen whom I trust to do a great job. Recently Jesse Scott, who's already one of the craftsmen in our network, introduced me to two more extremely talented handymen, who are both very friendly and easy to work with. I'm thrilled to introduce them here.
Click here if you'd like to work with Allan or Ricardo... or keep reading for another reason to celebrate. Good News on the Home Front
Many of you have sent your thoughts and prayers to us during her illness, so I'd like to send a big "thank you" to all of you. Your good wishes have been very encouraging, and your prayers must have worked! Now I'm going to turn the blog over to Faith for another piece of awesome news which she picked up from the local community and which seems perfect for sharing today. The Eagles Are Back! Faith writes: Thank you Arthur, and I second that motion: thank you to all of our customers and craftsmen and other members of our community that have prayed for me and sent their good wishes. It means a lot to me. One of the first things I did when my health started to recover was to spend more time getting out and reconnecting with my friends and acquaintances. Recently I had the chance to visit our county library, where I saw something amazing: Avian expert Mike Skinner of Balsam Mountain Trust held a "Birds of Prey" demonstration which included this lovely young eagle named "Hope." "Hope" received her name because the conservation program for American Bald Eagles has been working. If you live in the Asheville area, you might even have noticed this in person. I myself have seen eagles flying up and down the French Broad River valley. It's a wonderful piece of good news, and proof that conservation really works. If you live out in the countryside like I do, you might have also spotted one of these, especially at night: Isn't she lovely? She's a barn owl. Sadly, although barn owls are not endangered in general, her handler said that our local population has been dwindling as people replace old wooden barns with steel buildings. The good news is that you can help replenish the local population of these beautiful birds. Locals have discovered that barn owls will move into owl boxes, so if you have the right kind of terrain, you might be able to give your local birds a new home. Or if you have an old barn on your property, consider keeping it maintained for our feathered friends. We hope that you and your family are having a safe and happy holiday. We'll be back from vacation tomorrow, and we're looking forward to hearing from you about your next project.
We usually post pictures of important house repairs (when I take the pictures) or pretty pictures of pretty houses (when my wife takes the pictures) but this time we're sharing something entirely different: goats! goats in every direction! And a goat shed. Mark Anderson, one of the handymen in our network of craftsmen, recently shared photos of a winter project on his mountain homestead. They were so interesting that we asked him to let us share them here. Like any frugal farmer, Mark used as much reclaimed and inexpensive lumber as possible, including these old logs. He used a winch to drag the logs in place, then hand-chiseled the ends where the beam will rest on the log post. Trust me, this is hard work! Fortunately he had a few helpers. ("Here, let me hold that post up for you.") "No, a little to the left." Even though he was just building a goat shed, Mark made everything plumb and level, and braced it well against the goatly onslaught. The goats seem happy... ...but Mark's even happier.
Do you have a building project in mind? Mark is an experienced carpenter and is available to build small deck additions and similar projects. He can also install interior trim and custom built-in shelving and cabinets... and goat sheds! Click the button to request an estimate, and we'll be glad to put you in touch with him. |
About
Connect!
Archives
April 2022
This blog is for entertainment purposes only. See our Terms of Use for details.
|
What Our Clients Are Saying
"Arthur is that rare professional handyman who is totally reliable; fairly priced; pro-active in communications; honest; punctual; skilled -- and a really nice guy." "Arthur is a great resource to have here in our area. He's prompt, professional, does great work and is cost effective. I'll definitely use him again!" |
Follow Us:Email US AT:Service Area:
In-town Asheville
Mars Hill and Weaverville Arden and Fletcher Fairview Popular Services |