Erie Home Services

03/31/2026

Installing some dimmer switches, an exterior roller solar shade, and a ceiling fan today are all routine tasks that I perform quite often. Drilling holes in flower pots and bumping a lock for a different client are not tasks that I perform often. It was the bumping of the lock that I wanted to mention (again, I wrote about it a few years ago).

Lock bumping is a technique that uses a key with that has all of the biting and cuts are at the same height and depth with something like a castration band near the shoulder end of the key. Once the correct key profile is determined, the key is inserted in the lock with the band. While gently turning the key and tapping on the head of the key at the same time, if the key turns the lock can be bumped (ie. unlocked). Most of the time, a bumped lock shows no signs of forced entry.

I used to do a lot more rental property work than I do now, which is how I ended up having these keys. It has probably been at least three years since I used them last. It took me a moment to setup for the lock today, but once I had everything right, it took just a couple of taps to bump this lock. In the past, I have been able to bump some locks in less than 5-seconds.

So why am I writing all of this? Well, once I learned about lock bumping, I tested the technique out on my home. I was in the front door in less than 10-seconds. What action did I take next? I changed all of the locks in our home to ones that can't be bumped. I tried bumping the new locks and I couldn't.

I know that in most cases, if someone wants into your home, they'll find a way. I just think that it is a good idea to not make it easy enough for an amateur, like me, to overcome a lock in seconds using keys purchased on the internet.

03/30/2026

"Is the area wired for a ceiling fan?"

This is often the first question that I will ask a client when they request that I install a ceiling fan. What I am really trying to figure out is if a fan rated junction box is in the ceiling that can support the weight and motion of a fan. If it is not a fan rated junction box, usually the existing box can be removed and a "remodel" fan rated box can be installed. This client was told by the original installer that this was done for his two outdoor fans, but that didn't turn out to be the case.

I'll be the first to admit that I am not perfect; but if I wouldn't do it in my home, I won't do it in a client's home. This client asked me to look at one of the two outdoor ceiling fans over his covered patio. There was a gap between the ceiling and canopy, which is common with outdoor fans because the depth of the junction box is usually set for 1/2" drywall and not 3/8" texture paneling. I have corrected this type of issue before, but that was not the case here.

The issues with this junction box is that the original installer did not use the correct (supplied with the junction box) diameter screws. So what did he do? Instead of finding the right screws, he wrapped the thinner diameter screws in electrical tape and used those. Fast forward with time, weight, motion, summer heat, winter cold, etc. the screws were pulling out. The solution? Remove what was installed and start fresh with a new, fan rated junction box.

For good measure, the second fan was checked. Guess what? Though the homeowner was told that the box was changed, it was not. This one was a little more time consuming and difficult to swap, but in the end, the swap was made.

I'm not sure what the lesson is here. How can you check every detail performed by the service providers in your life? How would you know what is right and wrong? I can tell you from my end of the business that it is super frustrating to see situations like this one. I wasn't in the shoes of the original installer, so I don't know what was running through his head. I just feel bad for the homeowner who is paying to have the work done twice.

03/28/2026

Did you know that most TV power cords are not rated for in-wall use? These power cords are not CL rated (Class Rated) and should not be used inside the walls. HDMI, Ethernet, USB, and other data cables can be used inside of a wall; but if you want to hide all of the cords inside of a wall, what can you do?

There are quite a few kits on the market which allow all of the cords to be routed inside of a wall. Two holes are cut in the wall, one behind the TV and one lower down, behind your furniture. The kit is installed and the data cables can be routed inside the wall. A CL rated cable is used to move power from the outlet below to the new outlet behind the TV (think of it as an in-wall extension cord).

I installed this kit a few weeks ago on an interior wall, which was pretty straightforward and allowed for the cables to be easily passed between the two openings. It should be noted though if the TV is mounted inside of a home on an exterior wall, it could be tricky to work with the insulation inside of the wall.

03/23/2026

Different homes, different themes. Recently, I visited two Erie homes on the same day to perform a light and art installation. The light (purchased from Wayfair, in case you were interested) was installed in a room with a Western theme. The Australian artwork was installed to brighten a stairway. Though the artwork installation was fairly straightforward, the light was modified to give more clearance for those walking underneath.

03/23/2026

Do you ever feel like you are being watched when you work? For the most part, the humans leave me to do my thing, but the felines... they are another story! I can feel that they are judging me...

03/03/2026

In less than 20-days it will officially be spring. About a month after that, many residents will be starting up their sprinkler systems to water their lawns and gardens. Did you know that Resource Central will evaluate your sprinkler system for inefficiencies and create a customized watering schedule for you? As a bonus, they will perform this on-site evaluation for free.

With the schedule in hand, you can then program your sprinkler system controller to more efficiently water your property. If you don't have a smart controller, the Town of Erie offers a $100 rebate on your water bill that can be used towards the purchase of a smart controller.

Having both the schedule and controller really takes the guess work out of watering. Plus, if we have watering restrictions this year due to the low snow pack, a smart controller makes it easier to make that schedule adjustment.

Here is a link to schedule your Slow the Flow sprinkler system evaluation: https://resourcecentral.org/sprinklers/

Here is a link to the Town of Erie water efficiency rebates: https://www.erieco.gov/574/Water-Efficiency-Rebates

Information on rebates for energy efficiency upgrades and other opportunities.

03/02/2026

A few years ago I built myself a custom (ie. from scratch) shed with windows, keyless entry, an outdoor shower, power, and hot and cold running water. It is so nice to have the option of hot water outside, especially when cleaning items on cold days. The way that I designed my shed required two separate sillcocks since there are additional faucets downstream from the frost-free sillcocks coming out of the house. Did you know that there are a few options out there where the hot and cold are built into one faucet?

I know that not everyone is fond of the Woodford outdoor, frost-free sillcocks, but I have become a fan of them. The rebuild parts are readily available, they are easy to rebuild, and they are made in the USA. The most common Woodford sillcock found around Erie is the model 17 for cold water, but they also make the model 22. The Woodford model 22 is a two handle sillcock which allows hot and cold water to be blended and it is frost-free.

Swapping of a cold water only sillcock to a hot and cold water sillcock does take some work. A hot water supply pipe inside the home has to be tapped into to supply that is side of the Woodford 22 sillcock. My basement is unfinished, so that was not a huge deal; but a finished basement is another story. I also added separate shut-off valves where the hot and cold water lines were tapped into to isolate the added sillcocks from the rest of the house.

I'll be the first to admit that having hot water outside of a home is a creature comfort and not a necessity, but it is certainly nice. If you are having your sillcock changed, I would certainly ask how much more it would be to add the hot water option. If it was not much more, I would certainly add the feature.

01/20/2026

01/20/2026

You might remember back in November that I posted about the reuse of a door for my crawlspace. Well, the project has inched forward...

The builder of our home used a foil v***r barrier to separate the basement from the crawlspace. It worked great for 15-years until our cats showed up. Those furry demons shredded the foil. Ugh!

I thrive on the chance of reusing materials. Call me cheap, call me frugal... most see a pile of trash, but I see beauty. Along with reusing an old door, used flooring found new life as a wall. 'Oops' paint is currently being used to paint the concrete. Items pulled out of dumpsters were used again.

Currently the vision is to not finish the basement, but rather create a space for both storage and exercise. A 1970's basement, if you know what I'm talking about. Yes, I've dated myself, but our basement isn't really that big and finishing it will decrease the usable space, especially considering where the furnace and water heater are placed. Along with the need for storage, as my eBay business is still active.

This project is continually evolving, based on what I find in the wild...

01/20/2026

Continuing on with examples of cabinet hardware installations, this job was completing the installation of 20-ish pieces of hardware. Sadly, the homeowner was unable to finish the job and his widow requested that I see the job through. The reason the I am posting about this installation is that he chose to position them a little differently than I normally do.

It took me a moment to realize his line of thinking and placement of the hardware. After I figured that out, the installation went smoothly. Though I believe that the homeowner has the final say in hardware placement (I don't live there), I would have centered all of the drawer pulls top to bottom. Why? Usually the drawer boxes are not that tall and they are usually made out of particle board. When placing the pulls that high, only the face is attached to the pull, putting a lot of stress on the screws and joints attached to the face. By lowering the pulls, you can usually capture both the face and drawer box.

01/08/2026

Here is another before and after of a cabinet hardware and soft close hinge installation. This is an example of using 256mm pulls for all of the drawers and doors.

The sun certainly messed with my 'after' photo, which I should have taken after I installed the motorized shades for the sliding glass doors...

01/08/2026

I'm pretty sure that I fixed less than five gates last year, but 2026 started off with rebuilding a gate. This was a tough one, not necessarily fixing it (though it did get windy just as I was rehanging the gate); but not putting too much into the repair. Why? The rest of the fence will probably need to be replaced in the next few years, so a new gate did not seem to make sense.