Thursday, March 15, 2007

Welcome


Do we look alike?
Most people seem more excited about "Skipper" but I don't let that worry me much. If you are here you likely arrived via my web site and if not, well then you're just lucky. My name is William White [aka Woody] and I have been renovating for 27 years. This site is for all the stuff that is too much hassle to put on my web site, I hope you find something good here. Have Fun, you'll be a long time in the grave!

Home of the House Doctor

Spring 1975


Our Yacht "Intrepid" in Tracadie Bay
Summer at the White House



Jan 2005 and Jan 2007





Truck signs

Park that Hummer
Ready for Battle

The House Doctor is a spicy radical!
$50.00, we take paypal!
Oy the suffering
Inky doesn't care


General Commentary

Dogs: "Some people don't like dogs, they can all go to Hell".

There seems to be a great difference of opinion on the what where and how of dogs in the world today. Personally my dog is treated as a family member and best friend. I don't leash him, fence him or crate him as I regard all these to be infringements on him. I do not walk him or pick up after him as it is an organic and natural process. Birds do it everywhere and no one worries about that. Never thought of myself as a bag man! He has the run of the neighborhood, never strays, he doesn't bother anyone, never bites or threatens and is regarded by most people as cute, kind and gentle. If he is struck by a car then that is his fate but so far none of my dogs have had this problem. I train my dog by keeping him with me as much as possible and they learn by osmosis what I expect and what is unacceptable behavior. My dog frequently go into stores where I do business and there is never a problem, as a matter of fact most store employees look forward to his arrival and ask where he is when I come in without him. He is a Gentleman dog. I don't license him as this is nothing more than a tax, he is not "fixed" because he is not broken. He considers his balls very important and doesn't want to loose them.

To those who disagree with my methods of dog ownership I say "you raise your dog your way and I'll raise mine my way. If this is a problem then you will simply have to put up with it because the Police really aren't interested and I am never going to see it any other way. If I loose your business I don't consider it a loss.


Project Stuff


Bob's mini sun room

Built with the old storm windows from my house


Jeff Davidson's Pergola


And new deck


The tough life!


Man size benches


The Brennan Gaudet Kitchen


And Bathroom


As cool as it looks!








Bill MacDonald does prep work on the New Sun room floor, keeping out the Skunks!


We set 6x6 treated posts in concrete and used a sewer pipe as a frost jack, hopefully she won't move.


The new SIPS floor. Super insulated and super strong.
The roof is 3" of solid foam with aluminum skins as well.


One thing is sure, no drafts and nice n warm.


A lot of fooling around getting it right from the beginning. With a Sun room it had better be square or there will be trouble.


Detail work on the beam end, tricky sheet metal work by Gerald.


And it sure is nice. Every second window slides open for great temperature control even in July. This room Face South West and never got too hot this summer.


Oct 24th, 8 degrees outside and 23 degrees inside with no heat on.
The Customers are pleased!


Patio door detail.


The full glass and 9 ft. walls really make the room feel wonderful.


"we're out here all the time" George says.


The eaves trough is massively strong and very stylish. There is a stripe kit available as well.


We capped it all in aluminum, no paint ever.


On the end of a 40x28 bungalow, looks like it grew there.


WARNING
If you show this photo to a female she will want one.



Theater set built by House Doctors with special paint effects by Gerald, our resident artist!


Duane and Gerald before and after Duradek





Before and after the wheel chair access



Energy Matters

“Summer’s gone” or so the signs say. The spiders are on the wall and the dew is heavy in the morning. Time to think about the coming winter and how best to cope with the new reality of $70.00 oil. For many years we have lived in a paradise of low energy costs and plentiful supply but the party is over and it’s time to get serious about energy saving. I have had a lifetime of experience in this area and can boil it down to the following suggestions. These are in order of savings, the most savings at the top of the list.

1. Tune up your furnace.

2. Install computerized auto set back thermostats.

3. Air seal the house. This means sealing all the places where the air you have paid to heat is leaking to the outside. It’s pretty simple if you know where to look. The sill area, windows, doors, electrical fixtures, attic hatches, plumbing holes and the chimney are the major culprits. We have the good weather strip in stock.

4. Attic insulation, 10” recommended.

5. Basement insulation. Surprised? The average home looses 20-30% of it’s heat through the basement. We recommend 2” of truwall foam covered with ¼” meranti plywood, the bonus is that when the insulating is finished , you have a comfortable finished usable room. Great for kids or it can be further finished into a Home theatre or spare bedroom etc.

6. Replacement windows: The advent of the vinyl insert window has made window upgrading very economical and the new windows are so easy to clean, no painting, the advantages are more than just energy savings.

7. Insulation of cold walls: The new foam insulations make it easy to make any room warmer.

8. Electric heat: You heard me right. With the oil prices being what they are it is a good alternative in the shoulder season’s to use electric heat especially if your furnace is more than ten years old. Jamieson Electric [629-1449] is the favorite electrician of the House Doctor and John Cahill [628-6419] is the favorite plumber/ furnace man.

All these upgrades pay for themselves these days. Safer than the stock market and great returns.

How to

Soon as I figure it out I'll post it.

Good Ideas

Get a leaf Blower!
They are the most efficient cleaning tool on a construction site or round the house. Ten times faster than a broom and so o o much easier on the back.

Use Steam!
For inside cleaning a steamer is fantastic, no soap residue, no vile smell and super easy to use. Particularly good on a paint job where soaps can cause fish eyes in the paint.


Make your home a no cell zone, they only add stress and cost a fortune.


Called a Briggs Toilet, particularly good in a small bathroom with no sink room. Get one here for about $100.00 and save water!
http://www.sinkpositive.com/index.html


Foolishness