As my home settles, several of the doors on the first floor do not close properly now. Particularly the door to the garage and the front door. Additionally the pantry doors were damaged by my former roommate and they also don't quite close correctly now. The original damage was done to the pantry door was stripped out of the henge. To fix this I took as many toothpicks as I could and jammed them into the doors stripped holes. Each time breaking off the excess toothpick. Once I did that I was able to reattach the hinges to the door by simply replacing the original screws with wood screws. All I needed was some toothpicks, wood screws, and a drill! I apologize for no photos on this project, but I did it some time ago.
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| The latch to the garage door that was not in alignment |
To repair the latch to the garage door I needed to make sure the door was better aligned. You can use a wood router for this or just a hammer and chisel. First you have to figure out the alignment to lower the female end of the latch. This requires two steps with the chisel. Not only do you need to lower the large opening but also where the metal cover is inlaid. You can repair the area where the metal plate initially sat with some wood filler.
The second problem with the pantry doors I faced was the original latch had worn out. The latch is located at the top of the door and involved a spring and ball mechanism called a Ball Catch. I had originally replaced one, but now both are not working again. You can usually find them easily on line when using the search term "closet door ball catch latch." My next project with the pantry doors will be to repair the damage to the wood caused by the last door latch.
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| The latch above the pantry door |
On to the next project! I also decided to install two ceiling fans upstairs. I'll be honest...I think they are hideous and really am not a fan of ceiling fans aesthetically speaking, but they are very functional. This is especially true for a two story row home. My roommates room is directly of the garage, so keeping it cool in the summer and warm in the winter is a challenge. I also have very large windows in my bedroom facing west so my room heats up shortly before dusk. I'm hoping the fans will help cut down on cooling costs this summer and provide a little more comfort!
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| Master Bedroom Ceiling Fan |
Luckily my home was pre-wired for ceiling fans. All we had to do was figure out the wiring and install. This did take some time and a lot of running up and down from the basement flipping the circuit breaker for safety. If you chose to install one yourself, please use precaution and do not attempt to do it alone. If my home wasn't already wired for a fan I would have hired someone to do it. Each fan has probably unique instructions so follow them carefully. Hopefully this is just an example of how it can be done if it's wired and ready to go.
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| The overhead light before |
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| Basic wires (please turn off the circuit breaker before handling) |
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| Be careful when testing the wires and make sure you don't attempt alone; also they may not color match the same. |
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| Ceiling Fan parts |
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| Might want to put a tarp down if you have trouble leveling and have to remove dry wall. |
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| In progress |
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| Be sure that the fan is level |
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| Blades go on last! |
I'm so glad it will be a lot cooler in my bedroom, and hopefully cut down on energy costs this summer. Cheers!
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