A one-time construction manager, and always handyman, turned blogger and editor. My wife, Jen, and I are on our 9th property (. . . yes, together). She is a real estate agent. We have two beautiful daughters Evyn and Eva. We recently traded in our now restored 1889 farmhouse in Baltimore's Lauraville area for our next adventure - a 1920s Dutch Colonial in nearby Towson.
Thanks for reading; please comment ... or email anytime [email protected]. You'll find me on Google Plus as +jb bartkowiak & on Instagram as jb_buildingmoxie.
It was cold this weekend in Baltimore. This is important because it was really cold, below freezing during the day for the first time this ... go around. Something about it said,...
To plug my power pack in, which again I needed for my landscape lighting, I had to install a new outlet. Going against specification somewhat, I mounted my pack indoors, in the...
Now that does not mean that every screw is the same. For example, you are not going to (or you shouldn't) take drywall screws and mount decking boards to a deck frame...
I ultimately chose a system from Malibu , which is sold as far as I can tell exclusively at the Home Depot. Now, I know what you are thinking – while my...
A Pfister Pasadena in Pfister’s newest premium finish – Slate. The company says, "Slate is as versatile and stylish as stainless, but more resilient." And I gotta say on first glance I...
I then turned my attention to security bars. But on checking both the Home Depot and Lowe's, not one thing that either place had would have worked. This then meant that I...
It, the Charm City Guide, is a list of resources, suppliers actually, that can be found in and AROUND Baltimore – my hometown. Basically, it was what I came up with after...
They tell us how their "baby" was born, as they say, through “home improving home improving” to writing to video, then (sometimes national) TV appearances. My Fix It Up Life as they...
Whirlpool's White Ice, a new line of appliances, is a transformation of the classic white style to a striking, more contemporary signature design. Finishes are accented with stainless steel, including new elegantly...
Much of the mortar, likely of an inferior grade, had popped out and consequently some of the bricks themselves had compressed. Repairing a small section of a porch foundation, led to repointing...
Central, now, to their latest pro offerings is a new, just-for-pro The Home Depot Pro App. It is available both for the iPhone and for the Android. According to The Home Depot...
But wait, "remove leaves" - and maybe that phrase is just a tab bit ... misleading. I mean - I don't know about you, but when I hear "remove leaves" I think...