Harry Helmet Home Improvement & DIY Blog

When you’re considering a new roof, look at your home as a system. Your roof is leaking, and it’s not just having minor problems. You know that you’re looking at a roof replacement. When you need to replace your roof, what are your options?  Think …

How can you make sure that your roof lasts for a long time? Is it time to replace your roof? Is it time to repair it? You might feel like your roof is nearing the end of its life. When a roof is between 20 to 30 years old, it generally starts to fail. …

Your old roof is looking well-worn, and it’s time to stop patching up the hole and invest in a new roof. However, as you look at a roof replacement, what do you need to consider? Asking your contractor the right questions can make you more informed and …

One day, it dawns on you: the new roof that you put on all of those years ago is not looking so new anymore. In fact, storms and sunshine have left their mark on it, and you start to wonder if you need to look into replacing your roof. How can you tell …

Should you be worried about a little bit of damage to your roof?  When should you worry about your roof? Is that damage it sustained in the recent windstorm something to be concerned about, or can you wait until the summer to do some patching? Her …

There are many styles of roof – what shingles suit yours?  When you’re considering a roof replacement, you probably have a lot of questions. This is not a small, inexpensive fix to your home. It’s the replacement of a very important part of your h …

The pitch of your roof determines the shingles that are easily visible from the street. Drip, drip, drip: you need a new roof, or at least a shingle repair. If you’re considering a roof replacement, you need to understand your shingles. What kinds of r …

Adding more gutter holders, hangers, or brackets can help you maintain a strong gutter system. Do your gutters need a workout program? If they are leaking, sagging, and warped, you need to remedy the situation before those gutters turn your home and ya …

Where should your water go?  Do you need a new drain for your home? The gutters that you have around your home provide the service of moving water away from your foundation. However, if your water doesn’t end up in a good place, then all of that w …

Your roof protects your home. Make sure that it can do its job.  Is there a pitfall in your roofing plan? When you’re planning your new roof, you want to find a roof that will last for many years. However, if you don’t go about your estimates prop …

How does water movement impact your gutters? As you debate how to install gutters on your home, you need to consider more than the home and the gutters themselves. The key to successful gutter installation is also an understanding of how water act …

You’ve been waiting a long time for this moment.  You wake up in the morning, and you’re beyond excited: today is the day that you install your own gutters. You’re up for the task, you’ve done your reading on how to install gutters, and you’ve got …

Cracked and broken shingles can spell trouble for your roof and your home drainage system as a whole. You want new gutters, but is your home prepared? While it might seem strange that you need to prepare your home for new gutters, you want your gutters …

Have you chosen the right gutters for your home?  You have your gutters, and you’re staring at them with a wary eye. What happens next? Ideally, your preparation for gutter installation begins long before you and your gutters are having a standoff …

When and how should you prune your garden?  Is your garden looking wilder than you would like? If your trees and shrubs are growing out of control, some pruning could be in order. What are the benefits of pruning? What are the best pruning to …

Getting a gutter guard can remove this chore from your regular to-do list. Is your home landscaping easy to manage, or do you find that maintenance takes up a lot of your time? If it’s the latter, then your tools could need an upgrade. By using the rig …

Mulch is a key tool to help prevent water loss from your garden. What tools do you need to manage water in your garden? While you might imagine a toolshed full of useful implements to assist you in your quest to save water, many of these water-saving t …

Maintain your home with low-maintenance plants that withstand all kinds of weather. How can you maintain your house so that it looks its best and feels like a home, not a chore? Strategies vary from season to season. You know that you don’t want to fee …

If your garden is a little too hot and sunny, what can you do?  It’s a hot day, followed by another hot day. You get the idea: it’s summer in your garden, and the heat just doesn’t let up. If you love plants but your plants don’t love the heat, wh …

Forget about your garden woes: you can turn your dry garden into a pleasant and bountiful space. It’s the dry time of the year. It’s the time when no matter how much you water, your plants always look parched. Your rain barrel is running low, and you’r …

How can you enjoy your home and garden as you age?  We’re all aging, and that means that eventually, the question will come up: do you want to be able to stay in your home? For some, the answer is simple and so is the solution. They might own a ra …

Think about the color and washability of your furniture when you have children in the home.  Having children live in your home or having grandchildren visit can be a delight, but it is also something to plan for and consider in your home and garde …

Water is important to your garden, but you can have too much of a good thing.  If you feel like you’re swimming through your garden or that you’re actually living in a swamp, you could have problems with water in your garden. The squish, squash of …

Having some shade in your garden can help you diversify what you plant.  While having a little bit of shade in your garden can be a boon on hot summer days, what can you do if your garden is all shade all of the time? This frustrating situation ha …

Farmers and gardeners have long used terraces to manage steep slopes. You have the perfect home in the perfect location: the only problem is that your yard is too steep. When you purchased the home, you might have thought the slope wouldn’t be a proble …

Plan your flower beds carefully. Ensure shade-loving plants are not in direct sunlight.  It’s so hot. What can you do on the days when your garden seems like the last place that you want to be? You can make outdoor living more pleasant in the summ …

Do you believe these common gutter myths?  What do you really think about gutters? If you’re like many people, your gutters only cross your mind when you hear dripping – or the torrential downpour of water flooding your balcony or patio due to gut …

Would you like a glorious garden? Use annuals to add seasonal interest. Do you want the best garden on the block? Perhaps you’re not that ambitious, but you would like to have a garden that you love through all the seasons of the year. How can you have …

Create an outdoor room with your awning.  It’s hot outside, and you roll out your awning to provide some shade as the day turns into evening and your friends come over to visit. You draw out your patio chairs and enjoy dinner on your deck. Later i …

You have fall leaves. What are you going to do with them? When the leaves are falling in abundance, what can do with all of them? In addition to getting the leaf blower and rake involved and packing them away, you can actually use a lot of these fall l …