home maintenance

Hot Tub Maintenance

It was time to drain and replace the water and filters in my outdoor Jacuzzi tub so that was the chore this past weekend. I keep the hot tub running year-round, even during the winter, so it is important to keep it in top shape at all times. Nothing like sitting in there and having frosty, icy hair.

Driveway Refurbish

I had a tar-and-chip driveway that was installed over 9 years ago. It was showing its age, and I’ve lost my constant battle with weeds that seem to find a way to grow back in sections every year. So today, I had a new one installed.

It started with the crew from Keystone Tar & Chip Paving first removing all visible vegetation, re-defining the edges along the lawn, leveling and grading the entire length of the driveway, then compacting the graded surface using a 5-ton vibratory combo set of rollers. They then applied a vegetation preventative on the compacted surface, and proceeded with the main job: two individual layers of chip seal consisting of first, hot liquid asphalt (or tar) at the rate of 1/2 gallon per square yard, followed by crushed limestone gravel (or chips) at the rate of 1 ton per 500 square feet. After each coating, the 5-ton vibratory combo rollers went over the newly applied layer for further compaction while workers manually fine-raked and brushed for an even surface. All these in about 5 hours.

They also gave me tips on what herbicides to use to prevent weed growth, and further enjoy the new driveway for at least the next decade.

Buff, Polish, Shine

It’s that time of year: a total clean up treatment of my concrete floor. First, a buff with the Oreck orbiter. followed by a thorough vacuum, and finally, 2 coats of Zep’s High Traffic Floor Polish. For that shiny, glass-like finish!