Newspaper Page Text
Home & Garden
Sunday, September 30,1984
YARD
SCAPES
For Rose and R.B. Shelton, yard work is a weekly activity to keep homestead looking its best
Hard work can make your yard a showcase
By Chuck Thompson
Th« Sunday Nawt
Whether it’s their majestic col
umns, beautiful brick work or a mix
of colors which catches your eye,
houses can attract attention all by
themselves.
The same, however, holds true for
well-manicured yards.
For years, Rose and B.R. Shelton
have kept their yard looking like
those commonly featured in house
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Rock waterfall was used in the den at one time
Tile job is easy when you know the score
When we get through with the first question, you’ll be a
regular cutup. You’ll see what we mean.
Q: I want to tQe the wall in a powder room Tm adding
to our home, using glazed ceramic tiles. I read a book
that had pretty good instructions but didn’t mention bow
you’d go about cutting the tiles to fit akmg the ends of the
walls where there isn’t room for a whole tile. Any tips?
A: It’s a snap. In fact, one way to cut is to score tbe
surface and then snap the tile along the scored line just
as you would if you were cutting glass. You can use a
glass cutter but most of the good retail tile places will
have tile cutters you can rent. They bold the tile in place
while you pull a handle with a cutter wheel across to
score. The tile cutter has an angle gauge so you get the
exact cut you need. After it’s scored, you position tbe
handle right at the edge and then pull the handle down.
The tile snaps along the scored line. The best marker on
ceramic tiles is a fine, felt-tipped pen. Make your mark
on tbe face of the tile.
You can also cut the tiles with a saw. A carbide-tipped
hacksaw blade works well. A rod saw works even better
if there are curves to be cut, as around a pipe coming out
of the wall or floor. Wear your safety goggles you’re
creating very gritty sawdust.
Tile nippers also can be used when a curved cut is
needed. They resemble wire cutters and chew off small
bites of the tile. I have even used regular pliers and other
cutters for this.
You can also use carbide-tipped or masonry drill bits to
drill small holes which can be enlarged if need be. It’s a
and garden magazines.
And, like the finest of houses, its
extraordinary character seems to
reach out and grab the attention of
motorists passing by on Georgia 20
west.
The most outstanding feature of the
Shelton’s yard is a water fountain
built some 25 years ago.
With assistance from her oldest
son, Mrs. Shelton says she dug the
fountain by hand, poured the cement
and painted it.
good idea to take a nail and tap it at the point where you
wish to drill to just scar the glaze. This gives you a
starting place for your drill bit. A slow drill speed is best,
so a variable-speed drill is helpful.
Q: Why is there any need for the vapor barrier on the
Insulation that is wrapped around the beating and air
comfttionhig ducts in my attic? It has been damaged in
places, and the previous owner apparently tore it off. Do
I need to replace it?
A: There is a need for vapor barrier to prevent
condensation during air conditioning season. The cold
duct would cause moist air to condense. This would
lessen die insulating qualities of the wrap and also might
damage other things in the area. If your home is very old,
it may have inadequate duct wrap anyway and additio
nal insulation could be worth adding. The minimum
should be 3-inch material and many older homes have
only an inch.
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Afterwards, she purchased about 20
goldfish, which lived in the fountain
for several years.
Other features of the yard include a
27-year-old water oak which stands
about five feet tall.
Mrs. Shelton has continuously
trimmed the tree, which now resem
bles miniature trees found in Japan.
Large juniper trees, located on
each side of the yard, are about 25
years old and have endured several
ice storms, which required tying the
limbs to keep them from breaking.
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Al
Carrell
Forsyth County News
Mr. Shelton spent 18 hours painting front door
Behind the Shelton home, at the
rear entrance, you’ll find a man
made waterfall which occupied space
in the couple’s den for some 13 years.
Eventually, Mrs. Shelton says she
grew tired of the waterfall and moved
it to the outside.
Also at the rear of the home is a
large outside bell.
Mrs. Shelton says her grandparents
had a similar bell which she liked, but
that finding one for herself was diffi
cult.
After searching for quite some
Q: I have some bricks on my chimney that are sort of
flaking off. Is this a bad sign?
A: It’s a sign that water is getting into the brick. If you
don’t have a metal chimney cap, consider one. If you
don’t wish to go that route, inspect the top of the
chimney. It should have a bed of mortar covering the
entire top. This should be mounded up so it slopes away
from the chimney opening on all sides. This will prevent
water from soaking down into the bricks. This is an easy
do-it-yourself task but the metal cap would be better.
This step also would keep birds and rodents out and help
to avoid downdrafts.
I would also suggest you replace really bad bricks.
Then put a masonry sealer over the entire exterior of the
chimney. The sealer will not change the look of the brick.
Apply the sealer only when the bricks have had plenty of
time to dry out.
Dear Al: Thanks to the encouragement I got from your
column, I put in a disappearing stairway in the hallway
of our home. It turned out to be a very good installation.
However, my wife didn’t like the looks of the pull cord
hanging down. She said it made the stairway too obvious.
I solved the problem by removing the cord and installing
an eye hook in the trap door. It’s painted the same color
as the ceiling and doesn’t show up. To use the stairs, I
rigged a broom handle with a cup hook in the end. It stays
in tbe hall closet and can hook the eye to pull down the
stairs. G.B.
time, she eventually found the bell
she wanted in Cleveland, Tenn.
For homeowners wishing to keep
their yards in top shape, Mrs. Shelton
recommends spending a considerable
amount of time on maintenance.
“It’s something you have to stay
with and do on a weekly basis,” she
says, noting that she and her husband
spend about six hours per week on
their yard.
Yard maintenance at the Shelton
home is usually done on Wednesday
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Small water oak is some 27 years old
and Thursday evenings, or Thursday
and Friday evenings, so that Satur
day will be left open.
Illustrating her desire to have a
beautiful yard, Mrs. Shelton says she
has been accused of “mowing in the
snow.”
Yard maintenance, however, is like
anything else.
It requires dedication to have the
best, and the Sheltons’ yard is a
prime example of the good results
that dedication can produce.
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