Drywall Anchors: Secrets Revealed!

Whether you’re hanging a picture or mounting a television, anything that goes on your wall needs something to anchor it in place. If there’s a stud in the wall that you can attach it to then you’re fine; you’ve got well-supported wood to drive a screw into which will hold whatever you’re mounting in place. If you can’t find a stud where you need one, though, you could have a problem. That’s where drywall anchors come in.

What Is a Drywall Anchor?

Drywall anchors are small pieces that are slightly larger than the screws you’re using on a project. Depending on the type of anchor you’re using it might be made of plastic or metal, with small fins sticking out from the outside of the anchor body and a hole in the middle that runs the length of the anchor. The anchors go into the wall, then your screw goes into the hole. As you screw it in, the screw digs into the anchor body in much the same way it would with wood to ensure that the screw won’t slip out.

Anchors are designed to provide a tight fit for your screws. As the screw goes in, the anchor is forced to spread out and open up a bit. This pushes the body of the anchor against the sides of the hole you put it in, causing those little fins to dig into the surrounding drywall. The fins are positioned to go in easy but resist coming out, giving you a solid mounting even though there isn’t any wood or other solid material for your screws to secure to.

Plastic Anchors

There are multiple types of drywall anchors. Choosing the right one for the job you’re working on helps to reduce unnecessary damage to your drywall and ensures that the mounting is strong enough for the load it needs to bear. To ensure that you have the right drywall anchor for what you need to support, try to get an estimate of the weight of the load and check the packaging of different drywall anchors to find an anchor that can hold that much weight.

If you have a relatively light load, you’ll probably need a plastic anchor. The most common of these are known as expansion anchors and are essentially plastic sleeves that you hammer into a drilled hole and that simply spread out as you insert a screw. There are also threaded plastic anchors that look like oversized screws; they work similarly, except you screw them into place instead of hammering them. Regardless of the type of plastic anchor you use, the purpose is still to dig into the drywall and hold a screw in place.

Metal Anchors

For heavier loads you’ll likely wind up with a metal anchor. Though you may see some threaded metal anchors, the most common metal anchors are known as molly bolts and feature a metal sleeve with a screw already inserted into them. You hammer these into place as you would with an expansion anchor, then remove the screw. Once you’re ready to mount you place the screw back into the anchor and start tightening; this causes a portion of the metal sleeve to pull toward the screw, expanding metal arms on the other side of the drywall to create a much more secure fitting.

If you have an even heavier load, you’ll need to use a toggle bolt instead. These anchors consist of a metal bolt with foldable metal wings that the bolt screws into. You have to fold the wings so that they lie over the bolt, then insert them into a hole large enough that they can fit through to the other side. Once on the other side the wings will expand, preventing the bolt from coming back out. Make sure that there is a washer or something else that’s large enough to cover the hole, though, or the bolt head could slip through the hole and you’ll lose your toggle bolt into the wall.

When Drywall Anchors Fail

In most cases, if a drywall anchor fails then it simply wasn’t the right type of anchor for the job. Trying to use smaller or weaker anchors for heavier loads will often result in failure because they simply don’t achieve enough grip on the surrounding material to hold the load. In some cases, though, the drywall itself may be too weak or the anchor you use may have been intended for a different material. Be sure to match the anchor to the weight and the material to minimize your chances of anchor failure.

Are you still having problems finding the right drywall anchors to meet your needs? Don’t risk your photos or collectables… the HomeKeepr community is here to help with any issues you might have. Find the answers you need or locate a pro who can get everything secured safely in record time. Best of all, they all come recommended by other members of the community so you won’t have to worry about hard-to-trust reviews again!

Older homeowners are spending big on home improvements

Older homeowners are spending big on home improvements: Home improvement spending continues to trend upward, with the latest data from Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies putting the aggregate total at a new high of $424 billion. The home improvement sector can thank the Baby Boomers for that, as research shows older homeowners are spending big on home renovations and aren't expected to slow down anytime soon.

Inventory growth is now outpacing sales in buyer-friendly housing markets

Inventory growth is now outpacing sales in buyer-friendly housing markets: Spring home-buying season is officially here, and an abundance of inventory has entered the housing market. As more and more homeowners list their homes for sale, new data from Realtor.com suggests the market is shifting further in the favor of homebuyers.

April’s construction spending drops 1.2% from last year

April’s construction spending drops 1.2% from last year: The U.S. Census Bureau announced that construction spending during April 2019 was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1.3 trillion. Although April’s rate is nearly the same as March’s, the organization revealed April’s spending is 1.2% below the April 2018 estimate.

5 Tips for Finishing Your Basement

More people are choosing to stay in their existing home, expanding into unused space rather than going through the trouble of selling and buying again. If you’re in the same position, it might make sense to expand your living space by finishing your basement. The good news is that since the structure is already there, a basement remodel can be accomplished by a homeowner with limited construction knowledge.

Serious Considerations Before Starting Your Finishing Project

Basements are interesting spaces because at least some part of them are underground, holding back tons of soil and rocks. The fact that they don’t collapse inward is a testament to the engineering involved. Even though the basement concept is brilliantly designed, depending on the age of your home, other issues can quickly turn your project into a gaping hole for money to disappear into.

Before you even start picking out materials, check that the moisture level is low enough to not ruin the materials you’re going to be using. Make a rough check for both seeping water from walls and humidity inside the basement with 24 inch by 24 inch squares of heavy clear plastic sheeting. Tape them to the walls in random spots, then wait two weeks. If there’s water between the plastic and the wall, you’ve got an unsealed foundation. If the water is only on top in the form of condensation, you need a dehumidifier stat.

If there’s either kind of moisture present, you’ll also want to choose materials that can tolerate some amount of exposure to water, just in case your sealing and dehumidifying fail you.

1… 2….3…. GO!

It’s time to get that remodel started. Don’t get too far ahead of yourself, though. Keep these five tips in mind as you go through the process.

1. It takes the time it takes. It may seem like your basement remodel is dragging on and on, but remember that you’re creating an entirely new livable floor in your home. This is no small thing. Take your time, don’t cut any corners or else you’ll find yourself fixing those things you thought were unnecessary the first go. Remember that excellent prep work is where you’ll spend most of your time during any construction job.
2. Check for and clean up damage first. Bugs, rot and mold are all enemies of good basement remodels. Sure, you can cover them up, but that means that you’re covering up ongoing damage. You need to get a pest inspector out, they can help you determine if there are bugs or rot. Mildew and mold are more apparent, most aren’t dangerous, but they do indicate active moisture issues. Regardless of the issue, you need to fix it now.
3. Remember that your furnace needs to breathe. Furnaces and water heaters need plenty of room air in order to properly combust to generate heat. Even though electric furnaces and water heaters don’t necessarily need oxygen, they definitely need space so home pros can get around them to work. When you plan your new basement layout, keep this in mind. Adding a door with a vent to a utility closet will also help with those gas appliances.
4. Create trapdoors for access. Once all those utilities are sealed behind the wall and inside the ceiling, you can’t get to them without causing major damage. This is why it’s so important that you keep shutoffs, important electrical junctions and other utility access points accessible. You can make these access doors blend into the design of your basement or make them extremely obvious, depending on what works best for you.
5. Plan for the worst. Your basement is dry and has never been wet, but with record setting rains in many areas of the country, it’s a good idea to use materials that can survive minor flooding. Instead of using laminated plank flooring, for example, choose tile because it doesn’t matter if it does flood. If you have room for an emergency sump pump, have one installed to protect your investment.

When you’re planning to refinish your basement, there are lots of things to keep in mind. Check and double check your plans, just to be sure that they’ll work well with the space you have to use. It’s a huge job, but if you’re well-organized and patient, it should be no problem at all.

Tired of Waiting for Your Basement to Finish Itself?

Check out your HomeKeepr network, it’s full of home pros that do remodeling and finishing jobs all the time. Your Realtor can recommend their favorite home pros to you through the app, speeding up the process of trying to figure out what home pro is the best match for your project. Reviews have nothing on recommendations, come on by the HomeKeepr community today for the pros you need.

What is the market like?

Sales of new homes drop 6.9% in April from March's 11-year high

Sales of new homes drop 6.9% in April from March's 11-year high: Sales of new houses dropped in April from an 11-year high in March, according to a report from the Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. New-house sales fell 6.9% to a 673,000 annualized pace last month from March’s upwardly revised rate of 723,000. Even with the decline, April’s level sits 7% higher than a year ago.

FSBO? Are You REALLY Ready to Sell Your Home Yourself?

Everybody likes the idea of a little DIY. Whether that means unclogging your own sink drain or putting in a few shelves in your pantry, there’s a lot of satisfaction that goes along with doing it yourself. Maybe this is why homeowners often seriously consider selling their homes on their own. Although going FSBO has the potential to save a few bucks, there’s a lot to know before jumping in.

What is a FSBO?

In real estate agent speak, “Fiz-Bows” are homes that are being sold and marketed by their owners; it’s short for For Sale By Owner. These sellers may negotiate with Buyer’s Agents to sell their house, but more often negotiate with the buyer directly. This buyer is either someone that the seller knows or it’s a complete stranger who called off of some kind of advertising for the home in question.

As you might imagine, this situation is just peachy until it’s not.

A Few Points to Ponder Before Going FSBO

The decision to sell your home yourself is not one that you should make lightly. There are a lot of things that must be done in order to execute a real estate contract and even seasoned real estate agents sometimes make serious mistakes. So, before you take the leap, keep these items in mind (just for starters):

Real estate agents carry errors and omissions insurance for a reason. There is no perfect contract and the more complicated they get, the higher the risk of something being accidentally recorded incorrectly. When that mistake is a high dollar issue, E&O kicks in to help resolve it. Generally speaking, if you’re selling your own home by yourself, your errors and omissions are on you.

Marketing matters. Even in a seller’s market, it’s fairly unlikely that plopping a “For Sale” sign on your lawn will attract the right buyers. Sure, you might get the neighbors popping by for a look, but they’re really just comparing their home to yours, they’re not generally serious buyers. This is going to be one of your biggest expenses, and marketing doesn’t come cheap.

You can’t just list your home on one site, you need to be putting your marketing where the people are — that means social media, local FSBO sites, the MLS (if you can access it where you live) and other outlets. This is where knowing your audience (your buyers) is really important. It’ll help you narrow your focus so you don’t spend as much on marketing as you could if you took a scattershot approach.

Contracts. You can’t sell a house with a handshake agreement. Well, you CAN in most states, but it’s not advised. Makes it real hard for the bank to finance and so forth. First thing’s first, do you have a contract you can use or a lawyer who will draft one for you? Any existing contracts should be checked over by a real estate attorney to ensure that you are protected.

Handling Offers. We all expect that contracts will come in at full price and also include nice notes about how our kitchen is amazing and the buyer can already smell the bubble bath in the master suite. That’s not always reality, though. What will you do when an offer comes in that’s insultingly low? The emotional weight can be massive. Most of the time, these things go off without a hitch, but there are some trouble contracts here and there. Are you confident enough to stake your equity on this gamble?

There’s nothing wrong with selling your house yourself, but if you choose to do this, you have to realize that it’s a huge commitment, as well as essentially being a second job. You have to be ready to show your house any time a potential buyer appears. You need to monitor the market so you can see when a price change is going to be necessary. Most importantly, you have to know how to respond when there’s a problem.

There Are No Perfect Houses

Anybody can sell a house that’s perfect. There’s no question about it. But in the real world, all homes have some kind of flaw. They’re structures made of thousands of different parts, after all. That one knotty stud with the bent nail under the drywall makes your house totally unique, even when compared with other homes that are the same floor plan.

The thing with all this uniqueness is that when a home inspector comes to inspect the home, they’re likely to find something wrong. As an owner, not having a lot of experience looking at inspection reports, you may think you’re being unfairly attacked or just feel generally insulted by the findings. After all, you wired up that outlet or plumbed that tub yourself.

If you can see your home the way your buyer does, you may have the stomach for selling it yourself. You have to be fair-minded, otherwise everything will blow up during the inspection period, if you make it that far.

Looking For A Pre-Inspection For Your FSBO?

Look no further than your HomeKeepr family. With a click of a mouse, you can be connected to some of the best home pros in your area. HomeKeepr users know that recommendations are far better than reviews. Check it out right now! It’s free to join and you’ll get all the benefits of membership.