">HomeOwnerNut

Despite warnings about catastrophic injuries caused by the intersection of homeowners with power tools, I continue to find stories in the news about nail gun injuries. I blogged about his once before, but people continue to toy around with high-powered nailers that fire projectiles with the explosive force of a .22 handgun.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports of about 37,000 emergency room visits a year from victims of nail gun mishaps, some 40 percent to DIY homeowners who don’t work in the construction trades. Even among carpenters, the tools of destruction take their toll. Over a four-year stretch, the CDC says, one out of four apprentice carpenters are in inadvertently nailed; one out of five are injured twice.

Gettin’ nailed

Photo by Wise Brother

For heaven’s sake, the CDC says, take your hand off the trigger! Homeowners should buy nail guns with a full sequential trigger that protects them from rapid fire. Multiple nailers can end up sending a direct message to the brain via your expensive bridge work.

Home improvements, body decrements

Photo by Kaj R. Svensson

Nail guns are great time-saving tools for a range of jobs, from hanging drywall to vinyl siding. Workplace experts, The Occupational Safety & Health Administration, warns against novice use of the multi-shot, dual-action trigger which can be discharged by a simple bump.

Whoa, doggy!

Photo by News.com Australia

Lil’ pooches don’t like being nailed, either. Nails can ricochet when fired into hard surfaces or metal. Shoo away onlookers or anyone else not firing nail guns. Don’t expect nails to lodge into a piece of lumber; many projectiles pass through and keep on going. Fluke accidents, in retrospect, are completely understandable. A great many professional contractors are injured when they bypass tool safety mechanisms, the CDC says.

Be careful! You might just end up with unexpected bling:

Photo by Eplasty

When it comes to creating a one-of-a-kind home, some people have little regard for the emotional well-being of their neighbors. A quick 911 call after hours will handle a neighbor with a blistering stereo system. But what number can you call when your neighbor has a brutally loud paint job?

You’re lucky if you live in a residential conclave where there are homeowners’ association decorating caveats. Not everyone does, however. If you find yourself stuck next to a neighbor who believes that painting their home like a bilious gallbladder is a tasteful thing, you may be really stuck. In this market moving is not so easy.

Hello Kitty, goodbye sanity

Photo by House Logic

In 1960, Shintaro Tsuji created the now-legendary Hello, Kitty line of plastic purses. Today, there are 22,000 products lines in this motif. Let us hope that this is the only such home. I’m not recommending arson, but I’d certainly understand the impulse,

Purple rain, ugly residential pain

Photo by Country Joy Crafts

Several manufacturers make plum colored vinyl siding colors, but you’ve got to get out the buckets and  brushes to create something like this. It reminds me of the artificial color used in grape Popsicles. As I recall, the hue stayed on your tongue for the entire summer.

The sum-of-all-fears motif

Photo by Handiman Club

This theme combines all the elements of a metal roof patina, distressed shutter effects and contrasting flesh-tone paint. Unfortunately, they should never have been combined. Witness the tragic characteristics of a do-it-yourself exterior painting effort done while under the influence.

A bad idea executed to perfection

Photo by Recentering El Pueblo

I love the cottage and pueblo look you find in Arizona and California. I do not like the look that says, “Help, we’re trapped inside by creatures that eat brain cells.”  An appropriate façade for Solano Prison is not necessary an apt exterior for residential Santa Ana. If you can find a door bell, for heaven’s sake don’t ring it!