Yet another handyman project for this Spanish modern home in Coto De Caza.  This time we installed a custom, multi-piece, mosaic art design in the pool house. The interiors were finished with a spanish style plaster finish which meant that this took a lot of careful planning and layout. We installed ledger boards to the wall so that we could, ultimately, move a piece left or right a few inches to achieve the desired look without having to relocated any anchor points.  Our client was over the moon happy with placement and install.  I'm sure they'll be enjoying it more over the coming weeks and the end of summer.

We completed a few handyman projects for a Spanish modern designed home in Coto De Caza.  To start, we removed the existing sconces at the front door and had the painters touch up under the existing rusted fixtures.  We then made a template of the handmade rod iron light fixtures in preparation to secure to the side of the home.  We drilled and installed 4 concrete anchors for each of the 125lb. fixtures.  We built a support to hold the weight of the fixture while we secured it to the wall.  Next, we hung a custom rod iron light fixture over the relocated table next to the pool house.  All in all, it was a good day in Trabuco Canyon.

We recently installed this Aquasure Water Softening system along with replacing the water pressure reducing valve and the upgrading the existing gate valve to a ball valve.  This means that the homeowner will be able to shut their own water off again in the event of an emergency.  This Foothill Ranch plumbing project was done in a single day.

As many of you know, we have incredibly hard water here in Southern California.  Some of the hardest in the nation.  Installing a water softening system, such as this, can provide huge improvements in the overall quality of your water.  It can eliminate spotting on your glass, on your dish ware, and even mineral build up on your faucets and fixtures around the house.   On almost every remodel project, we always try to suggest installing a filtration and/or softening system.  The results are ALWAYS worth it.  In fact, most of our clients will tell us that they don’t know why they ever waited so long to install one to begin with.

If you ever have questions or would like a quote to install one in your home, please feel free to call or text: 949-394-6560 or email us at: [email protected]

Products Installed:
Navien NPE-240a2 tankless water heater
MOEN FLO 900-001 Smart Water Monitor and shutoff valve
Halo5 1” Whole home filtration system

Ya know, usually I take so much better pictures along the way.  Unfortunately, this was not a day where I even came close to having time to do so.  I was contacted by a family of 6 asking questions about whether they should consider upgrading from their 40gal electric tank water heater to a tankless.  With two newly minted teenagers in their midst, their old heater was just not handling their water needs any longer. 

We started this Lake Forest plumbing project at 7am having done a few hours of planning everything out, the day prior. We had to run a new gas line along the exterior of the home to feed the new unit.  Once that was in place, we opened up the existing wall and tied into the infeed and out feed for the existing plumbing (in the wall with the clearly new drywall).  We positioned everything to the best of our ability and started to plumb in the water supply to the new MOEN FLO smart water shutoff system (not visible). This system allows them to monitor their usage on a minute by minute basis.  Additionally, it learns your water usage habits and will indicate any abnormalities going so far as to shut the water flow off entirely in the event of a leak.  Lastly, this unit will conduct pressure leak tests every night while you’re asleep.  It shuts the water off to the home and measures for any perceivable pressure loss which would indicate a leak.  If everything passes muster, it opens back up and you’re good to go.  This tool is truly invaluable and some insurance agencies will even offer a discount on your homeowners policy as a result of installation. What a cheap price for peace of mind.

After we installed the MOEN shutoff valve, we plumbed in a HALO5 1” 1,000,000 gallon water filtration system.  This unit is designed to eliminate chlorines, fluorides, and hard minerals in the incoming water.  (Side note: The MOEN FLO system will email you every week and show you your household water consumption.  This particular home is averaging about 1,000gal/wk and as a result, the filter shouldn’t have to be replaced for approximately 20 years according to Halo)  Then the water exits the filtration system and goes on to feed the tankless water heater and the remainder of the home. 

Next up, we installed a Navien NPE-240a2.  This is a premium level tankless water heater with all stainless steel internals, industry leading start up times, and can support an endless flow of hot water.  This system also uses a forced air exhaust system which means we can direct vent out the side of the home which was ideal in this case.  We also plumbed in a fresh air vent for incoming air as well. 

As you can probably imagine, this was a lot for one day.  It took us about 14hrs (7a-9p) in total but we finished up just in time for the homeowners family to be able to shower and get ready for bed.  In following up with them, the parents have explained how grateful they are for the tankless water heater.  They can run laundry, the dishwasher, and multiple showers at the same time without any issues or loss of hot water.  

If you have any questions about going tankless in your home, please feel free to reach out.  Going tankless is an investment and you should always carefully weigh your options.  At Lake Forest Handyman we are here to help educate our customers on what might be best for their home.  Feel free to call or text 949-394-6560 or email us at [email protected]

Here are some projects I have worked on in my spare time.  Cutting boards, epoxy crafts, fire tables, you name it.

I was contacted, post toilet paper scare of 2020, to install a bidet in every bathroom in a new home in Irvine's Great Park neighborhood.  We had to run power around the corner of the bathroom behind the vanity.  A few days, 25 drywall patches, and some touch up paint later, I present to you, 5 new bidets.

This is the longest and largest project we've done to date from an incredibly unexpected client.  I used to work for a coffee house and the owner of this property was my DM at the time.  Fast forward almost 15 years and I get a call one day and I still have his number stored in my phone.  We were both shocked.  What started as a simple request to move the fridge back a few inches in an effort to make everything more accessible for his daughter in a wheel chair, turned into this huge project that really showed what we're capable of accomplishing.  I couldn't be more proud of this project in its entirety.

This wet bar got a much deserved upgrade from its old mirrored self.  We started by pulling out the existing mirrors and shelving.  We also removed the header so that the ceiling was continuous.  We added two new downlights and replaced the existing bar sink. Then we custom built stain grade cabinets, floating shelves, a wine bottle rack, and a wine glass holder!  We don't get to work with stain grade materials a lot so this was super fun!

This was one of the hardest projects I've ever had to do on my own.  We were asked about whether we could refinish this Brazilian walnut butcher block island, add an apron sink, and install a new faucet.  The challenge was that it was a split sink with the faucet hole overlapping the sink.  There was no way for me to install an apron sink as the cutout for the existing sink was too deep. 

We searched for months to find a sink that would work and finally settled on a single basin cast iron sink THAT WEIGHED 150lbs.  I very carefully removed the existing sinks and templated the cut out for the new sink.  The level of precision that was required was unreal.  There was no fixing a mistake made here.  I refinished the countertops by sanding down to fresh wood using the Festool Rotex(this tool is worth it's weight in gold), then I installed the new sink using a pully system from above while putting supports underneath.  Next, I applied some Boo's conditioner and mystery oil which is 100% food safe followed by a new bridge faucet.  Our client got a brand new island!

This bathroom remodel was done for a close friend.  She did a great job picking out cohesive fixtures, tile, and accessories.  This bathroom tested my ability to be as precise as possible since the vanity only had 1/16" of space to slide into place once I tiled the shower pony wall.  One of the best parts was during demo.  We built a slide on the second story ceiling down to the dump trailer below and just threw things out of the window.  The finished project is one of my favorite remodels to date.