Battery Fire Starter: modern way to start your bonfire

 For centuries man has huddled around fire. In the great outdoors we historically used traditional fire pits encircled with stones and rocks. This has evolved over time to include metal firepits and now even the smokeless firepit famously known as Solostove. 

One thing that hasn’t changed is the struggle to start these fires. The modern man can use a regular lighter or if he is feeling like showing off, revert to a classic striker (flint), his knife, and tinder. 

There is no doubt that starting your outdoor firepit or fire stove can be a challenge. Getting that initial spark is not a problem in modern times but converting that spark to a roaring, warming fire can be. 

That is where science can come in. A fire needs fuel, air, and spark to survive. In an outdoor firepit, the fuel is wood, the spark is usually a modern lighter, and of course- air is all around. However, the challenge is getting the 3 to work together that causes issues. 

This is where the StoveBlo comes to light. Because firepits and bonfires need air, the solution that this modern battery powered air blower (a revised version of the fire bellow), can help you. 

With a small but powerful rechargeable fan, the stoveblo delivers a steady and concentrated shot of hair right to your hottest tenders. While using this rechargeable fan on your bonfire and fire pit, it can be described to heat the coals to a point that burns so hot a single ember can ignite an entire fire within seconds. It can do this with more efficiency than even a propane torch. You might even need sunglasses that the ember can glow so bright. 

Because you do not need a propane or gas powered torch. The stoveblo produces no toxins or fumes and is safe in storage while being light and compact enough to bring on a camping trips and other outdoor excursions. 

Truly, the bonfire hosts best friend, the stove blow is a rechargeable fire bellow that will impress your guests, woo your loved ones, and give you extra time to enjoy the fire, strum your guitar, or pour the drink- all while staying warm. 

Full post on our launch can be seen by visiting Bonfire Tips and Tricks, advice. 

 Baltimore TV Mounting and Installation 

As an installer of tvs in Baltimore, I often get asked many questions and am always happy to give advice and guidance, even to those who are not my customers. 

I’ve installed over 10,000 tvs in the past 13 years, some of my work you have probably seen including tv installations for many commercial clients:

- Fitbit/ Best Buy, Timonium, Maryland: 3 tvs for Fitbit displays

- Maryland State Highway Association, White Marsh, MD: 15 tvs in interstate 95 rest stops

- Katzen Eye Group, Lutherville, Reisterstown, Rosedale: 4 TVs installed for Ray Ban Eye Wear

- Qdoba Mexican Grille Towson, Timonium- remove/ install several tvs.

And many more.

I’ve installed TVs on brick, drywall, tile, over fireplaces, and even on steel!!

Here are some of the questions I often get asked.

Can you install on brick: Yes. Installing a TV on brick can often be some of the most secure tv installations/ mountings that I do. Brick is a hard substance (so is concrete). I typically use my own anchors which are different than the ones that come in the box. Hammer drilling is needed to securely mount a tv on brick or other types of masonry- but these are sometime my strongest tv mounts.

Do you supply mounting hardware: Yes I do. And when I install your tv on a mount that I provide (for an additional fee), I use a specific mount that I choose just for your tv based on the location, stud type, and viewing preferences. 

Can you install in steel studs: Yes. Installing on steel studs requires the use of specialized drill bits to cut through steel. I also use different anchors (just like with masonry- but a different type of anchor) and installing on metal studs can be most common in apartments or high rise building such as those found downtown in Baltimore or the inner harbor. 

Are you licensed: Yes, I am one of only 2 licensed and insured installed in the entire state of Maryland! This is important and you can see more about this here. Importance of licensed tv installs.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out. The best way to contact me is to text me at 410-562-9103. I am capable of installing all TVs including the Samsung Frame!

Baltimore Maryland Home Improvement and Construction Work I do

 

I currently live in Timonium, Maryland but will hopefully be moving to Glen Arm very soon (house under contract, fingers crossed). As a professional home improvement contractor, I have been working in the commercial and residential construction industry literally since I was 10 years old. My father owned a contracting and property management company in Upper Marlboro and I grew up running crews, fixing houses, etc. As soon as I could, I began learning and researching electrical repairs as this segment had always interested me. 

In 2008 while completing my masters degree in construction at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, Maryland- we had to do a final project (called the practicum). For this, I chose to study solar energy and wrote about ways that commercial investment property owners could implement solar energy on their properties while profiting (you can find that here). 

Today, I run 2 home improvement companies, both serving the Baltimore Metro Area.

Baltimore TV Mount: This is a company I formed by accident. In 2008 while working in solar, I was in a training class at a factory. During lunch one session, the instructor explained they had a tv installation section set up (they used to make solar panels in the same factory as tvs). I just bought a tv and had trouble mounting it, so I went to the class and learned the right way to install tvs on various types of walls. Fast forward a few years later- I started a construction tech company after selling the solar company. To make ends meat, I started installing tvs on the side. The tech company never took off but tv mounting did. I enjoy mounting tvs. In fact, because of my experience in home construction in the past and my love for electronics and technology, I enjoy the tough jobs like plaster walls, brick, tile, outdoor, indoor, whatever there is- I really love installing tvs. 

Baltimore Car Charger- this company is touching back on my solar energy installation experience. Electric Vehicle car chargers (EV chargers), are actually a lot like solar inverters. Chargers and solar inverters both install on the wall and tie into your electric breaker box almost in an identical way. Plus mounting car chargers is a lot like mounting tvs. I’ve always loved electric cars- when younger my parents took my to DC in the 90’s to view the college solar car competitions that used to take place. Now I am happy to be a part of the industry and helping fuel the growth of electric cars by installing electric vehicle chargers  in homes. I am would like to get an electric pickup sometime in the soon (torn between Tesla, Rivian, or the Ford F-150 lightning)- but for now, I am getting a BMW i3.

So this is me in a nutshell. I love working on homes, I love new technology.  Whether it is mounting a sharp, samsung, til, or sony tv to your plaster wall in Owings mills, or installing your new Tesla car charger in Cockeysville- I am here to help. 

Home seller —-> home buyer- the advice your house needs.

 Baltimore, Maryland.

We found advice for new home buyers when purchasing a home. Although this daunting task can be one that many homeowners find daunting, there is plenty of advice out here and never a shortage of resources. 

We found a great article on homebuyer and home seller advice and would like to share it with you. This blog is put on by a pre-sale home improvement Contractor that specialized in helping home sellers with inspections repairs. Because of their unique position, they see the houses before you buy them and we think they are best suited to offer advice because of this position. 

Items you might want to consider would be kitchen renovations, bathroom renovation, painting, technology updates (tv mounting, nest thermostats, smart smoke alarms, etc.) These are all things that you can do to customize your new house. You are the homeowner so this is now your castle.

Make sure to have specialty items inspected and develop a plan to keep up with homeowner maintenance, and plan for capital expenditures. Every 30 years, you have to spend $10k on a new roof. Not worried about that now? Just think- when you add in the HVAc, refrigerator, dishwasher, stove, and other major items, this can add to $50 per month in savings needed. 

Every smart homeowner should save now for those costs. This way when they are needed, you can pay for these home improvement updates without dipping into your personal savings. Or. .   When you sell a home, you can handle the home inspection repairs without the same issues that most home sellers face when they go to sell and are shocked by the repairs which were on the horizon, but now are required due to buyer financing, etc. 

Home Sellers have new options when selling a home: help with pre-sale, home inspection repairs.

Baltimore Maryland/ Washington D.C.

When preparing to sell your home, there are several things you can do before and during the home sale process that will help you get maximum returns and reduce your time on market. Often, some contractors like to push for a whole house renovation but Teris Pantazes, co-founder of Baltimore and Washington D.C. Based Settle Rite Pre Sale Home Improvement has advice and warns against this.

For over 30 years, Mr. Pantazes has worked on hundreds of homes that were being sold or being preparing to be put on market. His experience includes working with home sellers, banks, and even municipalities and developing a plan which would help a home move quickly.

“They key is knowing your market” Pantazes states. “Simply taking a shotgun approach and replacing everything in the home is not always the best option, in fact, it can reduce your return on investment and often money is wasted by a contractor who wants to install a high price home improvement product that buyers really don’t want and your realtor doesn’t need”. Pantazes is referring to items that often are high dollar but rarely fetch a return.

A recent study found that the average homebuyer spends between 15 and 25 minutes in a home prior to making a decision. If this is accurate, an item like focusing your funds or finances on a kitchen or bathroom remodel gives the highest return, because those are the items that buyers remember. However, there is a point of diminishing returns as home sellers decide to invest money in their homes and each circumstance is unique. A kitchen or bathroom investment might have a 60% return for some home sellers whereas sealing your driveway might provide none (imagine how many home buyers look at a driveway before making an offer compared to the new countertops you have installed).

Pantazes also highlights the amount of time it takes to renovate an entire home. “When selling a property, as any realtor would attest, time is of the essence and a home seller must hit at the right moment and be ready for negotiation. Realtors don’t want to engage on your property and then wait 2 months for a contractor to do a full renovation or rehab. This holds up the sale”. In fact, in the U.S., most homes are sold in the warmer spring and summer months and if a home seller were to start a renovation in mid-summer, chances are they would loose most of the potential buyers for that home sale season.

In summary, when preparing your home for market, it is much more important to use a professional group that is focused on precision updates that have the highest return, not a shotgun approach of renovate everything. Each property is unique and you want to work with a company like Settle Rite to determine which updates and improvement will get you the most return on your investment and interest buyers to move quickly.

Paying For Home Inspection Repairs

How to pay for Home Inspection repairs

When selling a home in Maryland, Washington D.C., Virginia, or Pennsylvania, a home seller may have to consider a great deal of repair work as a result of home inspections. There are many options to consider, like consulting with Baltimore Handyman website, which is arranged like a Freelance site for contractors, you can call a contractor directly, like Baltimore Handyman and TV Mount,  or you can use other sites like Angie's List, or Craigslist.

However, matter who you use, it has to be taken into consideration of how to pay for the repairs. That is why we are interested in the home repair payment organization, Settle Rite. You can't put repair costs on your credit card, you can't finance them, if you are going to purchase a new home, these are not options because you will be seeking a new home purchase.

Inspection repairs can be costly, imagine a week before settlement having to replace your HVAC system or installing all new smoke detectors. This is enough to make any home seller or realtor nervous, and should be researched fully.

This happened in baltimore last year when home seller was told to replace several outlets, and other home inspection repairs. They did not have the money to pay for them and their bank, said no more debt. This was a problem and their realtor turned to local handyman group. They were able to obtain the best contractor and finance for their pre-settlement home inspection repairs.

Thanks for reaching out- we are based in Washington D.C. and are here to help.


As you are likely aware, EFynch often works with Agents from Long & Foster and other Realtor groups. In doing this, we have launched Settle Rite by EFynch. Settle Rite helps homeowners prepare their homes for market and perform Home Inspection Repairs as Settlement approaches. The benefit of a home seller using Settle Rite is that in most cases, we can defer payments until closing so you can obtain home and inspection repairs immediately, but not have to pay until closing. There are no credit checks or marks on your credit so our services will not effect your ability to get a new mortgage when upgrading to a new home.

Looking for more information on pre-sale home improvement services: There is a website for that! Maryland Pre-Sale Home Improvement is a blog and information site that caters to this group- we recommend you check them out!

Baltimore and Washington DC handyman

Baltimore and Washington D.C Handyman reviews are something that is hard to come by. When you are a home owner or buyer looking for a new roof, a handyman sometimes will not make the final cut. You need a good roofer. 

However, if you have a problem with plumbing, installing a TV, or other handyman/ home improvment in Balitmore.

The roofer may not be the best choice.

It is important for you to do the due diligence. A home is your largest investment and you cannot just choose any regular contractor. Roofing is a specialty and  homeowner must pay particular attention. 

We want to give you the best advice. As a handyman, I wouldn't try to do a roof- my best jobs are done on the ground or in the house (i.e. tv mounting, painting, drywall, sink install, etc.).

Let me know when you need help on that, otherwise, forget the handyman and contact a good (or the best) quality contractor/ roofer.

Thank you,

Baltimore Handyman Group