Over the last five years I’ve been trying to understand a kind of beauty I see from time to time. It has to do with old brick buildings and I think I have it figured out. The most impressive brick buildings…
QUESTION: What should I do about the fuzzy surface fibers that developed on my deck? In the fall I stripped and pressure washed the wood and now it’s all fuzzy. I’m afraid that when I re-stain in the spring it…
Have you lost some asphalt roof shingles because of wind? Let me show you how to fix that with a job I did on my now house a while back. It’s got a steep roof, so it’s tricky to get up and…
Question: How can we make the floor in our house more soundproof? We live in a log cabin and the upstairs flooring is just one layer of tongue and groove planking on top of beams that forms the ceiling of…
Home generators have never been more popular because people are more concerned than ever about backup electrical power when the grid goes down. What’s easy to miss is that without pre-planning, most generators won’t offer much benefit for outages lasting…
What would it be like if your main reading material was one monthly newspaper? Read Steve’s account of a tiny publication that serves people who choose to live differently in most ways, including the information they choose to take in.
Sick and tired of leaky, clog-prone eavestrough? You might consider a trough-free alternative that Steve has used at his own place. Click to watch it in action.
The stuff you see here is mineral sediment from the bottom of a water heater. Annual flushing of tank-style heaters is essential for getting rid of this building up and extending water heater life. Click to see how.
More than one old-timer I know tells how new carpenters used to be judged on the job by their ability to build a sawhorse. If they could deal successfully with the required angles and joints of a sawhorse, creating something solid and…
Just for fun, here’s a two-minute peek over my shoulder as I use a super-sharp chisel and mallet to create a pocket for a hand-forged hinge for a wooden door I built. This is how all traditional hinges are installed.
Southern Oregon’s Rogue Valley is one of the most beautiful places to call home, but with long, dry summers and cold winter nights, it also puts local HVAC systems to the test. For many homeowners in Medford, Ashland, and Grants…
Are you confused about the correct type of salt to use with your well water softener? That’s understandable. There are different kinds of salts, but without the right knowledge it’s not easy to pick one. This article is all about why…