In December 2013, relatives of mine in Toronto spent Christmas in a cheap hotel miles from their home because of an ice storm and blackout that lasted as long as two weeks in some areas. Entire neighbourhoods were dark and…
Clothes dryer vents have got to be one of the last things builders consider when they’re putting a house together, and it shows. Take a look behind just about any dryer and you’ll see what I mean. Crumpled flexible ducting…
Steve Maxwell, Canada’s Handiest Man, explains to handy DIY homeowners how to make oiling exterior wood easy and effective.
For those of us living in cold climates, one of the most annoying (and mysterious) problems happens when rooftop plumbing vent pipes get plugged with frost. This is called “ice capping” and the longer the cold spells you get in…
Question: How can I stop my garage door from freezing to the concrete floor when it gets really cold? I live in northern Manitoba and I have this problem when it gets colder than -50ºC some mornings. Sometimes the door…
Watch the video below for tips and tricks on using your pressure washer, including some uses you’ve probably never seen before. More details in the article below. In my experience there are three standard tasks where a pressure washer can’t…
Steve Maxwell, Canada’s Handiest Man, explains four insulation options to ensure your new home or addition is energy efficient.
Aging in place in your own home is a hot topic these days, but the various pieces of information needed to make it happen are rarely found in one place online. That’s because there’s lots to cover – financial, technical…
Reciprocating saws (often called “recip” saws for short) may be the least appreciated mainstream power tool in the world. Invented in 1951 by the Milwaukee tool company and dubbed the Sawzall, advances in blade technology and batteries are helping recip…
Don’t be fooled by tricky language that makes convincing but false claims about energy efficiency. Get the basics of home energy heating efficiency here.
With the help of a friend, my wife and I finished painting the entire interior of our house a while back, and this reminded me again how great modern latex paint is. The last time we did this job was…
Steve Maxwell demonstrates the various features of multi-tools in this video.