The hot water that comes out of your taps may be more of a danger than you realize. It all comes down to avoiding excess temperature, but one specific piece of hardware let’s you do something about it. Dangers of…
Canada’s Handiest Man, Steve Maxwell, has compiled a top 10 list of ways to reduce your home’s energy consumption and be more green.
In this week’s two-video episode see how stairs are supported on notched pieces called “stringers”; determine how many treads you need for a given stair installation; accurately mark a stringer for cutting; take a video tour of a cherry stair railing.
a circular saw and handsaw are used for cutting the stringers you’ve marked
the second video below shows how to build a fancy staircase railing
Anyone can put “licensed and insured” on a business card. When the furnace is down in January, most homeowners take those words on faith, and the unqualified operators in the trade are counting on exactly that. Homeowners across Canada can…
Older Toronto homes have plenty of character, but their pipes haven’t been touched in decades. Plumbing companies in Toronto deal with this every day, yet finding one that’s actually licensed, shows up fast, and won’t charge you double for a…
When a house stops working, the reflex is to add on. More square footage, out the back or up a storey. Additions have their place, but they are the most expensive answer to the question, and they are rarely the…
A few years ago I visited one of the largest, most advanced sawmills in North America, and I came away with something unexpected. This massive facility pumps out enough 2x4s and 2x6s to frame 15,000 homes each year, but it…
Steve Maxwell, Canada’s Handiest Man, lays out three steps to successful window renovations.
You’ll be amazed at the stunning countertops that can be made with concrete. Steve Maxwell offers key points to consider when putting one in your kitchen.
If you spend your weekends building a cozy cabin, finishing a basement, or keeping backyard chickens, you already know that a hands-on approach to home maintenance means paying attention to the small stuff before it becomes a big problem. Tiny…
Steve Maxwell explains the importance of how homeowners handle unforeseen problems as they emerge in the home, especially in relation to time.
Winter is the season when people in cold regions rely most on home insulation. That’s because winter presents the greatest insulation needs – both physically and financially. The thing is, you have to think correctly about insulation in the off-season…