If you’ve got drain pipes that aren’t completely protected from frost by sufficient soil, you may have a huge problem waiting to happen. If that sewage line freezes up, it can be well into spring before it defrosts naturally. Click…
Building houses for a cold climate requires things that aren’t immediately obvious. Read on for five essential building strategies for success. A lot of people miss this stuff.
In this video Steve shows how to patch one of the most common types of drywall damage; the screw pop.
Question: How realistic is it to convert a seasonal cottage built in the 1950s into a year-round home? My husband and I live in the city and we’d like to sell our house and take the proceeds to buy a…
Question: How can I make the ceiling above my basement workshop more sound resistant? The joists and wood frame are open and accessible since the ceiling isn’t finished. Way too much sounds comes up into the living area above right…
If you’ve got any kind of hot water heating system in your home, whether it be infloor heating or radiators, let me show you a thermostat control system at my place that I really like. It’s different than most out there…
Choosing paint colors is probably the number#1 challenge faced by people looking to paint their homes, both inside and out. There are so many choices and so many opinions about what looks good that it often leads to indecision and…
When my parents renovated the basement of my boyhood home, they added a bathroom, and it included a bathroom exhaust fan. Even though it was noisy – like all bathroom fans back then – we used it diligently, during and after showers, as…
Question: Can hardwood flooring be installed on concrete? My parents’ house is about 60 years old and the floor is made from a poured concrete slab at ground level. We’ve been told wood can’t be installed on concrete and they…
Question: Should I replace my large, gas-fired tank-style water heater with a tankless model? My wife and I are seniors living in a two-storey, 4 bedroom home and we intend to stay here for at least another 10 years. We’ve…
Wood-looking ceiling planks offer an excellent alternative to the typical drywall and stucco, both for new installations and as a repair strategy for existing, damaged ceilings. As it turns out, the Armstrong ceiling planks you see in the video above…
Cans of spray paint are great, but have you ever wished for something with more power to cover larger areas? Watch the video above and see how I prep metal before painting, and how the new Rust-Oleum Ultimate Turbo paint…