There are seasons in life when the best moments seem to live behind us — when memories feel closer than the people we miss, and yesterday feels warmer than today. “Better Days” grew out of that space. It’s a simple,…
In this week’s video episode, see how a seasonal cottage property is converted for year-round running water; watch a smart heating cable is installed directly inside a shallow water line; see how
pipe insulation and an outer protective casing is applied to the pipe; learn how more or less heat is applied along the length of the cable, depending on temperature.
Off-grid power technology is getting better quickly in surprising ways, and this means it’s never been easier to enjoy running water and electric power for lighting and small cooking jobs in cabins and lakeside cottages that can’t connect to utility…
Steve Maxwell, Canada’s Handiest Man, discusses the decline of people entering trade jobs in Canada.
I’ve built houses from scratch from foundation to roof peak, and I’ve also managed and worked on a number of older home renovations and restorations. Because of that, I can say with confidence that these two types of projects are…
A couple of years ago, at a community dance, I found myself thinking simultaneously about the soil in our pasture fields and the condition of human relationships — and from that juxtaposition comes an analogy worth exploring: what farm fields…
The BaileyLineRoad.com newsletter has been part of my life — and many readers’ lives — for a long time. The email newsletter has gone out every week without fail since 2007. For all of those years, the newsletter has never…
Back in 2018 I got the chance to try Milwaukee’s then-new 18 volt cordless electric chainsaw. You can see me cutting some hard maple firewood logs using this saw in the video below. I know cordless tool battery technology has…
Power tool technology is the same as every other kind of advancement in the world. New stuff is expensive and exclusive at first, then it gets cheaper and more widely available over time. So what kind of new and interesting…
The world is faster, more demanding, less free and more competitive than it used to be, and I find that staying sane in the 21st century requires mental and lifestyle strategies to match. Then there are personal issues which are…
A roll of plastic pipe I ordered years ago arrived in a carton that makes me concerned. A stern, 15-word warning of the sort I’m seeing more and more often is the reason why. It highlights a creeping menace that’s…
In the late 1980s I faced a choice, and it was like many of the big choices we all face in life. Do I do the harder thing that I know is best, or do I choose the easier way…