OUTDOOR PLAYSETS: Tips & Plans for Building Your Own
Steve Maxwell, Canada’s Handiest Man, talks to homeowners about how to build a safe and fun wooden play area for children on their back lawn.
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HOUSEHOLD MOLD: Why Winters make It Happen & How to Stop It
Cold winters present plenty of challenges, and one of the most widespread is indoor mold growth. Unlike warmer parts of the world where mold grows mostly during humid, summertime weather, winters are the primary household mold season for people like…
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HEATING WITH FIREWOOD: Three Reasons It Makes Sense
According to Steve Maxwell wood heating makes sense on several levels; cost savings, cleanliness of combustion and the aesthetics of well-piled firewood.
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SANDING BETWEEN COATS: The Most Important Wood Finishing Step
Video Watch Time = 11 minutes Sanding lightly between coats is the single most important step you need to take to achieve a smooth, interior wood finish. Watch my 11-minute video lesson below for all the details. Transcript after the video…
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INTERIORS: Canadian Drywall Corner Tape Makes DIY Success Easy
Drywalling is one of those DIY renovation skills that takes a lot of practice to get good at, especially when it comes to finishing and mudding. That’s why I’m a big fan of products and tools that let non-professionals do…
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Why Your Kitchen Feels Cluttered (And How to Fix It Without Throwing Everything Out)
It’s a frustrating feeling. You walk into your kitchen ready to cook, only to be met with crowded benchtops, overstuffed drawers, and that nagging sense that there’s simply not enough space. Yet when you look closer, you realise most of…
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PLUMBING: 90 Second Video Lesson on How to Fix a Leaky Tap
Sooner or later, every tap starts dripping. Watch as Steve shows you the basics of replacing a faucet cartridge in a standard plumbing set up.
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PREPAREDNESS: Why The Electricity Grid Could Go Down for Months (and what you can do about it)
Our world has become entirely dependent on centrally supplied electricity, and this has brought a lot of good to humanity. That said, there’s good reason to believe that the reliability of this electrical supply isn’t as solid as it might…
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OUTDOOR PROJECTS: Real-World Tricks for Working With Posts, Beams & More
There are tricks that make a big difference to the visual success of outdoor woodworking projects, and that’s what you’ll learn about here. You’ll find them useful for almost every project involving big, exterior wood. Decks, docks, gazebos, swing sets,…
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“What’s the Best Way to Level An Old, Wonky Basement Floor?”
Question: What’s the best way to level a concrete basement floor in my 1931 house? The space is dry and in good shape, and I’m planning to install basement subfloor panels as part of a campaign to finish the space….
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PHILOSOPHY: How to Avoid Perfectionism & Embrace Excellence
Sooner or later, in more ways than one, staying sane in this life involves mastering mental strategies. If you’re a hands-on person who values quality, there’s also a chance you battle with perfectionism on a physical, hands-on level. I used…
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HOW TO GET RID OF GNATS – 10 Fast, Easy Ways That Really Work
The term “gnat” means different things to different people, but generally they’re small biting and non-biting flying insects that often appear in groups. Sometimes spelled “nats” or “knats”, the annoyance they cause when flying around your home remains the…
