Category: DIY

Make a Shower Seat for Comfort and Safety

Dear James: I am getting older and while vacationing found a shower seat to be convenient. How can we incorporate one into our tile bathroom when we remodel it?—Scott C. Dear Scott: Both convenience and comfort are attributes of a properly sized shower seat. Sitting in the spray of a hot shower is often much…


Ask the Builder: Bitter Cold and Your Home

When I woke up just before writing this column, it was a balmy 15 below zero here at my house in central New Hampshire. A gale was blowing and the wind chill was -41F. You may be reading this column in sunny Florida or southern California, where it never gets bitter cold, but you may…


Proper Carpet Padding Is as Important as Carpet

Dear James: The carpeting in our living room needs to be replaced. I know how to evaluate and select the carpeting, but what is the best padding type and thickness?—Sheryl T. Dear Sheryl: Installing the proper type of carpet padding (called cushions professionally) is as important to the comfort and life of the carpet as…


Install a Pet Door

If your pet likes being outdoors some of the time, you know how much they appreciate having their own private door to go outside and come in at their whim. So, a pet door makes everyone happy. The only downside is a pet door may invite animals other than your own inside your home, which…


Add a Cultured Marble Liner in Shower Stall

Dear James: The grout in my tile shower stall is a mess and I am tired of cleaning the grout. Is adding a synthetic cultured marble liner a good idea and is the material very durable?—Miles M. Dear Miles: Tile is very durable, and most houses use it in showers, but most require regular cleaning…


Couple Build Their Own Airbnb in a Tree From Scratch, Business Flourishes, and It’s Uber-Cozy

A couple has made nearly $56,000 after turning their garden tree into an Airbnb. Will Sutherland and his wife, Sabrina, started the project in March 2021. They spent the next eight months using second-hand material to create the property, pulling on their previous DIY experience and turning to online forums for extra help. Having made…


Experts Explain Why It Takes so Long to Remodel a Kitchen

By Hunter Boyce From The Atlanta Journal-Constitution According to USA Cabinet Store Kitchen & Bath Design Center, the typical kitchen remodel project takes anywhere from three to six months to complete. A larger kitchen remodel can take even longer—sometimes more than a year. Smart Remodeling LLC counters with an estimate of six to nine weeks…


Build a Magic Playhouse or Clubhouse

Many decades ago, I was a small lad, right in the middle of the baby boom created by soldiers and sailors returning from World War II. There were no fewer than 10 kids on my street that were within two years of me in age. Two were brothers that lived just 200 feet from my…


Repair a Frozen Water Pipe

Once you’ve experienced the trauma of frozen water pipes, you take extremely cold weather and your home’s vulnerability more seriously. The low temperature freezes the water inside the pipes. The pipes can then burst, causing extensive damage. Take some precautions to prepare for water pipes freezing and avoid waking up on a cold morning and…


Install a Delivery Vault

You can have your own dropbox and simplify home deliveries with a built-in or stand-alone locking parcel box. You don’t have to stay home for a package delivery, because orders are securely delivered. If you’re a frequent traveler, you know how annoying it is to reschedule missed deliveries. You can have a stand-alone delivery vault…