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Thanks to a new garage build, Roger Cook, landscape contractor, and Kevin O’Connor of This Old House, need to install a 36’ long, 8’ wide, and 7’ deep engineered trench to manage stormwater and additional runoff at their renovation project. How Dry Wells Work Stormwater can cause costly flooding and damaging erosion to properties. To prevent this, downspouts and drains redirect rainfall and runoff from non-absorbent surfaces (like a roof and driveway) into a concrete galley or dry well that has been buried underground....

Painting expert Mauro Henrique, master electrician Heath Eastman, and carpenter Nathan Gilbert take us on a house call to help a homeowner with babyproofing their home. The three get to work testing for lead paint, installing safer outlets, and mounting gates and latches to keep baby Jack safe as he grows. Childproofing Checklist: What You Need to Do Babyproofing a home is essential for keeping children safe as they grow. Safeguarding items like household cleaners and poisons, as well as hazards like electrical outlets and stairs, can help avoid terrifying accidents....

In this how-to video, This Old House general contractor Tom Silva breathes new life into a weather-beaten wood deck. Project details Skill Cost Estimated Time Cleaning and restaining a deck In the backpack pump sprayer, mix a one-to-one ratio of biodegradable wood cleaner to water. Use a garden hose to wet down the entire deck. Spray the wood cleaner solution onto the deck and railings, then wait 10 minutes. Scrub the wood surface with a stiff-bristle brush to remove loosened dirt and grime....

Steps for Replacing Your Shower Cartridge: These instructions apply to the earliest models of single-handle shower valves. Follow manufacturer’s instructions for your specific style of valve. Start by removing the handle of the shower. There’s usually a cover plate that can be pried off with a flathead screwdriver. Then, hold the handle tight and unscrew the screw behind the cover plate with the same screwdriver. Remove the escutcheon plate by unscrewing it....

This post was originally written by Joseph Truini of Today’s Homeowner Ground-fault circuit interrupter outlets prevent accidental electrocution, and code requires them in baths, kitchens, laundry rooms, garages and outdoor locations. A GFCI has a built-in circuit breaker that interrupts the flow of electricity the instant it senses a ground fault or current leak. But a GFCI won’t work unless it’s properly connected. If your electrical system has not been upgraded for 20 years or more, you probably need to install GFCIs....

Sandi Klatt always thought her 94-year-old brick Victorian came close to perfection, but its two flights of stairs made cleaning something of a curse. “I tried for years to find a housekeeper,” says Klatt. “But as soon as they realized they’d have to haul a vacuum cleaner up and down all day, they’d head straight out the door.” Klatt and her husband, Paul, toyed briefly with the idea of buying a vacuum for each floor of their Denver home, “but the idea of owning three machines seemed ridiculous....

Previous episode: S19 E10 | Next episode: S19 E12 In this episode: Landscape designer Jenn Nawada takes an overgrown flower bed and transforms it into a beautiful garden. Jenn demonstrates how to clean up a garden by pruning, dividing, and defining the edges. Without spending too much extra money, Jenn shows you how to expand your garden while blending it in with an already established landscape. Home technology expert Ross Trethewey teaches how air filtration systems work and how to build a localized DIY air filter....

Top 5 Tile Floor Cleaners Best Mop: O-Cedar EasyWring Microfiber Spin Mop Best For Pets: Nature’s Miracle Hard Floor Cleaner Best Formula: Bona Floor Cleaner Spray Longest Lasting: Better Life Natural Tub and Tile Cleaner Best Vacuum: Hoover FloorMate Deluxe Hard Floor Cleaner Best Mop: O-Cedar EasyWring Microfiber Spin Mop This product is a traditional spin mop. It comes with the mop handle that attaches to the microfiber mop head. It also comes with a bucket that has a section for the water and cleaner mixture and a wringer to remove excess water from the mop head....

A foundation must distribute the weight of your home and all its contents to the soil beneath, secure the property in its proper place, prevent cracking, keep groundwater outside, and hold up against environmental factors like blizzards, floods, and earthquakes. Denver has a semi-arid climate, and when this climate is paired with the Mile High City’s snow and rain, it can cause foundation settlement, mold growth, and more. These issues can happen to all types of foundations found throughout Denver, especially basement foundations....

Sometimes your kitchen sink simply doesn’t want to cooperate. Here are some tried-and-true ways to resolve several common kitchen plumbing issues. Leaky Faucets A leaking faucet is a surefire way to soak your front while standing at the sink. For a leak coming from the base of all types of faucets, a common cause is a worn O-ring seal. After cutting off the water to the sink, remove the coupling nut from the base of the faucet and gently pull the spout from the socket....

In this video, This Old House plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey shows how to retrofit an old home with new under-floor heat. Project details Skill Cost Estimated Time Steps for Installing Radiant Heat Remove any insulation from between the floor joists located directly below the room you plan to heat. Use end nippers to snip off any nails protruding from subfloor within the joist bays. Fasten aluminum transfer plates to underside of subfloor with ¾-inch-long self-tapping screws....

Q: We’d like to tile over the brick around our fireplace. Can I put cement backerboard on the wall and cover that with tile? —Roger Brumm, Sterling,VA. A: Joe Ferrante replies: Sure you could, but it’s a lot easier to trowel thinset over the brick and then tile right over that. Here’s how to do it: Steps for Tiling Over a Brick Fireplace: Cover the hearth with a drop cloth and remove the mantel and anything else that’s attached to the brick....

A Big Day at the Brookline House For the first Insider live event of 2019, This Old House Insiders and guests got to be, well, insiders! Everyone got to check out the in-progress Brookline Mid-century Modern House, be there for the recording of a TOH Pro2Pro livestream event, plus meet—and party with—This Old House cast and crew members. Want to be the first to know about events like this? Sign up to join This Old House Insider!...

How to Find Replacement Parts First, you’ll need to know your door’s size and “handing.” For size, measure the height and width of the sliding panel’s exposed glass. To determine handing, look at the closed door from the outside. If the sliding panel is on the right, your door is “right-handed.” How do I find the manufacturer of my sliding glass door? Your best source of replacement parts will be the retailers that sell new doors of the same make as yours....

Best Entry-Level: Windex Glass and Window Cleaner Best Bulk Pack: Invisible Glass Window Spray Best Ingredients: Windex Vinegar Glass Spray Best For Professional Use: Zep Glass Cleaner Best Wipes: MiracleWipes Cleaning Wipes Best Entry-Level: Windex Glass and Window Cleaner Pros and Cons ✔ Starts working on smudges and fingerprints before the user begins wiping✔ Provides an industry-leading streak-free shine ✔ Is made in the USA Compare the Best Window Cleaners Windex Glass and Window Cleaner...

Steps: The team suggests analyzing the skill set of the person receiving the tools. Don’t get tools that are too advanced for the person to actually use. Try to invest in as high-quality tools as possible. They will last longer and give a higher-quality result. Tom’s picks: drill driver, level, tape measure, utility knife, set of screwdrivers. Richard’s picks: wrench set, open-ended adjustable wrenches, plumber’s pliers, utility knife. Jenn’s picks: pruners....

In the past, depending on where you were in the country, utilities were often publicly owned or publicly controlled at every stage — the generating of electricity, the transmission of that power, and the delivery to the consumer. Many states and utilities have spent the last 20 years moving to a deregulated model, which allows for competition at all stages in the electrical process and could lead to lower rates for consumers....

Counter Seating It must have been the right blend of naïveté and chutzpah,” says Shelley Smith Pelliccione, smiling as she recalls what does sound like one crazy scenario. After she acquires an old, beat-up cottage on the outskirts of Savannah, she meets this great guy—a rock guitarist, no less. Early in the courtship, he drops by and finds her embarked on a DIY reno, specifically, on her hands and knees, stripping linoleum off the original Georgia heart-pine floor....

Comprehensive Comfort When installed as part of the complete Evolution® system, the Evolution Connex™ control can make it easy for you to create comfort settings by managing temperature, humidity, air quality, and fan speeds, whether you’re at home, asleep, or away. HVAC: Bryant Heating & Cooling Systems WALLCOVERING: Cole & Son A Savvier Skylight Skylights provide natural light and fresh air in the four-season sunroom. And an innovative built-in rain sensor automatically closes the skylight at the first sign of rain....

Ross Tretheway and Kevin O’Connor talk about smart thermostats. Ross explains how far thermostats have come to Kevin, and even some of the most up-to-date, cutting-edge features that today’s thermostats have to offer. As Kevin asks the hottest questions on the topic, Ross explains the features, cost, savings, and convenience that a smart thermostat can offer to almost any home. Blades Come in Various Sizes Most stock blades with new miter saws in the box are general-purpose blades....