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Home technology expert Ross Trethewey shows how air filtration systems work and how to build a localized DIY air filter. Project details Skill Cost Estimated Time What is a MERV Air Filtration System? MERV stands for Minimal Efficiency Reporting Value, a value that measures how effectively a filter stops particulates of varying sizes from passing through and into the air system. The higher the rating, the more effective the filter is at capturing smaller particles....

Season 43 of This Old House Season 43 of This Old House will feature three unique and compelling construction projects. A Bostonian family wants to escape the city for a New England Cape in Concord, MA, a town with its own Revolutionary battlefield. We’ll start the season by helping this young couple make better use of space and improve the views from their 140-year-old home. Then, we head to Saratoga Springs, NY, where a husband and wife aim to restore a home that has been with the family for six generations....

Previous episode: S20 E7 | Next episode: S20 E9 In this episode: We meet the entire team at mason Mark McCullough’s house. About a year ago, Mark’s chicken coop caught fire and burned to the ground. Knowing his chickens need a home to call their own, the team chips in to help build a new and improved chicken barn for Mark’s feathered friends. After discussing his chickens and their eggs, Mark and host Kevin O’Connor discuss the fire before getting to work with the crew....

Top 4 Torque Wrenches Best Case: TEKTON ½-Inch Drive Torque Wrench Best Electronic Wrench: GEARWRENCH ½-Inch Drive Electronic Torque Wrench Best ¼-Inch Wrench: EPAuto ¼-Inch Drive Click Torque Wrench Best Calibration: LEXIVON ½-Inch Drive Click Torque Wrench Best Case: TEKTON ½-Inch Drive Torque Wrench This wrench comes in a bright red case that protects the tool from damage in your toolbox or tool chest. It features an easy-to-read scale and a reversible ratchet head....

For enhanced comfort while you’re watching a movie, reading a book, or simply lounging, a reclining sofa makes a worthy addition to your living space. Learn more about our top recommendations below. Compare Top Reclining Sofas Top 5 Reclining Sofas Most Versatile: Vonanda Sofa Bed Best Console: Signature Design by Ashley Reclining Sofa Best Set: Betsy Furniture Recliner Sofa Set Best Short Loveseat: Christopher Knight Loveseat Recliner Softest Material: Acme Furniture Zubaida Glider Sofa Most Versatile: Vonanda Sofa Bed Pros and Cons ✔ Features a high-density sponge filling✔ Includes a head pillow ✔ Fabric cover is highly breathable...

Understated Elegance A structural beam clad in wood salvaged from the house’s original framing defines the formal kitchen and complements the warm white oak flooring and cabinetry. Flanking the sink, refrigerator and freezer columns hide behind door panels that extend above the units to line up with the top of the windows and the underside of the soffit for a clean architectural line. CABINETS: New England Cabinet Company FLOORING: Baird Brothers Fine Hardwoods FLOOR FINISH: Bona APPLIANCES: Clarke: Official Sub-Zero/Wolf/Cove Showroom...

Manufacturers use this common by-product in countless ways: to make particleboard or as a fuel source for boilers, for example. If you’re working on a home-improvement project, chances are you’ve got a few piles of sawdust in your garage, too. Here are some ways to keep it out of the trash bin: Make fake snow. Mix sawdust with white paint and glue to cover holiday crafts with simulated snow. Get a grip....

As a staple of kitchen and bath design, the ubiquitous ceramic subway tile has been around since it was introduced in New York City’s subway stations in the early 1900s. The easy-to-clean, stain-resistant, light-reflective, 3-by-6-inch glazed white rectangles captured the public’s imagination back then and quickly moved into the bathrooms and kitchens of prewar houses for practical and aesthetic reasons. More than a century later, ceramic subway tile still endures as a perennial favorite for homeowners....

Because Fresno’s summers are hot and dry, important home systems and appliances, such as your air conditioning, fans, refrigerator, and freezer, should remain in good working order. To ensure these items are protected if they unexpectedly break down from normal wear and tear, consider investing in a home warranty plan. A home warranty can help protect you from paying for unexpected repair or replacement costs when covered items break down over the course of normal use....

Each product we feature has been independently selected and reviewed by our editorial team. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn a commission. Utilizing all the space in your home has become increasingly important, especially with the increase of home offices and workout spaces. If you have kids, you likely understand how big of a difference it can make to have designated spaces for playing, working, and relaxing....

In some ways, Richard Trethewey feels that his fate as a plumber might have been predetermined from birth. Born to a 3rd generation plumber father, Richard grew up in the trade. His father owned a plumbing company in a Boston suburb known as Trethewey Bros, which Richard’s great grandfather and great uncle started in 1902. Richard was so sure that plumbing, heating, and air conditioning would be his future that in 3rd grade, Richard drew himself as a plumber....

Very few things date a space like a popcorn ceiling—and not in a charming way. They’re difficult to repair, hard to clean, and catch dust easily; but despite all these cons, their popularity exploded beginning in the late 1950s because they made easy work of finishing ceilings and hiding imperfections. If it’s time to redo a popcorn ceiling, there are three popular ways to take on the challenge: scrape, cover with a new layer of drywall, or skim coat with plaster to create a new textured ceiling....

In this video, This Old House general contractor Tom Silva partitions off a below-grade space. Project details Skill Cost Estimated Time Steps: Using 2-foot and 6-foot level, transfer the position of the overhead beam down to the basement floor. Make a plumb mark onto the floor at each end of the beam. If there are lally columns beneath the beam, draw plumb marks onto the floor between the columns. Snap a chalk line across the basement floor from one plumb mark to the next....

There is nothing worse than coming home to a house that is flooded with water—except not knowing why it is flooded in the first place. If you’re away at work for the day or happen to be on vacation and return to a house full of water, it’s possible that your pipes may have burst after being exposed to freezing temperatures. The average cost of water damage restoration could run between $1,304 and $5,515....

Steps: In order to get spring flowers, bulbs must be planted in the fall and overwinter. Select varieties that will offer a sequence of blooms throughout the spring season. Avoid tulips in areas with deer. Lay out bulbs around existing plants. Use a hand trowel for planting in small areas. Dig a hole that’s 2.5-3 times the height of the bulb. Add super phosphate fertilizer and starter fertilizer to the backfill....

Steps: Project details Skill Cost Estimated Time Tools & Materials Tongue and groove pliers Wrench Flathead screwdriver Valve receding tool Shut off the water to the spigot. Remove the valve from the spigot by loosening the bonnet with the pliers and a wrench. Remove the washer on the bottom of the valve. It should be held down with a screw that can be loosened with the flathead screwdriver. Replace the washer with one from the kit....

Mauro Henrique gives Kevin O’Connor a lesson on patching cracks in plaster and drywall. After explaining to Kevin that his paint job is only as good as the prep work, the two discuss where cracks are most likely to occur before diving into a few repairs. Project details Skill Cost Estimated Time Steps for Repairing Plaster Walls Start the project by cleaning up the crack with the utility knife. Look for compound, paint flakes, and other debris in the crack and scrape it out....

Our concrete walk has pits and seems to be crumbling. How can we fix it? Project details Skill Cost Estimated Time —Jace Laakso, Missoula, Mont. Tom Silva replies: Spalling, the pits that form in concrete, happen when too much water is used in a concrete mix, weakening it. In the past, when a concrete patio or driveway started to show serious signs of aging, using a jackhammer or bringing in a bulldozer were the only repair options....

We ask the crew of Ask This Old House what they’d be doing if they weren’t contractors, and some of the answers are surprising! While everyone loves what they do now, they all seem to have a hidden interest or talent they would’ve explored if contracting didn’t work out. For most of the team at Ask This Old House, contracting was always the goal. They grew up in the trades, or they simply loved working with their hands, and contracting was the obvious choice....

Come On In Minor leak? Nope, it was a downpour that This Old House plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey (and the rest of the cast) braved to be part of the last day of shooting at the Jamestown Net-Zero House. Though the weather outside was frightful, delights abounded indoors as lucky Insiders and guests got an amazing firsthand look at the making of This Old House. And did we mention there was also a party?...