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Previous episode: S18 E5 | Next episode: S18 E7 In this episode: Tom checks out a women’s only DIY class on building a footstool and discusses some of the unique challenges faced by women learning DIY skills; Jenn helps a homeowner select, place, and install plants for her terraced garden; the team discusses the ways homeowners and contractors should communicate to set appropriate expectations for home improvement projects. Build It | Upholstered Footstool Class...

This article appeared in the Fall 2021 issue of This Old House Magazine. Click here to learn how to subscribe. Milwaukee Tool M18 FUEL Compact Router COLLET: ¼ inchVARIABLE SPEED: 10,000–31,000 rpmBATTERY: 18 volt WEIGHT: 2.95 pounds [without battery] INCLUDES:
• Soft-start motor• Instant-stop bit• Edge guidePRICE: $179 [battery extra] As a rule, cords are a nuisance: They pose trip hazards, force you to hunt for a place to plug them in, and ruin your work if they snag on something....

Mirrors may make a space feel larger, but when they’re glued to the walls they also magnify existing flaws—in this case, dated chocolate-brown tile and beige fixtures from the 1970s. “It was bad news,” says one of the Englewood, NJ, homeowners of the drab primary bath she shares with her husband. Dreaming of modern upgrades like a walk-in shower and heated floors, the couple called in designer Jennifer Vreeland to see what she could do....

In this video, This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook shares tools and techniques for quickly, safely splitting firewood. Tips for Splitting Wood Logs Don’t use an ax to split firewood. The narrow head will become stuck in the wood. Short logs can be split into firewood using a steel wedge and sledgehammer, but it’s a slow process that requires two people. A maul combines a sledgehammer with a wedge in one tool....

Following the wisdom that you should use local rock whenever possible, a perimeter wall at the Brookline mid-century-modern house was made of locally available Roxbury puddingstone when the house was built in the 1950s. “You don’t want to carry rock any farther than necessary,” says TOH landscape contractor Roger Cook. Puddingstone is known for its distinctive coloring, texture, shape, and overall attractiveness; it’s a conglomerate made up of various types of pebble, cobble, quartz, and sandstone....

After 43 years, 1,000 episodes of This Old House, more than 50 home renovation projects, and 280 episodes of The New Yankee Workshop, Norm Abram is retiring from the show. This Old House is honoring his legacy with a one-hour tribute special, The House That Norm Built, premiering Monday, October 3rd at 9 p.m. ET on PBS (check your local listings) and streaming for free on The Roku Channel. This special chronicles 40 years of Norm’s incredible journey and features classic moments, archive footage, interviews, and memories from celebrities, friends, peers, and those who worked alongside him....

Carpenter Nathan Gilbert takes us through the ins and outs of miter saw blades. Nathan tells us all about the different sizes of miter saw blades, explaining the most common (and most accurate) ones. He also explains the other parts that make a miter saw blade, the teeth styles, and which are the best for specific projects. Miter Saw Blades: An Overview Most stock blades with new miter saws in the box are general-purpose blades....

How will the home improvements I made on my home affect my tax situation? This question may cross your mind as you prepare for tax season. Or perhaps it was something you had thought about even before starting plans to make over parts of your house. The answer to this question isn’t straightforward and will vary according to each homeowner. But here, we will provide some insight into this subject so that you can prepare for tax season proactively....

Building a Rough Sawn Headboard Paint a large sheet of birch plywood black to hide the gaps of the rough boards. Cut the plywood to rough size using the track saw. Secure the plywood to the back of some 2x4s with wood glue and framing screws to stiffen out the plywood. Lay out the rough-sawn boards on top of the plywood. Cut any overhanging pieces with the miter saw and reuse them in the next course, depending on their length....

Want to turn on your fireplace at the push of a button? To make this upgrade to your existing fireplace, you can install a gas fireplace insert. Project details Skill Cost Estimated Time Since this process requires working with vent pipes, electrical, and the gas supply, we recommend working with a professional instead of doing it yourself. In the video above, and step by step instructions below, we show you how to install a gas fireplace insert step-by-step....

This Old House Master Electrician Heath Eastman started in the trades while watching his carpenter father while growing up around the construction industry. After purchasing their first home 24 years ago, Heath and his wife gut-renovated the entire house and began work on the framing. He knew nothing about electrical and plumbing then, but after working with an electrician on the project, his interest in the field was sparked. Heath later became his electrician’s apprentice and earned his license....

Want to give your old house a televised facelift? You can submit your house in need of a renovation to appear on an upcoming season of This Old House. From downtown lofts, to ornate country Victorians, to bungalows in the suburbs, the series is accepting proposals for all housing types, styles and neighborhoods. Whether you are just in the dreaming phase, or well along with design, we want to hear from you!...

Steps: Before doing any plumbing work, ensure the water is turned off to the fixture. Use a basin wrench to loosen the nuts holding the old faucet in place. Water supply connections will vary by manufacturer and faucet. It’s often easier to make some of these connections on the countertop before installing the faucet in the sink. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions to ensure the correct installation and order of nuts, washers, and waterproof gaskets....

Steps for Maintaining a Washing Machine: Ensure that the washing machine is level so it doesn’t bounce around during cycles. Most have adjustable feet that can be tightened or loosened to reach the appropriate height. There are filters at the end of the washing machines hoses at the back of the washer. If there’s ever a decrease in water pressure in the machine, he suggests shutting off the water and unscrewing those hoses to check the filters to see if they’re clogged....

Previous episode: S41 E18 | Next episode: S41 E20 In this episode: The original roof was held up by a traditional truss system. Our homeowners want to create a cathedral ceiling in this third-floor bonus room. Kevin O’Connor finds Tom and Charlie Silva installing a beam system that will support the roof without the truss. The new addition will include a mudroom and bathroom. Because there’s no attic above, it makes sense to bring ductwork and plumbing in from existing basement mechanicals and branch off into crawl space below the rooms....

Top 5 Toilet Papers Best Two-Ply: Cottonelle Ultra ComfortCare Toilet Paper Best Three-Ply: Quilted Northern Ultra Plush Toilet Paper Best For Sensitive Skin: Charmin Ultra Gentle Toilet Paper Best Bamboo: Betterway Bamboo Toilet Paper Best One-Ply: Scott Toilet Paper Best Two-Ply: Cottonelle Ultra ComfortCare Toilet Paper This pack includes 24 mega rolls with 325 sheets per roll, which equates to 108 standard rolls of toilet paper. The rolls have a two-ply design, which is a solid middle-of-the-road choice for those who don’t like the rough one-ply texture but don’t want to pay a lot for a three-ply option....

CONCORD, Mass., OCT. 18, 2019 —The Emmy Award-winning series This Old House will enter the podcast space with the debut of Clearstory. Launching October 24th, Clearstory is a podcast that sheds light on the surprising stories behind our homes. Host Kevin O’Connor digs into the systems, structures and materials in our homes from unexpected angles. Why is the window the ultimate machine? What can Las Vegas teach us about lowering our water bills?...

Old Sturbridge Village is a recreated New England Village of the 1830s that includes a remarkable collection of antique buildings and the objects you would expect to find in them. They have more than 58 restored buildings and approximately 60,000 historic artifacts that were made or would have been used in rural New England in the early 1800s. Unfortunately, not all the Village’s holdings of period furniture can be displayed at any one time....

With party guests clustered around the kitchen island and their young daughter twirling from room to room in a princess costume, Molly and John pause to take in the scene. “We love this house,” Molly says of the rambling, three-story Shingle-style home they bought in 2018 and brought back to life with the help of TOH home builder Charlie Silva, his crew, and a handful of talented local craftsmen. “As soon as we saw it, we thought, ‘This is a house that could get us to leave Boston,’ ” she says....

Ways a frozen pipe can burst Pipes can freeze if the temperature drops below freezing and the pipes are exposed to that temperature for a prolonged period of time. When water freezes, it expands in volume by 9%. When this happens in a closed pipe, the ice displaces the water, which increases its pressure exponentially. If this is allowed to go on for too long, the pipe will burst. When a water pipe bursts, an immense amount of water will come pouring out and will not stop until the water is shutoff somewhere upstream....