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Whether you have a limited budget or a little more money to spend, making the most of a small outdoor space takes some clever planning and design know-how. Thankfully, we’ve rounded up all the best tips, tricks, and decorating ideas to maximize your petite retreat so that you can create the outdoor oasis you’ve always wanted, no matter the size. 10 Simple Design Ideas for Your Small Deck Lighten Up When it comes to outdoor design, big or small, nothing packs a more powerful punch than installing outdoor lighting....

This year, homes have become business offices, classrooms, and makeshift gyms. With the end of summer near and fall on the way, National Grid is providing easy ways to live a greener lifestyle by conserving energy while staying—and playing—at home. Make the best of the change in seasons, save money, and help the environment with these innovative products. Delight in the Great Outdoors Enjoy your yard well after sundown with outdoor enhancements like these:...

Comparison Top 5 Fly Traps Best For Windows: Catchmaster Clear Window Fly Traps Best For Plants: Gideal Dual-Sided Yellow Sticky Traps Best For Outdoor Use: Flies Be Gone Fly Traps Best Reusable Trap: Safer Reusable Fly Traps Best For Indoor Use: Katchy Indoor Insect Trap Best For Windows: Catchmaster Clear Window Fly Traps Pros and Cons ✔ Is not made with harsh chemicals Catchmaster Clear Window Fly Traps $10 $16 39% off Prices taken at time of publishing....

This article appeared in the Fall 2022 issue of This Old House Magazine. Click here to learn how to subscribe. A century after electricity started brightening most U.S. homes and powering pop-up toasters, a second electrification of American life has begun—this one aimed at reducing the use of fossil fuels. Car manufacturers will introduce dozens of new electric vehicle (EV) models in the next couple of years, taking affordable EVs deep into the mainstream....

From upright to handheld vacuums, stick to robotic, Dyson has a vacuum model to fit your cleaning needs. Here are our top recommendations. Compare Top Dyson Vacuums Top 4 Dyson Vacuums Most Versatile: Dyson V11 Cordless Vacuum Cleaner Best Basic Upright: Dyson Ball Upright Vacuum Best Lightweight Stick: Dyson V10 Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaner Best For Pet Hair: Dyson Upright Vacuum Cleaner Most Versatile: Dyson V11 Cordless Vacuum Cleaner Pros and Cons ✔ LCD screen shows active settings, routine updates and maintenance alerts, and remaining runtime✔ Powerful motor spins at 125,000 RPM for a deep clean✔ Captures up to 99....

Favorite outdoor spaces usually have two things in common: comfy seating and a little screening. The front yard at Leni and Fred Wiener’s lacked both. Add in heavy shade and the traffic of their New Rochelle, New York, neighborhood, and it’s no surprise the couple went decades without using the space. But when a nor’easter took out a few old trees, they seized the chance to start over. Before “The yard went from total shade to full sun,” says Leni, who realized she now had a perfect site for the naturalistic garden she’d always wanted....

This easy DIY midcentury-style desk is made from four boards sandwiched on edge between two stock plywood panels. Off-the-shelf legs easily screw into angled leg brackets, which make the legs splay outward. Even better, we’re sharing the easiest way to assemble and build the body and light-duty small drawers using only glue and nails. (Note: depending on your skill level, this plan can easily be modified to include intermediate or advanced joinery....

Kevin O’Connor and home technology expert Ross Trethewey meet back at the shop to talk solar financing. Ross explains to Kevin that solar is so popular right now because the system cost is at an all-time low while energy prices are at an all-time high. Ross explains how to avoid scams and make the most of a solar installation. Why is Solar Energy Becoming Popular? Everyone’s phones and internet browsers are full of solar panel ads, and there are now door-to-door salesmen walking through neighborhoods attempting to sell systems....

Perhaps the most intriguing newel post ever salvaged came not from a crumbling estate but rather from a wrecked “floating palace,” the RMS Titanic. Carved from English white oak and bearing fruit, vegetable, and floral motif, the newel was part of the ship’s Grand Staircase. It was among the debris fished from the North Atlantic during the recovery effort just days after Titanic sank on April 15, 1912. The relic—just two of its face panels survived—is now on display at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax, Nova Scotia....

Previous episode: Prepping for a Warm Tile Floor | Cottage on the Cape (E5) | Next episode: A Hardworking Cottage Roof | Cottage on the Cape (E7) With COVID-19 restrictions still in place, the Cape Associates team has managed to stay on track with the progress at the Cottage on the Cape. Outside, landscaping is well underway, and gutters are installed with an accessory that keeps them from getting clogged. Inside, finish carpenters are hard at work....

Six lucky Insiders won attendance to our wrap party at the Saratoga Springs Legacy Restored project house, and enjoyed a fun filled day of activities with the cast and crew. Doug Wikle and his friend Tyson Berndt were two superfans who joined us on this awesome day. Doug is a software engineer who lives in New York with his wife and two sons. When he’s not watching them play baseball he likes to work on projects around the house....

From mowing, swimming, grilling, and gardening, there’s so much to do in your yard when the weather is nice. But if you’ve been waiting for a sale to get those much-needed upgrades to make your yard the best it can be, check out the This Old House Review Team’s picks for the top items for your yard this Prime Day. Greenworks 40-Volt Electric Lawn Mower This electric lawn mower has a five-position height adjustment with a range of 1 ¼-inches to 3 ⅜ inches and a lightweight 16-inch cutting deck that allows you to easily maneuver it through your lawn....

There Are Two Main Types of Generators to Choose From: There Are Two Main Types of Generators to Choose From PORTABLE The less expensive option for temporary backup electrical service, portable generators range from just $500 to $2,000, and they can play an important role in getting you through an outage by powering just a few essential appliances. They are manually operated and powered by gasoline or propane. You need to be at home at the time of the power loss to pull the generator out of the garage, fill it with gas, and turn it on....

In most of the U.S., the question of what to heat a home with barely needs to be asked. Natural gas is the most common choice in many urban areas since it’s available at the street, and gas furnaces and boilers require little maintenance. Propane vs. Heating Oil Most of what you need to do to stay warm is remember to pay the gas bill. Natural gas’s cousin, propane, is the king of fuels in rural areas....

Previous episode: S42 E8 | Next episode: S42 E10 In this episode: New England might be Red Sox country but when it comes to old-school gutters, Yankee Gutters are a home run in the Northeast. The original Seaside Victorian project had Yankee Gutters and the Historic District Committee wants the restored house to have them as well. Kevin O’Connor finds lead carpenter Chris Manchester installing them in the back. The Generation Next initiative continues with an apprentice learning the ropes with Jeff Sweenor’s electrician Ben Giles....

Previous episode: S43 E12 | Next episode: S43 E14 In this episode: Architect Andrew Sidford’s idea of a traditional Cape out front and a large modern addition in the back is more visible. The all-hands-on-deck work of the different trades is making this happen. Concrete has been poured downstairs for a finished basement, a new central staircase has been installed, and electrical wires are being run. Outside, Kevin O’Connor finds Tom Silva working on getting the multi-pitched roof watertight....

Previous episode: S44 E7 | Next episode: S44 E9 In this episode: Eight months ago, the 1890s Victorian project house in Atlanta, GA, once owned by Luther Judson Price–South Atlanta’s first black postmaster and civil rights advocate–was an electric blue, vine-covered, dilapidated, and abandoned structure. Now, it is restored with a deliberate effort not to fix everything. Builder Jerry Davis gives Tom Silva a review of the exterior structural changes and how the problem of the 6-inch drop on the previous bump out was solved....

Compare Top Insulated Water Bottles Best Accessories: Iron Flask Sports Water Bottle Best Squeeze Bottle: Polar Bottle Sport Insulated Water Bottle Best Cap Seal: Hydro Flask Standard Mouth Bottle Best Chug Cap: YETI Rambler Bottle Best For Cold Drinks: HYDRO CELL Water Bottle Best Accessories: Iron Flask Sports Water Bottle Pros and Cons ✔ Uses double-wall insulation to prevent body heat and sunlight from warming the water inside✔ Made from BPA-free stainless steel✔ Doesn’t give your water a metallic taste...

Houston homeowners live in a particularly humid part of the sunny South—that means April showers, May flowers, and unfortunately, scorching-hot summers and warm falls. Caring for Houston lawns can be a challenge. Homeowners who want lush lawns that are the envy of the neighborhood should consider hiring a professional lawn care company to get the job done right. Located near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, Houston is one of the largest cities in Texas....

Steps: Project details Skill Cost Estimated Time Start by measuring and cutting the steel tubing for the frame of the chair. A speed square and a piece of chalk will help to mark the steel. The cuts can be made using an angle grinder, a miter saw with a metal cutting blade, or a bandsaw. Notch the front legs to allow for a lap joint when assembling the frame. To get the correct angle for the backrest, eyeball a comfortable angle and then mark the angle using the chalk....