If you enjoy the flavor of deep-fried turkey, French fries, hot donuts, or bacon with your eggs, you’re in good company. Fried food is full of flavor and popular because of it. But frying does make a mess in the kitchen. And, when the frying’s done, you might struggle with where to dispose of the cooking oil or grease. That decision begins at the sink. Cooking oil and animal fat will clog your pipes....
In this video, This Old House plumbing and heating contractor Richard Trethewey describes how an in-home sprinkler system works. Project details Skill Cost Estimated Time Steps for Installing a Sprinkler System Determine the home’s water pressure, then have a layout technician custom-design the sprinkler system for each room. A series of plastic or steel pipes is run inside the walls, floors and ceilings, connecting to concealed sprinkler heads. In the evident of a fire, the cover plate concealing the sprinkler head drops off when temperatures reach 135 degrees....
Previous episode: S19 E2 | Next episode: S19 E4 In this episode: Roger Cook, Jenn Nawada and Mark McCullough explain best practices for installing or repairing a walkway. Mark helps a homeowner install a brand new walkway using natural stone. Jenn heads to Phoenix to recreate the desert in a homeowner’s front yard. Roger helps a homeowner repair a crack in an asphalt walkway. He cuts the asphalt with a cold chisel and removes the tree root underneath....
You spent so long designing your home bar to get the look just right—shouldn’t your cocktail-making tools be beautiful, too? This professional-quality 10-Piece Mini Cocktail Bar Set will make you the toast of the town, improving both your bartending skills and your happy hour aesthetic. This coordinated barware kit includes everything you need to artfully craft any number of perfect cocktails, and it will look stunning in your kitchen or gracing your bar cart....
CONCORD, Mass., MAR. 26, 2020 —Continuing its storied tradition of entertaining and empowering audiences with trusted home improvement advice, This Old House is launching “This Old House: Live” to help home enthusiasts across the country pass the time productively and connect with This Old House experts. “This Old House: Live” begins on Friday, March 27, at 5p ET with free access in the This Old House App to stream all episodes of This Old House and Ask This Old House, and select episodes of New Yankee Workshop, a benefit normally reserved for Insider members....
Go outside and get to work on these gorgeous garden structures that you can enjoy all season long. From building a fire pit to making an arbor bench, TOH brings you detailed step-by-step instructions, shopping lists, and tool lists to do it all yourself. DIY Backyard Project to Try Arbor bench Sure, you could plop a couple of deck chairs in your backyard for an impromptu sitting area. But a hand-built cedar bench, framed by an arbor, gives you a more permanent place to kick back as the weather warms up, and adds an elegant architectural feature....
Cut into a steep hillside, homeowner Diana Magor’s house in Santa Cruz, CA, overlooks a Japanese-inspired front garden and Monterey Bay, while the back offers views of a colorful terraced flower garden. Dense plantings along the sides of the one-third-acre property provide privacy. Not every homeowner welcomes backyard sightings of bobcats and gray foxes. Nor do many make a habit of eating lunch while watching monarch butterflies lay eggs in potted milkweed plants....
Driveways, walkways, and sidewalks often go unnoticed until something goes wrong. We expect these surfaces to be smooth, safe, attractive, adequately sized, and fairly maintenance-free. But errors with installation, combined with Mother Nature’s relentless weathering forces, can make these important pathways problematic. While sidewalks in urban and suburban areas are typically governed by specific regulations, the construction of residential driveways and walkways is not usually constrained by building codes. The responsibility for getting these details done right falls on the shoulders of homeowners and the contractors who complete the work....
Why You Should Consider Planting a Winter Container Garden? There are loads of good reasons to plant a winter container garden. Not only are they low maintenance and don’t require a lot (if any) water or a lot of direct sunlight, but they will also add a splash of color and life to your porch, front steps, and yard when the rest of the garden has gone bare and dormant....
Imagine a house you never have to repaint. A roof you never have to replace. A deck that’s going to last longer than you. It’s not as far-fetched as you might think. With some careful choices and some extra resources, you can upgrade your house with long-lasting materials that will take some maintenance chores off your to-do list. Most durable materials/components are typically low maintenance as well (think brick or stone, for instance)....
Steps: Project details Skill Cost Estimated Time An installation like this that involves gas piping is best left to a licensed, professional plumber. Shut off the water and the gas to the hot water tank. Drain the water out of the tank and remove the old tank. The new water heater may require a larger gas line, which will need to be run from the gas meter to the water heater....
Steps: Start by turning off the service switch at the furnace.2. Remove the old thermostat. a. Pull off the front cover. b. Unscrew the screws inside. c. Disconnect the wires. d. Pull off the back cover.3. Mount the hub in a convenient location near the furnace using a drill and a few screws.4. Disconnect the wiring from the thermostat to the furnace and run that wiring to the hub. There’s an obvious place on the hub to screw the wires in properly....
Previous episode: S42 E7 | Next episode: S42 E9 In this episode: Gorgeous stained glass lights adorned the windows in the old dining room of the Victorian. After months of meticulous restoration, they are ready to be reinstalled. Kevin O’Connor finds Tom Silva and Chris Manchester hard at work. The Generation Next initiative continues this season in Narragansett. The electrician on this project, Ben Giles, is teaching the next generation of trades people....
Previous episode: S43 E25 | Next episode: S43 E27 In this episode: A little over a year ago, the 1890s West Roxbury Victorian was a tired-looking house. Now, it’s all dressed up and looking good. Jenn Nawada and Kevin O’Connor show off the changes to the front and back of the house, creating an open and welcoming environment for the city neighborhood. Inside, Tom Silva assists homeowner Derek with installing an adjustable closet system in the new master closet....
Often overlooked as design elements, staircase risers give you the perfect eye-level medium to demonstrate your creativity. These ideas for stenciled stair risers are sure to inspire you to make your staircase a focal point in your home. Ways to Decorate Your Stairs with Stencils Create a runner Skip the carpeting and paint the perfect stair runner with stencils. Whether you choose a floral, stripe, or geometric design, include a primary color for the center and a complementary color for the border....
NO PURCHASE IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. Sponsor: The House That Norm Built 2022 Premiere Sweepstakes (“Sweepstakes”) is sponsored by This Old House Ventures, LLC, 262 Harbor Drive, Stamford, CT 06902 (“Sponsor”). Sweepstakes Entry Period: The Sweepstakes starts at 12:00:01 AM Eastern Time (ET) September 19, 2022 and ends at 11:59:59 PM ET on October 9, 2022 (“Sweepstakes Period”). Eligibility: Sweepstakes open only to legal residents of the 50 United States or the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) 18 years of age or older at time of entry....
The whole gang meets back at the shop to talk about supply chain issues. Everyone feels the impact, from Jenn Nawada’s pavers, Ross Trethewey’s microchips for smart devices, Mark McCullough’s bluestone, Mauro Henriques’ paint tints, Richard Trethewey’s smaller parts, and heat pumps, to just about everything Tom Silva needs on-site. How Supply Chain Shortages are Affecting Everyone For supply chain shortages are causing issues for homeowners and contractors alike. While contractors are busier than ever, they can’t find materials as easily as they used to....
I recently spotted a pair of tall resin planters with a combed finish, they were marked down from $100 each to $60 each, but the price still seemed really high— especially for two. So I got to sketching and figured out that I could make each planter from just two 2 x 6 boards for under $25 per planter. And to create the faux resin finish, I’m trying a new method of skim-coating and combing the surface with a flexible spackling....
Everything should be as reliable as a toilet. It’s not unusual for one to last more than 40 years with only a minimal amount of care. But, occasionally, water will begin to leak out from under the toilet and spill onto the floor, which can lead to serious water damage. But this type of leak is easy to diagnose and fix, even if you’ve never attempted a plumbing repair. Why is the toilet is leaking from the base?...
We’re the first to say all you need is a can of paint. But for a room revamp that brings dimension and lasting value to plain walls, nothing beats a traditional wainscot of richly layered wood panels. How they’re put together may seem inscrutable to the average DIYer, but once you peel back the layers of this architectural onion, you’ll find that each step is plenty doable, if a bit tricky at times....
