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This project appeared in the Spring 2021 issue of This Old House Magazine. Click here to learn how to subscribe. Project details Skill Cost Estimated Time Heading out the door with my two kids in tow always requires some planning, but who needs a last-minute scavenger hunt for coats and keys? Not me! To corral our most-needed items in one dedicated space in the entryway, I built this wall-mounted organizer fitted with cubbies for mail and sunglasses, hooks for coats, and a mirror for a quick check (in case the baby stuck something in my hair)....

Choosing and using painter’s tape Only use painter’s tape if it’s really needed. If you plan to paint the whole room, it may not be necessary. Start with the ceiling and work your way down. With a careful hand, you can cleanly paint an entire room without risking peeling any of the paint off with tape.2. Don’t use masking tape in place of painter’s tape. It has a high adhesion, which can peel off or chip some of the surface being protected....

Why Are My Lights Flickering? Want to know the reasons as to why your lights might be flickering? Flickering lights are a problem most households deal with at some point. This Old House Master Electrician Heath Eastman goes over a few common reasons why a light might be flickering and walks you through some basic troubleshooting. Project details Skill Cost Estimated Time Reason #1: The Light Bulb is Loose To Fix: Thread the bulb tighter....

Icicles hanging along the eaves of your house may look beautiful, but they spell trouble. That’s because the same conditions that allow icicles to form—snow-covered roofs and freezing weather—also lead to ice dams: thick ridges of solid ice that build up along the eaves. Why are Ice Dams Bad? Dams can tear off gutters, loosen shingles, and cause water to back up and pour into your house. When that happens, the results aren’t pretty: peeling paint, warped floors, stained and sagging ceilings....

If you’re having trouble fully extending your old drawers it’s time to replace them. In this video, This Old House general contractor Tom Silva updates kitchen cabinet drawers with new runners so they glide smoother and have a nice soft close finish. Follow along as he shares tips and tricks to make the installation process easier. What Is The Easiest Way to Install Drawer Slides? The easiest way to install new drawer slides is to replace the old hardware with full ball bearing hardware....

In this video, This Old House senior technical editor Mark Powers walks you through the steps involved in scaling up an image on graph paper to create a cutting template or paint stencil. Project details Skill Cost Estimated Time Steps for Scaling Up an Image Place the image you’d like to scale beneath a sheet of ¼-inch graph paper. Trace the image onto the grid. Count the number of ¼-inch squares your image occupies from top to bottom....

Previous episode: S18 E13 | Next episode: S18 E15 In this episode: Richard travels to Salt Lake City to replace a shower valve he has never seen before in his career with a conventional pressure balanced one; Nathan demonstrates how to refinish stair treads; Tom helps a homeowner remove moss from his roof and prevent it from growing back. How to Upgrade to a Pressure Balanced Shower Valve Richard travels to Salt Lake City to replace a shower valve he has never seen before in his career with a conventional pressure balanced one....

Best For Leaf Cleanup: Poolmaster Big Sucker Swimming Pool Leaf Vacuum If your pool seems to be overrun with leaves, this vacuum may be the perfect helper. It uses four multidirectional wheels to navigate your pool’s floor and eight water nozzles to collect loose leaves. All of the leaves go into a mesh bag that you can empty and reuse. Key Features Has a manual design Weighs 1.82 pounds Works in above-ground and in-ground pools What Customers Are Saying Customers were happy that this pool vacuum was lightweight and easy to use....

Looking for inspiration for your own Gingerbread house? It takes hours upon hours, pounds and pounds of gingerbread, candy, and royal icing—not to mention a few power tools—to create these intricate gingerbread works of art. Here are all the best projects from readers and professionals alike, so you can steal ideas for your own creations! Did you build a spectacular gingerbread house that you’d like to share with us? Post it on our Facebook wall or tweet a picture of it at us @thisoldhouse....

It’s not just the nation’s power grid that’s antiquated. The wiring inside many houses is also out of date, straining to supply our ever-growing collection of electricity-hungry appliances, lighting, and electronics. “The circuits in these older homes weren’t designed to power the many gadgets of modern life,” says electrician Allen Gallant, who has wired six This Old House TV project houses. The signs of strain may be obvious—a tangle of extension cords and power strips sprouting from a single outlet—or lurking unseen behind walls, ceilings, and cover plates....

All kids want to fly, and every time they ride on a swing they get closer to that Peter Pan moment. But you don’t need a whole playground to feel the spring breezes swoosh by. All you need to make a disc swing is a seat, a rope, and a sturdy tree. Project details Skill Cost Estimated Time Making this swing requires a few tools, and all the hardware needed to hang it can be found at your local home center....

This Old House plumbing & Heating Expert Richard Trethewey discusses the modern ways that pipes are being fitted and connected these days. Like with any tool or technique, you need to pick the right one for the right application. There are still places where Richard recommends opting for soldering, but these new connections are great solutions that are going to withstand the test of time. Alternative Pipe Fitting Methods Soldered Connections In most settings, soldered connections are still the plumber’s preferred method of fitting copper pipes....

Instead of spending $100 or more for an end-grain cutting board, spend a few enjoyable hours in the shop building your own one-of-a-kind piece. If that sounds like an appealing use of your time, just follow the steps ahead. Project details Skill Cost Estimated Time What Is the Best Wood to Use for an End Grain Cutting Board? You can use salvaged or scrap wood to create and end grain cutting board....

In this video, This Old House general contractor Tom Silva demonstrates a cost-effective way to save energy. Project details Skill Cost Estimated Time Steps for Refreshing Cellulose Insulation Measure the depth of the existing blown-in insulation. If necessary, add more cellulose insulation. Dump cellulose insulation into each joist bay and spread it evenly with a leaf rake. Be sure the insulation is slightly above the top edge of the joists. Lay batts of un-faced, 9½-inch-thick fiberglass insulation perpendicularly across the joists....

Wallpaper removals are variable depending on the house, wallpaper, what’s behind wallpaper, and so on. For this job, we were asked to redo the ceilings, walls, and re-varnishing all wood. Here are my steps to getting the job done well: The basics of stripping wallpaper! This Old House Painting and Decorating Contractors of America (PDCA) Zinsser Step 1_ Getting the pattern off. Use a rugged wallpaper razor to start a corner and rip off first layer....

This article appeared in the Fall 2022 issue of This Old House Magazine. Click here to learn how to subscribe. We’re used to breaking work into a series of steps. First, we scrape, then we prime, then we paint. Lather, rinse, repeat. Wipe on, wipe off. Hiring a Renovation Team But when it comes to the complex task of home renovation, I recommend that homeowners consider a less linear approach from the start....

Hang out a while Put the finishing touch on a powder room or change up the design of a bath large or small with a standout towel ring (or two). It’s a decorative accessory that definitely earns its keep, placing a towel close at hand. While towel bars still do the heavy lifting, holding bath sheets and the like, rings allow for a bit more creativity. Today’s designs go beyond basic circles, with squares, rectangles, and hook-like open-sided shapes....

In this video, Ask This Old House plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey offers undermount sink support by helping a homeowner reattach an under-the-counter kitchen sink to a granite countertop. Project details Skill Cost Estimated Time How to Reattach an Undermount Kitchen Sink Turn off the water supply to the sink. Disconnect plumbing connections using a wrench and unscrew by hand. Disconnect any remaining sink clips using a screwdriver. Remove sink from granite and set aside....

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....

“We love our house’s location, but it was tight on space,” says Geoff Allen of the 1925 seaside Cape Cod in Barrington, Rhode Island, that he shares with wife Michelle Forcier and their young daughter. Though the 1,600-square-foot, two-bedroom house, the site of the latest TOH TV project, was built as a seasonal residence, the family plans to live there year-round. They turned to architect Mary Dorsey Brewster and general contractor Andy Tiplady to help them envision a plan that would make the best use of its rooms—and even squeeze in a few more in an addition over the garage....