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This article appeared in the Spring 2021 issue of This Old House Magazine. Click here to subscribe. Renovating your own home is stressful. Done well, it’s also exhilarating, gratifying, even potentially life altering­—in the best possible way. But more often than not, living through it is a roller coaster of ups and downs: One minute you’re riding high, confident you’ve got a solid plan, a good team, and the cash to pay for it all....

Copper Pot Rack by One Kings Lane Copper-plated stainless steel unit holds 12 items on S-hooks. About $85, One Kings Lane Black Enamel Pot Rack by Range Kleen Easy installation over and island, stove, or sink. About $57.43, The Home Depot Bronze Bookshelf Pot Rack by Old Dutch Painted sturdy steel construction and a hand applied antique finish. About $54.44, The Home Depot 16-Hook Green Oval Pot Rack Steel rack with graphite finish in an elegant hunter green....

Previous episode: S42 E19 | Next episode: S42 E21 In this episode: The backyard of the Dorchester 3 Decker is quite large. Homeowner Carol and landscape contractor Jenn Nawada came up with a plan that lets Carol and her family enjoy it. Today, other members of our This Old House team are pitching in to build a patio and sitting wall. Half the electrical system in the house was damaged in the fire....

Best For Large Projects: Gorilla Wood Glue You can use this wood glue on hardwoods, softwoods, and composite woods. It has a clamp time of 20–30 minutes that’s followed by a cure time of 24 hours. After 24 hours, it dries a light brown to blend into your wood. Key Features 36-ounce bottle 20-to-30-minute clamping time 24-hour curing time Brown drying color Water-resistant formula What Customers Are Saying Customers were pleased that this glue worked on several types of wood, offered strong adhesion, and used a fast-drying formula....

You are…EASYGOING Cool as a cucumber? That notably chill vegetable evokes the color of these paneled walls. “If you gravitate to shades like this, you’re someone who likes to keep your cool,” says Bonnie Krims, a color consultant based in Concord, Massachusetts. “The color feels like a breath of fresh air.” Pairing this lighter yellow-green above the chair rail with a deeper, blue-tinged one below creates a laid-back look, which gets a welcome dose of sophistication from the sharp silhouettes of the black mid-century-style furnishings....

Tom Silva, This Old House general contractor, shares how homeowners should evaluate a potential contractor before hiring him or her to work on a house. Here are his top 8 pro tips to help you find a contractor from start to finish. 1. Get Recommendations Start with your friends and family and then check in with the National Association of the Remodeling Industry for a list of members in your area....

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. When we lie down to sleep at night, we expect to wake up refreshed and ready to tackle the day’s tasks, but waking up with back pain can make sleeping––and arising––a lot more difficult. Back issues are more common than we think: According to Georgetown University’s Health Policy Institute, roughly 8% of adults are affected by long-term back pain during the course of their lives....

“When you think flexibility, you think open,” says architect Joel VanderWeele, one of the original Side Hustle House’s designers. With the exception of an attached mudroom entry and powder room, the first floor of the main house is one open space that includes the living area, dining area and kitchen. Smart design makes each space work together, and apart. Casual Entrance A mudroom with an adjacent powder room provides a casual entry on the side of the house....

The porcelain coat on many tubs and sinks gives them a luxurious, clean look that few other materials can match. But, as a coating, it’s susceptible to chips and nicks. These dark specks of bare metal rob the tub of the luxurious feel it had when new. Luckily, it’s possible to repair these eyesores. The following guide on how to fix a chipped bathtub will help. How to Fix a Chipped Bathtub Note: The glossiness of the repair might not match the tub’s sheen perfectly....

While skunks might use their spray as a defense mechanism, the odor left behind is more offensive than anything. The extremely foul smell can last for three weeks, and the longer it sits, the harder it is to remove. Acting quickly with the following tips will ensure your success in eliminating skunk odor. How To Get Rid of Skunk Smell on a Pet One of the most common reasons someone might be dealing with skunk smell is an encounter between the family dog or cat and a startled skunk....

Electric radiant heat has been on the market for a while now. We’ve found it’s usually an easy sell to customers who don’t like a chilly floor on their feet in the morning. Another great use for it can be in a bathroom remodel, where it might not otherwise be cost-effective to get conventional heating in a room. And some super-efficient green homes without a central heating system are using electric radiant heat mats to provide supplemental warmth....

Miter saws, especially the dual-bevel slide-style ones that are common now, are complex machines that don’t stay true forever. We expect them to be perfect out of the box, but at the end of the day, they show up on our doorsteps after a long journey — boxes worn, dinged, and bruised. Read on to learn how to use, tune-up, and maintain your miter saw for years to come. How to Use a Sliding Compound-Miter Saw Step 1: Without turning the saw on, lower the blade and line up the cutline on the workpiece with the blade’s teeth....

Previous episode: S42 E15 | Next episode: S42 E17 In this episode: Tom Silva, Kevin O’Connor, and Richard Trethewey drive to the Seaside Victorian Cottage in Rhode Island and reminisce about the many problems faced in the rebuilding of our abandoned house. Jeff Sweenor is waiting for them outside the house and they talk about the challenges of the project. Tom and Richard excuse themselves while Kevin and Jeff tour the front yard....

While the Coastal Grandmother aesthetic may seem like a new design trend thanks to the hashtag trending on social apps like TikTok and Instagram, the truth is, this interior design look has been around for decades. One part aspirational, one part cozy chic, this natural and breezy style is the epitome of easy-going, seaside elegance. To really understand it, all you have to do is think of the interior design and fashion choices of the grand matrons of the Coastal Grandmother look: Martha Stewart, Ina Garten, and Nancy Meyers, whose movies like “Something’s Gotta Give” have provided endless visual inspiration....

It’s a fact of life that older homes often sit close to the street—an advantage when they were built, providing better access for horse-drawn vehicles. But today, it can be less than ideal for homeowners who have to live with the sounds of the modern world rushing by at 50 miles per hour. Reduce Backyard Traffic Noise The winding two-lane road in front of This Old House’s TV project house in Carlisle, Massachusetts, is hardly a superhighway, but it is a well-traveled commuter street....

Cottage-Style Farmhouse This 3-bed, 3-bath farmhouse is built with country-cottage style. There is plenty of room on the porch to create an outdoor living room or hang a porch swing . The country kitchen features a walk-in pantry and eating bar. Spacious master suite has gorgeous crown molding and baseboard details, as well as space-saving barn doors in keeping with farmhouse style. Get the Plan: Get more information, customize, and buy The House Designers House Plan 9772 (prices vary)....

Wallpaper first appeared in the 16th century, in the form of black-and-white hand-blocked prints, and it remains a favorite way to bring color, texture, and personality to a home. Bold patterns and deep colors make any room seem more intimate, while light-toned papers with delicate prints convey a feeling of spaciousness. Project details Skill Cost Estimated Time Is It Hard to Hang Wallpaper? Whatever effect a homeowner desires, achieving it demands equal measures of art and engineering, says painting and decorating contractor John Dee....

Jenn: I’m Jenn from House One, and today I’m here with Tamar from 3×3 Custom. Tamar, thank you so much for being here. Tamar: Thank you for having me. Jenn: So can you tell everyone a little about 3×3 Custom, and what they would see if they stopped by your site? Tamar: I build furniture— small little tables and beds and things like that. I also build small home items like cutting boards and little boxes....

You can thank engineering upgrades for giving the old-fashioned manual mower added traction. Along with fume- and fuel-free exercise, the latest models offer owners of small, tidy lawns sharper cuts and more cutting-height choices. New features also allow mowers to roll more smoothly and handle more nimbly than the clunkers of yesteryear. All this adds up to a healthier lawn and less work. Read on for four ways to compare models before deciding which fancy clipper to let loose in your yard....

Custom-home builder Jerry Effren knows from experience that homes old and new require meticulous planning when it comes to heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC). Heating and cooling account for more than half of the energy usage in any home,* and the larger the home, the more challenging and expensive it is to keep comfortable. Clocking in at 3,700 square feet, the TOH 2020 Idea House (and now, the place Jerry and his wife and co-designer, Sandy, call home) features vaulted ceilings, open spaces, and multiple levels, so maximizing efficiency would be key to comfort and energy savings....