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Steps for Planting Foundation Plantings: Start by identifying plants that have died or could use some pruning. Remove the dead plants and clean up the plants to make it easier to see what kind of palette you’re working with. Place the dead plants and cutoffs on the tarp to be easily dragged away later. Choose and stage plants that will be able to tolerate snow piles in the winter. In this case, Jenn chose a dwarf fountain grass for its height and to anchor the rest of the foundation plantings....

Carpets get dated and worn over the years, and stairs are some of the most highly trafficked areas in our homes. If you’ve purchased a house with carpeted steps—or simply are updating your existing home—chances are a stair carpeting removal’s in order. Fortunately, with a few tools and some know-how, you’ll be able to wipe the slate clean in just a few hours’ time. First, Check Under the Carpet If your carpeted stairs are flanked by pieces of hardwood, chances are that the hardwood flooring does not extend beyond the edges that you can see....

Steps: A standard toilet has a 12” rough in dimension- the distance from the wall to the toilet bolts. If the new toilet location differs from standard, a 10” or 14” rough in toilet can be ordered to better fit. Before doing any plumbing work, ensure water is off at the toilet and the tank and bowl are drained. Remove the closet nuts holding the toilet to the floor. Carefully remove the toilet....

Back in February, we opened up another search for two apprentices to join us for an upcoming season of This Old House (TOH) TV. This round of apprentices would work alongside the TOH crew in Westerly, Rhode Island, and the Greater Boston-area project for Season 41 of TOH TV on PBS. We’re thrilled to announce Kathryn Fulton and De’Shaun Burnett as our Generation NEXT apprentices for 2019-2020! About Generation NEXT Back in the summer of 2016, we joined with the mikeroweWORKS Foundation to launch TOH’s Generation NEXT apprenticeship program....

Previous episode: S42 E6 | Next episode: S42 E8 In this episode: The original chimney was corbeled in the attic, so it came out of the ridge line of the roof. The homeowners don’t need a chimney, but the Historic Commission insists they keep one. Kevin O’Connor and Jeff Sweenor meet Mark McCullough on the roof to find out how the masons will make a new chimney look old. Most aspects of Victorian architecture screamed for attention, especially the Queen Ann version....

Previous episode: S41 E11 | Next episode: S41 E13 On this episode: The Westerly one-story ranch house has been converted to a two-story Dutch Colonial thanks to the Sweenor team. Today the crew does a final walkthrough and says goodbye to the homeowners and the apprentices. Starting outdoors, Kevin shows off the new sweeping gambrel roofline before heading inside to meet Jeff. They begin the tour in the original long hallway to see the updated bathroom, an old bedroom which is now an office complete with barn doors and a wall of shelving, and another old bedroom that has turned into a spacious laundry room....

The right bathroom mirror not only provides you with a place to freshen up but can also add to the room’s ambiance and showcase your design tastes. Explore our top recommendations below, learn about what to look for when buying, and get answers to various questions below. Compare Top Bathroom Mirrors Best Tilting Mirror: Moen Pivoting Bathroom Mirror Most Customizable: Hamilton Hills Brushed Metal Wall Mirror Most Lightweight: Better Bevel Rubber-Framed Mirror Best Features: Keonjinn Backlit Bathroom Mirror Best Tilting Mirror: Moen Pivoting Bathroom Mirror Pros and Cons ✔ Backed by Moen’s limited lifetime warranty✔ Has a neutral design that fits with any bathroom aesthetic ✔ Includes a spot-resistant finish that prevents water staining...

The end-of-project wrap party is a longstanding tradition at This Old House, but there was a delightful new twist to the party marking the conclusion of the Gen NEXT project in Newton, MA: We had Insiders in da house! In early December, eight Insider members received word that they had won an invitation to the event, and quickly made their plans to get to town. On the night of the wrap party in mid-December, the Insiders and their spouses mixed, mingled, and took photos with the TOH crew....

In zones where winter has put plants in sleep mode, now’s the best time to prune certain specimens. Use heading cuts to prune back to a healthy bud and promote side branching, and thinning cuts, which take the branch to the nearest limb, to maintain the plant’s shape. Snip smart, and you’ll see more blooms and thicker foliage. What to Prune in Early Spring Summer-flowering deciduous shrubs These are shrubs that bloom on new growth, such as butterfly bush, rose of Sharon, and crape myrtle....

Have you always dreamed of a library of your own, but don’t think you have the space for one? You can always get creative: A home library is more about organizing a beautiful display for your book collection and having a cozy spot to devour stories than about owning built-in bookshelves or dedicating an entire room to leather-bound volumes. You don’t need a large space, and you may not even need an actual bookcase....

If you’d like to add dimension and character to a plain room, nothing beats the traditional look of a coffered ceiling, with its grid of bold beams. Constructing coffers on your own may seem daunting, but we’ll show you how even the average DIYer can create this hallmark old-house feature. The secret is our low-profile coffer design, which greatly simplifies the task of working overhead because you’re installing flat boards and molding rather than assembling box beams....

Color changes everything. Or lack of color, if that’s your thing. Point is, everyone knows you can give your drab, washed-out walls a burst of brilliant depth (or wash away your decorating sins with virgin white) just by picking up a paint can and having at them. That’s the power of a coat of paint: It rearranges your reality. This is why painting is the most oft-tackled DIY home-improvement project....

Steps: Project details Skill Cost Estimated Time Tools & Materials Airless Paint Sprayer Cordless drill/driver Ladder Garden hose bucket - 5-gallon Scrub brush Start by creating a template, numbering the shutters, and labeling them on the template, so it’s easier to keep track of which ones went where. Remove the shutters from the house. Number them with a marker in the back as you go. Rinse all the shutters with a garden hose....

Do It Yourself Stump Removal Even though digging out a tree stump isn’t the easiest job, you can do it yourself. Unless you have a bad back. Using an assortment of tools, you’ll cut through the roots to allow you to push out the stump. Start by digging through the dirt with a shovel to expose all the roots. Then use a hand saw, pruning saw, and loppers to work your way through the roots as described in the instructions below....

Painting your appliances can be an easy one-day project, but one that can go wrong if you overlook a few simple things. Why Paint Appliances? Because appliances are expensive! Scenario: you’re doing a kitchen remodel. The existing refrigerator is only a few years old, but it’s black. Your new range, dishwasher, and microwave are white. There is no use in buying a new refrigerator just to have a color change. This is a perfect candidate for paint!...

Season 44 of This Old House Season 44 of This Old House will feature three unique and compelling construction projects. Our team starts with restoring the first black postmaster’s house in Atlanta, GA, which was the site of civil rights activism. The deep history and charm led homeowners Kysha and Jonathan to want to restore it for their family and use it as a homeschool for their children. Next, the Schwab family is looking to remodel their classic New England-style home in Newburyport, MA, to become their forever home....

Previous episode: S20 E20 | Next episode: S20 E22 In this episode: At the shop, we join landscape contractor Jenn Nawada as she shows host Kevin O’Connor what he needs to know to start composting at home. Jenn shows Kevin how to make nutrient-rich, organic compost to feed a garden and create a better yield by starting with basic ingredients like leaves, food waste, water, and air. She even breaks the proper ratio down and shows Kevin a handy bin that makes the job easier....

Roof repairs typically involve replacing damaged shingles and rusted flashing, but the overhang of a roof is often the first area to succumb to rot, peeling paint and other weather-related problems. The good news is, unlike most roof repairs, you can fix an eave or gable overhang (rake) without climbing onto the roof. Project details Skill Cost Estimated Time Soffited eaves and gable overhangs are susceptible to water damage caused by ice dams, improper flashing, torn shingles, and faulty gutters....

When we go to bed, a pillow that doesn’t correctly support our neck and shoulders’ needs can determine how easily we fall asleep and the level of pain we may feel when we wake up. A king size pillow can deliver a royal class of comfort and support while also helping us to maximize our use of a bed’s sleeping surface. In addition, being larger than typical pillows ensures that as we move in our sleep, our neck, shoulders and head can still easily find a plush landing of support to rest on....

CONCORD, Mass., SEPT. 28, 2020 —The Emmy Award-winning series This Old House and Ask This Old House will begin airing new seasons of both top-rated shows on PBS, and a new Ask This Old House podcast launches starting Thursday, October 1st. You can check your local listings by clicking here. Additionally, you can find all the ways to watch This Old House and Ask This Old House here. Returning for its 42nd season, This Old House will kick off with four, new thematic “Behind the Build” episodes showcasing favorite audience topics: Designing Kitchens, Factory Made, Memorable Makers and Anatomy of a Kitchen....