Posts

Craftsman Render It’s a cloudy spring day in Narragansett, Rhode Island, and the building crew is busy nailing up the shingles on the sweeping roof, trimming out the front door, and installing the porch ceiling. A passerby stops and smiles, nodding in appreciation at the look of the house: Craftsman style has that effect on people. The early-1900s architectural style exudes comfort, warmth, and familiarity, and that is exactly the goal of TOH ’s 2018 Idea House—to combine traditional architectural details with the most-desired features for today’s informal way of living....

There’s something about water in motion that soothes the soul. Watching light play off the ripples or listening to the splash of a fountain—these are universally calming pastimes. It’s no surprise, then, that one of the most popular landscaping projects for This Old House readers is installing a pond. Happily, you don’t need deep pockets or lots of land to enjoy your own water feature. You can install a fully equipped, landscaped, fish-filled pond for around $500, provided that you do your own digging....

Steps: Project details Skill Cost Estimated Time The most common drill bit is a twist bit, or HHS bit, which can drill a small, uniform hole in a wide variety of materials. The coating of the bit will help determine exactly what materials the drill bit can withstand. Spade bits are good for drilling out a large amount of material quickly, but they don’t leave behind the cleanest cut. They’re best used for jobs like rough electrical....

How Do You Prepare the Ground for Planting Shrubs? To prepare the ground for planting a shrub, create a hole that is two and a half times that width of the shrub’s root ball. When you get past the top soil, you’ll reach the gravel. Remove the stones so that you can create a hole deep enough, at least 6 to 12 inches, to plant the shrub in. Project details Skill Cost Estimated Time In this video, we have a root ball that is 20 inches wide, so we ended up with a 50-inch wide hole, and the root ball is 15 inches deep....

Hotter summers, harsher winters, stronger storms, and sustained dry spells. Severe weather is affecting us all these days, and often our gardens don’t react as we would expect—or hope. That makes now a good time to take stock of what’s managing the fluctuations, and what’s succumbing to less than ideal conditions. Another smart move: turning to perennials that take it all in stride. “Gardeners are looking for plants that can adapt to tough conditions, whether that’s higher temperatures and longer droughts, or more rainfall than in the past,” says Monrovia Nursery’s Katie Tamony....

Colorful Back Porch Four years ago, Caroline Van Slyke was at a meeting in downtown Phoenix when she looked out the window, saw a forlorn little house, and decided “it needed some love,” she says. “It was like the house was speaking to me, telling me to adopt it. I know it sounds crazy.” Shown: Glazed Talavera tile in a dozen patterns, glossy Tolix-style chairs, and strings of cheery pennants embellish the 1903 brick house’s new back porch....

All roofs, even ones that look flat, need to slope to some degree so that snowmelt and rainfall can drain off. But beyond that basic requirement, architects and builders have a lot of leeway, and they’ve used that creative freedom to invent a wonderful array of roof designs. From gable to mansard, read on to learn about the various roof shape types that add character and style to homes. Gable Roof Shapes Gabled roofs are the kind young children typically draw....

Question: I have a 1950s brick Colonial with uninsulated concrete-block walls. Inside, the drywall is nailed to studs fastened flat against the block. How do I insulate walls with stud bays only 1½ inches thick?—David Caruso, Springfield, Pa. Answer: You can’t. And there is no effective way to fill the voids in an existing concrete-block wall. Your only option is to cover the inside of the exterior walls with a continuous layer of insulation, as though you were insulating a basement wall....

Positioning yourself in the shade not only makes the warm season bearable, but it can also safeguard you against harmful sunlight. A report by the Environmental Working Group found that after a review of 1,700 Sun Protection Factor (SPF) products, including sunscreens, lip balms, and moisturizers, 80 percent provided “inferior sun protection.” It turned out that applying sunscreen with an SPF rating before you head outside for a grilling session may not give you adequate protection from sun damage and related health risks....

If you’ve spent a lot of time and effort transforming your backyard into a green oasis, you’d naturally want a sitting area to enjoy the view. Project details Skill Cost Estimated Time Get yourself a wooden bench with a simple design, and position it in a shady spot for your leisurely breaks. If you’re good with a jigsaw, it’s not difficult to make a nice contoured one with simple horizontal slats....

Steps: Tom and Kevin agree that a house renovation can be a very disruptive process for the everyday lives of homeowners. For that reason, Tom finds it helpful to discuss with homeowners up front all the ways they can expect their lives to be disrupted so they can prepare themselves for it. a. Start time: Most contractors prefer to start around 7 am, which is often when homeowners are trying to get up and get ready for the day....

Anthony Tieuli I found this amazing polaroid behind a rotted out piece of baseboard moulding in the Roxbury project house. I think it was either 2009 or 2010. I was there to photograph the “before” condition of the house, just before the crews got in and got to work. I’ve been unbelievably lucky enough to be shooting for This Old House throughout my entire career so far, and many of my best memories as a photographer have been on assignment for them....

Table of Contents Jackery Portable Power Station Westinghouse Portable Generator Champion Power Equipment Open-Frame Inverter DuroMax Electric-Start Generator DuroStar Gas-Powered Portable Generator Buyer’s Guide How To Use a Home Generator Safely How Much Energy Do Common Household Items Use? Frequently Asked Questions Why Trust The This Old House Reviews Team Top 5 Home Generators Best Power Station: Jackery Portable Power Station Easiest To Start: Westinghouse Portable Generator Best Inverter Generator: Champion Power Equipment Open-Frame Inverter Most Powerful: DuroMax Electric-Start Generator Best Design: DuroStar Gas-Powered Portable Generator Jackery’s portable power station can support small devices, such as space heaters, coffee makers, and cell phones, making it useful for on-the-go power....

Safety, comfort, and value — and in that order — are key traits for parents seeking the best crib mattress. A safe mattress gives you peace of mind; comfort gives your baby (and you) a longer span to sleep soundly; and value matters, since a crib mattress won’t be a furnishing you need for the long haul. We spoke to Dr. Elizabeth Witman about safety when it comes to infants and sleep....

Intro: Located in the historic Elliotborough neighborhood of Charleston, South Carolina, this home needed a lot of work. The home needed so much work, in fact, that the end result didn’t make it to TV. It is now finally ready to be seen! Originally on Facebook LIVE, watch Kevin take a tour of the completed house and talk to the happy homeowners. We’ll also meet some of the folks responsible for this extreme renovation....

When the holidays are over, take down the tinsel, but don’t bag the tree. Its needles, boughs, and trunk can do more than hold ornaments. Here are creative ways you can dispose of your Christmas tree or recycle it. 10 Things to Do With an Old Christmas Tree 1. Mulch With Pine Needles Pine needles dry quickly and decompose slowly, making them an excellent moisture- and mold-free mulch for ground-covering crops, such as strawberries, to rest on....

This article appeared in the Fall 2022 issue of This Old House Magazine. Click here to learn how to subscribe. Few folks buy a turn-of-the-century house without some appreciation for its original details. No surprise, then, that Indianapolis homeowners Kaela and Cason Cusack hoped to honor the built-in oak hutch in their circa 1895 American Foursquare’s kitchen. Last renovated in the 1990s, the room also held an awkward angled island that hemmed in the cook, a fridge that blocked traffic, and scant storage and prep space....

WEBER BLUE PERFORMER DELUXE Size: 44"W x 26"D x 40"H Features: For cooking over charcoal, it doesn’t get much simpler. This version tricks out the classic kettle grill with an exclusive color and an upgraded cart that not only provides a good-size work surface but also has a built-in thermometer and gas-fueled ignition. You’ll still be looking at about 20 minutes till your coals are gray and ashy—as in, ready—but not having to hunt up some matches is a nice plus....

Not so long ago, staying warm meant shoveling coal or chopping wood. Those two fuels—which heated you twice, as the saying went—accounted for three-quarters of all residential heating in 1940. Today, with gas- and oil-fired central heat, attaining indoor comfort is no more strenuous than lifting a finger to adjust the thermostat. But getting to that point is probably the most technically challenging part of any residential construction project. For starters, you want maximum efficiency, a fact made all the more acute by rising fuel prices....

Customize Your Mattress Like so many things these days, mattresses can be adjusted to suit just you. Split the difference: If you and your partner can’t agree, pay a little more and order a mattress that’s half firm and half less so. Another solution would be to check out our round-up of the best mattresses for couples, some of which offer two firmness levels in a single bed! Pump it up: One maker, Select Comfort, uses side-by-side air pockets and an electric pump to allow separate adjustments in firmness in its Sleep Number beds....