Tommy Trolls Kevin On Facebook Live

The Charleston 2018 season of This Old House started airing on March 29th. To celebrate the season premiere, Kevin jumped on Facebook LIVE to share some of his personal jobsite photos and stories. Fans of TOH aren’t strangers to the bromance between Kevin and Tommy, so it was a special treat when Tommy showed up in the commenting section of Kevin’s livestream on March 21 to do some good, old-fashioned trolling:...

November 3, 2022 · 3 min · 436 words · Christine Solis

37 Easy Ways To Upgrade Your Outdoor Rooms

Outdoor space where you can find solace or entertain your loved ones is a luxury many homeowners forget to make the most of. If you’re looking for ways to make your patio, deck, or backyard more welcoming, try these simple design upgrades. Outdoor Room Ideas 1. Add color underfoot There’s no more natural extension of your home’s living area than a porch. But all too often, furnishings are bare-bones. The trick to making this outdoor space more inviting is to layer on the same comfortable and stylish touches you’d expect indoors....

November 2, 2022 · 6 min · 1254 words · Brandi Harrell

Better Exterior Building Products 2020 Cottage On The Cape

Cape Cod’s unforgiving climate and damp salt air were big factors in the selection of so many products we used. Here are some of the products that builder Matt Cole will be sure to use again and again. PVC Porch Materials Thanks to a proprietary manufacturing process and formulation, this solid extruded PVC tongue-and-groove porch plank floor is guaranteed not to expand and contract, so it will never buckle, warp, or cup....

November 2, 2022 · 3 min · 629 words · Donna Mccall

How To Install A Smart Thermostat

In this video, This Old House plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey shows a homeowner how to install and operate an energy-saving smart thermostat. Project details Skill Cost Estimated Time Installing a smart thermostat Turn off the service switch on the side of the furnace. Remove the faceplate from the existing thermostat. Take a digital photograph of the wire connections. Use a screwdriver to loosen the screw terminals on the thermostat’s base plate....

November 2, 2022 · 2 min · 239 words · Robin Heredia

How To Install A Wall Mounted Mini Split

In this video, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey explains the purpose of a mini split ductless air conditioner and the process of getting one installed. Project details Skill Cost Estimated Time How Does a Mini Split Work? It’s simple physics—heat will always transfer to cold. Using something called an inverter, the mini split is capable of capturing heat through a cold line of refrigerant and moving it to the desired location....

November 2, 2022 · 4 min · 682 words · Gary Thomas

Japanese Saws Types Benefits And Care

If you’ve never picked up a Japanese saw, be prepared for a shock. Its floppy blade stuck on a rattan-wrapped stick may seem at first glance to be more toy than tool. But get down to cutting wood, and you’ll ask yourself why you put up with traditional Western-style handsaws for so long. Why Are Japanese Saws Better? Many traits distinguish saws from East and West, but it all boils down to this: In Japan, you cut on the pull stroke....

November 2, 2022 · 5 min · 917 words · Jeffrey Delong

The 5 Best Ice Melts 2023 Review

Top 5 Ice Melts Easiest To See: Snow Joe Blended Ice Melter Best Pellets: Green Gobbler Snow and Ice Pellets Best for Cars: Prestone Windshield De-Icer Best Liquid: Branch Creek Ice Melt Best for Small Surfaces: Redmond Ice Melter Easiest To See: Snow Joe Blended Ice Melter Pros and Cons ✔ Works safely on wood and concrete surfaces✔ Can purchase a pack with a spreader to apply it✔ Has an anti-corrosion formula...

November 2, 2022 · 8 min · 1669 words · Elisa Montoya

What You Need To Etch Glass Easily

Developed in the mid-1800s, acid-etched glass became popular for its ability to shield patrons in drinking establishments from view while letting in natural light. Victorian and Edwardian homes quickly adopted the look, and today, glass etching designs appear on windows, mirrors, even glassware. As the chemicals needed to achieve this frosted effect have become less toxic, etching glass has turned into an ideal project for DIYers looking to personalize their homes....

November 2, 2022 · 2 min · 386 words · Patricia Johnson

2022 Saratoga Springs Wrap Party Sweepstakes

Hurry – There are just 10 days to enter for your chance to be part of this exclusive event! You could be among the first to step through the doors of our Saratoga Springs project house and see the real deal. You’ll get to explore the newly-remodeled house, meet cast and crew members from This Old House, and join in the revelry as we celebrate another completed renovation of Season 43....

November 1, 2022 · 1 min · 202 words · Elizabeth Phillips

How To Install A Gps Enabled Smart Thermostat

Steps for installing a GPS-enabled smart thermostat Before doing any work, turn off power to the heating/cooling system. Disconnect and remove the old thermostat. If it contains mercury, it needs to be disposed of properly. Check local regulations for more information. Feed the wires through the thermostat, level the thermostat, and screw it to the wall. Use the app to help determine the correct wiring configuration for your system. Push the thermostat wires into the correct terminal....

November 1, 2022 · 1 min · 145 words · Myrna Craig

How To Patch Wood Siding

Whether it’s cracked, rotted, or the victim of a woodpecker’s bill, a damaged strip of wood siding is an open invitation for water to leak in and wreak havoc on a house. So when a piece needs fixing, it’s a task that merits a big red flag on the “To do” list. Replacing a broken clapboard isn’t that difficult, but as This Old House general contractor Tom Silva shows, it’s a delicate process that takes patience and precision....

November 1, 2022 · 4 min · 695 words · Janice Addison

How To Shorten A Gas Pipe To Fit An Oven

Steps: Project details Skill Cost Estimated Time Working with gas is dangerous and should be left to a licensed professional. Start by shutting off the gas to the meter using a wrench. Carefully slide the stove out until you can fit behind it to break the connections. Disconnect the flexible gas line from the gas piping using the pipe wrenches. With the pipe wrenches still in hand, loosen the gas piping and the shutoff from the pipes below the floor....

November 1, 2022 · 2 min · 387 words · Micah Rundell

How To Unclog A Toilet

Fortunately, a clogged toilet is almost always an easy thing to fix. There are a few reliable options for clearing a clogged toilet—including using a plunger, a toilet auger, and even a simple bucket of soapy water—and we’ll walk you through the right way to use each method. Project details Skill Cost Estimated Time Steps for Unclogging a Toilet Step 1: Prepare the toilet for the job First off, if you just flushed your toilet and it’s about to overflow because it’s clogged, you may have a chance to stop it from spilling over onto your bathroom floor by quickly lifting off the tank lid and reaching down to close the flapper valve before the whole tank empties....

November 1, 2022 · 4 min · 775 words · Tammie Miller

Making Perfect Chalk Lines

For such simple tools, chalk lines are incredibly helpful and can save a lot of time and money. They’re used to create perfectly straight lines on surfaces such as plywood, drywall, or even a board that might need trimming. Learning how to use and make the perfect chalk line enables a carpenter or DIYer to work faster and more accurately. How to Use a Chalk Line If you don’t know how to use a chalk line, don’t worry; you’ll get the hang of it....

November 1, 2022 · 6 min · 1179 words · Bonnie Doherty

S42 E27 Summer Special Scandinavian Modern

Previous episode: S42 E26 | Next episode: S42 E28 In this episode: This Old House has followed the rebuilding of over 70 homes. But after 42 years only one of those was a Scandinavian Modern. This Cambridge, MA house started life as a dark, divided 1887 two-family home. We turned it into a bright, open Scandinavian-style one-family. In this summer special, we compress the efforts to restore this beauty into one episode....

November 1, 2022 · 1 min · 211 words · Amber Jensen

Build It Movable Kitchen Island

In this video, Ask This Old House general contractor Tom Silva shows how to fabricate a kitchen island out of stock cabinets. Project details Skill Cost Estimated Time Steps for building a movable kitchen island Stock kitchen cabinets come in a wide variety of finishes, colors, sizes, and configurations. Kitchen base cabinets are too tall for use in a mobile island, unless you cut them down to size. Upper wall cabinets at 12 inches deep by 30 inches tall are ideal for building a mobile island....

October 31, 2022 · 2 min · 352 words · Julia Nash

Build It Upholstered Footstool Class

Steps: 1. Start by marking a circle on the 2x2 foot board. Here’s an easy way to do this: Project details Skill Cost Estimated Time Tools & Materials Layout square Hammer Bandsaw Cordless drill/driver synthetic-bristle paintbrush - 2-inch Rotary cutter Fabric scissors Iron Sewing needle Staple gun Use a framing square or other straight edge to draw two diagonal lines across the board. Where the two lines intersect will be the center....

October 31, 2022 · 3 min · 543 words · Jamie Fonner

Create An English Country Sitting Room

English Country Sitting Room If there’s one thing that truly “makes” the English country look, it’s this, says London interior designer William Yeoward, author of Blue & White and Other Stories: “Don’t try too hard.” To that end, this gathering space in an 18th-century Sussex farmhouse features a mix of “smart stripes” deployed with a whiff of British eccentricity. The trick to achieving a joyful mix rather than a jumble is to stay within a classic color palette, like the Union Jack hues here....

October 31, 2022 · 3 min · 467 words · Jon Thompson

How To Install A Plunge Pool

How to install a plunge pool This is a custom and professional job that will require working with a pool manufacturer and an excavator. Order the pool with the desired dimensions, type of tiles, and seat placement. It can take up to a month for the order to be fulfilled and delivered. An excavator should come and dig the hole for the pool, just slightly longer and wider than the actual dimensions of the pool....

October 31, 2022 · 1 min · 188 words · Nicolas Hawks

How To Install A Whole House Ductless Humidifier

Steps: 1. This job requires working on the water line and making electrical connections. In most cases, it’s best left to professionals. 2. Identify a good location to mount the unit that will allow for proper airflow throughout the house. It’s helpful to keep the utility side of the box near a water line, a drain, and power supply. 3. Shut off the power at the breaker and the water at the main water shutoff....

October 31, 2022 · 2 min · 342 words · Vincent Fredrick