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General contractor Tom Silva turns the barn into Santa’s Workshop and asks Kevin O’Connor, Richard Trethewey, Jenn Nawada, Mark McCullough, Mauro Henrique, and Ross Trethewey to help him turn, paint, and hang Christmas ornaments out of scrap wood. Project details Skill Cost Estimated Time Creating custom wooden ornaments can be done using an array of wood types. Tom suggests using scrap wood, although you can use better quality wood for fancier ornaments....

Steps for Rebuilding a Retaining Wall: Remove any plants lining the retaining wall with a shovel. Dig deep to give the plants a strong root ball. Transfer plants temporarily to a tarp for safekeeping. Remove the pieces of the old wall. Dig a few inches back and deep along the location of the old wall. Lay a thick base of gravel along the trench. Pack it down tight with a tamper....

Steps: Project details Skill Cost Estimated Time Tools & Materials Tape measure Hammer Pencil Track saw Block plane Paint brush Table saw Power grinder chisel Brad nailer Take the door off the hinges. Mark the bottom of the door about ¼” and cut it with a track saw. Sand the edges of the door a little bit and ease the edges with a block plane. Prime the bottom of the door with some paint and a paintbrush to protect the raw wood....

This article appeared in the Summer 2022 issue of This Old House Magazine. Click here to learn how to subscribe. About This House Built in the 1870s, when the city was a burgeoning manufacturing hub, this Victorian-era house was home to respected local businessman and county sheriff John Carlos Barber and his wife, Sarah, as well as two more generations of the family. Sold off in 1953, it then changed hands several more times....

Best Over-the-Sink: Surpahs Over-the-Sink Drying Rack This dish rack is an all-around space-saver. When you’re using it, it hangs over your sink instead of sitting on your counter. When your dishes are dry, it rolls up to fit in a cabinet or drawer until you need it again. Key Features Measures 20.5 by 13.1 inches Fits over your sink Made from stainless steel and silicone What Customers Are Saying Customers liked this rack’s unique, convenient design....

Austin, Texas, is known to be humid, which, in combination with temperate weather, can make it very attractive to pests like mosquitoes. There are ways to try to combat pest invasions on your own, but for more efficient, knowledge-driven pest control solutions, consider hiring a professional pest control company. The best pest control companies offer decades of experience, highly trained specialists, and top-of-the-line products and equipment. We believe that the companies listed below offer the best pest control services in Austin and surrounding areas....

Protecting your home from fire damage and dangerous gases starts with installing the proper detection devices, like smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms. These easy-to-install and affordable devices can help you save not only your personal belongings but the lives of your loved ones that live inside the home. Top Smoke Detectors and Fire Alarms First Alert Smoke Detector and Carbon Monoxide Detector [Check Price] Available in a one- or three-pack, this First Alert detector offers two-in-one protection with its included smoke and carbon monoxide monitoring....

Busting the budget is everyone’s biggest fear when it comes to home remodels. And with good reason. Even if you follow the essential advice we’ve been doling out for years—build in a 20 percent cushion to cover the nasty surprises, get contractor references and check them, banish the words “while you’re at it” from your vocabulary—it’s hard not to end up shelling out more than you want to. With some strategic thinking about design, materials, and timing, you can cut costs without cutting corners....

Steps to building a dog bowl stand: Start by cutting the 1x10 boards to size on the miter saw to act as the two legs. Cut the 1x12 board to size on the miter saw to act as a top. Outline an arch on the bottoms of the two legs to give them more shape. Using a drill or a drill press, drill two pilot holes at the top edges of each arch so you’ll have a consistent, rounded edge....

When working on a garden with varying heights and sun exposure, Jenn follows the following guidelines: Project details Skill Cost Estimated Time Tools & Materials Digging shovel Steps: Add grasses in the back and on the sides of the garden to act as a backdrop for the garden and to minimize other structures. Anchor stairs with symmetrical plants. She finds shrubs will better define the walking area than other types of plants....

In this video, This Old House general contractor Tom Silva shows how to snake wires through walls for a pair of outdoor speakers. Project details Skill Cost Estimated Time Steps: Inspect the house wall, inside and out, to determine where to drill speaker-wire hole without hitting a header, stud or other structural framing member. Drill 1-inch-diameter speaker-wire hole through exterior of wall using a spade bit. Feed snake into hole and push it down through the inside of the wall....

You could say that painting found Mauro, rather than the other way around. Recently arrived from his native Brazil, he was working on a construction crew, hoping to become a carpenter, when the painter on the job didn’t show up. “My boss looked at me and said, ‘Can you paint?’ I said, ‘I can try,’ and picked up a brush,” he says. “I found I really enjoyed the work.” After the job was done, he started practicing at home—“on the walls, inside closets, windows, trim, everywhere”—and making a study of his new craft....

Many renovations involve relocating windows, but that change usually requires simply cutting into framing timbers and adding new headers. At the Westerly, RI, project, however, the desire for a new window put TOH home builder Jeff Sweenor up against the wall: a solid-concrete foundation wall, to be exact. The existing basement’s only source of natural light was a set of windows located on the back of the house. During the renovation, a new deck will be built back there, creating a great spot for outdoor living, but with the unfortunate side effect of covering up the basement windows....

TOH has become acquainted with so many amazing trade programs all over the nation, especially after launching our Generation NEXT initiative to help close the skills gap. One of our favorite programs is unCommon Construction in New Orleans, Louisiana. unCommon Construction was established in 2015 and “uses the build process to empower youth to lead the workforce after high school or college.” This year, unCommon Construction partnered with The Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans to build affordable housing in Tremé, New Orleans....

Artfully Battered They say the cobbler’s children have no shoes, but if that truism were always apt, Scott Kalmbach’s kids would be living in tents. Instead, Finn, 16, and his sister Remy, 13, roam around a rustic-modern two-story house filled with fun artifacts like animal bones and a reclaimed wasp’s nest. When they get bored, there’s the yard, which their dad, a real estate agent and serial house renovator, compares to a Costa Rican adventure park....

Awnings reduce sunlight and glare, protect patio furniture, and make outdoor living more enjoyable. They come in several styles and can be as easy to install as raising an umbrella or as complicated as erecting a gazebo. And awning can do more than shade your outdoor living space; it can protect the interior of your home, too. Without the sun streaming in your windows, your home stays cooler, lowering your utility costs....

Home security systems can give you peace of mind whether you’re away from your home or asleep at night. You can’t be vigilant all the time, but your security system can. With features like 24/7 professional monitoring, motion sensors, entryway sensors, and more, you can feel confident that your home is safe from potential threats. There are a lot of home security systems available in Austin, but they aren’t all equal....

Whether your handyman has a budding tool collection or a garage full of equipment, there’s always room for a new gift. To help you surprise the DIYer in your life, the This Old House Reviews Team has rounded up 20 gift ideas that are sure to help your handyman get the job done. Want to save these ideas for later? Create your own holiday gift list to share gift ideas with family and friends....

Steps: Project details Skill Cost Estimated Time Tools & Materials Circular saw Track saw Track saw guide system Tape measure Measure the offset of the circular saw guide to the blade. Mark whatever is being cut at the desired length, plus the offset. Use a straight scrap piece of wood and place it on the measurement. Run the saw along the scrap piece of wood and the cut should be straight....

In this video, This Old House general contractor Tom Silva installs a new range vent hood. Project details Skill Cost Estimated Time Steps for Installing a Range Vent Hood Use a 6-inch-diameter hole saw to cut a hole through the interior wall surface, directly above the range. Collect the dust with wet/dry vacuum while cutting the hole. If the hole saw can’t cut through the interior wall in one pass, stop cutting, remove the plaster from the hole, and continue drilling....