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A bed without a headboard practically shouts “dorm room”—not exactly a great vibe for your grown-up retreat. So if you’re in the market for this piece of furniture, we hope you’ll be inspired to put together our DIY version, which took a day to assemble. This Old House general contractor Tom Silva built it with stock staircase parts that he cut to size and simply glued and screwed together; he even showed us a shortcut for spacing out the balusters evenly along its length....

In this video, This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook discusses options and features of non-gasoline-powered mowers. Project details Skill Cost Estimated Time Steps for Choosing the Right Eco-Friendly Lawn Mower Electric, corded mowers have plastic decks and electric motors, so they’re much lighter and quieter than gasoline mowers. Electric mowers often have a rear- and/or side-mounted collection bag. Both positions work well at collecting the grass clippings, but rear-mounted is preferred because the bag can’t hit shrubs and hedges....

Landscape contractor Jenn Nawada takes us on a house call to help a homeowner clean up their backyard pond. After assessing the pond and noticing the amount of algae, Jenn thinks calling in an expert for help is in order. They remove the fish and drain the pond. After adding lights, changing filters, and adding some helpful bacteria, they get the pond back up and running before adding the fish....

Jenn: Hi guys, I’m Jenn from House One and I’m here with Jamie from jamiecostiglio.com. Jamie, thank you so much for being with us. Jamie: Thanks for having me. Jenn: So Jamie is the maker builder behind jamiecostiglio.com. Can you tell us a little bit about your site? Jamie: So I started about nine years ago. I just started with basic projects out of necessity and I just kept building on that, building on that and figuring out that I could make all these things that I wanted for my house and for my family....

Garage Confusion Jocelyn and Jeff Gordon love their 1936 farmhouse in Brownsville, OR. “But I’d like the garage, which was tacked on in 1956, to look more original to the house,” Jocelyn says. “And visitors aren’t sure which is the main entrance.” Handsome Revamp So we asked architect Michael Soraci of Agate Architecture in nearby Eugene for some design solutions. First up, to marry the garage to the historical house, Soraci would give it a gabled roof, with dormers, that matches the main roofline, and he would replace all the moss-prone asphalt shingles with standing-seam metal....

Back when we used fireplaces to heat our homes, cleaning out wood ashes from the hearth was a daily chore. Today, after a cozy winter fire, or use of a wood stove or backyard fire pit, we can collect the wood ash on a more leisurely basis, and put it to excellent use. What is Wood Ash Good For? We may not burn as much firewood as we used to, but ash is still a great raw resource with a variety of benefits and uses around the home....

Dramatic Daybed Jim McClintock is good with numbers. By the time the retired marketing executive and his partner, Richard Graves, found this French Eclectic–style house in Los Angeles’s Toluca Lake neighborhood, he tallied they had visited some 252 properties. “This house was the happy ending to our sixteen-month search,” Jim says. Shown: One of two studies in eye-catching stripes. An expansive new dormer defines the home-office addition with exposed rafters, arched windows, and a dramatic daybed....

Family in Light From their first walk-through of the small, boxy 1950s house in Brookline, Massachusetts, Dr. Sunil Ghelani and Dr. Neha Kwatra envisioned it transformed. Once filming wrapped on the renovated mid-century modern house—a subject of This Old House’s 40th-anniversary television season—and party guests filled the warmly lit and comfortably furnished rooms, the split-level, open interior, with its soaring ceilings, cool-gray floors, and expansive windows, didn’t disappoint. “It’s what we had imagined our dream house would be,” says Neha....

Hanging a wreath made from anything but evergreens may make some people itch like a kid in an ugly Christmas sweater. 7 Fresh Holiday Greenery Decorations Plenty of natural materials can give a fresh and lively twist to traditional decorating schemes. Here, This Old House TV landscape contractor Roger Cook and landscape designer Jenn Nawada share their favorite ideas for sourcing holiday decor from nature. 1. Festive Holly We can’t forget this holiday-greenery staple....

This article appeared in the Fall 2022 issue of This Old House Magazine. Click here to learn how to subscribe. When looking for ideas for new woodworking projects, Tom is often inspired by construction details he spots on everyday objects from the past. In this case, he drew up a plan for a serving tray that relies on the same sturdy joinery found on wood boxes from a century or more ago....

Hosting your loved ones during the holiday season isn’t exactly a simple task. Take the stress out of the prep work and get your home ready for your guests with these practical tips. 7 Thanksgiving Prep Tips 1. Make Sure Your Dishwasher is in Top Shape 2. Look After the Fridge Dump any leftovers before you start cooking to make some room. Airflow is essential inside a fridge, as well as outside....

Controlling the level of lighting in a room is a great way to set a mood. While you may want brighter light for reading, you might want less light for watching TV, and perhaps even a third level of light for a romantic evening at home. Dimmer switches can accommodate all of these circumstances. Replacing a regular switch with a dimmer switch is one of the easiest DIY electrical projects. In most cases, no permit or inspection is required, but it is important to be careful whenever working around electricity....

One of the greatest benefits of modern, slim TVs is that you can mount them on a wall. Unlike old, bulky TVs that required an entire living room corner or an entertainment center, today’s televisions can hang like artwork. But if you have brick walls in your home you may feel the wall-mounted TV ship has sailed. Luckily that’s not the case. We’ll go over the tools you’ll need and how to drill into your brick wall to mount your TV securely....

Unbalanced Front Out the back of his 1977 split-level in Manhattan, KS, homeowner Aaron Harries has a magnificent view of rolling prairie and open sky. “But I’d like the front to be more balanced and welcoming,” he says. Rebalanced Front So we asked local firm Ben Moore Design to propose some ideas. Their team would swap the deck for a screened porch with a stepped-down prow roof, giving the house more presence—and function—overall....

There are countless ways to store your tools, including on a pegboard or in a tool box, tool chest, tool bag, or tool belt. In this review, we’ll look at another organization system—tool organizers. A tool organizer is a product that doesn’t fit into the other storage categories. It may be a small cabinet with drawers that you mount on a wall or a plastic case that you carry from place to place....

Looking into getting a bunk bed? Bunk beds are an easy way to give your kids, teens, or guests extra floor space, and nobody said they couldn’t be comfortable. Whether you’re looking for a mattress to support your child’s growing body, relieve some tension from your teenager, or ensure any overnight guests wake up feeling well-rested, we’re here to help. We’ve compiled a list of the best mattresses for bunk beds, with options for toddlers and kids, lanky teens and young adults, and everyone else....

This shingled ranch in Westerly, Rhode Island was built in 1949. The original owner crafted the kitchen cabinets himself and oversaw the construction of a knotty pine paneled country home. The same family lived in the house until it was purchased last year by the new owners. Homeowners: Scott and Shayla Adams General Contractor: Sweenor Builders Location: Westerly, RI Scope: Scott and Shayla bought the house recently for their growing family....

Who could resist a plant with patterned foliage in kaleidoscopic hues, one made for shade but fine with sun; a plant that’s so easy to grow, it almost tends itself? Welcome to the world of coleus, that hot-blooded tropical once cherished by Victorians and subsequently grown for its ability to cheer up dappled spots. The coleus here and on the following pages were photographed at White Flower Farm, which sells both new and old-favorite varieties....

In this video, This Old House plumbing and heating contractor Richard Trethewey explains how to add a humidifier to a forced-air system. Project details Skill Cost Estimated Time Steps for Adding a Humidifier to a Forced-Air System Screw the humidifier to a wall near the furnace. Cut away insulation from the duct using a utility knife. Position the hole-cutting template onto the side of the duct. Drill a pilot hole through the duct, then cut out the hole with aviation snips....

In this video, This Old House plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey helps a homeowner insulate his ductwork. Project details Skill Cost Estimated Time Steps for Insulating HVAC Ductwork Check the speed of the blower motor on the furnace. If necessary, switch the wires to reduce the blower to its lowest speed. Press a continuous strip of foil tape to all longitudinal seams along straight runs of duct. Use a paintbrush to apply duct mastic to the joints where an elbow connects to a duct....