Each product we feature has been independently selected and reviewed by our editorial team. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn a commission. Considering that sleeping is something we do every day of our lives, it shouldn’t be as hard as it is to get quality rest. But good sleep still evades us all from time to time, especially those of us sleeping on the wrong type of mattress....
Gas-powered lawn mowers and trimmers take their share of abuse during the warm months, so some lawn mower maintenance at the end of the season—or at the start of spring—is vital to keeping their parts in good working condition. Replacing the oil, spark plugs, and air filters on mowers and applying a bit of elbow grease to grimy recesses, preferably before storing them for the winter, will ensure that they rev up with a pull of the cord next year....
Paving the Way Flagstone-style pavers lead up to the sitting porch, where French doors with sidelights make for a welcoming entry to the home office. Doors: Sierra Pacific Pavers: Unilock Richcliff in Smoke Shale Preserving the Past At the front of the house, original windows (eight double-hung, two fanlight, and two frieze-band) have been painstakingly refinished by Karp master carpenters, who also took care to save the original interior oak trim....
To learn more about the features of a smart thermostat and what models we recommend, read our review on the best smart thermostats below. Top 5 Smart Thermostats Best Voice Control: ecobee SmartThermostat with Voice Control Best Smart Home Compatibility: Emerson Sensi ST75 Touch Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat with Touchscreen Color Display Simplest Design: Google Nest Learning Thermostat Budget Pick: Emerson Sensi ST55 Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat for Smart Home Easiest Installation: Honeywell Home T9 WIFI Smart Thermostat Best Voice Control: ecobee SmartThermostat with Voice Control This smart thermostat from ecobee has a high price tag because of all of the smart features that come with it....
Top 5 Desk Decorations Best Pad: Aothia Leather Desk Pad Protector Best Organizer: SimpleHouseware Mesh Desk Organizer Best Footrest: Comfilife Under-Desk Footrest Best Clock: Sharper Image Light-Up Electronic Word Clock Best Fountain: HoMedics Indoor Three-Tier Relaxation Fountain Best Pad: Aothia Leather Desk Pad Protector This desk pad has multiple purposes, providing padding for your wrists and preventing the top of your desk from getting scratched. Its leather material also gives it an attractive look....
When homes were built back in the 1800s, most timbers used for porch flooring were cut from “old-world” growth; the trees were grown to a ripe old age before being cut and milled. In an effort to make more profit in less time, mills began harvesting young, quick-cut timber, which is far less dense than its predecessors. While this may not make much difference in the majority of lumber applications, it does pose specific challenges on the porch....
This article appeared in the Summer 2021 issue of This Old House Magazine. Click here to learn how to subscribe. Spots outdoors for lounging, refreshment, and sniffing the flowers: Sounds nice, right? Your dog thinks so, too. Adding these kinds of pet-centric areas to your yard, or reimagining existing ones with him in mind, means you can rest easy knowing he’s safe and stimulated while exploring the outdoors. Sure, letting your dog out the back door and into a fenced-in yard is simple, but it won’t prevent him from ripping up flower beds and a well-kept lawn if he’s bored....
In this video, This Old House tile contractor Joe Ferrante shows how to install a mosaic-tile backsplash. Project details Skill Cost Estimated Time Steps: Use hammer and flat bar to pry existing tiles—one at a time—from backsplash wall. Scrape the bare wall clean with a wide-blade scraper. Mix thin-set mortar and apply to wall with trowel, fill all holes and depressions. Wait 30 minutes. Rub the thin-set perfectly smooth using a wet sponge and flat trowel....
Jeff Sweenor of Sweenor Builders Inc. Almost time for a new season of This Old House, and I’m proud to say it’s our 40th. Forty years, and still going strong. Hard to believe, but here we are! Time for some introductions! First up is our builder in Jamestown, RI: Jeff Sweenor of Sweenor Builders Inc. Jeff worked with us last year on our Idea House, and he did such a great job we asked him back for another Idea House and a TOH TV project....
Jenn: Hi, guys. I’m Jenn from House One and I am here with the real-deal, Anne of All Trades. Anne, thank you so much for being here. Anne: Thanks so much for having me. Jenn: Can you tell us a little bit of an introduction to your channel and what people could expect to see if they stop by? Anne: Absolutely. Well, I’m really into farmsteading, so you’ll see a lot of kind of do-it-yourself chicken-raising and gardening but my bigger focus on education lately has been on woodworking, furniture building, blacksmithing, welding, and fabrication....
Steps: Natural gas is delivered through massive pipelines across the country that reduce pressure as they approach municipalities. A device called a gas regulator is used to lower the pressure of gas coming into the house without disrupting the gas service of neighbors. If you ever smell gas in your home, evacuate immediately and call 911. In the rare event that city officials instruct homeowners to shut off their own gas, like what happened in Lawrence, go to the gas meter and look for a shutoff valve....
Top 4 Robot Mops Best Smart Features: iRobot Braava Jet M6 Best Runtime: Ecovacs Deebot Robot Vacuum and Mop Best For Wood Floors: BISSELL SpinWave Wet and Dry Robot Vacuum Best Accessories: Samsung Jetbot Robotic Mop iRobot Braava Jet M6 Key Features 4.85 pounds 150-minute battery life Smart device compatibility Tile surface recommendation What Customers Are Saying Customers who were happy with their purchase praised the mop’s simple setup and wet and dry mop features....
Easiest To Score: Winmau Blade 5 Bristle Dartboard Pros and Cons ✔ Endorsed by the British Darts Organization✔ Has a triple-wheel lock-and-level system to secure to nearly any surface✔ Has a large 17.75-inch scoring surface Compare Top Dartboards Winmau Dartboard $88 $105 17% off Prices taken at time of publishing. If you struggle with scoring, this is the board for you. It measures 17.75 inches across to give you a large area to aim for....
Using no-fuss materials and water-thrifty plantings, this landscaping pro gave his small urban lot plenty of visual punch and practical outdoor living space while minimizing upkeep. Coming up: five key ideas he put to work—and you can too. One reward of overhauling other people’s properties for a living is experience that you can put to use on your own place—eventually. For eight years, Vincent Ocampo worked as the contractor half of a design-build team in Southern California with garden designer Nicole Lopez....
Exposure to natural light rather than artificial light has been linked to a wide array of health benefits, including elevated mood, increased creativity, lowered blood pressure, and reduced anxiety. VELUX has revolutionized skylights with a product line that not only brightens and lightens any home but also can—quite literally—bring in a breath of fresh air, another essential benefit to good health and well-being. How Energy-Efficient Are Skylights? Skylights save homeowners money, too; Augmenting existing lighting systems with natural light from skylights can reduce overall energy costs, and solar-operated skylights are eligible for a 26% federal tax credit for both product and installation....
Give guests a buffet of playtime options and they will make your home the season’s hottest destination. They’ll arrive early, stay late, bring treats, and call you the greatest host since Jay Gatsby. All it takes is a backyard filled with games suited to all ages and abilities, a place where family and friends can gather to face off—whether it be for an innocent competition or a heated grudge match. In other words: If you build it, they will come....
Previous episode: S40 E26 | Next episode: S41 E2 In this episode: The crew arrives at the new project in Westerly, Rhode Island – a sturdy 1940’s ranch that was built and occupied by the same family since the new homeowners, Scott and Shayla, acquired it. They give Kevin and Tommy a tour of the knotty pine paneled interior. Builder Jeff Sweenor and his architectural design team have been working with Scott and Shayla on a transformation to take advantage of the distant view of the water and they show it to Kevin on the computer....
Whether you’re looking for help financing the Victorian fixer-upper of your dreams, tapping the value of the house where you’ve been for years, or taking advantage of rates that are still at near-historic lows, you might be surprised at how mortgage lenders rate older borrowers. • Age doesn’t matter. Counterintuitive as it may sound, your loan application for a mortgage to be repaid over 30 years looks the same to lenders whether you are 90 years old or 40....
While true to their name, groundcovers (or ground covers) do a lot more than simply cover bare soil. Part of a vast universe of versatile and problem-solving plants, they range from feathery grasses that never need mowing to soggy-soil-loving ferns to full-sun perennials that blanket hard-to-tend hills with fragrant blooms. Some groundcovers even withstand foot traffic, making them ideal as filler between stepping stones or as a substitute for a lawn....
Maybe your favorite cat used your leather chair arm as a scratching post. Or the leather has ripped on your treasured recliner, leaving a nice slice that threatens to expand. If the cost of replacing your leather furniture is more than you can bear right now, take heart. Repair it yourself and no one will be the wiser. Before beginning, make sure your piece of furniture is genuine leather. Genuine leather is the whole skin of an animal....
