NO PURCHASE IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. Entries must be posted between 12:00:01 AM 8/19/20 and 11:59:59 PM ET 8/26/20. Open to legal residents of the 50 United States or the District of Columbia 18 years of age or older. This contest is not affiliated with a social network or any outside company or entity. See Official Rules. Week 4: (Aug. 19-26): Pet Projects This week, we want to see the projects you’ve completed for your furry friends!...
Where> Boston What> Duplicated his home’s architectural details with molds It’s no secret that TOH readers have a weakness for restoring antique architecture—and Kevin Shale is no exception. He was thrilled that some of the original plaster corbels and ceiling medallions on the first floor of his crumbling 1877 brick townhouse had survived. Hoping to match those details throughout his house, Kevin taught himself how to reproduce the prized pieces....
Owning a second home for extended vacations, weekend escapes, or family reunions has never felt more appealing. Even before the pandemic, the market for second homes was heating up thanks to historically low mortgage rates and a prolonged stock market rally. Then 2020 ushered in an era of remote work, making vacation homes that could double as full-time retreats that much more attractive. The yearning for a second home isn’t likely to fade away soon, even as offices and schools reopen....
It took 14 years to create Mount Rushmore, starting in October 1927 and completing in 1941. There were no casualties while creating the monument. Resources: Expert assistance with this segment was provided by Mount Rushmore National Memorial.
Download the Boot Rack Cutlist. Overview Cut list to build a boot stand: Balusters: eight @ 23 inches long, with uniform base heights cut to 10° Boot-rack base: one 2x6 cut with 45° angled ends and to 24 inches between long points Boot-rack feet: two 2x4s cut with 45° angled ends and to 8 ½ inches between long points Or download the cut list here. Step 1: Cut the Balusters Use a boot to determine where to cut your balusters....
This Old House’s game experts, aka Team Saturday, walk you through the steps. As for how to lure your grade-school bully onto your turf for a little payback, you’re on your own. Overview to Build a Ladder Golf Game Set Our vexing version of the popular game Ladder Golf ups the ante considerably: The point-bearing horizontal rungs, instead of securely bridging two posts, are supported by just one upright. That means that even the deftest of tosses can slip right off the exposed ends—in which case you get zilch....
Steps for Choosing a Christmas Tree Tools:
How to clear a clogged drain Tools
And in our age of microchipped tools, we’re lucky we don’t remember this because the last things pre-power tool concrete drilling was were fast or easy. Back in the day, the best drill for concrete (and the only one) was a hardened steel bit, a sledgehammer, and a hand strength Thor would admire. Hit the bit like a nail, twist the bit a quarter turn, repeat. Some bit tips had a star pattern similar to what we’d call an SDS bit today....
Is It Hard to Finish Drywall? The process isn’t complicated. It takes just a few tools—a small and a large drywall knife and a swivel-head pole sander—to finish drywall. Here, Paul Landry, of P.L. Drywall in Waltham, Massachusetts, shows us how to mud and tape drywall, using premixed joint compound (a.k.a. “drywall mud”) and drywall tape. How to Finish Drywall Step-By-Step 1. Drywall Finishing Steps Overview The tricky part is learning how to properly bed the tape and feather out the compound to an imperceptible edge....
Installing pendant lights Tools
Installing a raised vegetable garden Tools:
Installing shoe molding is one of the easiest trim projects, requiring only a few tools and some basic carpentry skills. We’ll walk you through the entire process, including choosing materials, making measurements and cuts, and installing the trim in your home. Where to Install Shoe Molding The primary use for shoe molding is to cover gaps where flooring meets adjacent vertical surfaces, especially when the flooring was installed after the baseboard trim and cabinetry....
Answer: While LEDs run much cooler than incandescents, their electronic components and external heat sinks do get quite hot; you would still need to keep the insulation away from your fixtures. And that leaves you with some serious problems. Those fixtures allow huge amounts of warm air—not only from the bulbs but from all over your house—to vent into your attic, which jacks up your heating bill, creates drafts, and contributes to the formation of ice dams after a snowfall....
What Maintenance Does an Air Conditioner Need? We asked This Old House plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey to share his air conditioner maintenance tips for central air and window units. 1. Change Your Filters Dirty filters kill your AC’s efficiency, so install a new one every month during the cooling season for central and window units (or clean them if you’ve got the washable type). Look for the filter’s minimum efficiency reporting value, or MERV, which ranges from 1 to 12 for home AC units; the higher the number, the better filtration it provides (and the more energy needed to pull air through it, so balance air-quality concerns with energy costs)....
If you lack a dedicated spot for paying bills and stashing loose stuff, a good desk is a must. And you can make one yourself with basic materials. To simplify construction, This Old House general contractor Tom Silva came up with a compact, drawer-free design. The desktop, made of plywood topped with acrylic sheeting, stands on turned legs. “Choose legs at least 29 inches tall for a comfortable working height,” says Tom....
Hose off dirt and road salt Focus on the auger and the impeller behind it. Towel dry and buff car wax on the painted metal housing and inside the chute. Replace the fuel Drain the tank and add an ethanol-free fuel like TruFuel ($5.80). Let the engine run for a few minutes. Baby the moving parts Follow the owner’s manual. If it doesn’t specify lubrication, coat exposed cables with motor oil....
Do Cracks in Walls Indicate a Structural Problem? Larger stress cracks occur when a house settles or the ground beneath it shifts. These types of cracks typically don’t threaten the structural integrity of the house, but they do create an entry point for groundwater, insects and radon gas. Here, we’ll show you a simple, effective way to patch cracks in poured concrete walls. If you notice large, recurring cracks or bulging walls at your house, don’t try to fix these conditions yourself....
Steps for Repairing a Frozen Air Conditioner How to Diagnose a Frosty Air Conditioner
