Photo: Yugster.com
It’s a ritual that dates back to cave times—DIYers showing off their proud achievements.
‘Before and after’ shots are OK, but if you really want to chronicle start-to-finish project progress, you need timelapse photography. For an elegant, soup-to-nuts approach to that kind of recording, consider the TimelapseCam 8.0 from Wingscapes.
While shutters are the traditional line of defense against storms, break-ins, and the hot sun, unfortunately you have to be home to put them to use. Impact-resistant glass is a great built-in option for protecting your home from storm damage, theft, or even just road noise!
Photo: taylormadewd.com
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Listen to BOB VILA ON IMPACT-RESISTANT WINDOWS, or read text below:
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A porch is simply a deck with a roof on it, right? Not quite. While some porches may be as simple as that, many are more similar to an indoor room that is missing windows and walls.
It’s a home improvement project. What could go wrong?
Photo: manwtools.bmbnow.com
Better not to think about it. That’s really a job for the agent who handles your homeowners’ insurance. Before you get going on your project, review your policy to make sure coverage includes these hope-they-don’t-happen factors:
Florida might be the hurricane capital of the U.S., but every region has its perils: storms, wildfires, floods and ice. The way we build our homes and prepare for them can make all the difference when they strike.
Metal ties secure down roof in "Reviewing the Work Involved in Building a Hurricane-Resistant Home: Storm-Ready Design" Season 16 Episode 4
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Listen to BOB VILA ON STORM READY ROOFS, or read the text below:
Deconstruction is the new demolition.
Photo: glightconstruction.com
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Listen to BOB VILA ON DECONSTRUCTION, NOT DEMOLITION, or read text below:
4 out of 10 American homes have a mold problem. If you’ve got an area less than 10 square feet and your household doesn’t include anyone who is very young, very old or chronically ill, you can tackle the problem yourself if you’re careful, once you’ve removed the source of the moisture.
Photo: moldremoval.net
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Listen to BOB VILA ON MOLD REMOVAL, or read text below:
Since moving from the city to the ‘burbs, I’ve gotten reacquainted with one of my weekly teenage chores (for which I received a $5 allowance): mowing the lawn. Back then, my Dad did the trimming work after I finished cutting. Now as an adult and homeowner I’ve embarked on my own journey to learn the art of weed whacking. It looks very simple. (Dad made it look so easy!) But I’ve found it takes a lot of practice to be good at it. I admit to having felt overwhelmed and angsty about the task at the start of summer, but over the last few months I’ve learned a few things that help to make the job less stressful.
Photo: allthingslabyrinth.com
PaintSwatches app from Aquariform Designs. Photo: crunchbase.com
There’s a special place in my heart for apps that help match paint colors. PaintSwatches (from Aquariform Designs) allows you to do so with a minimum of fuss.
This $1.99 iPhone app is elegant and flexible—high praise for any bit of software—and it’s relatively simple to navigate and use. In contrast with other similar tools, PaintSwatches isn’t weighed down with unnecessary functions; it’s light and quick and useful.
Most of the mandatory bases are covered, and I’ll get to those features in a minute. What I particularly like is the ability to import a photo and create a color scheme based on it. If I were so inclined, I could use this tool to create a room of colors inspired by the view I snapped at the top of a ski run in the Rockies, or by a shot of my daughters plowing through autumn leaves in the front yard.
The app enables you to pick colors from several paint makers, including C2, Sherwin-Williams, and Glidden. You can scroll through swatches, type a tint’s name and/or number, or search paint names for words like “silver”, “frost”, or “pepper”.
Chosen swatches are collected in a bar at the top of the screen, and you can pull each one down to see how they play together. You can create notes about the project or send all of the paint info (though not the swatches themselves) via email to your family, contractor, or neighbors (to tweak their noses).
Wherever lights are accidentally left on a lot, your home is leaking money. Sometimes, just changing the switch can solve the problem.
Photo: shutterstock.com
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Listen to BOB VILA ON ENERGY SAVING LIGHT SWITCHES, or read text below: Read the rest of this entry »
