Photo: theexperthousepainter.com
How strong is your relationship with your spouse? Do you want to test it? Spend a weekend stripping wallpaper together! Just kidding: Whether you’re working solo or with help from a partner, it’s not so hard to remove wallpaper. As with so many do-it-yourself projects, preparation, patience, and perseverance will be a few of the most valuable tools you can bring to the job.
Photo: organicconnectmag
It couldn’t be easier to go out and buy seeds from the local nursery or the nearest home improvement store. A large selection is available at either venue. But there’s a much, much larger selection ready to order from seed catalogs and online vendors.
But why should you wait? And why should you pay shipping costs when you can get seeds so easily at the local grocery store?
Photo: blindsforslidingdoors.com
When we moved out of the city and into our new home, we increased our window inventory more than three-fold. The windows we have are big and beautiful, but complicating matters is the fact they are custom sizes.
The thought of having a professional come to measure, order, and install window treatments made our wallets run for cover. Don’t get me wrong. Measuring and installation services are very well worth the money you pay, especially if you have a lot of windows. But if you don’t have a lot of money to spare, this is a job you can do yourself so long as you prepare properly and pay attention to detail.
Photo: modernvictorygarden.com
Though Punxsutawney Phil has barely gotten back into his den, you’re already itching to start spring planting! Unfortunately, the last frost is still about two months away. What’s a gardener to do?
Simple answer: Plant cool-weather crops in containers on your deck or front stoop! You’ll have homegrown salad on your table before you can even get one seed into your garden.
After all, greens like spinach, lettuce, arugula, swiss chard and kale thrive in the cooler temperatures—between 50 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit—and they’re as happy to grow in a pot or planter as anywhere. So fill some empty containers with dirt and get yourself some seeds!
Photo: lowes.com
If you’ve ever designed or remodeled a kitchen, you know there are an overwhelming number of decisions to make with regard to cabinets. Keep the old, or buy new? Reface or repaint? Adjustable or fixed shelves? Even once you’ve made what may have seemed like a million decisions, there’s still one more consideration: the hardware.
Slideshow: Cabinet Hardware: 10 Styles to Invigorate Your Kitchen
Photo: theflooringdesigncenter.com
For many of us, area rugs are a significant investment in decor. They warm up and add color to our rooms. They provide soft places for game playing, movie watching, and slumber partying.
But in order for rugs to last for years, they need to be maintained. And a big part of that maintenance is regular cleaning. Sure, you can send out a rug to be cleaned off-site by professionals—but it ain’t cheap. If you’re willing to put in some time and energy, however, it’s eminently possible to do a good job of cleaning your own rugs at home.
Photo: rivardfarm
During the cold, dark days of January and February, my mind turns to sunny, bright red tomatoes—for this is the time to start them indoors.
The growing season in most parts of the country isn’t long enough for gardeners to start these plants from seed outdoors. But you can start tomatoes indoors fairly easily, and in so doing, provide yourself a welcome reminder that spring will soon be on its way.
You can easily buy tomato plants from your local nursery, of course, but there are advantages to putting the time in to grow from seed yourself:
Photo: homelifenow.com
During the dull days of winter, I long to get out into the garden to harvest something for my dinner table. Having had such a bounty at my fingertips all summer and fall, it’s tough bringing myself to buy certain produce items at the grocery store.
I’m not alone, of course. Gardeners in most parts of the country are on break from harvesting fruits and veggies, but it’s not necessary to abstain from all gardening activities. One way of enjoying a little culinary gardening through the cold months is to grow herbs indoors.
John Deere's 4100 Series Front Snow Thrower attachment
When the weatherman starts predicting the next blizzard, we get a little shaky in our house. Armed with only two snow shovels and two middle-aged backs, our long driveway looks like a path to doom.
We’ve considered purchasing a snow blower, but we don’t like the idea of having another piece of equipment to maintain and store, and we don’t get a ton of snowfall in our area to begin with. We do have a lawn tractor, though, and so we thought it’d be worth seeing if the machine might serve double duty for us.
Most lawn tractor manufacturers have snow plow, or snow blower, attachments available. There are universal plow/blower attachments to be purchased as well, many for the price of a lower-priced walk-behind snow blower. It’s not that hard, actually, to convert your lawn tractor into a snow removal machine. Just be aware there’s a little more to it than putting on the attachment. But if you’re prepared—with all your owner’s manuals and manufacturer’s instructions at your side—you’ll be clearing your drive in no time.
Cobblestone Driveway by Troncoso Masonry Design
When we were building our new construction home, the driveway almost seemed like an afterthought. With everything else so close to being finished, we walked around with a can of orange spray paint imagining the ideal path from the street to our garage doors.
So if not in our experience, then generally speaking, the driveway occupies an important place in overall home and property design. When planning your driveway, there are several things to consider:
