ABOUT THE AUTHOR
You probably know me from TV, where for nearly 30 years I hosted a variety of shows—This Old House, Bob Vila’s Home Again, Bob Vila, and Restore America with Bob Vila. (You can now watch my full TV episodes online!) But I’ve spent my career helping people upgrade their homes and improve their lives. Before my life in broadcasting, I launched my own residential remodeling and design business. Earlier still, I served as a Peace Corps volunteer, building houses and communities in Panama. I learned first-hand about home building from my father, who hand-built our family home. I’ve written 12 books about remodeling your home, buying your dream home, and visiting historic homes across America. It’s fair to say that buildings, especially homes, are my life’s work. Over the years I've also supported many causes dealing with housing and architectural preservation. I've been actively involved with Habitat for Humanity and helped them blitz build a house in Yonkers, NY, which we put on TV. I worked for years with the National Alliance to End Homelessness, supporting the work of many organizations throughout the country. In the last several years I've been helping out with the restoration of Ernest Hemingway’s home and collections at Finca Vigía near Havana, Cuba. This place was his home from 1939 until his death and he left it to the Cuban people to be run as a museum. This project has allowed me to visit my parents' homeland several times. Now it's this website that I am passionate about and the chance to share my projects, discoveries, tips, advice, and experiences with all of you. I’ve always believed that a little sweat equity goes a long way toward making a house a home, and that's exactly what my website helps homeowners do. You can connect with me on my own site and on Twitter. I look forward to the conversation and to getting to know you.
Browse By Tag
“If the only tool you have is a hammer, it is tempting to treat everything as if it were a nail,” wrote Abraham Maslow. While this timeless quote has more to do with solving problems than...
For many of us, November marks the beginning of a season filled with house guests, crazed holiday cooking, and cozy nights indoors. It's also the last chance for cold-region dwellers to f...
This month is a transitional one, one in which you’ll be winding down the garden but also making preparations for hunkering down indoors. Many of our September tasks do not result in inst...
The first day of summer is almost here, and memories of the long, cruel winter have all but left our collective consciousness. Since June is prime time to fire up the grill and soak up so...
Spring is here, and with it comes a bouquet of seasonal responsibilities. It’s time to clean and repair outdoor elements on your property, like fences and patios, that winter has battered...
Q: I re-painted my kitchen walls a month ago with great results, but woke up today to see the paint bubbling. What could have caused this effect long after my paint job and how do I elimi...
Muriatic acid, a less-pure variant of hydrochloric acid, is available in high concentrations for use in a host of home restoration and maintenance projects. While this powerful chemical a...
Q. I’ve seen a neighbor mow the lawn in the morning shortly after the sprinklers were turned off, but I thought this practice was ineffective when the blades are still wet. Is it actually...
Removing a tree from your yard can be a tricky and expensive process, but it’s especially frustrating when you still wind up stuck with a stubborn stump. Sometimes, when its vast root sys...
Stubborn weeds are the bane of a beautiful lawn. Yet, although it’s pretty stubborn, clover (aka Trifolium repens) is actually beneficial. It brings nitrogen into the soil and encourages ...
