Bob Vila

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bob Vila

You probably know me from TV, where for nearly 30 years I hosted a variety of educational shows—This Old House, Bob Vila’s Home Again, Bob Vila, and Restore America with Bob Vila. I’ve also written 12 books about remodeling your home, buying your dream home, and visiting historic homes across America. It’s fair to say my life’s work has been 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.

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 BobVila.com helps homeowners do.

Connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Youtube and Instagram. I look forward to the conversation and to getting to know you.

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JANUARY 12, 2012 | THURSDAY
All You Need to Know About Wall-to-Wall Carpeting

Whether you’re remodeling the whole house or freshening up only a few rooms, new floor coverings can revive spaces that have seen better days. When considering putting wall-to-wall carpet...

DECEMBER 15, 2011 | THURSDAY
Thinking About Installing a Basement Bathroom? Here’s What You Need to Know

Adding a bathroom to a finished basement adds value to the home, but installing toilets and sinks in a below-grade environment takes more than a basic knowledge of drain pipes, water line...

NOVEMBER 30, 2011 | WEDNESDAY
Filing Techniques

The first time I saw my father cut a piece of stock with a handsaw, he made it look easy. When I tried it, I discovered it wasn't quite as simple as it appeared. Filing is the same way: I...

NOVEMBER 30, 2011 | WEDNESDAY
Protective Gear

There's nothing hard about wearing safety goggles or earplugs or a respirator when they are needed. The cost for such protective gear can be very small — for less than ten dollars, you ca...

NOVEMBER 29, 2011 | TUESDAY
House Style: Garrison Colonial

Origins and Early 20th Century Adaptations of the Garrison House Colonial is one of the most adaptable styles. The garrison colonial house is representative.   It is rectangular with two ...

NOVEMBER 28, 2011 | MONDAY
Everything You Need to Know About How to Sharpen a Spade Bit

Spade bits, it seems, are always encountering nails, at least in the kinds of rough drilling chores that renovation work involves. Even if you’re well-versed in how to use a drill, nails,...

NOVEMBER 22, 2011 | TUESDAY
Radiant Floor Heating 101

Radiant floor heating is arguably the ideal home heating system. It’s comfortable, efficient, unobtrusive, quiet, and does not blow dust and allergens around the way forced hot air system...

NOVEMBER 15, 2011 | TUESDAY
Asphalt Shingles 101

Economical to produce, relatively easy to install and widely available, asphalt shingles are today’s most popular roofing material—not only because they’re less costly than wood, wood sha...

NOVEMBER 11, 2011 | FRIDAY
All You Need to Know About Emergency Generators

A power outage that lasts a few hours is often nothing more than an inconvenience, requiring some flashlights and a little patience. But when a major storm knocks out electricity for days...

NOVEMBER 2, 2011 | WEDNESDAY
Tim Allen and Bob Vila: Back to the Future

If you haven't checked out Tim Allen's new ABC comedy sitcom, Last Man Standing, you should. He's an awfully funny guy and the show is produced very much like his very successful Home Imp...