Oliver Harriett

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

By day, Oliver Harriett owns and operates a painting contractor business. Nights and weekends, he writes about the joys and pains of home improvement.

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AUGUST 17, 2016 | WEDNESDAY
The 7 Essential Tools of Deconstruction

There’s demolition, which totally trashes a room in preparation for remodeling, and then there’s deconstruction. The latter takes a kinder, gentler, smarter approach that aims to salvage ...

AUGUST 10, 2016 | WEDNESDAY
7 Clever Alternative Uses for Your Trim Puller

Construction pros and savvy do-it-yourselfers who have purchased a Trim Puller for a demo job know how quickly, cleanly, and efficiently it removes and salvages trim while keeping walls f...

JULY 13, 2016 | WEDNESDAY
3 Steps to Prepare a Room for Hardwood Flooring

Careful preparation is key to the successful installation of hardwood flooring. If you fail to get the subfloor clean, level, and dry before you lay the first plank, you could wind up wit...

JUNE 28, 2016 | TUESDAY
Cool Tools: The Gentler Alternative to a Pry Bar

Removing trim is one of the peskiest aspects of a deconstruction job. Rotating through and manipulating various clunky, generic implements—crowbar, pry bar, chisel—is a total time suck th...

JUNE 15, 2016 | WEDNESDAY
How To: Remove Baseboard

Whether you're planning on replacing a floor or simply wanting to change up the style of trim in a room, your project to-do list will likely start with removal of the baseboard, that stri...

MAY 19, 2016 | THURSDAY
7 Ways to Bring the Outdoors In

It’s instinctual, really: During the winter, people naturally prefer to hunker down indoors, protected from the frigid temperatures and severe storms that are signatures of the season. Wh...

APRIL 22, 2016 | FRIDAY
Home Security 2.0: Design and Install Your Own Smart System

Of all the rooms in the house, my personal office is where I spend the most time. Thickly carpeted and paneled in wood, it's a tranquil, comfortable space. Here's the catch: Some of its p...

OCTOBER 27, 2015 | TUESDAY
Complete Control: Set the Temperature at Home No Matter Where You Are

You are reading one installment in a 10-part series devoted to exploring Mitsubishi Electric ductless cooling and heating. See all. Cooling and heating the home isn't what it used to be—a...

JULY 22, 2015 | WEDNESDAY
Prevent Runaway Mold in Your Vacation Home with Innovative HVAC

If you are fortunate enough to own a vacation home, you know what a treat it can be to spend time away from the stresses and hassles of everyday life. But you also know that, for all the ...

JUNE 24, 2015 | WEDNESDAY
How To: Build a Cinder Block Wall

Privacy, safety, security—these are only a few of the reasons that homeowners build solid, durable garden walls. Although it's immensely satisfying to construct one, it's certainly no eas...