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Because they’re located below ground level, basements tend to absorb moisture from surrounding soil, making them damp...
While it’s hard to match the natural beauty of solid wood, it’s an undeniably pricey option. Fortunately, for many pr...
Whether you’re repairing a roof, redoing your wood floors, or starting another major do-it-yourself project, chances ...
If you’re ready to upgrade to a new lawn mower but aren’t sure you want a traditional gas-powered model, consider goi...
If you’ve had enough of the ruts, cracks, and stains of your current driveway and are considering installing a new on...
Looking at replacing your roof sometime soon? One of the first decisions you'll need to reach is choice in design. In...
Quartz and quartzite, two high-end countertop materials derived from quartz, are so often confused that even retailer...
Manual reel lawn mowers may invoke nostalgia for the good old days before powerful riding versions arrived to wake th...
Q: My 15-year-old air conditioning unit finally gave up, so I’m in the process of shopping for a new one. I’ve heard ...
In order to stay healthy and look their best, trees need occasional pruning to remove broken branches and thin out de...
Homeowners who are considering replacement windows have more choices in materials, finishes, and styles today than ev...
Cracks, divots, holes, or rot can crop up on wooden surfaces due to ordinary wear-and-tear, accidents, and during do-...
Replacing a burned-out light bulb in your foyer, hanging a family portrait, cleaning the gutters—there are just some ...
Located on the sloped side of a roof, a dormer window brings natural light into an attic, loft, or any room with a va...
It happens to all of us at some point or another. A shower drain backs up and refuses to empty out the tub, a sink fi...
No longer strictly for the workshop, wet/dry vacuums have become a necessary convenience all around the house. A wet/...
You might have found the perfect color, but what about the right consistency? Paint's thickness—or, rather, thinness—...
If you’ve ever lost power during a storm or your cell phone went dead on a remote hike, you probably wished for a way...
An exotic sense of romance is associated with tile roofs, which commonly appear on Southwest-style and Mediterranean-...
Thanks to its smaller motor, a stick vacuum is thinner and far more lightweight than its upright and canister cousins...
Everyone knows the traditional handsaw, with its long, wide blade and sturdy handle. But not everyone knows there's m...
Converting an old bathtub to a walk-in shower—be it a prefab unit or custom job—is high on many a homeowner’s remodel...
When you’re choosing fresh paint for your walls or wooden furniture, after color, the next big decision to be made is...
Q: A few wooden surfaces in my home interior could use painting. What’s the best paint for wood—water- or oil-based? ...
When it comes to elaborate flooring, parquet reigns supreme. Constructed from small pieces of hardwood fitted togethe...
As the temperatures drop, we crave warmth and coziness—but before you turn up the heat, consider an electric blanket....
If you’re looking to remodel your kitchen with new countertops—either to boost the beauty of the space or the resale ...
As you no doubt know, dryers operate by either electricity or gas. An electric dryer (which has a lifespan of about 1...
Interested in keeping your investment countertops in tip-top shape? Cutting boards are key accessories for any kitche...
Often, trees are selected and grown for their foliage, fruit, or flowers—seasonal features that blossom and fade over...
The best kitchen trash cans not only hold garbage, they do so in a sanitary, unobtrusive manner. If you have a too-sm...
If you’ve ever worked with wood, you’re likely familiar with instructions to sand all edges after cutting: before app...
Q: I’m dreading the coming winter months because my yard always looks so bare and brown when all the summer blooming ...
Whether you have a large family to feed, do a lot of hunting or fishing, or simply tend to grocery-shop in bulk, a ch...
If you’re thinking of taking on a wall construction project in your home, you’ll likely hear of two options: drywall ...
Any homeowner undertaking a DIY tiling project will work with grout, a putty-like mixture that fills the space betwee...
Practical nonstick cookware is popular with kitchen newbies and experienced chefs alike. After all, cooking with coat...
Nowadays, many homeowners choose light-emitting diode bulbs (LEDs) over the classic incandescent, fluorescent, or hal...
Butcher block, consisting of individual wooden strips fused together into a sleek slab, is a timeless and trendy mate...
Rain on a tin roof proves so soothing that it can be found on white noise machines and meditation apps alike, but tha...
While turning leaves are lovely, once they start to drop, the task of clearing walkways and readying your yard for wi...
Brick, the hard-working earthen blocks basic to so many structures, is becoming a trendy flooring option for high-tra...
You can’t beat a handheld vacuum when you need to quickly clean up common messes like broken glass, pet hair, and coo...
Buying hand tools can be a confusing—and at times a losing—proposition. When faced with aisles full of putty knives, hammers, utility knives, and other toolbox mu...
Amazon is loved for its great deals and quick shipping. Some prices from this virtual retailer, you just can't beat. Here's a roundup of the best household buys y...
There's no shortage of wood fence options. Which is the right type for your property? In the end, it really comes dow...
While the average mattress has a life span of seven to 10 years, most homeowners don't consider replacing the sleepin...
Plank flooring has come a long way from the frontier days when rough-hewn boards were nailed to floor joists, resulti...
Grilled food fans, rejoice! The industry has been busy perfecting electric grills, filling a need for folks who want ...
Your lawn and garden need a variety of nutrients to grow and stay healthy. Soil is an important source of key nutrien...
One of the oldest flooring materials is still among the most desirable. Whether your style is classic, contemporary, ...
Q: Our kitchen is ready for a refresh, starting with a new color for the cabinets. What’s the best paint for kitchen ...
Good home security starts at your front door. A home burglary occurs approximately once every 18 seconds in the Unite...
In the ambient heat of summer, nothing beats walking inside to a blast of chilled air. But while air conditioning pro...
We’re all prone to occasional impulse purchases, but a shed should not be one of them. While more and more folks are ...
During the summer months, many homeowners use a fan to assist in circulating indoor air and increasing the comfort le...
Do you find yourself raising your eyebrows at higher-than-normal energy bills? If your old air-conditioning system se...
Q: I’m putting a new deck on my house and I want to make sure it is constructed properly. What is the best decking ma...
When considering a tile refresh for any floor, wall, or countertop, keep porcelain and ceramic tiles top of mind for ...
During the summer months, nothing beats kicking back in a hammock and swaying gently on a warm breeze with a paperbac...
Many homeowners like to enjoy the warmer months by entertaining in the backyard, dining on the patio, and playing law...
Homeowners who host frequent outdoor gatherings tend to have strict opinions about what kind of backyard grill keeps ...
Whoever said, “The grass is always greener on the other side” probably wasn’t using the right stuff. When it comes to...
If your lawn features a lot of “interruptions”—trees, shrubbery, pavers, and pathways—odds are that you struggle with...
Whether you want to build a rustic bench, install trim molding, or plumb a new sink, odds are that you’ll need to cut...
Nothing beats a hot shower at the end of a long day. But while the steamy water works wonders on your nerves, it has ...
Removing old wallpaper, filling nail holes, and prying off hardened putty all rely on one simple and supremely handy ...
A space-smart decision for dorm rooms and tiny spaces alike, the mini fridge keeps food and beverage close at hand wi...
Though they’re not much to look at, screws hold a place of honor in the construction, hobby, and furniture-making ind...
Nobody enjoys dragging a heavy vacuum across all carpeted floors of the house and repeating the job only a week later...
If you’ve ever tried to remove a stuck nut with a pair of pliers in a pinch, you know how easy it is to scrape and da...
We’ve all got friends and relatives, but we don’t all have a guest room for their overnight visits. On that safe assu...
A hardware store’s paint department presents an overwhelming number of options to any homeowner looking for a color r...
Nobody wants to breathe in dust, dander, pollen, and mold. Unfortunately, though, the air in our homes is loaded with...
If you’re an avid DIYer, you know how miserable it can be to work on a project, or even perform routine car maintenan...
Ever-rising utility costs can make it difficult to heat an entire house during the coldest months of the year. To kee...
Sitting at a desk all day had long been associated with “secretary’s spread,” but doctors at the Mayo Clinic point ou...
When Old Man Winter blows into town, home improvement stores roll out their snow blower displays—rows of shiny red, b...
No kitchen stove is perfect. Both gas and electric models offer advantages and disadvantages. Here are a few consider...
Heating and air conditioning strip your home’s air of its natural humidity. The result: An uncomfortable dryness that...
Among the many advantages of high-tech home accessories is their ability to let us untangle ourselves from old-fashio...
Breezes in, bugs out—functionally speaking, the screen door hasn’t changed much in the past hundred years or so. Diff...
The shape and tidiness of your shrubs is a crucial component of curb appeal. Whether you’ve got a densely landscaped ...
From the zigzag post-and-rail of the Colonial era to the elaborate molded vinyl styles of today, fences have always b...
Whether your yard is large or small, minimally landscaped or filled with flower beds, one of the easiest ways to keep...
While your yard may take its fair share of work to maintain and manicure, it can actually be pretty easy to keep it f...
Nothing says “clean” like a great pressure washing! Everything from decks and driveways to patio furniture and window...
There’s nothing quite like the sense of clean and calm that comes with a great shower after a long day’s work. One of...
Fancy yourself an at-home chef with serious skills? Then you may be interested in upgrading your cooking space to one...
If you’re confused by the wide array of options in the adhesives aisle at your local hardware store, you’re not alone...
Whatever your home's style may be, flooring is quite literally its foundation—and often the first design element visi...
A coat of durable wood finish on your hardwood floors, fine furniture, and outdoor decking can mean the difference be...
It’s not how you start, but how you finish, as the adage goes. But when it comes to painting, the materials you choos...
With a single tiny change to the faucets in your kitchen and bathrooms, you can achieve significant savings on your w...
Picture the average lightbulb. Now picture sunlight streaming into a room in your home. There's no comparison, right?...
Decisions, decisions: Buying a new vacuum cleaner used to be a fairly straightforward and simple process, but today’s proliferation of purchasing options may leav...
You put a great deal of trust in your front door, counting on it to form a good first impression of your home for any...
There are two main types of stoves—gas and electric. Each type has its devotees, and its detractors. Which stove you ...
There are many questions to grapple with before settling on any particular rug: How big should it be? Is it durable enough? What do I need to know to clean it? Fo...
The kitchen plays host to more appliances than any other room in the house, and the king of them all is the refrigera...
Air quality can suffer in myriad ways. Excess humidity ranks among the least desirable effects. Left unchecked, moist...
Just as cellular technology freed the telephone, the advent of lithium-ion batteries forever altered the landscape of...
If you've gone out to buy a light bulb recently, chances are you've hesitated over the unfamiliar selection. Traditio...
As much as chainsaws hold appeal for tool geeks and aspiring lumberjacks, they are also quite handy for the average h...
January 2014 signaled the final stage in the phaseout of standard incandescent light bulbs in the United States. As of January 1, traditional incandescents are no...
When you're planning a dinner party, it's not long before you start picturing the pile of plates that will await you ...
Whether you’re a veteran weekend warrior or a newcomer to home improvement, you’ll get nothing done without reliable tools you can wield with confidence. But rath...
These days, we're increasingly sharing our homes with electronic devices. Many of them are pretty pricey, and that in...
The storm hits. Power lines topple. And your home loses electricity for an hour, a day, or even a week. These inconve...
Whereas other home upgrades are purely elective, roof repairs aren't a choice; they're essential. Besides being crit...
Every homeowner knows that a sound roof is an absolute must to protect your investment. That's why routine roof maint...
Homeowners evaluating new flooring owe it to themselves to consider the benefits and beauty of wood. Wood floors are ...
A new sofa is an investment—not just of your hard-earned dollars, but of your time. You hope to spend many years with your sofa, so it's worth your while to seek ...
Choosing the right wood for a home improvement project can be tricky for experienced woodworkers and novice DIYers alike. Luckily, knowing a few key lumber facts ...
Gutters are a critical component of a home’s drainage system, and like many exterior features, they're subject to wea...
When it comes to picking exterior paint colors, there are a number of things to consider before making a final decision. Here are some basic do’s and don’ts to he...
"With subtle style differences and various makes and models available, a toilet is a pretty simple machine designed t...
Equal parts meditative and functional, today’s bathroom has been transformed into a spa, a place to unwind and refres...
Feel that chill in the air? Winter is coming. Now is the time to assess your heating system and replace any aging or ...
Nothing can draw the elements of a room together quite like a rug. It can make a cold room cozy and inviting, define ...
It's difficult to overstate the importance of windows in home design, not least because they have an impact on both t...
Surprise! It's all right to install virtually any type of flooring in your basement. Although hardwood should be avoi...
Now that it's fall, chilly weather chases you indoors after dinner al fresco, and low temperatures in the morning kee...
When choosing wallboard, remember the difference between drywall and blueboard. Drywall panels are covered with pape...
Kitchen makeovers are among the most popular of home improvements. They can be costly—a mid-range minor kitchen remod...
Whether you are building a new house or renovating your current home, the roof will be one of the most important choi...
The exterior of your home faces a ceaseless barrage of threats from the hot sun, strong winds, precipitation in all i...
Gone are the days of the utilitarian shower head. Today's spigots are anything but standard. From sleek handheld unit...
Not all paintbrushes are created equal, nor are they all the right fit for every job. Use this guide to determine the best brush for your project.
Don't miss Bathroom Floor Tile: 14 Top OptionsBathroom floor tile is available in a surprising number of materials. C...
Countertops pull double duty as a visual design element and a hardworking surface. Cost depends on materials, with pr...
In her new book, Black & White (and a Bit in Between), designer Celerie Kemble reviews the classic appeal of blac...
Muscles or electricity are required to power a saw, but the sawteeth really do the cutting, reducing the fibers of th...
1. Less is more: While having the 628-piece tool set is an impressive thing to tell all of your home-improvement bu...
Choosing major kitchen appliances can be fun, but homeowners should think of family and lifestyle first. If hiring a ...
Whether you like charcoal or gas, a single grill or a cooking station, how and where you use a grill will help you de...
There are growing number of businesses in coastal areas selling and installing storm shutters. As all shutters are no...
The most personal decision involved in any interior or exterior painting project is color choice. If green is your fa...
In most areas of the U. S. , housing costs are rising faster than wages. To meet the federal government’s definition ...
Molding profiles tend to represent eras in building design. As architectural details, they often serve to pinpoint a ...
There is more to replacing windows than choosing the glass and the frame. Existing openings may need to be changed to...
Floors must withstand your lifestyle. They get nicked by high heels, crusted by muddy boots and crushed by furniture ...
The green movement is in full swing: from organic foods to energy-efficient appliances to greener cleaning products, ...
A piece of handcrafted furniture is at once a practical and aesthetic purchase. It graces your home, reflects who you...
Whole-home audio, or distributed audio, is an increasingly popular way for homeowners in new and existing houses to e...
If you’re considering a new system for your home, talk first to your architect or designer. Conversations with HVAC c...
If your designer has specified all the fixtures, appliances, and home building materials needed for the job, you may ...
Whether you are building from scratch or choosing a new roof for your existing home, a wide range of materials are re...
Let's talk garden hoses. Every home needs at least one, whether to water the lawn, wash the car, or run the Slip 'n S...
Thanks to modern advances in fabrication, outdoor rugs have never featured more extensive design options. A favorite ...
Looking for a small home improvement that yields big results? A programmable thermostat, properly installed and confi...
Choosing a ceiling fan is enough to make any homeowner’s head hurt. With so many variables and options, what should y...
In the overall scheme of a bathroom, the sink faucet might seem like an incidental detail, but its design can set the...
Whether you’re remodeling the whole house or freshening up only a few rooms, new floor coverings can revive spaces th...
I’ve looked at flooring from both sides now. . . and it’s the horrors of applying polyurethane I recall. Apologies to...
With planting season around the corner, it’s time to hit the garage and take inventory: what have you got, and what d...
If your current lawn mower was built to last, it's probably been a while since you've shopped for a new one! When you...
Indoor air quality can be problematic at any time of year, but it is especially a concern during the winter months wh...
Drill bits are designed to do one thing: make holes in stuff. That is, except when they are intended to drive hardwar...
One of the most exciting things about building a new house was seeing how much natural light we were going to get wit...
Aside from the price of your own renewable energy, the cost of anything used to heat or cool the home is largely non-...
Winter’s chill is in the air, and that means it may be time to shop for a snow blower. There are a number of factors ...
Did you know that each holiday season 2,600 people are injured in fires in the US?Listen to BOB VILA ON PICKING A CHR...
Choosing your tile is not as easy as walking into a showroom and picking a color or pattern. You have to consider how...
What a difference the right tool or appliance can make! For instance, we were late arrivals to the pressure-washer pa...
So you repainted the living room and now you can’t stand your old furniture. Before you shop 'til you drop, do some ...
Autumn leaves are falling, which means pumpkin donuts and lattes are available at your favorite morning pit stop. And...
Almost no other part of your home gets as much exposure as the front door. It’s where you greet friends and family, s...
One thing we miss about living in New York is the awesome city playgrounds. You could walk to a different one every d...
The Bidding Process Is Telling By now, most homeowners know that you need to get quotes from several contractors befo...
Important Safety Tool If you’re a parent, one of your many important jobs is making your home safe for your child. As...
Bob Vila Radio is a newly launched daily radio spot carried on more than 60 stations around the country (and growing)...
The first things we chose during our eight-hour selections appointment for our new construction home were our kitchen...
Give Fluorescent Lighting Another Chance We all know that switching to fluorescent lighting saves energy and money. B...
There are a lot of decisions to make when constructing a new home. Having a large production builder as our contracto...
As far as home improvement gear goes, furnace filters are admittedly among the least, um. . . exciting. There's none ...
Evaluate Your Needs Choosing tile is not as easy as walking into a showroom and picking the right color or pattern. F...
It's estimated that a paint sprayer can apply a coating ten times faster than brushing and four times faster than rol...
I hate my shower! Well, actually, it’s my shower head that I don’t like. Granted, it's better than the standard fixtu...
Drywall History Before drywall, builders nailed lengths of wood, called lath, to the studs and then applied several c...
What to Look for Room air conditioners are rated by the number of BTUs, or British thermal units, of heat that they c...