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From house painting to lawn care, the home-service industry thrives on offering property owners specialized services ...
Standard drill drivers can handle most hole-drilling tasks in wood, but they don’t do so well when used to drill hole...
When it comes to jobsite safety, a hard hat is one of the most important tools one can own. These devices sit suspend...
Running a small business is no easy job; between scheduling, invoicing, and estimating, managing a business can leave...
The jobsite can be a danger zone, and various home improvement projects come with their share of injury risks as well...
Inflation—a steady uptick in prices for goods and services, and the corresponding dip of our purchasing power—is high...
Safety gear is required on job sites for a variety of professions, and DIYers are strongly advised to follow that lea...
You might think of yourself as pretty handy around the house. You can build your own shed foundation, you’ve mastered...
Many common DIY projects around the home, and in professional trades as well, require the use of safety glasses. Whet...
There comes a point when collecting a complete DIY set of tools starts causing storage issues. A tool box might do th...
Find the right pro for every household chore—big, small, majorly messy, or just plain pesky! This content is paid advertising created in partnership with Thu...
Q: Every professional painter I’ve ever encountered has worn a white uniform. Why do painters wear white? And should ...
The do-it-yourself ethos is one we heartily applaud. Most services provided by home maintenance pros aren't cheap, so taking care of small fixes on your own can s...
An essential at job sites, in workshops, and on garage shelves for more than 60 years, WD-40® Multi-Use Product has e...
As the first line of defense against stormwater damage, gutters play a vital role in the infrastructure of just about...
Why does it seem like the times you really need a plumber are late at night, early in the morning, or on weekends, when fees can cost twice as much as normal. Cha...
Few things are as frustrating as trying to drive a screw into a tight corner or over your head, only to have it fall ...
When you put your home up for sale, you need to put in quite a bit of work to make it an attractive competitor on the real estate market. Location, price, and a h...
Have you ever turned a blind eye to the chipping paint on a wall or ceiling to avoid the ordeal of redoing those hard...
Construction adhesive: It's a do-it-yourselfer favorite, a labor- and time-saver that long ago earned pride of place in the workshop. The best part? As advanced t...
It's nothing new. The problem is familiar to anyone whose projects often involve WD-40® Multi-Use Product. In the cou...
Imagine that you’ve just spent several hours—the better part of a weekend afternoon—painstakingly adhering ceiling ti...
April showers keep many DIYers indoors working on home maintenance projects large and small, from pepping up interior...
Once you’ve managed to secure the necessary approvals for your renovation or construction project, it's time for the ...
Spring is just a few weeks away, so it’s time to get serious about fix-up plans for porches, patios, and yards. To help, here’s a round-up of what’s new and cutti...
Homeownership is on the rise again. With mortgage applications surging and homeownership experiencing its first uptick since 2013, now seems like a good time to b...
As 2015 draws to a close, homeowners are starting to plan their remodeling projects for the new year. And while there are certain standards of craftsmanship that ...
In any remodel, the average homeowner tends to focus mainly on the end result, seldom understanding that overall succ...
If you’re setting up a home workshop for your do-it-yourself projects, recognize that in a room with so many power to...
Don't do what these homeowners did! Learn how to avoid costly mistakes and design disasters before you begin your next DIY renovation.
When Jeremy Medow left behind life on Wall Street for a new start in Connecticut, he didn't know that he would end up...
Congratulations, you’re officially a homeowner! But along with the new address comes a new set of responsibilities, including some you may not even know about. Th...
Do-it-yourselfers rely on tools to get the job done. But for contractors, tools are much more than a means to an end—they are nothing short of a livelihood. Contr...
Your good old caulk gun is a user-friendly tool—until you need to use it in a tight spot (say, the back side of a toi...
Erin True needed a job. She had recently moved from Detroit to Chicago with her husband, Jason, and was striking out ...
It's a great feeling to have all of your tried-and-true tools in one handy toolbox, but that feeling can quickly be e...
Any student of American history knows that there was a time when Detroit was abuzz with activity, when entrepreneurs ...
For home design enthusiasts, wood furniture built by true craftsmen is coveted for its uniqueness, its durability, an...
When Darren Green founded Old Wood Co. , in 2007, he had social and environmental consciousness top of mind. After wo...
Slippery when wet! Those words of caution may be most familiar in the context of hospital and airport floors, but the...
As agriculture has morphed into big business and populations have shifted from the countryside to urban centers, timb...
Every single month, tons of fire hose reaches the end of its useful life and must be disposed of. That's when Oakland...
After a combined thirty years in the construction business, brothers Steve and Rick Spencer had grown tired of relyin...
The measuring tape: It's a tool of unobjectionable simplicity, no more or less complicated than it needs to be—for so...
For decades, if you wanted a smooth, resilient finish for a project you were painting, you would turn to oil-based pa...
If you're planning to cut plywood, here are a few points to keep in mind. Cutting plywood usually creates a splintere...
Meet the duo behind one of the trendiest lighting companies around. Shelli Worley and her husband Seth started Worley...
Where do you keep your workshop? It's best to set it up in a place where noise, dust, and space aren't an issue. But there are other considerations to keep in min...
Next spring, one yard care system is going to revolutionize the way homeowners stock their sheds. We're used to such ...
This time of year, the intrusive sound of leaf blowers is a constant presence in nearly every neighborhood. But blowe...
Recessed lighting has always been efficient, since it takes up no space at all in a room. Over the years, as a variet...
Whether you’re a woodworker, gardener, craftaholic or avid DIYer, you need a comfortable area where you can do what you love to do. Sure, there are loads of craft...
Does it look like a bomb went off in your workshop? Even the best tools are useless if they are nowhere to be found w...
Is the roofer or tile setter not returning your phone calls? Don't take it personally. Economists agree that home im...
Big, clunky metal toolboxes are so 20th century. These days you can fit rulers, levels, manuals and even a whole squa...
One of the great advantages of a workshop—as distinct from a toolbox carried to a workplace—is the opportunity to pu...
It hardly needs to be said, but you should of course do everything you can to reduce the risk of fire in you workshop...
Power tools swallow up power the way dogs consume their food: in great, huge gulps. Most tools have two kinds of dema...
A landscape designer friend of mine tells a story about the college he went to. During his years there, the universit...
Perhaps you already know exactly where you will be locating your workshop. Maybe you already have a workplace in some...
The way to avoid the I-can't-find-it syndrome is to have appropriate containers for tool storage and transport. Seve...
We’ll begin by considering a handful of words that are especially useful when the talk turns to buildings. SYMMETRYIn...
A building code is a collection of regulations regarding building construction that is intended to ensure public safe...
If know what I want, why do I need a designer at all?Perhaps you don't. But understand that, strange as it may seem, ...
You will probably have a choice when you look for someone to help design your remodeling project. The most likely can...
The title "architect" conjures up in many people's minds fancy designer houses, monumental homes out of the pages of ...
No other profession leaves such large tracks. The work that architects and designers do is hard to hide: buildings, o...
Do you need contracts? Yes is the short answerContracts are a crucial part of the paper trail that will help assure t...
So, you tried to anticipate everything. But the fact is, no one can plan for every exigency. So here are some ways to...
Homeowners who plan to undertake a do-it-yourself job should know the difference between waste and salvageable buildi...
With a glut of distressed properties on the market now, people are eager to make deals. But there’s little room for e...
Hiring an architect should save you time and money, minimize bumps, streamline the building process, and provide an a...
What is a green home? While “green” has yet to be given a universally accepted definition, a green home would be defi...
It was an unsuccessful attempt to downsize for a smaller house payment that led Joseph Cortez, a realtor in Corpus Ch...
Job site theft is a rampant and growing problem that costs the construction industry more than $1 billion a year, acc...
To some, a garage is much more than a place to park the car and store junk. To the car enthusiast, it is a nerve cen...
Let’s consider a handful of architectural terms that are especially useful when talking about the forms of buildings....
Whether you plan to talk directly to a contractor or to begin by hiring a designer, you will save both of you time an...
Home renovation is big business. And if you think renovation generates a ton of construction work, just think of the ...
When you first start tackling home projects, it's no problem to hit the hardware store for one of those sandpaper mul...
Since my wife and I recently downsized, I am making do with a much smaller basement workshop these days. Whereas I co...
If your file folders are bursting at the seams with to-do lists, contractor quotes, spec sheets and inspirational cli...
All of a sudden there are not enough houses for sale to meet homebuyers' rising level of demand. Could you pull off ...
It’s hard to say that a workshop is actually a workshop if there isn’t at least a small workbench somewhere within th...
This article has been brought to you by SupplyHouse. com. Its facts and opinions are those of BobVila. com. Polyethyl...
Unhappy with the job your contractor did? Peeved at your local hardware store's churlish service? Annoyed with the ru...
[Ed: This post was updated with additional information from Redbeacon on 1/28/2013. ]Three-year-old startup Redbeacon...
As of January 2nd, U. S. drywall manufacturers increased their prices by 25 to 30%. On top of a similar increase last...
Interpreting historically accurate home design can be confusing, but a new series of free pattern books should help h...
You’re probably thinking I’m about to list my all-star tool picks. Nope. My five must-haves for a basement workshop h...
The next time you need to move something big and heavy in the workshop or around the house, save your back and build ...
It's a ritual that dates back to cave times—DIYers showing off their proud achievements. 'Before and after' shots are...
Working on a job site through a scorching, dusty summer day requires pacing and hydration, and now, perhaps for the f...
Everyone agrees that you should change your HVAC filter on a regular basis, but not everyone agrees on the type of fi...
All contracts you sign should begin with the parties to the agreement. Your name and address and that of the contract...
While spring is generally considered the month for cleaning windows, airing out the house, reorganizing the cupboards...
Renting is suddenly cool: these days, renting is about lifestyle and flexibility, says Jane Hodges, author of the new...
Brushless motor technology has been around for a while, but only within the last couple years have power tool manufac...
Like everything with moving parts—your car, your computer, your body—your power tools will last longer and work bette...
There's no reason why your woodworking shop can't be easy on the eyes, outside and in. The one pictured above was cre...
As a kid growing up, I remember visiting my grandparents’ house and heading straight for granddad’s garage. It was im...
Noise is an occupational hazard in any shop where power tools are used. Strategies must be employed to minimize the d...
Ask any seasoned renovator or restoration contractor and they will have at least one good demolition story to tell—no...
Bob travels to British Columbia and tours the Waldun Forest Products Company shingle manufacturing plant.
The generously sized workshop has a functional layout and a unique vinyl floor designed by architect Gregory Rochlin.
Bob meets with Bill Zoeller to discuss the ways this property will be 50% more energy efficient that a typical Florida Home.
Bob visits PGT Industries to learn what it takes to make impact-resistant windows.
Bob tours the Simplex Industries modular home plant and learns how the different pre-fab parts are made.
Bob tours the Simplex Industries manufacturing facility where workers are precutting the plywood as they construct the interior and exterior walls.
Bob and crew travel to Wareham, MA, to visit the Tremont Nail Mill. Tremont Nail, manufacturer of cut nails.
Bob takes a trip into Boston to visit the North Bennet Street School.
Bob visits with Alex Krutsky at the North Bennet Street School in Boston. Bob and Krutsky discuss the school's admissions process, which requires previous carpent...
Furniture maker Tommy MacDonald demonstrates a few of the techniques he employs to create hand-carved furniture details.
Bob visits with Brian Stowell at the Crown Point Cabinet factory in Claremont, NH.
Bob and Professor Tom Visser (UVM) visit the Burtch-Udall house in Quechee, VT, and the nearby Sumner Mansion-- suitable locales for a running discussion on prope...
Bob tours the Premier Building Systems plant with general manager Steve Thompson.
Bob visits the Simpson Plywood plant in Shelton, WA, where Jim Langenberg shows Bob how plywood, especially MDO, is made.
Bob visits Two Harbors, MN and tours the plant where Louisiana Pacific manufactures a line of exterior trim products.
Bob visits McCleary, WA, where Jim Fielder (from Simpson Door) takes him on a tour of the company's manufacturing plant.
Bob visits the Perstop Flooring Factory to see how Pergo, wood laminate flooring, is made.
Bob meets with the general contractors and the architect for the project house to discuss mid-construction changes to the building plan.
Bob tours the Buderus factory in Wetzlar, Germany with Herr Schulte, vice president of research and development.
Bob and contractor Ed Weller tour of another work in progress, a home being built using construction techniques unique to tropical climates.
Bob takes a tour of the Boston Sand and Gravel concrete plant, located on the Charles River in Boston.
Bob meets with carpenter Bob Ryley to install baseboard, then visits Paul Morse's workshop to see how specialty moldings are milled.
Bob visits the Georgia Pacific pressure-treated lumber plant in Sterling, GA to discover how pressure treated lumber is made to resist weather and rot.
Bob meets with restoration contractor Richard Marks to review the reproduction shutters that will be placed on the project house. They also visit the Withers Indu...
Bob tours the Indiana Limestone factory with Dave Kern, who explains the fabrication process for the limestone columns being used in the greenhouse.
Bob takes a field trip to East Windsor Hill, CT, where the bricks for the cabin project were made. Along the way, he learns about the manufacturing process bricks...
Bob meets Lee Shield of Weather Shield Windows in Medford, WI to find out how the company makes its special custom windows.
Bob tours the Ralph A. Esty & Sons Lumber Corporation in Groveland, MA. Operations Manager Ken Monaco explains the process of aquiring and milling the lumber. The...
Bob visits the Willamette Industries glued laminated timber facilities in Eugene, OR to learn first-hand how glulams are manufactured.
Bob tours the American Plywood Association testing facilities with Tom Williamson, the Executive Vice President of Engineered Wood Systems. Tom explains the diffe...
Bob tours the Vermont Castings factory in Randolph, VT in order to learn about the manufacturing process for the type of wood-burning stove being used in the Mart...
Bob visits a wallpaper factory, where the design, paper-milling, and printing aspects of the wallpaper fabrication process all take place.
Bob takes a tour of the Georgia Pacific plywood plant near Savannah, GA to see how birch veneer plywood is made.
As tiling begins on the bathroom floor and in the shower, Bob takes a field trip to the factory where the tiles being used in the project house were made.
Bob shops an architectural salvage yard for used, inexpensive doors and bathroom vanities.
Bob takes us on a tour of the IKO roofing shingle plant in Wilmington, DE.
Bob joins David Parker at Macmillan-Bloedel’s Parallam plant in Vancouver, BC to see how the special engineered beams are manufactured.
Bob tours the Georgia-Pacific drywall plant in Marcus Hook, PA with Monty Palmowski.
Bob travels to Chicago’s South Side to tour the Salvage One architectural warehouse with Anne Steinweddel.
Bob visits Dave Parker in Vancouver, BC to see how Parallam beams are manufactured.
Bob visits the IKO roofing shingle plant in Wilmington, DE, where he becomes familiar with different types of shingles.
Bob tours the Republic Window Factory in Chicago. Ron Spielman, vice president, explains how the windows are manufactured.
Bob meets with David Cross of Tampa Armature Works (TAW), a company that converts shipping containers into intermodal steel building units (ISBUs).
Bob talks with Leslie Chapman-Henderson from the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH) about the technologies involved in securing a roof. Chapman-Henderson exp...
