Home Improvement

If you are living in a leaky old house, closing up the spaces that let in the wind and cold can make a big difference in how warm you are this winter.

Learn how to bend PVC pipe with these directions and tips.

A metal roof is light, waterproof, easy to install and carry out maintenance. It has already been galvanized and painted by the manufacturer. A well maintained metal roof can last for over 30 years without any repainting. Which means that you can even prolong its life by taking good care of it!

Need to know how to fix a slow-draining bathtub? Here are the six best methods to try. Unclogging a bathtub drain yourself can save you money.

Tips on how to lay self-adhesive vinyl floor tiles for a new flooring look. A simple job easily accomplished by the homeowner needing a new floor.

Have you got paint peeling in your home or office that you don't know how to address? Learn about why paint flakes and what you can do to fix it—and how to stop it from happening again.

Have an old house that has problems with drains? Me too. I give strategies to unclog stopped drains as well as tips on how to prevent them.

How to understand electricity. A complete beginner's guide covering watts, amps, volts, ohms and kWh. Calculating cost of running appliances. An explanation of AC and DC current. Three phase and the electric and magnetic effects of current flow in a conductor.

A conduit bending guide with instructions on how to bend emt conduit. Learn how to bend conduit easily and effectively with a hand bender.

This guide shows you how to wire a UK style, standard 3-pin plug and select the correct fuse. These basic principles can be applied to wiring plugs from other countries, only the colours are different

The cost to paint kitchen cabinets depends on various factors. The application method, materials, and what you want done with the cabinets, play a role in the cost to paint them.

Finding a plumber that you can trust to be reliable, honest, and fairly priced is important. This article lists the 9 best approaches.

Check out my tips on using wood grain filler for oak cabinets.

How to clear a kitchen sink drain that has become clogged.

An angle grinder is a useful power tool for cutting and grinding metal and other materials. Like any power tool it can be dangerous if used incorrectly. This guide shows you how to stay safe.

How to finish drywall by applying tape and joint compound. Designed for the homeowner, this article gives useful tips for finishing drywall.

Make your fifth wall pop with a paint color to give your room depth, dimension and stylish design.

Fix your own leak and save. Step by step instructions.

Hundreds of homes burn each year from electrical fires; learn the causes and how to prevent them.

Stop your toilet from constantly running by following this easy how to guide, tailored to beginning do it yourselfers!

Hardwood flooring installation for both engineered and regular hardwood flooring. Instructions for the homeowner on how to install hardwood flooring.

Did you know that a "normal" incandescent light bulb only converts about 5% of the electricity used into useful light? There are lots of other lighting options which are much more energy efficient

The easiest ways to save water at home are to replace faucet aerators and showerheads with low-flow ones. They are simple, low-cost moves, and you save on bills right away.

Need more plugs? Here's how to add a new outlet by wiring into an existing outlet. Complete instructions here, including tips on running the wire and actually wiring the circuit.

With some simple tools, a little effort and a few safety precautions, building a fieldstone fire pit is a weekend DIY project that your family and friends will enjoy for many years to come.

This article explains how to save money by replacing an old well point, that has become eroded over the years.

DIY guide to changing your own locks, including an explanation of common lock types and the basics of how to replace cylinders and get new keys.

A step-by-step guide to help a DIY homeowner perform basic preventive maintenance on their air conditioning system.

Common recommended tools required when becoming an electrician. An electrician's hand tools are his life blood—it is imperative that every electrician own a good set of tools.

A new homeowner needs a tool set, but what should go in it? A list of the 20 most common and needed tools for the best homeowner tool set.

A comprehensive guide showing how to use a multimeter or DMM. A multimeter is a useful instrument in a home toolkit for measuring voltage, current and resistance and also for tracing breaks in wires, testing diodes, capacitors and fuses.

Learn about the benefits of humidifiers and tips on maintenance and humidity control settings. There are also step-by-step installation instructions with pictures and a list of required supplies.

Furnace filter comparisons, air quality tips, how often to replace your filter and more. Understanding your options will help you choose the best one for you.

Are you looking for the perfect thermostat temperature so that you're not wasting electricity—and money? Cut your electric bill, help the planet, and find the right thermostat setting for winter, summer, and everything in-between.

PVC is a great flooring material for rooms where you don't want a cold stone floor or a rug. It's perfect for kitchens and bathrooms since PVC is both waterproof and durable.

Many older homes have been painted so many times that the paint becomes a series of thick layers. Humidity, moisture and time have a way of causing these layers to separate and bubble. Eventually it will start cracking and chipping. When this...

Instructions on how to fix a leaky or running toilet. Repairing a toilet that runs constantly is a quick easy job that anyone can handle.

When drilling any type of material, it's vital to use the correct bit to ease drilling and also to prevent bit damage. Drill bits are available for metal, masonry, tiles, plastics, glass and wood

Check out my tips for prepping cabinets for paint.

A plate joiner, commonly called biscuit joiner, biscuit cutter, or biscuit jointer, is a power tool used to make very strong wood joints. Learn how to effectively use these amazing tools.

A conduit bending guide for bending a 90 degree bend in electrical conduit. Possibly the most basic and common of bends, but there are several ways to bend a 90.

This information is to help understand the basic components of an HVAC system and their functions.

Detailed instructing by choosing, installing and wiring a GFCI outlet. Written by an electrician for the homeowner doing their own work.

How do you put up shelves, cupboards, brackets or coat hangers on a wall? This guide explains how to drill walls and outlines the tools, fixings and drill bits required.

The theory and practice of door closer adjustment, with steps and detailed instructions to adjust the swing of your hydraulic door closer.

Do you have noisy shower pipes? Here's how you can fix noisy shower pipes and stop the banging noise inside your shower.

Smells originating from our furnace and duct work are not only unpleasant but can present health concerns as well. Learn more about what causes them and how to get rid of these unwelcome odors.

Modern technology has afforded us many choices when it comes to residential plumbing. Each pipe material has some inherent advantages and disadvantages associated with it. This article describes and compares the characteristics and properties of these common pipe materials.

Air conditioning repairs are never cheap, but why do they seem higher now than ever? This may help you decide if it's better now to replace an old unit than to repair it.

Instructions for wiring both GFCI (GFI) and regular outlets by the DIY homeowner. Learning how to wire electric outlets is a simple task that nearly everyone can do themselves.

Heating and cooling a room with vaulted or high ceilings as well as how to better cool and heat the second floor of our homes are very commonly asked questions about our HVAC system. Find out a few options and tips you may try to use to help you accomplish a more comfortable environment efficiently.

Instructions on how to wire a 4 way switch, with wiring diagrams.

How to replace a Whole House Water Sediment Cartridge Filter on your Culligan HF-150, 160, and 360 model housing units. A step by step pictorial lesson for water filter replacement projects.

This is an easy to follow step-by-step guide to installing your new peel and stick vinyl tile flooring yourself, no matter what your skill level. I did it, and so can you!

Easy instructions with photos show how I make paper bricks. Don't shred and soak newspaper when making paper logs for burning in your fire. My paper logs dry so quickly I can even burn them next day!

When shopping for lighting, it is most important to understand the light source and the wattage that will be saved. As these are choices important to your wallet, the article explains the factors.

Sometimes you can save money by tracking down the source of a bad smell in your home and trying some DIY methods before you call a plumber. It's worth a try!

If you have traditional wooden fascia boards on your eaves, then they will need maintenance at some time or another. It's not so terribly hard. Here's some tricks and traps, described and photographed.

Detailed instructions for wiring an outlet so that half of it can be turned on via a wall switch. All your questions answered by an expert electrician, with diagrams and a video to help you.

Thinking of buying a power tool as a gift? Or maybe it's for yourself to make DIY easier. This guide for the absolute beginner outlines the various tools available, their capabilities and what to buy

Hot and neutral supply power to an appliance, so why the need for a "ground" wire? Well basically it's included for safety reasons. This article explains how it all works....

How do you keep warm in the winter without electricity? Can you keep cool without ac during a summer heat wave? What if your home loses power for more than a day? An illustrated guide to my solution.

Detailed instructions on how to shingle a roof, including shingling both ridges and valleys.

A friends daughter whose wedding I sewed and organized a few years ago came over last night with her 'Hubby'... saying that the deal on the house they had bid on had been accepted. The young couple was in seventh heaven. Their first house was a...

Instructions on how to bend both 3 point saddles and 4 point saddles in EMT electrical conduit.

How to choose, install and wire a thermostat for your home heating system. Digital programmable thermostats for heat pumps.

Concrete is really easy to make and all you need is a shovel and some buckets. This is a comprehensive, step-by-step guide with pictures to mixing concrete by hand, with or without a mixer

How to wire 3 way light switches, with wiring diagrams for different methods of installing the wire between boxes. Detailed instructions and wiring diagrams.

Detailed instructions on retrofitting existing fluorescent tubes to LED lamps. Benefit from energy savings, cold weather operation and long life by changing out your 4 foot fluorescent tubes to LED's

A comprehensive guide on how to bend conduit, with instructions on how to bend 90s, offsets, saddles, and even concentric bends. A must-read for any electrician, from apprentice to journeyman.

Here are the basics of how your plumbing works, and how to re-plumb with CPVC to move water lines indoors.

How to choose, buy and install a thermostat for baseboard heaters or other electric heat source. Called line voltage heaters, the installation is well within the capabilities of most homeowners.

Tips and step by step directions to install laminate hardwood flooring. Lots of photos of a new floor going down.

Technicians troubleshoot malfunctioning electric baseboard heaters before replacing anything. Troubleshooting isolates the exact fault and helps determine which part has failed.

If you have an animal companion in your home, it can do wonders for the satisfaction of all concerned to allow free access to the outdoors. It can be easier (and less expensive) than you might think. Read how--and how NOT!--to do it here!

EMT conduit bending instructions on how to make concentric bends in conduit. Not an easy task, but not impossible either, and one that should be understood by electricians everywhere.

The house I live in is not my "dream house." The floor plan is just okay, and it sure would be nice to have one more bedroom. We're not moving any time soon though, so I've been taking steps to transform my house into a place I really love. Instead...

Wainscoting is a great way to update your home, but hiring a professional to design and do the woodwork can add up. I've provided three DIY options as well as my experience with DIY wainscoting below!

Math formulas and multipliers to help you bend electrical conduit. Learn how to bend conduit to any configuration desired, not merely the common bends on a conduit bender.

Instructions on how to change a ballast in a flourescent light fixture.

Cleaner duct work equals cleaner air and less dusting. Learn how you can improve the quality of the air in your home for free without specialized tools.

Many old French houses have issues with damp. Some of these issues relate to humidity in the home and can be easily dealt with, but rising damp is a serious underlying problem which needs addressing.

Easy instructions for hand plastering walls to cover over wallpaper, hide damaged walls, or create a unique look.

Detailed instructions on how to install or hang a prehung door, with photos. Replacing an exterior door is similar to an interior door but with a few extra considerations.

Stocking up on these HVAC tools and gadgets can make working on a furnace this winter much easier and efficient in many cases.

One day your sliding glass door will need repair as it gets harder and harder to open. Instructions on how to replace patio door rollers.

Tips and specific directions on how to install a new outlet on an existing wall.

Leaky outdoor spigots can be easy to fix for DIYers. If you don't like to spend money on something you can do yourself, check out these simple steps to replace your outside faucet.

A step by step guide showing how to repair a leaking ball cock valve in the header tank in your loft. This guide also explains the layout of hot and cold pipes and valves used in home plumbing systems

Non contact voltage testers - Tips on buying and using these handy and inexpensive tools used to protect your safety.

One of the more common bends made in electrical conduit is the offset bend - this page of a comprehesive conduit bending guide describes how to bend an offset using multipliers.

Sheetrock repair made easy: how to patch and repair different sizes of drywall holes from small to large.

A basic guide to pipe types, plumbing fittings, and thread sizes, and instructions for how to use fittings to connect copper, PVC, and PEX water pipes.

How to install an over the range microwave oven. Installing a microwave isn't difficult, but here are some tips for potential problems and their solutions.

Check out my tips for getting a smooth finish when painting cabinet doors.

Tips to turn your bedroom into a peaceful, restful sanctuary.

Accurate square and mitered cuts in wood are essential for construction work. However properly cut timber looks better even if you are doing basic DIY and making stuff around the home.

A spigot (also known as a hose bib, bibcock or garden tap) leaks when the rubber washer inside wears away over time. Anyone with basic DIY skills can replace this. Only 2 tools are required.

Step by step instructions for covering over popcorn ceiling using joint compound. Includes pictures.

Should you paint or stain your deck? This guide will help you decide which is best for you.