Wood and water do not typically make for a good combination, and one place that's particularly evident is around exterior doors. The bottom of the exterior doorjambs, which often sit directly on top of concrete patios or wood decks, are subject to extremes of moisture and insect damage. As a result, it's not long before these vulnerable areas can really begin showing damage, and the more rain-, snow- or moisture-laden the climate, the worse the problem can be.  more...

Every do-it-yourselfer is familiar with prepackaged concrete mix and the many uses this product has for everything from small concrete slabs to setting fence posts. But there are also a number of other concrete formulations available by the sack or bucket that make quick and easy work of a wide variety of concrete patching and repair tasks all around your home and yard.

VINYL CONCRETE  more...

Attics and crawlspaces are like some members of the family – you know they're there, but you'd just as soon not deal with them unless you have to. But for those occasions when you do have to make that dreaded crawl, it pays to have convenient access. In fact, most building codes are very specific about access sizes, locations and other particulars that help make getting into and working in these areas a little safer and easier.

CRAWLSPACE ACCESS  more...

If you're in the market for new windows, one of the many things you'll have to decide on is the window's configuration – in simple terms, how, or if, it opens and closes. As with most things in building there's no one "right" choice, and each has certain advantages and disadvantages.

When winter hits the area, pet owners are often faced with a dilemma about what to do with their dogs. Many people have mentioned that it would be nice to find a happy medium between leaving a dog inside the house all day or having to leave it out in the cold. Outdoor shelters are one solution, but a warm and dry pen or dog house of adequate size and quality can be expensive and, in some cases, large and unsightly.  more...

One of the most popular amenities in today's home is the home office. Whether it's used for running a business or just paying the bills and writing up a grocery list, home offices provide a central place for a myriad of paperwork chores. And just about every house has a few unused square feet you can convert to an office with a little imagination, as the following examples will demonstrate.  more...

Can you imagine a small, light, canister vacuum cleaner that you can take anywhere – the shop, the basement, up on the roof, on a ladder or a scaffold – that would give you tons of suction power without being tethered to a cord? That's just what you get with DeWalt's new DC500 cordless 2-gallon, wet/dry vacuum cleaner.  more...

It's chilly outside and you may be casting around for some practical ideas for warming up an individual room or two. One solution might be to add a built-in electric wall heater.  more...

If you've been shopping at your local home center or lumberyard lately, you know that any lumber or other building materials you purchase can represent a pretty sizable investment. So when you get the materials home, it only makes sense to store them in a manner that protects them against breakage, warping and other forms of physical damage.  more...