Which Fasteners to Use on Home Projects

Monday, June 29th, 2009

When you are deciding whether to use nails or screws in a home project, it’s important to think about how the fasteners are applied and how they hold up in the long run. You can use hand tools for both or you can use faster, easier power tools for both.
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Creating Bookshelves

Thursday, June 25th, 2009

One of the best pieces of furniture you can make or buy is a bookshelf. There are so many things you can store on a bookshelf, the storage can actually be part of your décor, they help you stay organized and uncluttered, bookshelves can be made cheaply, and they can be adapted to whatever space you are in.


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Attitude: The Best Tool in Your Toolbox

Thursday, June 18th, 2009

Certain types of home repairs have problematic consequences if they cannot be completed. For example, if you set out to change a faucet and you can’t get rid of all the leaks, you won’t be able to use that sink. Even worse, if there are no shut-off valves between your main valve and your sink, you won’t be able to turn your water on. It is this kind of anxiety that can keep people from doing their own repairs.
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Principles of PVC Pipe

Thursday, June 11th, 2009

One of the greatest gifts to the do-it-yourselfer is the PVC pipe. Traditional copper pipe is a very nice material, but cutting and soldering it is a relatively advanced-level project.

In contrast, PVC pipe is easy to cut and easy to put together. You don’t need a propane torch; just some pipe cleaner for each joint and the special glue for this material. While you cut copper piping with a pipe cutting tool, you can cut PVC with a hack saw.
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Choosing Wood for Your Project

Friday, June 5th, 2009

Wood is a wonderful product. It is strong and yet flexible. It can be shaped in a variety of ways and it comes from the lumber yard in a huge range of sizes. It can be used for everything from making a fence to creating a fine piece of heirloom furniture.
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The Psychological Side to Renovation: Managing the Chaos

Sunday, May 31st, 2009

In addition to normal stress such as needing to earn a living and take care of family members, renovation can add its own unique form of stress. It happens through the mess that gets made, through financial worries, through delays, and through inconvenience.
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Plumbing for the Anxious

Monday, May 25th, 2009

When you buy a house, you begin to realize that there is a reason for all those do-it-yourself shows on television: it gets expensive hiring someone to come in and do everything that needs to get done.
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The Order of Improvements

Monday, May 18th, 2009

Gravity causes things to fall down, and it is the chief arbiter of the order in which you make improvements to a room, if you have any kind of choice at all.
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Preparation for Planting

Friday, October 12th, 2007

Once you’ve decided which vegetables you want to plant and where, there is still a little bit of preparation to complete before planting. To make a good garden you must have good soil.

All vegetables get water and nutrients from the soil. In some cases, the ground won’t already have the needed compounds. In others, previous plantings over many years will have depleted them. Either circumstance can easily be remedied with a few simple actions.
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Planning and Planting for Fall and Winter

Friday, October 12th, 2007

Most of us think of planting in the Spring and harvesting in the Fall. And, for the majority of crops, that’s right. But species vary, climates vary and indoor container gardening often can be carried out year round.
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Pumpkin Growing Tips

Friday, October 12th, 2007

Pumpkins are great for a number of purposes. They can be used to make a great pie, and of course there’s the traditional Halloween decoration. Fortunately, growing good ones takes only a modest amount of knowledge and care.
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