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Wire cutters—also known as wire strippers—are an essential inclusion in every handyperson’s toolbox. For cleanly cutting and stripping wires, no other tool compares. Now, thanks to a TikTok shared by carpenter Sam Irwin (@constructiontips), many DIYers are learning a new task their wire cutters can accomplish: cutting screws. Check out the video below. How to Cut Screws with Wire Cutters As Irwin shows in the video, wire cutters often have screw shearing holes in the middle, right next to the central bolt....

In colder climates, freezing winter temperatures can make a garage unusable for anything besides getting in and out of your car. Chances are if you live in one of those cold climates, you’ve at least considered getting a heater for your garage. While garage heaters can certainly be valuable during a harsh winter, they come with drawbacks that should be considered before you purchase one. Here’s everything you should know about garage heaters before you install one for a garage makeover....

The Home Depot has announced they are partnering with SkillsUSA to sponsor the organization’s 2021 National Signing Day, a celebration of high school graduates choosing careers in the skilled trades. As part of their sponsorship, The Home Depot will fund six scholarships totaling $30,000 to help trade school students pay for their tuition. Recipients will be chosen by The Home Depot Foundation and SkillsUSA and announced during National Signing Day on May 4....

Sometimes, lying in wait, assassin bugs are known to stalk their targets using stealthy moves, lightning-fast speed and an element of surprise. Once they pounce on their prey, they stab them and release a paralyzing toxin that overcomes and kills the victim. And, If that wasn’t gruesome enough, then they suck their prey’s liquified innards through their straw-like mouthparts. “While this sounds like something out of a horror movie, the fact is that most assassin bugs are actually beneficial!...

Safety First Have you ever chucked a chrome-plated socket into an impact gun or cordless impact driver to tighten a nut or drive a handful of lag screws? You’re living dangerously if you do this. Chrome-plated sockets should never be used with an impact driver. Regular chrome-plated sockets can crack or shatter and send pieces flying. Use only impact-rated sockets for impact guns, and impact-rated sockets or nut drivers for smaller cordless impact drivers....

Bridle Joint Jig Family Handyman On This Page A bridle joint is much like a mortise-and-tenon joint, but the mortise is open on one end. So instead of chiseling a recess into the wood to accept the tenon, you cut a slot in the end of the board. This jig makes both cuts of a bridle joint in 3/4-in. material and allows you to adjust for slight variations in material thickness....

There are guidelines for the best indoor temperatures for humans in winter or summer, but what about our pets? While dogs, cats, reptiles and birds can regulate their temperature more efficiently than their human companions, even they have their limits. Read on for information about the best house temperature for pets. How Does Your Home’s Indoor Temperature Affect Your Pets? Just like you, your pets become acclimated to the temperature you keep your home in summer and winter....

I see compact smokeless fire pits everywhere — at the beach, campgrounds, tailgating at sporting events or on neighbors’ decks and patios. These provide a tidy, smoke-free burn in a lightweight, easy to transport package. Though it’s almost halfway through our short Minnesota summer, I figured it wasn’t too late to try one of these out for myself. So I ordered the Blue Sky Outdoor Living Ridge Smokeless Fire Pit, picked up some S’mores fixings and got ready for the long Fourth of July Weekend....

Women are making important headway into the traditionally male-dominated field of construction, from business ownership to skilled trades. Today, women represent a little more than 10 percent of the construction industry, and the number of women entering construction-related trades has been steadily increasing for decades. Women’s job growth in construction is nearly five times faster than job growth in the field overall. In 2019, the share of women working in construction hit a 20-year high....

. Kucharski K. Kucharska/Shutterstock Gnats can prove particularly annoying once they get inside your house—especially since it can be difficult to notice them until an infestation is underway. Here’s how to get rid of gnats both indoors and out. How to Get Rid of Gnats: Use a Gnat Trap You can purchase highly effective, non-toxic gnat traps at an affordable price online. These traps eliminate fungus gnats—the most common indoor gnats—that breed in houseplants....

Thomas Jackson / Stone via Getty Images It’s been a lifelong dream: building your own house from the ground up. But don’t let your dream become a nightmare! As exciting as it is to start such a massive project, building a house is no easy feat. Thorough preparation and having realistic goals are keys to a successful experience. From planning to building, read our guide which will help inform you of what lies ahead as you’re breaking ground....

This FH series spotlights the women and nonbinary tradespeople who make up 11 percent of the construction workforce in America. Know someone we should feature? Email us here. Kelly Gannon was an industrious teen. She earned money babysitting, shoveling snow and laboring in restaurants, but also joined her brothers repairing things for her family’s landlord. Then, in her early 20s, she realized she could make better money in construction. “All of the guys my age were roofing, and I wasn’t afraid of heights or tools, so I said, ‘Put me up there,’ ” Gannon says....

Keep Your House Cool When the summer heat finally arrives, it seems like the only solution for those muggy days is the air conditioner. However, you may be shocked to know that air conditioners aren’t the only way to cool your house. There’s another way that will even help save you money in the long run! So what is this magical contraption? Why it’s a whole house fan! Ever heard of it?...

Construction Pro Tips Traditional four or two-year schools aren’t for everyone. So before jumping into something that could leave you with a mountain of debt and a career field you’re not sure about, consider the pros and cons of going to a four college with going to a trade school. Trade School Is Ideal for Someone Who… Is sure of their desired career field. Learns by doing. Wants to obtain credentials and join the workforce quickly....

Photographee.eu/Shutterstock For those looking to embrace authenticity and simplicity in their home decor, enter wabi-sabi. The Japanese term essentially means finding beauty in the world’s imperfections. Instead of going out and finding the latest trendy piece in decor, wabi-sabi adopters use the concept to create a space using a mix of primarily homemade and artisan pieces. Achieving Wabi-Sabi at Home Achieving wabi-sabi design doesn’t happen overnight. Here are four ways to begin to transform your home....

Gladskikh Tatiana/Shutterstock Why Does My Dog Follow Me Into the Bathroom? Your dog is the furry companion you can always count on to be by your side, even when you don’t need it … like when you’re using the bathroom! While it’s true we often attend their potty breaks, do they really have to attend ours? If you’ve been wondering, “Why does my dog follow me?” we’ve got answers. Is your dog kicking up your lawn?...

1stdibs Walter Martin Baumhofer’s The Star Spangled Banner Walter Martin Baumhofer is mostly known for his work in pulp magazines but he depicted the bombardment of Fort McHenry with this painting. Presumably that’s Francis Scott Key in the center of the painting since he was detained on a British ship while the bombardment took place. He watched the whole affair from the British ship and the next morning when we saw the American flag still waving, it inspired him to write a poem about the experience....

Humans tend to fear what lurks in the dark, so it’s only natural our survival instinct bends toward illuminating our property. But does copious lighting really keep the bad guys away and make your home safer? It depends. “The most common misconception is that more light means less crime, but that is not supported by the data,” says Lt. Ryan Darr, who oversees criminal investigations at the Flagstaff, Ariz. Police Department....

If neighborhoods start sounding a little quieter, the growing popularity of electric lawnmowers might have something to do with it. With a noise level on par with a dishwasher, electric mowers are less ear-piercing than gas-powered machines. Firing up the mower early in the morning to beat the heat of day is no longer out of the question. Along with a big reduction in noise pollution, electric mowers also reduce air pollution....

As the coronavirus pandemic rages on, DIY home improvement projects are booming like never before. Large retailers such as The Home Depot and Lowe’s have reported a significant growth in sales since the COVID-19 lockdowns began, with lawn maintenance, landscaping, painting, decorating and general home maintenance particular areas of focus, according to an October 2020 study by the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University. If you’re among the many digging in, know that benefits often go beyond fulfilling your DIY dreams and catching up on household to-do lists....