Kiersten Hickman/Family Handyman After recently celebrating my birthday, I was gifted two Visa gift cards to buy whatever I wanted. My immediate reaction was to decorate my apartment. While my apartment does have some décor in it right now, I have the urge to do even more with the space I already have. When I took some time to evaluate the space, I drew up some notes of things that I would want....
According to the latest census data, nearly two percent of U.S. households are heated with wood via fireplaces, wood stoves or wood boilers. That amounts to more than 2.5 million homes relying on firewood or wood pellets for heating fuel. If your home is one of these, or even if you just use an indoor or outdoor fireplace for occasional warmth and ambiance, having enough wood to get you through the winter is key....
LuFeeTheBear/Shutterstock How to Fix Lumpy Pillows: Fluff Your Pillows Every Morning A little maintenance goes a long way with your pillows, so it’s important to fluff pillows each morning to prevent them from getting misshapen or lumpy. How to Fluff Pillows and Down Pillows Push a pillow’s sides from opposite ends and do so at the top and bottom, pushing the stuffing or down back to the middle of the pillow....
Saving Kitchen Space Measuring cups are difficult to keep organized. Even when they stack together, they often tip over and come apart inside kitchen drawers. It wastes valuable drawer space. On This Page The inside of a cabinet door offers tons of unused kitchen storage space. It’s the perfect size for narrow kitchen tools like knives, cutting boards or measuring cups. With this easy DIY storage rack, you can save kitchen space and keep drawers uncluttered....
There’s no doubt about it — azaleas are a much-loved flowering element in residential landscaping. The easy-to-grow, colorful shrubs are celebrated in festivals and spring garden tours across the U.S., especially in the South and Southeast where they’re abundant. If you love the vibrant colors of azaleas, you can probably grow them in your yard because they are not overly fussy. Azaleas do well in USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 5 through 8, meaning they can thrive in all but the most extreme hot and sunny climates....
Home security cameras offer peace of mind by letting you monitor your home environment. Smart cameras allow you to catch intruders, check on a child or eyeball your pets from anywhere via an app on your phone. While smart security cameras are handy, they have downsides, too. You’ve probably seen scary headlines about people hacking home security cameras. In one, a family’s camera was hacked, then used to scare them into thinking the United States was under a missile attack....
Sponsored by Fujitsu Older homes offer the kind of style and grace you can’t get in new construction. Features like solid wood doors, beautiful wood trim and real plaster walls and ceilings really show off your home’s craftsmanship. But there’s one thing old homes don’t have—an energy-efficient heating and cooling system. In fact, if your home is 50 years old or older, chances are you’re paying at least 25 percent more in energy costs than a comparably sized new home....
Ring and The Home Depot recently announced a new collaboration that will bring Ring’s popular home security technology to construction jobsites. The security system, available exclusively at The Home Depot, is built around the new Ring Alarm Pro camera. When paired with a Ring Protect Pro subscription, the Ring Alarm Pro can serve as the hub of a network of on-site security cameras and sensors. Getting a reliable WiFi network set up on a jobsite can be hard if not downright impossible in some areas....
What is a vinyl siding removal tool? A vinyl siding removal tool (VSRT) is used to separate two interlocked pieces of vinyl siding in order to gain access to the nailing flange for siding removal or repairs. A VSRT is also called a zip tool because the process is similar to unzipping a zipper. A zip tool consists of a handle from which extends a thin, narrow piece of metal that is bent on the very end....
Tropical plants are everywhere, even in temperate climates. You’ll find them at the nursery and the florist. And they end up on your kitchen windowsill, in your living room or even on the back patio or deck. Our most treasured houseplants are tropicals, transplanted to upper latitudes but protected by the confines of a roof and four walls. Read on to learn how to make the best use of these exotic beauties....
Choosing the best heating system for your house is a big decision. Depending on the system, your heater can have a lifespan from 10 to 20 years. This makes it incredibly important to take the time to investigate all of your options before you commit to the project. Heating bills can be responsible for around 42 percent of your overall energy bill, so the system you choose can dramatically impact your budget....
Family HandymanFurniture building, cabinetmaking, wood trim installation and other wood-related activities require knowledge of wood stains and finishes. As you learn about the different products, you’ll gain confidence in choosing the best fit for you and your project. Keep in mind that all of the stain options mentioned here, applied properly, will work well for any indoor woodworking endeavor. Which you choose has much more to do with your color and application technique preferences than anything else....
Once a niche product reserved for the wealthy, electric vehicle (EV) sales have greatly increased over the past eight years. Even with the pandemic, data from the International Energy Agency (IEA) shows worldwide sales of 10 million plug-in EVs of all types (cars, vans, light duty trucks) in 2020, a 43 percent increase over 2019 and up from less than 15,000 in 2010. According to EVAdoption, independent consultants to the EV industry, sales forecasts show the numbers will continue to grow....
Have you been using soil amendments like compost to change your clay soil into something easier to manage? Another option is gypsum. Your soil pH needs to be near neutral or higher because gypsum will not change soil acidity. But if that’s the case and your soil is hard, sticky, slow draining or salty, gypsum should help. And what if your soil is a mellow loam or sandy soil? Garden soil that’s easy to cultivate needs ongoing additions of compost, but it does not need gypsum....
When I bought my first house and horse barn, the first heavy spring rain revealed significant drainage issues on the property. The rain and melting snow sent a river of water through the barn aisle. I heavily researched drainage solutions and determined that a French drain was the best option for the property. Then I dug and installed one myself. The 40-foot drain worked and has redirected rainwater away from the barn....
Fiber internet is the next evolution in home internet, promising faster speeds and more reliable connections. Currently 43 percent of households in the U.S. have access to fiber internet, and the technology is gradually expanding into more and more areas. Here’s what you need to know about the growing network of fiber internet, and how it could make slow internet connections a thing of the past. What is Fiber Internet? Fiber internet gets its name from the special fiber-optic cables it employs to send data up to ten or more times faster than traditional DSL or cable internet connections....
Each autumn, squashes, gourds and other fall foods make their way from garden to table, and those that aren’t cooked become festive Thanksgiving decorations. Some gourds are specifically grown for decorative purposes. The traditional, food-filled Thanksgiving centerpiece, the cornucopia, has a long history, going back to ancient Greece. So before you arrange those adorable miniature pumpkins in your holiday spread, learn a little more about the horn of plenty. What Is a Cornucopia?...
It’s alarming when plant leaves turn yellow, but it’s not the end of the world. Yellow leaves are a symptom of a fixable problem. Like most plant maladies, yellow leaves have several causes. The trick is determining which one you’re dealing with and how to help your houseplant thrive again. Moisture Stress We’ll start with the most common causes for houseplant leaves turning yellow: overwatering and underwatering. Fortunately, these are also the easiest to remedy....
If you’re not a car person, you might not realize just how complex modern automobiles are. This even applies to windshield wiper systems, which can malfunction for several reasons. One of the most alarming and unexpected issues is when the windshield wipers keep wiping, even when turned off. If your wipers refuse to quit, regardless of the position of the wiper switch control, there are a few possible causes. Learn why this may be happening so you can take the right steps to fix it....
Key fobs might be convenient, but there’s a security risk associated with them. Thieves can use devices that will amplify fob signals to cars or copy the code to get into a vehicle. If you have a key fob, you might want to take measures to protect yourself from car theft. How Car Theft Happens Key fobs interact with your car using Radio Frequency Identification. It’s a system that allows your fob to transmit a code to your car telling it to lock or unlock remotely....
