Posts

Family Handyman What is 4×4 Lumber? 4×4 lumber is an essential building block of construction, most commonly used as posts in the framing of houses, sheds, and many other structures. Like most lumber, 4×4 lumber gets its name from its dimensions. Depending on the demands of your particular project, 4×4 lumber can be purchased both treated and untreated. Just keep in mind that a treated 4×4 is going to be significantly heavier....

According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), “For many Americans, owning a home is an essential part of the American dream that conveys a number of economic benefits…” Besides building wealth through equity, homeownership also means investing in a place you can improve and call your own. One way to protect this important investment is by purchasing a home warranty, also known as a home service contract....

To the untrained eye, the kudzu bug may look like a tiny lady beetle. But this button-shaped insect is actually deceptively menacing and capable of destroying your tender green bean plants in no time. The kudzu bug chews through to the veins of plant leaves, sucking up the nutrients and leaving them to die. According to Katelyn A. Kesheimer, Ph.D., an assistant professor and extension specialist in entomology and plant pathology at Auburn University, the kudzu bug can be a huge nuisance to urban and suburban homeowners, especially in autumn and spring....

A professional landscaper might work on a lawn maintenance crew, maintain gardens, build retaining walls and patios, or design outdoor spaces. They may even run their own company. If this kind of work intrigues you, there are multiple paths to becoming a pro landscaper. What Makes a Good Landscaper? Jeff Rossen, owner of Rossen Landscape in Great Falls, Va. near Washington D.C., says work ethic is the main thing he seeks in potential employees....

Parts of the country have already been hit by their first wintry blasts, which means many people have had to deal with driveways and sidewalks covered in snow and ice. Not only is that ice a hazard to homeowners and their neighbors, but in some states and municipalities you might even be required by law to clear your sidewalk after a winter storm. If you don’t, you might be liable for any injury caused by uncleared ice....

Even as wireless technology rapidly advances, we’ll still need safe and dependable wiring systems in our homes for the foreseeable future, supplying power for appliances, equipment, heating, cooling and much more. If the wiring in your home is outdated, maybe it’s time to rewire your home — or at least certain areas. Even if you’re wisely leaving this challenge to a licensed electrical contractor, you can certainly be involved. The project might only take a day or two or up to a couple of weeks, depending on when your home was built....

Carbon Arc/Flickr CreativeCommons If you’re like some Americans, you may live in utter fear of what would happen to you if you attempted to commit the “crime” of brutally chopping off your…mattress tag. That’s right, the one that ominously warns, “Under penalty of law, this tag not to be removed!” Are the mattress police really determined to bang down your door over a torn mattress tag, though? How would they even know?...

It’s one of the worst nightmares of dog owners everywhere: having your dog run away or get lost. Dogs can slip out the front door, dig themselves under a dog fence or break through a dog leash. No matter how your dog gets loose, there are steps to take to increase the chances they’ll make it back home. The First Thing You Should Do Start searching for them immediately. Do not waste any time....

Going over budget is a big concern when building a new home. Seeing the costs add up to more than you expected takes the fun and excitement out of making your dream home a reality. Keeping your budget on track during a lengthy and complicated home build is an exercise in vigilance and restraint. Even when you’re meticulous about your accounting, unexpected expenses almost always pop up. Setting aside a contingency fund of at least 10 percent of your overall budget is a good way to mitigate the financial strain of those inevitable surprises....

Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in early 2020, lumber prices in the United States have increased over 200 percent. The National Association of Home Builders recently sent out a survey asking home builders what steps they are taking to mitigate the effects of this ongoing escalation in lumber prices. “It’s been a difficult time for us and homeowners,” Jeremy Burke, a remodeler in Pennsylvania, told the NAHB. According to the NAHB, just under half of the surveyed home builders have begun including price escalation clauses in their contracts in order to help limit some of the risk presented by the continued climb of lumber prices....

Who doesn’t love to see their pet running and playing in the yard? Of course, that joy quickly turns to panic if your pet is accidentally hurt in some way. Here’s how to make sure your pets are safe when they’re out exploring in the yard. Unsafe Boundaries Pets are curious, so they will find openings in fences and try to roam outside the yard if they get the chance. Broken or sagging fences can act as traps and wrap around a pet’s legs or body....

Steam cleaners are the ultimate tool for cleaning and disinfecting a multitude of spaces inside and outside your home. Steam cleaning kills 99.99 percent of bacteria, molds and viruses upon contact. It also eliminates dust mites and other allergens. A big plus for steam cleaners is that they’re safer for your family and for the environment. Because steam cleaners require only water and heat for a naturally clean home, you can say goodbye to buying and storing chemicals in your home....

Think of a basement as a concrete box dug nine or 10 feet deep into the ground, where it obstructs the natural flow of groundwater and rain runoff. Concrete seems solid enough, but it’s actually porous. Some of that water is bound to seep through, especially during heavy rains. Normally, there isn’t enough seepage to form standing water on the floor. But there’s often enough to increase the humidity, and that promotes the growth of mold and rot....

Nestled on a peninsula on the central California coast, the small town of Half Moon Bay is a mecca for surfers in the winter months. But it’s a year-round destination for another reason — a long row of greenhouses crowded with locals and tourists. These provide the region with exotic flowers, medicinal herbs, fruit trees, succulents, vegetables and many other plants. Every community has its share of greenhouses, but few are clustered in one place like the ones at Half Moon Bay....

Do you love DIYing but don’t love the cost of it all? Lucky for you, The Home Depot is offering special buys on three DIY essentials. Here’s what you need to know about this sale ASAP. Shop Now Plus, with the help of these innovative tools, it’s never been easier (or more fun!) to be a DIYer. What’s on Sale? via The Home Depot 18 ft. Reach Aluminum Multi-Position Ladder This newly designed Gorilla Ladder reaches 18 feet tall and is lighter, stronger and easier to use than ever before....

Here’s a quote from a friend of mine who owns two car dealerships: These days we get two kinds of new-car and truck buyers: those who do their homework by researching our costs online before walking in the door, and those who walk in cold. The buyers who do their research end up paying close to our invoice cost, get the best financing terms and get the best trade-in prices for their existing car....

Americans come by their love of roses naturally. The nation’s first president, George Washington, grew them; a variety he named for his mother, the Mary Washington Rose, is still grown today. Roses grow in all 50 states. And in 1986, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed the rose the national floral emblem of the U.S. But anything this lovely requires a little work. If you grow rose gardens and want those much-loved flowers to bloom, you’ll need to prune them....

Honeywell — originally known as Minneapolis-Honeywell — introduced its iconic round thermostat, known as “The Round,” in 1953. It’s as old a Honeywell thermostat as you’re likely to come across, although it isn’t the first the company manufactured. That distinction goes to “The Jewell,” a clunky round model released in 1906 that was — amazingly — programmable! Honeywell still makes The Round, along with other square and rectangular mechanical models. But the bulk of Honeywell’s current offerings are now digital....

The world’s population continues to grow, while the amount of arable land and fresh water available to produce sufficient food for billions of people is beginning to top out. One solution is hydroponic agriculture. This soil-less farming requires little space and water, can be done indoors or outdoors, and turns out much higher yields than traditional farming methods. “Hydroponics is undoubtedly considered an approach to the future of agriculture,” says gardening author and horticulturist Brie Arthur....

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) recently announced that it is launching a program designed to simplify the loan forgiveness process for borrowers who took on Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans of $150,000 or less. The program will allow those borrowers to apply for loan forgiveness directly from the SBA, sidestepping the need to go through their specific lender. “The SBA’s new streamlined application portal will simplify forgiveness for millions of our smallest businesses — including many sole proprietors — who used funds from our Paycheck Protection Program loans to survive the pandemic,” said SBA administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman....