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Fall is the time to protect your fountain, before winter arrives. It’s important if you live where humidity levels drastically change, and especially so if temperatures stay below freezing. The latter can lead to burst water pipes and cracked basins. “Unfortunately, some people think about winterizing during the first spring after installation, because something broke and there were leaks,” says Vince Christofora, owner of Woodstock Hardware in Woodstock, New York....

We love IKEA furniture for the affordable prices and trendy, minimalist design, but we wouldn’t exactly call all of it heirloom quality. The truth is, after a few years, it’s often time to move on. To keep old pieces out of the landfill, IKEA is launching a new Buy Back program where they will not only take that used dresser off your hands, but give you a partial refund in store credit, too....

Gas grills have been around for a while. Pellet grills, a.k.a. pellet smokers, are a more recent innovation. Both provide grillers the ease of use and versatility prized in backyard cookers. However, there are key differences to consider when choosing between them. Advantages and Disadvantages of Pellet Grills Advantages They’re easy to start. All you do is fill the hopper with pellets, set your target temperature, push a button and you’re cooking....

Willis Carrier, an American engineer, invented the first modern air conditioner in 1902. Since then, design refinements have led to many amazing air conditioner innovations, including through-the wall air conditioners. Not as popular as window-mounted units, through-the-wall air conditioners come with some unique challenges and noteworthy advantages. What Is a Through-the-Wall Air Conditioner? Through-the-wall air conditioners are self-contained cooling appliances installed permanently in a building’s exterior wall. Designed to span from the inside wall surface to the outside, these units maximize efficiency by creating an airtight seal when properly installed....

Mortise-and-tenon joints provide a strong, robust connection that can last for centuries. This durable and popular joint has been used to build everything from neolithic stonework to the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris to IKEA furniture. What Is a Mortise-and-Tenon Joint? The easiest way to think of this joint is as an “insert tab A into slot B” connection. The mortise is a slot carved into the receiving material, while the tenon is a tab, slightly reduced from the inserted material’s original size....

Are you udderly crazy about Christmas? Then you’ll love Home Depot’s new line of outdoor holiday decor, featuring this glorious Christmas cow, plus sparkly, whimsical animals, classic movie icons and more. Need some tips on how to get your Christmas decorating started? Look no further! Bovine Christmas Beauty via Home Depot Your home will definitely stand out from the herd with this girl in the yard. (Yes, it’s a girl … with the udder to prove it....

Brought to you by Get a jump-start by prepping your home and garden for warm weather, setting up the perfect drip-dry spot for beach towels, reorganizing the kitchen, and more. These 15 to-dos cover all the bases, so you can enjoy your month to the fullest. Keep an Eye on Irrigation Systems A faulty sprinkler or irrigation hose that goes unnoticed can quickly cause big problems for your lawn and garden....

You may not see them often, but slugs and snails have a way of making their presence known. Eating up to six times their weight in plant material per night, these troublesome mollusks can leave your hostas (and other plants) looking like they’ve been raked by machine gun fire. Although they’re most active in the evening, you can combat these pests any time of day with these strategies. Some methods are benign, simply dissuading slugs and snails from bothering your plants....

Lately, my husband and I have been having some heated discussions — about coffee tables. We need a new one, and we can’t agree on the size, style or even the material. Who knew coffee tables could be so complicated? Coffee tables likely made their way into British and American homes in the late 1800s, although their origins may stretch back much further. Even the ancient Etruscans, who lived in central Italy in the 1st millennium BCE, used low, rectangular tables for their lavish banquets....

Tomcat When it comes to mousetraps, the most traditional method is a snap trap, also known as spring-loaded bar traps. But that’s not your only option. Sticky mousetraps, or glue traps, are also readily available. But do they work? This simple, natural remedy helps keep mice away for good. When mice are baited to the sticky trap, they are immobilized by an adhesive surface. They die from hypothermia since they can’t move and maintain their body temperature....

The Family Handyman Keeping doors upright and stable when you’re planing or sanding them just got a whole lot easier with this classic tip from Jeff Gorton. This simple door stand made from shop scraps actually has upright arms to pinch the door and hold it rock-solid while you tune up your door. The secret to the pinching action is the 3/8-in. plywood base that bends from the weight of the door, forcing the tops of the 2x4s together....

Getty Images/monkeybusinessimages Investing the time to become a licensed plumber offers a pathway to a well-paying career with a solid demand outlook. Following the housing/banking crisis of 2008, large-scale unemployment plagued the construction industry for several years. During this time many skilled people in the trades retrained into other professions, while young members of the workforce looked elsewhere for employment. The result, according to Christina Wiersgalla, VP of operations at Wiersgalla Co....

My dad once had a tree rose, a bush grafted onto a two- to three-foot stem so it looked like a covered lollipop in bloom. But once it got cold, that tree rose, particularly the graft union, had to be protected from winter temperatures and winds. Dad did that by digging it up, then burying the whole plant in a trench on the edge of the vegetable garden. As I look back, the memory of him burying that tree rose on a cold November day is more vivid to me than the beauty of the bush in full bloom....

Courtesy of Kohler Get ready to start talking to your toilet. From Jan. 9 to the 12 of 2018, Kohler revealed a line of smart bathroom products at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada. That’s right—no more having to touch dirty surfaces or deal with faulty flush handles. You can just tell your toilet to flush instead. Although having a smart toilet is already pretty exciting, the fun doesn’t stop there....

Organic mulch and rock are two popular choices for home landscaping, and each has its benefits and drawbacks. Some people prefer the look and longevity of rock, while others prefer softer, lighter wood or pine needle mulch. When deciding between mulch vs. rock, it’s all about personal preference. My neighbor to the west hates putting down mulch every year. My neighbors to the east use both, since they like rocks but mulch is easier for their landscaping and annual flowers....

Kitchen and bathroom remodels have been the most popular home renovation choices since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a report by The Hanover Insurance Group. The survey, conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Hanover, polled 2,000 U.S. adults. Seventy percent of survey responders said they underwent a major life change during that time, such as adopting a pet, renovating a home, buying a vehicle, moving or starting a business....

gp.riccardi/Shutterstock Relaxation is something people need in a world of mile-long to-do lists, and yet we never seem to make it a priority. But, there’s one group of people who are doing it right. (By the way, if you need some relaxation tips, check out these 11 tips for creating a relaxing reading nook). Drive past a shady clump of trees within a park, saunter through a campground, or find a beachfront lined with palms, and you might come across some “mocking....

Family Handyman Winterize Your Gutters When gutters fill with leaves, sticks and other debris, this can cause clogs and result in water creeping under the roof and sometimes, into the foundation. Clogged gutters can also lead to ice dams in the winter. That’s why it’s important to be cleaning out your gutters every so often. The Best Way to Clean Your Gutters: An old plastic spatula makes a great tool for cleaning debris from gutters!...

The cost of an interior painting project depends on a ton of variables. Do you plan to hire a pro or DIY? What is the size of the space, the condition of the surfaces and your preferred type of paint? If you plan to hire a professional, you can keep the costs down by understanding the process and preparing yourself with good information. How Much Does It Cost To Have Pros Paint the Interior of a House?...

Africa Studio/Shutterstock It’s time to banish bleach from your laundry room. Not only can chlorine bleach irritate your skin, eyes and lungs, during production it releases carcinogenic dioxins. It is also poisonous to insects and fish. Here are four ways to whiten your whites with less harmful products you likely already have around the house. Avoid making these 10 common mistakes when doing laundry. Lemon Grab some lemons when doing your next load of laundry....