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WHAT YOU'LL NEED We built this little stool using just a few common tools and some scrap wood. For accurate crosscuts, we recommend using a miter saw. For the notch, [...]

Many backyard gardeners start their plants indoors in late winter or early spring, before the weather is warm. But the best way to jump-start plants for spring gardening and also [...]

OUR DESIGN KEEPS YOUR FLOCK SAFE--AND--COMFORTABLE. HERE'S HOW TO PUT IT TOGETHER IN A WEEKEND More than 13 million homeowners raise backyard chickens, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, [...]

A sequestered home office can be a fortress of productivity. Beyond serving as a telecommuting base, it also gives you a space to relax, enjoy a little privacy, and work [...]

WHEN SHOWERHEADS IN YOUR HOME ARE WEAK, water dribbles out of faucets, and the washing machine takes forever to fill, the problem could be low water pressure. This is a [...]

Illuminate Shrubs, Bushes, and Hedges BEST LIGHTS FOR THE JOB: NET WHY THEY WORK/To illuminate shrubs, bushes, and hedges, think net lights. The larger C9 lights look like traditional holiday lights and are used on rooflines and for ground-stake lighting. [Extracted from the article]

Pergola plans are an enduring favorite in POPULAR MECHANICS (we've been publishing them since the 1920s), and it's easy to see why. The finished product is a blissful addition to [...]

* You can hire a contractor to build an outdoor play set on your property, or you can try to figure out the project from scratch--but we don't recommend either [...]

I've always loved the idea of a large garden filled with colorful flowers and luscious vegetables. But it always turns out to be too much work. Avid gardeners tell me [...]

POWER OUTAGES ARE unavoidable and increasing in both frequency and duration. Nearly 60 percent of all blackouts are caused by violent storms, but 34 percent are caused by equipment failure [...]

I suppose I'm like most people when I consider home improvement ideas--I tend to think big: adding a master bedroom suite, building a multilevel deck, expanding the kitchen, replacing windows [...]

* QUICK FIXES Silence Squeaky Hinges * There are few sounds as irritating as a squeaky door hinge. Fortunately, silence can be yours in a matter of minutes. First, remove [...]

A timber-frame home is a celebration of wood on a massive scale. Tall posts grow from the floor and connect overhead in a soaring network of beams, rafters and braces [...]

Believe it or not, I installed a beautiful hardwood floor by myself in just one weekend. How? I chose a DIY-friendly floating floor. Unlike typical hardwood flooring that must be [...]

1 CONNECTICUT Backyard Barn If you have kids around, you may be familiar with the Tractor Mac series of children's books, which follows the adventures of an antique farm tractor. [...]

Whether you live in a renovated Victorian or a modern raised ranch, one thing is certain: Maintenance never stops. Of course, you could hire the local handyman to make repairs [...]

Contrary to what you may see around the neighborhood, a backyard shed can be functional and beautiful. It can provide storage space and possess the architectural accents, decorative trim and [...]

Building a deck is the most efficient and cost-effective way to expand your living space and create an inviting outdoor oasis. It also happens to be one of the most [...]

IF you're a typical POPULAR MECHANICS reader you probably have a well-stocked toolbox that you use for various home-improvement and repair projects. And while a toolbox is great for carrying [...]

Painting is the No. 1 do-it-yourself home improvement project. Each year, millions of horneowners--equipped with little more than a paintbrush, a short-nap roller and a gallon of gumption--apply a new [...]

* This beautiful bath-improvement project is dedicated to the millions of do-it-yourselfers who've always dreamed of building with glass block, but didn't have the foggiest idea of where to start. [...]

* In backyards all across America, the summer landscape is once again blooming with above-ground swimming pools. According to the National Spa and Pool Institute, there are about 3.5 million [...]

* Homeowners complain about having too much storage space about as often as they do about having an overabundance of cash. It just doesn't happen. Nearly every home, regardless of [...]

Set the frame in front of the doorway and fasten it to the timber frame foundation with four 3½-in. structural screws. INSTALL FOUNDATION AND WALLS Set the timber frame foundation on the ground and use a 4-ft. level to confirm that it's level across its width and length. Stand the wall on the timber frame foundation, aligning the sole plate flush with the outer edge of the 4x6 foundation timber [13]. FRAME THE WALLS All four walls of the greenhouse are framed with 2x4s. [Extracted from the article]

Few things refresh the human spirit so thoroughly assimply sitting outside on a beautiful day. It's even moresatisfying if you sit with somebody, and if the seat is something you've [...]

One basic thing can make the difference between a room looking cluttered or put-together: storage. Of course, getting rid of excess stuff also helps. But even after you've pared down [...]

Summer's nearly here, and I'm ready for it. I've got a new seven-burner gas grill and four ground-shaking speakers for my outdoor sound system--and I've built a sturdy picnic table [...]

Simplicity is a virtue, and this project is designed with that kind of goodness in mind. It's made of just 12 wood parts (see 'Construction Details') and most of them [...]

You can have a '67 Mustang in the driveway, a Gibson Les Paul guitar in your hand, and a date with destiny down at the roadhouse open mic--but if you [...]

* Informal. Versatile. Elegant. That's the ladder shelf, a lightweight storage solution that's about as simple as it comes: two uprights and five shelves designed like trays. A ladder shelf [...]

* For years, there have been three ways to get a shed: Build it yourself, hire someone to build it or buy a prefab model. A new method--constructing a shed [...]

* You've perfected your grilling technique. You've mastered the marinade. Now take your outdoor culinary skills to the next level by building our red cedar cookout cart. It's the perfect [...]

If you re like me, your-cordless-tool collection has grown a lot in the past few years. From a single drill driver bought 20 years ago--and replaced several times since--my battery-powered [...]

* Spring is still many weeks away, but you can get a start on a bountiful summer garden by building a cold frame now, in the depths of winter. It's [...]

If you're looking for a way to flex your DIY muscles, then bust out the tools, because we've got the perfect winter woodworking project. It's possible to build a fun [...]

* The first time I installed crown molding, I probably wasn't really installing it at all--I was just handing my dad tools off the truck. Since then, I've put it [...]

Last winter, Connecticut homeowners Keith Goodrow and Jody Willis began looking into ways to cut their fuel bills. Goodrow, a civil engineer, and Willis, a veterinarian, were spending about $3000 [...]

At several spats in our home, I've thought aloud, 'Boy, wouldn't it be great to have a seat right here?' And, just as often, 'Boy, wouldn't it be great to [...]

A lush window box spilling blooms can boost curb appeal in ways that a new paint job of reseeded lawn don't quite equal. I'm building six for my 15-year-old Cape--and [...]

When I first set up my basement workshop nearly 15 years ago, I didn't have much time or money to invest, so I just banged together a 2 x 4-and-plywood [...]

I admit that I wasn't really paying attention when my wife said, 'Oh, I love this little bench. Wouldn't it took great in our foyer or a child's room?' She [...]

I know it sounds terrible, but one of the reasons that I like working with firewood is that people leave me alone. I'm not asked to vacuum the living room, [...]

I built my first bookcase in middle school. A multitiered assemblage of wooden planks laid across stacks of bricks, it was reminiscent of pieces from the early Flintstone Period--and I [...]

From a technical standpoint, there's nothing particularly difficult about building stairs for a deck, porch or shed. Anyone with basic carpentry skills can make the necessary cuts and assemble the [...]

Of all the choices to make in a new kitchen, none get more attention than the countertop material--simply because there are so many options. There are dozens of new products [...]

For several years, I had a love-hate Relationship with our home computer. I loved having it available for the whole family to use for research, e-mailing and downloading. But. I [...]

If you've always wanted a backyard pond, you're not alone. Hundreds of thousands of homeowners already have them and thousands more are installing them every year. Why all the fuss [...]

People usually know what they want when it comes to selecting doors and windows, but skylights occupy a more mysterious niche. Inaccessible and above the fray, skylights just sit up [...]

Here's a handsome Colonial-style storage shed that's one of the most versatile, well-designed backyard buildings we've seen. In fact, it's really two sheds in one: a 10 x 12-ft. toolshed [...]