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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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

A traditional skylight has lots of advantages, such as good looks and the fact that it admits plentiful daylight. But it has one major disadvantage. Installing one is a complex [...]

HERE'S the perfect project for homeowners who have always wanted to build with glass block, but were afraid to try. It consists of replacing a double-hung bath window with glass [...]

Stone walls have marked boundaries and defined borders for millenniums. At countless sites, from Hadrian's Wall in Britain to the Native American ruins in New Mexico's Chaco Canyon, well-crafted walls [...]

If you're one of the many homeowners who have an elevated deck built off the back of your house, then you're in luck. Here, we'll show how to install a [...]

* When you hire a tree service or landscaping company to cut down trees on your property, the contract price seldom includes removing the stumps. That unenviable task is typically [...]

This article presents tips for home improvement. A backyard shed can provide storage space and possess the architectural accents, decorative trim and splendor of a quality-built home. The handsome colonial-style garden shed is proof that form and function can coexist in a backyard building. There are two pairs of double doors, three tilt-in barn-sash windows and a transom window over the gable-end doors space intended for general storage, and a 4 x 12-ft. The interior decorators finished the building with a cabot semitransparent allagash stain .

The article focuses on different kinds of tool belts, used for various home-improvement and repair projects. Flexible leather and resilient Cordura Nylon come together in this pro-quality modular tool belt from Occidental Leather. It's sized for carrying a substantial quantity of fasteners and most of the hand tools needed for a day's work. Occidental makes its products here and uses U.S.-made premium-grade leather, nylon and hardware. The DeWalt professional-duty tool belt is made from ballistic nylon, a material so tough it's used in bulletproof vests. A leather tool belt usually takes awhile to soften up and lose its stiffness. That's not the case with this Sears Craftsman belt. It's made from oil-tanned leather that's soft and supple the first time one uses it. INSET: BEYOND THE BASIC BELT.

Focuses on guidelines related to the selection of paint for home decoration. INSET: Source List.

Presents tips for home improvement projects. Details on a bath-improvement project using a glass-block kit; Instructions for installing the project.

Presents tips on building backyard barn. Steps in building the foundation; Tips in framing the roof trusses; Process in building the wall.

This article presents information on skylights. Skylights make a room feel expansive. People usually know what they want when it comes to selecting doors and windows, but skylights occupy a more mysterious niche. Curb-mounted units have step flashing around the frame to shed water. The flashing is made up of top and bottom caps, and L-shaped side pieces that are woven into the shingle courses. Preventing energy from leaking through the skylight is nearly as important as keeping water out. So it pays to choose an energy-efficient model.

The article focuses on glass-block windows, by citing a perfect project for homeowners who have always wanted to build with glass block, but were afraid to try. It consists of replacing a double-hung bath window with glass block and adding two narrow glass-block sidelights. In addition to blocks and spacers, there is a need for mortar, foam rubber expansion strips, reinforcing wire and metal panel anchors. One should start by removing the trim from around the inside of the window. Then, the rough opening should be measured to determine how many blocks are needed. To add structural integrity to the glass-block window, one should install metal panel anchors and reinforcing wire along every other course.