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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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Steps for installing an under sink water filter that has proved to be conventional and less expensive for drinking water are outlined. The steps include soldering on a new shut off valve, drilling a hole for the new filter faucet, installing the filter faucet, attaching the plastic tubing to the filter, mounting the filter in the cabinet and connecting the filter's water supply tubing.

Chandeliers are heavy fixtures and hence it is necessary to replace a standard electrical box in the ceiling having a maximum load rating of 50 pounds and a support system to hold the added weight. The neatest and quickest approach for installation a chandelier is mentioned.

Pull-out shelf to access items stored at the base of a kitchen cabinet is presented. Norm Abram, a master carpenter, shows seven easy steps to building and installing of a retrofit pull-out shelf.

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 [...]

Several tips for formulating a plan to carry out own project for installation of in-ground sprinklers with reference to the tools and materials required are presented to deliver the precise amount of water and minimize the wastage of water. The steps include digging the trench, making the water connection, installing the zone valves, placing pipes, and installing the sprinklers.

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 [...]

A step-by-step instruction to install a tile on a blank space in order to transform the painted drywall into a beautiful ceramic-tile is presented. The tiles are adhered to the wall with tile mastic, which is a specially formulated, ready-to-use adhesive that does not require mixing.

Various steps to mount the adjustable shelf into the wall are presented. An easy way to install adjustable shelving system consists of two vertical shelf standards, six metal brackets and three 36-inch long shelves.

A step by step guide for installation of window shades, as they are a great choice in window coverings for rooms throughout the house are presented. Some of the steps include marking bracket positions, marking screwing hole locations, bore pilot holes, attaching the mounting brackets and inserting a thin wood shim, clipping the shade into the brackets and testing the operation of the shade.

A few simple steps to adding a second telephone line to accommodate a dial-up modem, a fax machine, or a new home business are presented. The task is not difficult, requires only a few basic tools, and does not involve high-voltage electrical current.

The narrow strip of wall that runs between the counter and upper cabinets in a kitchen is mostly ignored. A step-by-step guide shows how this highly visible space, called the backsplash, can be transformed into a beautiful ceramic-tile focal point.

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 [...]

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]

* 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 [...]

In your article on timber-framed solar canopies (FHB # 316) you said nothing specific about building code(s), structural and aerodynamic engineering, nor the soil's geotechnical capability requirement for the ground-mounted solar canopies you reviewed. The increasingly strong winds of the climate we are degrading can tear open-roofed structures, even heavy-timberframed structures, out of the ground (off their footings) and apart. IN EVERY ISSUE More on solar canopies I happened on your July edition of Fine Homebuilding at the library. [Extracted from the article]