If you follow my articles, you know that I’m a decent woodworker.  Not a great one, but a decent one.  I do like a challenge, and it’s certainly rewarding when I build something that someone needed and had no idea where to get help.  The Lawrence County Historical Society here in my town is in the process of replacing several window air conditioners with some type of whole-house system.  While removing one of the units, it was discovered that the lower sash for a window had d

Just a few blocks from where I live is another of New Castle’s (PA) 100-year-old historic and beautiful homes.  The owner told me that the handrail leading down to the basement area is only on one side of the steps, and doesn’t even run their full length.  She wanted a second railing installed on the wall side the full way up and down.  No problem!  However, she also wanted it to look like the existing one, even though that one has a lot of wear from countless handgrips over

Fun times again!  This month I’m showcasing the “rebuilding” of an old porch floor.  It was a bit of a challenge because it was two hours away from my home.  That meant carrying a lot of tools to the site and getting things done as quickly as possible to avoid leaving things in a condition where problems would occur if it rained!  (There is a roof over this porch, but there is also a cellar beneath it.)  I pulled up the glued-down indoor/outdoor carpeting and saw that the end

Sometimes I “read between the lines” to fully understand something.  For example, I have a neighbor who often surprises me with a batch...

I am fortunate to live near a building in which the famous Warner Brothers opened their first theater.  The gentlemen who run a museum...

I don’t like surprises -- especially plumbing surprises.  I returned home from an evening meeting to find a note from my wife:  “Please...

I think this is the first time in my life that I’ve ever written the pseudo-word “shmancy” although I’ve used it a few times in speech! ...

Sometimes it’s necessary to get up and off the ground to access a gutter or maybe to do roof repairs.  I may write an article one day...

I always called the connection on the side of our house to which a hose can be connected an “outside faucet.”  I think the correct...

Last month I featured the basic build of the basement door pictured below.  If you didn’t read that article, perhaps you should do so...

I’d think that 99% of people reading this month’s article will never do what I’m showing, but at the very least you can see how I tackled...

Last month I showed you an easy repair to a leaking valve in the faucet fixture in my powder room sink.  While there doing that work, I...

Doing your own plumbing can be satisfying.  It can also be very frustrating.  Some things are “givens”: -          Leaks will occur in...

This month we have a guest writer! I'm lucky to have a brother-in-law, Raymond A. Parker, that's one of those guys who not only can do...

Disclaimer:  This month’s column involves some basic electrical wiring.  Do not attempt electrical work unless you are comfortable and...

Nails come in an array of styles, materials, and of course, length.  This month, I’ll assemble a small group of my most commonly-used...

I’d been thinking about writing this article for quite some time, but something recently triggered me to do it now.  A friend asked to...

If you have an older brick house, you likely have some areas where the mortar between the bricks needs some attention.  If you have a LOT...

…or more correctly, more flow!   One thing I absolutely hate about hot water tanks is that they typically come with an all-plastic drain...

In a perfect world, repairs would be made in a neat, workmanlike manner, even if the site of said repairs was such that no one would ever...