It wasn’t all that long ago that I tore down a suspended ceiling and fluorescent lighting in a very old house, and this is what greeted...

I doubt if any of you will need to do exactly what I did this month, but this was a fast and fun project that “just needed doing.”  I’m...

It sure seems like I’ve been doing a lot of repairs to chairs lately.  I guess that’s because they tend to be moved, stacked, rocked, and...

Most plumbing projects today, especially those done by do-it-yourselfers, involve the use of PEX tubing for water supplies. It is so...

Here’s a very quick and simple project I was asked to do. These lamps belong to a neighbor, who keeps them on a table on her porch. ...

If you haven’t had a chance to read last month’s column about my arbor project, you might want to before delving into this month’s...

When our house was built (1926-1927), there was a very small back porch. It was something like 5 feet by 5 feet – just enough to stand...

It seems like I’ve been doing a lot of construction and woodworking lately, so some of my “Ideas” columns are based on tools that I use,...

My son Brian is a comedian. He told me “Dad, there’s good news and bad news. The bad news is that I nearly fell over when a leg on the...

If you’re old enough to know what this is, you’re probably no “spring chicken!” It’s a reel for wrapping up a rope clothesline! (If you...

Welcome back to my project to save an old folding bassinet from the dump! The plan involved converting it into a small table. If you...

I’ve never done a multi-part “Ideas” column until now. This one deserves the extra work because I wanted to show all the little steps...

Trends in woodwork, especially in kitchens, seem to come and go. When we bought our built-in-1926 house (1981), the non-original kitchen...

As you likely suspect, to come up with “Ideas” columns, I sometimes need to draw from projects that I did prior to becoming the author of...

I love the way that title sounds like a murder mystery novel! In reality, though, I’m hoping to show the pretty cool way I installed a...

This month’s article is one I never expected to write. I just never thought I’d need to write it, because I thought that everyone...

I certainly take on some unusual projects, don’t I? My son’s cat recently passed away, and I felt obliged to make a tombstone for it,...

This month: Ground deck This month’s project falls into the category of “cover it up” work. It’s not restoration in any sense, but...

The fun thing about writing this column is that the subject matter can range from a complex project to something very simple. My goal,...

Every old home needs maintenance. Actually, every home does. It seems, though, that older ones are a bit trickier to keep up, for...