This month I’m taking a break from the “construction” type articles. Instead, I’m going to highlight some of the items I spoke about at a recent workshop I led on “emergency plumbing”. The focus of the workshop was on dealing with things like frozen pipes, leaks, and clogs, all of which make life miserable and can be costly! Here are some of my favorite ways to unclog home plumbing pipes. The real surprise for most of you may be that perhaps the best tool for removing clogs is one that...

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 disappeared. ...

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 the years. I...