Archives

How to Prep Your Fireplace for the Cold Season

Before you spark up the logs, make a clean sweep using these seven crucial fireplace safety tips

Budget Fixes for Drafty Windows

Dealing with drafty windows and doors this winter? Keeping your home warm doesn’t have to come at a high price, thanks to these easy-to-do fixes.

Relocating the Cookspace for a Bright, Functional Kitchen

Building a new kitchen in the old family room delivers the central, open-plan gathering place this couple and their kids longed for

S33 E6: New Space Revealed

Kevin O’Connor and building science expert Joe Lstiburek discuss OBS sheathing. Tom Silva installs new post supports. Norm Abram meets window restoration specialist Alison Hardy. Tom and Kevin take down the old wall of the ell.

A Warm, Welcoming Dining Space for $1,474

A blank box becomes an inviting gathering spot with new paint, molding, trim, and furniture

All About Kitchen Islands

Kitchen islands are multipurpose units that can enhance a kitchen's utility and appearance. Find our best kitchen island ideas here.

How to Use Salvaged Building Materials in New Construction

The TOH TV team is ginning up clever ways to reuse centuries-old house parts to give brand-new spaces an aged patina

S10 E5: Insulation, Foundation

Kevin works with an insulation contractor to show the proper way to insulate a wall using fiberglass batts. The guys ask "What Is It?" Tom helps a homeowner repoint a fieldstone foundation.

S33 E5: Yard and New Gable Wall

Kevin O’Connor meets landscape designer Jenn Nawada to see the site plan. Roger Cook removes invasive vines from the back yard. Tom Silva and Norm Abram raise the new family room gable wall. Tom and Kevin repair a historic window sill. Norm and Kevin demo the ceiling in the ell.

How to Sponge Paint a Wall

Colored glaze layered on in a random pattern with a sea sponge can do wonders for a flat wall.

S10 E4: Hedge Pruning, Tile Backsplash

Roger helps a homeowner prune an overgrown evergreen hedge. The guys ask "What Is It?" Tom helps a homeowner install a tile backsplash in his kitchen.

S33 E4: New Entrance, Old Bricks

Kevin O’Connor finds the walls of the entry addition framed up. Tom Silva creates the connection to the main house. Mark McCullough repairs the chimney. The fireplace gets removed from the kitchen. Norm Abram revisits the Acton Project.

31 Scary Houses Turned Into Spectacular Homes

Some of these rundown and abandoned houses were downright spooky, until TOH readers got ahold of them. Explore some these dramatic before and afters

Easy Salvage-Style Halloween Decorations

Assemble your own fright-worthy decorations out of salvage-yard and thrift-store finds—even the junk in your attic

How to Ghostbust Your Home

Is your house haunted? How to find the right spirit chaser to rid your old home of its specters

S33 E3: Work on the Addition Begins

Tom Silva and Mark McCullough open a hole in the old foundation. Richard Trethewey visits the local library to see the oldest existing flag in the country. Tom finds and repairs a rotted sill. Tom forms the new foundation out of ICFs.

8 Tips for Hiring a Contractor

This Old House general contractor Tom Silva shares what you should know before you hire a contractor.

S10 E3: Water Heater, Range Hood

Richard helps a homeowner replace a corroded fitting on his water heater. The guys ask "What Is It?" Tom helps a homeowner install a vented range hood in her kitchen.

Jack-o'-Lanterns With Famous Faces

These legendary-looking gourds feature meticulous portraits of some of your favorite celebs and fictional characters. All carvings from TOH Pumpkin Carving Contests of years past

A Dated Bath Gets a Timeless Update

A faded pink bath became a well-organized space with period touches and oceans of blue and white tile

S10 E2: Shower Valve, Banister

Richard helps a homeowner repair her faulty shower valve. Tom helps a homeowner rebuild her wobbly stair banister.

S33 E2: And the Work Begins

Roger Cook saves plants from the yard for future use. Roger clears overgrowth that’s in the way of the addition while Kevin and master carpenter Norm Abram begin demo. Roger sets up a drain and sump pump to deal with water in the excavated hole. Mason Mark McCullough demos the chimney.