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How To Build A Hidden Water Fountain

How To Build A Hidden Water Fountain

Build A Hidden Water Feature Statues, vases, disappearing fountains and rock fountains are becoming popular backyard focal points. Just go to any garden shop and you’ll see dozens of options for Koi ponds, waterfalls and basin fountains. Installing a disappearing or hidden-basin water fountain doesn’t take up as much space as a waterfall or Koi [...]

Recent Articles

Installing A Custom Appliance Handle

Problem: The door handles on the refrigerator panels did not match. The bottom “cabinet door”style panel was also not the desired look. This panel will be replaced with a panel that looks like a drawer.Today’s post deals with this cabinet front refrigerator and the lower freezer door. The lower stainless steel handle never matched the [...]

How to Prep For Painting

  “Preparation When Painting Is Everything!!” . . . . . says my friend and fellow craftsman Mark O’Lalor of O’Lalor Painting Company.   Mark has graciously  agreed to write today’s post.   Photo: Mark O’Lalor [repairing recessed ceiling holes]  Photo: Mark O’Lalor   In the professional circles of Painting Contractors there is a long standing [...]

Building a wine cellar

Building a wine cellar in a basement: I built this wine cellar before I started blogging , back them, I did not have a need to take pictures of the skeleton and preparation process that it took to get to this finished project.  Building a wine cellar was a fun and challenging project, read more…. [...]

New Energy Tax Credit Could Stimulate Green Renovation Jobs

Image: http://www.iandrinstitute.org/ By Nation’s Building News Beefed-up tax credits for energy-efficient home improvements in the new stimulus package are expected to help increase demand for green renovation projects this year and next. The IRS Section 25C tax credit for existing homes, which had expired at the end of 2007, was reinstated as part of the [...]

Tuning Up 8′ French Doors

Today was spent replacing weatherstripping on several pairs of French Pozzi Doors. These doors were not closing well, had sticking 3-point locking mechanisms and were leaking air. Replacement was an option but I convinced the owner to let me try this first. A combination of new weather stripping, hinge adjustment and removing, cleaning, lubricating and [...]

Finished Photo – Speaker Wire Installed Behind Crown Molding

A few months back I posted on how to install speaker wire behind crown molding. At that time, when I was installing the crown molding the customer asked “while you’re here would you mind” running the wire behind the molding. See my post on my theory of “while you’re here would you mind….” If I [...]

Child Proofing Your Home ~ Part 2

Image: safetyresource.org   Child Proofing Tips For Your Home As I mentioned in part 1, proper supervision, securing dangerous items and common sense is the best safety combination you can use. Making a child’s environment a safe one is is half the battle! I recently “childproofed” a kitchen for a customer. While doing this, I [...]

Basement Renovation Considerations:

Image: cshutton.com Basement finishing considerations: Determine if your basement a moisture problem and solve that first. If the walls are moist or there is some water in places on the floor you will want to address this issue before going any further. Mushrooms growing in the corner are a good clue! Just kidding. Framing: I [...]

G.E.M. ~ Means Green Energy Machine

PROBLEM:PROBLEM:PROBLEM:SOLUTION:Image: cleantechnica.com Last month, Waltham based, IST Energy released the world’s first compact, mobile waste-to energy system: the “GEM” (Green Energy Machine). This machine converts trash into fuel pellets that can be used to create electricity and gas heat. 95 percent of daily consumer waste can be dumped into the machine, including paper, plastic, wood, [...]

Custom Drawer Fronts

This existing hallway built in has two cabinet doors with flat panels but the drawers did not match, they had flat faces. The homeowner wanted to dress up the drawer fronts a bit and match them to the doors. A flat panel drawer face out of poplar and 3/8 birch playwood was installed. Awaiting paint [...]

Child Proofing Your Home ~ Part 1

Child poisonings are most common in children between ages 3 and 5.   Photo:  ADAM.com This is part one of a five part child safety tip series. Keeping our kids safe is a priority of mine.  Child proofing your home can bring us to feelings of safety but when there are infants and toddlers present [...]

Fixing A Drywall Hole

Green Mountain Man asked, Can you do a post on Fixing A Drywall Hole ? Hi Green Mountain Man, This is not really a carpenters realm but I have created and fixed enough holes to be able to answer your question. Fixing A Drywall Hole Simple Steps:   1. Small hole or dent repair: Apply [...]

Residential Fire Sprinkler System

Image: CMS.firehouse.com Recently my brother, [Scott Robillard Plumbing & Heating out of Waltham], told me of a recent job where he installed one fire sprinkler head over a persons furnace. Seems that this person had a furnace fire before and wanted the added protection.My brother explained to me how simple and inexpensive is was to [...]