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Ensure the ladder is stable and won’t slip or move before climbing up. Part of the trick in plumbing is to avoid scratching fragile chrome or brushed nickel finishes on faucets or exposed drain parts. Plumbers use smooth-faced pliers and wrenches to achieve perfect results. You can avoid buying special tools for one-time use by wrapping your soft-leather work glove around the fitting and using your standard pliers or pipe wrench over the protective cover. A common DIY home-improvement mistake, especially when finishing a basement, is making access to essential plumbing valves difficult. When you remodel, leave space or an access door to the main water valve, exterior spigot valves, water heater valves and any others your home may have.

• Laminate flooring comes in a variety of shades, and costs between $3 – $8 per square foot.
• The river rock she wanted in order to help set an aquatic theme was nowhere to be found this spring, so Camille had to use 53 bags of pea gravel as a substitute.
• If the wall you want to remove isn’t below one of these beams, it’s much less likely to be a load-bearing wall.
• I have two solid oak corbels that I

“We like theater. We like live music. And so that’s how we spend our money. But then suddenly all that stopped, and so, if I can’t travel, I chose to put my energy in the place where I am.” Americans have been forced to use their houses more — and differently. But that doesn’t account for the huge spike in demand documented by Max Anderson, chief economist at Porch.com. The company is an online marketplace connecting homeowners to contractors. In fact, when it comes to the garden, adding value is often a case of simply tidying up and perhaps putting down some turf. Buyers are most inspired by a blank canvas that they can project their own ideas and lifestyle onto.

• Having a single dramatic piece of art of the wall will draw the eye towards it, rather than highlight the limited dimensions of the room.
• It should take less than an hour to replace the current fixture, to the tune of about $100 for installation.
• It is true you could hire someone to do this task, but if you have ever gotten it priced out you were probably surprised by the cost.
• The median home size in the U.S.

We are always adding new articles and videos, so be sure to add us on your favorites and keep checking back to see what’s new. We are also on facebook if you want to check out our fan page. Home improvement was popularized on television in 1979 with the premiere of This Old House starring Bob Vila on PBS. American cable channel HGTV features many do-it-yourself shows, as does sister channel DIY Network.Danny Lipford hosts and produces the nationally syndicated Today’s Homeowner with Danny Lipford. Tom Kraeutler and Leslie Segrete co-host the nationally syndicated The Money Pit Home Improvement Radio Show.

• How you’re paying for your improvements depends largely on what you need to borrow.
• He started building a fence but put the project on hold when he found it impossible to source new fence posts.
• “It feels like there’s kind of a big reset happening,” Buhr says.
• “You simply will not get your money back on those types of additions, and buyers might be more apt to reconsider if it’s not something they’ve always dreamed of, too,” Matke explains.
• When trying to sell, a nice coat of neutral paint can give the entire house a facelift, and buyers really