Installing solar panels is becoming more feasible as various financial incentives become available. Jeff Wilson breaks it down into hard numbers to give an idea of what’s really involved with "going solar."

When my family decided to streamline our energy use at home, we first tackled our efficiency problems with a Deep Energy Retrofit. This effort included air-sealing and insulating the building envelope and replacing all of the windows and doors. Once we had our house sealed up tight, we added an Energy Recovery Ventilator to keep indoor air fresh while keeping the energy we use to heat and cool that air inside the house, where it belongs. Only after we completely exhausted energy efficiency measures did we decide to have a 4-kW photovoltaic solar array installed.

A backyard oven not only bakes good bread, it creates ambiance and provides a focal point for your outdoor entertaining area.

Sometimes you start a DIY project that defies any real explanation. It usually starts small – for example, I love really good bread. Not the soft, doughy, white bread you buy at the supermarket, but the crusty, pain au levain that a real French bakery would produce. Since very few bakeries do that right, I got into baking bread. Simple enough.

Found objects can be upcycled into home furnishings, construction materials, and more. Jeff Wilson’s home (and perpetual remodeling project) showcases some of his best finds.

Hopefully, many of you have been keeping an eye on {Re}habitat with Rachael Ranney on the Go Green channel. She’s got a knack for making something out of what seems to be nothing, and the results she gets are top-notch.

Jeff Wilson shares his views on how the ordinary DIYer can perform acts of patriotism while improving things around the house!

It’s not often that you pick up a hammer, get back to work on that DIY home improvement project, and consider it an act of patriotism, but that’s exactly what we should be doing – each and every one of us.

The NAHB International Builders' Show is the place to go to check out the latest building products. Jeff Wilson attended the 2012 show in Orlando and here shares his favorite finds.

There's nothing like escaping the Midwest and going to Florida in the middle of winter. That’s what I got to do recently in Orlando at the National Association of Homebuilders’ International Builders’ Show 2012. While I attended as a host and presenter for LP Building Products, I also got a chance to check out the booths and exhibits.

Will home automation become something that we can’t imagine living without? Jeff Wilson takes us on a tour of a design showroom that highlights some of the time- and energy-saving benefits of automation.

Home automation sounds a little intimidating. Just the mention makes me think of the USS Enterprise on Star Trek – seamless integration of controls for everything from lighting and sound to heating and air-conditioning to security and energy-efficiency. Oh, and don’t forget to set those phasers to stun.

No matter where you live, you are bound to find a unique building material that is made close to home.

Generally speaking, I’m not much of a shopper. Like a lot of guys, I like to dodge into a store, make a quick purchase, and then skedaddle. Things change a little when I head to my local home center or hardware store. More than once I’ve come home from what was supposed to be a short jaunt to pick up some lumber to hear my wife ask, “What took you so long?” OK, maybe I was perusing the new LED lighting or trying out a new multi-tool. I was definitely NOT shopping.

I’ve good-naturedly taken to calling the Deep Energy Retrofit (DER) of my 1940s Cape Cod style kit home a “self-inflicted wound.” You know those big renovation projects, right? Those are the ones that start with good intentions and then stretch out over months and years. That said, the good news at the Wilson house is that the benefits of the DER are easy to see and feel, and we’re actually glimpsing the light at the end of our renovation tunnel.

If you really want to get some things done around the house, you will need power tools. Jeff Wilson shares his insights regarding which tools are must-haves.

I always loved shows like Roy Underhill’s The Woodwright’s Shop – by watching I can experience, vicariously, detailed woodworking without power tools. Folks like Roy are truly artisans, and I have tremendous respect for that kind of work.