Ceramic tile is an ideal choice for walls and floors in any bathroom. It’s durable, impervious to water, and comes in an almost limitless selection of colors and styles. Tiling a custom bathroom with your own hands is a rewarding project for an experienced do-it-yourselfer. Join our host, Jeff Wilson, as he offers guidance on installing wall and floor tile in the second installment of Buildipedia's custom bathroom series.
You already know the basics of sealing: you do it every time you zip up your jacket or lift your collar against the wind. Sealing a home works on the same principle, reducing air infiltration through the walls, ceilings, and floors to save energy and stay comfy. Just as you do a jacket, it’s best to button up – or seal – the shell of your home, or the “envelope,” as the exterior of your home is called in trade parlance. Older homes may have had no sealing done at all, and not all builders of new homes do a great job of sealing a house, even when sealing is required by today’s energy codes. We researched the best products and spoke to several experts to learn how to tighten the envelope of your home, save energy, and keep out the cold.
Effective air sealing comes with workmanship. No matter what brand of housewrap you choose, you will be wasting your money unless you install it carefully. Getting the installation right is not hard, but it requires a basic understanding of how housewrap works. Detailed installation instructions can be found on manufacturers’ Web sites and often at the lumberyard or home center where housewrap is purchased.
If your interior doors are severely stuck, rubbing, scratched, have holes, damaged beyond repair, or just don’t fit with your style, installing new prehung doors will sharpen the appearance of any room in your home and provide easy, daily operation. Installing a prehung door after removing an existing door isn't as difficult as you might think. With some patience and a little know-how, installing a prehung interior door is a project any DIY'er can do.
Replacing door hardware improves curb appeal and home security. Find out how with our video tutorial.
A homeowner might want to replace old door hardware for many reasons -- security, accessibility, style, or repair. Replacing door hardware only requires a simple set of skills and tools, but new door hardware can make a big difference in the way a door looks and works. Join our host, Jeff Wilson, for a quick demonstration of how to install new door hardware.
Sustainable living in metropolitan areas tends to take the form of large, LEED-certified developments; the majority of plant and wildlife habitat conservation still takes place on public lands. Somewhere in between lies a third option: the blending of human habitation and nature conservancy on the same plot of land. Exploring this option is the Santa Lucia Preserve, located near the coast in central California and occupying acreage that was originally part of the Mexican Land Grants of the 1830s. The owners of House Ocho had been searching unsuccessfully for a home to remodel when they found their lot in the Santa Lucia Preserve.
Basic tiling skills can be very useful in many home improvement projects, but some tiling projects can prove daunting for even experienced DIY'ers. Installing tile for a custom shower is one of those projects. That has often meant leaving the job of custom showers to the pros – until now. Now there are new preformed bases on the market that allow a “do-it-yourselfer” with basic tile skills and tools to install a custom shower. Join our host, Jeff Wilson, for a tutorial on installing a tileable shower basin in a custom bathroom.
As we become more aware of residential density and as lots shrink, our garages are more often sited closer to the road, as opposed to behind or next to our homes. Naturally, we would like our homes to have curb appeal, and the increasing variety in garage door design reflects this. We are no longer limited to white, gray, or brown; nor are we confined by building material or an absence of architectural flourishes. The sky – or at least the roof of the garage – is the limit.
If you're unfamiliar with the title of this article, or this important subject matter, don't feel bad – you're not alone. Confusion and a lack of awareness is the rule, rather than the exception, when it comes to the federal Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA’s) new Renovation, Repair, and Painting (RRP) rule, which totally redefines the way much of home remodeling is conducted. It centers on the control of dust from lead paint created from during RRP, not the elimination of the lead itself. The RRP rule is monumental – in its complexity, in the nature of the changes, and in the cost involved in compliance. Here's the EPA's explanation in a nutshell: “Under the rule, beginning April 22, 2010, contractors performing renovation, repair, and painting projects that disturb lead-based paint in homes, child care facilities, and schools built before 1978 must be certified and must follow specific work practices to prevent lead contamination.”
For those of you who grew up in the ‘70s, wallpaper may conjure memories of obnoxious stripes and florals that made you want to plan a great escape from your vinyl seat at mom’s aluminum breakfast table. I’m going to attempt to replace the outdated misconceptions that may plague your mind when you hear the word “wallpaper” and introduce a new perspective into your psyche: not only are today’s wallcovering options beautiful and environmentally friendly, many can truly be considered an art form.
Buying a home and moving are two of those life events that are often considered to be extremely stressful. As you decide which house is right for you, the time, decisions, and financial commitment necessary can become burdensome. Once you find a home to buy, your concerns immediately switch to questions about it. Why are they selling? Is anything wrong with it? How much out-of-pocket expense comes with buying this home? Having the home inspected by a qualified professional prior to finalizing the purchase can help to address these concerns. A professional home inspection will also deepen your understanding of the property and give you some peace of mind prior to completing the sale.
The Harris Boulevard House in Austin, Texas, provides a nice counterpoint to some of the more formulaic house types that dot the landscape. Its owners wished to create an amalgamation of their favorite architectural styles, which brought a certain rigor to the design process. During the couple's extensive travels in Asia, they developed a liking for Pacific Rim architecture, where the International Style is influenced by local building types. Additionally, the wife was born in Houston and then moved to Nebraska, so she has a fondness for the more classic homes of the Midwest.
