When it comes to tiling a shower wall, many have the first impression that the job will be a significant hassle. The truth is, tiling a shower doesn’t have to be hard at all. In fact, if you follow a simple set of rules, the job can be both speedy and efficient!

Baths are a great way to unwind and relax after a long, stressful day. However, there’s one thing that can spoil the mood: funky colored water. Why is your bath water blue?

Air conditioners are considered essential appliances by many households as they supply comforting cooling on demand. The idea of an air conditioner breaking down in the middle of the summer is a nightmarish proposition for many households. Unfortunately, your air conditioner breaking down is possible especially if you don’t take good care of components like the condenser fan motor.

Tamper-resistant outlets are the new standard when it comes to outlet safety in homes and businesses. Modern building codes require that you install tamper-resistant outlets because of how much safer they are than standard outlets. With that said, it can be difficult to plug an electrical device into a tamper-resistant outlet, and that can be frustrating.

The structural integrity of your home is dependent on numerous elements working together. For instance, the finished flooring you see all the time is just one element of a complete system. That system is also typically made up of joists, underlayment, and your subflooring.

Owning a home can be fun and exciting, especially when it comes to styling the outside as an expression of your character. However, this can be done in more than one way. Instead of painting the house or trim, what if you change your garage door colors to add some pizazz? Some people even choose to have black garage doors, but is this a bad idea?

Having a basement offers more storage space and additional living space for you and your family, which makes it a popular project for many homeowners, especially if you don’t have a lot of overall square footage. Depending on where you live, you’re going to run into different guidelines and roadblocks when it comes to digging out a basement.

A beautiful kitchen can work wonders for just about any type of home. Preparing your favorite treats inside a gorgeous kitchen is a delightful experience unlike any other. If you’re interested in redesigning your home kitchen, don’t forget to do something about the ever-present backsplash.

Having a wide expanse of land available in your yard can be a good thing. All that open space allows you to explore numerous design ideas. Then again, the challenge of filling that much open space can be overwhelming and also quite expensive.

The electrical system in your home is one of those things that get very little attention until something goes wrong. Unfortunately, when something does go wrong, the results can be rather spectacular. In too many instances, the results are also deadly. It is important to recognize the signs that your electrical panel needs an upgrade.

Flickering lights can be a scary sight to behold in both horror movies and real life. Your lights can flicker for a variety of reasons, but it’s hard to pinpoint the cause if you are inexperienced with electrical work. Many homeowners ask themselves: why are my lights flickering and how do I fix them?

Recently, I typed up an entire article about the way that dimmer switches run hot. As someone who grew up in a home where dimmers were a thing, I was pretty shocked to hear how hot they get. Dimmer switches apparently have a reputation for that. Unsurprisingly, some people believe they’re unsafe. I can’t blame them, if they never experienced it. It’s a debate worth discussing. Are dimmer switches safe?

Rainshower heads transform an ordinary bathroom into an extraordinary spa experience. The fixtures have an aesthetic and functional appeal that is hard to resist.

Many homeowners dream of someday building a swimming pool, but it’s not always an option. Whether it’s due to cost or a lack of space, building a new pool may simply not be feasible for them. Before you give up on your dream of having a pool at home, you should first consider installing a plunge pool.

The beauty of wood flooring is something many homeowners pine for. While it can be expensive, attractive and affordable wood flooring is also attainable. But what about attractive, affordable, and eco-friendly wood flooring?

Many people install barn doors in their houses to save space. No matter the door’s width, these flush against the wall taking up zero space in a room. You can install them anywhere in the house without worrying about opening and closing them. However, barn doors do have a problem. They usually end up with gaps between the door and the baseboard, as these doors need to slide over the board.

Whether you’re installing a ceiling fan to cool you down in the summer or help circulate heat in the winter, there are countless benefits to adding one to your home. Increase comfortability and save money on your energy bills by installing a ceiling fan. However, what happens if you want to install one in a room that does not have an already existing fixture? Although the project is much simpler with the existence of a fixture, it can still be done without the necessary wiring in place.

Not everyone is aware that an invisible substance found in many homes can put us at risk of developing a disease. The invisible substance we’re talking about here is radon and the disease in question is none other than lung cancer. You must do what you can to keep your household safe from that potentially deadly substance.

Organic spackle is what the name says: organic. It’s made of raw materials. It’s spackle that isn’t mixed with chemicals to bind it together. Mixed spackle is made of different materials. The mixture makes it easier for the spackle to adhere to the wall for a longer time. 

If your doorbell wires are not labeled, then you need to locate the chime and the low-voltage transformer. The chime could be in your living room, kitchen, or another open area. The transformer may be near your electrical panel, garage, or mechanical room.

There’s no denying that energy costs are out of control, getting higher and higher year after year. Utility costs tend to rise right along with the rising outdoor temperatures. Therefore, it’s not surprising that people want to reduce the heat entering their homes so that they can lower their bills. A popular method is planting trees to save on air conditioning. But this only works if you know where to plant them.

If you just installed a floating floor, you might be wondering: Can a floating floor be glued down? If you find that the pieces are shifting after installation, it can feel tempting to just grab a glue or nail gun and put an end to the shifting.

Electricity is everywhere in our lives. It powers our lights, our workplaces, and our world. So that means that we should all be very familiar with all things electricity, right? Wrong. Unfortunately, as useful and as necessary as electricity in our lives, most of us only have a novice understanding of electricity at best. And that means if you are working with electrical wiring, it is good to know some ground rules (pun intended), like  when to use conduit for electrical wiring.

If you own a grandfather clock, it’s likely something that has been passed down in your family through the generations. To ensure that the clock stays in good working order, it should be cleaned and serviced regularly. Oftentimes, some form of clock repair work may be required for a number of reasons.

Squirrels can be an entertaining sight in your backyard as they perform the gymnastic moves through the tree limbs. However, if you are like me and are more entertained by the birds attracted by your birdfeeder, squirrels are more of a nuisance. People suggest several methods to stop squirrels from raiding your birdfeeder. We wonder if squirrels can climb PVC pipes.

While toilets are certainly not small, they are also not the largest fixtures out there. Big or small, all of us need to use the toilet from time to time. More importantly, we want to be certain that it is not going to fall apart beneath us. But how much weight can a toilet hold?

Home remodeling or renovation can be an expensive endeavor. You could end up spending somewhere in the neighborhood of $40,000 to have your home remodeled. Saving money whenever possible would be ideal.

Incinerating toilets are a clean and efficient way to eliminate waste. Whether incorporating an incinerating toilet for eco-friendly reasons or you don’t have access to sewage lines, they are incredibly useful. If you’re looking into adding an incinerating toilet to your home, research the pros and cons before making your decision.

We often use 240-volt outlets in our homes to power large appliances like air conditioners and clothes dryers. If you’ve recently purchased a new appliance, you may find that you need a new 240-volt outlet to power it. Can you install it yourself, or is it necessary to get a permit and involve a professional?

Running across a term like “floating wall” might have you scratching your head in wonder at what ultimately sounds like a magic trick. But, on the other hand, if you’re from Colorado, the term might sound familiar where such building practices are common. The continuously expanding soils in Colorado are why floating walls as used.

Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters, or GFCIs, are a necessary safety measure in modern times. They can prevent harmful ground faults that can cause dangerous and expensive electrical problems. So, why does my GFCI trip when I turn on the light switch?

A failed sump pump can be a nightmare situation. Ankle deep standing water in a basement after a sump pump fails is no picnic. But what if that standing water is energized and capable of delivering a lethal shock?  Shouldn’t sump pumps be on a GFCI protected outlet?

Whether in the mountains, on a picturesque lake, or in the woods, there’s something undeniably magical about a cabin. It offers you a respite from the hustle and bustle of city life and a place to make lasting memories. The best thing about a cabin is it can be as simple or grand as you want to make it. 

Sump pumps are critical pieces of machinery that can save your home from flooding disasters. Nearly all homes with basements or any homes susceptible to flooding should have one (or more) sump pumps. It is also important to maintain these pumps to ensure they are working properly. When you inspect your sump pump, you might wonder if it is normal for there to be some water in the sump pit. 

Grout is an integral part of any tiling job. It helps keep tiles straight, prevents moisture from gathering behind the tiles, and adds to the overall appeal of a room. However, if your grout lines are uneven, they’re more likely to be an eyesore than an aesthetic anchor. 

Concrete needs to be sturdy and last a long time. One way to help concrete be its best is to use fiber mesh concrete. Fiber mesh concrete involves adding fibers to a ready-made concrete solution. The fibers will help reinforce the solution. Different fibers such as glass, steel, and synthetic or natural fibers are mixed in to form the mesh.

Adding a garage can be one of the best home improvements to increase the value of your home. Cinder blocks are an easy building material to use to build a new garage, as well as sturdy. But, how much do they really cost?

To build a floating shower bench you will need to follow the steps below:

The tobacco industry creates a wide range of products that are sold worldwide on a mass scale. Even though they are a common purchase, many people don’t know how best to dispose of them. That’s why we’re here to clear the air.

When you are having work done on your bathroom, there are a ton of decisions to be made. They can be huge decisions or ones that feel smaller in nature. More often than not, people tend to not think about their shower drains.

Grab your wire connector, insulated pliers, a screwdriver, and a voltage tester—it’s time to see what’s wrong with that faulty light switch. And if you replaced your light switch recently, there’s a good chance that this has something to do with your light switch not working now. In this article, the common problems which manifest after a light switch replacement will be explained.

Vinyl siding is a popular exterior cladding option known for being lightweight yet highly durable. Although vinyl siding is damage resistant for the most part, it doesn’t mean that you might never face maintenance concerns over its lifetime.

If you’re planning a home improvement project, then you most likely plan to take a few trips to Home Depot. The Home Depot is a one-stop shop for supplies and materials, and you can even rent tools and trucks. Plus, if your plans call for lumber, you might even be able to have Home Depot cut wood for you.

If you are working on a project that involves drilling screws into a hard surface like a hardwood or even metal, you probably need a drill bit. You don’t want to drill the screw right into the hard material, as there are all sorts of bad things that can happen. Drilling pilot holes is an important and simple process. It does, however, involve some planning and research. So, when you plan on using #8 screws you need to find the perfect size drill bit to make pilot holes.

Do the pictures hanging on your wall make you do a double-take when you pass by them? Do you find yourself wondering if it’s you or the picture that’s not quite level? If this sounds familiar, it’s time to learn how to stop pictures from tilting on the wall.

It is difficult to design and install a shower when you consider how crucial every step is. Everything from the drainage and slope to the showerhead and tiles affect your shower’s performance. With that said, how high should tile go in your shower?

Building a swimming pool at home means taking on additional responsibilities. You shouldn’t build a swimming pool if you’re not willing to invest in its maintenance. Thankfully, pool pumps make the job of keeping swimming pools clean remarkably easy.

Building things with your own two hands is the best feeling in the world. But anything you are building should be done safely and solidly, or your plans (and your project) could fail. Although end nailing may be easier and faster, it is not usually the best choice when building.

Faucet supply lines are often composed of a single line from your wall supply to your faucet. These lines are composed of several possible materials, and there are several ways to join them. Sometimes, you may find a single line is a wrong length or shape, and you need a second line.  So, which method should you choose?

You use your shower to get clean, so if any part of it’s gross, it feels icky instead of relaxing, and you say, “eww” more than “aah.”. If the shower floor starts to get scummy or grimy, it boosts the ick factor because you feel like you’re standing in filth. So what’s the best way to clean the shower floor so you’re not cringing while you’re washing up?

There are times where “do-it-yourself” takes on just that mean: all you have is yourself. While it may be nice to have a helping hand, especially on big projects, that helping hand isn’t always available. That is why it is important to know how to handle the larger items you may come across.

When you hire someone to do a roofing job for you, you hope it will turn out well. Unfortunately, you cannot always count on things going so smoothly. Over time, many homeowners have been dissatisfied with their roofing job and left wondering what to do. So, what exactly could they do in these situations?

You notice that your Sloan Flushmate toilet has developed a leak in the tank.  Immediately after flushing the toilet and the tank has refilled, the valve begins to trickle water into the tanks causing an overflow into the toilet bowl.  What can cause a Sloan Flushmate to leak water into the tank?

If there is one single room in every home that tends to be prone to mold, it’s the basement. Basements are dark, cold, and often have leaks from the outside. This leads to a lot of issues, primarily mold. We’ve all been in basements that had that telltale musty, moldy smell. Sometimes, you might even see the mold growing up a wall. Did you ever wonder what you can do to get rid of that mold?

Pegboard can be one of the most useful organizational tools in your house or garage. They can be used for tools, crafts, or school supplies. While there are various uses, the only problem is hanging it up.

Gutters are the most commonly used system to divert rain away from your home. They are inexpensive, can be installed quickly by professionals, and exceedingly effective. Gutters not only collect and channel water, but they also keep your home free of mud-spatter and help to prevent any water damage from occurring near your foundation.

If you are thinking about building your own home, you probably have a lot of questions. There is a ton of information and research to be done before even getting started on a plan. The first thing you really need to know though is how much it is going to cost you.

The last thing you want to do is run up massive energy bills all winter. It’s tempting to turn up the furnace every time it gets cold, but that will quickly become quite expensive. So, what are the cheapest ways to heat your house in the winter?

In order to ensure that any project you build lasts, you want to start with a strong foundation. This is especially true when considering the paver base for your project. Traditionally, the base used for a paver patio or walkway is a layer of crushed gravel about six inches deep. If you’re building a standard patio, you will most likely be hauling out several tons of soil and carting in the same amount of gravel.

Anyone who has ever done a home renovation project knows how overwhelming the decision-making process can be. In regards to exterior treatment options, these can be particularly difficult. So, should you use dutch lap or traditional siding? What’s the difference?