How Do Low-Flow Shower Heads Work, And Do They Save Money?

Most modern homeowners would do anything to reduce their bills. Low-flow showerheads are increasingly common, and many people switch to them to save money. So, how do low-flow showerheads work, and do they save money?

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How To Remove Thinset From A Tile Face (Step-by-Step Guide)

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.

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How To Remove A Pedestal Sink And Install A Vanity (Do This!)

Many of us get the itch to remodel our bathrooms at some point. After getting used to seeing the same fixtures again and again, changing them up can be quite refreshing. One big change you can make is to replace a pedestal sink with a bathroom vanity.

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How To Remove Linoleum Glue From Concrete Floor (Do This!)

Are you planning a DIY project to remove linoleum flooring and glue from a concrete subfloor? If you are, is the issue of extracting stubborn glue buildup making you procrastinate? You can actually forget your worries and complete this task with confidence by using some simple steps for glue removal.

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How To Find What A Light Switch Controls (Do This!)

Every house seems to have that one light switch that controls nothing. I have several in my house. It can be quite frustrating, but fear not! There are a few ways to hunt down what your mystery switch controls.

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Is There A Musty Smell In Your Bathroom? (Find Out Why)

Have you ever noticed a strange smell coming from your bathroom? Not a lingering stink from someone not using the Poo-pourri. The earthy, musty smell, most notable after you take a shower, flush the toilet, or reach under the bathroom sink.

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Can You Use Peel-And-Stick Tile In A Shower?

Finding the right material for your shower walls can be tricky. Remodeling a shower can cost thousands of dollars, and it’s hard to commit to a material when you aren’t even sure what you want. Because of that, many homeowners will look for any alternative that gets the job done without breaking the bank. So, can you use peel-and-stick tile in a shower?

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6 Unit Apartment Building Plans (with Real Examples)

Investing in an apartment building is one fantastic way to build up your financial portfolio.  You can live in one of the units, manage the property yourself, and collect rent to pay off the mortgage.  Depending on your resources, you could decide to invest in a duplex, a triplex, or even a 6-unit building.

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Why Does My Light Switch Get Hot? (Find Out Now!)

If your light switch is hot to the touch, it could be related to a few different reasons. But the biggest thing to note is a hot light switch is a fire waiting to happen. As soon as you notice the temperature is warmer than warm, call a professional right away.

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5 Good Substitutes For Electrical Tape

Electrical tape is a valuable tool for any home DIYer. This type of tape insulates anything that conducts electricity and is commonly used to wrap bare wires or insulate cables. Electrical tape has properties such as low conductivity and high heat resistance, making it an excellent choice for minor repairs.

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Where To Put A Gazebo In Your Backyard

With the right layout and design, your backyard can be a personal oasis, entertainment space, or extension of your living area. A popular addition to the landscape is a gazebo, whether for a dining or seating area or a secret getaway. But where should you put a gazebo in your backyard?

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Do TV Mounts Come With Screws?

Purchasing a TV mount and the necessary screws can be an exciting decision. But getting your mount without screws can be an annoying discovery!

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Caulking In The Winter: Can You Caulk In Cold Weather?

If you can’t seem to stop a cold draft from entering through tiny cracks around your window, you might feel compelled to do something about it then and there.

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How To Drill Into Stucco (Step by Step Guide)

Many people are often nervous to drill into stucco because it looks and feels like concrete. However, it’s relatively simple to do and there are many projects where drilling into stucco is necessary. But, exactly how do you drill into stucco without causing any cracking or damage?

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How To Remove A Pedestal Sink (Step-by-Step Guide)

If you have a pedestal sink that needs to be removed, you may be wondering where to even start. Pedestal sinks are not so different from regular sinks, but there are some key differences that you will need to know. With more advanced knowledge of pedestal sinks and their inner workings, you can ensure your objective is met. 

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Can Neutral And Ground Wires Be On The Same Bus Bar?

Many homeowners get confused about their electrical system when talking about neutrals and grounds. This confusion can lead to questions about how the circuit breaker box in your home is wired. Is it permissible to have the neutral wires and the ground wires in your home’s electrical system connected to the same bus bar in the electrical panel?

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How Many Square Feet Is a Standard Tub Surround? (Find Out Now!)

You want an update do your bathroom. But will that new tub surround fit into your existing space? Here’s what you need to know.

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Why Does My Shower Sound Like A Kettle?

One of the most alarming and frightening noises that your plumbing can make is a high-pitched squeal. It sounds similar to a shrieking tea kettle and it usually happens while you’re taking a shower. If your shower sounds like a tea kettle, then there are several different things that could be happening.

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How To Lighten Stained Wood (In 8 Easy Steps)

When you first got that bookcase, you were totally enthralled with it. Its deep mahogany stain made it look so stately, and yet, it was only $40 at the thrift store. What a steal, right? Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse. You soon realized that all the other furniture you bought had a light cherry finish to it. What can you do? Moreover, is it even possible to lighten stained wood?

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How Much Does It Cost to Move A Pool Table?

If you’re moving to a new home and you want to bring your pool table along with you, you should consider hiring professionals for the job. Moving pool tables is serious business. Not only are they often one of the heaviest items that people own, but the disassembly process is also very long, tedious, and complicated

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Cost to Remove Chimney and Fireplace [Pricing for Each Part]

Are you planning to renovate your home sometime soon? If so, the time may be right for you to consider removing some old or outdated fixtures. The placement of your chimney and fireplace, in particular, may require some further consideration.

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How Long Should A Concrete Slab Cure Before Framing?

For anyone working with concrete, being familiar with the cure time is an absolute must. Concrete is a building material that is not structurally sound until it is cured. The curing process depends on many factors outside of your control.

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Which PEX Manifold Is The Best?

Pex manifolds are a fairly new way of running plumbing in your home. Pex is an acronym for cross-linked polyethylene. Rather than using the typical old rigid piping system, the Pex tubing is a more forgiving and flexible material that has a variety of incentives for using it over copper pipes.

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How To Set Up A Podcast Studio At Home

It costs between $200 and $3,000 to set up a basic podcast studio at home. Your setup will be cheap if you already have a computer. Of course, you can spend more once you expand, especially if you add a video element to your podcast. The cheapest route is to simply use a USB microphone that plugs into a laptop.

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Why Does My Toilet Randomly Run For A Few Seconds?

If you’ve experienced “phantom flushing” before, then you know this phenomenon is startling and perplexing, at first, but eventually incredibly annoying. The phantom flush is a common toilet malfunction, and a range of things can cause it.

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What Colors Do Gutters Come In?

Gutters serve the important function of directing water away from your house, and they are a fixture of every house. Every builder-owner knows the importance of good gutters and the trouble that having them can save.

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Creative Ways To Build A Bookshelf With Cheap Or Free Materials

A bookshelf is a fantastic addition to almost any room. It looks great and can showcase all sorts of items including art, plants, and of course, lots of books. It works well in a bedroom, home office, living room, and even in the kitchen. But bookshelves can cost hundreds of dollars or more. This might have you wondering if it is possible to build your own bookshelf with cheap or free materials.

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Can You Put Crown Molding In A Bathroom? (Find Out Now!)

Crown molding is a decorative trim that can be applied in many different ways. The most common way is in the space where the ceilings and walls join, creating a visual separation. Trim can be as simple or decorative as you want it to be to match your aesthetic.

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How Much Weight Can a Stud Hold?

When trying to hang up decorations, TVs, shelving, or even lights on a wall, you have to take into consideration the wall studs throughout your home. So, the main question you have to ask yourself is: how much weight can a stud hold? We’re here to answer that for you right now.

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How Much Does a Marble Bathroom Cost?

For many people, nothing says elegance and quality like marble. For centuries, marble has been the choice of building material to symbolize wealth and power. Marble has been used to adorn some of the most well-known palaces in the world. It is no wonder that many homeowners want to evoke the same feelings in their bathrooms but wonder about the cost.

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Why Does My Toilet Double Flush? (Possible Causes & Fixes)

Imagine this: You just finished using the bathroom, press down on the handle to flush and after the first, anticipated flush, your toilet unexpectedly flushes a second time. If this scenario is happening in your bathroom, you’re not alone. In fact, this is a very common occurrence that homeowners experience. There are a number of reasons why your toilet may be double flushing. While there might be some do-it-yourself ways to troubleshoot and fix the problem, calling in a professional is always the recommended route to obtain a proper diagnosis.

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How Often Should I Replace The Screens On My Porch?

A new screen for your porch can cost anywhere from $700 to over $5,000 depending on where you live, the size of your porch, and the type of project. Replacing the screens on your porch is not cheap, and therefore you will want to wait as long as possible to complete this project. In general, you should wait between eight and fifteen years before you need to replace your porch screens.

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How Much Does Baseboard Installation Cost?

Baseboards are underappreciated elements of your home décor. We all know they’re used to create aesthetic harmony between your floors and walls, but that’s not all. They also serve the purpose of shielding applied plaster from the effects of wear and tear.

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How Much Does an Interior Glass Wall Cost?

Glass walls enable homeowners to create a striking and stylish interior space. They allow you to feature a sense of openness inside your home while still keeping areas distinct and separate. On top of that, there are also practical benefits that only glass walls can provide.

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How To Organize Power Tools In Your Garage

It can take years and even decades to build a sizable tool collection that you are proud of. There are just so many essential tools, it can take years to save up for them all. Power tools, in particular, are quite expensive, but necessary for anyone who wants to do lots of DIY projects. But once you finally do have a full tool collection and lots of power tools, you might find that organizing and storing your power tools is a whole new challenge you need to overcome.

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How Much Does a 20×20 Addition Cost?

Adding a new addition to your home as a builder-owner is a smart and exciting prospect. An addition of any size adds value, but a 20×20 addition is popular and offers many possibilities. You probably want to jump right into your 20×20 addition, but first, it’s important to know how much it will cost.

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Popcorn Ceiling Removal Cost [Per Square Foot Pricing]

Until the 1980s, popcorn ceilings were quite popular. Popcorn ceilings are made of a spray-on stucco material, and many contain asbestos. The material asbestos can lead to serious problems such as cancer and asbestosis, so homeowners often remove popcorn ceilings.

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Do Light Switches Need To Be Grounded?

Light switches are a major feature in the electrical system of a home. They are located in every room and some rooms have multiple switches. The switches in older homes were not grounded but due to new safety regulations, many new construction homes do have grounded light switches.

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How Much to Spray a 30×50 Metal Building With Closed Cell Foam?

Closed cell foam spray foam insulation consists of a dense material that does not expand much when applied. This density makes the insulation very weather-resistant, making it an especially good option for detached metal garages.

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DIY Home Energy Audit Checklist

You are not alone if you are shocked and angry about rising energy costs. It seems like everything is costing more, and prices are hard to keep up with. While some of these costs are out of your control, there are ways to cut down on your energy usage. In fact, it is a good idea to conduct a DIY home energy audit once a year to make sure you are not spending money in areas where you shouldn’t have to.

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Durock Vs. Hardiebacker: Which Cement Board Is Better?

Durock and Hardiebacker are two manufacturers of cement-based backer boards. Generally, it comes down to contractor preference as to which kind of product they will go with on a job. They tend to go with what they know, which can create a product bias. So, when it comes to Durock vs Hardiebacker, which one is the best?

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How To Remove A Bathtub Without Damaging The Tile (Do This!)

From time to time, the bathroom can use a little bit of a renovation. That project can be as simple or complicated as you like and one of the easiest ways to change things up is to change out the bathtub for a new one.

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How Much Does It Cost To Build A Sauna?

Having your own sauna at home sounds like a dream doesn’t it? Staying inside a sauna helps you sit back and relax. The experience is invigorating and it can also serve as the perfect pick-me-up during the middle of the work week.

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How Much Does Home Depot Charge To Install A Window?

Windows are a massive accent to any room, and can change the ambiance of a home’s look in ways that lighting alone cannot. Adding, upgrading, or replacing a window is something that most homeowners want to do eventually. It adds value to a home and also can help lower energy bills if you’re lucky.

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How Much Weight Can a 4×4 Support Horizontally? [It Depends!]

When building a structure, you must consider the amount of weight that the lumber you are using will support. There are many factors when choosing the type of lumber to use. Lumber has different types of wood, grades, and treatments. This can make it hard to figure out the right numbers.

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How Much Does It Cost to Soundproof a Room?

Noise pollution can make life incredibly difficult. If unwanted noises are reducing your quality of life, you may want to consider soundproofing. Whether it’s a noisy neighbor, busy main thoroughfare, or simply obtrusive sounds traveling between rooms, you can soundproof a room to help decrease the amount of sound disturbance.

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Can A Toilet And Shower Share The Same Drain?

Depending on where you live, all of your drains will go to the main sewer line. However, do toilets and showers share the same drain? If you are handling a plumbing project, it is best to know this information beforehand.

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How Do I Make My House Quieter?

Everyone wants a home that gives them a quiet place to relax and unwind. But if your house isn’t quite the peaceful retreat of your dreams, what can you do? Whether you’re dealing with a small space, a busy street, or a house that echoes like the Grand Canyon, you can make your house quieter.

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How To Install Pre-Hung Exterior Door On Concrete

Though it may seem like a far more difficult proposition, installing a pre-hung exterior door on concrete can be relatively easy. It is crucial that you have the right tools to do the job and follow the necessary instructions. So, how exactly can you install a pre-hung exterior door on concrete? We’ll tell you!

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How Far Can A Quartz Countertop Overhang Without Support?

Quartz countertops are amazing status symbols for any upscale kitchen, but they still have their limitations.

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Bath Fitter Tub Cost: Is It Really Cheaper Than Replacement?
How To Make Retaining Walls Using Concrete Bags

Retaining walls are constructed on a property to help hold back soil and other forms of dirt. You’ll often find these structures on a hilly freeway, around stairways, in gardens or where multiple levels to a landscape are needed.

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Is Surge Protection Required By Code?

The most common causes of  electrical surges come from internal sources within your home, which can send hundreds of thousands of volts through your system at once. When the voltage goes up throughout your house at this velocity, all sorts of things can happen- including fires from overheated wires to tripped breakers and short-circuiting outlets.

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Can You Install Shiplap Directly To Studs?

Shiplap is an affordable building material that is easy to install and can resist moisture. The long wood planks are ideal for indoor and outdoor use, and any homeowner can install shiplap without professional help. So, can you install shiplap directly to studs?

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Tandem Garage House Plans (with Drawings)

When shopping for a new home, garage space can be a major consideration, especially if you have multiple vehicles. Whether you’ve got a thing for classic cars or every family member has their own ride, consider a tandem garage. Use this as a guide to evaluate your space and determine the best garage style for you and your family. 

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How To Install A Mailbox On An Existing Metal Post

If you’ve just moved into a new house and have a post but no mailbox, don’t panic! You can easily install a mailbox onto an already existing metal post. It’s a lot easier than it sounds, and it makes for an easier time with installation as you won’t need to dig the hole for the post or request permission. So, how do you install a mailbox on an existing metal post?

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How To Install Soffit Under A Porch (Quickly & Easily!)

By installing soffit boards underneath the roof system of your porch, you’ll create a cleaner look for your outdoor living area. Not only does installing a soffit complete the look of your entire porch, it also helps to insulate your home, shielding it from outdoor temperature fluctuations throughout the year.

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What Constitutes A Finished Basement For Tax Purposes?

Finishing your basement is a renovation that adds both living space and value to your home. But just because a basement appears to be finished doesn’t mean it counts as a finished basement on your taxes. So what is it that constitutes a finished basement for tax purposes?

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Can You Install Vinyl Floor Planking On Uneven Floor?

Vinyl floor planking is a widely popular and cost effective flooring option. At $2-$7 per square foot, vinyl floor planking is a great option for homeowners trying to save money. However, many homeowners wonder if vinyl floor planking can be installed on their uneven floor.

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Fourplex Floor Plans (with Real Examples)

While one lot conventionally holds one house, what’s to say it’s not capable of sustaining more? Multifamily housing allows for more than one group of residents to inhabit a single piece of land. Architects can split that property up any number of ways, with a maximum of four units per plot.

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