When it comes to home improvement, you need information you can trust. Inside each issue of The Family Handyman, you’ll find see-and-solve expert repair techniques, a variety of projects for every room and step-by-step, do-it-yourself photos.
editors@thefamilyhandyman.com A waterproof outdoor kitchen If you use your deck or patio like a kitchen, why not furnish it like one? Trex has a new line of outdoor storage to help you do just that. There are base cabinets with built-in coolers, garbage cans and hampers. Or store your blankets and seat cushions in large, under-bench cabinets. There are a couple dozen different configurations to choose from. The panels are PVC (available in five colors), and the hardware is all stainless, making the entire collection 100 percent waterproof. A base cabinet with one drawer and one door costs $998. That’s not cheap, but impressing your friends and neighbors rarely is. For more info, go to trexoutdoorstorage.com. Power where it’s needed Nobody plans for an electrical outlet when designing and building…
editors@thefamilyhandyman.com Imagine a relaxing afternoon out on your deck or patio. The weather’s perfect, the cooler’s stocked and you’ve got steaks sizzling on the grill. Everybody’s happy—until the sun goes down and an old 100-watt flood light turns itself on, blasting its blinding, bright light into the eyes of all your guests. It doesn’t have to be that way, you know. There are lots of great outdoor lighting options available. And because most are low voltage, any DIYer can install them. A little planning and the right advice are all you need, so here are some tips for lighting your path back to backyard bliss. NO ELECTRICAL EXPERIENCE NECESSARY Since most outdoor lighting is low voltage, it’s safe and easy enough for any DIYer to install. In fact, the only…
editors@thefamilyhandyman.com WHAT IT TAKES TIME: 2 weekends COST: $150 SKILL LEVEL: Intermediate TOOLS: Table saw, router and bits, jigsaw, clamps, dowel jig You’ve probably seen benches similar to this one in parks, porches or movies. That’s because this classic style fits into any setting, rustic or elegant. If you’ve ever considered building one of your own, you might have been discouraged by the complexity of the project— all those parts, all that joinery… But scan the next few pages and you’ll see how I simplified the building process. Dowels make the joinery easy but strong, and router templates guarantee that the curved parts will be perfectly uniform. MEET THE EXPERT Dave Munkittrick is a professional woodworker and former editor at American Woodworker magazine. Tools and materials You’ll need a dowel jig…
handyhints@thefamilyhandyman.com SPRING SLEDDING A plastic snow sled is useful in the off-season, too. I use mine to haul yard debris, bags of concrete and plants. The sled slides over grass, sand and gravel with ease. We’ve even used it to haul camping gear from our car to our campsite ... works great! Dean Toth Vinegar gets the gunk I like to keep my lawn equipment really clean. For items like my string trimmer, I simply scrub off all the muck with an old dish brush and white vinegar. It takes about 15 minutes for my string trimmer to go from drab to fab! Richard Johnson Garden hose roundup I store my garden hoses coiled up inside a round garbage can all winter. My lawn sprinklers fit well in the center.…
editors@thefamilyhandyman.com Wet spots in your yard are a nuisance and an eyesore. Grass will die if it’s underwater for too long. You can’t mow over wet areas, and everyone tracks mud into the house. If the soggy area is close to your house, it can cause your basement to leak, or worse. So what’s the answer? In this article we’ll review the options. If you see a solution that looks right for you, go to familyhandyman.com and do a search on the topic for more details. TRY SIMPLE FIXES FIRST Before you start digging a trench or taking some other drastic action to get rid of a wet spot, step back and survey the situation to see where the water is coming from. The problem could be as simple as…
editors@thefamilyhandyman.com We don’t mean to scare you … well, actually we do. Recently, we sat down with a longtime home inspector, and he told us some tales and shared some photos that were downright frightening. Much of the damage he’s encountered could have been prevented if the homeowners had just heeded the silent signs that their house was in trouble. MEET THE EXPERT Reuben Saltzman has been a home inspector since 1997 and is co-owner and president of Structure Tech, a home inspection company in St. Louis Park, MN. SIGN: BULGE IN WASHING MACHINE HOSE What it means: The hose is ready to burst A bulging washing machine hose is an emergency. It may burst next year, next week or right now. But it will fail and it won’t just…
