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.
Wait. Up. I just read yesterday that the average adult dog sleeps for 16 hours a day. I mean, that shouldn’t be a surprise—two are crashed out at my feet for most of my workday, but really—who’s in charge here? Clearly not me. And clearly not Jane and Paul Bronson of Florida, whose four pups cheerfully request that their doghouse be decorated not just seasonally, but every month. We first saw the doghouse decked out for Christmas in a photo the couple shared with us as part of our Holiday Spirit Contest. We blatantly begged for more, and were promptly treated with three more sweet shots. Beautiful work—thank you for sharing! At Family Handyman, we love our pets—and yours too. That’s why we’ve devoted much of this issue to meeting…
facebook.com/thefamilyhandyman pinterest.com/family_handyman youtube.com/thefamilyhandyman instagram.com/familyhandyman tiktok.com/@familyhandyman STREAMING NOW! SAVE MY RENO Cash-conscious homeowners finally catch a break when Sebastian Clovis, a savvy DIYer, tosses out overpriced reno quotes and slashes budgets, putting homeowners to work. BACKYARD BUILDS Contractor and designer Brian McCourt and design expert Sarah Keenleyside work with homeowners to maximize their backyard’s potential by creating one-of-a-kind structures. WORST TO FIRST Professional contractors Mickey and Sebastian thrive on the challenge of transforming the ugliest house on the block into the envy of the neighborhood. SCAN THIS CODE TO CHECK OUT THESE THREE NEW SHOWS ON AT HOME WITH FAMILY HANDYMAN HELP FOR YOUR T0-DO LIST! In The Best of Family Handyman 2023, you’ll find 600-plus home improvement ideas for every level of DIYer and every area of your home, inside and…
My rickety old stepladder finally gave up the ghost, and I decided to replace it with this Gorilla Ladders 14-Ft. Reach Aluminum Multi-Position ladder ($170). I had used this type of ladder on occasion and admired the versatility, but I found the larger versions to be heavy and a pain to move. But this smaller version covers all my bases. Fully extended, it’s just under 11 ft. In its A-frame format, I can choose from three heights, with a maximum of about 5½ ft. It will also work in a right triangle position, so you can set it up close to a wall. Changing between the positions is a snap. The large knobs are easy to grip, and they lock in place securely, giving the ladder a very sturdy feel.…
All power tools should be used with a healthy dose of respect. For some reason, router tables have always put a little extra fear in me. Maybe it goes back to my days in a cabinet shop making raised-panel doors on a shaper without any guards. In any case, when I find something that makes the router table feel safer, I’m all for it. These JessEm Clear-Cut Stock Guides ($120) do just that. This pair of grippy rollers—one for the infeed side and one for the outfeed—are canted in a way that pulls the stock against the fence, and they turn in only one direction, greatly reducing the chance of kickback. They attach to a T-track in your router table’s fence. (If your router table doesn’t have a T-track, it’s…
When it comes to technology, I’m what’s referred to as a late adopter. Call me crazy, but I think that flipping a light switch with my finger is super convenient, compared with opening an app on my phone to turn a light on or off. But last Christmas, I made one inroad into smart technology that I‘m happy about. For years, after putting holiday lights on the front of our house, I’d go outside to plug and unplug them as necessary. Eventually, I switched to an old-school analog timer. After that quit working, I decided to try this Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Outdoor Plug (about $30 at home centers and online). Yes, it’s operated via an app on my phone, but for this application, it was a super easy one-time programming.…
Portable work lights are great in a lot of situations, but if you’re camping, on the move or in tight quarters, there’s no substitute for a headlamp. The Fenix HM65R features two ultrabright lights that together emit up to 1,400 lumens of neutral white light. The spotlight and the floodlight are independently controlled and powered by a rechargeable battery. The floodlight helps for tasks such as reading in your sleeping bag or rifling through the cooler at night. The incredibly bright spot offers a longer, tighter beam. Turn on both lights for the all-encompassing 1,400-lumen beam. The magnesium alloy body weighs less than aluminum, but it still resists impact and is waterproof to a depth of 6 ft., according to the manufacturer. I brought the Fenix HM65R camping twice to…
