Building & Remodeling

Using rough-cut lumber for a wooden storage bench can lend a unique and rustic look to the piece of furniture and allow it to survive many years of use, whether indoors or outdoors. When using...

Brick and veneer are both very popular styles for a home. They often look the same but both have different advantages and disadvantages to them.

Whilst a drill/driver is perfect for screwing and drilling into wood and other soft materials, when it comes to drilling into walls, masonry, brick and cement, an impact drill is the right power...

A perhaps little known, but widely used, construction product in the U.S. is the insulated concrete form (ICF). An ICF is a single-piece concrete form and insulating unit that is used to contain...

We’ve all heard how important it is to use double-glazed or even triple-glazed windows in our homes and offices to reduce energy demand and improve interior comfort. But how many of us have...

If you're looking for a way to improve your home's value or give yourself more space, you may want to add a garage. Traditionally, people have used garages to park their cars in, but they also can...

When I built my last house my sons were eight and ten respectively and just on the verge of teendom, I knew the combo of their loud music and my night shift schedule would make it hard on all...

Open floor plans are popular among home buyers throughout the country. Older home designs, with rooms separated by walls, are outdated and not conducive to family life in the 21st century. Open...

Compared to conventional stick frame building techniques there are many different means and materials to construct a house.My personal favorites is straw bale . To me this is among the greenest...

If you really need more closet storage and are willing to give up some floor space to get it, a corner closet is often the best option. All it takes is framing up a wall or two, finishing it with...

Though never easy, pouring a concrete basement provides one of the strongest basement options known to the construction industry. Although installing a concrete basement requires much framing and...

Porcelain tiles are a richer, more durable (and more expensive) alternative to ceramic tiles for covering the walls surrounding your shower or bathtub. The method of installing porcelain tiles,...

Porcelain is a harder, denser, generally finer alternative to ceramic when it comes to shower tiles. It's more expensive and harder to work with, but the end result is worth it. When using...

Many homeowners have a garage that is open on at least three sides. These open garages serve little purpose other than to shelter your cars from rain, sun and snow from above. The good news is...

Maybe you've looked at your shower stall and wondered how you can install another shower without having to go through all the mess of tearing your bathroom apart. Prefabricated shower stalls are...

Adding insulation to walls is one of the most difficult home improvements you can do, unless you are already putting up new siding. Although most heat loss occurs through other places in the...

When you are undertaking a remodel project it may sometimes be necessary to cut through the walls to make an opening, such as a doorway or window or even embedded cabinets or shelves. In this...

As your family grows and you accumulate more things, there may come a time when you need more living space. Enclosing a garage can be a great idea as it is already an extension of your home. As...

Many people seek additional living space in their homes, but don't know where to find it. For most, moving into a larger home that can accommodate family, guests and hobbies is out of the question...

Taking paneling off the walls is a difficult and time-consuming task. Painting the paneling is the easiest way to change the look of the room. A necessary step to prepare paneling for painting is...

Measuring out the materials needed for wall framing depends on the wall being framed. For a single straight wall, framing requires studs, a bottom plate, and two top plates. As you progress into...

Precast wall panels are used in a wide variety of construction projects, especially where sturdy reinforcement walls are needed. They are almost always made of concrete, but the precise design...

Converting empty, unused attic space into a bedroom can add a guest room, privacy for a teen or adult relative, master retreat or simply another much-needed bedroom for a growing family. Use any...

Concrete walls in your home can be unsightly, especially when those walls are covered with faded or peeling paint. Perhaps the simplest way to cover old painted concrete walls is to remove the...

If you plan to remodel your house, you may need to install new Sheetrock. Sheetrock is a registered trademark for a brand of drywall, or plasterboard, that is commonly used for interior walls and...

It can be daunting to even think about removing wall paper from walls, but it doesn't have to be. You don't have to go out and buy special products and tools to effectively remove old wall paper....

If you have a large enough storage shed, it's possible to convert it into a guesthouse, or even an exterior apartment to rent for extra money. The process is fairly simple, even if the individual...

Its essential to prepare the walls for new wallpaper in order for the paper to adhere properly as well so the paper does not show any prior wall imperfections. Taking the time to prepare will...

Dorm rooms, military barracks and older apartment buildings sometimes have walls made from stacked concrete blocks. Unpainted concrete is not the most colorful backdrop for a room, so occupants...

Hard tiles make the best surface covering for shower walls because they're waterproof, easy to clean and durable. Smaller tiles are actually more durable than large ones, with the smaller surface...

Painting is a cheap and easy way to remodel the inside of your home. Although painting is not difficult, a little bit of preparation can make the difference between a great paint job and a bad...

Few rooms are as important as a bathroom, so don't give short shrift to yours when it's time for an update. Whether you intend to stay in your home for decades or expect to put your house on the...

Insulation is imperative to keep homes at comfortable temperatures without wasting money on heating and air conditioning and wasting non-renewable energy sources. Like many other home improvement...

The value of owning your own home cannot be underestimated, especially as the country struggles with recession. But without impeccable credit and a large down payment, it can be a challenge to...

Building a shower floor from scratch is one of the most complicated home-improvement jobs you could choose, and not something you should try unless you've had some pretty extensive carpentry...

Let’s face it – creating a custom glass block shower can be a pain. Since the blocks cannot be cut if you don’t begin with the end design in mind, you could end up with a fantastic looking shower...

The language to represent design and materials in drawings of house plans is important to understand the space and construction, and must be readable for all parties. House plans can be drawn by...

The quality of a paint job is in the preparation. Many paid painters skip the first two of these simple steps because it is time consuming. Painters want to get the job done and have you marveling...

You can use a small cabin for a trip like a vacation getaway, a hunting excursion or just a retreat from the hustle and bustle of your normal workweek. You can build this simple, inexpensive and...

Soundproof walls have a multitude of uses in homes and businesses. However, not all soundproof walls are identical because different construction methods and materials absorb various sound...

Your neighbors don't want to hear you. Period. They don't want to hear your loud music, your dog barking at 3 a.m., your kids screaming at each other or you screaming at your kids. Keep the...

The tile in your shower stall, more than anywhere else in the house, has to be installed properly to prevent moisture from seeping into the walls. The process is similar whether you're re-tiling...

When building a log cabin, the first task is choosing serviceable logs and cutting them to fit. If you've ever stacked Lincoln Logs, you understand how the system works. Lay out your cabin...

Whether you are remodeling a bathroom or building a new home, one consideration in the bathroom area is deciding between a shower surround or conventional tiles. Each of these plans has a very...

Drywall is a building material made from natural gypsum, sand, water and other minerals. It is widely used to construct buildings throughout the world and may be used in both homes and commercial...

Insulating outside walls can be a very good way to improve energy efficiency in a building. Outside wall insulation is easy in walls that already have a space beween the exterior of the wall and...

Shower doors are an attractive addition to any bathroom, but there may come a time when they need to be removed. Whether you prefer shower curtains or simply want to replace existing doors with a...

Wallpaper border is an easy way to add color or character to a room. Pre-pasted wallpaper border saves the time and mess of dealing with wallpaper paste, but, at times, the pre-pasted border...

Since the early 20th century, many homes and buildings have been constructed using cavity walls. This means that the exterior walls of the home are separated from the interior walls by an empty...

It's always nice to have more space in the house. Whether you need a bedroom, an office, a study room or a game room, if you own a house with a large attic space, it might be the perfect place to...