HowTos

How To Repair a Fireplace Firebox

Overtime everyone with a fireplace will need to do some type of repairs and it is extremely important that the repairs are done right. For my own peace of mind I would not attempt any major repair to a Fireplace unless I had been properly trained by working with someone who was a professional. I have worked on wood burning fireplace, Oil Heat Chimneys, and Gas Heat Vent systems as a contractor but as …

How To Prepare Old Furniture For Painting

A friend asks me how they can paint their old side tables for a new couch they are getting. Then proceeded to tell me it will be a light blue leather couch with orange accents and yellow pillows. At that point I was wondering why this person was a friend… but since I won’t have to look at it all the time I decided to help them out with their task.

The first thing that …

How To Eat Well and Cheaply for People on their Own for the first time

I get this question a lot from people in their late teens or twenties that are about to be on their own for the first time and they have no idea about budgeting for expenses. They ask what can I do to manage my food budget? A lot of people in their age range give a lot of very bad advice because they are not use to taking care of themselves, they didn’t grow …

How To Keep Warm With Smart Winter Clothing Purchases


With Winter coming the time is now to prepare by making smart purchases of clothing to keep warm. This is important whether you work inside or out and you will find when you are warm life just seems a little nicer.

If you grew up in a cold climate then you probably learned early that wearing layers of clothes will allow you to keep warm but maybe …

How To Decide Between Building or Buying a Bookcase

Building Bookcases is one of the easier starter projects for people who want to learn how to work with wood. The project can be very simple or intricate and you can go with a Painted surface or with Natural Wood Stain. Unfortunately if you think that building a bookcase will be cheaper than buying one then you are wrong and we will go through what it will take and the materials that you might …

How To Supplement Your Home Heating With A Wood Stove

With the high price of home heating fuels and the often sketchy availability of Oil or Natural Gas in the Dead of Winter many home owners are looking to Fireplaces and Wood Burning Stoves as a Primary or Secondary Method of heating their home.

In this How To we will look at the option of using a Wood Burning Stove for Secondary or Backup Heating in Emergency situations.

There are many concerns when adding a wood …

How To Remove Mold and Re-grout a Tile Shower Stall

In this How To we will be covering the maintenance of a tile shower stall that has become very moldy.

A person asks what the best method to cure and them prevent black mold from growing in their shower stall. They also ask about grout sealers and specifically hydrophobic liquids that are now being used to protect painted surfaces.
How to cure Mold problems in Tile Shower Stalls
A properly designed and maintained shower should not become …

How To Cancel FIOS or Cable and Get the Best Internet Deal

A lot of people are canceling their TV and Phone Packages with their Phone and Cable Companies to save money and become a Cord Cutter but often when you try you get barraged by their sales force to retain your current package and sometimes they even try to upgrade you without you realizing you will pay more.

Yes it is really pretty bad when you call up to cancel your basic package then they try …

How To Protect Your Apartment from a Snooping Handyman

I recently had a conversation with a friend that was asking what she could do to protect her apartment from a snooping handyman that she believe is entering her home without notice or permission.

One of the most important things you should understand when renting an apartment is your rights to privacy. Most apartment leases will give the ownership the right to enter your apartment without notice at any time of the day if there …

How To Pick a Rear Engine Riding Lawn Mower

If you have a small yard or if you just don’t feel comfortable driving a large lawn mower there is a good solution that might save you money and space in your garage. Rear engine riding lawn mowers are a really good solution for many home owners and they don’t cost that much unless you are adding lots of special features.

So, the first thing we have to understand is why on some riding mowers …