What if you love old things but prefer to live with new ones—can you have it both ways? Of course, say Andy and Cathy Liverman, owners of a renewed 94-year-old bungalow with authentic period proportions and trim on the outside and the latest in style and comfort on the inside. The only hint of this dual aesthetic from the curb? The “toothed” front walkway, created by landscape designer Scott Brinitzer to satisfy Andy’s request for something that would look “less like a runway....

After digging out the soil, they lay the necessary layers of gravel, fill, and concrete blocks to create a beautiful retaining wall to hold back the excavated soil. How to Build a Block Retaining Wall Materials Gravel Slag Blocks Drainage pipe Tools Note: Most of the heavy equipment listed below is rentable. Just be sure to plan to ensure you’ll have the excavator and block lift attachment on-site at the same time....

This Old House senior technical editor Mark Powers shows how to build the box from rot-resistant wood and a salvaged window. Once it’s finished, choose a south-facing spot in your yard where water won’t pool, and enjoy all that extra gardening time. Overview for Building a Cold Frame Project timeline: Friday: Size and cut the pieces. Saturday: Assemble the frame and attach the window. Sunday: Prepare the site and install the cold frame....

Reproduction floor heating grate: The Renovator’s Supply, about $99 Decorative cabinet grille: Van Dyke’s Restorers, about $109 Overview for Building a Dog Crate Cut List Our crate measures 21½ inches high x 19¾ inches wide x 25 inches deep at the base. Make sure yours is large enough so your dog can stand up, turn around, and lie down in it comfortably. ½-inch plywood side panels – 2 @ 24 x 21 inches ½-inch plywood back panel – 1 @ 18¼ x 21 inches ½-inch plywood top – 1 @ 22¼ x 27½ inches 5....

Let grease, sauce, and sticky stuff like rice or pasta linger on your glass stovetop, and it can be a challenge to clean. What’s more, that appealing black of the surface makes crumbs, dust, smudges, and pet hair show up glaringly. Perhaps the biggest concern with glass cooktops is their vulnerability to scratches. Go at stuck-on messes too vigorously or with the wrong cleaning agents, you could damage the surface permanently....

Planning a Craft Room Design To upgrade the makeshift setup, Rachel started by giving the walls a coat of light taupe paint. She opted for a neutral color palette so her supplies, which she wanted to display an arm’s reach away rather than packed in containers, would pop. Closet Organization Guide Then she and her husband, Brent, arranged oak cabinets bought on Craigslist along one wall and painted them white, carving out a space for their 7-year-old son, Blake, to do homework and art projects....

Steps for Hooking Up a Washing Machine Tools Needed for This Project

Richard installed the Lyric thermostat, which is manufactured by Honeywell. Expert assistance with this project was provided by Fire & Ice Heating & Cooling. Tools

Any and every bedroom in the house must have an egress window for safety reasons. In the event of a fire or other home emergency, an egress window provides a safe means of escape for home occupants, as well as an entry point for a firefighter or other first responder. Of course, egress windows provide other benefits, too. They let light into the room—a valuable commodity in any basement remodeling project....

In many states with long periods of drought, watering your yard comes with hefty penalties and has prompted a shift to a more widely adopted use of artificial grass (alternately referred to as artificial turf). Advances in technology over the last couple decades have vastly expanded the options for homeowners who love vivid green but don’t care for the upkeep of a living lawn. An added benefit is that with regular cleaning, artificial turf can last as long as 20 years....

Steps for installing kitchen cabinet crown molding: Tools:

Putting lights in a ceiling that has no fixtures requires some detective work to determine which way the ceiling joists run (look at the ones in the basement) and whether there are overhead drainpipes if there’s a bathroom on the floor above. Read on to learn the steps for installing recessed lighting. How to Install Recessed Lights Note: To make sure everything is properly connected, hire a licensed electrician to finish the wiring, then patch and paint where needed....

Even in newer homes, plywood subfloors and concrete slabs are rarely flat. High and low spots can affect the look of a finished floor, interfere with the installation, and even lead to material failure, especially in tile floors. How to Level Different Types of Floors Most flooring manufacturers recommend a variation of no more than 3/16 inch over a 10-foot span. Floor leveling is a relatively easy DIY project, although some subfloors with rot, insect damage, or structural issues may require professional attention....

How to Make DIY Plant Covers: Tools

“It was in a great location, less than a mile from the beach, and the basic layout was good—it hadn’t been screwed up,” Steve says. Still, the exterior of the 1941 house was showing its age, and its small rooms needed an update. Collaborating with architectural designer Rosa Velazquez on the front of the house, doing much of the work themselves, and enlisting a general contractor for the bigger projects, the couple lavished the tiny two-bedroom with a proud new facade and freshened the interior throughout....

How to Open a Window That’s Been Painted Shut Tools

Morrocan Star Overview The secret to making this hand-painted pattern? Two templates you cut out of flexible posterboard. Download these patterns to get started on making the large and small templates. Make the Chalk-Line Grid Put down your base coat. Once it’s dry, measure the wall side to side and snap a vertical chalk line down its center. Snap more lines to the left and right at 18-inch intervals till you hit the corners....