Best Grilling Gifts for Any Outdoor Cook For the Griller Who Can’t Quite Get Started: Oklahoma Joe’s Propane Charcoal Starter/Lighter For the Grillmaster Who Only Uses Charcoal: F2C Ash Bucket For the Person Who Has Been Burned One Too Many Times: Heat Guardian Heat-Resistant Gloves For the Griller Who Likes To Show Off: Cuisinart Deluxe Grill Set For the Person Who Wants To Sign Their Steaks: BBQ Fans Personalized Monogram Branding Iron For the Griller Who Can’t Get Enough of Chicken: Cave Tools Beer Can Chicken Holder For the (Indoor) Grillmaster: Elite Gourmet Indoor Electric Grill For the Grillmaster Who Never Skips the Vegetables: Cuisinart Nonstick Grill Wok For the Griller Who’s Constantly Checking the Temperature: Secura Wireless Remote Meat Thermometer For the Tidy Grillmaster: GRILLART Grill Brush and Scraper For The One Who Loves Smoking Meat: Dyna-Glo Vertical Offset Charcoal Smoker For the Rookie Griller: Char-Broil Propane Gas Grill For Those Who Want To Grill Everything: Lodge Carbon Steel Skillet For the Griller Who Cooks With Oil: Nunez De Prado Extra-Virgin Olive Oil For Those Who Want To Grill Anywhere: Fire Sense Yakatori Charcoal Grill For the Griller Who Prefers Cooking With Wood Pellets: Z Grills Wood Pellet Grill & Smoker For Those Who Like an Extra Kick: Mike’s Hot Honey Original & Extra Hot Combo For the Grillers Who Love Barbecue Sauce: Stubbs Texas BBQ Sampler Pack For the Griller Who Loves Kebabs: Norpro Stainless Steel 14-Inch Skewers For The Person Who Cuts Their Own Meat: DALSTRONG Cimitar Knife...

After you’ve seen these out-of-this-world projects, you can see all the entries at Your Old House. With An Artist’s Eye: Before Who: Robin Martin Where: Manchester, MA When my husband, Chris, and I bought our house, the paint was peeling and cracking, and some clapboards had rotted. I wanted colors that would make the original gingerbread details pop while staying faithful to the home’s history. So I researched Victorian-era paints and created a complementary scheme of pale olive and red with cream accents....

Top 5 Handsaws Best Folding Blade: Corona Razor-Tooth Folding Saw Best Double-Bladed Saw: SUIZAN Double-Edge Japanese Ryoba Pull Saw Best Curved Blade: Tabor Tools Pruning Saw Best Long Blade: Craftsman Hand Saw Best Electric Hand Saw: BLACK+DECKER Electric Hand Saw Best Folding Blade: Corona Razor-Tooth Folding Saw The molded plastic handle of this hand saw is designed for easy gripping. The saw’s seven-inch blade also features six teeth per inch to make quicker, smoother, and more accurate cuts....

The This Old House Reviews Team believes TruGreen is the top lawn care company in The ATL. TruGreen offers decades of experience, comprehensive lawn care programs, and a variety of a la carte services. Alternative lawn care providers include Weed Man and Lawn Doctor. Top Recommended Lawn Care Provider: TruGreen TruGreen is known across the country, providing services to 2.3 million residential and commercial customers nationwide, in every state except for Alaska....

These clever recycling tips, as seen in TOH magazine’s 10 Uses column, are good for the planet and your wallet, too. Store Bungee Cords Tangle-Free Staple each end of a 3-by-12-inch strip of hardware cloth to a 3-by-3-inch piece of scrap wood. Affix the hanger to the garage wall; hook one end of each cord in the mesh. See more ideas in 10 Uses for Hardware Cloth Use Sash Chains to Steady Billowing Curtains Slide lengths into the bottom hems of the panels to keep them from blowing around....

Here are our favorite waterside locales, where rivers, lakes, and oceans add a sparkle to the neighborhood. Sitka, Alaska The capital of Russian America, Sitka was the site of the handoff to the United States after the 1867 Alaska Purchase; it remained the region’s capital until 1906. Patinated copper spires atop the St. Michael’s Orthodox Cathedral overlook this community in the state’s southeastern region, which has an old-world feel rare for a West Coast town....

Caulking also requires the knowledge to select the right caulk for the job. There are dozens of dissimilar materials such as tile, wood, and vinyl that require bonding and/or gap-filling around your home, and no one single product works everywhere. But help is on the way. We’ll show you how to buy the right caulk and how to lay down that elusive perfect bead. Caulking Tips Whether you’re caulking with a gun or a squeeze tube (a wise choice for small jobs that call for a water-based caulk), keep the tip moving and try to maintain steady dispensing pressure for an even bead....

Some of these courses come with multi-step modules and video and some are even free of charge. Here are some top-rated courses that we hand-picked for you: Learn Home Improvement Basics A crash course in home improvement is helpful for literally any renter or home owner. This curriculum from ITU Online includes 51 videos with corresponding test questions on everything from power tools to installing a new toilet. Fee: $99...

Shown: The designer of this deck did something very clever. The lower-level built-in curved bench serves two purposes. Of course, it gives additional seating, but because the lower level is a few steps down from the upper level its railing doesn’t block the beautiful view for the people sitting in the upper-level chairs. Built-In Planters Building a planter behind a lower-lever, built-in bench can be an elegant solution to hiding the back of the bench....

A skirt typically consists of a lattice panel set into a wood frame. In older homes, it’s often built of untreated pine or fir, neither of which is very resistant to decay and bugs. In time, the parts closest to the ground begin to rot and the decay spreads to the lattice. In regions that receive a lot of precipitation, wood rot can begin to appear in less than two years....

For a growing number of Americans, home is where mom, dad, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and the kids (and sometimes their kids) are. A 2021 survey by Generations United, a national advocacy organization, found that 26 percent of us live in households that include three or more generations. The same survey in 2011 found that only 7 percent were residing in multigenerational housing. While the pandemic and resulting economic pressure may have driven some families together, many are now sold on big family meals, more hands to help with schoolwork, and the ability to keep a closer eye on elderly parents....

Fortunately, rotted trim is generally easy to repair. (Rot-infested framing or mudsills pose a much bigger problem.) But before you can fix it, you have to find it. Check out the horizontal areas that don’t drain well and places where the paint is cracked, peeling, or blistering or the wood is darker. If your screwdriver pushes deeply into a suspect board, it’s time to root out the rot. Pay particular attention to joints, which dry slowly, and to all wood that’s close to dirt, concrete, or masonry....

Find out the pros and cons of refinancing your mortgage to pay for your renovations and if this is the best financial strategy for you. Refinancing Your Mortgage When you refinance your mortgage, you pay off the loan to your original lender and use a new lender with completely new loan terms. Often, this includes a new interest rate (ideally a lower one), a new payment term, and some closing costs....

TOH reader Linda Crosser of Walnut, California, turned old license plates into the garden ornaments shown here by cutting out letters to spell her favorite plant names, and fastening them to scrap wood. Got some ideas of your own? Post photos of your creative garden markers at our Facebook page, and they could be added to this gallery for all to see. Subway Tile Who: C.J. Hughes Where: Spring Hill, Tennessee What: C....

What Kind of Wood Should I Use to Make a Bookshelf? Traditionally, built-in bookcases are made with solid wood boards, carefully routed to make tight grooves that accept each shelf. But sawn lumber is expensive — enough oak for a 8-foot bookcase, for example, could run into thousands of dollars. Plywood that has a hardwood veneer is not only less expensive but in many cases stronger than solid softwoods like pine....

Building a Fire Pit Patio: An Overview The built-in fire pit, made from massive salvaged blocks of granite, anchors the patio design and keeps the festivities going after the sun goes down. Follow along as they show you how to construct a bluestone patio around a centerpiece fire pit from excavated base to barbecue-ready. Fire Pit Safety: 4 Tips to Consider The Timeline SATURDAY: Prep the base and install the fire pit (Steps 1–9)....