When applying stain to a deck or fence’s vertical surfaces, start from the bottom and work up. This prevents runs and streaks. And, use a high quality brush.
Today’s Tip: Plan(t) Ahead
May 14, 2012 By
Plan(t) ahead. When designing your landscape and placing plants think about 5 years from now as the plants fill out. A landscape that looks perfect the day it’s put in can be one that’s hard to take care of later.
Lexi’s blog: Flower Sketching!
April 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Hello! Today you will be reading about something very cool I did just today. I was sketching flowers. Now if you’re in Hawaii or Florida this might not be very exciting, but we are in Pennsylvania. And this is the story behind it. Dad, my brother Jack, and I were at a place Jack calls [...]
Jason Cameron from DIY Network’s ‘Desperate Landscapes’ talks w/ Mark and Theresa
April 16, 2012 By 4 Comments
Jason Cameron host of DIY Network’s ‘Desperate Landscapes’ and ‘Man Caves’ talks w/ Mark & Theresa Theresa: And you are inside MyFixitUpLife with my husband Mark. Mark: And my wife Theresa. And I’m feeling kinda desperate today…desperate to go outside cause it’s like awesome degrees out right now. Theresa: It’s awesome degrees out? Mark: It’s [...]
Jobsite deck-ercise: Push-up challenge
March 6, 2012 By 4 Comments
Morning jobsite! Quick way to warm up for a deck-building day …. with a quick push-up challenge.
Want your plant to tweet you if it’s thirsty? It can.
March 5, 2012 By 92 Comments
It’s true. For just $1000 your plant can tweet or call you if it’s thirsty. Spotted by our friends at HomeFixated.com and The New York Times, it’s a device created by NYU that detects moisture and sunlight. Then it tweets or calls you to let you know what it needs. And it can even just [...]
Busted! Outsmart concrete demo
February 29, 2012 By 12 Comments
I love home improvement, but some days are better than others, notably, those NOT spent renting, using, and returning a jackhammer to break up concrete or boulders. Among the nastiest items I’ve have to break out are concrete steps. Monolithic pours, there is just so much concrete that whaling away at them with a jackhammer [...]
Mark & Theresa Show How to Build a Dream Outdoor Wood Playset!
February 16, 2012 By 4 Comments
Mark & Theresa designed and built the custom wood playset for their two kids and fortunately for us they are sharing the plans and materials list so we could build our own.
Small Projects: BIG Change
February 15, 2012 By 16 Comments
As much as I love whole house remodels, bathroom blowouts, and full-tilt-boogie decks, docks, and pergola building, some of my favorite projects ever are the small ones: small projects that make a giant difference in the way we see, feel, and interact with our homes. Exterior window shades, for example—especially those on a Western wall—are [...]
Ice Dams
December 16, 2011 By 27 Comments
Warren, as usual, is on the money as it relates to how a house works. The main culprit in the creation of an ice dam is insulation — or, as Warren points out — lack thereof. What’s happening is that the above-freezing air in your attic is melting snow under the snow-pack. Once it hits [...]
