The biggest DIY project I ever tackled was reroofing my house — all 3,000 sq. ft. of it. Twenty-five years later, I still apply the lessons I learned that summer to my current projects. I hope my “cardinal rules of DIY” will help you to work safely and avoid pitfalls.

  Yesterday afternoon at a DeWalt event in Orlando, Florida, the company announced several new tools that they will be launching this year—the most significant being their 20V brushless impact driver that is due to be released this April. It’s the first DeWalt tool to featu...

Anti-aging advice and products are everywhere these days. But no matter what you try or what you buy, aging happens — if you’re lucky. Since you can’t avoid it, you might as well embrace your years: After all, well-earned wisdom and experience not only enable you to work more effic...

Whether you’re ready or not, we’re going through a new phase of the communications revolution. Tablets will change everything, and I’m not talking about the clay variety. We already have almost universal access to the Internet, which provides a dizzying array of choices: quick acce...

Remodeling your attic is a high-payback project. Transforming an attic into a bedroom with a bathroom is an expensive project, but it has a high return on investment.

When we work on projects, everything around us takes a beating: our tools, clothes, hands and even our cell phones. Replacing a phone can be painfully expensive, so we always try to keep it out of harm’s way. But to be on the safe side, we’ve found that using a protective case is a good ...

These three tips for visualizing a project design will help reduce stress and ensure a successful result.

Although our front door may be the entryway we identify with, the one we use the most is likely less glamorous: the overhead garage door. Often underappreciated by homeowners, it’s the door every apartment dweller covets when the weather turns nasty. Think of the average garage door and what spring...

Although you probably don’t remember the New Year's resolution that I posted on Facebook a year ago, I am writing this follow-up blog to report “mission accomplished” and to offer tips for using this new year to conquer something on your DIY to-do list. I've never been a New Year's resolution kind o...

The front door of a home can suggest a lot about the people who live inside. Nothing transforms the image of a house as inexpensively as remodeling the front door. This important feature is more than an opening; it’s also a focal point and an invitation. You may lack the budget to indulge in an impo...

I hate to admit it, but almost every DIY project I tackle turns into an epic struggle — and I’ve worked as a carpenter and a how-to magazine and book editor for decades. I shudder to think of what novices go through. Even simple jobs can make you want to scream: changing a bulb only to find that it...

When calculating the return on investment for remodeling projects, there's some positive news to be found for DIYers and handymen. It turns out that small projects often equal better returns. Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with Sal Alfano, the engaging and always informative director of...

I am a self-taught carver and I have been carving for a little more than a year now. I learned most of my techniques by watching videos created by Gene Messer. This is a great place to watch and learn the art of carving. I joined The Lorain County Woodcarvers soon after I started carving and have l...

The winter holidays may be a wonderful season, but the long months that follow can be very long indeed. An engaging book can provide a mini-holiday that makes the journey toward spring a bit more bearable, especially if the book provides inspiration for next year’s remodeling projects. Looking over ...

Are you searching for the perfect gift idea for the tool nut, handy person or woodworker on your shopping list? Instead of putting together a typical generic holiday gift guide, I decided to ask each of the HANDY Magazine staff members to send me their holiday tool gift wish list. It’s not for me t...

There are several benefits to the new cordless tools with brushless motors, including significantly more power, greater durability and the potential for reduced tool size and weight.

Every year, Louisville, Kentucky, hosts the largest gathering of outdoor power equipment manufacturers – the GIE+Expo. Imagine a trade show exhibiting nothing but lawn mowers, tractors, chain saws, snow blowers, string trimmers and backpack blowers. Heck, if it runs on gas or is powered by batteries...

Shop safety is a shared responsibility. We need to read and heed all of the safety warnings that come with tools. I believe the latest table saw blade brake technology is a good idea for commercial job site saws, institutional shop saws and DIYers who want an extra margin of safety. But, mandating this technology across the board is unnecessary and counterproductive.

The 2011 Remodeling Show and Deck Expo shows are in full swing in the Windy City. The HANDY staff attended the first day of the show yesterday, October 13, 2011. This dual show isn't the largest show that we attend, but what it lacks in size it makes up for in the exhibitors that are featured - it's...

And the winner is... We’re doing something a little different this year with the HANDY Innovation Awards. Instead of waiting to publish the winning products in the December/January issue, we’re announcing our choices now. That way, you’ll be able to check out the most innovative tools and home-impr...

Starting a new remodeling project is exciting. But don’t let the anticipation of tearing out that ugly old cabinet that you’ve hated for years lead you to skip an important first step: prepping the job site. Taking measures to contain demolition dust and debris and protect the areas that surround yo...

Do you have a piece of wood furniture or a wood family heirloom that needs care or cleaning? You may need to simply preserve it to increase its longevity. But then, if you want to restore the piece to its original state, you would take different steps. Our goal with this 19th century trunk was to pr...

All polished up and fully functional, the accessible bathroom makeover recently completed by HANDY provides several examples of how to turn a standard (and small!) bathroom into a space suited for all ages and abilities. Take a video tour with me as I show off some of the highlights of this project,...

Pulling together an accessible bathroom makeover in five days certainly wasn’t easy, but that’s what a couple of HANDY staffers did one week ago. In between days of demo, tiling, working with plumbers, widening a doorway, patching walls and much more, HANDY’s art director Mike Anderson shot magazine...