This Old House

E-mail the editors at TOH_letters@thisoldhouse.com or write to: This Old House magazine 262 Harbor Drive Stamford, CT 06902 Include your full name, address, and phone number. Published letters are edited for clarity and length. THE JOY OF HANDS-ON WO

A FOOLISH CONSISTENCY IS, well, let’s just say unnecessary when it comes to the look and feel of your home. Just ask Rick and Amy Steinhauser, who appreciate how their lodge-style home suits its lakeside setting in Plymouth, MN, but, as frequent trav

A HARDWORKING SPACE doesn’t have to be hidden away behind closed doors—as long as it’s thoughtfully designed. Take this “corner office” created by Tee Miller in the living room of her Mercer County, NJ, home. To integrate the space with the rest of t

Liven up an outdoor space by brightening a plain tabletop with multihued glass mosaic tile. Homeowner Kate Riley, who blogs at centsationalstyle.com, built the simple table here using a base of 2×4s and a 1× top, but you could easily add tile to an e

“WE’RE AT A LOSS as to how to update our house’s boxy exterior,” says Emily Provost, who shares this 1950 brick home in La Grange Park, IL, with her husband, Eric, and their two daughters. “Plus, it only has one bathroom—a recipe for disaster!” With

IF YOU LOVE MUSIC in your life, you owe it to yourself to try one of the streaming services if you haven’t already. Sales of vinyl managed to grow last year and could soon exceed CD sales, but it’s a retro exception that proves the rule: The convenie

ALONGSIDE A LUSH TECHNICOLOR GARDEN, an alfresco hangout spot can look a little lackluster. Not so this open-sided extension on a house in Suffern, NY, where beadboard walls are striped up and down with unexpected color. “The house is very traditiona

Good lighting can transform any space, and Clarkson Lighting believes that everyone deserves a beautifully lit home. Clarksonlighting.com is an online boutique delivering thoughtfully curated lighting at a popular price. Our variety of current and af

WHETHER YOU’RE building new or fixing old, you want the final results to look great, make your life more comfortable, and keep maintenance to a minimum. These are the criteria we applied when vetting the candidates in this category; then we added an

62 tips, tricks, and answers to your home-improvement questions Q Over the years, I’ve acquired all sorts of pruners and loppers, both the bypass and anvil types. When should I use each kind? —BOB ROTH, DENNIS, MA A Bypass pruners, and bypass loppers

Q Home security for the 21st century Recently, thieves broke into my parents’ home and stole my mother’s jewelry. What modern protections can they install to feel safe in their home? —GABRIEL CORTES, CORONA, CA ROSS TRETHEWEY REPLIES: I’m sorry to he

RENOVATING AN OLD HOUSE is not unlike rejuvenating a mature garden: Both require careful pruning, the vision to direct new growth in the right direction, and a commitment to preserving the beauty and historical integrity of the overall structure. The

THEIR FIRST TASK WAS TO CLEAR SOME SPACE. Out went rocks, weeds, more rocks, matted undergrowth, spindly saplings, and choking vines. Finally it was time for the novice gardeners to create art, using earth as a canvas and painting with plants. Or in

WINDOWS: Marvin FURNITURE AND RUG: Circle Furniture GAS FIREPLACE: Focus, from European Home MOTORIZED WINDOW SHADES: J Geiger FLOOR TILE: Porcelanosa PAINT: Benjamin Moore’s Baby’s Breath (walls), Chantilly Lace (trim and doors), and White (ceilings

PRICE $35,000 LOCATION Danville, VA CONTACT Paul Liepe, 434-227-9900 THE HISTORY Rooms for rent at 870 Pine Street were advertised locally as early as 1922, but the house’s origins can be traced to 1881, when grocer and future city councilman John W.