Adding loose-fill insulation to an unfinished attic is a gotta-do-it project for even the unhandiest homeowner. Blow-in insulation will create a sound barrier and add insulating power to your home, and installing it an ideal job for a wannabe DIYer. The job requires no-brainer skills, with a nice payback in a quieter and better insulated…

Few things are as satisfying as a job well done, and most of us are handier than we think. Many projects—such as fixing a misaligned cabinet door—may not seem DIY-friendly at first, but are actually quite simple. While it’s best to leave hanging cabinets to the pros or a pro-level do-it-yourselfer, fixing sagging doors, loose…

If you read my column on a regular basis, you may recall that about two months ago I touched on the perils of using paving brick made from concrete. These pavers fade in color over time as the thin cement paste that gives them their color succumbs to Mother Nature and high-pressure streams of water…

Dear James: My perennial garden has grown up and I need to make some access pathways through it. What is the best method to lay an attractive stone pathway?—Kim H. Dear Kim: It is not difficult to build an attractive, natural-looking garden pathway yourself. Many pathway materials are available, such as bricks and special pavers,…

The effects of weather can take a toll on a deck, so keeping it clean is a good way to preserve its quality and endurance. A basic cleaning every year is a good maintenance routine, because the dirt and mildew that accumulates can be surprising and damaging. It’s an important job, whether you hire a…

Several months ago, a pesky mouse caused a small water leak in a PEX water line that supplied water to a second-floor bathroom in my home. A new hump in our master bedroom hardwood floor foreshadowed what I’d discover hours later at dawn. By then, the water had leaked to a basement bedroom as well….

Maybe it was a flyaway baseball that sailed through a window, who knows or will admit to it? The job of repairing a broken glass windowpane in a family home is a common one. And a broken windowpane is an open invitation to bugs and breezes, not to mention intruders, so the job should be…

Do you have a wood deck? How much time do you invest in cleaning and sealing it? How many gallons, currently priced around $55 per gallon, of high-quality sealer do you use to make your deck look fantastic? I pretty much know all the answers because I’ve dealt with cleaning and sealing outdoor decks, fences,…

Dear James: I have an old house with plaster walls and many cracks that need to be repaired. How can I fix these so they stay fixed and are invisible?—Julianne T. Dear Julianne: Many older houses were built before drywall panels existed, so plaster was one of the few interior wall options. Since your house…

Mother Nature has the ultimate water filtration system. Called the hydrologic cycle, it’s powered by the sun and circulates water from the Earth’s surface to the atmosphere (evaporation), where it’s converted back into liquid via clouds (condensation), and is returned to the Earth as rain, snow, and hail (precipitation), all filtered by the sun’s UV…