The Belmont Victorian House: Period Porch Overhaul

Excited about their first working session with the architect, homeowners Katherine and Murat Bicer led Mat Cummings to the dining room of their 1895 Queen Anne. Cummings unrolled a set of existing-house drawings across the table, spread them flat, and asked what the Bicers wanted for their house, the subject of the current season of This Old House TV. Some of the improvements they discussed would include a new kitchen, a revamped foyer, a mudroom bumpout, a generous master suite, and a new heating and cooling system.

Shown: This season, TOH general contractor Tom Silva and the crew are renovating an 1895 Queen Anne in Belmont, Massachusetts. Rebuilding the wraparound front porch of became a major part of the project.

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Sourced by "Home Hacks". Scouring and supporting the art of DIY home projects by sharing links and information provided by numerous active reputable DIY veterans and company's. Any projects you start please be of proper age, follow all required safety measures, and use the required protective equipment when handling any chemicals, power tools, or during any construction project. If you need advice regarding your next project we suggest visiting Contractor Talk.

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All the Right Spaces for a Cozy 1914 House

Luxury means different things to different people. Take, for instance, Christian and Erika Loubek, who live in a revamped 1914 home in Venice, California. When asked to single out a favorite new feature, Christian raves about a built-in sponge drawer next to the kitchen sink. A sponge drawer? "It may sound silly, but we get such joy from having places to put away everything we use," he explains. "Of course, we need a sponge to wash our dishes, but we don't need to see it sitting out on the sink when we're done. Having a drawer to hide it in feels downright extravagant."

Shown: Christian and Erika Loubek, with their 2-year-old daughter, stand by the back door that leads to their kitchen. The Dutch door, original to the house, was moved from the laundry room.

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Sourced by "Home Hacks". Scouring and supporting the art of DIY home projects by sharing links and information provided by numerous active reputable DIY veterans and company's. Any projects you start please be of proper age, follow all required safety measures, and use the required protective equipment when handling any chemicals, power tools, or during any construction project. If you need advice regarding your next project we suggest visiting Contractor Talk.

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Tip-Top Tech: Highlights from the Consumer Technology Association's (CTA) Mark of Excellence Awards

Home ImprovementWeekly

Dozens of ideas, loads of how-tos, and the latest advice on the projects and products you need to improve your home today, plus special offers.

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Sourced by "Home Hacks". Scouring and supporting the art of DIY home projects by sharing links and information provided by numerous active reputable DIY veterans and company's. Any projects you start please be of proper age, follow all required safety measures, and use the required protective equipment when handling any chemicals, power tools, or during any construction project. If you need advice regarding your next project we suggest visiting Contractor Talk.

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Smart Snow Removal Tools

Home ImprovementWeekly

Dozens of ideas, loads of how-tos, and the latest advice on the projects and products you need to improve your home today, plus special offers.

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Sourced by "Home Hacks". Scouring and supporting the art of DIY home projects by sharing links and information provided by numerous active reputable DIY veterans and company's. Any projects you start please be of proper age, follow all required safety measures, and use the required protective equipment when handling any chemicals, power tools, or during any construction project. If you need advice regarding your next project we suggest visiting Contractor Talk.

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Pull Off 2016 Design Trends with Antiques

At This Old House, period charm never goes out of style. The desired style may vary, but the aim to marry said style with modern amenities is seen throughout the houses we feature, like sidelights with a prehung door or a modern fridge hidden behind cottage-look paneling. After zeroing in on paint trends for 2016, we reached out to the honorary design chairs of this year's Winter Antiques Show to get their takes on using vintage pieces from this year's exhibitors with today's top design trends.

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Sourced by "Home Hacks". Scouring and supporting the art of DIY home projects by sharing links and information provided by numerous active reputable DIY veterans and company's. Any projects you start please be of proper age, follow all required safety measures, and use the required protective equipment when handling any chemicals, power tools, or during any construction project. If you need advice regarding your next project we suggest visiting Contractor Talk.

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TOH Editors' Picks: More Great Indoor and Outdoor Products

GripRock Splitting Block, by LeverAxe USA
Now you can chop nonstop, and with greater safety. A concrete base puts logs at the ideal height for efficient splitting—about 30 inches off the ground. And a modified tire bolted to the base holds logs upright, corrals all the splits, and, if you miss, stops the ax from hitting the ground or your leg. About $100; LeverAxe USA

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Sourced by "Home Hacks". Scouring and supporting the art of DIY home projects by sharing links and information provided by numerous active reputable DIY veterans and company's. Any projects you start please be of proper age, follow all required safety measures, and use the required protective equipment when handling any chemicals, power tools, or during any construction project. If you need advice regarding your next project we suggest visiting Contractor Talk.

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Create a Jewel-Box Dining Room

Even a bland dining room can be made into an elegant destination with the right finishing touches. Take this stunning space by interior designer Sarah Richardson. To give the room more architectural character, she started by adding a chair rail with wall frames below. Then she assembled a collection of vintage furniture finds, including a Sheraton-style table and shield-back chairs, imparting a sense of history. Scrolling gold-accented wallpaper echoes the shapes of the seat backs, while a round chandelier throws the room another curve. Antique brass accents and chinoiserie-inspired florals amp up the drama, making even the simplest meal feel like a special occasion.

For ways to give your dining space a similarly regal treatment, read on.

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Sourced by "Home Hacks". Scouring and supporting the art of DIY home projects by sharing links and information provided by numerous active reputable DIY veterans and company's. Any projects you start please be of proper age, follow all required safety measures, and use the required protective equipment when handling any chemicals, power tools, or during any construction project. If you need advice regarding your next project we suggest visiting Contractor Talk.

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9 Things Your Home's Low Humidity Is Ruining

Parched skin isn't the only victim of dry winter air due to low humidity. The prized stamp collection you inherited from your uncle could be in danger too. Interior humidity can dip as low as Sahara Desert levels of 10-percent. Moisture-deprived air can harm wood furniture, musical instruments, and more. Dr. Ted Myatt, ScD, senior scientist with Environmental Health & Engineering and the University of Rhode Island, recommends keeping your home's humidity levels between 40 and 60-percent. "A lot of the info about furniture, artwork, and stamp collections is based on guidance geared toward museums," he says. "But that doesn't mean the antique furniture I have in my home isn't just as valuable to me as what might be in a museum."

The fix? Invest in a humidity monitor (about $20; Honeywell) and prevent damage by placing humidifiers strategically throughout your home near the following items.

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Sourced by "Home Hacks". Scouring and supporting the art of DIY home projects by sharing links and information provided by numerous active reputable DIY veterans and company's. Any projects you start please be of proper age, follow all required safety measures, and use the required protective equipment when handling any chemicals, power tools, or during any construction project. If you need advice regarding your next project we suggest visiting Contractor Talk.

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Read This Before You Buy a Mattress

Illustration: Robbie Porter

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You Know It's Time to Let Go When...

• It's more than 10 years old and sports lumps, dips, or trenches.
• Your hips sink too low, so you wake up with a sore lower back. Sagging means the springs are worn, the batting has flattened, or the mattress or box spring was poorly made.
• You wake up stiff or with shoulder or neck pain.
• You've changed: You've gotten much lighter or heavier, which can affect the body—mattress fit.
• You've gotten older. Young folks tend to like firm mattresses, but as the body grows more mature, it requires more cushioning, especially if you are a side sleeper. Incidentally, getting a good night's sleep generally gets harder as you get older, no matter how your mattress is made.

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Sourced by "Home Hacks". Scouring and supporting the art of DIY home projects by sharing links and information provided by numerous active reputable DIY veterans and company's. Any projects you start please be of proper age, follow all required safety measures, and use the required protective equipment when handling any chemicals, power tools, or during any construction project. If you need advice regarding your next project we suggest visiting Contractor Talk.

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Save This Old House: North Carolina Queen Anne Filled with Treasures

Published January, 2016
Price: $55,000
Location: La Grange, North Carolina
Contact: Claudia Deviney, 252-482-7455; cdeviney@presnc.org
The history: The town of La Grange was founded in 1869 as a farming community, but a few residents were wealthy enough to build majestic homes. This manse was one of them, erected circa 1890 by George B. W. Hadley, the son of a prominent local physician, Dr. J. M. Hadley, who financed the project and lived upstairs while using the first floor as his office and exam area. The house passed through a few hands after the Hadleys, even serving a brief stint as a thrift shop. Now, Preservation North Carolina is looking for a new owner who can salvage its beauty.

Shown: The four-bedroom, three-bath house is about 4,000 square feet and sits on a half-acre lot.

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Sourced by "Home Hacks". Scouring and supporting the art of DIY home projects by sharing links and information provided by numerous active reputable DIY veterans and company's. Any projects you start please be of proper age, follow all required safety measures, and use the required protective equipment when handling any chemicals, power tools, or during any construction project. If you need advice regarding your next project we suggest visiting Contractor Talk.

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Walk-ins Welcome for His-and-Hers Closets

Home ImprovementWeekly

Dozens of ideas, loads of how-tos, and the latest advice on the projects and products you need to improve your home today, plus special offers.

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Sourced by "Home Hacks". Scouring and supporting the art of DIY home projects by sharing links and information provided by numerous active reputable DIY veterans and company's. Any projects you start please be of proper age, follow all required safety measures, and use the required protective equipment when handling any chemicals, power tools, or during any construction project. If you need advice regarding your next project we suggest visiting Contractor Talk.

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An Outmoded Fireplace Gets an Upgrade for Under $60

After living with a dated, faded fireplace for 15 years, we embarked on a dramatic redo. We were already, ahem, fired up because the chimney needed work.

To the rescue: New York interior designer Craig Kellogg, who suggested tearing out not only the mantel but also the raised hearth and replacing it with a floating soapstone slab.

Ah—much better.

Then, to revive the brick, Kellogg proposed an inexpensive DIY alternative to authentic plaster, as he'd seen done at SoHo design store BBDW. "You buy buckets of premixed joint compound and just slather it on," he said optimistically.

Shown: Two coats of joint compound, a coat of primer, and two coats of pure-white latex semigloss later, and we were ready to reclaim the room. Our new fireplace needed just one more touch: Kellogg propped a 1970s Yoruba tribal staff—a legacy of my husband Irwin's Peace Corps days—against the now-fresh-and-modern brick, bringing this DIY makeover to a happy close.

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Sourced by "Home Hacks". Scouring and supporting the art of DIY home projects by sharing links and information provided by numerous active reputable DIY veterans and company's. Any projects you start please be of proper age, follow all required safety measures, and use the required protective equipment when handling any chemicals, power tools, or during any construction project. If you need advice regarding your next project we suggest visiting Contractor Talk.

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7 Surprising Built-In Bookcase Designs

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Novel-Worthy Book Storage

Sure, you can pick up some knock-together set of shelves, but built-ins provide so much more than just a place to stash your stuff. Made to rise ceiling high, create an alcove for furniture, or wrap an existing nook, they can add style, charm, and architecture to an interior, all while offering custom storage and display space. Here, seven ways to make them special.

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Sourced by "Home Hacks". Scouring and supporting the art of DIY home projects by sharing links and information provided by numerous active reputable DIY veterans and company's. Any projects you start please be of proper age, follow all required safety measures, and use the required protective equipment when handling any chemicals, power tools, or during any construction project. If you need advice regarding your next project we suggest visiting Contractor Talk.

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