How to Build a Sandbox: Overview
Moderate. There are many heavy parts, but the cuts are easy and the assembly straightforward. A sandbox brings a little bit of the beach into your backyard, and the playtime is even more fun when the box itself has an imaginative shape. Drive ... [... more]
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Non-toxic, Affordable Pressure-Treated Lumber
Leave it to a chemist specializing in immune deficiency disorders to devise a pressure-treated wood that's rot-proof, bug-proof, and so clean you could eat off of it. Its maker says it's even safe enough to put in your mouth. But we're not sure ... [... more]
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Easy Mantel Makeover
Cover up the ends of the bricks on both sides of the firebox with slate tiles cut 35/8 in. wide. Use a rubber mallet to firmly set the slate into the mortar. Thin cardboard strips act as tile spacers. Press the tiles into the thinset mortar above ... [... more]
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Moroccan Mantelpiece
The fireplace in West Palm Beach homeowner Rob Thompson's living room was definitely in dire need of renovation. From the looks of it, the mantel had undergone a few paint treatments over the years. When the surrounding wood was removed at the ... [... more]
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Builder's Math for Kids
Is there a simple household construction project in your future? Here are some tips from Cyberchase, the action adventure cartoon series on PBS Kids Go!, for how to engage your child in the fun while reinforcing important math concepts. When kids ... [... more]
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Shrub Borders
Hand-pruning the tips of a fastigiate white pine will help rein in its overall size. Roger Cook uses a power trimmer to narrow the top of a V-shaped privet hedge. Prune hedges to be narrower at the top, and wider at the base. Leggy, woody, ... [... more]
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Get More Heat from Your Fireplace and Wood Stove
Wood pellets pack a lot of punch in a small package. Made of compressed sawdust, they burn cleaner than traditional firewood. That's because they contain less moisture—typically between 3 and 8 percent compared with 20 to 50 percent for firewood. ... [... more]
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How to Build a Fireproof Home
The first "Fortified...for Safer Living" house, completed in Florida in 2005 and built with an insulated concrete form ECO-Block wall system. A program of the Institute for Business and Home Safety, "Fortified...for Safer Living" [... more]
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How to Read the Stamp
Framing lumber, unlike money, does grow on trees, so there's always the chance it will have some natural defect, such as a large knot or a long split, that can reduce its overall strength. But not all defects are obvious. That's why every stick ... [... more]
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Installing a New Mantel
The design of the mantel—the decorative frame around the stone or brick surrounding the firebox—should harmonize with the style of your house. In a traditional setting, it might have additional woodwork, called an overmantel, above the shelf (see ... [... more]
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Use wood ashes to:
A cord of firewood can produce 50 pounds of ashes—a formidable heap of soot but also a great source for mineral-rich dust that has practical uses. Just be careful to store them in a fireproof container with the lid shut to choke any embers. ... [... more]
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A Private Matter
The open structure supports newly planted vines, while the peaked gate and matching stain complement the house Lattice fencing creates a private entry courtyard without blocking sunlight or cooling breezes No space is wasted in this small ... [... more]
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