About

Want daily home improvement and tool reviews, news, and tips, all in one masterfully written comedic masterpiece? If so, you’ve come to the right place. HomeFixated.com nails what’s useful and entertaining. We’re not afraid to talk about getting hammered, or even screwing. Frankly, it’s our job. Power tools are particularly revered here, for virtually every task (including simple jobs best done by hand). We’re also not above bribing you to read our site frequently.

Every month HomeFixated features an exciting Free Stuff Giveaway. That’s right, you can win super cool power tools, home improvement products, or junk collecting in our shop! HomeFixated is your definitive resource for home improvement and tool knowledge. Tune in daily, pick up a few tips, find some great resources and hopefully have a laugh or two! And, if you’re on Twitter, be sure to follow us at @HomeFixated Oh, and if you’re interested in Writing for HomeFixated, please let us know.

Who We Are:

Marc Lyman
Nickname: Tool Fool
Official Position: Executive Editor & Diabolical Mastermind Plotting HomeFixated Global Supremacy
Fixations: Power tools, the obscure but useful, wood, organization, historic integrity, geeky home automation, sunshine, and innuendo.
Favorite Tool: It’s like asking a father who his favorite child is. Answering this question could overtax my brain, not to mention permanently scar unlisted tool companies. They’re all my babies. In fact, I sometimes get confused and try to rock my power tools to sleep at night. That’s normal, right?
Worst DIY Job: The time I was rewiring in the crawl space and found animal prints that were suspiciously skunk-like. It turned out there was actually a chupacabra living under the house.
Moment of Glory: Custom designing redwood balcony balusters to be cut with a CNC machine.
Fix-It Mantra: If you can afford it, DIY what you enjoy, pay a pro for the rest. Runner-up mantra: measure twice, cut until it’s too short.

Brad Baker
Nickname: Pancho Villa Baker
Official Position: Contributing Writer
Fixations: Age 22-40 years old, saving painted exotic wood mantels, stair treads, mirrors, etc. that I salvaged from demo’ing houses. “I can make some bitchin’ stuff out of this!” Age 40-present, getting rid of all the accumulated crap. “What was I thinking?”
Favorite Tool: My Rockwell lock mortising tool. I’ve made a lot of money with this bad boy. But my favorite new cool tool is my PLS fan angle, plumb and level line laser tool.
Worst DIY Job: Probably the skateboard I built when I was twelve. I used a piece of 2-by-4 and the wheel sets from the girl next door’s metal clip-on skates. (I think I asked her first!) Yes, clip-on metal skates – it was that long ago! Man, I ripped down the street on that baby, but when I hit a grain of sand – face plant city!
Moment of Glory: My kitchen. I ripped out the wall separating it from the living room, built an island for the restaurant-grade stove of my dreams, backed it with a friendly hang-out-with-the-cook bar, installed rustic distressed wood cabinetry, and finished it off with the best looking granite I have ever seen – it’s like the beach and the ocean with whitecaps.
Fix-It Mantra: If you can’t see it, call the electrician. If it smells really bad, call the plumber. Otherwise, just do it yourself.

Ann Voorhees Baker
Nickname: Mrs. Baker. Always a double entendre.
Official Position: Editor, Co-Contributing Writer with Brad Baker
Fixations: Baking. Cakes, pies, cookies. It’s a curse. Too weird that I married Brad and officially became a “Baker.” Second fixation: any online application having to do with communication – I’m in nerd heaven when I find something new.
Favorite Tool: KitchenAid Custom Edition – in brushed stainless with every attachment blade, beater, and grinder imaginable. It’s indestructible and beautiful.
Worst DIY Job: When I agreed to build two custom bookcases with my husband Brad. Who knew he would demand such perfection? And he did NOT respond well to whining, excuse-making, or wheedling.
Moment of Glory: In my first apartment during college, I built a desk for myself out of 2-by-4’s, plywood, and orange crates for drawers. When bumped or leaned upon, it wobbled and swayed like a drunken sailor. I was enormously proud of my creation and used it for years.
Fix-It Mantra: “Honey, this is broken / old / doesn’t work right anymore. I don’t know, I suppose I could get out a screwdriver or something but you’re so much better at these things than I am, um…”

Leroy Demarest
Nickname: The Griz (Cro Magnon Man, given by his dad)
Official Position: Contributing Writer
Fixations: Fire, Big Tools, the Wilderness, Family
Favorite tool: Tie between my table saw and 23 oz framing hammer. The table saw has made short work of a lot of wood for me as well as my fingertip. The framing hammer has driven in and through plenty of things helping to get the job done fast and relieving stress at the same time.
Worst DIY Job: Another tie between a jewelry box and hanging rafters. In college I made a jewelry box for a girl I was dating complete with a hand carved rose top. In the process of carving I stabbed myself in the leg and bled/stained the lid pretty seriously. Then a few years ago I was helping a friend level some trusses when the braces gave way and down came the truss with us surfing among them. On the positive side my left arm got scissored between two trusses and for three weeks I had an arm like Hulk Hogan!
Moment of Glory: Laying my son down in the crib that I built for him.
Fix-It Mantra: Don’t force it, get a bigger hammer. And… “If it isn’t broke you’re not trying.” (from the Red Green Show)

Liz Addison
Nickname: The Grim Ripper
Official Position: Contributing Writer
Fixations: My gardens and the deer that feast on them, fine art and custom picture framing, any movie in which someone gets it with a blow dart, (I’m on the floor just writing it), and the smell of my dog’s feet – ahhh…a combination of fresh-cut grass and corn chips.
Favorite Tool: My “Georg Ott Ulmia 1710R” miter saw, an old, German-made monster. I use it daily to cut picture mouldings (hence the nickname.) Perfect miters every time – cuts both wood and metal without having to change blades – I’d be lost without it! Oh yeah, I also really like anything that’s pneumatic. (I’m pretty sure the age-old concept of the blow dart led to the development of air tools.)
Worst DIY Job: Clearing a clog from the trap in our sewer line from a basement access pipe – my job was to “hold the bucket” as my husband unscrewed the cap…words cannot express.
Moment of Glory: Renovating our horse barn into my frame shop – the true highlight was removing a set of stable doors from our lower barn and hanging them in the shop to separate the customer area from my workspace. Not an easy undertaking, but they look way cool.
Fix-it Mantra: If it ain’t broke, and you screw around with it long enough, it will be.

Phil Brind’Amour
Nickname: USED to be Flip (attributed to my parents many years ago; all I can figure is they wanted to shorten my full name, Philip, to one syllable, to expedite whatever punishment was forthcoming…)
Official Position: Contributing writer
Fixations:  Doing it right (I tend to overbuild, and to be too much of a perfectionist at times, according to some spouses I know…); staying hydrated with a tasty craft beer, AFTER the tools are put away, naturally; hangin’ with my family every chance I get.
Favorite Tool: Still searching. Among the favorites I own: Craftsman reciprocating saw, still kickin’ butt after 26 years; Estwing 20-oz framing hammer (35 years); Bosch 5312 sliding compound mitre saw (recent); Hitachi DS18DL drill (2 years); Bosch MX25E multitool (recent). And so many more…
Worst DIY Job: A complete, foundation to roof renovation of a 100-plus year old house. Original estimate was to finish in one year, upgrade where required, and spend roughly $40,000. Final tally: four years, total gut job, new wiring, plumbing, furnace, windows, roof, siding, etc., total expenses north of $100,000. Still made a profit, and learned a LOT (best lessons: hone estimating skills, avoid large projects). Responsible for loss of nickname.
Moment of Glory: Signing the sales contract on the aforementioned house.
Fix-it Mantra: “While we’re at it…” (the most expensive four words in the DIY universe). Use sparingly, as extensive damage to your finances can and will result.