Chase that Putty
Our house is a bastion of old windows and truly decrepit glazing. I knew sooner or later I would need to scrape away whatever remains of the window putty. That time came sooner after I …
Written by: Marc Lyman
Custom Stone Etching
Almost everyone has their address numbers nailed to their house. How many of you have your address etched in stone? Sadly I don’t either. But I might consider it after checking out the unique service …
Written by: Marc Lyman
Garage your Car on a Dime
Nothing is more fun than seeing how fast you can park your car in the exact right spot in your garage without slamming through the lawn mower, artificial Christmas tree and your tax records from …
Written by: Marc Lyman
Architecture, Building Materials
Adorn your Gingerbread or Victorian
Sometimes finding period building materials can be a challenge. Vintage Woodworks, located in Quinlan Texas, hopes to help. Their web site is chock full of interior and exterior trim, brackets, headers, casings, corner blocks and …
Written by: Marc Lyman
Learn from my Door-Catch Woes
For months I have been plagued with how to keep our balcony door open. Up until recently I used a stylish rubber bungee cord. Actually, the cord is ugly and it’s a pain to attach …
Written by: Marc Lyman
Nice Curves (on your Lawn)
Few things make an anal retentive like me more happy than products that constrict, control and keep order. Lawns and yards can be so unruly, I try to exert control over them periodically . . …
Written by: Marc Lyman
These aren’t your Grandma’s Loppers
I will admit it, when I first saw Fiskars pruning tools at the local home improvement black hole/warehouse, I was skeptical. Fiskars conjured up dainty, orange sewing scissors. Not exactly the image of hedge and …
Written by: Marc Lyman
Say No to (Butt) Crack
This is more a public service announcement than a product review posting. Attention all tradesmen! Please do yourself and your clients a favor by heeding this product announcement. Few situations match the indignity of walking …
Written by: Marc Lyman
Everything AND the Kitchen Sink
Picking out sinks can be a chore. Under-mount, drop-in, stainless, granite, single basin, double basin, etc. There are a lot of options and a lot of manufacturers. I’m partial to stainless under-mount sinks myself, I …
Written by: Marc Lyman
Unico Mini AC Vents
In old homes, installing the ducts needed for a cooling or heating system can be a challenge. I got some perspective on just how hard this is by wiring a phone system in our house. …
Written by: Marc Lyman