Here is a Christmas tree stand that has a foot pedal that activates four claws that centre the tree and grab a hold of it. Very easy and very sturdy. Year after year I see variations on this -- send me the best you have found.
There are over 2000 window manufacturers in Canada, and with all that competition, each one wants to make homeowners, renovators, and builders believe that their windows are easier to install than the other brand. This has led to a lot of very poorly built windows that are often difficult to ins...
Mila from Ottawa, Ontario writes: "We are buying a new home and have a choice of 2" x 10" solid wood kiln-dried joists or "Trust Joists" (JLE) Pre-engineered floor system. If you were buying a house for yourself -- which would you choose?"I just love it when people try to nail me down like that,...
More and more manufacturers are making ergonomic claims for new tools: easier on your back, fits in your hand better, a less stressful grip and so on. I invited Dr. Ted Crowther who is the Director of Clinical Education of the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College in Grimbsy, Ontario to help me...
Shelves can sag directly because there is too much weight for the support provided, or they can sag over time with the fatigue of certain wood products, like particle board, especially in high humidity conditions. So although particle board may hold up as well as plywood or real wood at the begi...
Tom from Thomasburg, Ontario writes: "I'm thinking about buying a house, however the basement has low ceilings. Is it possible to bust out the cement floor instead of jacking up the house?"Yes you can dig down, but you need to be aware of just how the soil under the house supports the house. Al...
The depth of the fence posts into the ground must be at least one foot below the frost level for your region. As well, one third of the total length of the post should be in the ground. This means that in mild regions the posts will be well below frost simply because of their length. In regions w...
You have all seen highway signs indicating the period of spring thaw and reduced truck loads throughout the northern US and all of Canada -- or walked across grass that is just beginning to thaw from the winter making deep footprints or tire marks that would never sink like that during a stro...
At one time or another every renovator, professional or weekend warrior, has tried to determine what might happen if they remove or make a big hole in a wall – is it holding something up? This is not always easy to determine but you can get some help from this article.
Getting this right is imp...
Barry from Calgary, Alberta writes: "I have a problem with cracking grout on an aboveground installation. I suspect the cause is excessive deflection of the floor joists. I'm wondering if there's any additive that can be added to the grout that will prevent this from happening again when I re-gro...
