Blog Posts by This Old House Magazine

After: Keep Retro Charm, Save Big Bucks!
Who: Nick Macke and Ted Moss
Where: Milton, Mass.
What: Gave their old cabinets a stylish yet frugal makeover.

"We wanted to keep some of the original retro details such as the stainless-steel sink and metal cabinets," says homeowner Nick Macke. That's the initial reason why he and his partner, Ted Moss, decided to go with mostly surface updates to their kitchen. Then they realized that doing so would save a huge chunk of cash as well as the kitchen's vintage charm. Here's how to Install a Glass Mosaic Tile Backsplash like the one shown here.

RELATED: 3 Kitchens, 3 Budgets


Before!
A scalloped soffit, '70s-era wallpaper, wood paneling, and peeling linoleum dated the space. An open shelf above a new mosaic backsplash, a fresh coat of paint for the cabinets and walls and for the paneling, and a new floor bring it into this century.

RELATED: How to Afford the Kitchen You Want


After: Working in the Same Footprint

No walls or appliances were

Nicole and John Rader opened up and enlarged their 1920s Colonial Revival without sacrificing its soul-and won $5,000 and a GMC Sierra in TOH's annual Reader Remodel Contest!

Read the full story of their renovation on thisoldhouse.com


Old-World Charm, New-Age Problems: The front of the house before the renovation. It was originally built by their next-door neighbor's grandfather. After 70-some years in the Florida sun, it needed work.

MORE: Best DIY Curb-Appeal Before and Afters of the Year










Belle of the Block: Finally, after three renovation phases and 10 years, the house is complete!

MORE: Best DIY Budget Redo Before and Afters of the Year













Spacious Additions: During the third-phase of the renovation, the Raders added a 760 square foot addition, but kept as much of the original 1920s house as possible.

MORE: Best Kitchen Before and Afters of the Year











How They Saved:

-Shopped smart. They purchased half-price floor models at appliance showrooms, asked local stores to match discounts

Announcing the winners of This Old House's 2011 Reader Remodel Contest! Are you a winner? Did you make the pages of our annual Reader-Created issue?


1. THE GRAND-PRIZE WINNER: A Chic Colonial.
John and Nicole Rader take a 1920s Colonial Revival from shabby to chic to win top honors ($5K and a new GMC truck!) Ten years, and many trips to the home center later, see how the Rader family made their DIY dreams come true.

Plus! Take a Video Tour of the Grand-Prize Winning House.


2. THE RUNNERS-UP: 5 One-Room Wonders.
5 amazing one-room transformations by $1,000 prize-winning runners-up, including a gorgeous outdoor retreat.

MORE: Best Kitchen Before and Afters 2011










3. PICTURE PERFECT: Best Curb-Appeal Transformations.
See these 7 homes that went from dumps to dreams with easy DIY enhancements.

MORE: Best Bath Before and Afters 2011










4. MOXIE AWARDS: Honoring True DIY Grit.
The winners of our Moxie Awards have what it takes to get the job done, despite any obstacles that stand in their

Wild animal on the loose? Construction mishap? Don't let this mayhem terrorize your home! With our homeowner survival tips, you'll know just what to do when trouble strikes.

SEE MORE HOME DISASTERS AND ALL OUR HOMEOWNER SURVIVAL TIPS AT THISOLDHOUSE.COM.

1. Problem: A Wild Animal is Loose in the House

What to do: "Don't try to herd a bird with a broom or tennis racket. It'll just panic and try to hide," says Tom Scollins, a zoologist turned wildlife-control agent in Baltimore. "Instead, turn off the lights and open the windows, drapes, and blinds. It'll feel the air currents and fly toward the light." The same technique works for squirrels and raccoons, if you can corral them in a room and shut the door. If that fails, you'll need to call in a professional wildlife wrangler or your town's animal-control officer. 


See how to keep this from happening to you...

MORE: Pet-Friendly Home DIY-Projects


2. Problem: You May Have Just Taken Down a Bearing Wall

What to do: Look into the

It is that time of year again! Roses are in bloom. Here's everything you need to know--including the best tools to use and which varieties to plant--to keep the most beautiful rose garden on the block. -Tabitha Sukhai


Everything You Need to Prune Roses. Build the ultimate rose-care kit with help from the gardening pros! The Kneeling Pad and Seat show above can be used as shown to provide cushion or as a comfy bench. It's about $35 at gardeners.com (but we're sure some of our more resourceful DIYers can build one easily!)
See the rest of our Rose-Care Tool Kit at thisoldhouse.com


Watch a Pro Prune and Train Roses. You should start by inspecting your rose bushes for old, dead, or weak branches. Many homeowners fear pruning, but with help from TOH landscape contractor Roger Cook, you can do it yourself with confidence. Watch How to Prune and Train Roses at thisoldhouse.com


Pick Easy-Care Varieties. Far from finicky, many shrub-type roses bloom all summer long with very little fuss. Here

Did you know that you could use wood ash to repel slugs and snails in the garden? Or that you could use baking soda to zap roaches or remove tape residue? Well, it turns out you can. And there are all kinds of problem-solvers just laying around the house masquerading as one-trick ponies, or even trash. Here are some of our best tips from the popular 10 Uses column of This Old House magazine! Got some clever uses for common household products of your own? Share them in the comments section below. --Tabitha Sukhai

Use old garden hoses to give your buckets a grip. A piece slipped over a wire handle makes for a more sturdy and comfortable grip.

MORE: See all 10 Uses for Old Garden Hoses at thisoldhouse.com











Use coffee filters to keep windows clear. Spray panes with glass cleaner, then wipe away with a doubled-up coffee filter. No lint, no streaks.

MORE: See all 10 Uses for Coffee Filters at thisoldhouse.com













Use chalk to file right. Rubbing chalk onto a metal file makes its teeth easier to

Food for the Family Table: There's nothing like the earthy crunch of a just-picked carrot or the sweetness of a juicy tomato still warm from the sun. And the taste is even sweeter when it's one you've grown on your own. 

For parents like Phil Nolan and Michele Rast, backyard vegetable gardening has intangible benefits, too. "We want our kids to appreciate the way things grow and to understand the value of food," Nolan says when asked why he dug up part of the family's New Jersey lawn to put in a formal 18-by-32-foot veggie garden. 



Shown: The 576-square-foot plot produces veggies all summer for a family of four, with plenty left over to share. Tidy raised beds and gravel paths make it easy to care for, and evoke an English country garden.

DON'T MISS ALL OUR ADVICE ON GROWING A VEGETABLE GARDEN ON THISOLDHOUSE.COM.


1. Start Small
Why do some fail where others succeed? At least one aspect of soil preparation, plant selection, or growing wasn't right.

"Often, just a few tips can make

Think Like a Kid: In a world made by the point-of-view of grown-ups, there are inadvertent hazards to small children all over the place. Home is no exception. According to Safe Kids USA (an organization that educates parents, policy makers, and the general public in creating safe environments for children) a child dies every 101 minutes as a result of an unintentional injury, making it the leading cause of accidental death and permanent disability for America's kids. 


Best we try, we can't have both eyes fixed on little busy bodies all the time, but there are things that can be done reduce risk throughout the home. Familiarize yourself with what is dangerous in these 4 rooms and the upgrades you can make to keep things safe. -Tabitha Sukhai

See ALL of our child safety tips at thisoldhouse.com


1. Room: Kitchen and Dining Area

Why it is dangerous: Respondents to the Home Safety Council's (HSC) Safe Haven research named the kitchen the most dangerous room of the house, possibly