Blog Posts by This Old House Magazine

If your perfect kitchen design is being compromised by dinged-up dog bowls and the dried-up drool that surrounds them, this well-built canine furniture will not only jazz up the fanciest of cook's spots-and organize the bowls, cans, and bags that are part and parcel to nourishing your pup-but the elevated platform will also give your furriest family member some much-needed neck and back relief. This is especially helpful for large breed dogs, like Great Danes and Dobermans, or pooches who are getting on in years.

As This Old House senior technical editor Mark Powers shows here, creating this sturdy dish platform is an easy weekend project. And with storage for treats and a removable tray, cleaning the bowls-instead of the floor- will be a breeze.


MORE: See the full step-by-step project (11 steps; 4 hours over 2 days)









Here's your shopping list:

1. 1x12 laminated shelving board Get two 6-foot boards

2. 1x2 Get one 6-foot board

3. 1x3 Get one 6-foot board

4. 1x4 Get at least 2 feet

5.

We suspected as much, but now we have the proof: Single women are the fastest growing segment of the real estate market. In fact, they are buying homes at more than twice the rate of single men, snatching up one out of every five properties sold in the U.S. So we at TOH decided to conduct an informal poll of both future and current homeowners to identify their biggest concerns about going it alone.

Close proximity to the workplace and cultural activities are important, but perhaps the major issue for a single woman in the market for a new house has to do with personal safety, as well as the security of her property. Worries about keeping up with home repairs, and fear of being taken advantage of by a crooked contractor or another trade professional, also rank high on her list.

The following advice should help alleviate the stress of setting up house on your own.

The tools you'll need: Even with a newer home, drains still get clogged, shelves and drapes still need to be hung,

There are lots of clever ways to make the most of small homes and cottages. Think space-saving features like spiral staircases and don't be afraid to create the illusion of space with brightly colored focal points. Get creative with built-in storage (window seats, anyone?) to add charm to your space, too. Here are a few of our smartest space-saving solutions that you'll wish you thought of yourself.

Save Space With a Spiral Staircase

Install a compact spiral staircase to conserve floor space. Creating access to an upper story-say, for an attic conversion or addition-can gobble up valuable square footage. A spiral staircase is a compact alternative to a traditional one. The homeowners opted to install this salvaged stair-found on Brownstoner, a neighborhood blog-when they designated the house's main staircase as tenants' access. It fits neatly into a 5-foot-square area and gives them a way to move between floors without stepping into the hallway.

TOH Tip: Narrow doors make

Life is risky. But while you can't avoid every hazard thrown in your path, you can try to create a wholesome nest for yourself and your family-pets included. It starts by blocking certain nasties at the front door, including pollen, pesticides, noxious solvents, and disease-carrying creepie crawlies. Indoors, you want to prevent mold, bacteria, and viruses from taking hold, and minimize allergy-provoking animal dander and dust mites. Making your home healthier can involve simple remedies, such as opening a window to let in a blast of fresh air, and more lasting solutions, like moving away from paints, furnishings, and cleaning products that throw off chemical vapors.

RELATED: How to Flu-Proof Your Home

To get the lowdown on the best actions for you to take right now-and some to consider down the road-we canvassed health and environmental experts across the country. Here, our best advice for cleaning up your household.

See all 72 Hassle-Free Steps to a Healthier Home at

If you asked my wife what her number one complaint is about our marriage, I know what she'd say: She can never get me to level with her. She's not looking for more honesty in our relationship. No, what she really, really wants is for me to help her use one of those long stick things with the bubble in the middle that tells you whether an edge is perfectly straight or not. I'm exaggerating. Slightly. She'd be just as happy to spend a romantic weekend stripping moldings. You see, my wife and I are proof of the maxim that opposites attract. She loves home projects. And I loathe them.

RELATED: 12 Ways Remodeling Can Lead to Better Sex

Oddly, it was a bit of Aurita's carpentry that first won my heart. One evening many moons ago, I returned home to my tiny apartment to find that she had constructed a massive pine bookcase that ran the length of an entire wall. It held all the volumes and LPs that had been piled, Stonehenge-style, in a circle around my bed. I had a strong

When welcoming a new baby, every parent hopes to create a calm and cozy space that'll grow with their little one. In This Old House's 2010 Reader Remodel Contest, readers showed us their amazing kid room transformations. Now see which ones were finalists for the $1,000 prize, as picked by TOH readers and the editors of This Old House

ENTER THE 2011 READER REMODEL CONTEST NOW!

When the holidays are over, take down the tinsel, but don't bag the tree. Its needles, boughs, and trunk can do more than hold ornaments.

Keep reading for the top 3 uses, or go to thisoldhouse.com to see all 10 Uses for Your Christmas Tree












Pine needles dry quickly and decompose slowly, making them an excellent moisture- and mold-free mulch for ground-covering crops, such as strawberries, to rest on. (Note: Careful with this idea in wildfire-prone areas)

MORE: Firesafe Landscaping: How to Create Defensible Space












Place your tree in its stand outdoors. Fill bird feeders and hang them from the boughs, or drape the tree with a swag of pinecones coated with peanut butter

MORE: How to Create a Wildlife Friendly Yard








INSULATE PERENNIALS
Cut off boughs and lay them over perennial beds to protect them from snow and reduce frost heaving.

MORE: See all 10 Uses for Your Christmas Tree











More 10 Uses from thisoldhouse.com
10 Uses for Car Wax
10 Uses for Shellac
10 Uses for Yogurt Cups
10 Uses

Some neighborhoods take their holiday decorating very seriously. But, some homeowners go a smidge too far. Okay, who are we kidding? Some homeowners border on bulb abuse. Here's a new crop of holiday decorated houses you could probably see from outer space. Note: This is NOT an inspirational gallery of "Dos". It's more of a list of please "don'ts."

Shown: Who needs streetlights with a house this bright? This Venice, California, home is shown reflecting its awe-inspiring amount of twinkling lights on the Venice Canals.

MORE: See all 14 of the World's Wildest Holiday House Displays of 2010

Crazy for a Cause

Spelling It Out

Nothing says Joyeux Noel quite like splashing it in huge letters across your lawn. This house in New Castle, Delaware, gets the message across with huge, light-up lettering