How to Spruce Up Your Entryway

First impressions are important, especially when it comes to your house. Interestingly enough, your front door is likely to influence how visitors view the rest of your house far more than the siding, roofing, windows, or any other single element can. A handsome, well-designed entrance also does more to welcome friends and family than a perfect paint job or a lush, weed-free lawn. The irony is that most front entryways are boring portals that merely let people in and out. Here, we'll show you how you can transform an ordinary door into an elegant entryway in one weekend.

The original wooden frame was still good for this project, so we saved time by replacing just the door, not the entire unit. Next, the exterior of the doorway was trimmed with a pair of fluted columns and a stately crosshead pediment. The trim visually extends the doorway from 3- to 5-feet-wide. Instead of using wood trim—and committing to years of scraping and repainting—we opted for millwork molded from durable high-density urethane foam. This lightweight molding comes primed white and is impervious to rot, insects, moisture, cracking, and splitting. Best of all, it looks like handcrafted wood molding, even up close. We finished the entryway with an attractive midview aluminum storm door.

Step 1: Remove old door and threshold

Start by removing the old door from the opening; be sure to have someone hold the unit as you back out the last few screws. Then unscrew the old strike plate from the side jamb. Prepare the sill by removing the adjustable wood strip from the original threshold. If there's no adjustable part, you'll have to chisel the surface flush or cut out the whole sill.

Step 2: Prep for new door install

Sweep the sill clean and apply two thick beads of caulk where the new threshold will sit. Set the bottom of the new prehung replacement door onto the sill and tilt it into the opening. Check that the frame is square and the door is plumb.

Step 3: Secure the new door

Temporarily secure the door by nailing through the predrilled holes in the steel frame and into the wall framing. Use roofing nails, which have large heads.

Step 4: Install door and lockset

Swing open the door and drive long screws through the frame and into the original side jambs and head jamb. Don't overtighten the screws or you'll distort the steel doorframe. To finish, install a lockset and nail on the magnetic weather stripping that comes with the door.

Step 5: Prep for exterior trim install

Tack a straightedge board to the house as a saw guide. Run a circular saw along the guide, cutting only through the siding. Pry off the severed siding pieces and strip away the house wrap or building felt to expose the sheathing.

Here's How to Build a Perfect Path

All gardens have paths, planned or otherwise. A well-designed one keeps your feet dry and provides safe, easy access to your house. A great one does more. Whether it directs you and your guests under an archway of jasmine or around a bend to a reflecting pool, a path that works makes the garden more inviting. A successful path also shapes and defines garden areas as it connects unrelated parts to create a coherent whole. "One of the most important functions of a path is to link the house to the garden visually as well as physically," says Vermont landscape designer and author Gordon Hayward. 

Here's Hayward advice on routing a path, determining its size and choosing among surface materials that include everything from mulch, which you can get for free, to relatively expensive cut stone. 

PLOTTING YOUR PATH

How well a path works depends on how you route it. Hayward suggests starting with the most essential type, the primary path. This kind leads to or from the front and back doors, and often connects with the street or sidewalk.

Hayward advises keeping a path near the house straight to extend the architecture of the building, although this is not a hard-and-fast rule. A straight path is easy to follow and predictable, and produces a formal look, which Hayward believes is appropriate near the house. But you can soften the formality and add interest by planting along the edges of a path once it's completed.

A secondary path branches off from a primary path and usually extends farther into the landscape—perhaps to a vegetable garden or secluded bench. Because a secondary path doesn't see as much foot traffic as a primary path, you can make it narrower and less obtrusive. You can also give it gentle curves to make it more casual and level out a gentle climb. "Be sure curves appear natural and logical, not willy-nilly," Hayward warns. Three ways to do that: Curve the path around an existing tree; set a garden feature, such as a boulder or a shrub, inside it; or follow the dripline of trees—the area that's just outside their branch tips. 

Also consider routing a path to create interesting visual illusions:

•A path that curves and disappears around a corner draws attention to what lies beyond. Use a meandering path to alternately reveal and conceal special plantings, a garden sculpture, a striking view and other features. 

•A straight, narrow path can make a garden appear longer, especially if the end point is hidden. 

•A curving path, or one laid on the diagonal, draws the eye from side to side and counteracts an elongated appearance.

•In a yard dominated by lawn, a stepping- stone path breaks up and adds interest to the expanse of green, and protects the grass from wear and tear. 

HOW WIDE?

The size of a path should relate to its use. A primary path should be at least 48 in. wide so two people can walk side by side. Hayward also suggests that the width correspond to the dimensions of an architectural element of your house—the combined width of the front door and its trim, for instance. "That helps ensure the house and path relate to each other," he says. 

A secondary path is more likely to be used by one person at a time, and should be narrower—30 to 36 in. wide. Narrower still are what Hayward calls tertiary paths, which are the most casual and least traveled. An example is a narrow bark-mulch path leading into a wooded area behind the house. Varying the width of this type of path adds interest to the walk. 

Be sure all paths are wide enough to accommodate your outdoor equipment. For example, a lawn mower or garden cart requires about 3 to 4 ft., while a tractor may need 5 ft. or more. When in doubt, err on the wide side to ensure paths are comfortable, safe and easy to follow. Also be sure paths are at least an arm's length away from walls so people don't have to walk right up against them. 

THE BEST MATERIALS

Choose the surface next. Soft surfaces include a variety of mulches and turf. Hard surfaces, including brick and stone pavers, offer variety and good looks. 

Consider safety, practicality, appearance and cost when choosing a surface material. Hayward's advice: 

•Complement your house. A path that fits in visually is made of materials that blend with the style and materials of the house and surrounding structures. That doesn't mean you can't mix contrasting materials to perk up a path. Mixing also lets you blend expensive materials, like cut stone at $3 to $4 dollars per square foot, with less expensive ones, such as brick, at $2 to $3. But too many unrelated materials in the same area tends to look confusing.

•Think purpose and location. A primary path that sees heavy traffic must be made from a material that's set firmly in place and provides an even, nonslip surface. Loose, informal materials, like crushed stone or bark, are often inappropriate near an entryway because people track them inside. They're also hard to shovel when it snows, though they're fine for a casual tertiary path that leads through a woodland or vegetable garden. 

7 PLEASING PATH SURFACES 

Gravel and crushed stone provide a low-cost, fast-draining surface. These nonslip materials come in a range of colors and sizes, and are also easy to install. Here, a meandering path of gray stones narrows between small boulders to focus attention on the two urns just beyond. Gravel 3/4 in. in diameter or smaller is easiest on feet. Edging is required to keep the stones from traveling, while occasional raking will keep the surface free of leaves and twigs. Gravel is sold in bags and in bulk by the ton or cubic yard. Bulk stone costs less than bagged, although delivery is usually extra. Prices vary by stone type. You'll pay anywhere from $8 to $80 or more for a ton, enough to cover about 100 sq. ft. at a depth of 1 1/2 to 2 in. 

Mixed materials like the brick, ceramic tile and broad stones that compose this bold path, create a unique look. This path is a distinctive feature in itself. Yet the repetition of path colors in garden ornaments, bed edgings and flowers helps all elements work together. More traditional paving combinations include stepping stones and gravel, or brick with pebbles. Test materials you're considering by laying out samples in your garden to see how they work together and with the surroundings. 

Brick can be laid in countless patterns, including the intricate herringbone design that makes up the straight path shown here. It's relatively affordable, requires little maintenance and is easy to work with because of its uniform shape. Choose a basic end-on-end pattern like running bond or stack bond for curved paths to avoid extensive brick cutting. And always use paving bricks, not wall bricks. Besides being solid, paving bricks are harder and more durable—especially in cold or wet climates. For safety's sake, choose bricks with a rough surface. And install a stout steel or plastic edging to contain the bricks and prevent them from spreading and shifting under foot. Paving bricks measure about 2 in.thick 5 4 in. wide 5 8 in. long. Costs range from 45 to 65 cents each, or $2 to $3 per square foot. 

A mulch path, including bark, pine needles or the fresh sawdust shown here, is best for an informal path in low-traffic spots. Mulch provides an earthy, casual look and feel. Choose one that fits its environment—a bark-mulch path in a woodland planting or pine needles through a planting of evergreens, for example. Organic mulches eventually decompose and work into the soil, so you'll need to add more periodically. 

Stone is an unusually elegant path surface. It's also expensive and among the most challenging to lay. You can set stones loose in sand or in concrete with mortar joints, as shown. A mortared path should be done by a pro, because it will crack unless properly installed. Stone, sold by masonry suppliers, is available in irregular shapes or cut to uniform size—typically squares or rectangles sized in 6-in. increments. Native stone is most likely to blend well with the surroundings. Expect to pay $3 to $4 per square foot.

A grass path of uniform width, shown here, gives the feeling of walking through a single garden rather than through two separate areas of the yard. The even green color contrasts with adjacent flowering plants. A grass path is inexpensive and easy to install using seed or sod. But regular weeding, watering, feeding and mowing are required. And even with the best of care, grass struggles to grow in deep shade and high-traffic areas with compacted soil as well as beneath trees that compete for water and nutrients. A grass path can be formed to most any size and shape. Just remember to make it wide enough to mow easily.

PUTTING IT DOWN 

The same principles apply when installing most solid materials, including brick, concrete pavers and cut stone. Whichever material you choose, keep these essentials in mind:

•Most paths, excluding grass and stepping stones 4 to 5 sq. ft. or larger, require a base of coarse crushed stone to stay level for years to come. Soil type and climate determine how deep to make it. A landscape contractor or stone dealer can provide suggestions for your area. In general, figure on a base 4 in. deep in mild-winter climates with well-drained soil, and 5 to 8 in. deep if you live where the ground freezes.

•Improve drainage in heavy, clay soil by placing a 4-in.-dia. PVC drainpipe down the center of the path, enclosed within the gravel base. Drain holes should face down.

•Prepare your path so water drains off the surface. You have two options: Install the path so the finished surface is 1/4 to 1/2 in. above the adjacent grade, or slope the path away from your foundation or driveway 1/4 in. per foot of path width.

•Apply a leveling course—usually 1 to 2 in. of sand—over the base so you can move a stone or brick around until it's nested just right. An optional layer of landscape fabric between the gravel base and sand prevents sand from filtering through the gravel.

•Use professional-quality masonry edging to hold bricks, concrete pavers and small stones in place. Edgings, which are commonly aluminum, steel or plastic, cost $13 to $15 per 7 1/2-ft.-long section. 

•Even if you don't plan on lighting the path now, install electrical conduit just above the base in case you decide to add it later. That allows wires to be retrofitted easily and provides added protection for wires on a low-voltage lighting system. 

Building a garden path is mostly common sense. But it does require some skill and a lot of elbow grease. So don't hesitate to seek advice from pros early in the planning process. Check the yellow pages under landscape architects, contractors and designers. These pros will answer questions specific to your site or handle the entire project. 

Building a Car-Nut's Garage

Fixing up the garage may be last on the family priority list, but it's often first in the heart of those who love the smell of gasoline and the roar of a Chevy small-block V-8. So, don't settle for open two 2-by-four studs, dim bulbs, and intolerable temperatures. Give yourself an automotive playroom that becomes another of your gearhead tools. 

Think about functional upgrades, of course, but also look into options that make your garage a reflection of your personality. Consider flooring materials that can be ordered in bold colors. Investigate pro-style tool-storage compartments. And then turn your garage fridge into a faux gas pump. 

Below are some tips on how to create and outfit your dream garage. But before starting, have the renovation's end point firmly in mind. Will the garage be primarily a place to store and showcase a 1963 Split-Window Corvette? If so, decor and lighting would be priorities. 

If you're Mr. Fixit, are your projects usually minor repairs and maintenance (Bondo missions and oil changes, for instance)? You probably won't need to store too many bulky or expensive tools, if that's the case. If you do major work, like a ground-up restoration of a Shelby Mustang, you will have serious space, power, and climate considerations. Here's a more general discussion about designing a garage. 

Re-doing Garage Walls

You may want to remove most of the existing sheetrock, if any exists, to allow for the proper installation of electrical wiring that can meet your power demands. 

The typical garage is electrically malnourished. You may need the electrical service upgraded to include a dedicated circuit-breaker panel for multiple circuits in order to handle heavy electrical consumption. You might even have a 220-volt circuit installed to power an air compressor or arc welder. Either way, you'll want multiple 110-volt receptacles near the floor and at bench height. And just in case you haven't heard this admonition before, electrical work generally is not DIY stuff. Hire a pro. If you must do this yourself, for safety's sake, read this article, and read this one.

Open walls also make adding new plumbing easier. In case you don't know, a good washbasin is worth its weight in anything that might come through the garage door. 

Insulation is essential for any location that regularly sees frost. With these basics in place, a course of sheetrock will bring it all together. 

And because garage lighting is usually a bare-bones affair, consider upgrading to low-cost overhead fluorescent fixtures is all but mandatory. If you will be putting in time on at a workbench, then mount directional task lights on the wall or ceiling overlooking the work area.

Creating a New Floor

While not casting aspersions, garage floors almost always are the second-dirtiest surface in the world (gas-station bathrooms being No. 1). Sweep up the scraps, dust, and stray nuts and assess the situation. 

Pay particular attention to your garage's drainage. Is the floor regularly wet or damp? Solutions run from the simple (patching the cracks) to the major (breaking concrete to installing a drain). Check out a few TOH drainage stories for help. Find out how to clean any clogged drain. 

Fortunately, there are lots of choices when it comes to making the floor look good. An oil-stained concrete floor should be scrubbed, preferably with a mild, acidic cleaning solution, which can be found sold at hardware stores. Having created a clean pallet, buy a paint formulated for garage floors such as Behr's Part Epoxy Acrylic Concrete & Garage Floor Paint is a widely available finish. For a more resilient and costly alternative, you can move up to an industrial epoxy finish, but it probably will require extensive surface preparation. 

Many homeowners are turning to rubber overlays or composite products to top off floors. There are large mats and rolled sheets in various widths that you can be cut to fit your space. These products clean easily and are generally impervious to petrochemicals, antifreeze, and household cleaning agents. There's also a host of colors from which to choose; Griot's Garage offers a number of roll widths and colors. 

Colorful, interlocking tiles that can be installed wall to wall are available from vendors including; Lock-tile; and the RaceDeck division of Snap Lock Industries.Tiles snap together, making checkerboard or simple designs if you like. Tiles range in size, starting at 12-by-12 inches.

Addressing Doors and Windows

New garage doors are superior at excluding the elements. Choices range from custom-built wooden doors designed to harmonize with your house style to conventional steel doors (which should be double-walled and insulated). Speaking of harmonizing, did you know you can disguise your garage door as just another exterior wall. Here's a deeper discussion of garage-door options. 

On a more functional level, the gap between the standard garage door and its frame are typically quite wide and in need of weather stripping. This is particularly important in regions with high humidity or extreme marine conditions, both deadly to metal surfaces. Clopay, and Raynor offer a wide range of wood and steel doors. 

Windows often are thought of last in designing garages, but they're essential to a working garage, offering both light and ventilation. Narrow awning windows installed five or six feet above the floor offer many space-saving advantages, including preserving valuable wall space for cabinets and work areas. Most garage doors come with windows, too which is a good way to let in additional light, too. 

Garage Safety

Fire safety is needs to be a paramount consideration in building or renovating a garage. After all, we're talking about a room filled with flammable liquids and electric tools. Give serious thought to a sprinkler system should be a high priority along with an alarm and a fire extinguisher or two. If the garage is attached to the house, be sure that the door leading into the residence is solid-core and fire-rated. Read this story about how homeowner's insurance works, especially if you think worrying about fire is for sissies. 

Along the same lines, be careful with carbon monoxide.

Storage in the Garage

Where to put the torque wrenches, hacksaws, and socket sets? One solution is to have storage built to your specifications. If you're after an industrial look, there's the real thing, from Snap-on, which is famous for its red cabinets and storage chests that make most guys weak in the knees. There are also a host of choices from Whirlpool Corp.'s Gladiator GarageWorks, which has designed a new line of wall-storage compartments, workbenches, and floor-standing units with an industrial metal appearance for residential garages. And there's always Sears Craftsman, which has been supplying heavy-duty tool storage to homeowners and pros for decades. Here's a TOH story to help you plan for more storage TOH story. Speaking from experience in addition to a Jetta and a Suburban, my father had squeezed into his two-car garage a gas-powered electrical generator, rolling floor jack, electric arc welder, air compressor, floor-mounted drill press, commercial tire changer, as well as multiple grinders, tool boxes and vices. There are few limits to how much equipment you can store. 

The truly committed can buy four-post lifts. These lifts are designed to facilitate automotive service as well as vertical storage for two cars. Just drive a car onto the lift and jack it up high enough to drive a second car beneath it. Eagle Equipment has a large selection of lifts that can be used in residential settings, some of which can even accommodate pickups and standard SUVs. 

Of course you'll need cold storage. Batteries last longer at a controlled temperature, don't they? Coincidentally, so do most liquid refreshments. One solution is to move the old refrigerator into the garage. But Gladiator GarageWorks has another idea: specially made refrigerators for the spaces that aren't temperature-controlled. The line not only features graphite-gray metal-plate exteriors, but mechanical guts engineered to withstand extreme climate. For your planning purposes, Gladiator's web site states that its smallest refrigerator, the 6-cubic-foot Beverage Box, has room for 170 12-ounce cans. 

On the other hand, if you decide to keep the old refrigerator, you can give it a whole new personality. PWM Enterprises offers what it calls a fridge conversion kit that helps you make the old ice box look like a large commercial tool chest or a very large gas pump, complete with hose, nozzle, face plate, and logos. 

With all these options, there's no reason to limit your automotive doting to designer waxes, rolling two-ton car jacks, and home-entertainment-in-a-car systems. Fix up your garage because there's no rule that says your hobby has to be dirty and uncomfortable.

How to Spruce Up a Worn Out Deck

By the time contractor Stephen Bonesteel arrived on the scene, the condition of this pine deck was bleak. Twenty years of harsh upstate New York weather without a lick of care had turned its once-bright boards a weatherbeaten gray, flecked with slimy algae and black leaf stains. 

Still, even wood this neglected can be brought back to respectability, as Bonesteel demonstrated for This Old House. Over the course of a week, he power-washed and hand-scrubbed the deck back to a semblance of newness, then brushed on a protective coat of semitransparent stain. 

Between refinishings, the best way to keep a deck in shape is with regular broom-washings using soap and water. “Clean it at least once a season,” Bonesteel says, “especially in spring, when pollen provides a food source for mildew.” Then, every three or so years, follow the steps here for a deck that looks - and lasts - its best. 

CHOOSING A FINISH 

Choosing a finish for a softwood deck is a three-way tug of war between aesthetics, practicality, and protection. Favor any one characteristic, and you have to give up a bit of the other two. For example, if showing off the beauty of new wood is top priority, a clear finish is the obvious choice. But that clarity also lets in destructive UV rays, and that means more frequent reapplication (every six to 24 months). By contrast, solid stains offer great sun protection but hide the wood's grain under an opaque film. They have about a four-year life span, but like all film forming finishes, they tend to peel or crack.

The most popular deck finishes are semitransparent stains, which are also the easiest to maintain. They contain more sun-blocking pigments than clear finishes, but not enough to completely obscure the wood grain. And because they penetrate the surface, there's no film to fail. Just recoat as needed, generally after three years.

Step 1: Wash and Wet

• Wait for an overcast day, when evaporation from the deck will be slower. 

•Remove furniture and plants, and trim or tie back any branches touching the deck. 

•Wet down or cover adjacent foliage and siding, and protect yourself with rubber boots and rain pants. 

•Wash leaves and dirt off the deck and railings with a spray from a garden hose or a pressure washer set at 3,000 psi and fitted with a gentle 40-degree fan nozzle. For maximum efficiency, hold the nozzle tip about 18 inches from the 

Step 2: Scrub

•With the deck still wet, put on latex gloves and dip a brush with stiff, chemical-resistant bristles into the cleaning solution.

• Scrub the wood in the direction of the grain. Work in small sections, starting with the top rail, then the balusters, posts, and bottom rail. 

•Tackle the deck boards last, no more than 200 square feet at a time. 

Tip: The soap bubbles will help you see which areas you've covered.

Step 3: Power Rinse

• Wait at least 15 minutes, then rinse off the solution completely using a garden hose or a pressure washer with a 40-degree fan nozzle. Hold the pressure-washer wand no closer than 6 to 8 inches from the wood. The spray should span the width of one board and hit the surface at a 45-degree angle. Move steadily, rinsing one board at a time. 

Warning: Never let the wand halt in one place while the spray is on.

Step 4: Let Dry

•Before stain can be applied, the wood must dry or it won't absorb the finish. Three or four consecutive days without rain is enough time in most climates. (When in doubt, check with a moisture meter; when it reads 15 percent or less, the wood is ready to coat.) 

•Sweep the deck clean before applying stain.

Step 5: Stain the Railings

•Using a synthetic filament brush slightly wider than the deck's boards, apply the stain full-strength in the same order you scrubbed: top rail, balusters and posts, bottom rail, and then the decking. 

•Brush up drips and runs immediately. 

•For an even color, stir the stain frequently during application.

Tip: Finish all four sides of each baluster before moving on to the next one.

Step 6: Stain Deck

•Brush the deck's boards one at a time with long, even strokes, working with the grain. Keep a wet edge to prevent lap marks, and immediately brush out any pools of stain. 

•When you're finished, let the deck dry for at least two days before walking on it or replacing the furniture.

Add home value with a remodeled outdoor kitchen

Homeowners are always wondering what remodeling project will bring them the best return on their investment. Is it a third bathroom, a revamped kitchen, a bigger closet in the master bedroom?

In our opinion, a top selling point when you put your house on the market in Arizona is an attractive outdoor kitchen on your patio. Not just a charcoal grill plus a picnic table; it’s got to be a space that will invite family and friends to visit your backyard and stay a while.

Just to give you an idea of how hot grilling is in America: The Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association says that 8.2 million gas grills, 5.9 million charcoal grills, and 280,000 electric grills were shipped from factories to stores last year. Just like America, Arizona is really cooking outdoors.

Of course, fall is a great time to set up that second kitchen outdoors. You might want to consult a designer, a landscaper or a builder. But whatever you do, here are some ideas to remember in building a brand new grilling/dining area or remodeling an old one:

Think carefully about the best possible position for the outdoor grill and the dining table. “You don’t want the cook to grill the steak with the setting sun shining in their face, for example,” says designer Kathryn Prideaux of Prideaux Design in Tucson. “You need to create an environment for your outdoor living space.”

Remember that existing or new “walls” can help you create your outdoor room. Building a backyard kitchen that’s like a floating island smack dab in the middle of your yard may not create the ambience you want. You might want to build a small privacy wall near your house and then put your kitchen up against it. You might want to use a column of a covered patio as the anchor for a counter and barbecue space. Or use a bench built next to an existing wall for some of the seating at your dining table. You also want to make sure that what you build blends in properly with your house and existing hardscape.

Think shade, shade, shade. As every Arizona resident knows, creating an outdoor room that is inviting for family and friends means you need lots of shelter from sun. Possible additions to your plans: umbrellas, ramadas, pergolas, shade sails, misting systems or a cover for your patio. Of course, by the time dinner starts, the sun may have set, so make sure to add extra outdoor lighting so you can see what’s on your plate.

It’s desirable to have a patio kitchen as close as possible to your indoor kitchen. When you are just a few steps away from all your indoor appliances and supplies, Prideaux says, you will end up keeping costs down. After all, if your kitchen is way out there on the other side of the swimming pool, you might need to add more conveniences like a sink, a dishwasher and a small refrigerator. Those amenities can be costly; running gas, electricity and water out to those appliances can be pricey, too.

Be sure to buy stainless-steel appliances, by the way, and make sure they have a safety stamp for outdoor use from Underwriters Laboratories. Put in lots of counter space around the grill for dishes, pots and pans.

Of course, with an outdoor kitchen close to the house, you do need to be careful about where all the smoke and heat will go from the grill. You don’t want it drifting over the dinner table or into your house. You want that kitchen area to vent properly as well so you need to make sure you meet local code requirements about walls and roofing.

Add some zing to all the earth tones. For many of us, a lush landscape in the desert means a couple of saguaros, some Texas sage and a couple of big rocks — interesting but heavy on the beige. So think about adding orange, yellow, blue to the outdoor room. Put colorful tiles on a fireplace or wall; choose colored chair cushions or benches or umbrellas.

You can keep down costs. Build your hardscape in stages. Maybe start with a standalone grill and try it in several spots before deciding to build a permanent grill so you don’t make a costly mistake. Use light-colored pavers for your patio flooring and other low-maintenance materials like concrete and stone for tables, benches and counters.

You can even do some work yourself. Some parts of the kitchen certainly can be built by homeowners. They sell kits for metal cabinets for outdoor kitchens that you can have shipped to you in boxes. Then you assemble the units and stucco them or cover them with another veneer. You can also build units yourself out of masonry blocks and then cover them with stucco.

Some pre-fabricated units can even be shipped to you and lowered into your yard using a forklift. With those, all you have to do is plug them in and you’re ready to roll, says Nathan Angel, in sales with Belgard Hardscapes.

But in all these cases, be sure to get a licensed contractor to hook up the plumbing, electricity and gas lines. You want things done properly and safely.

How my freezing Victorian terraced home sparked a green makeover plan

After experiencing my first bit of proper climate guilt, I'm going to find out how to heat my Victorian terraced house more efficiently

In January, during what seemed like one of the coldest winters on record, I moved home. After almost two years of hunting for the perfect place, then an adequate place, then any place at all with walls and a roof, I had lucked out. A beautiful Victorian terrace appeared on the market not far from where I was already living in north London and my brother and I - who would be sharing the new place with me - jumped on it.

This was the dream: a spare bedroom, high ceilings, a big kitchen, a room just for books and an armchair, even a tiny south-facing garden. And, best of all, it had recently been refurbished and painted so I could move straight in. Given I'm no fan of DIY, this was ideal.

And it was. Well, until the first night. Cast your mind back to the start of this year and you'll recall near-freezing temperatures and winds that could make your bones retreat further into your flesh, anything to stay warm. That first night in the dreamy house, there was a chill in the air. Under my duvet, I shivered, wondering if I'd ever warm up again.

To just slightly mitigate how mollycoddled this makes me sound, consider this: for the past seven years, I had been warmly enveloped in a tiny one-bed flat where the storage heaters kept the place blazing hot even when they were turned down low. It had thick walls, double-glazed windows and, with flats above and below, free insulation all around. The electricity bills were accordingly tiny and I barely thought about the energy I was using or what it might feel like to be cold while asleep. And, no, I've never been camping.

Fortunately, the heating system in the old Victorian terrace was relatively new. So I turned up the thermostat and basked in waves of warmth from the radiators. A week of cooking myself in the house, though, and I began to feel guilty. I was warm but stand next to any of the (beautiful) sash windows and it was easy to feel how much of our heating was just leaking away. The thin windows rattled whenever the biting wind passed by outside; a breeze blew straight through the gaps between our front door and its frame. The kitchen, which we later discovered had no insulation at all in the ceiling, was only warm when the radiator and cooker were both turned up full. In turning up the heating, my brother and I were doing a valiant job of warming the air around our house.

This caused my first bit of proper climate guilt. I had no idea how much energy I was throwing away, how much it cost and, given that I wanted to stay in this house for a long time to come, what impact this heating habit (combined with others like me) would have on the rest of the world.

So we landed here, where I'll be blogging my eco refurb. The first step to greening our house was to find out how energy-inefficient our house really is, using the advice of Green your home's expert panellists Robert Bell at the Energy Saving Trust and eco-home pioneer Russell Smith at Parity Projects. They'll tell me what's wrong with our house, what we've been doing wrong so far in trying to heat it and, hopefully, how to make things better.

Outdoor Spaces Revamp Vegas Homes

Las Vegas’s balmy, sun-drenched days foster a robust outdoor lifestyle. Airy, uncluttered residences have long been in fashion as a result, offering large swaths of glass that bring daylight indoors. Meanwhile outdoor space is increasingly being viewed as an extension of the home. But the very latest in today’s real estate market has taken these concepts one step further and made a blurred boundary between indoors and out a desirable design quality.

“In Las Vegas, outdoor spaces are a part of the home,” says Kristen Routh-Silberman, a luxury property realtor with Synergy Sotheby’s International Realty. “It’s more than a design approach. It’s a lifestyle: outdoor living as indoor living.”

Savvy builders and architects use a variety of tools and techniques to excel backyard living spaces. Glass doors that slide or fold back can accentuate the illusion of uninterrupted space, while indoor flooring that extends outside can further connect the home with its surroundings. Some homes have outdoor living rooms, with oversized furniture and conversation fire pits. Covered patios, screened porches, gazebos, and barbecue islands are familiar fixtures in Southern Nevada, and the backyard has moved to the front stage as a setting for informal gatherings and late-afternoon soirées.

“Bright, cheery places appeal to emotion,” says Rob Jenson, chief executive officer of the Jenson Group. “Homes gain another dimension by going up and out.”

Southern Nevada homes are often oriented to take full advantage of the subtropical climate and surrounding vistas: The better the view, the better the value. Locals and visitors alike have lovingly embraced the southwestern environment for its rugged, indigenous beauty, with Joshua trees, Mojave yucca plants, creosote bushes, and blackbrush plants—plus views of the Spring Mountains, which include Mount Charleston. Sweltering summer heat and dustcarrying winds are a problem local architects, such as Las Vegas–based AssemblageStudio, have learned to address.

“We believe that you can live outside in 110 degree weather and still be comfortable, but the outdoor space has to be done correctly with wind screens and proper ventilation,” says Eric Strain, principal of AssemblageStudio. “The outdoor space is almost a vestibule. It can help adjust your internal thermostat when transitioning from an air-conditioned area to an open-air setting.”

Cleverly arranged desert landscaping can provide sheltering shade that acts as a buffer against the natural elements. Lush, flowering, drought-tolerant trees, plants, and shrubs can additionally suggest an oasis-like setting, or adding hints of water, Strain says, such as arroyos and rivulets, can have a subtle but potent psychological effect that tricks the body into cool-down mode. Other architectural devices for making desert living livable are deep, shaded overhangs, window louvers, and fans.

“We try to screen-direct heat and diffuse daylight into the home,” Strain says. “Or we will place windows away from eye-level, for unexpected views. The effect feels like you’re bringing landscaping into the home.”

Obscuring the line between indoors and out often starts with the glazing: Skillfully placed protective glazing can make a home glow like a lantern at night for a sense of ethereal transparency. Several industry trade tricks can produce this quality as well: Open-flowing floor plans, for instance, allow greater uninterrupted expanses of space that allow daylight to penetrate deeper and further inside a room.

Shelves, reflective hues, and articulated façades can refract and amplify light. Window size and placement, meanwhile, play an important role for achieving an open-air ambience. Clerestory windows, low-lying openings, and skylights can carry light from unexpected angles for uniquely illuminated perspectives that gracefully meld indoors and out.

High ceilings are another device that may lend volume to a room and amplify sunlight for a warm, lustrous feeling that spells “home” for many Southern Nevadans. “People don’t want to feel like they’re inside a dark cave,” Jenson says. “Home buyers really want a ‘wow’ factor with light-filled open floor plans and great views, which add to a sense of space. It’s a quality all the finer homes in Southern Nevada possess.”

Outdoor Speakers

If you're still carting a boom box out to the deck so you can flip burgers to music, it's time to consider the advantages of built-in outdoor audio. Think of how nice it would be to enjoy high-fidelity sound anywhere on your property, without worrying about batteries or extension cords or having to drag yourself out of the hammock every time you need to change the CD. 

Today's rugged, all-weather sound systems are easier than ever to incorporate into your landscape, whether it's a couple of box-type speakers mounted on the outside of the house, or cleverly disguised versions hidden in planters at poolside. "Outdoor speaker companies have really tweaked and perfected the technology and the products," says Scott Trusty, a residential audio/video consultant and installer based in Stamford, Connecticut. "The quality's gotten a lot better, and the components last forever." 

The key to any system's longevity is speakers that can take a beating from Mother Nature. There are two basic types of all-weather speakers: simple bookshelf-type models wrapped in protective casings, and stealth speakers that masquerade as garden rocks, flowerpots, even benches. Although they're made to be left out year-round, outdoor speakers will last longer and look better if installed in a sheltered area, such as under the eaves for box-type speakers or, in the case of rocks and planters, protected by natural cover like trees and bushes.

Soundscape and Acoustics

Planning Your Soundscape

The first thing to consider when embarking on an outdoor audio project is simply, How big an area do you want to fill with sound? If you only plan to listen on the deck, for example, two box speakers mounted 8 to 10 feet up on the side of the house, angled down toward the middle of the deck, might be enough. But if you have a deck with an adjacent pool or recreation area (or both), you'll need speakers in multiple locations. As a rule, one pair of speakers can cover 200 to 400 square feet. Alternate between left and right channels throughout the area, so wherever you are, you'll always be listening in stereo. 

Think about where on the property people will be gathering, and plan for speakers as close as possible to the audience. Otherwise, you'll have to crank the volume too high, risking distorted sound and the ire of your neighbors. To avoid sound traveling where it isn't wanted, try to direct speakers away from neighboring properties wherever possible. 

Getting the Best Acoustics

The next question to ask yourself is, What kind of listening do you plan to do? The quality of the experience you seek — soothing background music, hard-driving rock, or symphonies on the lawn — will determine what type of speakers and how much power you need. 

Most outdoor speakers are "two-way," meaning they consist of a tweeter, which covers the high-tinny sound spectrum, and the woofer, which provides the bass and mid-range sounds. There are also subwoofers disguised as rocks for audiophiles who want to pump up the bass, and omnidirectional speakers that can be buried in the ground and project sound 360 degrees, say from the middle of a flower bed to the areas on either side. 

Keep in mind that an outdoor system can't take advantage of the reflective surfaces that make indoor speakers more efficient. "The acoustic realities of an outdoor environment are drastically different," says Tony Satariano, director of sales and marketing for Denver speaker manufacturer Rockustics. "The floor, the walls, the ceiling — all contribute to the fidelity of the speaker. Outside, you don't get that." And you do get ambient noise from passing cars, chirping crickets, and kids at play. 

So you need speakers with enough oomph to overcome those natural obstacles, as well as an amplifier with sufficient wattage to power them. The most common mistake people make with outdoor systems is underpowering them, Satariano says, which can lead to distorted sound from overworking the amp or, worse, blown speakers. Most outdoor speakers require at least 40 watts per channel, so make sure your receiver can deliver at least that amount. If your area is large, try to spread the load among multiple speakers. "Use as many speakers as you can," says Scott Trusty. "It's better to use multiple speakers softly than just two speakers trying too hard." 

Installation and Wiring

What's true of outdoor speakers is equally true of the wiring that connects them — it must be rugged enough to carry sufficient power over long distances while it withstands the harshest of elements year-round. Most professionals use at minimum 16-gauge "direct-burial" cable, which is designed to go right into the ground, and bury it at least 12 inches deep. (The plastic casing of indoor speaker wire isn't thick enough to protect the copper within from moisture damage.) Some communities require all outdoor wiring to be run through conduits; double-check the code in your area. 

You don't want to have to dig up the wire to relocate speakers once your system is installed, so before burying the cable, test out the speakers to see how they sound in the locations you have planned. 

Controlling It From Your Lounge Chair

Outdoor speakers can be integrated into an existing home-audio control system, or you can mount a separate all-weather control port on the side of the house or out by the pool. If you're piggy-backing on your indoor sound system, you'll need to invest in a zone selector with volume controls that allow you to set sound levels for indoors and outdoors separately; you don't want to blow out the eardrums of people in the living room while your buddies are having an air-guitar competition on the lawn. 

Some installers recommend a separate receiver just for the outdoor setup. "It's a good way to go, because it will reduce the load on the amplifier inside," says Alan Poltrack, president of Video Installations Plus in Hartsdale, NY. "You can get a receiver for a couple hundred dollars." 

Now that you've got your outdoor audio bases covered, the only challenge remaining is what you're going to listen to: Beethoven, the baseball game, or the Beach Boys for the pool party? 

Remove House Paint

Want To Remove House Paint? Get Your Arsenal Ready.

If painting a house's exterior is a dreaded activity, then removing paint during the prep stage is an even more dreaded activity.

The first thing you should know is that there is no single tool that will remove house paint in every instance and form. Rather, you need to think of yourself as a warrior fighting a battle against bad, peeling, alligatored, loose, and otherwise insubstantial existing paint--that is, paint will not provide a solid base for the next layer of paint.

Even with that said, tool manufacturers and solvent companies for ages have been promoting the "miracle paint stripper" for all of your house paint problems. Ahhh...if only it were that easy.
So, we present to you a series of tools and solvents that you can use at your option to remove exterior house paint during the prep stage of your next painting project.

The Paint Shaver
What Is It?: 
Lots of tools claim to shave paint, but there is one brand-name tool called The Paint Shaver that does just that--and well. It's a tool used by pro painters to remove paint with relative ease. A vacuum sucks away stripped debris and collects it for later disposal.

How Effective? (1-10): 
9

What You Won't Like:: 
The Paint Shaver is ultra-expensive, starting at $600 (July 2011). It's bulky, too.

What You Will Like:: 
It's the tool-to-end-all-tools for removing paint from your house exterior.

Will a Heat Gun "Melt Away" Your Paint Removal Problems?

What Is It?: 
An electric gun or scraper pulling 1,000 watts or more to soften paint for easier scraping.

How Effective? (1-10): 
8

What You Won't Like:: 
Heat guns and scrapers are slooow--but they do work. Also, if you are squeamish about matters such as potentially burning down your house, you may want to stay away from heated implements. While this probably will not happen, it's never a good thing to combine high temperatures with dry wood.

What You Will Like:: 
You can also use heat guns for other purposes, such as gently thawing frozen pipes.

Manually (and Cheaply) Remove Paint From House with Scraper

What Is It?: 

A manual paint scraper, probably the oldest and most reliable way to scrape paint. It helps to use a neat little implement called an 8-In-1 Painter's Tool.

Compare Prices - Paint Scrapers

How Effective? (1-10): 

7

What You Won't Like:: 

It takes a lot of muscle-work to scrape paint with a manual scraper.

What You Will Like:: 

With a manual scraper you have plenty of control--little chance of gouging the material underneath.

Wire Brush

What Is It?: 
A brush with tines made of wire.
How Effective? (1-10): 
3

What You Won't Like:: 
It only scrapes off loose, peeling paint. A wire brush is more for tidying up an area of peeling paint than for scraping off paint.

What You Will Like:: 

Wire brushes are cheap and quick to put into action (as opposed to something like a sander, which needs some set-up time).

Using Electric Sander to Remove House Paint

What Is It?: 
Electric sander, either corded or cordless.

How Effective? (1-10):
5

What You Won't Like::
Like the wire brush, the electric sander isn't really a paint scraper. It really excels at ripping and smoothing away loose edges of paint. But it's a great way to identify where to stop scraping. For example, if you hit the paint-edge with your sander and it doesn't immediately rip up, you've probably reached solid paint.

What You Will Like::
If you're not careful, you can easily gouge the house siding.