Milwaukee Tool just introduced two new job specific blades for the SAWZALL. The Ductwork SAWZALL blade and the Drywall SAWZALL blade. Each blade has been designed and tested to to eliminate specific user frustrations when working with those types…
Singing in the shower just got a whole lot more fun…
Upgrade to a backpack blower for more power and more fun…
Santa knows all about fire safety so we weren’t surprised when he teamed up with The Home Depot and Kidde to donate smoke alarms to local fire departments across the country. We arrived for the Kid’s Workshop that Home…
I missed the LA Auto Show but not this year. I attended the media only events yesterday and got a first look at the cars and trucks before the public which was nice as there was no bustling crowds…
We’re hanging Christmas lights this weekend and wish we could upgrade to this new fiberglass stepladder from DeWALT. It features a 25% great step surface and each step has a slip-resistant surface. Our aluminum ladder can be treacherous to…
Shopping for side-by-sides is fun trip my boys will always join me on. …
The holidays are a great time to keep home safety top of mind. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), between 2005 and 2009, U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated annual average of 240 home fires that…
We do our fair share of cooking and we truly value the experience of using a high quality knife. Using a good knife just makes your life better, right? Enter the Superbread Fusionwood knife from New West Knives out…
Do-It-Yourself apps are nothing new but Stanley just announced it’s redesigned level app which is now available on the iPad and iPhone 5. This app is free and available in cherry wood or FatMax yellow. We think this app…
Your riding mower worked hard all summer but that doesn’t mean it gets a break when winter arrives. It’s a great time to give your riding mower a full-checkup but then put it back to work clearing snow. John…
Milwaukee Tool has just introduced the new M4 2-Speed Screwdriver which signifies their commitment to the 4V category or cordless tools. “At Milwaukee, we remain focused on our core users. Our goal for M4 is to create a variety…
We use our smartphone to arm our Iris home alarm but if you want even more control you can now lock and unlock your door with the Lockitron. The unit slides over your current deadbolt and can be controlled…
I’ve arrived! That’s me on the homepage of BobVila.com! I’m honored to be selected as a Bob Vila Blogstar this year. They published a nice piece about me and my workshop as well as profiling Charles & Hudson and…
The iconic Hollywood sign has been in need of a facelift for a few years. It’s been painted and repainted but the taggers always seem to get to it. They have typically just painted over the graffiti and onto…
We’re a no shoes household and with the baby we’ve become even more strict about that rule. But it can be tough to always remove your shoes each time you come in and out of your home and contrary…
There is a lot to like about Blaklader work pants. I first saw these at a Bosch tool event last year and I had never heard of this amazing brand from Sweden. I spoke to Marcus Carlberg the President…
I literally wear these pants everyday. No seriously, almost everyday. I’ve got a couple Carhartt jackets and hats which I only use when it’s cold out and I was expecting these pants to be much heavier and bulkier as…
Since moving to LA from NYC last year I thought I’d be doing a lot more surfing. It hasn’t worked out like that. As soon as the water got warm the waves went flat. I guess that’s par for…
Happy Thanksgiving…
There are a bunch of lists out there rating the best home improvement blogs but in my experience these blogs are the ones I always read first. To make my list the blogs must be updated daily, have expert…
Last year we partnered with IKEA to help them find a deserving firehouse in need of a “Rescue Remodel” and this year IKEA and The Family Handyman are back at it, only this time they will be offering a…
Dremel has recently introduced the Saw-Max which is a heavy-duty cutting power tool. It’s designed to cut through any material and makes quick work of wood, sheet metal, tile and masonry. It’s extremely easy to use and fits in…
Thrive Home Furnishings has helped us navigate the tricky world of buying furniture online and they have also shared some great insight in how you can make mid-century modern furniture work in your home so you can achieve that…
Black and Decker has remove the on/off switch in their compact powered screwdriver and replaced it with gyroscopic technology that can sense the direction your wrist turns. This removes the directional button and trigger and makes it the easiest…
A knife plus a flashlight in one tool is one of those combinations that everyone should have. LED’s are in almost every power tool and we’ve used our cordless drill as a flashlight many times, but for some reason…
Craftsman continues to innovate in the cordless tool market for do-it-yourselfers with many new products to help with gardening and around the house. They’re now making a natural push into the workwear category and because they are a Sears…
Last week we shared some tips for buying furniture online and our focus was on mid-century modern which has become the darling style of designers everywhere. And for good reason, the clean lines and solid colors work well with…
Everyone knows that the housing industry in Las Vegas was one of the most overinflated and hardest hit in the country. A result of this has been a massive stock of foreclosed and empty homes which have been ripe…
My Danner hiking boots are almost 20 years old and although I don’t use them very much they have held up better than any boots I’ve ever had. They are capable of so much more terrain than I have…
Due to the drought, many wasps, yellow jackets and flies have begun to forge in people’s green yards and gardens. Besides being a nuisance these bugs can be aggressive and dangerous. In situations like this, some homeowners even turn…
Next week designjunction in London opens. This show has become one of the finest showcases of international design brands in the world and this year they are featuring Tramshed which will have a huge impact on the show which…
DeWALT is known for their contractor grade recip saws that you will find on most jobsites, but sometimes you don’t need all that brute power but rather a tool that can perform tasks that no other tool can. This…
The jigsaw is one of our most used power tools and we love our cordless Milwaukee M12 jigsaw, but when we are cutting large sheets of plywood we need a bit more power and runtime and the new DeWALT…
We are already fans of the Kwikset SMARTKEY re-keying system which allows you to re-key locks in seconds and saves you the time and expense of replacing locks or calling a locksmith. Kwikset has recently introduced a new entry…
Our bathroom sink has been a slow drainer for a few months and we’ve used drano and a Zip-It to no avail. The next step was to remove the p-trap and see what was lurking down below. Our home…
Denim jeans are the default work pants that most of us wear while tackling do-it-yourself jobs around the house. But the trades have always known that jeans simply can’t stand up to the demands of their jobs which require…
iPads are a great for many reasons but one of them is for exploring real estate. The iPad has a lot of great real estate apps available in their store that can help you search for listings while driving…
There has been a rash of break-ins in our neighborhood, so when Lowe’s asked if we wanted to check out their new home security system called IRIS we jumped at the chance. We had a preview of IRIS last…
The Dremel Trio is one of the most unique tools available and is our latest Giveaway. It’s a hybrid that can cut, sand and rout and does all three very well thanks to it’s 90-degree pivoting handle. Check out…
This summer we traveled to New York to check out the Lowe’s Designer Charity Challenge. We were inspired by what all three designers were able to accomplish using Lowe’s 2012 outdoor collection as well as other items from the…
This month we’ve had the pleasure of sharing a ton of painting tips from YOLO Colorhouse which produces a premium zero VOC paint. We know the advantages to using zero VOC paint, how to choose a color palette and…
It's hard to imagine the Olympics without wrestling which has been a part of the Olympics since ancient times. This video narrated by Jay Mohr shares reasons why wrestling is different than most other sports and why it's inclusion…
The smart home revolution is taking hold and one area of constant innovation is the thermostat. Having complete control over the heating and cooling is vital to saving energy and money and a new breed of thermostats does more…
Painting is beloved by DIYers for the incredible transformation that can occur in a space with minimal cost, effort, and supplies. For bigger projects, however, professional painting companies can save time and help deliver a more polished result. That…
Let the weeds go wild and enjoy a colorful meadow in your own backyard…
We’re looking for a few enthusiastic interns to work out of our West LA office a couple of days a week through the end of the year. Responsibilities vary widely, hours are flexible, but we do want people who…
Deciding to paint a room is the easy part, but actually choosing a color can be very difficult. In part II of our summer paint series sponsored by YOLO Colorhouse, we look at what color means and tips for…
Last month we had an opportunity to check out a Chevy Volt for few days. This was my first experience with an electric car and the only other hybrid I have driven was a rented Prius for a few…
The smart home market is booming and technology companies are jumping at the chance to help you control and monitor your home’s systems which include temperature, security and energy use. For the first time a national retailer is entering…
I’ve been on the lookout for an overnight bag that can handle a change of clothes, a couple of books and my laptop. Sounds like a simple task but most duffel bags leave the impression that I just left…
John Deere is known for creating workhorse machinery that suits commercial and hobby farmers, but they are spreading their wings into the off-road enthusiast market an have introduced a high-performance version of their recreational utility vehicle – the Gator…
One of our most popular articles this year was our laundry room makeover. We are fortunate enough to have a separate laundry room area but it was in bad shape and we needed to give it a fresh look…
The 4th of July is the most popular day for outdoor cooking and for years we always grilled burgers and dogs but recently we acquired a Brinkmann smoke and grill and wanted to smoke a pork butt for the…
In April I had the overwhelming pleasure of being included on the VIP Press Tour of the Coverings Tile show, an international trade show for all facets of the tile and stone industry, held in Orlando, Florida. For three…
We don’t cover recipes but a friend sent over this amazing recipe for smoked pork shoulder (pork butt) and brisket. It seems appropriate to share this as the 4th of July is next week and many of you will…
If you are looking for inspiration in home design, Houzz is a great place to start. They have more than 500,000 photos from designers that you can clip and save in your “ideabook” for easy reference. Houzz also has…
Peak backyard grilling season is coming up and in honor of the great American tradition of celebrating the 4th of July while cooking outdoors, Char-Broil surveyed 3,000 Americans from across the country to see what they were eating and…
Everyday the ocean reveals a bit of itself as the tide recedes and in areas of shallow shoreline the trapped water becomes a tide pool that can contain an amazing variety of marine life including seaweeds, coral, mussels, crabs,…
STIHL makes professional grade cordless outdoor power equipment which means these tools are sturdy, have great runtime and can be a bit heavy. They are built primarily for commercial use for landscapers who work in areas that have noise…
It’s hard to go wrong with power tools as a gift for dad and Father’s Day is a great time to set him up with some new gear. Don’t think you need to spend an arm and a leg…
There are a lot of plans available for building backyard BBQ grills but this is this is the first do-it-yourself smoker we’ve seen and it’s courtesy of Popular Mechanics. They’ve provided a great step-by-step tutorial that requires a few…
We get swept up in the drama of reality shows which are anything but real and for many of us we take the skepticism of what might not be “real” and tuck it away so we can revel in…
Everyone has a father but clearly not everyone is a dad. We’ve rounded up some projects that non-dads will enjoy that are best achieved sans kids. Weed Burning – Break out the torch! Moving Appliances – Heavy and awkward…
We’ve got some info that all of our pro readers will appreciate and that includes: contractors, house-flippers and serious DIYers. While only four percent of The Home Depot’s customers are Pros, more than 30 percent of the company’s sales…
Helipads are firmly entrenched in the luxury sector as we are in awe when we see them on yachts, top of hotels and even in home’s, but more often helipads are used to transport patients and organs quickly from…
The E3 Expo has nothing to do with home improvement but but everything to do with in-home entertainment and since it’s here in LA I needed to take a look. For three days the Los Angeles Convention Center becomes…
I’ve been on the lookout for a small axe to use on camping trips as well as for longer expeditions out into the backcountry. Typical wood handled axes seem always seemed bit heavy and one-dimensional but the multi-purpose SOG…
Up from the hippy surf town of Paia on the North Shore of Maui sits the tranquil boutique resort called Lumeria Maui. We’ve had the pleasure of visiting the last two years as the founder, Xorin Balbes, has made…
We just read a study that said basement media rooms are on the decline. It seems that just a few years ago the media room was all the rage and every new home had to have a “man cave”…
Last week we were invited back to New York to attend a sneak preview of Lowe’s Designer Challenge. Last year’s Lowe’s event with Nate Berkus was such a huge hit we knew they would hit the mark again and…
For years developers have been scraping the topsoil (8-12 inches) from properties and selling it to sod farms. It’s another way that land can be monetized and topsoil is a valuable commodity that contains minerals and nutrients from years…
This was the first time we’ve attended the International Contemporary Furniture Fair and we found it fascinating. It’s held at the Jacob Javits center in New York which is a huge tradeshow complex on the Westside. The beautiful furniture…
I’m back in New York this week and have had the pleasure to attend a couple of events and visit with some old friends and colleagues. It’s also the first time we’ve traveled with our 8-month old son and…
Last year we teamed up with United Mayflower to help them spread the word about their container storage service. We’re doing another Giveaway this year offering a free month of container storage as well as a $50 Gift Card…
We were invited to preview a collection called HomeMint curated by Estee Stanely and Justin Timberlake. Ms. Stanley is a well-known interior designer but this is new territory for Mr. Timberlake who is better known as an entertainer/musician. It…
A couple months ago I checked out the NexGen grass seed lab and the Pennington Seed factory in Oregon and received some valuable information on lawn care as well as a hands-on look at their 1 Step Complete combo…
After you’ve finished prepping your yard and patio for Spring, consider setting up an outdoor bar area to take full advantage of the warm weather. There’s nothing more enjoyable than hosting happy hour from the comfort of your own…
Since I’ve converted to using an iPhone case I’ve had an opportunity to review a few of the more durable cases available. One of the strongest, if not strangest, iPhone cases is the TANK from Case-Mate. The protection is…
Brushless motors are coming on strong and this year DeWALT introduced a brushless version of their popular 20V MAX impact driver. DeWALT claims that the brushless motor has 57% more runtime than a DeWALT brushed motor and because of…