Seasonal Upkeep & SafetyGuide
Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms: Placement, Testing and Replacement
Alarms are only useful if they are in the right places and still work. Check the date on the back: smoke alarms expire after 10 years.
Guides
Home repair guides that tell you where to stop
Step-by-step, written by the people who do these repairs for a living. Each guide lists what you will need, shows the date it was last checked, and says plainly when to put the tools down.
Exterior, Decks & FencesGuide
Re-Caulking Windows and Siding: When, What Caulk and How
Exterior caulk is a cheap seal doing an important job. Once it cracks or pulls away, water gets behind trim and siding. Here is how to redo it properly.
Seasonal Upkeep & SafetyGuide
Your First-Year Homeowner Checklist
The first year in a house is when you learn where everything is. Do these jobs early and every later repair gets easier and cheaper.
Exterior, Decks & FencesGuide
Deck Check: Spotting Rot, Loose Rails and Failing Ledger Boards
Most deck failures start where you cannot see them from the patio chair: at the ledger board, the posts and the stair stringers. Here is a 30-minute check.
Roofing & GuttersGuide
Reading a Ceiling Stain: Roof Leak, Plumbing or Condensation?
A brown ring on the ceiling tells you more than you might think. Where it is, when it appeared and whether it grows all point to the cause.
Doors, Windows & DraftsGuide
A Door That Sticks or Won’t Latch: Hinges, Strike Plates and Swelling
Nine times out of ten, a sticking door is a loose top hinge, not a door that needs planing. Start with a screwdriver and a 3-inch screw.
Heating & CoolingGuide
Before You Call for HVAC Service: Six Checks That Take Ten Minutes
Plenty of service calls end with a dead thermostat battery or a switch someone bumped. Run through these six checks first; they take about ten minutes.
Roofing & GuttersGuide
Cleaning Gutters Safely: Ladder Setup, Tools and Downspout Checks
Gutter cleaning is simple work done in an unsafe place. Most of this guide is about the ladder, because that is where people get hurt.
Electrical & LightingGuide
Why a Breaker Keeps Tripping (and the Fixes That Are Yours to Make)
A breaker that trips is doing its job. The question is why. Most of the time it is too much plugged into one circuit, and the fix is moving one appliance.
Walls, Floors & CeilingsGuide
Squeaky Floors: Finding the Cause From Above and Below
A squeak is wood rubbing on wood or on a nail. Find the exact spot, close the gap, and it goes quiet. If you can reach the joists from below, the fix is easier.
Heating & CoolingGuide
Furnace Filters: Which Rating, What Size, How Often
The filter is the cheapest part of your heating system and the one most often ignored. Here is how to buy the right one and keep it changed.
Electrical & LightingGuide
GFCI Outlets: What They Do and How to Reset or Test One
Half the “dead outlet” calls we get are a tripped GFCI in another room. Here is how they work, how to find the one that tripped, and when to replace it.
PlumbingGuide
Find and Test Your Main Water Shut-Off Before You Need It
When a pipe bursts, the minutes it takes to find the main valve are the minutes that ruin a floor. Find yours today and make sure it actually turns.
Walls, Floors & CeilingsGuide
Patching Drywall: Nail Pops, Fist-Size Holes and Everything Between
Patching drywall is easy. Making the patch invisible takes patience: thin coats, wide feathering and primer before paint. Here is how we do it.
PlumbingGuide
Fixing a Running Toilet: Flapper, Fill Valve or Something Else?
A toilet that hisses or refills on its own is almost always one of three parts. Here is how to tell which, and how to swap it in about half an hour.
Doors, Windows & DraftsGuide
Weatherstripping a Door: Choosing the Right Type and Fitting It
If you can see daylight around a closed door, you are heating the outdoors. New weatherstripping takes about an hour and costs less than a month of the draft.
Optional · stop anytime
A short reminder before each season
What to check, clean or shut off, four to six times a year. Email, text, or both.