Mike McClintock

Before dry cleaning and plastic bags, there were cedar closets. Surrounded by the insect-repelling properties of aromatic red cedar, woolens emerged from summer storage without holes or the pungent odor...

A third of all house fires start where one has already been started on purpose — at the kitchen stove. According to the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) there are more...

Most roofs have three-tab strip shingles — the granular-coated, asphalt-based system that sheds water from it's overlapping layers. But even the best installations have two weak links — valleys and...

Installing laminate flooring is like doing a jigsaw puzzle — you have to keep track of the big picture and fit pieces together. But two jobs that might stop some...

When the government stops collecting money long enough to hand out rebates and tax credits, consumers pounce. Incentives stimulated car sales with Cash for Clunkers, and they're stimulating energy-saving home...

Suspended ceilings hang from joists, which decreases headroom by at least a few inches. But the loss in ceiling height has two payoffs. It provides room for extra insulation —...

Circular saws are the tools that build houses — and just about everything where lumber is cut. Large models can handle beams, small models can handle trim and interchangeable blades...

Bad weather and the change of seasons can be tough on houses, causing caulking to pop, paint to peel and even cracking concrete. Then, with the house open at the...