Trouble Shooting Baseboard Gaps: How to Scribe

Are you afraid to tackle DIY baseboard because your floors aren’t perfectly level? Well, don’t be! Our basement installation was going pretty smooth when all of a sudden, we were confronted by huge gaping spaces between the floor and the baseboard! If this isn’t the look you’re going for either, read on 😉. Today we’re showing you how to scribe to troubleshoot this common problem. Continue reading

Engineered Hardwood Floor: Basement Installation

If you are considering installing real hardwood in a basement, an engineered hardwood floor should be your only consideration – in conjunction with a dimpled membrane! The membrane will help protect the floor from vapour migration coming up from the concrete slab. It will also protect from minor leaks – as we found out when one of our pipes burst a year after this install! Continue reading

Customize Ikea Cabinets – Laundry Room Makeover

More and more people are realizing that you can customize IKEA cabinets. Even the most experienced carpenters we know buy IKEA boxes and then build their own doors. You just can’t beat the price or convenience. So that’s exactly what we started with when we renovated the laundry room in our basement! Our laundry room makeover will show you how to customize and install Ikea cabinets.  Continue reading

Double Pocket Doors

When we built the mancave and craft studio in the basement, double door access was a must have so we could easily move my industrial equipment into the space. We used a sliding door kit elsewhere in the house and were so happy with the result that it was a no-brainer to install a similar system in our basement. This time, we chose to do pocket doors since we were dealing with new construction. Continue reading

Pond Maintenance: Get Your Pond Ready for Summer!

Pond maintenance is par for the course if you want to enjoy an urban oasis. Are ponds high maintenance? Yup; but there’s a secret to keeping algae at bay if you continue to read. That will help keep maintenance during the season to a minimum.

Opening up the pond for the season is a dirty job. But somebody has to do it – and thankfully, it’s not me! I’m happy to take my place behind the camera to help show you how it’s done 🙂 Continue reading

Sustainable Savings in the Laundry Room

A few years ago, we replaced all our kitchen appliances with Energy Star appliances and are reaping the benefits of energy savings. However, we still have a set of washing machines that my grandmother purchased for me over 20 years ago when I was still single. Given the sentimental value, and the fact that they’re still going strong, I don’t have the heart to replace them. Unfortunately that makes sustainable savings in the laundry room a challenge. They are energy guzzlers; my 1990s electric clothes dryer, for instance, use at least 17 percent more energy than those produced today. Continue reading

Reduce Food Waste: Waste Not Want Not (II)

As you saw in Part I of Waste Not Want Not, in trying to live a more a sustainable lifestyle, it’s important to us to reduce food waste. In Part II, we’re taking it another step further.  Along with reducing food waste, we’re reducing water and excess packaging waste to reduce our environmental impact.

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Renovating for an Aging Population

Have you ever given any thought to renovating for an aging population? Like the needs of an aging parent – or for your own future needs? Aging in place has never crossed our minds until recently! Birdz of a Feather is known for it’s detailed, hands-on DIY tutorials. But today I’m stepping away and taking off my tutorial writing hat to switch it out for one that supports my role as a daughter. Continue reading

Mold Prevention After a Water Leak (Part 2)

Mold prevention – and remediation – after any kind of leak or flood is hugely important because of health implications. We learned a hard lesson last year after the pipe connected to our outdoor faucet burst and caused water damage in my newly built craft room. In that post (part 1), we showed you how we installed a frost proof faucet to repair it and make sure it wouldn’t happen again. Now that it’s Fall, we’d like to remind you to remove the hose from the faucet – even if you have a frost-proof one, so you don’t make the same mistake we did. Leaving a hose connected during the winter is a recipe for disaster! Continue reading