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Welcome to House-Improvements.com

Welcome to the site. We have developed this site to provide you with instructional articles and videos on how to do common and not so common DIY home improvement projects as well as articles on various other topics that are important to any property owner or renter. Whenever possible we provide photos, illustrations and videos to help make things easier for you.

We are always adding new articles and videos, so be sure to add us on your favorites and keep checking back to see what's new. We are also on facebook if you want to check out our fan page.

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We've recently launched a new Home Improvement Forum where you can ask Shannon questions pertaining to your home improvement or repair issues. It's totally free, just click the Forums link in the top navigation bar.

Recent Home Improvement Forum Discussions

Vinyl shutters
I would like to know what is the best way to secure vinyl/plastic window shutters to my new vinl siding? I was not sure if using screws into my new siding was advisable. Thank you, bill...

Leak on my brand new shower tray?
Hi there folks, I would be greatful if anyone could help me with giving me available tips on how to sort my leak on my shower tray.Its been put in by a local plumber who I cant get hold of know has you would imagined. Some one has told me to use CT1 silicone on the edges where i think its leaking from. Thanks...

Vinyl Siding
Hi Shannon I have a question. I am putting up vinyl siding and I have a pellet stove vent with a 13X13 inch square metal that protects the hot pipe from the building. I need to find out how to get a vinyl block that large to fit this piece of metal. Or do I just j channel around it. If I do that water may get in around th...

J Channel Around Windows And Doors
My home has wood siding on it and I want to install vinyl siding but I noticed around my windows and doors that the J Channel will stick up past the window and door casing and it does not look good at all. Is there anything I can do? Shouldnt the J Channel sit pretty flush with the outside window casing? If anyone has any I...

Vinyl Siding to rubber roof
Shannon I have a question: I have put up my vinyl siding and where the j channel meets the rubber roof I am not sure how to connect the 2 together for a water tight seal. Before the siding went up I uses galv termination metal strips to fasten the rubber to the wood siding. Seems that wont work now. I was thinking of Rubbe...

Cutting Vinyl Siding
Shannon your videos have been very helpful. I do have a question on cutting the vinyl around an an outside faucet and an electrical box outlet. What must I do in this case? Thanks Bill (Massachusetts) ...

New Video: How To Remove Popcorn Ceiling
FYI, Shannon has hosted another detailed video, this one on the topic of removing popcorn (stipple) ceiling. Check it out @ http://youtu.be/09Q4JQ3p8yg Our YouTube channel has been very popular, we've passed the 1,000,000 views mark and have just under 2,000 subscribers which get notified when we upload a new video. If ...

Hanging drywall on 8.5 foot walls
Hello Shannon, I watched your 40 minute video on youtube regarding hanging drywall and it gave me lots of useful tips to hang drywall, such as going past the door and window opening, staggering joints for a sturdiness, and bullnose corners. I have a dilemma. I have 103 inch walls in my basement, so I have standard 1/2...

Drywall fixes
The builder of our house really screwed us on many features of the home, my current issue I'm trying to fix is the joints on almost all of drywall pieces. It appears they did not utilize any tape and just applied one swipe of joint compound. The inside corners appear they used a finger trowel. My question is; should I us...

DIY vinyl siding
The videos rock; simple, comprehensive, and confidence building. Love the tool explanations and little secrets the professionals rarely divulge. After watching them decided to vinyl side my house myself, but having trouble finding the supplies here in Bakersfield, California; suggestions? Also looking for an interactive w...

Adding to an existing Concrete Slab
Hello again- Since I was so successful in getting answers on my Fiber Cement Siding (Thanks Shannon!) I thought I would tackle one of my other (many) projects... I have a detatched garage at the end of my driveway that is in dire need of being rebuilt. I would like to extend the current slab, and enlarge the footprint of t...

basement vapour barrier/insulation
Hi Shannon, I am finishing the basement in my home and may have made a mistake! The house has a walkout basement, so some walls are above grade and some below. I framed the interior walls in 2 x 6 on 16 inch centres. I was going to insulate and have now read that I should have run poly down the concrete walls before fr...

Fiber Cement Board Siding... Where to start?
Hello- New to the forum, but certainly not to DIY Home Improvement... I am trying to learn as much as possible before starting this next project, and hope the forum can provide some answers. The house is in Westchester County, New York, (about an hour from NYC) and is a 1928 Single Story Ranch style. It currently has pai...

A couple siding questions
Great videos to start with! I'm about to start re-siding my house. Its old, and underneath the current aluminum siding looks like old school 3/4" tongue and groove. So, after calling the town building department, I'm going to go with house wrap and 3/4" insulation board to bring it up to code. A couple questio...

New Video Uploaded: How To Install a GFCI Receptacle
FYI we have uploaded another video featuring Shannon, this one is on installing a GFCI receptacle. [url:2zpddtdl]http://youtu.be/jaSnPX4ZYxA[/url:2zpddtdl] We have a related article, on the topic of changing a razor receptacle to a GFCI one here on our site. That article can be found at [url:2zpddtdl]http://ww...

Recent Articles

How To Connect Multiple Light Fixtures To One Switch
I have a video showing how to conect a recessed light (pot light) to a switch but usually most people want more than one light on a switch. So this article will explain the easiest way to connect multiple light fixtures to one switch. But you may want to watch the video as well.

How To Replace a Razor Plug with a GFCI Receptacle
In the bathrooms of many of our homes that are Pre-1980's you will probably have a plugin in the wall with a large front cover and a small single plugin the middle. These where for razors most of them are so large because there is a small transformer behind there that reduces the voltage so it can be used by razors that did not need 120 volts of electricity.

How To Refinish Hardwood Floors
Just about anyone who has older hardwood floors in their home or has discovered they have them under their carpet has thought about refinishing them. It is true you could hire someone to do this task, but if you have ever gotten it priced out you were probably surprised by the cost.

How To Construct an Arched Opening
Many times people will create an opening through a wall between two rooms similar to a large window opening to try to make their home feel more open or bigger. These openings really can make a big difference but adding an extra feature to them like an arched top makes them more appealing to the eye...

How To Install Hardwood Flooring
Installing hardwood flooring can make a dramatic improvement to any room in your home! Installing the hardwood is not that difficult but does require a couple of specialty tools to do the job right. Most importantly you need an air compressor and hose as well as a flooring nailer/stapler.

Dishwasher Buying Guide
So its finally time to replace that old inefficient dishwasher with a new energy efficient model. The choices seem endless when you start to look around. Every manufacturer has many different models and all different price ranges. How do you decide?...

How To Install Bifold Closet Doors
Installing a bifold closet door is a fairly quick and easy DIY project as long as the door opening you are trying to install it into is the correct size and fairly square.Measuring your opening first will help you determine if...

How To Insulate An Attached Garage
Insulating an attached garage has some special considerations that you must address differently then a unattached garage. The most important issue is that attached garages must have a system in place, to keep carbon monoxide (CO2) from a running vehicle inside the garage, from filtering through the walls and ceiling into the house.

How To Install Insulation In Your Walls
To insulate a wall cavity you have pretty much two different ways to do it. You can either have someone spray foam it or you yourself can install batt style insulation. In this article I will explain to you how to install batt insulation or as sometimes referred to as fiberglass insulation.

DIY New Home Construction
So you think you want to take on building your own home as a D.I.Y.er ! Or at the very least you want to act as your own general contractor and as well do what you are comfortable with tackling yourself. Well this can be a very rewarding but also risky undertaking.

How To Install Poly Vapor Barrier
Installing polyethylene (poly) to the warm side of a exterior wall is very important. This is generally referred to as installing vapour barrier because the main function is to stop the warm moist air in your home from entering the cold interior space inside of your wall cavity.