Essential Exterior Building Products for the Cape Cod Cottage: A Builder’s Tour Building a home that stands up to coastal weather while maintaining timeless charm requires selecting the right exterior products. The 2020 Cottage on the Cape, a project house from This Old House, demonstrates how thoughtful material choices come together to create a durable, […]
Transforming a dark, underutilized basement into a vibrant workspace is one of the most rewarding home improvement projects a homeowner can undertake. The Cottage on the Cape Idea House, featured by This Old House, demonstrated how a once-forgotten basement level could become a colorful, functional workspace that inspires creativity and productivity. Whether you are carving
The Evolution of Modern Framing Materials in Residential Construction House framing has come a long way from the days when builders relied solely on dimensional lumber cut from old-growth forests. Today, modern framing materials offer superior strength, better dimensional stability, and improved energy performance. Whether you are designing a custom home or specifying materials for
The renovation of a 1920s bungalow into a net-zero energy home is one of the most instructive case studies in modern sustainable construction. Featured in This Old House’s 40th-anniversary season, the Jamestown Net-Zero House in Rhode Island demonstrates how blending historic charm with cutting-edge energy technology can produce a home that is both beautiful and
How Celebration, Florida Pioneered New Urbanism in Planned Community Construction Celebration, Florida stands as one of the most ambitious planned community experiments in modern American history. Developed by The Walt Disney Company in the 1990s, this 4,900-acre town south of Orlando was conceived as a living laboratory for new urbanism principles: walkable neighborhoods, mixed-use town
When designing or remodeling a home, built-in storage and efficiency features can dramatically improve both functionality and aesthetics. The 2016 Farmhouse at Emerson Green Idea House from This Old House demonstrated how thoughtful built-in solutions transform everyday living spaces. From the living room to the garage, strategic storage and smart design choices create homes that
Insulation is one of the most cost-effective investments a homeowner can make. By slowing heat movement through walls, ceilings, roofs, and floors, it reduces energy bills and keeps indoor spaces comfortable year-round. Every building material slows heat transfer to some degree, but dedicated insulation products create a much more effective barrier that keeps conditioned air
When planning an outdoor shelter such as a patio cover or gazebo, material choice affects the appearance, structural integrity, and long-term maintenance of the finished project. Wood remains the preferred option for most residential applications because of its natural beauty, workability, and proven performance under varied weather conditions. The main framing elements, including posts, beams,
Composting is nature’s way of recycling organic material into rich, dark humus that improves garden soil and supports healthy plant growth. Understanding the decomposition process helps gardeners produce high-quality compost more efficiently, turning kitchen scraps and yard waste into a valuable soil amendment rather than sending them to a landfill. Just as a builder needs
Bamboo is emerging as a transformative material in the construction industry, offering a path toward concrete reinforcement that is both stronger and more environmentally sustainable. While steel-reinforced concrete has long dominated global construction, researchers are now demonstrating that processed bamboo fibers can match or even exceed steel in tensile strength when properly integrated into concrete
