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“When my dad brought plywood scraps home from job sites, we added them to any of the neighborhood forts we had going,” Kevin says. He built a tree house for his own kids but points out that a simple platform provides plenty of fun: “All they really want to do is climb up, look down, and throw things at each other.” Kevin and TOH general contractor Tom Silva built the platform for the Bicers’ son and daughter out of pressure-treated wood, and supported it with specialty hardware that requires just four holes through the tree’s vital cambium layer....

Instead of the birch used in the original, Tom chose to make the bench out of ipe decking, a dense hardwood that’s prized for its rich hue, knot-free surface, and durability. Its sawdust can irritate nasal passages, so he and Kevin O’Connor hooked up their tools to vacuums when sanding and cutting it. It took them 4 hours to assemble this bench, with $100 in materials. Not a bad investment for a reproduction piece that normally retails for around $1,000....

This trestle-and-slat design from This Old House contributor Christopher Beidel, owner of Pernt, in Brooklyn, New York, should resolve Jean-Guy’s aesthetic quibbles. We hope it works for reader Lisa Emery, who says, “We’re searching for a table that is welcoming and functional. One ready for corn on the cob, potato salad, apple pie, and the Fourth of July.” We’re ready to get you started, but save room for a matching cedar ice chest cooler....

But to function optimally, a bathroom fan must be free of dust and dirt. Generally, it should be cleaned every six months to a year, depending on how much use the bathroom gets and how quickly the cover becomes visibly dirty. (When you see dust gathering on the cover, it’s cleaning time.) A heavy enough buildup of dust and dirt can cause the fan’s motor to burn out—a hazard that should be easily prevented by regular cleaning....

Steps: Tools:

Expert assistance with this project was provided by Decker’s Landscape and Aquatics, Nawada Landscape Design, and New England Aquatic Landscaping. Tools You may choose to rent an excavator to clear the area. Excavator rental

Overview of How to Paint a Striped Wall Project Timeline Prep Day: Lay out a pattern and create the story stick. Saturday: Tape and paint the first set of stripes. Sunday: Tape and paint the second set of stripes, and touch up the entire wall. Download the layout for this striped wall pattern. Step 1: Clean the surface First, turn off the power, remove any receptacle faceplates, and cover each receptacle with painter’s tape....

Steps for repairing a loose newel post Tools

—Jace Laakso, Missoula, Mont. Tom Silva replies: Spalling, the pits that form in concrete, happen when too much water is used in a concrete mix, weakening it. In the past, when a concrete patio or driveway started to show serious signs of aging, using a jackhammer or bringing in a bulldozer were the only repair options. Today there are more practical alternatives. As long as your walkway isn’t cracked all the way through, you can coat the slab with a concrete resurfacer, a no-shrink blend of Portland cement, sand, and polymer additives that fills divots and makes a uniform finish....

Steps for retrofitting cellulose insulation Tools

Steps for transplanting a shrub Tools

Use the prybar to pry the tread slightly away from the riser. Once there’s a sizable gap between the two, slide the reciprocating saw with a metal cutting blade on top of the stringer but underneath the tread. Cut any nails securing the tread to the stringer using the saw. Slide the prybar further underneath the tread and carefully pry it off the stairs. (Be prepared to damage the skirt board while doing this....

On a craggy hillside covered with granite boulders and dense stands of pine trees, with views of majestic Mount Evans in the distance, the foundation is poured and ready to support the three-story, 4,500-square-foot solar-powered home that will take shape there. Dramatic gable and shed rooflines will crown tall windows sited to take in the views and flood the interior with natural light. Exterior feature walls of wood and stone in an earthy palette of browns and grays reflect the rugged mountain environment, but there’s nothing lodge-like about the house’s contemporary lines....

In this episode: Work in Saratoga Springs is starting to wrap up, as is the Center School restoration in Dracut, MA. Kevin O’Connor visits a tech school in Massachusetts where three students, under the guidance of their instructors, are constructing a table for the Centre School. The students assemble the table as Kevin speaks with Carpentry Instructor, Bruce Brown, to learn more about the school. Back at the house, floors are going down....

It’s not easy to please everyone, even in the same family. But that’s exactly what designer Katie Davis and pro organizer Meg Markland were looking to do when remodeling the hall bath in the Houston ranch that Meg shares with her husband, Matt, and son, Harry. Located between the 6-year-old’s bedroom and a guest room, the bath needed to appeal to a young boy as well as overnight visitors—often Harry’s grandparents....

Reset Pathway Stones Sunken stones overrun by grass are not an inviting sight. To reset them, cut away the overgrown grass with a string trimmer to expose the edges of each stone. Use a knife or trowel to cut those edges free from the turf, then work the bent end of a pry bar under the edges of each stone and lift it out. Fill just the recess with stone dust, hand-tamp it level, and lay the stone back in place; it should be sitting flat and on grade....