Do it yourself -- with some online help
By Staff and wire reports
© St. Petersburg Times
published April 20, 2002
Helpful Web sites for do-it-yourselfers:
Better Homes and Gardens Home Improvement Encyclopedia: Log on at bhg.com and browse through the site's extensive projects list. Each project comes with detailed step-by-step instructions illustrated with drawings and photos. Some of the project instructions have animated illustrations with voiceovers, but they're not all that helpful most of the time. A lot of annoying pop-up subscription offers.
The Family Handyman: The Web site that is a companion to The Family Handyman magazine contains past articles and is found at www.familyhandyman.com. Look in the Home Improvement Library for a collection of articles from the magazine. The articles are well-organized and easy to find, and each article gives clear, well-illustrated, easy-to-follow directions.
Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse: Log on at www.lowes.com. The best feature on the site is the How-To Library, which has a decent selection of project instructions and tips. The pages are heavy with advertising, but the information is sound and easy to find.
Home Depot: The site at www.homedepot.com has about 100 illustrated projects arranged in categories such as Fix It or Build It, and they all seem to be complete and clear. Like Lowe's, the site is heavy with advertising.
Housenet: This online magazine is found at www.housenet.com, and it contains a solid selection of articles on home maintenance and repair, plus information on decorating, real estate, sewing and other topics. It has a message board where online visitors can post questions and share information. It's a lively exchange, and most questions receive several answers. An online newsletter is available at the site.
Ron Hazelton's House Calls: The Clearwater native is now home improvement editor on Good Morning America. At www.ronhazelton.com he provides step-by-step instructions with still photos and videos of projects he has worked on with homeowners across the country. He rates the projects by difficulty (good to know before you start) and provides materials lists and estimated costs. There's also "From My Toolbag," a section of quick handy hints.
Remodeling magazine does an annual "Cost vs. Value" survey of 10 common remodeling projects in 60 markets. It estimates their cost and projects what percentage homeowners would recoup if they sold their home within a year. The most recent survey is available online at http://www.remodeling.hw.net (click on "special features."
Related stories
Home Front
Home is where the money goes
Community Living: Former secretary refuses to release minutes
Learn all about associations
Do it yourself -- with some online help
House Values
Homebuyer U
Back to Homes
