SHOW NOTES: If you're hoping for a lush, green lawn, now is the perfect time to set up your sprinkler system for success. We’ll explain how to dial it in for water efficiency and effectiveness. Building a fence is a great way to improve your home’s curb appeal, home value and keep out the wildlife. Whether it’s a project you want to do yourself – or one you’d plan to hire out for – we’ll share 5 tips to help make sure your fence project is a success! Mulch is an important element to any spring g...
Apr 25, 2022•39 min•Ep. 2199
SHOW NOTES: How’s that Spring cleaning going? A cluttered home can definitely leave you feeling stressed. But clearing the deck of clutter is not something that has to take a huge commitment of time. We’ve got 5 clutter busting tips that can help Are you green with envy over your neighbor’s lush lawn? We’ll help you catch up with Spring lawn care tips to get started on a healthy green lawn. Got Rot? Or is that Termites! Damaged wood can detract from your home’s value. But to make the fix, you fi...
Apr 21, 2022•39 min•Ep. 2198
SHOW NOTES: Looking for family-friendly outdoor activities for you and your little ones? Creating a kid-friendly garden is a great way to get the whole family involved in a fun project! We share some ideas to get started. Spring is a great time to evaluate your roof before big storms happen. If it looks like it’s ready for replacement, don’t plan on that big expense just yet. Tom & Leslie share a much less expensive way to extend its life. Are messy pets creating a decorating dilemma? Are you af...
Apr 18, 2022•40 min•Ep. 2197
SHOW NOTES: Are you ready to add a deck to your backyard for the warmer weather ahead? One simple yet surprisingly simple deck design mistake can lead to a disastrous deck collapse! Find out what’s needed to stay safe and secure. Spring cleaning is not the most popular project but did you there’s now a Top 10 List for the Most Hated Cleaning Jobs? We’ll share the chores most people would like to avoid. If you’re ready to shop for new appliances, did you know there are actually TWO price tags you...
Apr 14, 2022•40 min•Ep. 2196
SHOW NOTES: If you'd love to have a backyard pool but are short of backyard space, I have two words for you: Spool Pool! Learn how to combine the benefits of a pool and spa in one very refreshing backyard feature. Breathing allergy-free air inside your home is more important than ever this time of year. We’ll share ways to make sure the air INSIDE your home is as clean as possible to avoid all that allergy misery! Is your driveway worn, chipped or suffer from nasty oil stains? Tom & Leslie walk ...
Apr 11, 2022•39 min•Ep. 2195
SHOW NOTES: Refreshing your home with new décor for the season is fun – but sometimes the costs add up! If you’re not sure if your budget is ready to handle the hit, we’ve got 5 hacks to help save lots of money decorating your home sweet home. Backyard fire pits are a popular project for Spring – and build one is a project you can do yourself! We walk you through, step-by-step and block-by-block! Adding a backyard deck is one sure-fire way to increase your home's living space. But is building a ...
Apr 07, 2022•39 min•Ep. 2194
SHOW NOTES: If you’ve you made energy saving improvements to your home, those improvements could just help you sell your home even more quickly than the competition. We’ll explain how to capture this added value. Throughout the pandemic, smart home products have become more popular as more people than ever are working from home and using their living spaces in new ways. We'll share the latest innovations. There is nothing worse than stepping foot on a cold icy floor! We share the best ways to ad...
Apr 04, 2022•40 min•Ep. 2193
SHOW NOTES: Adding a beautiful new granite top is a great way to add a little luxury to your kitchen, but granite or stone tops are expensive! We’ll share a less costly alternative that looks just as good. If you love the look of real hardwood but don’t have the budget to manage it, Engineered Hardwood may be a perfect solution. We’ll explain the options. When you take on a painting project, latex paint is the way to go most of the time – but not always. We explain when oil-based paint is the be...
Mar 31, 2022•39 min•Ep. 2192
SHOW NOTES: Planning on selling your home this spring while the market is still hot? Some home features are pretty much guaranteed to turn-off buyers. We’ll share what to avoid or to change before the first potential buyer shows up. Did you know that your appliances may be quietly draining electricity - all day, every day - even when they are turned off? We’ll share solutions to save all that wasted money. Plus, can’t wait for all those spring flowers to bloom? We help, with tips on how to get a...
Mar 28, 2022•39 min•Ep. 2191
SHOW NOTES: With Spring just ahead, is your deck ready? Sun, rain and even insects can damage your deck’s surface, but a good finish can help keep Mother Nature from ruining your deck surface. Tom & Leslie walk you through the project. These days, we spend more time than ever in home offices. We’ll share a couple simple and affordable updates to make your home office space comfortable and productive. It’s almost tax time again – while we’re not tax experts we DO have a pretty good handle on whic...
Mar 24, 2022•39 min•Ep. 2190
SHOW NOTES: Spring is the season of big rainstorms. We’ll have tips on how to make sure your roof is ready for the deluge! Prevent sneezing by replacing air condition filters before allergy season kicks in! Before allergy season kicks in, it’s a good idea to replace the air filter in your heating and cooling system. We’ll share a nifty little device that costs about a dollar and reminds you exactly when that needs to happen. When it comes to floors, it’s easier than ever to be eco-friendly. We’l...
Mar 21, 2022•39 min•Ep. 2189
SHOW NOTES: If you’d like to step up the look of your home’s exterior, a good lighting design can help. We’ll share tips on what you need to know to get that project done. Spaces under decks can be dark, dirty wastelands. But if your deck is a 2nd story, there are lots of ways to add an underdeck ceiling that drains rainwater passing through and really cleans up the look below. If you live in an old house, finding out when your house was built, who lived there, and what changes happened over the...
Mar 17, 2022•39 min•Ep. 2188
SHOW NOTES: The Spring real estate market is heating up with buyers eager to upgrade to a new home. But the features they’re looking for have changed – a lot! We’ll share what today’s home buyers are hot on. Is your family growing? BEFORE you hear the pitter patter of little feet – It’s smart to make sure home sweet home is safe as can be. We share the 9 best ways to baby-proof your money pit. If you’re thinking about taking on a tile project, choosing the right look is only a part of the projec...
Mar 14, 2022•39 min•Ep. 2187
SHOW NOTES: Are ready to update your windows? You may find that it is one pretty confusing experience! We’ll share a simple trick that makes it easy to compare windows and pick the best ones for your home. A garbage disposer is one of those products that - once you own it - you’ll never want to be without it again! We’ll share a few key features that can make all the difference. A dryer exhaust duct has to be properly installed to avoid lint build up that can lead to a fire. But sometimes this i...
Mar 10, 2022•38 min•Ep. 2186
SHOW NOTES: One of the biggest security holes in any home is the garage door. Find out how to make sure your garage door is set up to keep your home safe from intruders, and safe for kid going in and out too! Your house is your biggest investment. But how much should you set aside for home repair and maintenance? Learn a simple formula to help you know what to budget. Stainless steel appliances can be beautiful but costly. We share a DIY trick to get that same stainless steel look for less. Plus...
Mar 07, 2022•39 min•Ep. 2185
SHOW NOTES: If you’d love to add more light to your kitchen, we share a new window trend that aims to do just that, in a very unusual way. Have you ever been surprised by a big electric bill? Find out the most common places energy is wasted. If your bathtub has a worn-out finish, replacing the tub could require a major renovation of your entire bath. We highlight far less costly options to consider. Plus, answers to your home improvement questions: Rich from West Virginia wants to know if he can...
Mar 03, 2022•39 min•Ep. 2184
SHOW NOTES: If you’re thinking about updating your kitchen but are concerned about the costs, we’re going to have tips on easy updates you can do over a weekend that can totally transform your space without the hassles. And it’s an age-old dilemma when your appliances break down: Fix ‘em, or replace them altogether? Our cheat sheet can help you save money and make the right choice. Plus, are you ready for a new washing machine? We’ll have tips to help you figure out which features are worth payi...
Feb 28, 2022•40 min•Ep. 2183
SHOW NOTES: Ready for new kitchen cabinets? We’ll tell you how to choose new cabinets that’ll step up the space and not blow the budget. If you’ve ever stepped into a shower hoping for a strong flow - only to find a less than inspiring trickle, you know poor water pressure can be frustrating. But the power of a good shower may not be out of reach. We’ll share how to restore the flow We could all use a little more sunshine this time of year…spotless windows can help! We’ve got tips on how to clea...
Feb 24, 2022•38 min•Ep. 2182
SHOW NOTES: Are your feet feeling freezing tile floors in the morning? Tired of having icy toes no matter how many layers of socks you have on? There is an easy and reliable solution that can restore feeling to those frozen feet. If you’ve got an older home, you probably have an older chimney and those can be unsafe. We’ll walk you through the best options for improvement. Here’s an idea we can get behind: better toilet seats. From comfier to cleaner, there are plenty of affordable upgrades out ...
Feb 21, 2022•40 min•Ep. 2181
SHOW NOTES: If your bathroom is short on space we share easy ways for a small bathroom a makeover that makes every inch count. February is the best month to buy a mattress but figuring out the best deal for a comfortable place to lay your head is super confusing. We share what to look for - for a good night’s rest. Using window coverings strategically can help you stay warmer, or even cooler in the summer. We share smart ways to use your window coverings to spruce up your space without the need ...
Feb 17, 2022•40 min•Ep. 2180
SHOW NOTES: Have you been feeling drafts all winter long and wondering if replacing old or drafty windows is a wise move? 7 key questions can help determine if this project is right for you. If you need to hang something heavy on a wall, it’s always best to connect into wood studs. But if you can’t find one, new fasteners may allow you to connect directly to the drywall. We share how to choose the right anchor for the job. One item that is probably floating around your junk draw right now is cau...
Feb 14, 2022•40 min•Ep. 2179
SHOW NOTES: If you’ve been thinking about a remodeling project and wondering what to do with your ceiling, a drop ceiling is probably not on your list! But these ceilings are not just the boring flat large tiles we’ve grown up with. We’ll share some amazing transformations that are possible with the newest innovations in these ceilings. You probably don’t think much about your home’s electrical panel until a circuit trips – and then you have to! Tripped circuits may be a sign your panel is ready...
Feb 10, 2022•39 min•Ep. 2178
SHOW NOTES: The laundry room might seem safe enough, but anywhere there’s extreme heat and lots of water, there’s potential for trouble. We’ll walk you through the most common laundry room trouble spots and tell you how to prevent leaks, fires and breakdowns. If you are ready to shop for new appliances, there are two price tags you need to consider. The first is the price you pay and the second is the cost to operate that appliance. We’ll share tips on how the easy way to determine both and avoi...
Feb 07, 2022•40 min•Ep. 2177
SHOW NOTES: Adding a basement bathroom can make the space more useable and but below grade bathrooms need special designs in order to drain. We’ll share what you need to know to make sure your bathroom will “go with the flow”. When you ask for a 2x4 at the local lumber yard, did you now that the wood they give you actually measures a lot less? These days it’s not always easy to get what you pay for – and that includes buying lumber. We share why and how make sure your money goes as far as it can...
Feb 03, 2022•39 min•Ep. 2176
SHOW NOTES: If you are planning to make the switch from carpet to one of the many beautiful solid surface floors, getting the old carpet torn out can be a hassle. Worse, it can reveal problems that need to be fixed before the new floor can be installed. We’ll share how prep for your new floor like a pro. When it comes to maintaining your home, painting is a project that’s among the most basic of DIY projects. But it’s also a project that can go terribly wrong if you don’t take just three steps b...
Jan 31, 2022•41 min•Ep. 2175
SHOW NOTES: Natural stone countertops are beautiful but also require a ton of maintenance to keep them looking as good. We sort out whether these attractive kitchen surfaces are worth the hassle, along with some equally attractive but easier to care for alternatives. If getting rid of old wallpaper stands between you and your dream room, we can help! Learn the right steps to remove wallpaper quickly and easily. If you’re a pet-lover and taking on new decor or remodeling projects, we’ve share tip...
Jan 27, 2022•40 min•Ep. 2174
SHOW NOTES: Winter is rough on roofs so now is a good time to plan for any roof work that might be needed to be done come spring. We’ll share tips for a DIY roof check to know if a roof needs to be repaired or replaced - in today’s Smart Spending Tip. Got closets busting at the seams? We’ve got steps for a simple closet makeover that takes less than an hour or two to get done and will help you find the space you need. If you’d like to make your home more energy efficient, a home energy audit is ...
Jan 24, 2022•41 min•Ep. 2173
SHOW NOTES: Want to tackle a home improvement project but don’t have much time? Tom & Leslie share 5 fast hacks that take 30 minute or LESS to complete. Plus share a full list of 30 more home improvements you can do in under 30 minutes! Home fire risk goes up in the winter, but did you know that not all smoke detectors work with every type of fire? We’ll explain how to choose the best smoke detectors to make sure you’re protected. If you’re a renter, we share tips to help you save money heating ...
Jan 20, 2022•40 min•Ep. 2172
SHOW NOTES: Thinking adding solar power to your home can reduce electricity costs? Not all panels deliver the same amount of electricity. Tom & Leslie explain which options deliver the most power and best savings. And if you like homes that feel bigger than they are, there’s a new trend in what’s known as a broken or semi-open floor plan beginning to catch on. Well top-line those details. With half of the winter behind us, it’s time to think about making sure your outdoor trees will bloom this s...
Jan 17, 2022•40 min•Ep. 2171
SHOW NOTES: Improving your insulation is the easiest and least expensive way to get comfortable and save money. To help, Tom & Leslie review the most popular types of insulation – including a new “itch-free” fiberglass insulation plus another that’s fire resistant to over 2000 degrees! A serious commercial stove can boost both your cooking powers, and your home's resale value. We’ll share what you need to know if you’re looking for one of these brawny commercial beauties in your kitchen. And are...
Jan 13, 2022•40 min•Ep. 2170
