According to a new survey by Travelers, 75% of Americans have been taking on home improvement projects since the quarantine began – and I’d venture a guess that this is more activity than the home improvement industry has seen in decades. We’re going to take a look at the top 5 projects folks are taking on in just a bit. Are outside noises disturbing your sleep or work? You can minimize those sounds. Whether it’s traffic noise, the train, noisy neighbors or loud plumbing, we’ll have tips to help...
Dec 24, 2020•39 min•Ep 2060•Transcript available on Metacast · Now is the season for many things and unfortunately one of those is the fire season. There are more smoke and carbon monoxide incidents in these next couple months than any other time of the year. Tom & Leslie highlight new smart home technology that can help keep you safe. Getting ready to refresh your home with some new décor? Not sure if your budget is ready to handle the hit? We’ll share 5 ways to save lots of money decorating your home sweet home in today’s Smart Spending Tip just ahead. ...
Dec 21, 2020•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast A warm fire from a wood stove or fireplace adds comfort and to a chilly winter day. But did you know that not all firewood delivers the same level of heat. We’ll share tips on how to select the best firewood for comfort and safety, coming up. Whether your furnace is shot or you’re ready for a more efficient upgrade, a new furnace should never be an impulse buy. But too often, that’s exactly what does happen – especially if your furnace gives out in the middle of winter! We’ll explain how to shop...
Dec 17, 2020•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast Space is at a premium these days and one area not to overlook is UP, the attic! We highlight several ways to take advantage of the attic space overhead, including how to plan for ceiling height, stairs, heating, cooling and décor. If you think back over the years, have you made energy saving or other improvements to your home that upped its “green” factor? Those green home improvements could just help you sell your home more quickly than the competition. Tom & Leslie tell you why, just ahead in ...
Dec 14, 2020•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast If you’ve been thinking about investing in a home but don’t have the funds to go it alone, buying a home with a partner can be an option. Tom and Leslie walk you through the steps you should consider before making that big purchase. If you are tightening your belt, you may be thinking about slashing your home maintenance budget. That could be a BIG mistake, we’ll explain why. Do you ever feel like you’re always having trouble finding the tool you’re looking for? If your workshop or craft space i...
Dec 10, 2020•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast Fall is the flooring season and with dozens of products and an infinite number of designs, we’re going to share some tips and new digital tools to help you find the perfect floor choice for your home. We’re all cleaning and disinfecting more than ever before now and with the holidays coming up, that’s only going to get more intense. Well share tips on a really handy Disinfectant that cleans, disinfects and deodorizes in one step and is also effective against the COVID 19 virus on hard non-porous...
Dec 07, 2020•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast If your walls are showing cracks, holes or nail pops – we’ve got tips to get them back in shape once and for all. Plus… If you’re tired of shoveling after every storm -- a snow blower can do it for you! But they’re not one-size-fits-all – we’ll tell you how to choose the best snow blower for the job Have you ever been surprised by a big electric bill? We’ll share the most common places energy is wasted – in today’s Smart Spending Tip Thinking about purchasing a home from another era? It’s actual...
Dec 03, 2020•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast Are you preparing to deck your halls this holiday season…and maybe even your windows, doors and trees? Make sure your holiday lights are working before you spend hours stringing and hanging them. We’ve got fast, free and easy holiday light fixes Home projects have never been more popular than they have over the last few months of the pandemic. But DIY doesn’t mean you need a full shop full of tools to tackle. We’ll share fun, smaller projects that you can get done with staplers, glue guns and si...
Nov 30, 2020•40 min•Ep 2053•Transcript available on Metacast When it comes to maintaining your home, painting is a project that’s among the most basic of DIY projects, and one which most homeowners are happy to tackle themselves. But it’s also a project that can go terribly wrong if you don’t take just three steps before you start. One appliance that you may own and you’ll never want to be without again is your garbage disposer. But during the holidays, disposers get jammed more than any other time in the year. If that happens to you, there’s no need to p...
Nov 26, 2020•39 min•Ep 2052•Transcript available on Metacast Do you love the look of a classic parkway floor with an intricate Chevron pattern. We’ll share a new way affordable to add that hand-crafted look to your home. For the last few months we’ve all been cleaning our homes a lot more than we had before the pandemic. But with all those cleaning products, did you ever wonder if you were exposing yourself to toxic chemicals in the process? We’ll share a better cleaning option If you are thinking of updating your bedroom with a new mattress or furniture,...
Nov 23, 2020•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast Do you love the colorful trees of fall but dread dragging piles of leaves to the curb – maybe not so much? We’ve got a better idea – why not compost those leaves so they can benefit next year’s garden. Tom and Leslie share tips. Now that we are moving into the roughest weather season of the year, it’s a good time to plan for roof repairs or a replacement that might be needed to be done to keep your home nice and dry. But what’s the smartest way to go: repair or replace? We’re going to tell you w...
Nov 19, 2020•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast Did you ever notice that some leftovers seem to last a long time and other turns shades of green is an instant? Tom & Leslie explain why that happens and what you can do to make sure your leftovers last. Plus, answers to your home improvement questions. EPISODE SUMMARY: Did you ever notice that some leftovers seem to last a long time and other turns shades of green is an instant? Tom & Leslie explain why that happens and what you can do to make sure your leftovers last. Do you ever feel like you...
Nov 16, 2020•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast We’re all trying to avoid germs more than ever and motion-activated faucets are good for cutting down the spread of germs in public restrooms – but are they a healthy fit for your home? Tom and Leslie share the options With freezing weather ahead, now is a good time to make sure a frozen, broken water pipe DOES NOT turn the INSIDE of your home into a Winter Wonderland! One very special type of valve can stop this from happen to you. We’ll explain how. What’s the difference between a garage and a...
Nov 12, 2020•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast If your closet is looking a little messy -- closet organization may be in order, but that’s one project that ranks right up there with dental work as something to look forward to. We’ll have step-by-step, or shall we say “shelf-by shelf” tips to make this job easy to tackle. Have you ever considered adding gutter guards to end clogged gutters once in for all? Well don’t take another step until you hear about the results if a survey done by Ask the Builder which gathered actual costs from consume...
Nov 09, 2020•41 min•Ep 2047•Transcript available on Metacast Fall is the perfect time for outdoor painting but taking on an entire home is a big project that requires proper planning, preparation and tools. Tom and Leslie share pro tips to help you get the project home. Plus… As the days get shorter and the night gets longer, it’s a good time to think about adding security lighting to your home. And this is a job, surprisingly, that you may be able to do yourself. You might not even realize it, but one of the most common home accidents is a fall. We’ll ha...
Nov 05, 2020•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast If you love the look of greenery around the outside your house but seem to have only a black thumb when it comes to getting greenery to flourish inside your home, we have a solution. And, it may not be a homeowner’s favorite thing to do, but if you have a septic tank -- taking care of it is crucial to avoid a very big mess. We’ll have tips on how to keep your septic system happy If you are lucky enough to have a sprinkler system for your lawn, now is the time when that system needs to be winteri...
Nov 02, 2020•38 min•Ep 2045•Transcript available on Metacast There’s a good chance there’s one room in your home that’s eating up your heat – and your heating budget, your garage. Stay tuned for tips on adding energy efficiency to this chilly space. Whether you’re a young Mom with her hands full, or taking care of an aging parent, universally designed products make life so much easier and safer. We share why universal design works for all homes and all ages later on. Plus, have you checked your WINDOWS lately? Listen up for a checklist for you to make sur...
Oct 29, 2020•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast If you’ve ever stepped into the shower first thing in the morning and received a blast of icy cold water, you know it’s not best way to wake up! New technology in water heaters can prevent this by circulating hot water to bathrooms, BEFORE you need it! We’ll share how to stop this “shower shock” ounce and for all. Plus… If you’re tackling fall clean ups around the house -- getting rid of trash is easy, but getting rid of hazardous trash, not so much. We have tips on the easiest ways to purge you...
Oct 26, 2020•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast Are the leaves beginning to pile up around your home, do you dread all the raking and leaf cleanup? We’ve got tips to speed up your leaf removal so you can get back to enjoying the beautiful weather. It’s fireplace season, which means getting your chimney cleaned is a job that’s needed. But unfortunately, it can also lead to chimney contractors offering false advice in the hopes of getting even more money out of your wallet. We’ll sort out the facts from all that SMOKE. If you’ve got a plan for ...
Oct 22, 2020•39 min•Ep 2042•Transcript available on Metacast If you’re a home improving weekend warrior, we’ve got tips on easy “all-in-one-weekend” home improvement projects that are so easy on your schedule you can fit them in after your Saturday morning coffee and still have enough time for a leisurely dinner Sunday! Plus… Fall is a great time to get your lawn, garden and landscape ready for winter and a quick comeback next spring. But to do that, you need great quality tools. We’ll introduce you to a line of cordless products -- including blowers, and...
Oct 19, 2020•40 min•Ep 2041•Transcript available on Metacast Fall may not be the season for planting a new garden but it is definitely the season for planting new trees and bushes – and that’s a project we’re taking on here at The Money Pit to keep the deer away from the apparently very tasty bushes we have now. We share tips on why this is the best option for a deer-resistant landscape and how to make sure the job is a success. Plus… Do cracks in the walls on your home mean you’re headed toward an expensive repair? We’ll share how to know plus a hack to ...
Oct 15, 2020•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast A fresh coat of paint can do wonders for the sale of your house. But using right colors can actually help sell your home faster! Tom & Leslie share the most profitable colors for Kitchen and Bath. Plus… Plus, a pressure washer can make short work of that last round of outdoor cleaning. We’ve got advice to consider when buying one. If you’re planning a home improvement project, discovering hidden costs mid-project can really ramp up the stress! We’ll share some of those money-drains and tell you ...
Oct 12, 2020•40 min•Ep 2039•Transcript available on Metacast Summer’s come to an end, but your fresh supply of veggies doesn’t have to. In this episode Tom & Leslie tips to how to turn your summer vegetable garden into a fall vegetable garden. Plus… Plus, as the temps go down the cost of heating your home goes up! We’ll share a few simple steps you can take around your home to reduce energy use and save money too! If you are ready for a healthy alternative to the cost and all the waste of bottled water– we’ll review water filters that can be installed in ...
Oct 08, 2020•40 min•Ep 2038•Transcript available on Metacast From single sinks to limited square footage, smaller bathrooms often leave much to be desired. But you don’t have to make a bathroom bigger to make it better. Tom & Leslie share tips expand your bath without emptying your wallet. Plus… Do you ever feel like you spend as much time cleaning your kitchen as cooking in it? Well, we’ve got tips on how you can put all of that to rest by creating a low maintenance kitchen! With the chilly weather setting in, do you have an area in your house that just ...
Oct 05, 2020•40 min•Ep 2037•Transcript available on Metacast Did you know that Fall is the busiest season of the year for flooring projects? Well, it turns out that flooring is not being used for just floors anymore. Designers are using floor materials in some very unexpected and beautiful ways. Tom & Leslie have tips for this trending project. Plus… Pretty soon it’ll be time to take out your window screens for the season. Before that happens there’s one thing, you’ll need to do to make sure they last though winter storage and are good to go next spring. ...
Oct 01, 2020•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast Fall is the season to work on getting your lawn ready for next year but can doing so expose you to toxic chemicals? Tom & Leslie share a better path toward a healthy and green using non-toxic, easy to apply lawn care products. Plus… Fall is also a good time to get your driveway ready for winter. Get DIY tips to fix driveway cracks, patch holes and seal the surface for a fraction of the cost of hiring a pro. Is dust, pollen and other allergens making your life a sneezing, sniffling mess? Does it ...
Sep 28, 2020•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast With cooler weather ahead, now is a great time to get your chimney ready for a roaring fire. Tom and Leslie share tips and ideas to make sure your chimney is clean and safe for a season of toasty fires. Plus… Whether your old furnace is ready for replacement or you want a more efficient upgrade, a new furnace should never be an impulse buy. But too many times, that’s exactly what does happen – especially if your furnace gives out in the middle of winter! We’ll have tips to help you make the smar...
Sep 24, 2020•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast If your pancakes are salty and your meatloaf is sweet – you might not be lacking cooking skills but the right lighting in your kitchen! Tom & Leslie share tips for top task lighting. Plus… With U.S. home prices still rising, is buying a home that’s been foreclosed a good deal? We’ll share the pros and cons. If you’d like your home to be more energy efficient you first need to do is to stop wasting the energy you already have. Insulation is the key– IF it’s added to the right spaces. We’ll share ...
Sep 21, 2020•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast New kitchens consistently deliver the best return on your remodeling investment. But how do actually you get started on planning such a major makeover? Tom & Leslie share tips to help you cook up a perfect plan! Plus… Have you ever tried to fix a crack in a concrete step, or porch or sidewalk only to have it open right back up again? We’ll share some easy ways to make these repairs and make them last. Your stove’s exhaust vent hood is there for every cooking adventure, but it rarely gets any att...
Sep 17, 2020•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast Squeaking floors are one of life’s little annoyances, but do they signal a structural problem below? Tom & Leslie have the answer plus step-by-squeaky-step tips to make them go away for good. Plus… You drink it, you cook with it, you bathe in it…but are you sure it’s safe? Tap water can be deceiving, because it looks and tastes harmless even when it’s not – which is why it’s a good idea to test it to find out – we’ll tell you how. Wood floors are beautiful but they’re not always the best choice ...
Sep 14, 2020•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
