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Curb Appeal How To & DIY

Improve the value of your home by discovering our curb appeal step-by-step tips & ideas.

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Front Porch Lights: From A to Z

More than just a beacon leading to the front door, exterior lighting helps define the look of a house. With planning and a bit of math, you can put your home's best face forward.
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How to Build a Utility Cover

Carpenter Nathan Gilbert helps a homeowner block their gas meter from the road with a simple yet attractive removable utility cover.
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How to Design a High Traffic Landscape

Landscape contractor Jenn Nawada works with a homeowner who lives on a corner lot to create an attractive, durable landscape that can withstand heavy pedestrian traffic.
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Celebrate the Fourth of July: How to Hang the American Flag

Ask This Old House carpenter and U.S. Navy veteran Nathan Gilbert explains the proper way to hang and display a U.S. flag.
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How to Paint Your Front Door | This Old House: Live

Ask This Old House painter Mauro Henrique demonstrates how to paint a front door with oil-based, high gloss paint. This is part of This Old House: Live—an initiative providing daily programming and opportunities to connect with our experts during these challenging times.
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How to Replace a Mailbox and Posts

Here is what you need to know to install a mailbox and new post.
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How to Replace a Mailbox Post

Ask This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook helps a homeowner install a new curbside mailbox
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How to Swap the Swing of an Entry Door

Changing your door from a right-hand swing to a left-hand swing can be a fairly easy task, as long as it’s the same height on both sides, and you’re okay with the inside face of the door becoming the outer face. Watch Ask This Old House carpenter Nathan Gilbert as he helps general contractor Tom Silva change the swing of an entry door.
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How to Resize an Exterior Door

Ask This Old House general contractor Tom Silva trims a front door that’s getting caught on a homeowner’s entry rug
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How to Build a Bluestone Walkway

Ask This Old House landscaping contractor Roger Cook helps a homeowner remove a flagstone walkway and replace it with bluestone
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Choose the Right Window Style for Your Home

Pinpoint the perfect type of window to match your home’s architecture
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How to Upgrade a Steel Lamppost

Use a PVC column kit and trim to create an architectural detail that shines day or night.
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How to Replace Sidelights on a Front Door

This Old House general contractor Tom Silva replaces a pair of sidelights on a front door with new, insulated ones
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Add Curb Appeal With a Hellstrip Garden

Turn the struggling ribbon of lawn between the sidewalk and the street into a glorious garden with tough, easy-care plants
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4 Surprising Rules on Painting the American Flag

Tips for ensuring you display Old Glory with honor and respect
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How to Make Board-and-Batten Shutters

You can enhance your window openings by buying factory-made pairs or save a bundle by building your own
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Flag Hanging Dos and Don'ts

Honor Old Glory by following the Flag Code's proper display guidelines
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How to Install a New Storm Door in an Old Opening

This Old House general contractor Tom Silva hangs a new storm door in an old opening
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How to Install a Bluestone Landing on a Front Entry

This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook upgrades an old brick with bluestone slabs
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How to Upgrade a Concrete Urban Patio

This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook transforms an old, ugly city slab into an urban oasis
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How to Repair a Rusted Wrought Iron Railing

This Old House general contractor Tom Silva rebuilds a corroded, unsafe railing.
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How to Choose Materials for a Stone Wall

Discovering the wide world of stones with This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook
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How to Install Exterior Trim Around a Stone Chimney

This Old House general contractor Tom Silva shows how to custom-fit PVC trim to a stone surface
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How to Build an Address Plaque Post

One lucky reader teamed up with This Old House's general contractor on an eye-catching way to hang an address sign
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Making Modern Windows Work in a Historic Home

The trick to renovating a historic home is to use replacement windows with authentic period details, like Marvin Windows
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How to Install an Aluminum Storm Door

A tightly weatherstripped storm door can reduce air leakage around a front door by as much as 45 percent
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Picking the Perfect Exterior Paint Colors

The owners of the current TOH TV house used period illustrations, expert advice, and modern technology to find the right hues for their home
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How to Build a Pathway Lamppost

Pick up some stock cedar and a hanging lantern to construct a custom garden fixture
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In-Ground Flagpole Installation

Helpful instructions to let your patriotic spirit fly from your front lawn with this DIY weekend project.
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How to Upgrade Front Door Hardware

Update your entry with a bold new door handle, escutcheon, kickplate, and knocker
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How to Make a Window Box with Vintage Trim

Wrap curvy door casing around a plastic planter filled with bright blooms for cheery window decoration
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How to Design an Entry Garden

Plan a front-yard landscape that boosts curb appeal and welcomes you home
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Filling Rotted Trim with Two-Part Epoxy

Durable and flexible epoxy is the best way to restore crumbling woodwork