Tony Carrick

Angi • 5th January 2023

How to Install a Sprinkler System to Keep Your Grass (and Your Wallet) Green

You can spend your summer positioning and repositioning sprinklers in an effort to keep your yard from wilting in the hot sun, or you can install an irrigation system to do the watering for you. Savvy DIYers who aren’t afraid of putting in a little sweat equity can save hundreds of dollars by installing an irrigation system themselves. So, if you’re tired of wrestling with garden hoses and oscillating sprinklers, follow the steps below to learn how to install a sprinkler system yourself.

Angi • 5th January 2023

How to Protect Trees From Frost and Prevent Damage

An early fall freeze, a late spring frost, and the rare cold snap in a warm climate can claim the lives of your trees if you’re not careful. While the mature trees in your yard can withstand the bite of winter, frost can damage newly planted saplings, turn unharvested fruit to mush, and deal a death blow to a potted tropical tree. Luckily, there are measures you can take to save your precious trees from the icy grip of Old Man Winter. Here’s how to protect trees from frost.

Bob Vila • 21st December 2022

9 Ways Natural Disasters Are Changing Your Local Building Codes

When Hurricane Ian ripped through Florida in September 2022, it caused between $41 billion to $70 billion in storm damage and 148 deaths. In 2018, California’s Camp Fire tore through the northern part of the state, resulting in $16.5 billion in damage and at least 85 deaths.

Natural disasters have become all-too-frequent occurrences, and while we cannot keep them from happening, we can at least learn from them. State, local, and federal governments and agencies are pushing for stricter codes th

Bob Vila • 30th November 2022

How to Make Every Appliance in Your Home Last Longer and Run More Efficiently

Home appliances make our lives easier by washing our clothes, helping us cook meals, heating and cooling our homes, and providing us with our daily coffee fix. As much as we may rely on energy efficient appliances to help us fulfill everyday household needs, they need a little TLC in return every now and then to ensure they continue to run efficiently.

Ahead, find out some of the best ways to maintain the most used appliances in your home, so you can avoid costly repairs or replacements.

RELAT

Bob Vila • 30th September 2022

Meet the Most Versatile Grill You Can Take Tailgating or Road-Tripping

Between football season and fall foliage just a drive away, there’s plenty of opportunity (and reason!) to take your cooking outside—and a lot of portable outdoor cooking appliances to choose from. For RV camping trips and stadium tailgating festivities, few options offer the ability to cook in so many different ways as Magma’s aptly named Crossover grill.

Futurism • 10th March 2022

CERO One eBike Review: Make Your Commute and Weekends More Fun

Commuting to work on two wheels is growing in popularity with more and more cities adopting bike lanes and greenways as part of their urban plans. In fact, from 2000 to 2019, the U.S. saw a 61 percent increase in the number of commuters biking to work.

Ebikes, which make it easier to go farther than ever on a bicycle, are no small part of that increase. I spent the past few weeks testing an ebike that’s part of the movement to get more people out of their cars and on bicycles — the CERO One.

T

Bob Vila • 6th September 2022

The Best Flat-Top Grills of 2022

An ample rolled-steel cooking surface, two-heat-zone design, and foldable legs for surprising portability make this Cuisinart the best all-around flat-top grill we tested.

Assembling the Cuisinart was fairly easy given its size: We had it assembled in about 30 minutes (the seasoning process crucial to most rolled-steel models added about 45 minutes before the grill was up and running). The electric ignition is a nice plus, making the grill much easier to light than those that use cheaper piezo

Bob Vila • 17th November 2021

When Peloton Slashed the Price of Its Exercise Bike, I Took the Plunge—Here’s How I Feel About It Now

After two years with one of the more affordable stationary bikes on the market, a price drop on the Peloton prompted me and my wife to take the plunge and upgrade. While our old stationary bike had served us well, the Peloton’s robust performance data, engaging group of instructors and cool leaderboard feature has taken our exercise bike experience to another level.

Our biggest barrier to entry with the Peloton was the price. The Peloton’s original price of $2,245 was way too high for us to jus

Bob Vila • 15th August 2022

The Best Charcoal Grills of 2022

Weber invented the kettle charcoal grill some 70 years ago, and it continues to dominate the market with its line of kettle grills. While all of Weber’s kettle grills are indeed impressive, the Weber Premium sets itself apart with a larger cooking surface and well-designed ash management system.

Out of the box, the Weber Premium kettle grill was ready to go in about 30 minutes, a credit to its use of Bilt, a third-party app that provides step-by-step, 3D-animated assembly instructions for a var

U.S News & World Report • 10th August 2022

SimpliSafe Review and System Prices

SimpliSafe is an affordable DIY option with numerous security system packages to choose from to fit various sized homes. Similar to other DIY security systems, SimpliSafe also lets you build your system from the ground up with its selection of sensors, security cameras, and detectors. At the core of the SimpliSafe system is its base station, which is a freestanding unit designed to sit on a desk or countertop. If a sensor detects activity, it sends a signal to the base station, which in turn alerts you or a monitoring service (for those who choose to subscribe to one). A separate control panel turns the system off and on.

Bob Vila • 30th August 2022

How to Protect Your Windows From Hurricane Damage

Those who live in coastal regions in the Southern U.S. know all too well about the damage and destruction a hurricane can do. While there may be no foolproof way to make sure a home survives a hurricane completely untouched, there are measures you can take to prevent hurricane damage. For windows, in particular, one of the best ways to protect them is to cover them with durable sheeting or panels.

Homemade window storm covers can be made from plywood using common tools many DIYers will already

Futurism • 6th January 2022

10 Best Ebikes of 2022 for Commuting and Fun

Since ebikes emerged onto the scene some 20 years ago, they’ve only grown in popularity as people look to abandon their cars for greener and healthier alternatives to commuting. Improvements to battery technology have made these power-assisted bikes lighter while improving their range. Batteries and motors have also become smaller, allowing them to fit into sleeker-looking bike frames, making ebike technology suitable not just for commuter bikes but road bikes and mountain bikes as well.

Ebikes

Bob Vila • 18th July 2022

The Best Weber Grills of 2022

Weber introduced the first kettle grill nearly 70 years ago, and it continues to be one of the company’s most popular grills today. After putting all three of Weber’s kettle grills through their paces, the Premium is clearly the best of the bunch.

It’s the largest of Weber’s kettle grills with a cooking surface that is 22 inches in diameter, which means users can load more charcoal into it, giving it the ability to reach higher temperatures. Our heat test recorded temperatures approaching 900 d

U.S News & World Report • 14th July 2022

Brinks Home Security Review and System Prices

Brinks is a well-known security system provider, having been in business for decades and boasting more than 1 million customers throughout North America.

Brinks is one of the many security companies that offers a DIY installation option. The company’s products are designed for easy installation with peel-and-stick sensors, and Brinks’ instructional installation video details the installation process. For those who don’t have the time to install a system, Brinks also offers professional installation, which some customers may qualify for at no cost.

U.S News & World Report • 14th July 2022

Link Interactive Review and System Prices

That’s not to say that its installation is not user friendly. All of its technology is wireless, so there’s no need to drill holes through walls or run wire from room to room. Some of its sensors and motion detectors use simple peel-and-stick mounting. Doorbell cameras and other devices that require installation that’s a bit more involved come with detailed instructions. Link also has professionals at the ready via their call center to help guide you through the installation process if you get s

U.S News & World Report • 14th July 2022

Cove Review and System Prices

Cove does not offer its hardware in packages. Instead, you build the service around Cove’s 7-inch Touch Screen Panel, which serves as the system’s central hub. Your Cove home security system is customizable by answering a series of questions about your home on the company’s website. Cove’s hardware selection is smaller than some of the other companies in our Best DIY Home Security Systems of 2022 ratings, such as Ring Alarm and Frontpoint. Cove equipment includes door and window sensors, one ind

U.S News & World Report • 14th July 2022

Alder Security Review and Prices

Alder Home Security launched in 2011 and is a do-it-yourself (DIY) security system that offers professional monitoring for intrusion, fire, flood, carbon monoxide, and medical emergencies.

The company’s collection of hardware includes indoor and outdoor security cameras, motion, door, and window sensors, and environmental detectors for fires and floods. Its wireless YI Kami outdoor camera comes equipped with enhanced night vision to provide color pictures at night and uses artificial intelligence (AI) detection to differentiate between people and animals. The camera also offers free cloud storage through the Yi Cloud service.

Field & Stream • 8th July 2022

The Best Snake Boots of 2022

While there are many types of boots that are designed to protect your feet, few boots can potentially save your life like a pair of snake boots. As their name suggests, these boots are designed to protect the wearer from potentially deadly snakebites by shielding the area most susceptible—the feet and lower legs—to venomous fangs.

Snake boots differ from other boots in their material and coverage. These boots have tall shafts that extend up to 17 inches from the ankle to just below the knee. Th

Saveur • 30th June 2022

The Best Flat Top Grills for Your Backyard Barbecue

Flat top grills, once reserved for professional kitchens, are increasingly finding their way into the backyards of homeowners joining or in some cases replacing the classic barbecue grill. With their versatility and low maintenance design, there’s good reason to sacrifice those sought-after grill marks you can only get with a traditional grill.

Unlike the slatted grates of a charcoal or gas barbecue, a flat top grill has a smooth solid cooking surface that allows you to grill foods you’d never

domino • 24th June 2022

The Best Pool Shocks Keep Algae From Running Amuck

Unless you’re the type to keep up on pool maintenance every week (if so, claps), there’s a good chance you’ll come outside one morning to find a green haze creeping across the bottom of your pool. While algicide might be one solution, a full-on algae bloom might necessitate shocking your pool. What’s that, you ask? A good pool shock contains a high concentration of chlorine, which will kill off any algae and bacteria, making a pool safe for swimmers again. (Not always an ideal situation to be in, but sometimes it must be done.)