In This Issue

  • July/
    August     1996 Issue No. 7

  • Dig This

    Features
    High-Tech Cooling
    Your house is hot. The ground is cool. Your bills are high. The answer is a ground source heat pump, a fuel-free system that uses the energy of the earth.
    By Wendy Talarico
    An American Craftsman
    Drawn by the sensual beauty of wood and an ineffable need to shape it, social worker turned cabinetmaker Michael Seward found his calling.
    By Walt Harrington
    The Ultimate Kitchen Sink
    This Old House helps two homeowners through a bewildering array of materials, styles and add-ons to find a sink that makes them almost want to do the dishes.
    By Wendy Talarico
    Wood for Good
    Forget vinyl and aluminum. Hanging cedar siding is an act of house immortality. Properly installed and well-maintained, it can last for centuries.
    By Thomas Baker
    Wrought Art
    Combining a sculptor's vision and an athlete's endurance, blacksmith Johnny Smith carries on as a 2,000-year-old tradition of giving iron life.
    By Jeanne Huber
    Serious Shutters
    Most off-the-shelf shutters, flimsy and functionless, are an affront to an old house. But custom-built by an expert, shutters are grace notes that add beauty as well as protection.
    By Brad Lemley
    Sneak Preview: Nantucket Project
    On a tranquil island 30 miles off the coast of Massachusetts, a 109-year-old Victorian awaits the arrival of the This Old House crew. Get a first look at the new fall television project before the transformation begins.
    By Bruce Irving
    Nails
    The venerable nail outsells every other fastener around, its uncountable variations based on a 5,000-year-old design. Learn the basics with a primer on nail evolution, and match the nail to the job with our pullout chart.
    In the Garden
    Introducing a new section by This Old House executive producer Russell Morash. Follow Russ to California to track the development of a new petunia, learn to drive a mini-dozer and sharpen up your spade for a lesson in edging.
    Around the house
    Off The Wall

    Fence and Sensibility

    A dog-owner's musings on the morality of turning the yard into Alcatraz.
    By Jeanne Marie Laskas
    Materials

    To Walk on Light

    Try a good chardonnay on your bathroom floor: Tiles from recycled glass are tough, beautiful and environmentally smart.
    By Claudia Glenn Dowling
    Hand Tool

    Plane and Simple

    For wood-shrinking jobs from squaring up shingles to touching up miters, the tool of choice is the small and versatile low-angle block plane.
    By Jeanne Huber
    Power Tool

    Point and Shoot

    Clean, fast and accurate, a new low-pressure paint sprayer reduces difficult jobs to a matter of just pulling the trigger.
    By Mark Feirer
    Real Estate

    They've Got You Covered

    You can't avoid homeowner's insurance—your mortgage lender requires it. But you can avoid paying extra by knowing what to claim and how to claim it.
    By William Marsano
    Technique
    Proper door-hanging demands precise measurements and patient prep work. It's a true test of carpentry skills.
    By Thomas Baker