Do It on Valentine’s Day
What are you planning on giving your honey? Chocolate? Jewelry? A heartfelt card?
Guess again. We asked your honey, and your honey told us: What they want more than anything is for you to finally fix that leaky pipe in the basement they’ve been begging you to look at.
Trust us on this one: Scrap the plans for the romantic Bowling Night Out for Two, stay home, and do some much-needed plumbing, or carpentry, or electrical work. Present your darlin’ with a This Old House Honey-Do Coupon, strap on your tool belt, and show some love. You’ll score the serious points you’ve been angling for.
Be a Caulk-Gun Casanova
Candles burning, wine chilling, Barry White on the stereo, a steaming bubble bath for two… Ahhh… Or, ewww! Nothing can chill a sexy tub faster than moldy caulk. Or stained grout. Or chipped porcelain.
Before you can woo your wanted one into the water, you need to clean up that tub. We can help. Here’s how to:
•Caulk Around the Tub in Just 1 Hour
•Renew Your Cast-Iron Tub for a Few Hundred Bucks
Give the gift of home improvement:
Your Honey is Hot…
… so cool the poor soul off—with that ceiling fan you’ve been promising to install since last summer. Here’s how to:
Give the gift of home improvement:
Pitch Woo, Patch Wood
No one wants to make whoopee on a worn-out wood floor. And a slow dance is no fun when a heel gets stuck in a gap between boards. Spend a weekend sprucing up the floors in your love nest. Here’s how to:
•Refinish the Floor For a Few Dollars
•Fill Gaps in a Wide-Plank Wood Floor
Give the gift of home improvement:
Your Own Garden of Eden
Um, I beg your pardon, you did promise a rose garden. Make good by planning your spring landscaping now—together. Here’s how to:
•Plan Foundation Plantings for Curb Appeal
•Grow a Grand Garden in a Small Space
Give the gift of home improvement:
If Your Love’s Grown Cold…
…maybe it’s time for new weatherstripping. Warm your honey’s heart and your home—plug those air leaks. Here’s how to:
•Hire an Energy Expert to Detect Drafts
•Make Your Doors Draft-Free in a Day
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Give the gift of home improvement:
Rev the Love Engine
Are you one of those types who spends most of your time tinkering in the garage? Well, maybe your honey would visit you there—maybe even bring you a cold beer and a sandwich—if the garage weren’t such a mess. Here’s how to:
•Stop Puddles from Forming on the Garage Floor
Give the gift of home improvement:
What Light Through Yonder Window Breaks?
Shakespeare was right; windows are very important to romance. Just ask Romeo and Juliet. Or Rapunzel. Or any teenager who’s ever climbed out their bedroom window to meet their crush on Lover’s Lane. Of course, all the pebbles those crushes toss at those windows could lead to breakage.
Here’s how to:
•Get a Little Privacy with Interior Shutters
Give the gift of home improvement:
Shelve Differences
Don’t bicker! Be cooperative; hang those shelves your honey’s been asking you about. Here’s how to:
•Install Wall-Mounted Shelves in an Hour
•Install Pull-Out Kitchen Shelves in a Day
•Build a Bookcase in a Weekend
Give the gift of home improvement:
Color My World
Roses are red, violets are blue, but your walls are a drab white. No wonder your honey’s feeling ho-hum. Add a little color to your love life. Here’s how to:
Give the gift of home improvement:
Don’t Be a Drip
You laid the pipe, now fix the leak. Here’s how to:
•Fix a Leaky Pipe Without Solder
Give the gift of home improvement: