500 Square Foot Oasis in a Montana Forest

The adventure writer Tim Cahill shares his 500 square foot cabin for the world to see. It's extremely modest and the decor is an afterthought but the location and simplicity are oh so appealing.

Tips to Remove Lead Paint Safely

Old homes are not the only ones likely to be contaminated with lead paint. Any home built before 1980 should have it's interior and exterior paint tested for lead. The older the home the more likely a significant amount of lead was used in the paint.

In the mid-19th-century lead was used extensively by the more wealthy homeowners. So if your old home is of better construction and condition it could be more likely toxic. Children are much more susceptible to lead absorption and the consequence is irreversible brain damage.

Lead can be absorbed via fumes but also from paint chipping off and going into the soil or floors. This lead can be picked up in dirt and toys and ingested by children unknowingly.

Lead is most dangerous when sanding and scraping are going on. This ambient lead hazard is caused by lead particles hanging in the air and can be inhaled or settle on skin and clothes.

4 Skills You Must Teach Your Kids: Build a Fence

Our feature writer Deren S. Monday recently experienced a family health scare that prompted him to share this post which we've broken into 4 skills.

My father, a strapping 61 years of age, went into the hospital this last week. Don't worry, he is fine. Turns out a few decades of hypertension are starting to take a toll on the old ticker...

But... it got me thinking. When it's ultimately time to say goodbye (and let's face it: we all have to say goodbye someday) what will I remember most about my father? For me, that's easy.

I will remember seeing my father at virtually every athletic game OR practice I ever played in.

I will remember the long games of catch in the backyard, a backyard that seemed immense as a boy but now feels too small and inadequate for such huge memories.

And most of all, I will remember the hours spent in the garage, in the middle of 100-degree summer heat, refinishing and re-building pianos with my Dad, not knowing then what I know now: the man worked 15-20 hours ON THE WEEKEND ALONE just to support me and my sisters.

So what do I want my son and daughter to remember? Among other things, I want to leave a legacy of competence. I want them to feel they were taught the basic yet important things in life. When it comes to home improvement, here's the first of the top 4 skills I hope to pass on to my current and future children:

Practical Lesson #1: Building a Fence That Rots Before It Falls

Melt Snow Without Damaging Your Walkway from Salt

A reader wrote in this question:

What is best to use to melt snow on different kinds of surfaces? We did some damage on our slate steps last year by using rock salt.

We polled some experts including Deren S. Monday and the consensus is that slate is definitely not the ideal choice to use in areas that need to be clear of snow. When designing for snowy climates the exterior selections should be salt-resistant to meet performance criteria.

If you've already got the slate installed here are the options as we see it.

1. Remove the slate and install a salt-resistant paver such as high-quality concrete that is also textured to be more slip-resistant.

2. Remove the slate and install thermal heat elements underneath and re-install the slate or install weather resistant material. Salt shouldn't be needed if you go with this option.

Bring Mid-Century Flair to Your Front Door

Crestview Doors recently started following us on Twitter and we checked out their work. Very impressive. We love the concept. Take your existing door and give it a mid-century modern twist with their Doorlite Kits.

They include instructions for this diy door modification and they have kits to fit almost every taste and style. We like the classic Newman for our bungalow but if we had a ranch house we'd outfit it with the Langston.

Remodel Your Sun Room with Easy Updates

This sun room remodel that we found on CasaSugar is awesome. No major changes but an update to the paint, flooring and walls created a much more inviting space to spend lazy afternoons. Some different window treatments and the room would be finished.

Build It Yourself: Surfboard Storage Rack

Since moving to LA from NYC last year I thought I'd be doing a lot more surfing. It hasn't worked out like that. As soon as the water got warm the waves went flat. I guess that's par for the course in Southern California. Even if I don't hit the beach as often as I'd like, I can still live vicariously through those that do and my favorite surfing blog is El Porto Fridays. Despite the name they surf almost daily and upload pics, video, board reviews and surf spot reports.

Recently they shared a how-to for building a vertical surfboard storage rack. This is the easiest way to store your quiver especially if you have more than 3 boards.

This project is also cheap and only requires a 2x4, wood dowels, wood screws and padding.

Hang Holiday String Lights sans Headaches

It's decorating season and it starts for some by putting up amber and orange twinkle lights for Halloween then continues into late December with hanging Christmas lights. Toolmonger shares these holiday light string hooks that are so small and unobtrusive that you can leave them out year round which would make hanging holiday lights much easier year after year.

The rounded hook prevents the lights strings from being blown down by the wind but the design allows for easy entry and release.

Available from Lee Valley & Veritas

3 Easy Lawn Care Tips

Our interview with Kelly Giard of Clean Air Lawn Care was eye-opening and he left us with 3 invaluable lawn care tips that we wanted to highlight again.

His primary mantra sounds like common sense but is more difficult to achieve than you realize and that is to, fight weeds with a healthy lawn, not by spraying herbicides. It's so much easier to just dump chemicals on a lawn rather than take a little time and patience to help nurture your lawn the natural way.

1. Cut your lawn half an inch higher than you usually do (one or two notches on your mower wheels) and notice how much greener it gets, how fewer weeds there are, and how much less water it needs.

Safely Painting Vinyl Siding the Right Color

Obviously vinyl siding doesn't require the maintenance and paint that traditional wood siding does but if you aren't satisfied with the color can you still paint it?

The answer is yes but you need to clean the siding with a general household cleaner (like Simple Green) beforehand to remove all dirt, mildew and moisture then rinse the cleaning agent off and let dry.

When painting vinyl siding you should keep your colors light as darker colors increase heat absorption and can warp the siding.