Bob Vila’s 75 Best Tips for Homeowners

Happy 75th Birthday, Bob!

Bob Vila has had his own remodeling and design business, spent almost three decades hosting television shows about renovation and preservation, and has written more than a dozen books about purchasing and maintaining homes. What’s more, he has supported philanthropic causes to end homelessness, build homes for those who need them, and restore historic properties.

Bob Vila turns 75 this week, and we figure there’s no better way to celebrate him than to share his wisdom with this collection of tips about home maintenance and repair. Here’s to many more healthy, happy years, Bob!

Dryer Vents

Don’t use foil-look or plastic dryer vent ducts. Though appealingly inexpensive, these types of ducts can melt or catch fire. Instead, opt for flexible or rigid metal ducts, secured with metal foil tape rather than screws.

Home Siding

Although it’s heavier and more expensive than other types of siding, fiber-cement siding has many benefits: It resists both fire and termites, and it comes prepainted—and the painted finish lasts a long time.

Drill Bits

Make sure your tool kit is stocked with drill bits for masonry, tile, and wood. It’s a bad idea to use wood drill bits on tile, and vice versa. A quick-change chuck, which makes easy work of switching bits, is another great tool to have at the ready.

Wheelbarrows

A good rule of thumb to follow when shopping for a wheelbarrow: Find one whose handles are about as wide as your shoulders. If the handles are farther apart than that, you’ll have a hard time steering.

Crabgrass

If you have small patches of crabgrass in your yard, prevent them from spreading by pulling them out by hand. Also, be careful how you mow: Using a mulching mower on these patches will spread crabgrass seed, which will make eradicating the weed that much more difficult.

Home Inventory

It’s always a good idea to keep a home inventory—a record of the contents of your home—in case disaster strikes. The easiest way to do this is to take a video of every room in your house, including the contents of closets, pantries, and drawers. Talk about your home’s contents as you record. Don’t forget to record the exterior too. Store the final video in the cloud or in a safe deposit box.

Sleeper Sofas

Before purchasing a sleeper sofa, carefully measure the room where the sofa will go. Make sure there’s enough space to maneuver around the bed once it is pulled out! If space is tight, consider opting for two chair-size fold-out beds rather than one big sleeper sofa.

Buying Tile

To figure out how much tile you need for a project, calculate the room’s square footage by multiplying its length by its width, then add 5 percent for waste. It’s a good idea to buy even more than that, just in case you have to make repairs or replace a few tiles.

Kitchen Layout

Most folks already know about the kitchen’s work triangle. There is, however, a second guiding principle of kitchen layouts: work stations. You should have a cleanup station by the sink, a prep station near the stove, and a storage station by the refrigerator.

Space Heaters

Always keep space heaters at least 3 feet away from combustible materials, and make sure they’re situated on a level surface. Pay close attention to the heater’s cord, making sure it isn’t frayed, and never use a space heater with an extension cord.

Birdhouses

When building or purchasing a birdhouse, remember that the size of the house’s hole determines which species can use the house. Most bird species will fit through a 1.25-inch hole—and most predators will not.

Beadboard

DIYers and crafters should think of beadboard as sort of a dressed-up version of plywood. Consider beadboard if you’re installing a new back panel in a bookcase, crafting a new headboard, or even putting in a kitchen backsplash.

Fire Drill

Gather your family for a fire drill at least twice a year. Make sure there are at least two exits for each room in the house and that you have the right ladders or other equipment needed to escape through window exits.

Power Drills

A ⅜-inch drill (a drill that holds a ⅜-inch diameter bit) will suffice for most homeowners. When purchasing a drill, make sure it’s reversible so it can back out of holes and remove screws.

Metal Roofs

Although metal roofs are pricey, they are great options for homeowners in fire-prone areas because they can’t be accidentally ignited by embers. Because they contain at least one-quarter recycled materials (and are recyclable once removed), these roofs are also eco-friendly.

Bathroom Vent Fans

To determine the right size fan for your bathroom, first calculate the square footage of the space. Your bath vent fan should move at least 1 cubic foot per minute (CFM) of air per square foot of bathroom area. So if your bathroom is 100 square feet, you’ll want a 100 CFM fan.

Turning Screws

If you can’t get a screw to budge, putting a bit of candle wax on the screw may make it easier to drive. Also, longer screwdrivers will give you more leverage to turn a stubborn screw.

Polyurethane Glues

They’re finicky and sometimes hard to work with, but polyurethane glues are great adhesives for outdoor projects because they are both strong and waterproof. These glues need moisture to set, so be sure to dampen the surface to be adhered before applying the glue.

Shovel Shopping

When shopping for a shovel, make sure the blade’s step (the spot where you can place your foot to apply force to the shovel) is wide enough to accommodate your foot. Turned or rolled step edges will be more comfortable to use.

Moth Prevention

Forget mothballs—they smell bad and can be toxic if inhaled. Instead, keep moths away by laundering or dry cleaning your woolen clothes and then either storing them in airtight containers or packing them away with strongly scented cedar blocks.

Banquette Seating

Banquettes are charming, but they aren’t suitable for every household. Elderly family members or others with mobility issues may have trouble getting into and out of banquettes, and large families may tire of standing up and sliding around every time someone needs to grab some ketchup or use the facilities.

Fire Extinguishers

Every home should have multiple fire extinguishers and keep them in the kitchen, basement, and near grills or other combustible appliances. Although different classes of fire extinguishers are meant for different applications, a rechargeable multipurpose ABC unit should do the trick for most households.

Roofs and Ladders

When using a ladder to access a roof, be sure the ladder extends at least 3 feet above the roof. How far away from the house should the ladder be? Divide the span of the ladder by 4.

Woodworking Chisels

Wood chisels are handy for cleaning edges of woodwork and leveling surfaces. If you buy just one, opt for the ¾-inch size, and store it in a cloth inside the toolbox so it doesn’t get damaged.

Front Yard Curb Appeal

Make sure your landscaping doesn’t obscure your front door. Instead, use plants and shrubs to draw the eye to the entry. Beds in front of the house should have plants of varying heights, hues, and textures.

Situating a Sunroom

Before building a sunr