Contributors

This page collects the HowTo Home columns by Sam. They are practical, stubbornly doable guides to the projects and problems that come with owning or renting a home. Most pieces explain the order of operations behind a job, so it goes right the first time, and point out the step people usually skip.

Many columns are hands-on projects. They include painting a room so nobody can tell which wall you did first, installing floating shelves, hanging something heavy on your own, and painting exposed attic rafters. Others cover refinishing a thrifted chair, levelling a gallery wall to a single reference line, and anchoring garage storage rails to studs rather than drywall. "Three tools do nearly everything" argues for a starter kit of a drill/driver, a circular saw and an oscillating multi-tool. One column treats a garage corner gym as a small construction project that starts with the floor.

Other columns cover maintenance and protection. They include preparing an air conditioner before summer, the first hour after finding water damage, insuring a first home for rebuild cost rather than purchase price, aiming security cameras at areas that produce usable footage, and cutting smart-home subscription fees. There are also lighter projects: organizing a kitchen by how often things are used, creating a listening corner, setting up a backyard for a watch party or a wedding, and a weekend project to do together for Father's Day.