Guides
Home improvement guides
Practical, reviewed advice for planning repairs and projects, choosing the right pro and knowing what to ask before you hire.
All guides
508 guides
- Guide
Grading guide
Grading is the shaping of the soil around a house so that rain and snowmelt run away from the foundation instead of soaking in beside it.
6 min readSeptember 10, 2026 - Guide
Excavation guide
Residential excavation is the digging behind many larger projects: the hole for a new house or an addition, a pool, trenches for water, sewer, gas and electrical services, a dig along the foundation for waterproofing or…
7 min readSeptember 10, 2026 - Guide
Interlocking guide
Interlocking pavers are individual concrete or stone units laid tightly together over a compacted granular base, held in place by edge restraints and sand-filled joints.
7 min readSeptember 10, 2026 - Guide
Paving guide
Paving gives a driveway, parking pad, path or turnaround a hard surface that stays usable in every season. Paving contractors lay hot-mix asphalt, pour concrete, set interlocking or permeable pavers, or build a…
7 min readSeptember 10, 2026 - Guide
Asphalt Driveways guide
An asphalt driveway is a layer of hot-mix asphalt spread and rolled over a compacted granular base. Paving contractors build new driveways, strip and replace worn ones, lay a fresh surface over pavement that is still…
7 min readSeptember 10, 2026 - Guide
Driveway Repair guide
Driveway repair covers the fixes that keep an existing driveway usable without starting over: filling cracks, patching potholes and broken edges, levelling sunken or heaved sections, resetting pavers and resurfacing a…
7 min readSeptember 10, 2026 - Guide
Patios guide
A patio turns part of the yard into an outdoor room at ground level, with space for a dining table, a barbecue, lounge chairs or a fire table.
7 min readSeptember 10, 2026 - Guide
Walkways guide
A walkway is the route people actually use: from the driveway or the sidewalk to the front door, around the side of the house to the backyard gate, or through the garden to a patio or shed.
7 min readSeptember 10, 2026 - Guide
Retaining Walls guide
A retaining wall holds soil at two different levels. It turns a slope into a flat patio or garden, keeps a raised bed in place, or lets a driveway cut into a hillside.
7 min readSeptember 10, 2026 - Guide
Fences guide
A fence marks a boundary, keeps children and pets in, screens a patio from the street or the wind and, around a pool, acts as a safety barrier the law requires.
7 min readSeptember 10, 2026 - Guide
Gates guide
A gate is the part of a fence or wall that people actually use, and it takes more abuse than anything around it.
7 min readSeptember 10, 2026 - Guide
Outdoor Kitchens guide
An outdoor kitchen brings cooking outside for good: a built-in grill set into a counter, with prep space, storage and often a sink, a fridge, a side burner or a pizza oven, arranged on a patio or under a roof.
7 min readSeptember 10, 2026
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