This is a stake in the ground and a starting point for a project that will grow over time – ToolCrib.com’s Ultimate Guide to Online DIY Resources. Sign up for the ToolCrib newsletter and get great resource articles like this in your inbox!
Before we get started you should check out Charles and Hudson’s Top 5 Tools of Mass Destruction. Chances are good you’ll be using at least 4 of them as you remodel your home ;)
Here’s what we’ve got right now:
1) DIY Info Sites
2) DIY Blogs
3) DIY Forums
4) DIY Resources from ToolCrib.com
What I imagine this growing into:
Groupings based around actual home remodeling DIY projects – plumbing, wiring, tiling, etcetera. Plus a free how-to video roundup.
If you have a home remodeling blog or DIY site and would like to get on this list then send me an email: GFrench@ToolCrib.com or just comment this post.
Here goes, and I hope you enjoy exploring the DIY world online!
1) DIY Info Sites
Jim’s Home Repair Stuff
AWESOME collection of DIY and home repair links gathered from the alt.home.repair newsgroup. You should start here at the beginning of EVERY project.
The DIY Network
-what can I say? this is a grand-pappy of DIY information. Very well organized and a great place to get started
HomeTips.com
-ask questions of their expert, Don Vandervort. tons of guides and articles.
DIY Defined
-if you’re like me you like to know the roots of words and concepts. this definition comes from Wikipedia
The DIY Section of Lifehacker
-not home remodeling oriented but excellent resource and very fun
Danny Lipford
Video-centric. He’s the official DIY Guy for the Weather Channel and the Early Show.
2) DIY Blogs
I split the blog section into 2 sub sections – how-to oriented and home owner remodeling diaries.
a) DIY Remodeling how-to
Home Improvement Blog
-powered by home improvement professionals. some decent tutorials.
Home Improvement Blog
-dedicated to the basics.
Remodeling Ideas
-neat ideas – great if you’re just getting started
Do It Yourself Disaster Avoidance
-Great advice from a pro who does it himself
Helpful Advice for Home Construction Improvement
-Todd Fratzel shares his experience in structural design and home construction… he’s also building community through his Home Improvement Blogroll.
Elegant Kitchen Cabinets blog
-a guide to bettering your kitchen overall.
The DIY Blog
-home chronicles heavy on the How-To and informational.
Remodeling Q/A
-this remodeling q/a is set in a blog format… good stuff!
Charles and Hudson
-a must read for all DIYers! Frequent updates and quick tips that will make your DIY life easier
Behind the Walls: sharing stories about home renovation
-noise prevention? check. selecting kitchen appliances? check. GREAT DIY BLOG!
Home Improvement Web
-tips for tasks that increase your home’s value. to the point.
Inexpensive Home Building
– a great resource for DIYers seeking to save cash on projects. I was first struck by the story on ancient Egyptian air cooling methods…
Construction Deal Update
-Helping Homeowners navigate the world of Home Improvement
The CalFinder DIY Remodeling Blog -Helpful advice, good focus on reusing, recycling and vintage stuff.
b)DIY Chronicles: Blogs by People Doing Home Remodeling Themselves
House Blogs
-a community-powered home improvement publication… NEAT! Very cool site, kind of a LumberJocks for home improvement.
Green Builder’s blog
-a contributor to the Home Improvement Blog project focused on conscientious remodeling practices
Best of the Web Home Improvement section
-list of mostly individuals chronicling their remodeling efforts
House in Progress
-home owners, good writers. Read!
Remodeling for Geeks
-remodeling bytes. this geek offers hacks for your home!
Brownstoner’s Renovation Blogroll
-Check out the Brownstoner’s list of renovation blogs!
Fixer-Upper: a Victorian Houseblog
-home owners talking shop
The Ramsay Home Blog
-a Canadian family building a home in the city of Calgary.
Pigeon Point Project
-a home remodeling diary set in Seattle
Homefront Insecurity
-fun, personal diary that digs into the realities of home improvement
The Seymour Project
-titled “A Renovation, A Money Pit, A New Home” this blog offers great details that should help any new home owner tear into a huge project
The Money Pit
-this blog’s title quote pretty much sums up the DIY remodeling process: “Here lies Walter Fielding. He bought a house and it killed him.”
DIY Insanity
-the ups and downs of building an addition to your house while living a VERY FULL LIFE
Homeowner’s Blog: A homeowner’s trial and tribulations
-a remodeling diary with an eye towards sustainability
Camping With a Mortgage
-sometimes titles really do say it all. this should be an engaging and fun read for home remodelers
Enon Hall: Old House Restoration Journal
-an amazing documentation of a house remodeled. includes forums and the thoughts of some hard working home owners.
House Made
-“Taking a 1922 Pueblo/Spanish Bungalow from Disaster to De-lovely”
Nightmare on Elm ST.
-great humor, great details for those in the throes of remodeling. definitely worth a read!
This Old Crack House
-Norm Abram (#1 most influential wood worker) just did a drive by with his nail gun… it’s This Old Crack House! A great and informational read.
This Decrepit Victorian
-“Follow along as we try to bring life back to a circa 1900 Victorian house in Richmond, Virginia.”
The Kitchen Chronicles
-one family’s story of remodeling the kitchen (sponsored by HGTV)
3) DIY Forums:
DoItYourself.com Community Forums
-with…
DIYnot?
-DIY forum of the UK (53k members)
HouseRepairTalk.com
– a DIY forum, small and cozy. (3k members)
DIY Chatroom – Home Improvement Forum
(8.7k members)
Home Renovation and Building
-AU and NZ forum (2k users)
About: Home Renovations
-About.com’s Home renovation message boards.
Home Talkers
-they’re just getting started – jump in now!
Generation Renovation
– HGTV message boards
4) DIY Resources from ToolCrib.com
ToolCrib.com’s Ultimate Guide to the Top Ten Most Dangerous Woodworking Power Tools
-your most dangerous power tools + links to safety resources for each and every one.
ToolCrib.com’s Guide to Your Wood Shop’s Essential Woodworking Tools for $1,000 or Less
-Find out what woodworkers think are the most essential tools for $1,000 or less.
Green DIY and Green Carpentry Resources
-links and resources for going green on your remodeling projects!
DIY Table Saw Alternative: EZ Guide + Circular Saw
-there are some incredibly accurate and far less-expensive alternatives to the table saw out there! Learn more in this article!
5) Send us your links!
This is the first stage of our project to document and guide folks to the incredible DIY home remodeling resources out there on the web! If you’ve got links or suggestions let me know: GFrench@ToolCrib.com and I’ll get you on the guide!
Wow, this is a great list. I’ve been finding it hard to find home sites that mention other site.
Needless to say, I plan to comb through every site on the list.
Thanks for linking to dannylipford.com :)
Hey ToolCrib. It looks like you have the start of a great site. Best of luck to you. As mentioned above, I left my home improvement blog link in my signature. Thanks.
Home-improvement spending is unlikely to improve until 2009, and the second half of 2008 is shaping up to be weaker than the first, according to Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies.
http://contractor-remodeling-home-repair.blogspot.com
Construction is a process that “consists of building or assembling of infrastructure.” Houses, apartments, factories, offices, schools, roads, and bridges are only some of the wonderful creations of the construction industry. The nature of the industry’s activities includes the building of new structures, including site preparation, as well as additions and modifications to existing ones. Other process also includes maintenance, repair, and improvements on these structures.
Thanks for the link! Would you mind changing the URL address to my new address that does not include blogspot?
THANKS!
ToolCrib thanks for sharing the Ultimate Guide to Online Home Remodeling DIY Resources… I have saved this page on file, and plan to visit the sites on your list.
Good information and pretty thorough as well, do you mind if I reference back to it? I’m blogging about this too, and you have some good info I hadn’t seen before and I’d like to post a similar article. I look forward to reading follow ups and hope it stays updated.
Diamond Blades & Tools