Who Reads This Old House?
This Old House is a magazine for homeowners in search of practical, affordable, and inspirational ideas for enhancing and maintaining their homes. What they find is a balance of step-by-step instruction for DIY interior and landscape projects; lively how-to’s about keeping contractors on the level and saving money on remodels; expert tool and product reviews; and handsome feature stories showcasing fine craftsmanship and elegant architectural design.
What You Can Expect in Each Issue:
Detailed information, illustration, and photography that provides an understanding of the tools, materials and techniques required to renovate a home, as well as how to work more effectively with architects, contractors, and designers. Regular sections:
- Idea File Inspirational: “before and after” kitchen and bathroom remodeling projects; and virtual makeover schemes for dated home exteriors.
- TOH TV: Take-home lessons gleaned from This Old House television’s current house projects.
- Upgrades: How to get high-end looks—both indoors and out—for less; expert shopping advice for scoring the best deals on a range of household fixtures and appliances; comparative analysis of home improvement materials and finishes; and ideas for “greening” interiors and landscapes.
- Home Solutions: Money-saving tips and easy DIY spruce-up projects; need-to-know news related to home safety and finance; and This Old House’s “remodeling therapists” answer reader questions and help them steer clear of home improvement pitfalls.
- How-to Projects: Creative recycling projects for salvaged house parts; easy step-by-step plans for weekend remodelers; tutorials on how all those “whaddaya call it” household systems and appliances actually work.
- Ask This Old House: Expert troubleshooting for a range of problems submitted by the This Old House community; reader tool tests; TOH TV master carpenter Norm Abram’s shares his tricks of the trade.
- Feature Articles: Best bang for your buck ways to boost curb appeal; tips and tricks to save space and get organized; round-ups of winning room designs; period-perfect whole house renovation projects; and “All About” guides to building materials, fixtures, and finishes.
Special Issues
Reader-Created — The annual round up of projects and tips offered by the magazine readers and website users. The TOH community shares what they know, shows what they’ve done, and votes on thisoldhouse.com for their favorite projects sent in by their peers. Green — Whether building from scratch or improving an existing house, TOH helps homeowners weigh the many options for energy and water savings and choose the very best among thousands of eco-friendly products, new technologies and materials. The issue also showcases attractive, value-minded projects that inspire readers to envision their own green home makeovers.
Magazine Layout:
The overall design is engaging and fresh, with friendly and straightforward typefaces. A mix of illustration and step-by-step photography offers easy navigation of how-to stories. Pulled back views of interiors and landscapes are always highlighted with tight shots that break the images down to the details so readers can follow along and replicate the results at home.
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Contributors:
This Old House editors are DIYers; testing the tools, executing the how-to projects, and volunteering their own homes as research and development labs for devising smart solutions to real-life problems. The magazine also works closely with This Old House television’s pros, calling on our resident general contractor, carpenter, plumber, landscape contractor, and interior designer for expert advice. Last, the readers themselves contribute to the magazine, submitting their own before and after projects, field-tested tips, and personal stories—good and bad—about home improvement.
Past Issues:
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Comparisons to Other Magazines:
Neither rarified interior design magazine nor DIY manual, This Old House is a blend of the two, designed to help its readers enjoy, understand, and protect their investment in their homes.
Advertisers:
Lowe’s and Home Depot, Valspar and Sherwin-Williams, Moen and Delta, Trex, True Value, Trane, Craftsman and Kohler are just a few of the home-centered advertisers This Old House carries.
Awards:
*indicates multiple award
