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December 2003

December 2003

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features

Setting Up a Home Theater

By DAVID SEITER12 min

features

fireplace face-lift

By JOSH GARSKOF9 min

features

BEST IN HOME TECH 20 OF THE YEAR’S COOLEST TOOLS, GIZMOS, AND GADGETS

By THOMAS J. BAKER,SCOTT H. SCHILLING8 min

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More Features
8889
features

Setting Up a Home Theater

The room, the gear, the installation— here’s what you need to know

By DAVID SEITER12 min

7879
features

fireplace face-lift

Change a few basic features for a fresh, new look

By JOSH GARSKOF9 min

106107
features

BEST IN HOME TECH 20 OF THE YEAR’S COOLEST TOOLS, GIZMOS, AND GADGETS

Those problem-solving engineers are at it again. We went in search of the year’s best home-related technol gies and found a host of innovations to make our lives easier and more comfortable. Here, on the following pages, are 20 of our favorites.

By THOMAS J. BAKER,SCOTT H. SCHILLING8 min

3031
departments

ASK THIS OLD HOUSE

’40s. I’m thinking about replacing all 36 windows, but someone told me that window technology these days is so good that storm windows are a thing of the past. Is that true? PETER LAM, BROOKLINE, MASS. Tom Silva replies: Not even a little bit true.
5657

Find!

Leslie and I like to race vintage sports cars, a passion we learned from our father. Dad owned one of the sexiest cars ever built—a silver 1938 3.5-liter SS100 Jaguar—and we still race it today. This low-slung twoseater was built for speed, a fact accentuated by its chrome headlights and sweeping fenders.

By LEIGH KENO,LESLIE KENO8 min

9899
TRANSFORMATIONS

RETURN OF A SOUTHERN BEAUTY

Uncovering the original details in an Arts and Crafts bungalow

By LAURA FISHER KAISER7 min

6061
HOMEOWNER’S HANDBOOK

Installing Wall-Mounted Shelves

Wall-mounted shelves are a great way to store books and display collectibles without sacrificing valuable floor space for bookcases. Here’s how to install a three-shelf, $40 system that uses metal standards that screw directly to wall studs with 21/2-inch screws, brackets that hook into the standards, and shelves that secure to the brackets.

By JOSEPH TRUINI6 min

1213
departments

LETTERS

Our New Host I must admit I was jealous to see my “dream job” snatched away before I could even apply. Good call on letting the younger guys get a shot at things and help pass the knowledge down to the next generation. I was pleasantly surprised to see a peer fill the position as TV program host.
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TV Project

POP THE TOP

HOW DO YOU TURN A CRAMPED BARN LOFT INTO A COMFY BEDROOM?

By MAX ALEXANDER6 min

4445
UPKEEP

Rock Revival

Removing stains and repairing scratches in stone surfaces

By FREDERICK M. HUESTON5 min

November2003 WINTER2003