Expert Advice for your Lawn & Garden TV Host of Today's Homeowner^® and home expert for The Weather Channel

A 45-degree miter joint is the perfect means for joining two pieces of molding in a 90-degree corner (such as case molding around a window). Unfortunately not all such corners are exactly 90-degrees so the miter joint has to be adapted to fit tightly. Here’s a solution for just that situation.

If you’ve ever painted dormers or half gables on the outside of a house you know that resting a paint can while working on a rooftop can really be tricky. Our solution: create a triangular platform with an angle opposite the roof (a bevel gauge and level will show you what the level needs to be).

Large gates often require large hardware to give them the tension needed to prevent sagging but the hardware needed is often hard to come by. Provide the necessary tension with your own hardware. First, take a piece of electrical conduit large enough for your gate, lay it on a 2×4 and flatten the ends with a hammer. Pre-drill a couple of holes in the flattened ends for the screws that will later secure the hardware. Use galvanized screws to secure one end of the conduit, check for level and secure the other end. Before hanging the hardware we chose to paint it black.

Power tools…almost every home in America has at least one, but many people are not always sure how to use them. Many homeowners are somewhat intimidated by power tools, but they are actually easy to understand. By first reading the instructions and following the safety guidelines, you’ll be finishing up your own home project in no time.

We all need more storage space and here’s a quick tip for formalizing that space you used as a child. The space under your bed doesn’t have to be just for hiding stuff you don’t want to put away. By adding casters to the underside of an old drawer you can recycle it to serve as under-bed storage. Before choosing casters be sure they won’t raise the drawer too high keeping it from easily rolling under the bed.

You’d be surprised how easy it is to build this simple desk. For about $75 (even less if you use recycled materials), you get more than 15 square feet of desktop space plus an optional shelf underneath for computer equipment or extra books.

To mark a continuous straight line around a pipe (or other cylinder) in order to make a square cut, wrap a large piece of square paper around it so that the edges line up. Make sure the paper wraps over itself and in line to ensure a square mark. To start the cut score the mark with a tri-file so that the hack saw doesn’t wander around as you begin the cut.

One way to easily layout screws for keyhole slots on the back of power strips (or anything else) is to lay a sheet of paper over the holes and sketch back and forth with a pencil. The holes will show up in relief. Now use the paper as a template for installing the screws and they will be spaced perfectly.

In situations where two pieces of wood need to be tightly connected at right angles (for example constructing a wooden gate) a half-lap joint is ideal. Here are a few tips to make an easy half-lap joint.

Here’s a simple solution to organizing the dirty laundry in your laundry room. Construct a custom shelf unit sized to hold three to five laundry hampers so clothes can be sorted upon arrival in the laundry room.