The top 5 design and colour trends for 2026 are here—find out which ones will actually make your home look timeless (and which ones you should avoid).
Saturday, November 8, 2025
Wednesday, November 5, 2025
Sunday, November 2, 2025
Dunn-Edwards 2025 Color of the Year | Caramelized (DET687)
A warm, neutral hue with soft, earthy tones that evoke the essence of sunbaked clay. Caramelized is the perfect balance between light brown and soft terracotta, offering timeless versatility. Whether paired with creamy off-whites for a subtle look or contrasted with deep navy and charcoal for a bolder vibe, this color transforms any space into a cozy, grounded retreat.
Thursday, October 30, 2025
Disaster to Dream Home: Incredible Kitchen Addition and Back Deck Renovation | Holmes on Homes 101
Featuring some of the most well-decorated faces in home design TV, Homeful is all about the real estate… renovations, and transformations that you love to binge!
Monday, October 27, 2025
Mike Fixes Lien Disaster After Contractor Fails | Holmes on Homes 603
Sort out a financial nightmare with Kristine and Terry, whose contractor put a lien on their home after failing to deliver the second story he promised. Follow Mike and his crew as they show exactly how unfinished the job was and then make it right.
Friday, October 24, 2025
Corrupt Contractor Leaves Family Homeless | Holmes on Homes 406
Learn how a corrupt contractor left Ron and Jill with no money, nowhere to live, and no legal leg to stand on. Watch the Holmes crew work day and night to complete the structure, plumbing, and finish work on their second-floor addition.
Tuesday, October 21, 2025
Got False Alarms? The Truth About ‘Pesky’ Smoke Detectors
Saturday, October 18, 2025
This Old House | Engineered for Accessibility
Great progress is being made on the project house. The primary addition is being framed and the rooms are starting to take shape. A sound deadening wall is built. A lally column is removed and a larger ridge beam is installed to create an open kitchen and dining area. The homeowners choose hardscape finishes based on 3D renderings. An accessible designed bathroom is toured.
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Where to find it?
Contractor: TJ Berky Builders [https://berkybuilders.com/Home_Page.php]
Landscape designer: SiteOne Landscape Supply [https://www.siteone.com/en/]
Accessibility consultant: Solutions for Accessibility [http://www.solutionsforaccessibility....]
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About This Old House TV: This Old House is America’s first and most trusted home improvement show. Each season, we renovate two different historic homes—one step at a time—featuring quality craftsmanship and the latest in modern technology. We demystify home improvement and provide ideas and information so, whether you are doing it yourself or hiring out contractors, you’ll know the right way to do things or the questions to ask. Our experts including general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, landscape contractor Jenn Nawada, master carpenter Norm Abram, and host Kevin O’Connor give you the tools you need to protect and preserve your greatest investment—your home.
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Wednesday, October 15, 2025
How to Choose the Best Paintbrush | Ask This Old House
Ask This Old House painter Mauro Henrique explains the differences between various types of paintbrushes.
Sunday, October 12, 2025
An Overview of Water Damage Classifications and Categories
Water damage comes in a variety of forms that can be merely annoying or potentially dangerous, depending on the source of the flow. Today, we will go over the general categories of water leaks, the type of damage they can cause and the recommended steps to treat them. Water damage is split up into various categories and classifications according to standards set by the IICRC.
Category 1 (Clear Water)
This type of water damage occurs when a pipe or appliance springs a leak or overflows when left on unattended. Fortunately, in these types of situations, the water is usually clean and does not pose any real risk to you immediately. Clean water damage typically is an issue for the surrounding environment, such as carpets, books and other belongings which are not waterproof and may need restoration work done if the flooding happens over a long period of time. Additionally, water damage can potentially lead to more severe issues such as mold growth that will need the attention of a professional mold inspector and remediator.
Category 2 (Grey Water)
Gray water damage involves some degree of contamination, whether it's physical, biological or chemical. In layman's terms, gray water is dangerous but not hazardous and needs some form of remediation in order to ensure that the environment is properly restored for human inhabitation. The most common household gray water situations come from toilets, dishwashers and washing machine leaks, where detergents or food particles are mingled in with the water supply. Gray water, like clean water, may also cause mold damage in unattended situations and can also potentially lead to other structural issues depending on the type of contaminant in the water.
Category 3 (Black Water)
This is the most uncommon form of water damage as well as the most dangerous. Black water contains extremely unsanitary agents including bacteria and fungus, and contaminate all surfaces it touches. Black water damage is usually caused by natural disasters such as storms and floods, where debris is washed into the water, or from ruptured sewage lines or septic tanks. This type of water damage must be handled by a professional restoration firm and potentially the state environmental protection agency, as the consequences of leaving the situation untreated or improper treatment can be devastating to many others besides the property owner.
In addition to the types of water damage, there are also various classifications to specify the rate of evaporation for a water damage scenario. This information is subsequently utilized by the technicians to determine the proper method of dryout and an approximate timeline.
Class 1 (Slow Evaporation Rate)
This is the most benign level of water damage in which only a part of a room or area is affected, or the materials involved are relatively low permanence or porosity such as particle board, structural wood or plywood. In these situations, there is usually a minimal amount of moisture absorbed by materials and restoration time is typically fast.
Class 2 (Fast Evaporation Rate)
This class generally involves an entire room, or flood damage where water has wicked up to 24 inches on the wall. Moisture can be present in the structure as well. These scenarios are middle of the road as far as the work and time involved.
Class 3 (Fastest Evaporation Rate)
Class 3 situations commonly involves water that comes from above, either from an upstairs room or outside during heavy rain. In these scenarios, water has saturated more than 24 inches above the wall, posing severe structural risk and potential damage if not immediately addressed.
Class 4 (Specialty Drying Situations)
In this class, the surrounding structure and materials have very low permance/porosity, causing water to remain in saturated pockets throughout. Examples include hardwood, brick, concrete or other materials that do not have a high amount of absorption rate for moisture. These scenarios require very specific low humidity and ventilation solutions in order for water to be effectively removed.
While the class and categorization of a water emergency can usually be quickly inferred, be sure to double check with your water technician when they arrive on site to get the full scope of the situation after a professional inspection has been conducted. Your technician should be able to provide you with an approximate estimate of the timeframe, as well as details on the exact work that needs to be done to bring everything back up to speed. We will cover the various methods of water damage restoration in our next article so be sure to stay tuned!
Category 1 (Clear Water)
This type of water damage occurs when a pipe or appliance springs a leak or overflows when left on unattended. Fortunately, in these types of situations, the water is usually clean and does not pose any real risk to you immediately. Clean water damage typically is an issue for the surrounding environment, such as carpets, books and other belongings which are not waterproof and may need restoration work done if the flooding happens over a long period of time. Additionally, water damage can potentially lead to more severe issues such as mold growth that will need the attention of a professional mold inspector and remediator.
Category 2 (Grey Water)
Gray water damage involves some degree of contamination, whether it's physical, biological or chemical. In layman's terms, gray water is dangerous but not hazardous and needs some form of remediation in order to ensure that the environment is properly restored for human inhabitation. The most common household gray water situations come from toilets, dishwashers and washing machine leaks, where detergents or food particles are mingled in with the water supply. Gray water, like clean water, may also cause mold damage in unattended situations and can also potentially lead to other structural issues depending on the type of contaminant in the water.
Category 3 (Black Water)
This is the most uncommon form of water damage as well as the most dangerous. Black water contains extremely unsanitary agents including bacteria and fungus, and contaminate all surfaces it touches. Black water damage is usually caused by natural disasters such as storms and floods, where debris is washed into the water, or from ruptured sewage lines or septic tanks. This type of water damage must be handled by a professional restoration firm and potentially the state environmental protection agency, as the consequences of leaving the situation untreated or improper treatment can be devastating to many others besides the property owner.
In addition to the types of water damage, there are also various classifications to specify the rate of evaporation for a water damage scenario. This information is subsequently utilized by the technicians to determine the proper method of dryout and an approximate timeline.
Class 1 (Slow Evaporation Rate)
This is the most benign level of water damage in which only a part of a room or area is affected, or the materials involved are relatively low permanence or porosity such as particle board, structural wood or plywood. In these situations, there is usually a minimal amount of moisture absorbed by materials and restoration time is typically fast.
Class 2 (Fast Evaporation Rate)
This class generally involves an entire room, or flood damage where water has wicked up to 24 inches on the wall. Moisture can be present in the structure as well. These scenarios are middle of the road as far as the work and time involved.
Class 3 (Fastest Evaporation Rate)
Class 3 situations commonly involves water that comes from above, either from an upstairs room or outside during heavy rain. In these scenarios, water has saturated more than 24 inches above the wall, posing severe structural risk and potential damage if not immediately addressed.
Class 4 (Specialty Drying Situations)
In this class, the surrounding structure and materials have very low permance/porosity, causing water to remain in saturated pockets throughout. Examples include hardwood, brick, concrete or other materials that do not have a high amount of absorption rate for moisture. These scenarios require very specific low humidity and ventilation solutions in order for water to be effectively removed.
While the class and categorization of a water emergency can usually be quickly inferred, be sure to double check with your water technician when they arrive on site to get the full scope of the situation after a professional inspection has been conducted. Your technician should be able to provide you with an approximate estimate of the timeframe, as well as details on the exact work that needs to be done to bring everything back up to speed. We will cover the various methods of water damage restoration in our next article so be sure to stay tuned!
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