I'm always inspired to see the projects that other handy people come up with, so I was really intrigued by a question that landed in my inbox.

My brother-in-law, Josh, has a home in South Carolina in hurricane country. During the most recent hurricane scare, he found himself screwing bits of plywood over his windows, straight through the vinyl siding.

Luckily the hurricane passed him by, but the experience of putting holes in his siding was so painful that he decided to install shutters on his home.

After pricing shutters, Josh decided to build them himself, and I'm really impressed by his skills. (Hey Josh, if you ever want to quit your day job and move to Asheville, I bet we can find you some projects to do around here!)

The shutters are made from interlocking floorboards, which is a great idea because it makes the boards easy to join.

They're already braced on the front to hold the boards together. Josh also plans to brace his shutters on the back to keep them from buckling. His question is:
"Should the braces be horizontal or diagonal?"

I don't think you need a diagonal brace, since that's for keeping it from racking out of square, and I don't think that will be a problem with the interlocking boards.

However, adding horizontal pieces on the back would help strengthen the shutter. Since you already have braces on the front side, you probably don't need additional supports on the back. But I believe in building things to be super strong, so go for it!

If you've got a tricky question about a home repair, whether in Asheville or anywhere else, leave a comment and I'll be happy to answer it. And if you can't fix it yourself, I'm here to help.

You'll have an opportunity to meet with a Realtor, a Real Estate Attorney, a Mortgage Loan Specialist, a Home Inspector, and a Handyman!

You'd usually have to pay to pick the brains of professionals like these, but this weekend we're giving our time away for FREE, so don't miss this chance to get ahead of the home-buying competition.

And did I mention that there will be breakfast and mimosas?

Space is limited, so be sure to reserve your spot!

I just finished a neat project: building a fold-down map table for an Airstream camper.

I started with a table top supplied by the customer, then added a map and a protective sheet of Plexiglass.

Next came the tricky part: milling up the frame. It was made from walnut boards...

...with a double rabbet to hold the Plexiglass and map in place.

Here's how it looked laid out on my work bench, before I had the map laminated.

It was tricky to photograph after I installed it, but I think the next photo will give you a good idea of what it looks like. The table goes between the two banquettes and can be folded down or removed.

I attached the frame with little golden "trim head" screws so that the whole unit can be disassembled in case the owner wants to replace the map. I also sealed the frame with silicone caulk to prevent water from getting under the edges, so this is truly a useable table.

I love fun little jobs like this, so call me if you have a creative project you want to get done.