Re-doing on YouTube

YouTube is known to be full of “interesting” time wasters—a recent entry, Star Wars commentary by a three-year-old comes to mind—and home renovation is well represented. But it isn’t all jokes on this great digital hope when it comes to renos and design ideas. As soon as a tricky problem is conquered, people want to share their know-how with others. This used to mean telling your softball team or work buddies; now it means sharing it with millions through video. Note: soundtracks apparently are not optional.

• A complete house reno on hyper-speed in two parts

• A before and after video, where this house is transformed from bland to . . . not bad. Hey, it’s the spirit of the job, right?

• This film brings you right to the job site before revealing the final finish

• Ah, the classic bathroom reno, Hollywood style

• Small houses deserve loving care too, especially in the wilds of Alaska

Makeover Madness

Of course, for every stellar example, there is its complete opposite.

• A homeowner is visited by a renovating ghost (warning: scary stuff here)

• A spoof of TV reno show Holmes on Homes (warning: funny stuff here)

• Hammer juggling, possibly a German pastime?

How-to Videos

YouTube is also chock-full-’o installation tips; however, for every useful, thoughtful, safe renovation video there are dozens of ill-conceived, dangerous “tips” and “techniques” from amateurs without proper knowledge of safe, efficient building techniques. Here are some helpful videos:

• How to get the most from your stud-finder, narrated by a, uh, stud

• Curious how contractors devise the framing layout for your house? Finally, real answers

• A time-lapse video showing kitchen floor tiling

• Speaking of tiling, here’s how it’s done in Australia

• How to fix the toilet (not exactly glamorous, but undoubtedly useful)

Before attempting anything shown on YouTube, use caution; if you’re unsure of what’s being shown, ask your contractor or hardware retailer for a second opinion. After all, those same people posting how-tos on YouTube? Well, they could also be the ones posting “Handyman.”