Dark kitchen island with a long stainless steel sink, a gold and black pull-down faucet, a speckled brown countertop and a dishwasher with a copper handle, with a stone fireplace and light wood-look flooring behind it

Garbage Disposal Wiring: Plug-In or Hardwired?

Garbage disposal wiring depends on how the model you pick is meant to be connected. So don’t order one until you’ve read that model’s installation

Large dark kitchen island with a sink, gold-tone faucet and ring pendant lights

Create a Cohesive Look for Your First Floor Design

With the right planning, you can create a first floor design, including kitchen, dining, and living areas, that looks unified and works for your lifestyle.

White toilet on a gray-and-white geometric patterned tile floor beside a white vanity with a dark veined countertop, a black faucet and a round black-framed mirror

Toilet Flange Height: Set It to the Finished Floor

Set the toilet flange to the finished floor. A flange manufacturer’s best-practices page puts the height on top of or even with the finished floor.

Freestanding white tub in a corner with three windows fitted with white shutters, a chandelier above, a floor-mounted tub faucet, a glass shower at the left and a gray wall with two framed drawings

Does a Bathroom Need a Window? What the Code Says

So, does a bathroom need a window? No, not always. The 2018 Tennessee Residential Code asks for windows totaling at least 3 square feet, with

Bathroom with a glass-walled shower with a showerhead and a bench, beside a freestanding white tub, a potted plant between two windows and a vanity with a large black-framed mirror

What Size Steam Shower Generator Does Your Room Need?

The room sets the size of a steam shower generator. So settle the room first. Measure it. Note what the walls are made of and

Navy blue kitchen cabinets around a white refrigerator, a built-in beverage cooler and a white dishwasher, with a white veined countertop, a window with a gold faucet beneath it and a round pendant light overhead

Induction Cooktop Electrical Requirements: Check the Circuit First

The induction cooktop electrical requirements come from the installation guide for the exact model, so read that guide before you order. Then ask a licensed

Glass-enclosed shower with large gray-veined white wall tiles, a built-in bench, a handheld shower, a recessed niche with two bottles and a floor of small dark square tiles

Tile Ready Shower Pan or Built-Up Pan? What to Ask

A tile ready shower pan and a built-up pan are two ways to build the same thing: the sloped, waterproof floor under your shower tile.

Polished light speckled stone countertop along a dark gray herringbone tile backsplash, with a toaster, a red coffee maker, gray cabinets and a black range

Can You Use Vinegar on Granite? Check Your Stone First

Can you use vinegar on granite? Skip it unless your stone supplier confirms it suits your particular granite and the sealer on it. The Natural

Kitchen sink wall with gray cabinets, a white subway-tile backsplash with wall outlets and switches, a farmhouse sink with a pull-down faucet, a stainless dishwasher and a coffee maker plugged in on a taupe counter

Do All Kitchen Outlets Need to Be GFCI? Check the Code Year First

Do all kitchen outlets need to be GFCI? It depends on which edition of the National Electrical Code your permit office enforces. GFCI is ground-fault

White kitchen with a white range hood above a gas cooktop between white wall cabinets, a stainless refrigerator, stacked wall ovens and a large island with a black pull-down faucet

How High Should a Range Hood Be? The Manual Sets the Number

Range hood height comes from the manual for the hood you choose, over the cooktop that sits under it. There’s no single number that covers

Glass-enclosed shower with large gray wall tiles, a recessed niche, a built-in bench and a pebble-tile floor, beside a tall wood-tone storage cabinet

Linear Shower Drain or Center Drain? Start With the Floor

A linear shower drain suits a shower floor that slopes one way and carries large tile, and it can lead to a barrier-free entry. A

White kitchen with a stainless sink set into a white veined countertop beneath a double window, with a gray tile backsplash and a stainless dishwasher

Which Sink Goes With Which Countertop? Check the Mount First

A kitchen sink and countertop combo works when the sink’s mount matches what the countertop material can carry and seal. So choose the sink and

White kitchen with two sets of open wood shelves on either side of a black range hood and a dark island with a light stone top

What Goes on Open Shelves and What Stays Behind Cabinet Doors?

A kitchen with open shelves and cabinets works when each item is sorted by how it’s used and how much upkeep you’ll do. Everyday dishes

Kitchen island sink with a stainless pull-down faucet and a soap dispenser, set in a speckled light countertop

Can a Single-Hole Faucet Go on a Three-Hole Sink?

A single hole faucet can go on a sink that has three holes, as long as something covers the two holes it doesn’t use. The

White toilet between a white shower base and a white vanity with a dark veined counter, on a dark gray tile floor

Toilet Clearance Is Three Measurements, Not One Number

Toilet clearance isn’t one number. It’s three measurements: the space from the toilet’s center out to the side wall or vanity, the open floor in

Kitchen with recessed ceiling lights, two lit pendants, sage-green cabinets and a lit backsplash under the upper cabinets

Kitchen Recessed Lighting Starts With the Job Each Light Does

Give each light a job before you choose a pattern, a size or a count. That’s the order that keeps kitchen recessed lighting from being

Contemporary Bathroom Design