Project book · an afternoon

Weatherstrip doors and windows

Stop the drafts and the heating bill that comes with them. An afternoon for the whole house.

How many doors and windows?

doors and windows

This fits in a car

About 12 lb of materials. Comfortably inside what a car carries (200 lb), so any shopper can take it.

Before you start

Use a ladder on firm, level ground for upper windows, and do not lean out of a window to caulk it; do those from outside or leave them to somebody with the right ladder.

What to buy — untick anything you have

Hardware

6 rolls of foam or V-strip weatherstripping, 17 ftV-strip for the sides of sliding sashes, foam for doors and windows that close against a stop.
2 Door sweepOne for each outside door. Match the door width, usually 36 in.

Supplies

3 tubes of exterior window and door caulkPaintable, and white unless the trim is another color.
1 bottle of rubbing alcohol

Tools — already ticked off, since most people have them

Tools

1 Caulk gun· most people have this
1 Scissors or utility knife· most people have this
1 Cordless drill· most people have this

It lands in the shopping form, where you can edit anything and say what you think each thing costs. Nothing is ordered until you send it.

How it goes · about an afternoon · beginner

On a windy day, hold a strip of tissue near the edges of each door and window to find the drafts.
Pull off the old strip and clean the surface with rubbing alcohol so the new adhesive sticks.
Cut the weatherstrip to length and press it onto the stop, not onto the face that slides.
Screw a sweep to the bottom of each outside door so it just brushes the threshold.
Caulk the gaps around the outside trim on a dry day above about 40 degrees.

Something else

Build a raised garden bed Mulch a flower bed Paint a room Put up garage shelving Fix a patchy lawn Build a fire pit Mount a TV on the wall Cookout for a crowd

Feeding people instead? The recipe book works the same way — pick a meal, say how many, every ingredient lands on the list.