Hallway and stairs

Hallways are easy to overlook, but they hold the thermostat, smoke alarms and the awkward angles under a staircase. The videos here show wiring a smart thermostat on old low-voltage wires and building plywood shelves under a stair, which turns dead space into storage.

Thermostat wiring is low voltage, but you still shut off the furnace breaker before touching any wire and photograph the old connections first. More heating and cooling jobs are under HVAC. Stairs are structural, so leave stringers, treads and landings to a carpenter, and check do you need a permit? before cutting into anything that carries load.