Ron Hazelton's House Calls, Episodes 1 & 2

Affable home improvement guru Ron Hazelton is the host for these episodes from the titular TV series (now in its 14th year of syndication) devoted to handyman and construction projects for ordinary families. Hazelton offers useful lessons on such subjects as improving the effectiveness of rain gutters and drain spouts, but the heart of his show is turning up at people's houses and working with them on creative solutions to practical problems. In the first of two episodes compiled here, Hazelton helps a family create a visual separation between a kitchen and living room (the two blur together) by building decorative columns. In the second, he installs a dog fence, and leads a couple through building a doghouse for an energetic border collie (Hazelton tries to measure the wiggly dog's height, width, and length, but winds up settling for approximate canine dimensions). Along the way, Hazelton makes good economic use of his time, squeezing in tidbits of information and advice on a range of topics, including how to treat a butcher block cutting board to keep it useful for years. Recommended. Aud: P. (T. Keogh)