Building materials found in nature are not just for flings with green or sustainable trends. In reality, materials made from woods, plant matter and clay have been used successfully for centuries. While the rest of the world is using up materials that are threatened, you can find materials that grow in abundance and renew themselves [...]
More and more Americans are enjoying the benefits of telecommuting. The Telework Research Network estimates that as many as 30 million people work from home at least part of the time. The trend has sparked a boom of home office conversions over the last decade.
But now, sad to say, the distressed housing market has negatively [...]
Let’s say you can’t tolerate the clutter and confines of your bath and kitchen. Money is tight and lenders are tighter. Perhaps this is not the year for your kitchen or bathroom remodeling project. That doesn’t mean you’re stuck with an unmanageable home. Bins, organizers and storage solutions abound – and most of them are [...]
You may not experience the off-gassing of toxic chemicals into your home at first. But over time, volatile organic compounds (VOC) used in paint, thinners, and stains can render the air quality inside your home three times worse than what you’d experience outdoors. Today’s green or sustainable paints don’t cost appreciably more than traditional interior [...]
Home solar power systems have been around long enough that the technology has earned kudos for reliability. Some homeowners have actually zeroed out their energy costs and, in some states, are selling energy back to the power companies.
Prices on systems have dropped in the last five years as manufacturers found more economic means for producing [...]
In can frustrate you to distraction when you have a job to do but there’s no suitable tool in the box. I went to local DIY and home improvement stores and asked clerks what the essential home remodeling toolbox has inside. Answers varied so dramatically, I realized it depends entirely on the person you ask. [...]
The housing market is showing signs of a recovery this spring and contractors are listening. Prices are up from a year ago and residential building is responding to a call for a larger rental market. We’re still a long way from bursting out of the dark woods. But with a sign of thaw in the [...]
You’ll find thousands of home improvement tips on the Web for kitchen remodeling. A contractor friend always jokes that there are articles on installing new cabinets, tiles and backsplashes, but rarely advice on demolishing the existing kitchen. No, you don’t call in a few heavily muscled thugs armed with jackhammers. Back up a moment.
I was [...]
Posting tweet...
