One of the best things about old homes is their history. Every house has a story, and when you're planning a remodel, sometimes you can't help but wonder what the house was like when it was first built. What was the original vision? Did an architect create a unique plan? Or was your home modeled after a plan found in a pattern book, or was it assembled from a Sears, Roebuck and Co. mail-order kit?Be a History HunterTo learn more about your home,...more
There's no doubt the recession has driven people to do crazy things.A recent Sunday cover of the New York Times provides several perfect examples pertinent to the home improvement world. In, "Even if You Want to Save Cash, Don't Try This Stuff at Home," writer Susan Saulny details the exploits of home remodelers who decided to "do-it-themselves" with disastrous results.One remodeler installed a toilet and ended up collapsing the ceiling below....more
Imagine you're walking across a black asphalt parking lot on a hot summer day. Not very pleasant, is it? The asphalt spends the day absorbing heat from the sun, and that heat radiates upward, making a hot day even hotter. The same thing takes place on your roof throughout the summer, and with worse results. On a sunny day, black asphalt roofing shingles can reach temperatures more than 80 degrees higher than the air temperature, and this heat penetrates your living space. Switching to a "cool roof" with shingles that reflect rather than absorb the sun's energy can stop this heat transfer, resulting in dramatically lower energy bills--up to 40 percent lower.Not New...The notion of using lighter colored shingles to reflect heat from rooftops isn't new, but until recently, the appeal of cool roofing materials was undermined by some inherent drawbacks. Chief among them is that dirt and grime is much more visible on white or light-colored shingles, so cool roofs often looked dingy. And because cool roofing shingles don't get nearly as hot as black shingles, they are more hospitable to mold and moss, which can lead to roofs that are dingy--and green. Finally, the benefits of early...more
Solar panels for your roof and an entirely new plumbing system may be a little grandiose. There are plenty of easy ways to remodel green right now. Controlling your costs and protecting the environment can both be tackled at once through these home improvements.Eco-Friendly Remodeling Can Save Some GreenProtecting your budget during a tough economy...more
Spring has sprung and hardware and home improvement stores are bursting with new merchandise--from patio sets to barbecues. In the home improvement retail universe, spring might as well be Christmas.And normally, it's hard to hold back until frost danger has passed before purchasing plants for the garden, thanks to garden centers' tantalizing...more
While home improvement retail giant Home Depot is feeling the effects of the down economy, and has decided to close its 34 Expo Design Centers, a new home improvement retailer is taking root: Green Depot. Green Depot, which has no relation to Home Depot, recently opened a 3,500-square foot store in downtown Manhattan. The eco-based hardware store, which sells basics such as paint, as well as kitchen cabinets, flooring, and insulation, originated with the Brooklyn-based supplier of green building materials and lifestyle products of the same name.Green Depot is small potatoes in comparison to Home Depot. But its existence -- and the existence of such green home improvement retailers cropping up across the country -- sends a strong message: green living is growing more and more mainstream everyday.Green Living in an Eco-Conscious SocietySure, it's trendy. And yes, people who can afford to live in Manhattan can also afford to live an eco-conscious lifestyle. But as the cost of energy rises--this winter, heating costs have doubled in some parts of the country--living in a sustainable fashion has never made more sense. Personal finance guru David Bach and his co-author, environmental...more
The recession hasn't been terribly positive for the home improvement industry. However, one area of home improvement remains a bright spot--the kitchen. As consumers pinch their pennies and dine out less often, they are spending more time in their...more
When it comes to home improvement projects, adding insulation has to be one of the least sexy. Almost nobody brags to their neighbor about increasing their home's "R" values. As boring as it might be, that doesn't make proper insulation any less...more
My house was built in the 1940s. The existing toilet has two tie-down bolts on each side of the base. As far as I know, new toilets only have one tie-down bolt on each side. If I want to replace the old toilet with a new one, how do I solve this...more
My 1963 tri-level has radiant boiler heat and no ducts for central air. While Colorado summers get well into the 90s, my husband and I generally retreat to the basement to get cool rather than install a window-mounted air conditioner--or an...more
The air ducts in your home become clogged with dust and dirt. You may even find cat hair, your hair, and the hair of your visitors. Basically, you can find anything and everything in your air ducts. But where does all of that stuff go if you don't...more
What makes them a class above all the other roofing companies out there? To this day, they are still family owned and family operated. Hence the personalized and customer oriented approach we seldom encounter today. Apart from their family oriented...more