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‘Home Improvement’

A good contractor earns every dime you pay them, a bad contractor may take every dime you have. Read the rest of this entry »

Choosing a material for your countertops involves considerations of cost, appearance and use. Some are as inexpensive as $10 per square foot, others as high as $100 or more. Which you choose will depend on your taste and budget, as well as how you plan to make use of the surface. Read the rest of this entry »

Apart from possibly the bathroom, kitchens get more traffic from more individuals in most homes than any other room. And, unlike bathrooms, they’re one of the most visible. Make your kitchen functional and beautiful on a budget with these simple ideas. Read the rest of this entry »

Few spaces in the home are as personal, and as practical, as the bathroom. Bathrooms are a place to refresh, re-group and prepare for the coming day. They’re also a place to wind down from a day just past and prepare for bed. Read the rest of this entry »

Modern chemistry has created both friend and challenge. Hand soaps, shaving cream and other concoctions make life a lot more healthy and convenient than it was a hundred years ago. But some traditional problems are still with us: clogs. Read the rest of this entry »

Whether kitchen or bathroom, fixing a sink can be straightforward or it can be a nightmare. Much depends on the condition of the valves and hoses leading to them. Read the rest of this entry »

Few things are as important to most homeowners as the security of his or her home. Fortunately, today there are more options than ever. Here are some tips on how to select one with confidence… Read the rest of this entry »

Laying carpet is often one of those projects where paying a professional is worth the cost. But if you have a simple installation, or really want to save the money, here are some guidelines to follow for a professional looking job. Read the rest of this entry »

As with any remodeling project, the first step – and the hardest – is preparation. Surfaces on which moulding is to be installed need to be clean, dry and smooth. Read the rest of this entry »

Even beginning do-it-yourself’ers will find that installing kitchen cabinets is do-it-yourself-able. With care, the results can be as fine as any professional job. Here are some tips to achieve that goal. Read the rest of this entry »

A riddle: which one of the important ‘systems’ of your home has no moving parts and is spread throughout the house? Answer: insulation. Read the rest of this entry »

Thanks to advances in materials science and other techno-wizardry, your lighting design options today are, well, blinding. Any look you want, for any part of the home with any layout is available. Read the rest of this entry »

Installing a tile floor is one of the more difficult home remodeling projects. But with care, it’s within reach of anyone. Read the rest of this entry »

Home heating systems serve a simple purpose. But to achieve it they employ a surprisingly complicated set of components, some of which are prone to failure. Let’s start with the simple and obvious (and cheap!) things first. Read the rest of this entry »

Left alone, cool things warm up from their warmer surroundings. Every air cooling system takes advantage of some very interesting laws of physics to reverse this and make your home temperature lower than the outdoors. Read the rest of this entry »

The average cost for a room addition in the U.S. runs between $50,000 and $65,000. You may want to save that outlay by undertaking the effort yourself. But, be prepared. Read the rest of this entry »

Replacing doors falls into two categories: (1) replacing just the door, (2) replacing the door plus the frame. The first is easy, but the second is within the skill set of the average do-it-yourselfer as well. Here, we’ll cover the first case only. Read the rest of this entry »

If carried out correctly, replacing your screens can be a snap. Be careless and you really will have to replace the whole screen, frame and all. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s easy to read magazines and conclude that your home is a danger to you and your family. But, as anyone can see, people are living longer, healthier lives than ever. Read the rest of this entry »

Fortunately, painting the outside of most homes is easier today than ever. Easier… not easy. When the average cost of a professional paint job runs several thousand dollars (though they do earn it), you may want to tackle it yourself. Read the rest of this entry »

Roof repair can be simple and cheap… or you can wait until the damage spreads and you have a condition only a professional can solve – for hundreds (or thousands) of dollars. Read the rest of this entry »

If you’ve ever installed an outdoor deck and patio and hooked up an indoor dishwasher, you’ve got the skills needed to install your own hot tub. Read the rest of this entry »

Shower installations are tough, no getting around it. Most home remodeling projects require care, but this is one case where even a small error can lead to disaster. Read the rest of this entry »

With the popularity of HDTV sets, the shape and weight requirements (not to mention the price) of stands has changed. If you don’t want to shell out a few hundred dollars for a stand, increasing the TV’s total price by 20% or more, here are a couple of alternatives. Read the rest of this entry »

With only a few dozen deck screws, lag screws, galvanized nails, bolts, joists, posts, braces, flashing, concrete bags, gravel, stain, thinner, drill, level, plumb bob, hammer, measuring tape… you too can build a deck. Read the rest of this entry »

Keeping decks sturdy and looking new is a three step process that can be low cost and require only moderate effort. Read the rest of this entry »

Gardens provide a healthy, relaxing hobby and give beautiful results, enhancing the appearance of any home or business. But they can also be profitable. Read the rest of this entry »

Remodeling your basement presents several challenges, which can all be turned into advantages. Here’s how… Read the rest of this entry »

Beyond the basics of grading, foundation and floors, and walls and roofs, there are a host of smaller – but still essential – elements to inspect. Read the rest of this entry »

Even when a homeowner doesn’t have the advantage of watching the progress of construction from the beginning, it’s still possible to judge the final result. Professional inspectors do it all the time, and they have extensive lists of what needs to be checked. Read the rest of this entry »