With summer in the air, you’re just itching to get that home improvement project going. It’s a great time to install a rain garden, improve storm-water runoff in your yard, redo your windows or siding, or even change the look of one of the rooms inside your house with new paint and furniture. No matter [...]

Who wouldn’t love a room filled with beautiful natural light from above? If the room you want to light, however, is on the ground floor – or below an attic – you may think installing a skylight is impossible. Think again. Tubular skylights are an inexpensive, energy-efficient way to bring passive natural light (light without [...]

When does a trend become a tradition? With continued interest in creating great outdoor living spaces, the trend for jazzing up the backyard may just be on the verge of becoming a staple of the American home, and as much a requirement as a great kitchen or welcoming bath. And every summer it seems homeowners [...]

Warm weather means it’s an ideal time to redo or create a new outdoor living space that you can enjoy all summer. When designing your ideal backyard, add a new patio door to your plans to help bring the sunshine, fresh air and outdoor fun into your home. This season’s hottest outdoor living spaces are [...]

When it comes to do-it-yourself projects that will save money on energy costs, many new products on the market make it possible to save hundreds of dollars over time, with just a few hours of easy installation. Few of these products come close to the long-term benefits of installing a radiant barrier in your attic. [...]

We’ve all seen the do-it-yourself paint job gone wrong, with thin spots, drips and streaks. Paint, however, isn’t usually the culprit of a bad paint job. But cutting corners while prepping a space is. By following the right steps prior to painting, and using the right painting tools, you’ll be sure to have a refreshed [...]

Now is the time to get outside and prepare outdoor living spaces for the entertainment season. While sunny days are perfect for fertilizing the lawn, planting flowers and laying mulch, don’t waste those gray, overcast days, which are great for other DIY projects. One task that can be tackled on a dreary day is prepping [...]

Claiming to have the best house is probably in the eye of the beholder, but most of us can agree that achieving descriptions such as beautiful, responsible, and cost-efficient – plus boundless growth in the resale value – is a very big part of a homeowner’s dream. So when it comes to insisting on the [...]

Walk into any older home and you’ll always find a lot of hardwood details – wainscoting, crown moulding, fireplace surrounds, spindled staircases, even chair rails – because decorative trimwork used to be standard in new home construction. But after World War II, builders began reducing the amount of trim, using just enough to cover gaps [...]

You know that moving into a new home can be one of life’s biggest stressors – the packing, the paperwork, the unpacking, finding the nearest coffee shop … even though numbers are down, 35.2 million Americans changed residences in 2008, according to a report by the U.S. Census Bureau. There are many ways to make [...]