Your home is a huge investment when you buy it, plus monthly operating costs like utility bills. We help you spend less, get more value & build homeowner equity like a savings account.
You've probably never hung a door or shingled a roof. That’s why problems are scary. We share concepts, terminology so you can make smart decisions about your home ... with confidence!
With Pinterest, Houzz and so many shows about home improvements, it's natural to have a wish list. We share our ideas, your homeowner stories and support you in achieving your dreams.
Most water leaks in your home won't cause this much flooding. Trust me, you never want to deal with this situation. As I'm living through a flooded house right now, I can definitely say it's not fun. But there's a lot we can learn by understanding the water damage repair steps you go through to recover from this type of emergency.
Most of the time your artwork is hung on walls or placed on shelves. My challenge was dealing with water damaged art that was sitting on the floor in several inches of water. That's typical when you're moving into a new house. When unpacking, I placed things in the room where I thought they'd go. Fortunately this was the only bedroom left to organize, plus the front hallway.
Only bedroom with water damaged art sitting on the floor …
You can imagine how upset I got when [Save More…]
With a flooded house you've got to get rid of the water first, then prop up furniture so it can dry out. Then it's time to find and dry wet and soggy things that oops, got wet because they were sitting on the floor. You have to do this in the first day or two, to avoid mold growing in your house after a flood.
Personal things moved to the garage to dry???
My mistake was to trust the experts. What they proved was, they couldn't be trusted. That's because I didn't hire them and they're taking direction from the insurance company [Save More…]
Every house has baseboard which is installed when a house is built. You might replace your baseboard when remodeling or refinishing your floors. If your house floods, replacing baseboard will be one of the many things needed to return your home to it's pre-flood condition. The big question is when to remove the baseboard?
Decorative baseboard can dress up a room …
Unless you've lived through a remodeling project, you probably aren't familiar with what is hiding behind baseboards. [Learn More …]
The emphasis on low cost products drives lower quality products. Poor quality means products have to be replaced more often. When you have to replace building materials frequently, they cost more when you include installation costs. Walmart focuses on consumable products, ones that aren't expected to last a long time. They don't sell cheap house windows because …
Houses last 40, 60 or 100 years. Walmart does sell window accessories like screens, shutters, window film, window awnings and window insulation kits.
Sadly many production builders, to save a nickel here and there, [Learn More …]
When you move into a brand new house you want to decorate, organize and protect your home so it sparkles forever. Furniture pads will let you move furniture around, knowing your floors are protected from scratches and gouges. The challenge is finding the best furniture pads for your floors and furniture.
More homeowners worry about their hardwood floors but my experience says it pays to protect all flooring. With wall-t0-wall porcelain tile, I expected my floors to be pretty indestructible … [Learn More …]
While dealing with the insurance company, it's also time to find a mold remediation company. We found mold after removing the cabinets because they put out lots of fans but never removed cabinet doors/drawers (read How to Dry Out Kitchen Cabinets). With no prior experience involving mold remediation, this is a perfect opportunity to share my research and how I went about hiring a new contractor.
Kitchens have always been the heart of a home. One of the most popular kitchen design trends is the open floor plan. Now these open kitchens are being integrated into the larger living space in new and exciting ways. Kitchens are being decorated like other rooms in your home and coordinated with adjoining open concept spaces like this family room.
Kitchen design integrating the adjoining family room …
When buying a new house, many people decide to complete one or more home renovations before moving in. Few existing homes are truly “move-in ready” or maybe you want to personalize the house, to make it your own. Or you're a savvy homeowner buying new construction and want to avoid the outrageous upgrade prices charged by your builder.
Basic (free) builder kitchen at the closing …
After waiting 9 months to close on my new production house [Start Dreaming …]
