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!
How we live at home is changing. More people are working at home, there's home schooling and we’re integrating indoor & outdoor spaces as we spend more time at home. Get ideas for your home.
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.
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).
When picking a builder in Florida, I had the opportunity to ask the building supervisor questions. One of the most important questions was “… tell me the three best ways to make the house more energy efficient”. Based on this discussion, I agreed to pay a surcharge for a radiant barrier on the roof. While I understood the value of radiant barriers (read: Home Heating Concepts), I had no experience with radiant barriers. I was surprised then to learn [Learn More…]
Our houses are becoming more energy efficient thanks to building codes focused on driving down US energy consumption. Similar to Energy Star appliances you see at the store, building materials like wall insulation must also meet more stringent building codes. In Florida, there are different codes based on the type of construction and where the insulation will be installed [Learn More…]
If you're hungry you'll want to cook up some burgers on a grill (no e) in the backyard. You definitely won't find much success trying to cook anything on the wooden grille shown below (right). This is a good example of how confusing home related words like registers and grilles that mean almost the same thing but not quite.
No wonder it's so challenging talking to builders, remodelers and contractors [Learn More…]
Home entertainment keeps the winter blues at bay. But there’s more to creating a great room than mounting a TV on the wall and adding a sofa or two. Take your cues from activities that your family enjoys. Whether it’s billiards or video games, your retreat from the world can become the most popular spot in the house! [Go Explore…]
Most homeowners only dream about their ideal kitchen. Rarely do we get to design our own kitchen unless we build a new house or remodel the kitchen. Having built a custom house and remodeled several kitchens over the years, I thought this would be easy but it's not. The kitchen cabinet plans for my new house are more challenging because there are so many gadgets for cabinets today. [Go Explore…]
The most important piece of furniture in any bedroom is a bed. Or maybe you need multiple beds so you set out to research beds for small bedrooms. Furnishing a new home these days can be challenging. Bedrooms are getting smaller while closets are getting bigger. Follow my journey to find the best bed ideas for a room that my granddaughter and other guests will use. [Go Explore…]
Florida isn't a place I ever expected to live. But once my children put roots down there, you could say … my perspective changed. Over the last 10 years, I've watched the building of thousands of new homes around Orlando. Visits to model homes and open houses were made out of curiosity and/or photo taking for this blog. Now that I'm building a house, here's the timeline [Start Dreaming …]
You probably know where there's concrete in your house. Your foundation might be poured concrete or you house might sit on a concrete slab like my house being built in Florida (pictured above). What you're probably not as familiar with are the somewhat strange, thin metal bars that are buried in the concrete to make it stronger. The rebar above looks rather funny too [Start Dreaming …]
Block walls going up but lintels not installed yet …
The exterior walls of a house and some interior walls are known as load bearing walls. That's because they support the ceiling, the floors above and everything up to the roof of your home. Where there are doors and windows in these walls, lintels are the structural support beams that span the opening in a house built from concrete blocks. Lintels sit on top of the vertical supports on either side of the opening. [Start Dreaming …]
When you buy a house, your lender asks for proof of insurance. They also require an appraisal that supports the purchase price, What has always surprised me is neither the lender or the insurance company require a home inspection or ask for the report. And I never understood why my State Farm agent would personally take photographs before issuing coverage.
So I was surprised when a reader told me her insurance company inspected her home years. She asked for help so here's what I've learned talking to my personal insurance agent plus research online [Save More…]
With the cost of new home construction going up, more condominiums are being built with shared land that makes homes more affordable. Are you're buying your first home or first condominium? You'll want to learn more about the condo insurance you're buying to make sure you've got the right coverage in case of an emergency.
Condo insurance isn't the the same as the insurance you get for a single family home! [Save More…]
This article is meant to change the culture at Allstate, and other corporations like them, that to date do not recognize the gender bias built into their business processes. I have been treated respectfully by my Allstate insurance agents. Sadly they have little/no influence on changing the way Allstate's software applications are implemented. [Save More…]
