I’ve been self-employed my whole career and I could not be happier. No matter what the economy is doing, a scrappy freelancer can find work. If I was casting about for a new career, I might consider becoming a restorer of old wood windows, like this woman featured in an Old House Journal article. Pam…
Who knew saving money on a kitchen remodel could be so simple? Just don’t move the sink. If you do, you will incur all kinds of costs and delays when the plumbing has to be rerouted. When your house is on a concrete slab that has to be cut into for the new plumbing, that’s…
You aren’t the only one feeling the pinch. In an exclusive interview with WalletPop’s Jason Cochran, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition‘s resident carpenter, Paul DiMeo, reports that the tough times have hit his popular ABC show, too. One of the first things to change was the size of the homes. In years past, families would be…
Services such as Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare and Buzz can alert criminals when users are not home, according to Confused.com, the price comparison service. Foursquare, for example, shows that people are in a specific spot and, more importantly, that the user is definitely not at home, Confused.com added. It predicted that the new wave in social media could eventually lead…
From Baton Rouge Real Estate Appraisals: I ran across a situation in the Greater Baton Rouge Housing Market where a homeowner, located in a subdivision where the average home is worth $150,000, installed a $60,000 Gunite Inground Pool recently. Now, their home is on the market and they are about to be taken through the…
From Consumer Reports: While a few states started doling out rebates to consumers as part of the $300 million cash for clunkers for appliances program at the end of 2009, the launch date for most states will occur throughout the first several months of 2010. Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois (phase 1 only), Kansas, Oregon, Vermont, Wisconsin,…
At the tile store some time ago, salivating over the $30-per-square-foot tile, I asked the clerk a brilliant question: “Do you have any free stuff?” I was with a friend who is pretty classy, and she gave a nervous little laugh and I wondered for a second if this question was crass. But the clerk…
From HGTV's Front Door: #10: The kitchen is one room where upgrades almost always bring a large return on investment. However, you don't have to gut your kitchen and tackle a major remodel to add value. One way to improve your kitchen is to simply replace your old appliances. Stainless steel is the current standard,…
From Bank Rate: Federal tax credits are helping to fuel demand for energy-efficient, "green" home remodeling projects. Few people undertake major home remodeling projects simply to be more environmentally conscious, says Greg Miedema, president of Dakota Builders Inc. in Tucson, Ariz., and chairman of the National Association of Home Builders remodeling division. "Nobody's going to…
Farewell to 2009. Notice we did not say a "fond" farewell. Frankly, we are glad to see it go. It seems everyone has struggled through, both professionally and personally. Here's hoping for better things in 2010! We know many of your remodeling plans have been placed on the proverbial back burner this past year. Remodeling…