U.S. homes waste a lot of energy, but who has the money to remodel? The White House is pushing for financing mechanisms to ease the burden. Joe Biden wants to remodel your home and help you figure out how to pay for it. The Vice President today unveiled Recovery through Retrofit (full report here), a…
A recent article on Bankrate.com, nicely written by Margarette Burnette, lists four steps to make sure you don't end up with a nightmare remodeling story to share at dinner parties. Sure, a nightmare remodel makes for some lively minutes of banter. But really, in the end, you want a successful remodel. If you need something…
Question: How has the new Stimulus bill affected the tax credits for energy efficient home improvements? Answer from Energy Star: On February 17, 2009, President Obama signed the "Stimulus Bill" (The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009) that made significant changes to the energy efficiency tax credits. These changes apply to products "placed…
<p><span style=”border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; “><table border=”0″ cellspacing=”0″ style=”border-collapse: collapse; ” width=”100%”><tbody><tr><td class=”textcell” style=”border-collapse: collapse; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: top; font-family: arial; font-size: 9pt; background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; “><br /></td><td class=”textcell” id=”desc” style=”border-collapse: collapse; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; vertical-align: top; font-family: arial;…
There’s a common ditty in the remodeling industry that goes like this: “Do you want it done good, quick or cheap? Pick two.” While you may want all three (and maybe you’ve actually done that), there’s a certain amount of truth to the fact that you won’t likely get all three. I’m not saying this…
An article by CNN (see it here) suggests saving money by eliminating your bathtub in favor of a shower only. I question the numbers here: $2,000 for a tub vs. $1,000 for a shower. The article claims that by eliminating the tub you are saving $1,000. But depending on where you shop and the quality…
So what do you do when your prized market umbrella goes flying off in the wind and breaks two spokes? And what do you do when your avocado trees are putting out so much fruit you fear the boughs will break? In my case, with this very scenario, I put a free ad on Craigslist…
Last year, we enjoyed reading about a $12,000 luxury kitchen remodel with granite counters, tile back splashes and nice appliances. Now that the economy is terrible, it's time to revisit the topic of what I like to call "tightwad remodeling." To the right, you see the kitchen being used for Christmastime cooking. And isn't that…
This bathroom remodel is a little different than most because homeowner Cindy Fitzgerald just happened to have a good friend who happened to be an interior designer who happened to have just redone her own upscale bathroom and who happened to have some upscale materials left over, which she offered to Cindy. We won't all…
Before you jump at the idea of snapping up cheap foreclosed-upon homes, think of the implications. An article by Andrew Moseman in Popular Mechanics lays out five dangers for you to consider: 1. Mold — These organisms love water—so they love humid places, especially when the air conditioning has been off for a while. 2. Vandalism and…