One day, when I wasn’t looking, my once-charming front porch went from shabby chic to just plain disgusting. I waited for the crew from HGTV’s Curb Appeal to show up. When they didn’t come, I decided to take on the job. Here’s the porch I started with: As you can see, I had many challenges:…
A soon-to-be-released light bulb developed by General Electric uses cutting-edge technology to last — get this — 17 years! Let’s put it into perspective. Imagine you have a baby, and you install the soon-to-be-available Energy Smart LED (light-emitting diode) bulb in the baby’s room. That baby will grow up and graduate from high school before that light bulb burns out…
Q: What’s even better than blocking stains with KILZ primer-sealer? A: Doing so without poisoning yourself. I’ve been a fan of KILZ stain-blocking primer for years. It’s one of those rare products that lives up to its hype. And now it come in a formulation with no volatile organic compounds, or VOCs. That word “organic”…
The last time my sink clogged up, I tried muscle power and the force of a plunger to unclog the drain. When that failed miserably, I switched to liquid drain cleaner, then graduated to crystal drain cleaner and finally moved up to a thick gel. Nothing helped. At all. Finally, I called the plumber to…
The Japanese are at it again in the bathroom. This time, we see a large machine that shreds recycled office paper, mixes it with water to make a pulp and then turns it into rolls of toilet paper. This newfangled contraption is currently as large as a bathroom, but I can see a day when…
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,…
It may feel a little creepy to think of your washing machine talking to the power company, but that's among the bells and whistles appliance manufacturers are coming up with to perk up a market that's been smacked down hard by the recession. For now, Whirlpool Corp. (WHR) wants to get an edge by protecting…
You already know about Angelo Surmelis if you watch the wildly successful Rate My Space on HGTV. You might have seen Angelo's own kitchen remodel featured in my Pardon Our Dust series for the L.A. Times. Now there's even more Angelo to love as he unveils his own furniture line, angelo:HOME. The first pieces, leather "Garbo…
You know, new products were a lot more fun a few years ago when we were rolling in dough and using our homes as ATM machines to fix up our homes. Of course, the big new mortgages we got after all those cash-out refinances are now a burden, but that’s another story. Still, even in…
If you've noticed some houses in your area being built or fixed up with blue- colored framing lumber, roof trusses and sheathing panels, you may think the Smurfs came in at night and sprayed the place. Actually, the blue wood is BluWood, building components with a factory-applied treatment to prevent mold and rot in wood…