Tag Archives: home improvement

How to Buy a Generator 2

Tis the season to lose power as wintery winds, snow storms, and ice coat the land here in most of the country. At our house here in the woods, we tend to lose power at least four of five times a year. This can be very inconvenient, especially since losing power also means losing heat and water. Just two short weeks after we moved in to our home we purchased a generator. It was a very good investment. Here is a continuation of how you can choose your own household generator. Let’s talk about how much capacity you require from … Continue reading →

Home Week in Review: November 3rd Through November 9th

On Sunday evening, we decided to have an early night. We finished our errands for the day, enjoyed a crock pot meal and then cozied up to a roaring fire. These are the best days to appreciate being home. How did you end your week? November 3rd Home Week in Review: October 27th Through November 2nd Here is the week in review for October 27th through November 2nd. November 4th Bringing the Importance of the Presidential Election Home Just before bed one day last week, my seven-year-old son was asking me about the presidential election. Bouncing my two-year-old on my … Continue reading →

How to Modernize Your Bathroom for Less Than $200

Just because you are watching your budget, doesn’t mean that you have to live with an old and outdated bathroom. There are some great improvements that you can make that will cost less than $200 and in some cases even less than $100. So what are you waiting for? On the lowest end, and we are talking free, use a dremel tool to polish tarnished, dirty and even pitted doorknobs, facets and other hardware. The dremel rotates a brush at a high speed that will literally scrape off years of dingy build up. Replace your old outdated medicine cabinet with … Continue reading →

Should You Get A Home Equity Loan?

If you have built up a good amount of equity in your home, you might be considering taking out a home equity loan, but is this a good idea? First, think of a home equity loan, also sometimes called a home equity line of credit as an investment tool. If you will be using the money in order to make a significant improvement to your home that will increase it’s value, then this is probably a good investment. A good example is if you remodel your kitchen or adding on additional square footage to your home. These things will generally … Continue reading →

Home Blog Month in Review: August

Did you have a good month? We seem to have packed an entire summer’s worth of activities in this past month. Now, it seems, it is back to school and time to get ready for autumn. Still, it is nice to look back toward warm sands and wearing shorts even as we will soon be crunching leaves and taking out the sweaters. August 1st Getting Out Grass Stains With summer in full swing, chances are that your family has been playing outdoors quite a bit. And with all of that outdoor play comes the grass stains, especially if you are … Continue reading →

Going on Clutter Patrol

Now that we are back from vacation, and the temperatures have turned a little cooler, it is time to take a good look at the house and our clutter. This is a good week to do it, since it is in between the end of our summer activities and the beginning of school. I know that it is time for a clutter patrol when I notice the following happening in my home: Things that are needed can’t be found right away. Flat surfaces such as desks, tables and the kitchen counter have piles of stuff. Things are out of place, … Continue reading →

Defining Our New Front Walk

In an earlier post, Putting in a New Front Walk, I talked about starting our new project of replacing the problem walk. Unfortunately the weekend project turned into a week-long project due to a need for additional supplies as well as a freak hail storm. After removing all of the weeds that had grown within the path between the flagstone I previously removed, I moved on to defining the path. It needed to be wider and more even than it was previously. I used the same hand tool that I used for weeding to define and edge the walk, and … Continue reading →

Home Week in Review: August 4th Through August 10th

From summer adventures to falling hail in August, it has certainly been a busy week for us at home. Did you miss anything? Catch up on all of this past week’s Home Blog articles right here! August 4th Home Week in Review: July 28th Through August 3rd What makes a house a home? Is it the little decorating touches, the noises of little feet stomping down the stairs in the morning or the feeling that when you enter your home you’ve left the world behind? However you define your home, you’ll find lots of ways in the Home Blog to … Continue reading →

Hail in August and Our New Walk

If I wanted a good excuse as any for stopping a home improvement project, I might choose something such as running out of materials or the occurrence of a warm summer rain. Maybe a minor family emergency or the need to watch the Summer Olympics could be a good reason to put things off for another weekend. I would never thought that marble-sized chunks of ice falling from the sky in might put an end to our summer project. A major storm wound up coming through our area. It pelted our house and yard with heavy hail that must have … Continue reading →

When Remodeling, Consider the Neighbors

If you are planning a remodeling project, it is important to consider the neighbors. No, not because they might complain but because their home might be affecting the value of your own. Taking a look at all of the factors for your home, including your neighbors will help you make the right decisions about remodeling projects and get the most value from your investment. First, if you are planning an addition, take a look at the square footage of the houses that belong to your neighbors. You want to keep the size of your house in line with the others. … Continue reading →