There's nothing like a burst of color to change your kitchen design or transform your house. Even if you're one of those "plain vanilla" people who is afraid of color, consider how a few colorful home improvement touches can boost your home's appeal and value. Many people are afraid of any remodeling changes that involve color because they think it somehow creates a negative aura. The opposite is often true ...

(1) Comment »

If you have a million home improvement projects on your list, you may be confused by the short term/long term debate. Do you do the quick fix or wait and do the longer remodeling project? How long can you wait and is there a middle ground so something gets done soon? Our house is one of those without many quick home improvement fixes. Every project seems to stir vigorous debate. ...

No Comments »

As food spilled in our oven and smoke sifted out, I wondered why our smoke detectors didn't go off. It wasn't a fire, but a thin layer of smoke filled the kitchen and trailed into the rest of the house. A good warning that those smoke detectors don't last forever...or maybe we need new batteries. When we bought the house, we had an electrical contractor redo all the old wiring ...

No Comments »

When to pay the contractor? It's a common question. Many remodeling contractors want you to put 30 percent down on a project. Should you? No, that's too much. Getting in the Contractor's Business My philosophy is that a remodeling contractor is running a business and should have enough credit to buy materials and pay subcontractors to get the work started. Putting down 10 to 15 percent on a bigger project ...

No Comments »