What goes better than plants and green building? Well, nothing, really. So how about building a green roof on that potting shed, creating a miniature garden? Having a green roof does not mean you’ll have additional square footage to…
Monthly Archives:
July 2010
Earlier this week, I came across a humorous anecdote about homeowners who had a huge pile of gravel delivered to their house for an upcoming project. A miscommunication occurred between the two parties, and the monstrous pile of gravel…
The worlds strongest redneck turns a mower into an edger.…
We like to say that Etsy is at the center of the handmade universe which was confirmed after getting a behind-the-scenes tour of their office in Brooklyn, NY. They truly celebrate their sellers as nearly 100% of their furniture…
Maybe you have an older home with a crumbling facade. Or it could be that the mason on your newly built dream home was looking forward to the weekend instead of paying attention. There’s a multitude of reasons why…
I can’t stop looking at the pictures of a full apartment renovation that recently appeared in a guest post on one of my favorite blogs, A Brooklyn Limestone In Progress. The contributor, Nicole Cohen, just launched her own blog…
I’m a big fan of durability. If you take the time to choose a product, fork out the cash for it and then fall in love using it (or in this case walking on it), that product better be…
Oh, the microwave! Since the early 1970s (or 1980s, if you grew up in my home) most homes had a microwave that many parents grew to love. Known for its speedy cooking and zapping ability to quickly reheat within…
Forget expensive security gadgets and high-tech alarm systems. Sometimes the best crime deterrents are the result of environmental design factors, which include a careful survey of your property and home to spot potential problem areas. In a video tutorial…
If you’re eager to alter the color of your hardwood floors but prefer a more classic, timeless hue, consider a gentle alteration using two techniques: whitewashing and pickling. Whitewashing, an ideal treatment for pine floors, brightens wood while allowing…
After tackling home improvement projects and becoming frustrated at a lack of green building materials and supplies, Sarah Beatty took matters into her own hands. The result? Green Depot, an online retailer founded in 2005 that has expanded to…
Mosaic tiles are found in many different sizes, materials, colors and textures. In this NYC bathroom, the mosaic used here is a beautiful ocean hued matte stone finish. What impressed me was the notion to keep it SIMPLE, people!…
My inspiration for C&H blog posts knows no bounds–magazines, newspapers, HGTV, friends and family–and now, television commercials. Last night, I found myself intrigued by an ad for The Bagster, a dumpster in a bag that can be purchased at…
With August around the corner, temperatures are scorching throughout the country. Just this month New York City, Baltimore and Washington, D.C. broke records on the east coast. National heat waves are not only wrecking havoc on power grids and…
That’s right. Paper. They really have figured out a way to recycle everything for kitchen surfaces. PaperStone products are FSC-certified and made from 100% post-consumer recycled paper. Sound crazy? Here’s how it works: “Made from recycled paper that has…
Reviving a piece of wood furniture with a new coat of paint is a simple and relatively inexpensive way to bring a fresh burst of DIY personality to any room. As with any home project, however, a little preparation…
I live in a smaller city near the largest Air Force Base in the nation, the intersection of two major interstate highways, and about a million college campuses. So despite the fact that I by no means live out…
5 Ways to Help Decide on Paint Color Clean a Paintbrush in 10 Seconds Easy Way to Test for Lead Paint Use Paint to Seal Swollen Doors 5 More House Painting Tips…
Being a designer, I am always so intrigued by kitchens and baths when I am traveling or visiting homes. On my latest Manhattan vacation, I was lucky enough to stay with friends in their beautiful Upper East Side condo,…
I have trouble believing that there is anyone that would actually want to do this, but I digress. Lawn mowing can be an art form. For those of you inclined to challenge yourself the next time you’re looking for…
Milwaukee Tools is on a tear and recently introduced a ton of new products as well as refreshed a few from their current lineup. Yesterday they held a media event to introduce some of these tools as well as…
We’re giddy about the recent announcement by WGBH of a new show called Rough Cut with Tommy Mac that takes you through the process of building wood pieces many of which come from “rough” lumber that hasn’t been pre-cut…
Could you go two weeks without a toilet? That’s what many New Yorkers face when renovating their apartments and I’m sure you can feel their pain when your kitchen is wrapped or your hallways are torn up. We noticed…
There’s a battle brewing over the use of luxurious high-flow shower heads. Some of these high-end showerheads cost upwards of $5,000 or more and emit as much as 12 gallons of water a minute, essentially and bringing a down…
This is one way to solve a housing crisis. Using discarded tires and bottles to create walls of a home. Architect Michael Reynolds has applied this green building construction technique to more than 1,000 homes and thinks it will…
Gone are the days when appliances, such as hot water heaters, are tucked away in deep dark closets. There are a bevy of manufacturers who are responding to better designed products (inspired by European manufacturers who have less room…
Have you ever perused Craigslist or a realtor’s website and immediately got turned off by a poorly snapped photo? My boyfriend is very guilty of this. I tend to pay more attention to words that images (“But honey, it…
This week Milwaukee Tools is announcing some new tools but before we get to that we wanted to share a section of their website we found almost as interesting. We already know that tool tattoos are extremely popular and…
I recently read an article on Treehugger about the successful completion of a passive house in the south. A passive house you say? What the heck is that? Passive homes are built without a furnace. They rely on insulation and…
Over on our green building site we’ve been sharing a great series from our blogger Tabatha on Going Green, Simple and Cheap. This series offers green tips that are easy to do and cost little or nothing for almost…
New York City apartment dwellers are facing a quandary. The city is aggressively going after landlords who allow temporary walls built that aren’t to code (most aren’t). This problem stems from a fatal 2005 fire and the city’s drive…
We just returned from a visit to the handmade center of the universe, Etsy. They recently moved to a fabulous location in the DUMBO neighborhood of Brooklyn and built out their own space in a large warehouse loft. In…
When someone asks where you spend most of your time, the garage doesn’t typically rise to the top of the list, does it (well maybe it does – I am writing on a DIY blog)? Anyway, if your answer…
Organization is all the rage. From the boardroom to the bathroom, it’s obvious that being organized makes for more productivity. How about taking that same philosophy and applying it to your household recycling? That doesn’t mean you’ll need to…
A great feature has launched recently on my go-to source for everything decorating, remodeling and DIY – HGTV.com. Their new page called Designer Portfolios has just that – a slew of over 2,000 different rooms from contemporary kitchens to…
You may have heard this term before. It’s also been called “the new urbanism” or “agrarian urbanism”. The idea is that city neighborhoods could be built and restructured in order to be self-sustainable, a harmonious blend of urban and…
It’s the classic dilemma. You have a beautiful border garden around your patio or foundation. Bright blooms and neatly mulched beds compliment your lush green lawn. All is right with the world. But there is one major problem involving…
Last month we got word that WGBH will be producing a new show focused on woodworking called Rough Cut with Tommy Mac. We’re fortunate to score an interview with Tommy Mac and had an opportunity to ask him some…
What is a soffit, you say? It is the drywall or plaster ‘box’ above your short upper cabinets that connects to the ceiling creating typically a dead space of six to twelve inches. Most soffits were placed in homes…
In a response to the amount of waste that many job sites create either through demolition of perfectly good materials or ending up with surplus, the founders of DiggersList wanted to create a free marketplace where people could exchange…
RIDGID recently introduced the RIDGID JobMax tool system that they’ve touted as the master of all trades. It’s definitely unique to the market and offers two attachments, the oscillating multi-tool and auto-hammer, that we haven’t seen in a multi-functional…
Treehouses have come a long way since the days of Little Rascals. There are now firms that specialize in designing luxury treehouses, many of which are built using sustainable materials and are of minimal impact to the environment. The…
Our friends at Fixr have been busy building this very comprehensive remodeling cost guide. We can’t vouch for its accuracy and any cost guide is always just a ballpark figure as all projects are different mainly due to materials…
The new lead paint rule instituted by the EPA that requires special handling when remodeling all pre-1978 homes has now been slightly altered. Beginning today, all contractors performing renovation, repair or painting work in homes built before 1978 must…
When designing a kitchen, it’s so important to think out of the box. Literally, your cabinetry arrives in a box. The cabinetry body is of boxes and doors but what can you do with that? Plenty! A kitchen designer…
As technology and software keeps advancing the sophistication in 3D virtual room planning tools continues to grow. This list will help you find an online design tool that works best for you. All of these are free with so…
If offering a chance to win Justin Bieber tickets wasn’t enough motivation to tour a new home development, more home builders are now touting “green” features in some of their models. According to the Wall Street Journal these home…
Installing your own home security system no longer requires the expertise of a skilled technician. You can still invest in a full-featured system from one of the leading home security firms but you now have more choices when it…
The Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard has announced that in 2010 remodeling will increase 5% over 2009. This would mark the first increase since 2006. Great news for all of us in the home improvement business. But…
Home Builders are always seeking fresh new ideas when it comes to promoting and selling homes so why not latch onto the hottest thing on the planet which is, Justin Bieber. KB Home offered visitors to any Las Vegas-area…
Now that summer is officially here, we’ve got 5 projects that anyone can do that will improve your quality of summer living. Build a wooden trellis Install a screened in porch Make a glass ball chandelier…
I’ve long thought about using a can of chalkboard paint to transform my overly large water closet door into a scribble-friendly service. A new discovery from MDC Wallcoverings has me re-thinking that plan. If you prefer markers to chalk,…
When my husband and I bought our house, we did so with every intention of getting all HGTV on the place. Despite neither of us having any home renovation experience, we naively looked around and assumed that small repairs…
Among the new tools introduced at the DeWALT 12V MAX launch we attended last week, the inspection camera was the most fun from a tech/gadget perspective. It’s used to inspect behind walls into pipes and really anywhere that is…