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Design

Ace Hardware Coupon

Ace Hardware just shared with us a great discount that we wanted to pass along. This week you can receive $10 off your next order of $100 or more on AceHardware.com (see coupon above for additional details). Enter “HelpfulAce”…

DeWALT 12V MAX Launch

We’re headed to Baltimore where we’ll be introduced to the latest offering from DeWALT at the Black & Decker University. You won’t believe how excited we are to be the first to check out DeWALT’s 12V MAX product platform…

Bomb Shelters are Booming

A couple years ago, I went on an architectural tour of a mid-century home that had a nuclear fallout shelter in the backyard. I kept imagining how tense and uncertain the Cold War atmosphere must have been for people…

Most Popular Kitchen Counter Goes To…

It’s still granite! In a recent article from Consumer Reports, granite accounted for 56 percent of kitchen counter sales in the last year. This surface shows no signs of slowing in popularity. Quartz (Caesarstone and Silestone) and laminate (Formica),…

Colorful Wood Stains

Buh, bye basic browns! Why stain that old adirondack chair in a basic wood when you can choose from colors like avocado and purple velvet? Olympic exterior stains has added to their wood tones with great colors for the…

Must-Have Home Gadgets

Imagine my surprise–and delight–when a Mashable alert popped up on my iPhone with this enticing headline: “5 Gadgets That Will Transform Your Home.” It’s not terribly often that the self-proclaimed “online guide to social media” delves into home topics,…

Going Green, Simple and Cheap: Basements & Attics

Many people are completely intimidated by the concept of going green. It really feels like if you don’t start using a rain barrel, install solar panels on your roof, eat, drink and breathe 1000% organic, and compost every living…

New Home Construction Slowing

According to a recent report from CNN Money – home building is taking a break. They report that housing starts fell 10% last month. Forecasts may have originally been too optimistic. April was the last month in which first-time…

Tips and Tricks for Tackling Your Drywall Dents

Life delivers plenty of bumps, chips, dents and scratches. To your walls, of course. Who are you calling dented? What I mean is that the walls of your house take a beating. Furniture gets bumped and pets scratch, leaving…

Green Building Hawaiian Style

We’re in Maui this week checking out a few green building projects that will all meet various residential needs achieved in different ways. Hawaii has always been a leader in eco-friendly building projects and protecting the environment for future…

Use Paint To Seal Swollen Doors

If the humidity where you are is anything like what I’m experiencing in Kansas City, well . . . you know what it’s like to be outside in air that feels like soup! A common household problem during muggy…

Get World Cup Ready

The world is abuzz literally with World Cup fever. Despite the audio during the opening game that played an annoying buzzing sound emanating from the crowd, the first match started out well as host country South Africa and Mexico…

Majority Of Homeowners Prioritize Home Improvements

A survey taken by American Express (and reported by MarketWatch of The Wall Street Journal digital network) indicates that a majority of homeowners will continue to invest in home improvements throughout the remainder of the year. According to survey…

June Is Best Month To Buy Tools

For the home improvement amateurs and experts, tools are a necessary part of the job. And with new models coming out in a nearly constant rotation, the temptation to add to a tool collection is ever-present. Thanks to the…

Eco-Inspired Wallpaper For Children

Despite the increasing array of environmentally friendly interior paint available, many consumers still prefer the graphic punch of wallpaper. If you’re seeking an eco-friendly alternative to traditional papers, consider the “Eco” line from Graham & Brown. According to the…

How To Safely Sell Items on Craigslist

Craigslist can be a DIY’ers dream. Just about everything under the sun can be found for purchase, and usually for a decent price. On the flipside, selling unused or excess items from your home and projects can be an…

What Your Need In Your Home To Ride Out a Storm

It’s nearly summer. And with skyrocketing temperatures come the chance for severe weather and power outages. In July 2006, we spent nearly a week sans power at This D*mn House in 100-degree heat following a series of back-to-back storms…

The Future of Fridges

Designer Ashley Legg has come up with a Smart Fridge concept with one goal in mind: to keep track of what’s in your fridge and help you plan meals accordingly. Her idea is to develop a fridge that will…

Discover Treasures for Your Home at Yard Sales

How fun is it to scour through someone else’s junk looking for that perfect piece or vintage find? Sometimes you hit the jackpot and uncover a diamond in the rough (how’s that for cliches?). There’s plenty of good junk…

Popular Eco-Friendly Paints

Nowadays, people have been changing their lifestyles. They are now finding other ways to live healthily without hurting the environment. Over the years, companies and individuals started to make products that people can use just like the others but…

Does LEED Certification Lead to Toxic Air?

As builders and developers rush to attain LEED accreditation for their new homes, some wonder if the LEED certifications need to be amended to allow for testing of indoor air quality. Tom Silva of This Old house always stressed…

DIY Kitchen Island

It’s amazing how versatile an $8 Ikea lack table can be. I spotted Kyle Freeman’s DIY kitchen island on Apartment Therapy last year and I still think about how clever he is. He used extra strong, double-sided foam adhesive…

Review: Dremel 8200 12V Cordless Rotary Tool

Dremel has a unique distinction within the tool industry as being a undisputed leader in its class with no real challengers. When you need a Dremel you need a Dremel and sometimes its hard to imagine working without one.…

Massive Maytag Dishwasher Recall

Maytag has voluntarily issued a huge recall of dishwashers that have been known to be a fire hazard. There are approximately 1.7 million units that are affected by this recall which includes the Whirlpool brands of Maytag, Jenn-Air, Amana,…

5 Steps to Water Works in the Kitchen

Maybe it’s just me. But I often get the urge for heavy duty water pressure in the kitchen sink. You know, the kind that will blast off that stuck on food. Or give your husband a shocking shower while…

The $10K Kitchen Remodel

We just came across this great journal of a kitchen remodel that the homeowners are trying to achieve in under $10k. They are almost complete and it looks like they’ll be just a tad over the budget which is…