Improve Your Home and Garden
From the category archives:
Help! I Have a Plumbing Emergency. If you stumbled across this page because you are frantically looking for information while water is gushing into your home, there is one thing you should do before proceeding. Turn off the water! If you can, turn off the water directly to the offending fixture. Most toilets and sinks [...]
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Loosely defined, evergreens are trees and shrubs that do not lose their leaves all at once in the fall. They do shed leaves or needles, but do so a little at a time throughout the year. Pruning evergreen trees and shrubs accomplishes several things: It helps control size and shape of the plant. It helps [...]
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Interesting activities for children’s garden clubs, cub scouts, brownies or your own children and grandchildren are often difficult to find during the winter months. But there are lots of planting projects right in your own kitchen! Children can learn about Mother Nature by planting the seeds they find in the fruits they have just eaten. [...]
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This year’s winter has taken us all by surprise, many of us did not expect to see snow so soon into the winter, and this only points out that this winter’s effects can easily overcome those of last year. In that case, it’s always better to expect the worse, and be prepared. There are a [...]
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The magic of a home remodel is taking an old house that was originally built for somebody else and making it right for you. To accomplish this, you need to learn about how your home was originally built and clarify what will be involved in modifying it. Obviously, the less that’s required to make this [...]
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Unfortunately, a whole generation of homeowners has grown up since passive solar construction was hailed, back in the 60s and 70s, as the solution to all our problems. Passive solar construction is easy, too easy. Americans seem to like complex, high-tech solutions to problems, embodying plenty of what salesmen call “bells and whistles. There are [...]
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An accessible bathroom design can make life much easier for some people. The classic bathroom layout creates barriers for many people, especially those who are disabled, ill, injured, elderly, or very young. The goal of universal design is to make the bathroom usable by anyone. Even if no one in your family currently requires special [...]
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The hot sticky days of summer gardening are behind us. The glory of fall and the bite of winter are on their way. Here are some helpful tips for your yard and garden for the fall and winter months. October Garden Tips • Squirrels can’t climb the pole if you use a staple gun and [...]
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You can find anything on Twitter! Yesterday we featured resources for kitchen cabinets. Today, in part 2 of our kitchen series, we’ll continue with professional kitchen designers who can help you realize your remodeled kitchen vision. Each of these experts has an amazing website packed with ideas. 1. Susan Serra, CKD, CAPS, @SusanSerraCKD, has a [...]
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Even if you have a large vegetable or flower garden, you may be able to start your own winter vegetables in a cold frame. You will save money, raise superior plants, get plants that are directly acclimatized to your locality, and you can produce a far greater variety of plants. A great advantage of starting [...]
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Today, more than ever, folks are struggling with the above question. There are many things that need to be considered before you find the answer. Let’s start with remodel. Should you go to the expense of remodeling your home, whether it is a new kitchen, bathroom, family room, windows or a new roof? The first [...]
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Very few gardeners in the United States, other than Martha Stewart use the English method of cloche gardening. However, it is interesting to study the process and perhaps adapt some aspects of this gardening technique in our own home gardens. A cloche looks like a tall glass water bottle with the bottom cut out. The [...]
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Garage floors take a beating. Concrete often cracks as the building settles. Fluids from cars and lawn mowers leave nasty stains. Paint spills dot the surface. After a few years all this can add up to an unsightly mess. Fortunately, there are more options than ever for renewing your garage floor surface. Garage Floor [...]
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Almost every yard has a spot that could use a ground cover for one reason or another. It’s a good idea to look over a comprehensive list of ground covers to help select just the right one. Ground covers are a practical addition to the yard and an important asset to the overall landscape theme. [...]
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October is a great time to work in your garden as leaves are dropping and that first frost hits. Getting lawns and flower beds ready for winter will make for a beautiful garden in the spring. Here is a list of things to do in your backyard in October. OCTOBER GARDEN TIPS: October Lawn Care [...]
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It is often said that planning is the most important part of a home improvement project, and this is never truer than for a home remodel. Because the kitchen is such an active, complex, multipurpose area, a remodel demands a great deal of foresight. Though a kitchen remodel may be at the top of your [...]
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Saving money with solar energy in the United States can be fairly simple if you set up the home to use the energy from the sun. There are several ways of achieving this from simple solutions such as bigger windows and using certain stones as flooring to installing solar panels on the roof or in [...]
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For relaxation and a soothing backyard staycation getaway, homeowners consistently choose installation of a new hot tub. But are they prepared for the maintenance, repairs and possible unreliability of that tub? Here’s how to get in the know before you get into a tub. All new hot tubs are not created equally. Yvonne Stollings of Advanced [...]
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The Hibiscus plant is an interest one. Not only will some varieties add great beauty to your garden, but some varieties also extra bang for the buck by offering other benefits as well. It is said that the flowers from the hibiscus offers certain health benefits. There are Islanders in the South Pacific that drink [...]
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