Improve Your Home and Garden
Think about the last time you relaxed. Did it come naturally to you? Or did you have to work at settling your mind? Was it nearly impossible to resist the urge to check your email or your Facebook account?
In today’s hectic, wired, and always-connected world, it can be hard to just do nothing. Many of [...]
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Finding a sustainable builder can be a challenge. It’s even tougher to find a builder who’s eager to consider the “human element” of building or renovating your home.
If you’ve ever attempted a “green” remodel, you probably resigned yourself to choosing your battles with your builder. You made concessions because your contractor maybe wasn’t knowledgeable or [...]
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If you want to install a roof, you should hire a roofer. If you need someone who will help you protect the people and things under your roof, you should hire a roofing contractor.
Crystal Anderson owns AGC Contracting of Maryland Heights, MO, and she fully understands what lies under a roof. Finding hidden leaks, simplifying [...]
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Every home improvement project has the potential to be a risky proposition for homeowners. Just contemplating a project gets you thinking about:
• How do I know how to choose the right contractor?
• Will I be happy with the finished product?
• Will the change actually cut my energy costs?
The questions can seem overwhelming. And the stats [...]
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If you think the top indicator of a clean house is it must smell like a pine tree–or worse–Greg Nicklas of Maid Brigade of Portland would like to clean yours.
Maid Brigade, a national cleaning franchise that’s been in the Portland, OR, area for over 16 years, decided to “go green” in April 2007. “It was [...]
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For relaxation and a soothing 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 Spa Repair in [...]
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Set your 10-year-old inner balloonist free at the Builders St. Louis Home and Garden Show
I want to be 10 years old again.
This year at the Builders St. Louis Home and Garden Show, I want to be 4-ft high, have a cookie in my pocket, and be responsible for nothing.
I don’t want to worry about how [...]
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It may happen just before the first frost.
Sitting on your couch in the evening, watching TV, you will suddenly feel the air wash over your toes. That’s no tropical breeze, either. The cold draft causes you to reach for your slippers, turn up the heat, and call a contractor. It’s time for an energy audit.
If [...]
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Visit the Builders St. Louis Home and Garden Show this weekend for green home design inspiration
Ten years ago, you were green if you recycled your plastics and insulated your attic. Five years ago, we were told to change to CFL light bulbs and buy a hybrid car.
Now, in the spring of 2010, America’s building, landscaping [...]
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Paints and stains are harsh, often harmful chemicals. Granted there are a handful of “green” paint products coming out on the market.
But what happens when you need to rejuvenate and protect wood that has braved the elements for years? It’s hard to find an environmentally friendly product for that job, can you?
Relax – there is a [...]
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OKAY. If you want to see amazing garage transformations, check out The Garage Design Center, St. Louis. It’s what your garage would want to look like if it won the Extreme Makeover Home Edition!
Dale Heuvelmann is the owner of The Garage Design Center. He and his gang will be at the St. Louis Builders Home [...]
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Thanks to advancements in alternative wood products and the use of wood treatments on older wood constructions, your fence and deck options are getting greener.
Richard Lusa, CEO of Fence Depot, Inc., in St. Louis, MO, says more and more of their products are rated as green building products by the LEED criteria.
Some of the most [...]
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When Rob Palmieri talks about his business, he doesn’t talk a lot about money. Instead, he remembers an elderly widow he went to call on who was living in an old, drafty home. Her husband planned to have their home insulated, but couldn’t get to it before he died.
Now she was living alone in the [...]
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There are lots of do-it-yourself jobs around the house or jobs that you might trust to a handyman, but electrical work shouldn’t be one of them.
According to the Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI), home electrical problems account for nearly 55,000 home fires every year. These fires cause more than 500 deaths, injure more than 1,400 [...]
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One of today’s most popular home improvement projects is energy efficient window replacement. Today’s new replacement windows are better insulated and longer lasting than ever before.
Of course, installing a window involves some serious structural issues, so finding dependable, capable window replacement companies is as important as finding the right windows.
Thomas Construction, located near St. Louis, [...]
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If you’ve found your dream home and are now in the process of making it your castle for life, a bathroom remodel is likely on your project list. You might even think about upgrading your bathtub. While you’re in the planning stage, consider the advantages of installing a walk-in tub.
Laimonis Magone owns Ella’s Bubbles, a Chicago [...]
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As Old Man Winter and his partner Jack Frost plot together to assure a chilling winter season, I can almost hear them laugh as they hurl blustery winds and snowballs at my windows. I’ve spoken to neighbors that have fiberglass windows and they say they haven’t had any issues with the co-conspired companions this season. So, [...]
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Remodeling a kitchen requires planning and teamwork. One of the more important decisions you will make, after you set your budget and expectations, is where to purchase top kitchen appliances.
The appliance distributor you choose will ultimately become an important part of the kitchen remodeling team. If you can’t spot the difference between a ringer and [...]
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The Situation: Fence vs. Invisible Fence
Fences are frowned upon in our neighborhood. Most houses have large backyards that connect to form an open area which can be used as a football field if enough of your neighbors are cooperative.
We also have a dog. He has no particular talents, and has the IQ of a soup [...]
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