Are you under the impression that a 24 foot by 24 foot room is actually going to be 24 foot by 24 foot? Do you think a square or rectangular room that’s ten feet across on one side will be ten feet across on the other side? Would you be surprised if a wall that went straight up actually was an inch further in near the top than it was at the bottom? If you think everything is straight, you are in for a surprise when you begin to install your new cabinets or lay your nice square tiles. Before you begin a remodeling project, take careful measurements and be sure you measure in more than one spot when you are measuring the distance between points. This helps you avoid that, “Oh, no!” moment when you realize the 24 foot by 24 foot garage you... [Read more]

One of the things I hope to do in the near future is to invest in solar energy or wind energy to take care of all or part of my current electricity usage. You’re thinking I’m hoping to save money on utilities, right? Nope! Unless the price of solar or wind energy equipment goes way down and the price of electricity in my area goes way up, it would take the rest of my life and then some to pay for an alternative energy system big enough to power the whole house! So why on earth do I want to use an alternative energy system then? Some good reasons for considering solar or wind energy are: 1. Having your own energy source is great in an emergency. I do have a generator and a battery pack, but having something that can power my refrigerator... [Read more]

I was wishing that the front porch was a four season room this morning and realized I tend to always look at what I want to change still about my house instead of what I love about it. And then, I started thinking about all the people trying to sell their homes or who want to try and are stuck until the market improves. So, as Thanksgiving approaches in the U.S. and fades into distant memory in Canada, I thought it might be nice to list some things you are thankful for about your house. (I know. It’s a little Pollyannaish, but it really did make me feel happier than wishing my porch was glassed in. I now feel positively blissful about its unenclosed state.) Here are the things about my house I am most thankful for: Plenty of room. Cool... [Read more]

And immaculate houses are out. Yup, according to Letting is Slide, the new trend is that moms have decided that the laundry can reach the rafters and the dust bunnies can run wild. They’d rather help the kids with their homework, do a craft with them and then head to the park. They’re not saying they want to live in filth and ick. Just that they don’t feel like they’re failures if there are dishes in the sink and they didn’t wipe down the baseboard trim. I have to admit, I do agree that caring for children is more important than housework. And I don’t have an immaculate house. As I mentioned in yesterday’s eyeball post, when you have kids and pets, you simply can’t have things as tidy as when there were none. However, I... [Read more]

You know, you have this vision where your home looks like a magazine picture. Then, you’re sitting on the sofa folding laundry, you glance up at the ceiling and you see…No. Not cobwebs. No. What you see is this: So, do you pack it in and realize you will never have that showplace? Well, sort of. You see, most of those homes in the magazine pictures don’t look like that either when you visit them in person. That’s because real people live in those homes. So, when you look at the magazine photo, what you don’t see is the towering pile of stuff right outside the camera’s range. You don’t see the magazine crew re-arranging and sometimes completely switching out accessories. You don’t see all of the hobbies, the dog toys, the kids’... [Read more]