Home Improvement's Archives

Feeling a bit down? Not sure what’s up with that? Ever thought about how your home’s decor choices could affect how you’re feeling? Our environment plays a role in our emotional state. Think about the last time your house was in a state of chaos. Perhaps immediately following the holidays, or during the peak of summer break when the kids were running wild at home. Did you feel in control? Or possibly like you were losing your mind? Your house can help you feel confident in who you are and the choices you are making. On the other hand, if you have been neglecting your home, it can make you feel down, depressed, and a little out of control. Want some simple steps to turn your home into a mood-booster? …

Winter Home Protect Tips Winter can bring a lot of unexpected problems to your house. These typically detrimental conditions tend to lead to a lot of residential property damage. In 2010 alone, winter weather led to over $2.6 billion in losses. While you may not be able to protect your home against everything, but you can take steps to drastically reduce the likelihood. Additionally, if you can show your insurance provider that you took necessary precautions, then you will increase your chances of having a more successful claim. Here are 5 winter home protect tips. 1.  Clean Out the Gutters You should clean your gutters fairly often throughout the year. Leaves and other pieces of debris can get caught in there, which hampers water flow. When water cannot move comfortably …

Decorating is an adventure. Or at least, it should be. It is a way of expressing yourself via the most personal possession you own: your home. Even if it is a cookie-cutter row house architecturally identical to every other row house on the block, it should still look distinctive and unique. We are social creatures, and therefore conformists by nature. It is an evolutionary imperative to follow the crowd. Failure to do so is a detriment when hunted by predators. And that is not the only impediment to out of box thinking. We each have personal histories to overcome. We decorate the way our parents decorated, who also followed the patterns of their parents. We are also convinced that there are decorating rules that we have to learn and follow. …

Our gardens are a wonderful thing. They provide us with food, exercise, fresh air, and wonderful memories with family and friends. The only unpleasant part about them is that they have to end. But do they really? While most people, especially inexperienced gardeners, think of gardening as a summertime activity, that isn’t exactly accurate. A good gardener can find lots of ways to keep things in production or in bloom through a very large part of the year, even in temperate climates with what some would call a short growing season. That doesn’t mean you can slide on your snow boots and go pick corn, but it does mean that you can have beauty in your landscape through a big part of the year. Think Like A Pioneer One of …