10 Tips To Help You Maximize Coverage and Minimize Your Cost In 2011, natural disasters accounted for nearly $380 billion around the world in direct property losses — the costliest year ever (according to research and report by the global reinsurance firm Munich Re). This year in the U.S.A. already, wild fires, floods and hurricanes have

Smart gets certified Rain Bird, an 80-year-old irrigation products and services company based in California, recently launched its latest innovation: the “Simple-to-Set” (SST) Smart Controller, which sets watering schedules zone-by-zone and adjusts watering based on the changing weather. The SST Smart Controller was just awarded the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) WaterSense label — which recognizes

Which Renovations Have the Best Resale Value? From eLocal comes this top to bottom, inside to outside infographic outlining which “Renovations Have the Best Resale Value?” What Home Additions Will Net You The Most? Curbly offers a financial comparison infographic on a similar topic, “What Home Additions Will Net You The Most?” The Kitchen Remodeling

1. Sliding shelves and drawers More and more common in today’s kitchens, pull out drawers instead of cabinets beneath counter-tops are easier to access and allow more efficient use of available space. 2. Island workspace Islands have been popular for years in kitchen design, but more thought is going into their design than ever. Don’t

Turn up the pressure… …with the Nelson Fireman’s Spray Nozzle for your hose. It transforms your ordinary garden hose into a powerful water spray with up to 300% more water flow than a standard nozzle — for washing down the deck, the car, the bike, the whatever, this is the ticket. Available at Amazon ($17 to

Whether it’s getting out your summer dishware, freshening up your patio or porch furniture with a coat of summer bright paint, checking to see if your bug zappers are zapping, changing out your heavy winter curtains or finally putting that lattice roof in place — it only takes a few small changes to make your home

5 Tips and Ideas For Outdoor Lighting 1. It doesn’t have to be fancy Hang inexpensive pendant lights — or make your own, like HGTV’s designer Jamie Durie did here out of candle holders and basic pendant lights on a cord. (photo from HGTV.com) 2. Light the way Nothing’s more romantic than softly lit pathways winding

Whether you’re looking for inspiration, innovation, or procrastination — you’ll find it on Pinterest. 1. home & furniture Nearly three million users follow this board full of design ideas and products for the home. 2. Storage Solutions “So many things, so little space. Imagine the perfect storage solutions for every room in the house and

3 Reasons It’s Easier Than You Think to Grow Your Own Produce 1. You don’t need as much space as you think Square foot gardening is an alternative to traditional “row gardening” that offers more produce from less space, time and effort. A gardening method tailor-made for beginners, it is also great for experienced gardeners.

Ceiling fans are one of the unsung heroes of home décor — and here’s why: 1. Fans are…  energy efficient Consider this: ceiling fans use a fraction of the energy as air conditioning and can reduce the temperature in a room by up to eight degrees. Ceiling fans can now qualify for an Energy Star rating