3 Ways to Increase Your Home’s Value Up To $7,000 HomeGain released its annual home improvement and home staging survey for 2012 last week — questioning 500 real estate agents across the country regarding the top 10 DIY home improvements under $5,000 that home owners should make to increase the value on their home, weighing

From the mundane to the unique, the uses for salvage material in your home are endless. Builders, contractors and remodelers are realizing they’re better off disposing of left-over and replaced materials and items in salvage yards rather than in landfills and garbage dumps — which means there is a veritable cornucopia of selection available for you

Why and How To Test the Soil In Your Yard   What does your soil say? Knowing your soil is, according to most garden and lawn experts, essential to getting the most from your landscape efforts. Soil tests can tell you your soil’s nutrient composition, its pH, its phosphorous level, organic content, and its composition.

4 of the Best Home Inspiration, Design and Resource Sites 1. Houzz Part social network, part online bulletin board, part design know-how and how-to, Houzz comes as both a website and an app (iPhone and iPad). People and designers hold ongoing discussions on the site about rooms, design ideas and how-to’s, resources and prices. A

4  Eye-catching Products From This Year’s Housewares Show 1. Clean Cubes won this year’s Innovation Award Clean Cubes are a combination paper and plastic trash bag — providing a disposable (and recyclable) trash bag that you can stand up anywhere. 2. Hoover Twin Tank Steam Mop cleans little and big messes Hoover Steam Mop has one

Vinegar Ordinary, everyday white vinegar kills most plants. This includes weeds and “desirables,” so make sure to protect the plants you want to keep. Pour the vinegar into a spray bottle and apply liberally to your targets. For more accuracy try this old but reliable trick —slice the bottom off a large plastic soda bottle and

March 12-18, 2012 is the 4th Annual Fix a Leak Week Did you know that the average home leaks enough water every year to fill a swimming pool? That’s a lot of water. Which is why WaterSense, a partnership program from the EPA, created the annual “Fix a Leak Week” — to encourage and educate

    Remember these 3 things to make the most of your outdoor space 1. Proportion San Francisco Dining Terrace modern patio by  Christopher Yates Landscape Architecture (via Houzz)   Small spaces  — inside or out — require even greater attention to proportion and scale. ·      Choose furniture, plants and accents that suit the size of

3 lighting tricks that will make your home look like a million dollars 1. Light from floor to ceiling The number one trick up designers sleeves is lighting a room on multiple levels. Recessed lighting, pendant lighting, lamps on tables, wall light flowing up from the floor or down from the ceiling — the more levels

How to transform your home (and save money!) with the power of light Spanish Inquisition or Romantic Dinner for Two? One of the quickest ways to set a mood is with lighting. Notice how you never walk into a nice restaurant for dinner under the glare of bright light? Or how nice it is to