Posts in category 'Home Improvement'

Regardless of where you stand on the global warming issue you'd really have to be living under a rock to not accept the reality of what we humans are doing to harm this planet. (You know. The only planet we have on which to exist!) But even if global warming and the horrific issue we are creating with all of our waste doesn't motivate you to "act locally", we can all agree that saving money is a good thing, right?

This week a friend of the newspaper from Randolph wrote in with some great information about solar panels. It prompted me to do a little digging of my own and explore this technology a bit further. I've now lived in two homes that have had solar in place. The first used the panels, situated just behind the house, to heat the water for the home. This handled the "forced hot wa...

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While visiting a friend of mine last week, I was sitting in the living room waiting for him to get home from work when the doorbell rang. As I was chatting with the woman on the front steps a voice chimed in. "Hi Carol. This is my friend, Jason. Come on in and get started. I'll be home soon".  It was my buddy. He was talking to both of us (and watching us) through the doorbell. Later in the week (again, waiting for him to get home) my friend turned on the air conditioning at the house (it was 35 degrees outside!) just to mess with me. Both of these trinkets controlled by his phone. We have arrived at an age of technology that most of us never even dreamed possible.

I mention the thermostat because it is just one of the many upgrades you can make to your home with a very re...

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Well that was quick! I don't know about you but I got the feeling Thanksgiving snuck up on me this year. You certainly can't escape the incessant black Friday advertising, but I was hoping we'd have another week of peace before the commercial extravaganza that is Christmas was forced upon us. It's not that I don't enjoy the holidays, it is just the cash-grab from ever retailer in the country that rubs me the wrong way. For those of you who know me, I'll see you out on the trail! So far the wilderness is too far for them to conquer.

If the first wave of holiday revelers is currently making their way through your home you still have some time to tidy up before Christmas. Who knows? Maybe you could even recruit some of your more industrious guests to help out. Today we're going to tackle t...

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To date, the largest project I have tackled was general contracting the construction of my house in Lincoln a few years ago. I had a very supportive boss at the time who joined in on the fun and shared a boatload of advice and tips along the way. The biggest surprise during that time was the number of decisions that had to be made at literally every turn.

For those of you about to embark (or even just considering embarking) on a large renovation project, I'd like to share a few tips and tricks I learned along the way. They may allow you to sidestep some of the mistakes I made and could help you plan a little better for the whole project. Let's get started.

As I mentioned above, the constant requirement for decision-making was not expected. I somehow assumed that once we settle...

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Since we live in a climate where fall is crisp and cool, now is the time to attack your lawn for the best results next spring. Before I go on, I do have to mention my own personal feelings towards the lawn in general. Overall, I think having a lush green carpet surrounding your home is great for curb appeal. It also gives the kids and pets a wonderful place to play. But outside of that, it carries a significant cost (both in time and money) and is really not great for our coughing and sputtering environment. I encourage you to re-consider your lawn, replace it with some hardscaping and other low maintenance options and take your kids and dog to the park. OK, off my soapbox and back to making your remaining lawn awesome.

When I worked at the Owl's Nest golf course over in Thornton, they would...

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