Home Improvement Articles

Building your dream home is a huge undertaken and every precaution should be made to ensure its success. From hiring a custom home builder or do-it-yourself projects, careful planning is the key to rewarding custom built home.

Stone veneer is quickly becoming a staple in the exterior market. It is a Portland cement casting of real stone and is colored to match the look of the natural stone whether round stream stones, field stone and shale-like ledgestones. Concrete or brick walls do not need a sheathing underneath but wooden walls should be covered with an asphalt felt followed by the installation of a metal lathe to hold the mortar. Then the stones are pressed into place and, if desired, mortared.

Trends change from year to year in the world of landscaping just like they do in fashion. In 2010, we'll see a number of trends rising from the need to save money and the ongoing push to go green. In this article, we'll talk about some of these trends, as well as how you can make them work for your own home.

Home theatre design began when the first televisions were brought into the livingrooms of America. Today the sound and picture quality of electronics rival that of the best movie theaters with surround-sound and large, LCD or plasma television screens. However, many homeowners still want the movie theater atmosphere and building a special room to house the home theater can be a great do-it-yourself project.

Just because you're pregnant doesn't mean that you can't do any home improvement work at all. Exercise is good for women, especially during the first and second trimesters as long as there are no complications. The tips in this article, however, will help warn you of potential dangers with DIY home projects while pregnant.

Electricity will never go down in price. This is a fact. However new technologies and old common sense can combine to keep the kilowatts down to a dull roar. Most conservation methods do not cost very much and take less than a weekend to make improvements.

Solar energy isn't as hard to understand as you may think. More and more consumers are realizing the benefits of solar heating for their homes, and with multiple choices at different price points, there's really no reason not to explore solar heating. In this article, we'll go over some basic solar heating questions that every homeowner should know how to answer.

Outdoor furnaces, or OWB's, are wood-burning appliances that operate outside of the home for a cleaner, more economical and safer heat source. These units heat a coolant that is transferred in underground, insulated pipes to the house, out-buildings and even swimming pools. The fuel efficiency is great and the OWB's can burn other substances such as hay and corn husks as well as wood.

As you drive through your neighborhood, you'll likely notice that no two homes look the same. Even in developments, homeowners choose different residential architecture styles to express their person takes and meet their family's needs. If you're building a new home, take a moment to read about the advantages and disadvantages of the many types of homes available.

Tips for saving money on building a deck can come from many areas. Materials bought at the right time and deck contractors with time on their hands during a low period can mean big savings in this area. After the deck is built make sure that the deck is protected with a good deck stain and proper preventative maintenance. Check for plans on how to build a deck in libraries and building supply stores.