Book Report: 52 Weekend Makeovers
My first suspicion when a magazine publisher puts out a book is: Uh-oh, recycled magazine articles. Even the subtitle of the book — “Easy Projects to Transform Your Home Inside and Out” — made me wary....
View ArticleBook Report: Garage Sale America
Good news, junkies! Garage-sale shopping is bigger than ever, helped along no doubt by the environmental movement’s focus on reusing and recycling. Garage Sale America, a new book by Bruce...
View Article‘Not So Big House’ DVD now available
If you’ve been following the career of architect Sarah Susanka, author of the “Not So Big House” books, you’ve been able to read her words, see her house photos and even see her in person (she is a...
View ArticleBook Report: ‘Affordable Remodel’
Remodeling contractors can be infuriating, especially when they stand in your house and respond to your ideas by saying things such as: "That’s really going to cost you." Or: "There’s going to be...
View ArticleBook Report: ‘Cliff May and the Modern Ranch House’
"Cliff May and the Modern Ranch House" by Daniel P. Gregory, with photographs by Joe Fletcher and a foreword by Joel Silver. (Rizzoli; 256 pages; $60) Reviewed by Robert Nebolon (Robert Nebolon, a...
View ArticleThe new cool: a debt-free renovation
The solarium above, once rotted to the studs, was lovingly restored by a couple in Akron, Ohio. What makes this story newsworthy enough to land in the New York Times is that this room and all rooms in...
View ArticleBook Report: ‘How Your House Works’
How Your House Works: A visual guide to understanding and maintaining your home, by Charlie Wing About a month or so ago, my favorite table lamp began making a crackling sound near the base. So I...
View ArticleNew book: Stylish Sheds and Elegant Hideaways
Backyard Shed I’m in lust with a new book: “Stylish Sheds and Elegant Hideaways: Big Ideas for Small Backyard Destinations” by Debra Prinzing with more than 200 photographs by William Wright,...
View ArticleEnd-of-the-month book giveaway: ‘Affordable Remodel’
UPDATE: We have a winner! I picked the number “3” out of my hat, amd J Steele of Black Diamond Builders in Lake Forest was the third commenter. Check out Black Diamond Builder’s website here. Thanks to...
View ArticleShocking: Two electrical books recalled by Taunton
Faulty Instructions Prompt Recall of Electrical Wiring How-to-Books by The Taunton Press; Shock Hazard to Consumers WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with...
View ArticleBook Report: ‘Screw It! I’ll Be My Own Contractor’
I think of contractors like orchestral conductors. The symphony members (subcontractors) are each experts in playing their instruments (hanging drywall, laying tile). Still, for all their talents,...
View ArticleBook Report: Backyards: A Sunset Design Guide
For the past few months, I've been lucky enough to live in a house with amazing landscaping — lawns, flowering shrubs, ferns, graceful trees, fencing, a multi-level deck. But the most amazing element...
View ArticleBook Report: Marie’s Home Improvement Guide
If you're the type of woman who owns a full set of home fix-up tools and knows how to use them, and uses them, move along. This book report doesn't involve you. But, if you're like me, and the biggest...
View ArticleNearly 1 million home improvement books recalled due to faulty wiring...
How did it take the the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission up to 35 years to figure out nearly 1 million books had faulty wiring instructions? I'd love to know the story behind this: Name of...
View ArticleBook Report: The Homeowner’s Guide to Surface Preparation for Interior House...
I admire the entrepreneurial spirit, and passion about one’s work, and courage. So when Steve Broujos, a painting contractor and educator in Wilmington, Del., asked if I’d like to see his new book, I...
View ArticleHanging Your Own Drywall? Please, I’m Begging You, Learn From a Master
So you’re doing some remodeling and it occurs to you that, hey, you can hang the drywall yourself and save some money. How hard could it be? You just nail some paper-covered chalk board to the studs...
View ArticleMarkup and Profit — Why You Want Your Contractor to Get Some
If you already think a remodeling contractor is entitled to an item titled “Markup and Profit” in the bid, you can skip this post. But if you cringe at this concept, and try to negotiate markup and...
View ArticleStrange but True House Stories from ‘Ripley’s Believe It or Not!’
For just one month before it was demolished in early 2014, an unremarkable derelict Paris apartment block was transformed into an incredible ten-story art installation by 100 of the world’s finest...
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