TIPS
Future-Proof Your New Home
Take Steps In
the Building Process to Plan for Tomorrow's Technologies. One of the
joys of building your own home is taking full advantage of exciting
technologies that are widely available today but that were unimaginable
just a few years ago. Your new home can be a very entertaining space
with ultra-high definition video, interactive gaming, 90-inch
flat-screen TVs and more. And it can offer the latest in home
automation. Everything from lighting, home security, climate control and
more can now be controlled remotely from your iPhone, for example. Many
of these options weren’t available just five years ago, so the obvious
questions are: Where are we headed next? And how do I future-proof my
new home, so it will work well with technologies that haven't even been
invented yet? See the
NewHomeSource article.
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32 Easy Kitchen Upgrades
Another annual
thought exercise homeowners often engage in as springs springs is: "What
can we do to improve the use and enjoyment (or salability) of our
kitchen? (And can we afford to do it?)" This Old House has a varied
collection of
step-by-step guides
to help transform your kitchen. Most are quite affordable and within
range of the average do-it-yourselfer without special tools or
experience.
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Storage Shed: Build or Buy?
Each year as
spring approaches many homeowners begin to think that a little extra
storage space would be a good idea. Generally the longer they’ve been in
a home without doing so, the idea of adding more space becomes more
desirable. So, if you've decided to begin the process BetterSheds.com
has a
good discussion of how to choose wood, metal or vinyl for your shed; wikiHow has a
good article on how to decide whether to build a shed yourself or buy pre made; and, whatever you decide, Family Handy Man has a
informative discussion with input from 50 years of expert experience on tips for building a storage shed.
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5 Spring Lawn Care Tips
What group of
March homeowner tips would be complete without some suggestions for
spring lawn care and maintenance. Spring is the time of year when the
sun is warm, the breeze is cool, and the steady hum of lawnmowers once
again fills the air. American homeowners take a great deal of pride in
their yards, spending about $6.4 billion a year on lawn care, according
to the Professional Lawn Care Association of America. A healthy summer
lawn starts with spring maintenance. See a
list of spring lawn care tips.
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NEWS
Forbes Mag: A Housing Market Forecast Update for 2014-2015
Forbes author
Bill Conerly says: “Homebuilders are not so happy anymore, according to
their national trade association. After eight months with a majority of
builders feeling positive, the pessimists have started to gain ground.
(In addition to the
attitude survey shown in the article,
January housing starts fell due to the bad weather.) Does this mean a
bust for homebuilding and home prices in 2014? Not so fast. Let’s look
at the fundamentals of supply and demand. Last year, new housing
completions totaled less than one million units (counting both
single-family and multi-family construction and adding in manufacturing
housing).” He concludes, “I forecast moderate gains in home construction
and mild price appreciation in 2014 and 2015.”
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