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Outdoor Mood Lighting

Kelli — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 20:22:36 +0000

Those flimsy bamboo and coconut torches of luau-themed summer shindigs and Gilligan’s Island reruns now come in durable materials such as copper, iron, and steel. They illuminate all manner of outdoor living—not just in warm climes, but also points north, even after the temperature drops.

“You wouldn’t believe how many we ship to the Northeast in November,” says John Manning of BuyTikiTorches.com, whose most popular model is the Maui, a hammered-copper torch that’s sturdy enough to hold up well in any weather.

Dual Flush Toilets

Kelli — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 19:53:51 +0000

Older toilets use about 3.5 to 7 gallons per flush. Low flow toilets use only 1.6 gallons per flush and save your family between 8,000 and 20,000 gallons of water per year, per toilet. Dual-flush toilets take savings to the next level, because they have two buttons – one for a light flush at 0.9 Gallons and the other for a heavy flush at 1.6 gallons.

Dual-flush toilets have been very popular in Europe and Asia for years. They save an average of approximately 26 per cent more water than single-flush ‘Low-Flow’ models, and you can control when you need more or less water.

Plan the Perfect Sunroom Addition

Kelli — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 18:34:38 +0000

Think of a sunroom, sometimes called a sunspace, as a productive living area in your home with different benefits in different seasons. In spring and summer, a sunroom provides a relaxing living space. In winter, it’s also a great place to grow food plants. Even better, a sunroom can help heat your home! I estimate that a well-designed sunroom addition can pay for itself in less than five years through savings on food and home heating.

Installing Track Lighting

Kelli — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:36:54 +0000

Track lighting offers a way to get directable light from a single ceiling fixture. The track works with a narrow-focus bulb to spotlight a piece of artwork, a wide-focus “wall washer” to bathe a wall in light, or a general-purpose bulb to light a kitchen counter or reading chair. Halogen bulbs provide a wide range of focusing options; incandescent systems are generally less expensive and generate less heat, but also consume more energy and burn out more quickly. Keep in mind, too, that you can have more than a single track; some systems allow you to link tracks for long, straight runs or 90-degree turns.

Is a Carpet the Best Flooring Nowadays?

Kelli — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 20:08:26 +0000

Carpets have been around for a very, very long time ? one carpet from the fifth century BC still survives today, and there is evidence that carpets had been made for thousands of years before that. These carpets were more decorative than the practical version we know today, however, and they were often hung on walls as a kind of art. It was only in the 18th century that carpets became really popular as a floor covering.

Fire Sprinklers: Coming to a Home Near You

Kelli — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 20:14:04 +0000

Fire sprinklers are usually thought of in retail and office contexts. However, their proven life- and property-saving abilities have led to their inclusion in the International Residential Code, effective in 2011. In this article, associate editor Chris Ermides looks at the positive impact of residential fire sprinkler systems in communities where they’ve been mandated. He also examines the way fire sprinkler heads work, the two options for sprinkler systems (one integrated with the house’s plumbing and one strictly dedicated to putting out fires), and the cost of a fire sprinkler system as part of the construction of a new home (a little less than 2% of the overall construction cost).

Try a Natural Swimming Pool

Kelli — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 01:10:39 +0000

One exciting green design option that is slowly gaining acceptance in the U.S. is the natural swimming pool, which offers a refreshing, beautiful alternative to reliance on chlorine or other toxic chemicals.

Natural swimming pools have been somewhat popular in Europe for a few decades (where they are often called natural swimming ponds), and they work by fostering the balance of a small natural ecosystem. Managed properly, natural pools have alpine lake-clear water that requires no chemicals to maintain. They have lower maintenance costs than conventional pools, and their installation costs are typically not much more.

Tips on How to Build a Drywall Ceiling

Kelli — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 22:35:00 +0000

One of the first things the do-it-yourselfer realizes when learning how to build a drywall ceiling is that no man is an island – unless he uses rented equipment! Because the panels are big, bulky, and awkward, hanging drywall on a ceiling entails one or the other: the help of another person or renting a drywall jack from your local home improvement center. The cable mechanism on drywall jacks is not difficult to operate, and jacks do an excellent job of holding the drywall in a secure, flat position enabling you to more easily attach it to the ceiling.

Slide Out Shelves

Kelli — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 21:30:57 +0000

Pull out shelves have become a home improvement option that not only makes it easier to organize your kitchen and pantry cabinet and also greatly improve the access to those deep pantry shelves and base kitchen cabinets. But adding pull out shelves in your kitchen and pantry cabinets can add value to kitchen remodeling or improve home re-sellability.

At-Home Recycling Center

Kelli — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 01:55:50 +0000

On average, Americans recycle less than a third of our waste. If we doubled our efforts and recycled 60 percent, we d save 35 million barrels of oil a year. The best way to get your whole family involved in the recycling effort is to set up a system that s easy to use. Color-code and label bins with pictures if necessary, and post instructions where everyone can read them. Offer kids the incentive of keeping the refund for washing out, organizing and redeeming the bottles and cans.