Housing and the economy are changing in ways noone understands. When I found William Olson’s blog (link below with quote), I had to share it so those who want to learn more about the economy and why today’s housing market is stalled. William is an “urbanologist” and author with his work published by the Chicago Tribune, International Journal of Economic Development … in other words, a respected economist.

Like many other people, I’ve been affected by the slowdown in housing. My business is helping homeowners maintain and repair their homes, and a sizeable portion of our work had to do with homeowners buying and selling their homes. Personally, we bought a condo in January, 2006 before we realized the real estate boom was over in NH. With all the homes we’ve bought and sold, we had never removed the “contingent on sale of existing home” clause from an offer. We’ll never make this mistake again as we ended up carrying 2 mortgages for 15 months and that wasn’t fun. READ MORE

Seniors are staying in their homes much longer than ever before. When they stay in the home where they raised their family, seniors are likely to remodel to add features to support their new lifestyle like a gardening center in their garage. Seniors may also move to get closer to the grandchildren and there are features they now want in  new home.

This article was inspired by a more comprehensive article, Features of the Age-Proof House. Here is a quick summary of the features described in the article, explaining what seniors want in their homes today … so they can live independently for many years to come. READ MORE

In theory a garage is for your car but very few people have room in their garage as they use it to store things and for activity centers that don’t fit in the house. You might have a ping pong table like my home in California where we don’t have basements. A homeowner handyman is likely to have their workshop in the garage or maybe a gardening center for tools and getting seeds started in the spring.

When you’re storing lots of stuff in the garage, you want to be sure everything is safe so a drain might be needed if you occasionally get water in the garage. This article outlines several drain covers available for a garage floor (most drain covers are for bathrooms or industrial/commercial applications), so here is what I was able to find for one of my handyman customers. READ MORE

When you open your freezer, it’s not really that cold … but it’s cold enough to create ice cubes. It works great because an ice cube tray is designed so when water freezes and expands, there is space for the ice cubes.  The principal behind ice cubes is the same for water anywhere and sometimes that can be a problem.

If you forget to drain pipes that lead to your outside faucets, they are likely to freeze over the winter although you might not find out until you turn the water back on in the spring. In cold weather climates, one of your home maintenance checklist items should be shutting off outside faucets … and draining the water that may be left in the pipes. It’s also a good idea to insulate exposed pipes in case you lose your heat and keep the thermostat at 55 degrees or higher. READ MORE

Homeowners expect their home insurance to cover any type of accident but that’s no longer true as each year it seems like there are more exclusions, and then for some things you have to buy an extra rider. Even more confusing is when you have work done by a contractor and there’s an accident while the work is being done … or harder to determine, shortly after the work was conpleted.

I recently a story about a friend who’s pipes burst and another post shows how to protect pipes in cold weather. This friend lives in another state but called me for advice given my broad base of knowledge about construction, homes, common problems. He wanted insight into the tangled web of insurance claims. READ MORE

How cold your home feels … is different for everyone. I like it toasty warm and I have to work hard to acclimate to colder winters by wearing extra layers and slowly lowering the thermostat. It’s frustrating sometimes when I’ve got a winter sweater on while my husband is comfy in short sleeves.

Getting your home warm enough for you and the rest of your family can also be a challenge, as you’re constantly juggling comfort versus cost. You have a range of temperature you can work with, generally from 50 or 55 degrees up to 70 or 72 degrees (and I do think older people need a warmer house). Get tips on figuring out how warm (cold) your home is, how to get what you want without robbing the bank … and when to be extra careful. READ MORE

Peace of mind is priceless, although we all have budget limitations so we have to prioritize. Many homeowners though, are moving a home generator to the top of their list of home improvements … for peace of mind. Why?

Weather patterns have shifted significantly over the last few years. We’re getting flooding, lots of wind storms, ice and snow storms with increasing regularity … and the reverse too, droughts where farmers need water. The question is whether you want to wait for one of these emergencies to leave you without power for several days, or do you want to plan ahead by installing a generator so you know you’re prepared for almost anything. READ MORE

Most people use ceiling fans in the summer, creating a downdraft that causes a wind-chill effect. The skin evaporates slight amounts of water from the sweat glands, providing cooling through the skin’s surface. The air is only moved, not cooled so you want to turn the fan off when there are no people in the room. You may find you can lower your thermostat down a degree or two to save on energy costs.

Air settles in layers with the warmest air at the top of a room. In the winter, ceiling fans can run counterclockwise to redirect warm air from the ceiling down the walls and into living spaces where there are people. READ MORE

While writing a new report on Home Energy (see our Free Resources), I read an important article in Time Magazine, Wasting Our Watts. Here are the key messages I took away from this article about this incredibly important energy source … but you’ll have to read further to learn what it is!

• Available immediately, surprisingly abundant
• Unlike coal & petroleum, does not pollute
• Unlike nuclear plants, it is safe!
• Unlike solar and wind energy, it is not dependent on the weather READ MORE

Compact florescent light (CFL) bulbs are gaining in popularity as they use 75% less energy than standard incandescent light bulbs. It’s also easy to convert from today’s incandescent light bulbs to CFLs. You don’t have to buy any new light fixtures. When an existing bulb burns out, simply replace the old bulb with a new CFL bulb. Some countries have already mandated the use of CFLs (beginning in 2005) and the US will start to require CFLs at the end of 2011.

However CFLs contain mercury which makes their disposal more challenging. Home Depot has announced a CFL recycling program. Bring unbroken CFLs in a plastic bag and place in one of the designated bright orange collection units. Home Depot will coordinate the packaging, transportation and recycling of your CFLs. READ MORE