Lead paint can seriously affect the health of anyone, and especially children and pregnant women. For many years manufacturers added lead to paint to increase its’ durability. Then they discovered that lead paint caused serious health hazards so in 1973, lead was no longer added during manufacturing and in 1978, lead paint was no longer sold.

While the incidence of lead paint is dramatically lower, the EPA wants to eliminate lead paint problems, so they’ve created a new rule called the Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP Rule) which takes effect April 22, 2010. The rule requires contractors, landlords, property managers and real estate professionals (appraisers, home inspectors, etc) to get trained, certified and provide home owners with the Renovate Right booklet at least 7 days before starting work, to help you understand the required steps to prevent lead paint dust from contaminating your home.

The EPA requires many professionals to communicate with home owners. You have a role in learning why it’s important as … the rules are to protect you and your loved ones. READ MORE

Bathrooms are right behind kitchens in importance, so they are a great place to invest your remodeling dollars. Women especially spend quite a bit of time in the bathroom from our morning rituals to giving our kids a bath. One of my favorite memories is practicing multiplication tables with Ryan while he took a bath. Each time he got the right answer, I bounced a ball into the bathtub and it made a big splash.

Given the time we spend in the bathroom, there are lots of things we want to store there just in case we need it and somehow, there never seems to be enough storage space. That’s why updating a bathroom is so popular because you immediately benefit, and it helps when its time to sell your home. It’s wise to take time planning out your bathroom space in order to create more function, along with the look and feel you want. READ MORE

We assume our homes are safe, today and forever, but do we really know if this is true? We’re so busy today, juggling family responsibilities, a job and social commitments, that we don’t have much time to think about our homes. In effect, we take our homes for granted until something happens.

We spend more time at home than anywhere else. Home is where we sleep, eat meals with our family, bathe and dress and hopefully, there’s also some time for relaxing with a good book, watching television, surfing the web and enjoying the company of family and friends. Can we, should we assume our homes are safe? READ MORE

Everyone is talking about … green! The question is what kind of green? There are green peas and you know if you like peas, prefer growing your own peas, buying organic or ordinary canned/frozen peas. Your knowledge about peas reflects your focus on healthy choices – eating vegetables and controlling the chemicals you eat or avoid.

Then there’s green paint, but we’re not talking about paint the color of green peas. We’re talking about green paint that doesn’t give off fumes that smell funny and could make you sick depending on how many other unhealthy chemicals there are in your home. READ MORE