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Believe it or not, it’s that time of year when all the ghouls and goblins come out of the woodwork for just one night to try and scare us again.  Yes, tomorrow is Halloween.  I remember Halloween last year when along with my girlfriend Nancy we took her ten year also son up and down the block with a bunch of the other neighborhood kids and their parents.  It was fun, it was dark, the air had a chill in it and the neighborhood had that Halloween feel.  But, not only were the kids dressed up in every way possible, many of the houses on the block were dressed up in Halloween décor making them look really cool and spooky.

If you still have not gotten your Halloween decorations up, do not worry, there is still time.  Here are a couple of Halloween decoration ideas that will not cost very much and get you in the Halloween spirit. Read the rest of this entry »

Doors provide privacy and security as well as keep stuff that you do not want to see out of sight.  Think about it, if you didn’t have closet doors you would be forced to look at all the stuff that you have in your closet that you did not want to see in the first place.
 
In my previous post “Do You Know Where Your Stuff Is?” I made a point of how closets not only keep all of your stuff organized, but out of sight as well.  And, you would not want a closet without a closet door knowing that doors conceal everything in the space behind them.

But what do you do when space is limited and a regular flat panel door becomes an obstacle and more of a nuisance than a necessity - you install bifold closet doors.
  
Bifold doors come in many styles and as the name implies fold in half to save on space.  Now if space is a problem you could use sliding doors, but the problem with sliding doors is that one side is always closed, meaning a part of the entry is always blocked - the doors are always on either the left or the right side.  Also, sliding doors don’t work in a narrow opening because of a lack of space. With bifold doors you can access the entire space at the same time. 

If you are looking to change an existing flat or panel door to bifold doors you could call in a professional.  However, they are rather easy to install, assuming that you have a standard size opening and by installing them yourself you can save some money in the process.
 
Continue reading to learn how easy it is to install your own bifold doors -

But, before you begin installing your new bifold doors here is a list of the tools that you will need:
Screwdriver
Hammer
Power drill

Now let’s begin,

Read the rest of this entry »

One of the major problems in today’s home is too much stuff.  We have so much more than we actually need.  Take a look around the rooms in your house.  If your home is like most, you’ll probably see all kinds of electronic equipment, including the discs, remotes and the assorted wires that go with it.  You’ll probably see books and clothes along with shoes and just a whole lot of stuff that you are never going to need.

So what can you do?  Well, if you read my recent post on clutter you’ll learn that having too much stuff is really an emotional issue that needs to be addressed on a psychological level.  But, assuming that you have addressed all of those issues and there really is some stuff that you do need to keep, where are you going to put it?

How do you get it out of sight so that your home does not wind up looking like one big chaotic mess?  The answer lies within your closets or more specifically within your closet organizational skills. Much of what is stored within your home is stored in closets.  But, what are you going to do if you cannot possibly jam one more thing on your closet bar and every available inch of the shelf is already being used?

Although additional closets can be built in an existing home, there is quite a bit of cost and mess involved in building additional closets not to mention the loss of room space.  Want a better more cost effective idea?  Let’s take a look at what is known as a closet system. Read the rest of this entry »

One frequently overlooked aspect when it comes to renovating any room is lighting.  Most do it yourselfers will usually begin by painting and then as time and finances allow, redo things like flooring, window treatments and furniture, never stopping to realize that one of the most important aspects to any room is lighting.

How to Get More Light:

If your room seems dark or you struggle when working up close you have several options. First, you could begin by installing new window treatments that allow more light to come in.  You could also paint the room a lighter color that will reflect more light making it seem brighter.

However, if these ideas still do not provide the light that you need, you are going to need to consider artificial lighting.  The problem is that there are many different forms of lighting in many different styles so you have to be careful that the light that you choose provides the kind of light that you need.  Let’s take a look. Read the rest of this entry »

The Home Improvement News begins today in Brimfield, Mass. where County Line Farm and Hardware is testing out a new approach in getting business into their store.  Actually, as owner Robert H. Clark put it “funds are tight” and he is hoping that this will help keep him from going under. 

Local officials unanimously approved the license, however it is now pending before the Alcohol Beverages Control Commission which has the final say over all liquor licenses issued in that state.  The store already sells cigarettes and convenience items.

I do and I don’t like this one.  Of course nobody wants to see anyone go out of business, but I do like the idea of having convenience items for sale in a hardware store.  Many times I go in to get something and just wish that the hardware store that I am in carried snack, drinks and whatever I was in the mood for at the end of a long day.  I’m not so sure that alcohol and beer sales will help though.

In Washington, DC, local officials have revealed a plan that aimed at speeding up getting a home improvement permit.   Two kiosks called “Virtual Permit Centers” are being set up at a Home Depot store in northeast Washington.

Residents will be able to submit zoning change applications for new projects such as a deck or fence.  Local officials said that it only made sense being that contractors and do it yourself-ers are always in the store anyways.

I’m giving this one thumbs up.  Anything that reduces or eliminates bureaucratic red tape is good with me.

Last, to quickly touch on the economy, plans to build an 84 Lumber store in Wichita, Kansas have been scrapped.  Just add this one as a victim of the housing slump. Jeff Nobers, vp-marketing and public relations for 84 Lumber Store said that all of the permits were obtained, but that expansion didn’t make sense at the current time.  84 Lumber is the industries third largest chain of lumberyards.

The economy has been the same for at least the last few months - housing slump and a very unstable stock market.  Sounds like the “R” word to me, nothing here that we didn’t know so I saved it for last.  

When it comes to space there never seems to be enough of it.  Everywhere that you turn something seems to be there.  The shelves are full, the closets are jammed and you haven’t seen the basement floor in years.  Yep, the amount of stuff that one can collect over just a short period of time can be incredible.  Just ask anyone who has ever moved, they will certainly be able to tell you about all the junk that they collected and either had to pack or throw out.  It’s a simple fact, most people just have to much clutter.

Fixing your clutter problem is not easy, but it can be done!  Returning your home to a clutter free living space is a three part process. Read the rest of this entry »

You suddenly find yourself in a position where you need to sell your home.  Yet, when you think about moving and all that goes with it you are not looking forward to the task.  Moving is not an easy experience!   When you take into account all the packing and planning it can be rather daunting.  The competition is brutal, credit is tight and buyers are in no hurry.  So how do you sell your home, in the quickest amount of time and for the highest possible price?  The answer is simple- you have to make your home stand out from the rest.

But, how do you do that?  Well, there are several ways with the easiest one being to just lower the price.  But, who wants to do that? We all want to get as much money as possible out of our home.  For most their home is their largest asset. Read the rest of this entry »

The Home Improvement News begins today with Vermilion Hardware in Vermilion, Ohio, closing its doors after 150 years.  How many businesses survive the first five or 10 years?  Well, Vermilion Hardware has survived 150, the last 60 with the same owner. The business was purchased in 1946 by Henry and Edna Bailey and is run today by their granddaughter.

It’s sad to see a business shut down, but to be in business 150 years they must’ve been doing something right for a very long time.  I would be very interested to find out more information on this one.  Anyone who runs a business could probably learn something here.

Rochester, Minn. - On Wednesday for men and two women were arrested on charges of check fraud at local home improvement stores including the Home Depot and Menards.  Seems a local resident found a box of blank checks at her door and alerted police when one of the individuals arrived at her home demanding the package.  These checks were later connected to a Menards store where management at the store became suspicious about a check written for $5,000 for several big-ticket items linked to a checking account that had no money in it.

The group which was reported to be homeless had a shopping list for $6,266.89 at Lowe’s and $3754.95 at the Home Depot.  The shopping list also indicated that the group intends to take the items to North Carolina.

What law-abiding person would not be happy to see this group rounded up?  I am also sure that these stores, considering the housing and home improvement crunch are glad to have caught them in the act.

Salt Lake City - Lastly, what addition of The Home Improvement News would be complete without mentioning the economy?  This article comes from the Salt Lake Tribune.  It goes on to say that although buyers definitely have the advantage right now when it comes to purchasing a home, it’s difficult to find the exact right moment.  So, while buyers are taking their time waiting for the market to bottom out, no one can be really sure when that time will come.  And, once it does come it will be too late considering how quickly the market will turn around.

Real estate agents are saying now is a great time to purchase a home because rates are low and buyers are motivated.  Although financing is much tighter, anyone with good credit can still get a loan.  There are also many incentives offered by sellers and home builders.  Yet buyers still play the waiting game, waiting for the right opportunity.

Interesting, seems to be pretty much the same everywhere.  The economy is so unpredictable right now that in my opinion it would be very difficult to say what is the right time for anything let alone purchasing a home.

Every so often a customer comes to me to install a ceiling.  Sometimes it is because the original ceiling got damaged and sometimes it’s because the room that they want it for was never finished.  Often a part of a house like a basement will be left unfinished and the homeowner will finish it at some point in the future.

The most common type of ceiling that I use in a basement is a drop ceiling, also called a suspended ceiling.  And the reason that it is so common is because a drop ceiling is a good choice for an area such as a basement because it allows for access to such things as pipes and electrical wires.  Another good reason for installing a drop ceiling is because of the ease of installation.  While a drywall ceiling can be a challenge to install, a drop ceiling can be installed by almost anyone.

A drop ceiling consists of a grid work of metal strips that snap together to form 2 x 2 or 2 x 4 (600 x 600 mm) grids.  The entire grid work is suspended from the ceiling by metal wires and each cell is filled with an acoustic ceiling tile.  Ceiling tiles come in a variety of styles and colors.

To learn how easy it is to install your own drop ceiling - Read the rest of this entry »

The Home Improvement News begins today on a positive note again.  A press release from 1888 Press Release said that the Mount Washington Valley Habitat for Humanity in New Hampshire is getting quite a bit of help from one local retailer.

Silver Lake Home Center has been donating $5000 a year to this Habitat for Humanity chapter for the last several years without much fanfare.  The chapter builds one house per year for one needy family with this money equating to 10% of the total cost. In fact, the donations made by Silver Lake Home Center over the last four years matched a recent one time donation by a national home improvement chain.

“They’ve stuck with us throughout these past years. We’ve certainly never had any other organization that stayed with us as long as they have. You have people that come in on one house, but they seem to have the long term feeling for Habitat. This is the fourth house they’ve done with us,” said Robert Magoun, immediate past president of the Mount Washington Valley Habitat for Humanity.

And it doesn’t just stop there Silver Lake Home Center is constantly encouraging heir contractors and suppliers to help Habitat as well.  It was through them that Habitat for Humanity became involved with White Mountain Home Builders Association who every year runs a charitable event where all the proceeds are donated to Habitat.

Silver Lake Home center is owned and operated by Mark and Heather Sherwood and has grown over the years from a small hardware store and lumber yard to a professional resource home improvement center and full service lumber yard.  Yet even through all of the expansion they remain committed to a small store attitude emphasizing customer service on a first name basis.

How can you not feel good about a situation like this?

In other news, CNBC’s Jim Cramer on his Mad Money Lightning Round said Lowes the home improvement retailer is almost a buy.  He felt that Lowes was a solid turn around play as soon as the housing market begins to turn around because they took market share away from local hardware stores.

Lowes stock has taken a significant beating because of the sluggish housing market, but has recently gained some ground on hopes of better housing reports.  They also have better financial numbers than their competitors.  Lowes still expects to have a 1% increase in sales for 2008 as their competition loose an estimated 6 to 7%.

I find this news partly good and partly bad if Jim Cramer is correct.  It would be great to see a large home improvement retailer post an increase in sales, but it troubles me to see it at the loss of market share for the local hardware stores.  And, if it does happen like this, what does that say for our troubled economy?  One segment of a market does well while another suffers?  I have to see this one play out a little more before I make a call.

Lastly, retailers Home Depot and Lowes each posted third quarter gains.  Lowes stock rose 10% while the Home Depot rose 7.  By midday trading on Tuesday Lowes stock climbed to $23.42 per share while Home Depot rose to $25.  Much of the gain was attributed to the higher than average hurricane season.

Although this also seems like positive news I’m not sure what to believe here either.  In the wake of Monday’s worst ever stock market loss and then the making back of most of it on Tuesday, the reports we have been getting for the last few months are conflicting.  I am going to need additional time on this one as well.