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When considering the design for a kitchen where children will be preparing meals, a few great ideas can go a long way in helping keep kids safe and adults happy. Safety first is always a great motto, especially around appliances. It would seem obvious that children should never use any appliance or sharp knives when adults are not there to help and supervise, but the reality is that some kids can and do use these things. Therefore, we should always install them for the safest use and always be prepared.
A microwave installed under the counter in the lower cabinetry is Continue reading Kitchen Design Ideas of Kids
It is a great time to remodel and upgrade for homeowners who want to take advantage of the federal tax credits now available through The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Tax credits are more beneficial than a tax deduction because Continue reading Requirements for Tax Energy Credits
Summer is the time to replace leaky windows and insulate your home, and with energy tax credit money and stimulus money in the mix, this summer is the perfect one. In most states, homeowners can replace windows Continue reading Weatherization is a window of opportunities
Many talented and creative designers and installers just like myself have often been asked to do things we just don’t want to do. Not that it can’t be done. On the contrary, it HAS BEEN done so many times that we shudder to think why? Why, with so many options in materials in color and texture and finish, would a home owner choose beige travertine 12 x 12 tiles, laid in a square grid, no less? For starters, it blends nicely with the other 5600 square feet of beige, so there you go. AHHHHHHHH!!!!!
So after presenting a beautiful rendering of the floor laid with mosaic glass tiles in an interesting yet simply rug layout, they chose the travertine. I wonder if safety is subconscious, given the economy right now? Price wasn’t the issue, actually, so, um, what then?
Sadly, we are seeing the tragic conditions that are created by global climate change up close and personal. The polar bears looking for ice in the Arctic are in the wrong place. It has all been moved to Fargo! Continue reading Red River Rising
My dear friends (and clients) just got a Pool, and there is a big ASS house attached to it…and I don’t know that I’ve ever been THIS paranoid before, worrying about THEIR kids and that big, blue, tempting-for-a-three-and-a-half-year-old Continue reading Pool Safety for your Kids
With the recent switch back to daylight saving time as a reminder about the seasonal changes taking place, a simple and effective home energy audit might be in order. If you have never done it, no time is better than the present. If it’s been a while, verifying Continue reading Energy Audit Time of Year
Most anyone with an IQ higher than “room temperature” knows that the economy is not doing so well. The bailouts and bankruptcies are very real and beyond comprehension at the same time. The numbers simply boggle the mind. But it is just that phenomenal feeling of being overwhelmed that many folks are experiencing right now that will bring them closer to home Continue reading Hope for Remodelers and Families and Friends
The newest information on how to collect on President Obama’s Stimulus Plan if you are a remodeler is available. Energy Star has compiled a complete list of qualifying home improvements. See it here.
The latest round of bad news is all in the unemployment numbers, released today. 8.1 % is the official rate, but that doesn’t account for everyone that is actually unemployed. Add to that 8.1% the numbers of folks who are no longer able to claim unemployment compensation benefits for one reason or another, undocumented folks now out of work, and those working their butts off but unable to make it and the number is much, much higher. 25 years since the last time, higher!
And the Dow just keeps going lower. What is going on with these numbers, you ask? Why? How?
Another number to watch is the T-Bills and how much of the interest on the national debt is going unpaid and for how long? Oil at its current price is putting a huge dent in the ability for oil producing nations to invest in the US economy via treasury bills. OOPS. So how long can it go without someone wanting to “collect” on the debt? And what will they get for it? A subdivision in Florida, perhaps? Maybe one of Trump’s casinos?
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