There are times when you are home to yourself and you long for company.
Failing to properly insulate your home can ship your electricity bill sky high, but also the ideal time to do it is before you finish the walls. When you are living in a home with exterior insulation that leaves something to be desired, your best option — brief of finding the walls — would be…
Mulberry trees, of this Morus genus, are usually grown for ornamental and culinary usage. They have many other applications, too, such as dietary supplement, basket weaving, fabric and hair dye, and paper production. Although hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 8, then they are grown from the wild and cultivated…
If you can imagine snowflakes 12 inches across, you will have a sense of the extraordinary blossoms of the Annabelle hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens “Annabelle”). This smooth hydrangea cultivar offers enormous, pure-white flower clusters that fill the bush from June through early fall; the flowers develop on strong stalks that rise up to 6 feet high.…
Sometimes the difference between porcelain ceramic dishware can be as good as 1,000 decades or may just be a matter of the kinds of clays used to generate the dishes. Credited with the discovery of the clays and the procedures used to make fine ceramics, China first started making clay items about 4,000 B.C., with…
Homes with entries that face the south can expect the front door to be in the sun all day unless the yard is bountifully landscaped or the house faces a barrier that blocks sunlight. The right and best choice for a front door is really a personal issue, but some choices are better than others…
The distinguishing, cup-shaped flowers of tulips (Tulipa spp.) are a reminder that spring is here and summer is on the way. Tulips are perennials at U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 8. In these USDA zones, their bulbs can be left in the ground annually to grow as perennials. In warmer USDA…
You have streamlined the dining room, and the sideboard has lost its lease. You have the bathroom to remodel, an insufficient budget, and this piece of furniture with no home. Recycle the sideboard save some money and indulge yourself with decoration which includes storage and is tasteful — or idiosyncratic — to be holding toothbrushes…
A navy leather couch provides a plain background to flaunt decorative throw pillows in almost any tone. Look to this room’s existing furnishings such as artwork, upholstery, draperies and area rugs for pillow color and fashion clues. Additionally, use a color fan deck and fabric swatches to help narrow down your favorite hues. Anchors Away…
Chances are a snowfall, when you have a Yard-Man snow blower. However, when you fire up the snow blower and then discover that the auger won’t participate, you may begin to sweat a bit at the thought of having to shovel the snow yourself. Rather than cleaning drive and the walkways take a few minutes…
Modern adhesive technology allows without needing to drill holes for screws or hammer nails. As time passes, the stairs will shift as the house settles and nails can work themselves loose, but developing a security hazard but also not leaving an unsightly hole. Solid wood stair treads that are installing requires understanding of timber grain,…