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Decisions about what materials to use in building are often made in a showroom. And that’s too bad, because most failures occur, not in a showroom, but during a rainstorm, a heat wave, or the third…

Most people plan a move forward from "when we decided to leave." That's the wrong direction. A realistic relocation timeline works backward from the moving day itself, identifying which tasks will…

When homeowners think about structural pests that consume wood, termites are almost always the first culprit that comes to mind. While termites certainly cause immense financial and physical damage…

The concept of the smart home has graduated from a futuristic novelty into an essential framework for modern residential living. Early smart home setups were notoriously fragmented, requiring…

When building out a modern smart home, most people focus on living room automation, security cameras, automated window blinds, or smart lighting systems. However, the true frontier of home…

Discovering a marching line of ants across your kitchen counter is a frustrating experience for any homeowner. The kitchen is the heart of the home, a place where food is prepared and families…

Most heating systems burn something or heat an element. Heat pumps do neither. They move thermal energy that already exists in the outdoor air into your home or hot water tank, using a refrigerant…

Energy bills are the kind of envelope that people open with trepidation. Especially over summer, when air conditioning has been working almost continuously, maintaining a comfortable home can get…

Most homeowners think their second home is as covered as their first home, but that assumption costs them thousands when a loss occurs. That's because standard homeowners’ insurance does not operate…

You know how you always see those before and after pictures of dramatic deck transformations? A grey, weathered deck suddenly restored to its former glory with rich color and smooth surfaces. But what…