Author Profiles

Just when the growing season looks bleakest — think scorchers and mid-summer drought — Mom Nature brings out bursts of cheery color. These drought-resistant plants help conserve water and ensure your curb appeal won’t wilt in the heat. Native varieties are the most tolerant; check your state extension service. Meanwhile, check out our slideshow of colorful drought-resistant plants! View slideshow

Tired of clutter? Weary of messes? Then get Pinning. Did you know some of the smartest low-cost storage and organizing ideas can be found on Pinterest? We’ve sorted through and come up with some of the best. Ready to straighten out your life? Click through our slideshow, then visit our pinboard on Pinterest for these and other project ideas. View slideshow

Warm weather means flowers, green grass — and weeds that’ll turn your yard into a turf war. Your first line of defense? Maintain a healthy lawn with proper watering, feeding, and aeration. After that, know the bad guys that try and take over your territory. Here’s your guide to identifying some of the most common lawn weeds in North America, and how best to get rid of them. View slideshow

You’re one-of-a-kind, and so is your home. So next time you’re remodeling and improving, don’t settle for ordinary — go for the extraordinary. Salvaged building materials have unique character that’s unmatched by new products. Throw in the cost savings (with prices 50%-75% less than their modern counterparts) and sustainability (reusing old stuff keeps it out of landfills), and you’ve got bargains that are good for the environment. Check our slide show for imaginative ways to put salvage to use in your home. View slideshow

Ornamental grasses usually aren’t the centerpiece of landscaping plans, but their amazing textures and expressive personalities are big contributors to curb appeal. Ornamental grasses are easy to care for, drought-tolerant, and come in a variety of shapes and sizes — from fluffy border edgings to towering privacy screens. Here are some of our favorites. View slideshow

Sure, the economy is still tight. That doesn’t mean you have to budget your wildest dreams. Let’s put a bazillion dollars in your home improvement fund and go shopping for some of the most over-the-top stuff we can find. But hold on to your checkbook — we’ll provide some low-cost alternatives that are just as cool. View slideshow

Who knew there were so many options to create a beautiful and functional living wall? Even one you can nibble from. Check out these 9 gorgeous and versatile vertical garden ideas that’ll put a whole new slant on how you grow flowers, herbs, and veggies. View slideshow

Looking to add a little magic to your rooms? Call in the magician — crown moulding can make rooms seem taller, shorter, and fancier. It’ll disappear the seam where walls meet ceilings, put an exclamation point on cabinets and built-ins, and camouflage your remodeling secrets. Click ahead to discover 10 great crown moulding tricks and ideas. View slideshow

A backsplash is bathroom armor, protecting your defenseless walls from water and spills. But that doesn’t mean it can’t make a splash, too. If you’re ready for a bathroom upgrade, check out this eye-catching bevy of backsplash beauties that’ll safeguard your walls and look good doing it. View slideshow

Your kitchen backsplash has a big job to do — it’s gotta protect your walls from spills and spoils, make it a snap to clean up countertop messes, and do it all with style and verve. A new backsplash is a foot-tall swath of personality that’ll transform your entire kitchen. Check out these 11 backsplash ideas that showcase fantastic materials covering a range of budgets. View slideshow

Tired of staring at leafless trees and patches of snow in your yard each winter? We’ve chosen 9 great plants that add greenery, cool shapes, and will even blossom outside your window in the heart of winter. Hardy across many zones, these plants make terrific additions to your garden plans. View slideshow

Is beauty in the eye of the beholder? These 8 ugly houses answer that age-old question with a resounding: Yes! Despite some odd proportions, strange building materials, and off-the-wall colors, these prideful homes all have redeeming qualities that endear them to their owners. For one, they’re all unique. And in this cookie-cutter world, that’s saying a whole lot! Which is your favorite? View slideshow

Your house has been keeping secrets from you: Out-of-the-way places and forgotten corners that are full of potential. With a little imagination, you can turn your home’s nooks and crannies to your advantage, adding much-needed storage and living space without adding on or moving out. To get you started, we’ve gathered up 7 clever ideas for squeezing more out of what you already have. View slideshow

We spend a lot of time in our kitchens, and we love to make them as warm, inviting, and hard-working as possible. But some of the same features that make our kitchens efficient and comfortable send subliminal messages that say, “Let’s eat more food!” Here are ways to prevent your kitchen renovation or minor makeover from making you fat. Each of our examples features a design culprit or two — can you spot them? View slideshow

If your brood is growing but your house isn’t, try these 8 ideas for shared kids’ rooms that’ll give your wild bunch space for storage, sleeping, and playing. View slideshow

If a portion of your home is used for business, either on a part- or full-time basis, you may qualify for the home office deduction. We asked Julian Block, an attorney in Larchmont, N.Y., and author of the book Julian Block’s Home Seller’s Guide to Tax Savings to comment on questions you might have about home offices as you prepare to file tax returns. Check with a tax pro about your circumstances. View slideshow

If you’re looking to remodel or upgrade your house these days, creating lasting value is sure to be a top concern. You’ll want to add features that won’t be outdated just a few years from now — reducing your home’s marketability and making your house look like it just crawled out of a time machine. We’ve got you covered with our fool-proof list of top elements and home improvement projects that never go out of style. View slideshow

Planning your remodel and want make sure you’re spending your hard-earned cash wisely? Each of these replacements and upgrades earned top honors in Remodeling magazine’s latest Cost vs. Value Report* for having the biggest bang for your buck — giving you the best return on your home improvement dollar while preserving the value of your home. View slideshow

Are you looking to add some pizazz to your bathroom before holiday guests use your facilities? If you’re long on determination but short on time and cash, here are some quick, fun makeover ideas that will impress visitors, make your family proud, increase storage space, and help preserve the value of your home. View slideshow

Tired of pinching pennies? Weary of the recession? Dream along with us as we pretend we can afford these top-shelf home improvements. But don’t worry if these budget-stretchers are out of reach — we’ve got you covered with smart advice for alternative products and systems that will make you feel luxurious without draining your bank account. View slideshow

Here’s the perfect complement to your ever-accelerating lifestyle: A house that’s built in two weeks, start to finish. Prefab houses — also called modular houses — go up in a matter of days, with little impact on your building site and virtually no waste (no soggy piles of debris scattered about). Don’t worry: All that speed won’t compromise quality. Built in indoor facilities, prefab houses benefit from precision factory equipment and crews operating in climate-controlled environments, all of which translates to straighter walls, squeakless floors, and no down time due to weather. Best of all, prefab designs are limitless — take a look! View slideshow

Are you a frustrated culinary artist? Got more cool kitchen stuff than you have places to put it? Don’t despair! Here are 10 smart kitchen storage ideas that will keep your favorite utensils, small appliances, and other accoutrements right at your fingertips, waiting for your masterful touch. View slideshow

Ageless design — sometimes called universal design — makes homes smarter, safer, and a joy to live with every day. Unfortunately, home owners often shy away from selecting these common–sense materials and features because they’re associated with nursing homes and people with limited mobility. But today’s ageless design is made for everyone, at all stages of life. Best of all? These practical, clever principles are virtually invisible. Can you spot the ageless design in these photos? View slideshow

The possibility that your pet is pampered is perfectly plausible. They are, after all, more like family members than just plain dogs or cats. That’s why we’ll go to great lengths to make them feel right at home, sometimes at considerable expense and with compromises to our own living spaces. So saddle up for our tour of remodeling ideas that are sure to make your pet the leader of the pack. View slideshow

Conventional real estate wisdom says that neutral kitchen colors and sensible materials help the marketability of a house when it comes time to sell. Some home owners refuse to conform, however, and the results range from wonderful to wild. If you’ve ever thought about living in a freewheeling kitchen, we’ve got some inspiration for you. Our showcase of expressive, colorful kitchens includes practical tips for choosing materials and getting the most from these personality-filled spaces. Would you live with one of these kitchens? View slideshow

Once the au courant domicile of the sophisticated 1970s counter-culturalist, the humble yurt is entering a new era of popularity, say some makers. One reason: low environmental impact. And, with its roundish form and single-room layout, a yurt has simple charms. Its low cost of construction and go-anywhere, build-anywhere simplicity is attractive as a modestly priced alternative to traditional housing. Would you live in a yurt? Pick from your favorites in this slideshow and leave a comment on your yurt-ability. View slideshow

Thinking of downsizing? Attracted to the idea of a smaller space with less maintenance, lower cost to heat, and fewer corners to accrue clutter? These 10 houses are perfect for your tiny-space-loving spirit. Did we say small? Some of these cleverly designed sugar shacks are less than 80 square feet. Total! With the tiny house movement growing and new-home square footage shrinking, small is the new big. View slideshow

Needing a little extra space but you’ve run out of ideas? Step up to the space down under — under your stairs, that is. That little triangular area often has nothing going on behind it except raw, blank space you can put to good use. Stash stuff, display stuff, even add a powder room. Here are 8 great ways to take advantage of this overlooked under-stairs storage potential. View slideshow

We’ve all seen them, lurking around the corner, maybe in the next neighborhood: houses with unaccountably strange paint jobs. As entertaining as they are to look at, odd ducks like these might deter future buyers and tend to lower property values of nearby homes. Check out these extreme exteriors to learn how your home’s fresh coat can look good and preserve the worth of your home and neighborhood. View slideshow

Desperately seeking storage in your bathroom? Is that tower of towels stacked on your vanity in danger of toppling over? Can’t tell the toothpaste from the hemorrhoid cream in the jungle of your “everything” drawer? Time to get organized! Here’s some clever, inspiring ways to find the proper place for everything and turn your bathroom into the soothing, well-managed spa of your dreams. View slideshow

Does your heart start galloping at the thought of a tornado? Can’t blame you — these bad boys of nature are fast, heartless, and devastating. How do you stand up to one of nature’s most destructive forces? Building a safe room or installing a modular storm shelter is one of the few defenses against a tornado, and outbursts of violent storms over the past few years have made busy times for shelter manufacturers. If you’re thinking of adding a storm shelter, keep these ideas in mind. View slideshow

Do you like the idea of a natural swimming pool but get squeamish thinking about mud between your toes and tadpoles clinging to your hair? Environmentally friendly, chemical-free natural swimming pools have low ongoing maintenance costs and are healthy alternatives to conventional pools. They’re fairly common in Europe but less so here in the U.S., largely because of misconceptions. Follow along as we bust some common myths about these beautiful outdoor features. View slideshow

There’s no steering around it—driveways play a big role in your home’s appearance. Small wonder: They’re sizeable features. A typical 20-by-40-ft. suburban driveway occupies about 800 sq. ft. of front yard—almost half a tennis court. Yet we often regard these hardworking necessities simply as slabs of concrete. With a little imagination, however, you can cook up a great-looking driveway that’ll boost curb appeal and help preserve the value of your property. Here are some ideas: View slideshow

You may think of your deck as simply a platform—a place where you can survey your kingdom and stash your barbecue grill. But deck technology and imaginative designs have combined to create fabulous outdoor havens that extend your living area with comfort, style, and a dash of wow! Take a peek at these inspiring deck creations. View slideshow

Tired of the same old, same old? The endless cutting and edging, the bare spots, the crabgrass and dandelions that get stronger with every application of weed control? No worries—we’ve got your back. And your front yard, too. Try these imaginative lawn replacements and you’ll have it made in the shade, once and for all. View slideshow

If you’re looking to expand your living area, look up. Converting your attic to a bedroom, media hang, or playroom is a great way to gain space at significantly less cost than adding on. After all, you’ve got the walls, ceiling, and floor already in place. Remodeling magazine’s Cost vs. Value Report says an attic bedroom conversion returns more than 72.5% of your investment. Attic conversions have a few special requirements, though, so you’ll want to plan ahead. Here’s what you need to know. View slideshow

If you’re looking to trim your grocery bill and coax a little more value from your property by growing edible fruits and veggies, you’re in for a treat. Heirloom vegetables offer a spectrum of colors and flavors that make each trip to your garden patch a sensory delight. You’ll also become part of a passionate, engaged heirloom community that loves food as much as you do! View slideshow

Your curb appeal—the appearance of your house and surrounding yard—has a lot to say about you. Good curb appeal says you care about your home and your neighborhood. Flub your curb appeal factor, though, and you’ll trash your property value and detract from nearby houses, too. Here are some classic curb appeal no-nos. View slideshow

Your house numbers say a lot more than simply your street address. Stylish house numbers announce your pride of home ownership, and give passersby and visitors a hint of your personal style. It all adds up to creative curb appeal that makes your house as distinctive as you are. View slideshow

Today’s appliances may be digitized techno-wonders, but innovation has been the heart and soul of the appliance industry since the invention of the clothespin. Here are some trendsetters from bygone days that set the bar for modern smart appliances—along with a couple of ideas that thankfully never caught on. View slideshow

Alfred Hitchcock was the master of horror, but his movies aren’t the only things that can send chills down your spine. View slideshow

Every square foot of your home is valuable. Here are seven storage solutions that take advantage of underutilized nooks and crannies. And just for fun, we did some back-of-the-napkin calculations based on the average price per square foot of a U.S. home ($81)—so we could attach a theoretical value to the bonus space. View slideshow

These great-looking and smartly designed features are sensible additions for anyone who puts a priority on safety and ease of everyday use. View slideshow