Home improvement: Remodeling
November 18, 2011
New homes make the most of winter rays
Yvonne Wagoner has every reason to feel more tired than usual. With fall rapidly fading into winter, short days and long, dark nights are becoming the norm again, something she has noticed more since turning the clock back this month.
6:36 PM CDT, July 16, 2009
Sweet master suites
"The master bedroom suite should be a sanctuary, a luxurious retreat, a place to get away from it all." That's the strong belief of interior designer Helen Velas, president of Eleni Interiors in Naperville.
May 1, 2009
Entertainment central
When 1-year-old Mason Sotelo needs a Barney fix while his mother is busy in the kitchen, he watches the purple dinosaur on the television in the kitchen. But, when he and his parents, Dan and Mary Anne, settle in to watch a movie or a Bears game, they head to their media room.
April 10, 2009
Choosing right flooring for your home
Now is not the time to build a floor from exotic woods shipped from afar. Instead, experts say homeowners want attractive flooring that is durable, affordable, low maintenance, sustainable — and when possible, locally sourced.
March 20, 2009
New home products get back to basics
For the vast majority of Chicagoans, a super shower is not in their future.
December 21, 2008
Get that pro-designer look
Everybody could use a little help now and then, especially when it comes to decorating. But not everyone can afford it. At least not in the traditional, hire-someone-to-transform-your-entire-house sense. What many people don't realize is that there are affordable ways to get professional-quality design advice—some of them even free.
December 19, 2008
Heat up the decor of any room with a cozy fireplace
That chill in the air means it's time to start a fire in the fireplace. Whether you are gathering around to share the warmth or simply enjoy the ambience, bring a warm glow to any room with a fireplace—a hot trend in design.
December 19, 2008
Closets to suit all your needs
Andrea Hall had a problem. A nice problem, but a problem, nevertheless. With 120 pairs of shoes to her name, she needed to organize them. Meanwhile, her husband, Sal Ferrara, didn't share her shine for shoes but did disdain disarray.
December 5, 2008
Tips, tricks for preparing and staining a wood floor
Most stores stock wood stain in every shade of brown despite a manufacturer's spectrum that includes vivid reds, deep blues, and even bright whites. Picking colors is definitely the fun part. But refinishing a floor also involves cleaning and maybe some repairing aside from sanding.
November 28, 2008
Button up your house for winter
Some people don't button up the house until caulking fails, wind whistles in, and the first eye-popping utility bill of the winter lands in the mailbox. But you can cut fuel costs, stop air leaks, and prevent damage from water, ice and snow by sealing the house before winter hits.
November 7, 2008
Tips for seamless DIY drywalling
Drywall suppliers can deliver the unwieldy panels almost anywhere—even with a crane through second-story windows. Without the hassle of hauling, that makes drywalling a new room or recovering a damaged wall a reasonable do-it-yourself project—with just a few stumbling blocks.
October 31, 2008
CHOICES
Knotty but nice flooring
Want to make a big impact in your new home? Move away from standard wood or tile floors and create something more dramatic.
April 27, 2008
Lots of windows? Create privacy without blocking out the sunlight
You see it in brochures for model homes and hear it from real estate agents trying to seal the deal: Lots of windows. Plenty of sunshine.
April 17, 2008
Remove walls for bigger feeling
Open floor plans, where one room flows seamlessly into another, have been de rigueur in new home construction for nearly a decade.
April 16, 2008
Making it real We scrutinize logos to see how art reflects the gimmick that is reality TV
Hollywood is not bashful about generating new reality shows. One cooking show, one dancing show, one scantily-clad-twentysomething-weirdos-living-under-one-roof show beget three, four, five or more. Network, cable, online, TV reality doesn't bite; it spreads. So the question arises: How does "Flavor of Love" distinguish itself from "The Bachelor"? Or how does "Hell's Kitchen" stand out from "Top Chef"? One way is through art — the shows' logo designs provide a small window into who or what these productions think they are. This matrix compares logos in terms of how they are designed and how successfully the designs are executed.
April 10, 2008
Put a lid on it!
Want to blast your stereo without disturbing the neighbors? Line the walls of your living room with egg cartons and foam mattresses. Desperate to mute the sound of a screaming baby in the apartment below? Lay some rubber mats and carpeting on your floor, and blissful silence will be yours.
April 3, 2008
Secrets of a professional paint job
If you're an avid do-it-yourselfer, you know the value of a simple can of paint for sprucing up walls and revamping tired rooms. But you've probably also experienced the love/hate relationship that seems to be a part of painting, so here are a handful of tips that should make your next paint project a little easier and more enjoyable.
March 27, 2008
Another crack in the wall?
Houses have thousands of parts, typically including 60 cubic yards of concrete, 10,000 board feet of lumber, and 300 pounds of nails and screws. At first it all fits seamlessly. But as houses settle and furnaces kick in, cracks appear. Most of them are cosmetic, though some indicate structural problems, while others defy repair and open year after year.
February 14, 2008
Glass acts
Two layers of glass, insulating air spaces and high-tech reflective films can make top-line windows almost as warm as insulated walls. But whether you're considering replacements on an older home or units for new construction, shopping for true energy efficiency can get complicated.
January 31, 2008
A window of opportunity to keep heat inside
If your old windows leak, fog and sweat puddles of condensation, you might replace them. But at $200 or more a unit and as much again for installation, high-quality, high-efficiency windows can break a home improvement budget.
January 24, 2008
3 must-haves for a good paint job
Paint preparation is one of the ugly sides of home improvement projects. All that sanding and scraping and cleaning -- no one really likes to do it, but it's essential to a good paint job.
January 10, 2008
Strengthening your exterior doors
Most parts of a house have one job to do, like keeping out the rain or providing power. Doors are different. They have to do double-duty and be easy to open and close for you, but impossible for anyone else. And security versus easy access can be a difficult balance.
December 20, 2007
Blinds offer window of opportunity
Blinds can be an easy and functional alternative to drapes. They can also be dust magnets that let in more light than you want.
December 14, 2007
CHOICES
Nothing set in stone with flooring choices
If you're debating between wood, stone or tile floors, start by examining the characteristics of each.
December 6, 2007
With flooring options, take a walk on the design side
It might not catch your eye as quickly as furniture or artwork, but flooring influences the look and feel of an entire home.
November 15, 2007
Tips on picking door No. 1, 2 or 3
If you wander down the aisles of any home center or door shop, you'll probably be surprised at how many different doors are available. Add to that the thousands of possible door styles, sizes and jamb combinations you find in the catalogs, and you quickly discover that there is an overwhelming number of choices.
October 26, 2007
CHOICES
Balance needed to brighten a sunroom
Mention the word sunroom and most people instantly picture a room filled with plenty of glass.
October 25, 2007
Like old times (only better)
Before Jill and Charley Gross began restoring their 1870s Italianate house in Wilmette, Jill Gross explored Evanston, looking at comparable homes from the same era. She was struck by how the original windows -- narrow and tall with ornate trim -- contributed to the overall appearance of those 19th Century houses.
October 11, 2007
Show 'em the door
Every time Edith Nettleton walked through her front doors, the ugly gold-colored bullet glass glared at her.
September 23, 2007
Faux looks on tile imitate wood, metal, even animal skin
Is it tile or not? Fabulous fakes are behind the biggest cover-up in home design. And just about any bare surface is a candidate for today's fashion-forward ceramic tiles -- walls, floors, ceilings and counters, indoors and out.
September 13, 2007
Water walls bring serenity into the great indoors
April Freitag is studying the situation from her kitchen window. Water spills over the ledge of her pool perched 10 feet above the lawn, and glistening liquid sheets cascade down a stone wall. No problem.
September 9, 2007
THE NATION
When walls in old house do talk
Jenne Scigo's curiosity about the original owner of her home began before she even took possession of the 100-year-old Victorian. While looking at the house with a real-estate agent, she noticed small carvings of lions and bears around the windows in its two parlors.
August 16, 2007
Ins and outs of interlocking flooring
Earlier this year we made our annual trek to the National Hardware Show, a good research tool.
June 17, 2007
It's time to take the ceiling to new heights of creativity
Why do so many of us settle for the same old white-paint approach to decorating ceilings? When it comes to walls we texture them and apply glazes, wallpapers, stenciling and paint in our favorite colors, and we adorn them with molding or wainscoting.
May 4, 2007
CHOICES
Inlays can brighten wood flooring
As wood floors continue to grow in popularity, many home buyers are adding some pizazz to shake up their floor designs.
March 27, 2008
Another crack in the wall? Here's how to repair it
Houses have thousands of parts, typically including 60 cubic yards of concrete, 10,000 board feet of lumber, and 300 pounds of nails and screws. At first it all fits seamlessly. But as houses settle and furnaces kick in, cracks appear. Most of them are cosmetic, though some indicate structural problems, while others defy repair and open year after year.
February 28, 2008
HOME REMEDIES
No noise is good noise
Q: I live in a condo on the first floor with two units above me. All the units have hardwood floors and the insulation between floors appears to be inadequate to keep noise to a minimum. Unfortunately, the person in the unit above me wears heels inside the unit and her music is too loud at times. The noise from her walking in heels and the music is irritating at times. The owner of the unit refuses to have the floor carpeted. Is there a coating or insulation that I can have applied to the ceiling that will reduce this noise? Do you have any recommendations to reduce the noise from the unit above me?
February 14, 2008
Glass acts
Two layers of glass, insulating air spaces and high-tech reflective films can make top-line windows almost as warm as insulated walls. But whether you're considering replacements on an older home or units for new construction, shopping for true energy efficiency can get complicated.
February 28, 2008
How glass block systems stack up
Sturdy building block and fragile glass make an unlikely combination. But that's what you get with glass block -- the strength of masonry and the light of a window. It's used mainly on modern-style buildings but has practical applications around the most traditionally styled house. Among the top candidates: foundation windows, door sidelights, shower enclosures and room dividers.
February 21, 2008
Give your attic a breath of air
Winter weather can find every weak link in a house to create drafts and raise utility bills. So how dumb is it to purposely let cold air into an attic or crawl space? Not dumb at all -- in fact, it's essential, and a component of each of the four building code systems in the country.
January 31, 2008
A window of opportunity to keep heat inside
If your old windows leak, fog and sweat puddles of condensation, you might replace them. But at $200 or more a unit and as much again for installation, high-quality, high-efficiency windows can break a home improvement budget.
January 17, 2008
HOME REMEDIES
Pop goes the ceiling's finish
Q. We live in a town home that is 32 years old, and all ceilings (except bathrooms) have popcorn ceilings. We have several cracks in these ceilings along the taping lines. Please advise as to how to repair these and how to replace the popcorn finish with flat plaster finish. Who or what type of service/contractor do we contact for estimates and to begin this project?
January 10, 2008
HOME REMEDIES
Tile over tile over linoleum?
Q We want to redo our bathroom floor ... again. It originally had linoleum on the floor; we put down about 20 years ago the 12-by-12-inch squares on top of the linoleum. These squares have a slightly raised pattern on them; over the years, they have shifted.
April 19, 2009
Putting the cozy back in late 20th Century homes
Soft-spoken Sarah Susanka wouldn't seem to be the "I told you so" type, but ... well, she told you so.
April 3, 2009
Sunrooms add light, space and value
The idea is nothing new. Thomas Jefferson's house had one. President Taft added one to the White House. Many of the early 20th Century catalog houses featured one. But for a variety of reasons, the sunroom is enjoying a renaissance today.
September 26, 2008
CHOICES
Is it live or is it laminate flooring?
Is it a marble floor or a laminate that resembles marble? Is it an exotic natural wood or an engineered floor?
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