Home Improvement, Remodeling

Water leaks may seem harmless, but they can quickly escalate into one of the biggest problems around your home. Not only do leaks waste water, but they can also send utility bills sky-high, invite mold growth, and cause expensive damage to your house.

As you review your home’s efficiency this Earth Month, take these simple steps to get rid of water leaks.

1. Update your appliances

Older toilets can be some of the biggest water wasters in your house. Toilers ...

The pre-spring doldrums can really take a toll on your house. The flurry of activity around the holidays is long in the past, but spring itself is still some weeks away. Put that time to good use: Before you do your spring cleaning, you can set yourself on the path to household order.

Your best bet is to hire a professional organizer. Pros usually charge between $55 and $100 per hour. If you hire them on a per-project rate, the average fee is $580. Consider looking for pros certified ...

What’s the saying — the eyes are the window to the soul? Well if that’s the case, your windows are a view into the soul of your house. They impact nearly everything, from curb appeal to temperature, lighting, and aesthetics. Needless to say, when it comes time to replace your windows, you’ll have many decisions to make.

While windows can last many years, efficiency of new windows improves every year. You can make a big difference in energy costs by upgrading to a more efficient new ...

You may not give much thought to your attic beyond the occasional handy storage space. But the attic plays a crucial role in many elements of your home, including comfort, energy efficiency and roof protection.

Your attic can easily attract moisture, which means it’s important to keep an eye on it. Moisture tends to rise, and it can follow your ceilings and walls up into the attic. Without good ventilation, it will stay in the attic and create mold, mildew or other kinds of damage. ...

It’s frightening to think the contractors you pay to work on your home may not always have your best interests at heart. While most pros take their duty of good work seriously, there are still those who seek to take advantage of people’s trust. Fear not, though; there is a solution for every underhanded scheme. And in all cases, the best solution is to stop the fraud before it starts. Here’s our rundown of some of the most common scams and the best way to avoid them.

THE FLAG: The ...

Everything from that squeaky door to the leaky faucet has been getting on your nerves, and you’ve decided it’s time to take care of them all at once. Hiring a handyperson service is an excellent way to cross everything off this to-do list in a hurry.

However, even if you’ve got a reliable handyperson on speed-dial, you might not be sure if you should hire them or a licensed trade specialist for the work. How can you tell the difference?

First up, go ahead and ask your ...