http://www.articlealley.com en-us editorial@articlealley.com Like many young homeowners, Lynne and Brad Wilde had a number of good reasons for wanting to tear out their old kitchen and start over. The work area was cramped, the space dark and uninviting and the appliances were barely working. 'The oven switched fro... http://www.articlealley.com/article_138810_15.html 15th March 2007 In the recent past, many American homes contained walls that were made of gypsum plaster - a combination of powder and water applied over a wire mesh. This process was rather lengthy and in an effort to meet the demands of a growing population and need fo... http://www.articlealley.com/article_138664_15.html 15th March 2007 About how old do you think carpet is? Believe it or not, wall to wall carpeting is as old as rugs - and rugs have a history dating back to the time of ancient Egyptians, Romans, and Greeks. 1. Get referrals through friends. 2. Ask the company for r... http://www.articlealley.com/article_138663_15.html 15th March 2007 Although brick and tile are two of the oldest construction materials, they remain favorites among homebuilders and home improvement specialists today. And there's a good reason for it! Not only is brick and tile beautiful, they're strong and resistant to ... http://www.articlealley.com/article_137956_15.html 13th March 2007 Is there anything more sophisticated than hardwood flooring? Until recently - say the last twenty to thirty years - the trend was to cover these beauties with wall-to-wall carpeting. Today however, bare hardwood flooring is almost a staple in any upscale ... http://www.articlealley.com/article_137954_15.html 13th March 2007 Men have a unique role in this society. We unfairly place a lot of responsibility on their ability to repair things around the house just because they're male. The fact is males aren't born with a toolbox in their hands! Just because there's a man in the ... http://www.articlealley.com/article_137578_15.html 12th March 2007 Before you set about hiring carpet-cleaning services, you just might want take the following considerations into mind. What may appear to be a simple job can actually end up being a royal pain in the butt if you're not careful? What are we talking about? ... http://www.articlealley.com/article_137486_15.html 12th March 2007 Interior design didn't start with the first lady. Since the dawn of mankind and availability of designer colors, people have been fascinated with home decoration better known ad interior design. Recent research indicates that vanity isn't always behind th... http://www.articlealley.com/article_137485_15.html 12th March 2007 If home is a little slice of heaven, then it shouldn't be too unreasonable to demand a little peace and quiet. Unfortunately it isn't always easy to obtain - especially if there are rock music loving teenagers in the home. At certain times, these sounds c... http://www.articlealley.com/article_136634_15.html 09th March 2007 Hiring a contractor for a plastering job is as age old as the Great Sphinx itself! In the same age range as tile, brick, and cement, plaster is also one of oldest building materials and even ancient Egyptians incorporated plaster into their buildings and ... http://www.articlealley.com/article_136621_15.html 09th March 2007 There probably isn't a family in America who hasn't outgrown the primary home at one point or another. In fact, the lack of space is one of the prime reasons why many of us hire a contractor to improve our homes. We want a better design, we want more spac... http://www.articlealley.com/article_136175_15.html 08th March 2007 Concrete has an interesting history. Evidence shows that the early Romans worked with concrete as early as 200 BC and as you might have already guessed, they used it to build their aqueducts and bridges. In 1752, English engineer John Smeaton discover... http://www.articlealley.com/article_136170_15.html 08th March 2007 One way to extend your indoor activities outdoors and integrate the backyard into your daily lives is to add a deck or patio - a deck or patio that emphasizes open air dining and entertainment. From the comfort of your own home, you can enjoy fresh air, c... http://www.articlealley.com/article_135383_15.html 06th March 2007 That 60s kitchen that you're still cooking in might be cute and even nostalgic, but is it really practical anymore? Although a kitchen as old as this offers the basic necessities for preparing and storing food, it doesn't quite accommodate the modern conv... http://www.articlealley.com/article_135381_15.html 06th March 2007 One of the first things that people notice about your home is its front lawn. So naturally you'll want this view to be as beautiful and welcoming as it can be. The problem for some of us is that we just don't know where to begin. Isn't a well-maintained l... http://www.articlealley.com/article_133375_15.html 01st March 2007 About how old do you think carpet is? (And no, we're not talking about the carpet in your house!) Believe it or not, wall to wall carpeting is as old as rugs - and rugs have a history dating back to the time of ancient Egyptians, Romans, and Greeks. Of co... http://www.articlealley.com/article_133374_15.html 01st March 2007 Yup! You heard us. Air brush paintings and murals as part of your home improvement plan is one of the most creative ways that you can express yourself and declare your home as your personal part of the world. Interestingly, they're hardly used - falling s... http://www.articlealley.com/article_131894_15.html 22nd February 2007 That'll probably become one of your most favorite expressions after you have yours rebuilt. And that's because rebuilt closets have a way of demanding organization from even the most messiest and disorganized person on earth! As they originally stand ... http://www.articlealley.com/article_131889_15.html 22nd February 2007 Oftentimes when we're thinking about home improvement or interior decorating, we neglect to think about how important our ceilings are and how they can contribute to creating a new atmosphere! Reasons could be many, however the most apparent reason is tha... http://www.articlealley.com/article_131534_15.html 21st February 2007 Before a contractor begins working on a major home improvement project, he (or she) will generally draw up a blueprint of the project's plan - depending on how difficult the job is. For example, hanging drywall wouldn't need an extensive blueprint but a p... http://www.articlealley.com/article_131530_15.html 21st February 2007 The bathroom is the usually the second room in the house that we visit each morning and we certainly visit it multiple times throughout the day. So why not make this place as attractive as it can be? (Or at least as attractive as the rest of the house.) ... http://www.articlealley.com/article_131086_15.html 20th February 2007 Without employing the professional services of a cabinet maker, you're basically stuck with remodeling your home kitchen or bathroom with pre-designed cabinets - which might not be a problem if you're lucky enough to find what you want. But what if you ar... http://www.articlealley.com/article_129912_15.html 17th February 2007 If you're planning on having a new roof installed (or repaired) and you want it to last for the duration of its warranty, then you'll appreciate the following advice on how to take care of your roof through gutter care. That's right! We said 'gutter care.... http://www.articlealley.com/article_129493_15.html 15th February 2007 A wooden privacy fence surrounds almost every home in California. In fact, that's one of the things that differentiates a California home from a home in any other state. Introduction Without a fence, homeowners risk attracting uninvited guests (dog... http://www.articlealley.com/article_128949_15.html 15th February 2007 One way to quickly improve the look of your interior environment is to reinvent its borders - your walls, that is. Whether those walls are in a single room, a small guesthouse or even an entire home, walls that look fresh and new have a peculiar way of in... http://www.articlealley.com/article_128912_15.html 15th February 2007 Unlike in the past, we don't need nor necessarily use fireplaces for warmth. Today, we use fireplaces for aesthetics or to create a warm atmosphere within a home. Although they aren't required, fireplaces have a unique way of turning a house into home. ... http://www.articlealley.com/article_128605_15.html 12th February 2007 A swimming pool just oozes coolness from all sides of a privacy fence! Whether it's an above ground swimming pool or an in-ground swimming pool - nothing makes your lifestyle more fashionable (or popular) than your very own swimming pool. Why? While... http://www.articlealley.com/article_128205_15.html 10th February 2007 Without the unique invention of molding, not only would we be faced with boring flat interiors, we would literally lose our sense of time. We're not kidding! Molding is often the first item that we look for and inspect to determine the age of things like ... http://www.articlealley.com/article_128154_15.html 10th February 2007 Hot tubs have captured our interest since the very first time that they were introduced and it's hard to argue why. Hot tubs are not only beautiful, they're extremely relaxing! What's a hot tub? Sometimes called a soaking tub, spa, or Jacuzzi, a h... http://www.articlealley.com/article_127837_15.html 09th February 2007 When you think of fancy brickwork, that's stone masonry. But just as there's fancy brickwork, other materials can be and are used to build some of the most beautiful walls, fences, porches, patios, or even driveways that you'll ever see. This work is bett... http://www.articlealley.com/article_127809_15.html 09th February 2007 It should be no surprise that interest in solar power has significantly increased in lieu of the recent energy crisis in California. Rising costs, brown outs, and downright black outs make living in a technological world virtually impossible. Thanks to pr... http://www.articlealley.com/article_127516_15.html 08th February 2007 Although living may be a bit more efficient *inside* in traditional housing, a modern home with all of today's conventional trimmings doesn't quite allow us to enjoy nature the way that log homes do. Modern homes are really built for communal living - com... http://www.articlealley.com/article_127201_15.html 07th February 2007 Right about the time when we're ready (or we think that we're ready) to renovate our living space, we do one of two things. One, we get a little wild and crazy with ideas about our property without knowing if our dreams are realistic. Or two, we don't ful... http://www.articlealley.com/article_126859_15.html 06th February 2007 Ask any average person about stained glass and the reaction will most probably be something along the lines of, 'Oh sure, yeah - it's pretty. I like it.' But there's much more to stained glass than aesthetics. This ancient art form has a rich history thro... http://www.articlealley.com/article_126571_15.html 05th February 2007 An unfinished basement can be one of the most scariest and spooky areas of the house and that's probably because they never really were designed for living in the first place. Historically, the basement was designed as a storage area - purposely kept dark... http://www.articlealley.com/article_125482_15.html 01st February 2007 In today's society, it's impossible to perform daily activities without a quality water heater. Just ask anyone who has experienced a faulty water heater! One faulty water heater and everything is thrown askew! Water heaters can fail to adequately perform... http://www.articlealley.com/article_125148_15.html 31st January 2007 Some people believe that restoration is restoring something to a satisfactory state. But to the homeowner interested in preservation, restoration is a whole new ballgame because it means restoring something to its original condition. An original condition... http://www.articlealley.com/article_124776_15.html 30th January 2007 As a home decorator or someone who simply wants to breath some fresh air into your living environment, it's important that you get out of the habit of reaching for the white paint when it's time to freshen up your walls. Not that there's anything wrong wi... http://www.articlealley.com/article_121821_15.html 20th January 2007 If you have a big back yard and children, you have before you the perfect space for a lifetime of laughs, fun, and wonderful memories. Why? Because children plus space plus playground equipment equals a feeling matched by none. What good is a big back... http://www.articlealley.com/article_120909_15.html 17th January 2007 The most largely ignored areas of the home (during home improvement planning) are walls and ceilings. Often, we're busy thinking about new flooring, new cabinets, or even new landscaping. But for the most part, the walls and ceilings are left as is - rece... http://www.articlealley.com/article_120132_15.html 15th January 2007 Before you have any major work performed on your home, you may need to get your property inspected twice: once before the work is started and again after the work is complete. Your need for an inspection (and the number of times that the inspection is req... http://www.articlealley.com/article_120131_15.html 15th January 2007 Siding is a material applied to the outside of a building to make it not only weatherproof, but paint proof, pest proof, and just plain ugly proof too! In fact, one of the strongest selling points of siding is its ability to reduce an exterior paint job t... http://www.articlealley.com/article_119023_33.html 11th January 2007 Experts recommend that you repair or replace your roof every ten to thirty years. Since they're the first things exposed to damaging elements of nature (like rain, wind, sun, snow, hail, ice, etc.), it's not surprising that they need a little attention no... http://www.articlealley.com/article_119022_33.html 11th January 2007 Thinking about remodeling? Congratulations! You're on your way to one of the most rewarding experiences that a homeowner can go through. When you remodel your home, you're not only designing a new and exciting living space, you're also increasing the resa... http://www.articlealley.com/article_119021_33.html 11th January 2007 It's amazing how a simple paint job by professional painters can brighten a room or change the atmosphere of a home's interior. And when we're thinking about remodeling or redecorating, it can be overlooked as an important part of the process. Our minds c... http://www.articlealley.com/article_118605_33.html 10th January 2007 There are many reasons to invest in a high quality home theater system, but let's be honest. When we're at home and we want to be entertained - nothing can compare to the latest techo-toys that grant us the opportunity to customize that entertainment just... http://www.articlealley.com/article_118604_33.html 10th January 2007 When we typically hear of plaster, we think of a white or off-white smooth surfacing material. Decorative plaster on the other hand is something quite different. No - it isn't some wild sculptural configuration like you might have seen in art history boo... http://www.articlealley.com/article_118603_33.html 10th January 2007 A house without windows is just absurd! But a house without 'smart windows' is even stranger indeed! By 'smart windows,' we mean windows that multitask - that is, windows that do more than just let the sunshine in or let you see who's come knocking at you... http://www.articlealley.com/article_112570_15.html 16th December 2006 Asphalt paving is the most common method of carving out our 'travel patterns' and 'pit stops' - more often pit stops (in the form of driveways) than any other. Technically, asphalt pavement is bituminous and crushed gravel or sand, but to a home owner - i... http://www.articlealley.com/article_110858_27.html 08th December 2006