Search
Related Links

 

 

Informative Articles

Flowers are a great gift
By: Alan Jason Smith Site: http://www.agoraflowers.com Flowers are a great gift, useful in home decoration or in landscaping. When thinking about what to grow in any certain space, one has a wide array of choices for what kind of flowers would...

How To Use Annuals In Landscaping Your Garden
An annual, from the point of view of the amateur gardener, is any plant which must be replaced each year and which flowers only once in its life. Annuals generally are grown from seed. The chief advantage of annuals over perennials is their low...

Minimizing Runoff and Erosion Along Your Lakeshore, Stream or River Property
Designing your landscape to care for your shoreline is extremely important not only for protecting the integrity of your property, but also to protect to quality of your neighboring water body. You can control sedimentation and conditions...

The importance of bedroom design in a home decoration project.
Dear friends, A home is a place where we live, spend most of our lives, with family members and our loved ones. A bedroom design project includes a careful study of the surrounding of the entire home. When an architect plans a home, he takes...

Tips For Preparing a Planting Bed
You are welcome to use this article on your website or in your newsletter as long as you reprint it as is, including the contact information at the end. Website URLs must be active links. You are welcome to use this article with an affiliate link, ...

 
10 Ways to Survive Building or Remodeling Your Home

1. Think of the project as a new diet.

Who doesn’t want to lose at least five pounds? This is one way to do it. Between running to stores all day and evening long, meeting with contractors, inspecting the work, searching the Western world for the perfect light fixture, who has time to eat? Provided you don’t sabotage this new, unorthodox diet plan, with McDonalds drive through, you’re good for losing five pounds. If you are a masochistic type who does some of the work yourself - whether it be painting, laying tile, landscaping the yard - you can count on another five to ten pounds of weight loss. Just think, you may be miserable, frustrated, exhausted, and down right cynical about the good of the humankind, but your jeans will fit nicely!

2. Write checks as aerobic exercise.

These workouts are great for toning the wrist and fingers. Usually done in hectic spurts as you race out the door in the morning while the contractors are breathing down your neck and your kids are beating each other with the lunch boxes you just prepared, the stress and frantic activity are sure to raise your heartbeat for a good hour. Grumbling under your breath that the plumber, electrician, or you name it, isn’t really worth this much money adds greater intensity and calorie burn to this little publicized exercise regime.

3. Save money through shopping burnout.

Yes, even the most die-hard shopper will come to dread setting foot in any store. This affliction starts innocently enough as you go to look for light fixtures. How hard can it be? Hard! Either the light you want is being shipped from Yugoslavia and won’t arrive until your youngest child buys his own home, or you just can’t find the one you want. You’ll shop every lighting and electrical store you know. You’ll search Home Depot. You’ll haunt hardware stores. And then there’s plumbing fixtures. Sink centers, faucet handles, finishes, special orders. What’s all that about? And the cost. You’d think you were outfitting the palace for a former third world dictator. Of course, there’s carpet, tile, hardwood, stairs, siding, windows. Enough already. And you thought it was a pain picking mints and sweet table treats for your wedding.

After your 1000th trip to Home Depot (or Lowes or Menards or whatever), in addition to all the other trips you’ve made for items that shouldn’t count as shopping (toilet seats, for example), you’ve had it. Your friends won’t be able to bribe you to check out the latest sale at Bloomingdales. You’ll think it will be better when you can pick out "fun" things like paint, wall paper, drapes, fabric, furniture ... but don’t bet on it. At this point, the pressure to make your home look like something other than an empty rat maze will counteract any joy in shopping. Spending this much money has never been such a miserable experience. As a result, when your home becomes half-way presentable, you’ll refuse to shop again - even for groceries - for at least six months. The money you save during this shopping hiatus will be sufficient for you to resume this previously pleasurable past time once more without guilt.

4. Impress your friends with obscure facts.

Only someone that has built or remodeled their home can explain the fluid dynamics of a proper toilet water swirl. Or cite the International Building Code that calls for no more than 6’ between electrical outlets. Or brag that triple glazed windows are really the wave of the future for light emitting device technology. See what I mean? :)

5. Pride yourself on your new creative skills.

You’ll discover a creative side that you never knew existed. Like how to wash dishes in the bath tub. And how to make a full course meal for a family of four using nothing more than a toaster and hot plate. Or how to fit an entire family in a house smaller than your first apartment. They say that necessity is the mother of invention. That’s probably true, but I also think that the only thing that separates modern and pioneer life is just one kitchen or bath remodeling project.

6. Yell at someone other than your kids - and not feel guilty.

Honestly, as a modern woman trying to juggle the running of our homes, possibly a job, and the future Olympic soccer aspirations of our children, you have the primal need to yell. At someone.


Anyone. Often our spouse and children suffer from this need of ours to release pent up negative energy generated from nothing more than some miniature human leaving smelly gym shoes on the kitchen table. (Ok, that probably deserves a bit of yelling - we eat at this table!) But when you remodel your house, you have a whole cast of characters - and believe me, they’re characters - that often deserve a good scream from time to time. Like when they tell you that they tore out the fireplace because they didn’t think it looked right. Or when they show you a mistake made three weeks ago that now requires half the house to be torn down in order to fix. Yelling isn’t immature or a result of too much estrogen, it’s therapy.

7. Throw out (finally) your significant other’s treasured [fill in the blank] from his bachelor days.

You know what I mean. It could be the semi-nude poster he won’t get rid of. Or his collection of exotic beer cans. Or all of his Sports Illustrated magazines since the Chicago Bears last won the Superbowl. Now is the perfect time to get rid of it. If you need to move out of your house while the remodeling is done, or you are moving to a new home, such an opportune time may never occur again. Say it won’t fit in the rental house. It’s either this or his golf clubs. Gently remind him that the sentimental item really serves as a reminder of his advancing years. Anything. Get rid of it. It will be one positive you can remind yourself of when the stress of remodeling makes you feel that this project was the biggest mistake of your life.

8. Grow closer to your family through forced bathroom sharing.

The saying goes that absence makes the heart grow fonder. Perhaps that wise pundit had to share a closet sized bathroom with three kids and a spouse. In reality, there’s no greater way to create intimacy in a family than by all trying to get ready for the morning in the same 7’x 5’ space. You’ll learn new exciting things about your children - like toilet paper is purely optional for little boys. You’ll discover that there is no bond quite like the one created when the entire family brushes their teeth together over the same sink. You’ll realize why the older generation of your relatives only washed their hair once a week instead of facing communal bathroom time. But most importantly, you’ll no longer need to yell at your kids to hurry up for school - they’re standing right next to you.

9. Earn free flights from all of your purchases.

In what is admittedly (and somewhat sheepishly) the only practical survival tip on this list, get an airline mileage credit card. Charge everything on it - lights, plumbing fixtures, windows, doors, lumber, carpet. The windows alone can get you close to one free trip. Whether you decide to share your miles with anyone else in the family or to escape on your own to a world of quiet solitude and, preferably, an open bar, is entirely up to you.

10. Hire some good looking contractors and feel like you’re 15 years old again.

Hey, guys get a whole chain of restaurants and bars where the main attraction is busty waitresses in tight t-shirts (Hooters). Why can’t us gals have some eye candy once in a while? Besides, it’s a productivity tool. You’ll be more likely to inspect the job or meet the architect if some young, fit, good-looking men are there - especially in the summer months when shirts tend to become optional. For example, we once hired a roofing crew of male model wannabees for a house we built. My husband called them the "Beefcake Roofers." They created quite a stir in the neighborhood that summer. Let me tell you, it made rushing to stop by the house to go over notes with the trades first thing in the morning a bit more interesting - and much more fun!

Finally, remember, the end result of your new house will be worth the aggravation of the process. Plus, think of all the good stories you can tell!

About the Author

A veteran of numerous home remodeling and building projects, Julie Lohmeier has seen the entire spectrum of home improvement. She shares her remodeling tips, home decorating ideas, and other various rants at www.myhomeredux.com?SRV_GO.

copyright 2005, Julie Lohmeier, www.myhomeredux.com

Use this report in its entirety with proper acknowledgement and copyright.

 

Landscaping Ideas | Landscape Design | Landscaping Pictures
Information for homeowners on hardscape and softscape elements in landscape design. Includes a chat room and forum.
landscaping.about.com
 
Gardening - Landscaping
Design a landscape that works best with your yard, deck and home.
www.homeandfamilynetwork.com
 
Gardening
Find all the information you need to plan and design a beautiful garden for your landscape. Get zone maps, garden plans and the plant and flower index to ...
www.homeandfamilynetwork.com
 
Landscaping - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Landscaping refers to any activity that modifies the visible features of an ... Landscaping also refers to building a model landscape such as model train ...
en.wikipedia.org
 
Landscape architecture - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The activities of a landscape architect can range from the creation of ... Landscape designers, like garden designers, design all types of planting and ...
en.wikipedia.org
 
Gardening Landscaping & Design - Landscape Gardening for Patios ...
Learn more about landscape gardening and design for patios and decks from Home & Garden Television.
www.hgtv.com
 
EERE Consumer's Guide: Landscaping
On average, landscaping for energy efficiency provides enough energy savings ... Use energy-efficient landscaping strategies based on your regional climate. ...
www.eere.energy.gov
 
Planning the Home Landscape
Advice and tips for planning, preparing, and constructing a new landscape area.
aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu
 
Landscaping Ideas, Designs, Pictures and Plans for the Home.
Respond?s community provides landscaping ideas for the home. Find landscaping designs, pictures and plans to help you design the best landscape for your ...
landscaping.respond.com
 
Landscape Design Services and Earth-Friendly Garden Products for ...
Landscaping resource for the do-it-yourself homeowner featuring interactive online landscape design.
clearwaterlandscapes.com
 
Landscaping & Design
Turn your yard into a spectacular showpiece, whether you're planning all-new landscaping or hoping to update a flower bed.
www.bhg.com
 
Great Lakes Environment: Greenacres-Green Landscaping
A key source of Great Lakes environmental information.
www.epa.gov
 
Landscaping - Outdoors - homesite.com.au
Landscaping - homesite.com.au, Australia’s No.1 home and garden web site.
www.homesite.com.au
 
H2ouse.org : Tour : Landscaping
Attractive gardens and landscape add to the value of your home and bring ... Upgrade the look of your landscape by learning the how-to's of proper lawn care ...
www.h2ouse.org
 
Landscapers | Landscaping
Get matched to local Landscape, Decks and Fences contractors for your home improvement projects. ServiceMagic's network of Landscape, Decks and Fences ...
www.servicemagic.com
 
Complete Landscape Design for Do It Yourselfers
Do it yourself tips, tricks, guidelines, and resources for home landscape design.
www.the-landscape-design-site.com
 
Landscaping Ideas | 2854 + Landscaping Pictures
Landscaping Ideas To Make Your Homes Beautiful. ... Click here to access all 4290+ landscaping photos, and get instant access to valuable savings coupons to ...
www.landscapingideasonline.com
 
Landscaping for Energy Efficiency
Are you looking for cost-effective yet eye-pleasing ways to lower your energy bills? Planting trees, shrubs, vines, grasses, and hedges could be the answer.
www.pioneerthinking.com
 
Edible Landscaping Online
Only the most productive disease resistant varieties make it onto the approved list here at Edible Landscaping. Our plants are guaranteed to arrive healthy ...
www.ediblelandscaping.com
 
Free Landscaping Ideas, Landscapes, Front Yard, Garden Landscaping
Landscaping ideas that transform your boring, unattractive yard into the picture perfect oasis you've always dreamed of. Find out h...
www.greatlandscapingideas.com
 
 

 

Content Menu
  • 10 ways to survive building or remodeling your home

  • 12 considerations when choosing contemporary lighting

  • 3 great reasons to shop for home lighting online

  • 3 tips in landscaping your garden

  • 5 external climatic factors that affect an interior design project

  • 5 reasons fireplace owners think early spring is firewood time

  • 5 styles of rug hooking to choose from

  • 7 easy steps to attract more birds to your yard

  • 8 lawn care tips for your garden

  • about boxwoods

  • acid loving plants

  • adding climbing roses to your landscape

  • adding value to your home with landscaping

  • add some splash to your garden with a fountain

  • all about riding lawn mowers

  • annuals or perennials thats the question

  • arborvitae a multi use plant

  • are your houseplants safe

  • are you new to garden fish ponds

  • asthma friendly gardens

  • attracting wild birds

  • avoid the how much hassle when buying firewood

  • avoid transplant shock

  • a compost primer

  • a dozen tips for producing low allergy gardens

  • a guide to outdoor gas fireplaces

  • a hobby greenhouse will get you growing

  • a look at flower bulbs for sale

  • a new outdoor craft idea for all ages

  • a quick guide to fish pond bridges

  • basics of landscape design

  • basics of pruning

  • beware of toxic mulch

  • bluebirds

  • blue wild flowers for your garden

  • brick patio weed control

  • brighten your path by installing decorative landscape lighting

  • building a garden from nothing at all

  • building liner ponds

  • building or decorating your home requires house plans

  • build your own storage sheds

  • burnings bushes brilliant fall foliage

  • butterfly gardening

  • butterfly gardens for your region

  • caring for and planting a balled in burlap christmas tree

  • caring for a living christmas tree

  • choosing roses for your landscape

  • choosing the right roses for your garden

  • common landscape problems and how to fix them

  • complete home rehab in 10 days

  • composting the easy way

  • concerning mulch part one

  • concerning mulch part two

  • concrete cutting the unknown niche

  • constructing water walls a guide to common mistakes

  • construction loan basics

  • container gardening indoors and outdoors

  • container gardening in the metro

  • courtyard gardens planning tips

  • creating a budget for your landscape

  • creative landscaping with railroad ties

  • daylily a perennial favorite

  • decorating around the garden

  • decorating with rocks the beauty of rustic decor

  • decorative stone uses for landscaping

  • deer dont eat dragons

  • developing the perfect landscaping idea

  • do it yourself landscape design where to begin

  • do it yourself preformed pond kit project

  • dream yard

  • driveway landscaping

  • easy fall propagation techniques

  • edible trees and plants

  • enhance your garden with beautiful edging

  • enhance your home

  • enjoy rose gardening

  • environmentally safe ways to remove weeds

  • evergreens to use for landscaping

  • evergreens you can use for landscaping

  • extending the living space outdoors working with color

  • fall the best time to plan next springs landscape project

  • features of landscape design software

  • feeding your plants

  • fertilizing to create more blossoms on your flowers flowering shrubs and trees

  • finding anything you need about landscaping on the net

  • finding a flower bulb company

  • finding cheap plants for your landscape

  • find a building contractor to remember

  • fine gardening secrets revealed

  • flowers are a great gift

  • freestanding and lean to greenhouses

  • free plants seeds and flowers

  • gardening creating your own private paradise

  • gardening for birds

  • gardening information and design ideas

  • gardening tips and tricks for late autumn part one

  • gardening using bulbs in your landscaping

  • gardening your personality the greens of growth

  • garden fencing

  • garden furniture a natural extension of the home

  • garden furniture a touch of exuberance to your landscape

  • garden gnomes to add whimsey to your garden

  • garden moss how to make moss on your landscape rocks and garden statues

  • garden supplies are the gardeners paint and brush

  • gazebos to build or not to build that is the question

  • geomantic rules in the living room

  • geranium plants

  • getting raw land not a raw deal

  • getting the best price for your home includes landscaping for curb appeal

  • getting your hands on a good pair of gardening gloves

  • give your garden a rippling effect add a tranquil pond

  • granite might of stone info and facts

  • granite preformed rock pond kits

  • growing and caring for rhododendrons and azaleas

  • handcrafted garden bridges builds traditional arched span bridges with modern flair

  • have you been looking for the best advice in relation to landscape designs

  • help your backyard plants get the nutrients they need

  • hidden costs of landscaping

  • hillside landscaping properly watering hillside and sloped landscapes

  • hills and holes not part of your landscaping design

  • history of bonsai

  • history of wild roses

  • home floor plan designing for your future home

  • home improvement loans

  • home security your yard is the first line of defence

  • horticultural therapy

  • how and when to plant roses

  • how to attract butterflies to your garden

  • how to attract butterfly activity

  • how to build a simple potting bench

  • how to build a waterfall

  • how to care for your outdoor water fountains

  • how to change a rooms dimension using wall pictures

  • how to choose a gazebo

  • how to choose a riding lawn mower for your property

  • how to create an oasis of serenity with a backyard garden hot tub

  • how to decorate your space with wall art

  • how to finance a new extension

  • how to finance a new kitchen

  • how to get rid of standing water in your yard

  • how to grow blueberries

  • how to grow flowering dogwood trees from seed

  • how to grow japanese red maples from seed

  • how to grow ornamental grasses

  • how to grow wildflowers

  • how to keep your brick patio weed free

  • how to make a weed dabber

  • how to make money at home growing small landscape plants on 1 20 acre or less

  • how to make money growing rooted cuttings and selling them wholesale

  • how to make your own moss landscape rock and garden statues

  • how to modify your landscaping to protect your house from burglars

  • how to plant a tree

  • how to plant rose bushes in landscaping your garden

  • how to use annuals in landscaping your garden

  • how to use biennials perennials in landscaping your garden

  • how to use color in your perennial garden

  • how to use flower beds in landscaping your garden

  • how to use hedges in landscaping

  • how to use home decor accessories to create a new look in a room

  • how to use vines in landscaping your home

  • hummingbirds jewels of the air

  • improve your homes landscape in 6 easy steps

  • improving curb appeal

  • index

  • installing landscape lighting

  • internet marketing and advertising for the green industry

  • irrigation installation maintenance time savers

  • is a landscape architect really necessary

  • is landscape fabric even necessary in landscaping

  • japanese barberry a multi use plant

  • japanese gardens basic design questions that should be addressed

  • japanese gardens vs western gardens

  • japanese garden styles which one is the best for you

  • jump start your garden with seedlings cuttings

  • keeping soil healthy

  • keeping your water garden clean

  • kick start your landscape with winter gardening tips

  • landscape design

  • landscape design creating balance in home landscaping

  • landscape lighting design ideas to showcase your home

  • landscape plans resolved

  • landscaping 3 ways to use concrete in your yard

  • landscaping an american pass time

  • landscaping for winter fuel saving

  • landscaping how does your garden grow

  • landscaping ideas discover desert landscaping plants

  • landscaping ideas using landscaping rock for maximum effect

  • landscaping stone

  • landscaping to attract birds

  • landscaping with roses

  • lawn care tips

  • lawn edging

  • lawn tractors safety

  • layer your plantings

  • laying out your landscape part two

  • laying out your new landscape

  • light up your garden and brighten your life

  • light up your kitchen with the right lighting

  • low cost home landscaping tips

  • makeover magic how to remodel your deck or patio in less than a day

  • making your garden bloom with flower gardening

  • managing pond motives and expectations

  • minimizing runoff and erosion along your lakeshore stream or river property

  • mosquitoes in your garden try planting these

  • mosquito farms is that what water gardens are

  • mow edge the basics of lawn care

  • mulch your flower bulbs in the fall for a beautiful spring display

  • new for 2006 granite flexible preformed rock ponds

  • online gardening catalogues at your disposal

  • organic gardening going back to the basics

  • organic lawn care

  • ornamental plants that improve bird habitats

  • outdoor lighting fixtures great selection available online

  • outdoor patio furniture exploring the benefits of teak

  • patios the new trend in home remodels

  • patio design and patio furniture the use of focal points

  • patio design expanding your home outdoors

  • patio ponds

  • perennials versus annuals

  • pictures of landscaping using other peoples ideas to design your landscape

  • planning a serenity garden

  • planning a water garden

  • planning next years garden

  • planting and caring for flower bulbs

  • planting white pine seedlings

  • plant hardiness zones

  • plan before you plant

  • plan for winter plantings

  • pond pumps vs pool pumps

  • preparing to build wooden fences in the landscape

  • pre spring garden planning

  • professional decorating tips for fireplace mantels

  • protecting your landscape from insects

  • pruning basics

  • pruning weeping cherry trees and other grafted and budded ornamentals

  • putting passion back into home decorating

  • reliableremodeler com

  • riding lawn mowers machines fun to ride and extremely cool to look at

  • rid your garden of slugs

  • river birch trees

  • rooftop deck makeover

  • rotator

  • safety steps for riding lawn tractors

  • save money on home improvement projects

  • saving energy by planting nursery stock and windbreaks

  • secrets of hydroponics gardening

  • seeing the light

  • selecting roses for the garden

  • selecting the right water feature for your garden

  • selling your house mow your lawn

  • selling your house trim your shrubs

  • simple balcony makeover

  • site drainage problems

  • some thoughts on planting roses

  • spring into lawn mowing

  • spring is around the corner how is your garden

  • spring planting tips

  • starting a shade garden

  • staying focused on the project

  • store seasonal items in your own self storage unit

  • summer gardening tips

  • summer lawn care tips

  • teak furniture the ideal furniture for lifelong outdoors use

  • terrace gardening and landscaping ideas

  • there is an art to perfect landscaping

  • the 7 schools of feng shui

  • the advantages of edible landscaping

  • the american cranberry bush

  • the art of landscaping your garden

  • the basic principles of landscape design

  • the beautiful rose of sharon

  • the benefits of landscaping

  • the birth of a small container flower garden

  • the dawn redwood tree beyond fast grow

  • the enduring alluring gazebo

  • the gardening tool you need

  • the good the bad and the buggy

  • the importance of bedroom design in a home decoration project

  • the incredible daylily

  • the magic of flowers

  • the many types of palm trees

  • the minimal garden

  • the pollen trapping power of a lawn

  • the secret of rooting cuttings

  • the terrorists favorite weed castor bean

  • the true beauty of climbing roses

  • the versatile reciprocating saw the power tool of your dreams

  • the viburnum blackhaw

  • things to consider while designing a guest bedroom

  • things you should know about gardening

  • three easy garden designs you can create

  • tips for backyard fish ponds care

  • tips for building a song bird bird house

  • tips for choosing a landscaping firm

  • tips for keeping costs down when landscaping

  • tips for planning your landscape

  • tips for preparing a planting bed

  • tips for saving water for your landscaping

  • tips for shopping smart for the garden

  • tips on how to plant roses

  • tips to improve the functionality and atmosphere of your patio with plants

  • trades and barter are my favorites

  • training beautiful flowering shrubs into unique flowering trees

  • tranquility in your own back yard

  • transplanting tips

  • trees in the home landscape

  • tree and shrub care programs

  • tree pruning tips

  • turn your patio into a voluminous vegetable garden

  • tylers lock wedding venue extraordinaire reborn from the ruins of a canal pumphouse

  • types of roses to use for landscaping your home

  • types of vines for landscaping your home

  • using landscape design software

  • using the propagation technique known as budding to grow beautiful ornamental trees

  • viburnums have been around a long time

  • viburnums landcape and garden wonders

  • viburnums shrubs with all season interest

  • virburnum dentatum chicago luster viburnum

  • water conservation for gardeners

  • water conservation in the yard

  • weed control facts winning the battle of the weeds

  • whack o matic

  • whats in store for national home gardening club members

  • whats underfoot a quick guide to patio surfaces

  • what are light fixtures used for

  • what is the right plant and where do i put it

  • what to look for in landscape maintenance service

  • what type of gazebo is right for you top questions you need to ask

  • what you need to know about planting roses

  • wheelbarrow buyers guide

  • where are all the good contractors

  • which lamp should i choose

  • why buy a candig mini digger

  • why choose a home improvement loan

  • winterizing tips for your lawn and garden

  • winter gardening fun

  • wooden garden furniture

  • working with landscape contractors

  • wow outdoor tile murals any image any size