Today, with home buyers on the lookout for extras like heated floors, professionally equipped kitchens, and water filtration systems, it's hard to imagine living in a house without basic necessities like running water and light switches. Yet what we now consider essentials were, at one point, groundbreaking technological advances, some of which you'll find in these 8 historic homes that were truly ahead of their time.
With everything there are trends—and in the world of houseplants, it is no different. As social media facilitates community conversation among home gardeners, it also brings images of beautiful houseplants across people's screens. This online celebration of plants has brought some new stunners to national attention, just as many other old favorites continue to beautify home gardens. Take a look at some of the most popular houseplants in America today.
Whether your digs are cramped or palatial, a storage bench provides both extra seating and another place to stash your stuff. Click through for 20 benches you can build yourself to help make your home more beautiful, efficient, and functional.
Remodeling is a big investment—and whether you’re doing it for your own benefit or with an eye towards selling your house, it’s nice to know which redos are going to get you the biggest bang for your buck in the long term! Here are 12 in-demand features that experts say will make your home sell for more if you include them in your next remodel.
A well-maintained yard lends major curb appeal to your home, but creating a picture-perfect lawn and garden is no easy feat. If your yard could use a little refreshing, take a look at these 9 clever landscaping hacks—all of which save time, effort, and money!
Invasive plants are a special breed. It's not that they’re aggressive, crowding out their neighbors; nor are they weeds, which are just plants that are growing in the wrong place. Invasive plants are non-natives that grow so quickly that they take over entire habitats. “Hard-core gardeners know about these plants, but many people introduce them by accident,” says gardening expert Melinda Myers. Afraid of ruining your local habitat? Beware of these 10 plants you probably didn’t know are invasive.
Ah, your coffee machine! It’s your daily savior first thing in the morning—because does anything smell better than a fresh-brewed pot of coffee? But the appliance also heats water up to around 200 degrees and is equipped with a hot plate that keeps the coffee at a consistent temperature of about 165 degrees (though some are adjustable), which means you can use it to do much more than brew up a pot of joe. Here are 10 things a coffee maker can do—besides brew coffee. (Just be forewarned that any non-coffee-related use of the machine will probably void your warranty.)
According to recent FBI statistics, burglary is on the decline in America. Nevertheless, in 2016 victims of robbery and other property crimes (excluding arson) collectively suffered $15.6 billion in losses. That’s why homeowners planning to relocate should thoroughly research crime rates in the towns they're considering. To get started, make note of the 20 most burglary-prone places in the country, compiled from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program data for 2016.
If you think mobile homes are low cost—and also low on style, space, and amenities—it's time to think again. In cities across the United States, these mobile home myths couldn’t be further from the truth. Take a spin through our selection of extravagant mobile home communities and their preeminent properties to challenge your assumptions about this humblest of home options.
Households gobble up more than 30 percent of the electricity consumed in the United States. Sure, efficiency has improved over the years, but consumers continue to buy increasing numbers of energy-sucking appliances, leading to painfully high monthly bills. Do you want to save some cash while protecting the planet? Then choose your appliances carefully and monitor their use—particularly your heating and AC units, which use the most energy. You should also, however, take steps to cut down on using these 8 other appliances that you may not have realized cost a small fortune to run.
If you’re like most homeowners, you probably have a bucket list of repairs, maintenance tasks, or DIY projects you’d like to tackle around the house one of these days. Some tasks, especially the messy ones, tend to create nearly as much cleanup time as it takes to complete the projects, themselves. Fortunately, most potentially messy projects can be headed off at the pass with an easy trick or two. If you’re a diehard DIYer, you won’t want to miss the following tips and tricks, which are guaranteed to reduce the mess and the time it takes to clean up after your projects.
While it's no big deal for a pro to grab a power drill to make a quick, precise hole, or to cut lengths of wood with a circular saw, some DIYers lack the skill, comfort level, or budget to wield an arsenal of power tools. The good news is, you can tackle plenty of functional and fun home projects without any power tools at all. Scroll through for 25 transformative indoor and outdoor projects that don't require a single power tool—then get moving on your favorite.
Hardwood flooring has many benefits: It is beautiful and durable, and more hygienic than carpeting. If there's a downside to hardwood floors, however, it is that installing new flooring can cost a hefty sum. If you'd like to renew your kitchen, entryway, bedroom—or any room—by adding new hardwood floors, but high costs are preventing you from achieving your dream home, take heart. There are affordable options for hardwood flooring, if you know where to look. When shopping for hardwood flooring, pay attention to the grade and the Janka hardness rating. Grade refers to the quality of the wood, and indicates the likelihood that boards will be marked by visible imperfections like knots, holes, wormholes, and color variation. Because these imperfections do not appeal to all consumers, lower grade wood floors like Natural or Cabin are generally less expensive than higher grade floors like Clear or Select. The Janka hardness rating, on the other hand, is a measure of the durability of the flooring. Trees like Bamboo, Hevea, and Acacia are softer than consumer favorites like Maple and Oak, while Hickory is harder and more durable than almost any other hardwood flooring. Even if you don't have a big budget to spend on new hardwood floors, chances are you can find something that works for your home and your budget. Check our list to see some of the affordable hardwood flooring options that exist today.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, Americans generate more than 250 million tons of trash every year. We constantly toss food waste, paper products, and used household items in the garbage without a second thought. But did you know that some items are dangerous—or even illegal—to throw away? Here are 11 things that should never wind up in a landfill.
Paint offers DIYers of any skill level an opportunity to make over drab dwellings at the mere lift of a brush, roller, or sprayer. But homeowners often paint themselves into a corner by focusing on interior or exterior walls, floors, and ceilings—which can take a day of work and then dry time—while ignoring less ambitious yet deeply satisfying mini updates, such as painting textiles, ceramics, and other home and garden accessories. Click through for 11 smaller-scale paint projects, each requiring less than an hour, that will prime your home for luxurious living.
Every homeowner knows the importance of having a good toolbox stocked with all the basics—screwdrivers, pliers, wrenches, and the like. But there are a few, more esoteric items that you should stash in there too—things that you probably already have scattered around the house. Read through this list, then go gather up these surprisingly useful items and stow them in your tool kit. You'll be glad you did!
Home to revelry, rivalry, and a bevy of brews, saloons were the nexus of social and political life in the Wild West. Fortunately for admirers of antiquity and ale, many of these taverns still stand to this day as a reminder of the gunslinging spirit of westward expansion. If you have a hankering for a cold one with a history chaser, grab a seat at the bar of one of these storied saloons.
Mosquitoes are an unfortunate reality of summer. As soon as the weather warms up and the humidity rises, any small body of stagnant water can become an instant breeding ground for these annoying little pests. And breed they do: A single female mosquito can lay up to 3,000 eggs in her lifetime. Preventing mosquitoes from shacking up in your backyard begins with prevention. Regularly check your property for standing water, and make sure you're paying special attention to the problem areas listed below. Be vigilant! Mosquitoes may be lurking—and hatching—in spots like these, whether you know it or not.
Summertime road trips aren’t complete without a visit to the local Antique Row. Whether it’s Civil War relics or Amish handcrafts you're after, here's a list of the cities and regions with the best antiquing in the nation. All you have to do is pull over and start hunting.
It's time to embrace the warmer weather by tackling a couple of outdoor DIY home improvements. There's so much to be done, where do you start? How about right here! Browse our collection of ideas for easy outdoor projects that are perfect for a weekend—in fact, some can be completed in just a few hours. Are you thinking about an upgrade to your patio or deck? Are you itching to give your garden a new look? Well then, here's your inspiration. Who knows? If you're especially productive this weekend, someday soon you'll be able to sit in your newly spray-painted lawn chairs and admire the vegetables sprouting up in your DIY raised beds.