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Flying the grand old flag on Memorial Day is a great way to honor our servicemen and women who have sacrificed so much for our country. Not only is it festive to ...
A lush landscape is the dream of many a homeowner. But if you don’t live in an established neighborhood, you don't get to reap the benefits of mature plantings. Y...
Never underestimate the importance of curb appeal. Not only does your home exterior give a first impression to guests, it can also influence real estate transacti...
Sometimes you don’t need to go much farther than your back door to find the supplies you need for your DIY projects. Check out these ingenious creations for the h...
A yard is more than grass that you have to mow, it's an extension of your living space. Homeowners who commit time and money toward landscaping their yard not onl...
Exterior upgrades enhance the look of your property and can offer recreational benefits. Not every renovation, however, produces a return on investment, and some ...
Q: We just bought a house in a brand new development so our yard is pretty bare. We’d like to plant some fast-growing...
The dreary days of winter become even more bleak if your landscape looks dead, brown, and bare. Cheer up your lawn and garden with these 10 showy shrubs that offe...
When you think of a gravel driveway, you may imagine a sleepy, dusty lane that leads to a quaint rural cottage or farmhouse on a lonely country road. In reality, ...
Are you dissatisfied with your home’s less-than-fabulous first impression but too strapped for time to do anything about it? Don’t worry! You don’t have to take o...
As the days grow shorter and the first chill of fall fills the air, you may feel inspired to update your home’s curb appeal. It's time to sweep away all memory of...
Does your yard contain slopes, dips, and inclines? Then you likely have a retaining wall somewhere on your property. ...
Most folks don’t think about replacing a garage door until they absolutely have to, waiting until it gets damaged or ...
Has your lawn seen better days? From overgrown weeds to brown patches, an unkempt yard might be bringing down your curb appeal a few notches. But before you shell...
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 refre...
Whether you do it yourself or you pay a landscaper, maintaining a vibrant garden and lush lawn requires time, effort, and money. One way to cut back on the energy...
There’s a common misconception that for a garden to flourish it has to be given lots of land and room to breathe. In reality, a small space can provide the founda...
Nothing sours a home’s first impression like a garage that’s seen better days. Fortunately, sprucing up that focal po...
Worn-down bricks make any home look unfashionable and outdated. Instead of shelling out big bucks to repaint their ex...
You don't need a professional landscaper or construction crew to make your house the envy of the block. Borrow inspiration from these colorful outdoor projects to...
As many a green thumb knows, there are certain plants you should never grow together. Some plants hog all the sunlight, others zap nutrients from the soil, and st...
Sure, house numbers make it easier for mail carriers to find the right address, or for guests to know they've reached their destination, but house numbers do so m...
Sure, you could spend all spring and summer weeding, watering, and tending the garden, but there's an easier way to grow a stunning landscape. It all starts with ...
Whether your front door is drab, dated, or downright unwelcoming, you can change its look—and re-energize the soul of the space—with a few simple but artful chang...
The winter blues are real, but there’s hope, even for what feels like a cold, dead, and lifeless yard. Eject the doldrums from your winter landscape with one of t...
When shopping for a new front door, you'll want to keep a few things in mind. First, your choice should complement th...
Americans love cars. For evidence, look no further than the design of the average postwar home. The garage often clai...
Water conservation is at the forefront of gardeners’ minds in many parts of the country. Luckily, there are a wide variety of drought-tolerant plants that thrive ...
It's a simple fact that curb appeal helps sell houses. But for those with no plans to move any time soon, a visually appealing exterior and landscaping is a point...
From the zigzag post-and-rail of the Colonial era to the elaborate molded vinyl styles of today, fences have always b...
Sure, you’d love to amp up your public image and be the envy of the neighborhood. You just don’t want to work too hard at it! Lucky for you, the projects here are...
Every time you leave or return home, you can’t help but notice the garage door. But how often do you really look at i...
Bright flowers and colorful foliage are the easiest ways to amp up your curb appeal. If you're in a rush to get things growing, try one of these fast-blooming var...
If you need privacy in your yard, but don’t want to—or can’t—install a fence, you still have plenty of options. There’s a great selection of trees, shrubs, and vi...
A beautiful lawn is a reflection of the care you put into it. But sometimes, a particular maintenance routine can do more harm than good. Here are 11 common care ...
Chain-link fences have bordered American yards for more than a century, and with good reason—they're cheap, easy to i...
Adding a fence to your property provides a simple solution for shutting out unwanted animals and nosy neighbors from ...
Winter may be hanging on, but spring is just around the corner. If you're suffering from a bout of spring fever, take on one of these 12 projects that will give y...
As a well-known quip notes, "You never get a second chance to make a first impression. " The saying applies first and...
If you live in an area of the country with harsh winters, you may be resigned to a dead and dreary yard and garden during the cold months. But it doesn’t have to ...
Autumn means cooler temps, crisper air, and, of course, pumpkins, leaves, and seasonal colors galore. Transform your front porch into a welcoming wonder with thes...
Americans love our lawns but let's face it: Creating a perfectly manicured yard is time-consuming. Just think about all the weekend hours you've spent cutting, wa...
When it comes to putting your house on the market, you spend much of your time considering how to stage your rooms to...
Even a small yard can feel spacious if you design it the right way. Read on for our favorite ways to make your small yard look bigger.
Maybe you’re a first-time homeowner who is looking to put your personal stamp on your new abode. Or you may be thinking of putting your house on the market and wa...
Having a backyard is a luxury and lets face it, also a lot of work to keep it looking like the oasis you want it to be. You could spend a ton of money on planters...
If you were to look at pictures of all the homes built since the mid 1950s, you would notice one obvious commonality: For decades, the garage door has been the mo...
Removing a tree from your yard can be a tricky and expensive process, but it’s especially frustrating when you still ...
The road to a beautiful lawn doesn’t have to be paved with a schedule of chemical treatments. There are several homegrown tips and techniques you can use to help ...
Many plants are beautiful, but not all are beneficial in a garden. Some of the most eye-catching cultivars can be invasive, poisonous, or attractive to unwelcome ...
Your home may not be as large or valuable as these celebrity pads, but don’t let that deter you from borrowing a few of these star-caliber ideas for enhancing you...
Garden paths serve both a practical and aesthetic purpose in the yard. They provide a safe and easy walkway to and from the house and garden, and give you an oppo...
<p>Painting your house’s exterior takes hours of hard work—even just to pick out the colors you love. And with exterior house paint costing $50 per gallon or more...
Always affordable and at once both decorative and functional, concrete garden edging effectively defines garden beds,...
Some people love the backbreaking business of tending to lawn and garden. Then there’s the rest of us—who’d rather relax and let that little piece of heaven large...
Spring and summer bring longer days—but that doesn't mean it's much easier to squeeze in all the projects and repairs that you'd like to do. But when it comes to ...
If winter has left your outdoor spaces in need of a pick-me-up, let a can of paint come to the rescue. There's nothing a fresh coat of color can't fix! Click thro...
What homeowner wouldn't want a lush and colorful garden just outside the window? But while a garden definitely boosts your home's curb appeal, it also claims a lo...
As warm weather arrives and you emerge into the light of spring, you may become suddenly aware of all the unsightly or dreary areas that mar your home's exterior....
It's almost shocking that a home upgrade as minor as replacing the front door can boost your home's curb appeal in such a major way! Courtesy of Masonite, these b...
A spot of color and life on your front porch can ease the winter doldrums. So dust off your gardening gear and pot up a couple cold hardy containers. Plants in co...
When Remodeling magazine last published its annual Cost vs. Value Report, many were surprised to learn that, of all t...
Before guests even set foot inside your home, the front entrance establishes the tone for the rest of the space. The color you choose for your door might reflect ...
A sensible siding solution, vinyl remains a popular, budget-friendly choice for home exteriors. People have always lo...
Every garden needs a focal point; for the front yard, that's usually the home’s entryway. When the front door is the ...
Lighting the outside of your home is just as important as lighting the inside. And the same principles apply—you want to provide a combination of overall, task, a...
Selecting a single color for the outside of your house can be difficult enough, but trying to find two or more hues that work well together makes the decision eve...
Many of us have a love-hate relationship with our lawns. Although we enjoy the cool carpet of green grass to lie on and play on in summer, no one wants to spend h...
With so many fence styles available today, it can be hard for homeowners to choose the one that best fits their property and needs. Fences generally fall into thr...
A thoughtfully designed gate can make an already welcoming garden even more so, and give a much-needed decorative boost come winter. Whether integrated into a fen...
Your front yard, regardless of its size, plays an important role in your home’s overall curb appeal. Attractive landscaping, however, requires more than just a be...
Natural fences constructed of shrubbery, trees, or flowering bushes are attractive and environmentally friendly havens for songbirds, butterflies, and other desir...
Your front yard, regardless of its size, plays an important role in your home's overall curb appeal. Your landscaping...
Like the hues you choose for indoors, exterior house colors should be ones you love coming home to day after day. That being said, if you're planning to put your ...
Your home’s exterior should be beautiful and inviting, not constantly in need of repairs. As well, your time spent outdoors should be relaxing, not full of weeken...
When the weather gets warm, outdoor living heats up, and porches and patios become the place to be. As your sunny days shift to balmy nights, add some atmosphere ...
Why do we drive on the parkway and park on the driveway? That’s just one of life’s little mysteries, but there’s no m...
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 her...
"You don't get a second chance to make a first impression." While this phrase usually refers to people, it also applies to houses. The exterior of your home offer...
At the tail end of the winter season, homeowners face the sometimes daunting but always exciting prospect of readying...
I would like to remove a tree stump that is a couple of feet away from my house. It's starting to rot, and I'm afraid...
When it comes to picking exterior paint colors, there are a number of things to consider before making a final decision. Here are some basic do’s and don’ts to he...
These houses are packed to the gills with thousands of lights, life-size Santas, and even a few robots—enough to attract huge crowds of visitors and get everyone ...
Ice luminaries date back to the olden days, when if you wanted to illuminate winter darkness, you needed to use a lit...
Perk up a drab yard with some leafy, four-season greenery. Here are ten varieties certain to do just that.
Your front door is the face your home presents to the world. It sets your house’s style and tone. So if your entry is...
Unless your home is at exactly ground level, you probably have a step or two up to your door. High ranches and coloni...
With numerous kid-, pet- and earth-friendly ways to rid your garden of pesky weeds, here are nine stand-outs to put to the test.
Make your letter carrier do a double take with these 11 salvaged-material mailboxes that demonstrate real outside-the-box creativity.
Ostensibly, a home’s front door is there for one reason and one reason only: to let people come and go while keeping ...
[bobsays_inset]Patios can make your outdoor space more enjoyable, increase your home's value, and not so insignifican...
Through the ages, fences have been made from a variety of materials. Around my neighborhood, I see vinyl, cedar, meta...
Outdoor spaces add value, not only for resale, but in lifestyle terms as well. If you're in the process of designing ...
In summer, it's a given that homeowners are spending more time on lawn care and gardening, but DIY curb appeal projec...
Hardy, shade plants and flowers bring beautiful blooms even to those parts of your backyard that receive little light. Read on for a list of plants that don't nee...
From gravel to brick, bluestone to concrete, these gorgeous walkway ideas can take you wherever you want to go in your landscaping.
No newly cut garden bed is complete without some edging to distinguish it from the rest of your yard. Installing landscape edging is an easy DIY project that make...
[bobsays_inset]Grass. It’s easy to plant, covers most types of terrain, and feels good under bare feet in the summer....
Browse some of today's most commonly used fencing materials, from timeless wood to utilitarian chain-link.
From asphalt to brick, basalt to concrete, this is the stuff dream driveways are made of.
Liven up the front door and share your holiday spirit with the whole neighborhood this year!
Giving your home's exterior an update with new house numbers is as easy as 1-2-3.
Sometimes little changes can make a big difference. Here are ten ways to liven up a drab entry without breaking the bank.
Just like windows are the eyes to the soul, the outside of a home gives viewers a first impression of what’s inside. ...
House hunting for your fine feathered friends? Here are some fun designs to make or buy.
Often requiring less water than grass, ground covers are a smart—and beautiful—way to enhance any garden or landscape.
When it comes to garden paths, the possibilities are endless. Here are sixteen examples to help you get inspired.
Add some style—and value—to your home with these do-it-yourself curb appeal updates.
Carpenters install new prepainted shutters made from synthetic materials, with old-fashioned hinges and hardware.
Bob meets University of Vermont professor Tom Visser in Plymouth Notch to visit the birthplace of President Calvin Coolidge. They then go to see the Burtch-Udall ...
Bob meets general contractor Wes Lohr at the Colonial-style affordable home in Mashpee, Massachusetts.
Bob looks over the finishing touches, which have been put on the front porch. Also, Bob chats with the installers of the Pine shutters.
Carpenter Bob Ryley installs plantation shutters against a bedroom wall.
Carpenter Bob Ryley lays out and constructs a corner bracket for the accessible home.
Bob joins landscape designer Ruth Foster to discuss her plan for a stone patio and hot tub. Low-voltage outdoor lighting will also be installed.
After taking stock of progress that's been made, Bob begins wiring a hanging light fixture for a special colonial lantern in the front hall.