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Homeowners spend more money on kitchen remodeling than on any other home improvement project, and with good reason. Kitchens are the hub of home life and a source of pride. You can recover a significant portion of kitchen remodeling costs through the value the project brings to your home. A complete kitchen renovation typically recovers about 75% of the initial project cost at the home’s resale.   To help ensure you get a good return on your kitchen remodel, follow these six tips: Plan, Plan, Plan Planning your kitchen remodel should take more time than the actual construction. If you plan well, you can minimize the amount of time you’re inconvenienced by construction mayhem. Plus, you’re more likely to stay on budget. How much time should you spend planning? The National Kitchen and Bath Association recommends at least six months. That way, you won’t be tempted to change your mind during construction and create change orders, which will inflate construction costs and hurt your return

Stand in your kitchen and take a deep breath. Smell that? From last night’s fish to your son’s nasty lacrosse pads that he left on the table.  If you can’t detect any of your home’s rankest odors... you’ve got nose blindness. You actually adapt to the smells around you.  On a sensory level, your processing mechanism becomes less sensitive to the continuous stimuli. On a cognitive level, you can become habituated to the smells and basically learn to ignore them.  Here are some of the most common nose blindness culprits and how to ban them from your home. #1 Pet Funk There’s one easy way to tell if your home smells like pets: Do you have them? Then, yeah, unless you’re an obsessive cleaner and groomer, your abode has at least some Fido funk.  It could be pee, but more likely it’s just hair, gunky ears, and weeks-old slobber.  The first step to cleaning up pet smells is — sorry, pets — cleaning the pets themselves. Bathe and groom them regularly.  Then, vacuum, vacuum, vacuum. If they hav

Many air-purifying house plants put out their own sweet smell while removing the nasty ones that make your nose curl. Keep in mind, while NASA confirms these plants do tackle toxins, they aren’t a cure-all for our homes here on earth. They’ll remove some toxins, but since our homes aren’t airtight (unlike NASA’s space abodes), they can’t remove everything because the air is constantly changing. But don’t let that put you off. These air-purifying plants can make a difference in your home with their sweet scents. Here are a few to get you started: Air-purifying plants and their scents: Jasmine has a sweet aroma that can calm you Lavender is great at making you sleepy Rosemary can help you focus and work smarter Sharry Baby Orchid smells like chocolate. Delicious! Mother-in-Law Tongue turns carbon monoxide into oxygen Devil’s Ivy, also known as pothos, can cleanse the air of toxic fumes like glue and paint Mums tackle one of the toughest toxins: cigarette smoke Peace Lily can reduce those

When painting the exterior of your home, you want to get the most from your investment. Done right, an exterior paint job can last 10 years; stain needs to be reapplied more often, anywhere from two to 10 years, depending on the type of stain. One key to how long an exterior finish lasts is how well the surface is prepared. But equally important is the choice of the paint or stain itself. Using high-quality materials, matching them to your house and climate, and conducting regular maintenance will extend the time between recoatings. Expect to pay $35 to $45 per gallon for conventional premium paint or stain. "Green," or zero-VOC, products run $45 to $55 per gallon. A gallon covers 350 to 400 square feet, so figure on about 8 gallons to cover an average two-story, 30-by-40-foot house. Most paint jobs require a primer and two topcoats. Acrylic Latex Paints Acrylic latex is the favored choice, both of pros and do-it-yourselfers. These water-based paints come in an endless range

Tackling these five simple tasks now gives you a head start on spring. That leaves you plenty of worry-free time to enjoy the warmer weather. #1 Tell Insects to Bug Off Early spring warmth awakens insects, so start to protect your home now. Seal openings in eaves, decks, and other structures to keep out carpenter bees. Nix mosquitoes by eliminating standing water or treating it with larvicide. Call a pro to destroy wasp and yellow jacket nests, unless you’re experienced enough to engage in a bee battle. #2 Prep Tools for Lawn Care Ladies and gentlemen, start your mowers.  April’s the month to get this vital piece of equipment ready to roll.  An unmaintained machine can cost money, slow you down, and leave your lawn vulnerable to disease. So, before you pull the starter rope:  Replace spark plugs and the air filter. Change the oil and sharpen blades. Fill the tank with fresh gasoline. While you’ve got your gloves on, clean, sharpen, and repair your garden tools. When your azaleas are re

It’s that time of year when homeowners who’ve been through a few winters know that to be at the top of their game, they have to be proactive. Here are four things they always do: #1 Patch Up the Bare Spots in the Lawn That’ll keep both mud and water out of your house as snow and ice continue to melt and spring rains arrive. #2 Inspect the Roof and Siding  Your home’s outer coat (its roof and siding) takes a major beating during severe cold weather. March’s slightly warmer temps make it an ideal time to look for early signs of roof problems before they become money-gobblers. Grab some binoculars (it’s safer than climbing on the roof and a time-saver) and start looking for signs of damage: Loose or curling shingles Damaged gutters Peeling paint Cracks in the foundation And start scheduling repairs before the damage gets more extensive. #3 Put Up Window Screens They last longer if you remove and store them for the winter... plus windows without screens will let in more warming rays of sun

February is typically that dark time of year when winter just won’t go away... like that friend who can’t take a hint to leave. Give it a push with these four easy tasks that will help usher in spring. #1 Deep-Clean Your Entryway Snow. Salt. Boots. Shovels. Your entryway floors, baseboards, rugs, and more have had a rough couple of months. Give that smallest of rooms some deep cleaning love now, before the salt crust becomes a permanent part of your entryway decor in spring. #2 Make an Anti-Mud Plan Mud may be the least of your frozen worries now, but it’s coming. Be prepared with a remediation plan. With your yard in its frozen-tundra state, you can easily see the troublesome spots. Research potential ground cover, like gravel, a rain garden, decorative rocks, or the right grass that’ll soak it up. Then you’ll be ready to execute your anti-mud plan the moment it’s warm enough — and do it in time to keep the mud at bay. #3 Organize Your Cleaning Closets and Laundry Room Before the madn