This Old House Magazine

The magazine version of This Old House arrived in the mail yesterday. It was a very good day. There are only 2 magazines that I immediately sit down and read cover-to-cover, and this is one of them (the other is Wired). It is a perfect mix of interesting stories, tasteful design ideas, and moderate skill project suggestions. Each issue is full of useful tips and addresses issues that relate to me, since we actually live

Hartford Home Shows

The ACS Hartford Home Show is in town this weekend at the XL Center, and has been advertising like crazy. We got a mailer the other day offering free parking and buy-one-get-one-free admission. It runs Friday, January 15th from 11:00 – 10:00; Saturday, January 16th from 10:00 – 8:00; and Sunday January 17th from 10:00 – 6:00. Admission for adults is $9 and children under 16 get in free. Once again, it’s at the XL

Remodeling Cost versus Value

The November 2009 issue of Remodeling Magazine included the 22nd edition of their annual report about the financial impact of various home improvement projects. They look at both midrange and upscale projects, and hit on all the major renovations, calculating the percentage of the cost that could be recovered in a sale. Data is broken down by region and even by major cities within a region. I was excited to discover that Hartford is one

Refreshing Our Dining Room

Kyle and I have settled into our house fairly well in the 5 years we’ve lived here. We’ve done lots of projects, but always have a running list of renovations and improvements we’d like to make in the upcoming years. The priority of the list is always shifting, it seems to keep things interesting. The latest project we’re tackling is “refreshing” our dining room. There are some features that we really like about the room

Planning Ahead for Outdoor Projects

Although the frequent snow and ice storms may suggest otherwise, spring will be here soon enough and bring with it the outdoor construction and renovation season. Towns in the Greater Hartford area and the State of Connecticut have a number of ordinances in place that homeowners need to be aware of as they plan this year’s projects. Whether you’re a weekend warrior or planning to hire a crew, make sure that you comply with any