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

Adventures in Recycling

This past Saturday’s electronics recycling event in West Hartford was a big hit. Traffic was at a virtual standstill for blocks around the Public Works facility off Oakwood Ave, where the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority (CRRA) set up their collection point. People waited for over an hour to get rid of their old tvs, computers, dvd players, and all sorts of other random junk. I made the mistake of trying to sneak in just before

Homebuyer Tax Credit Update

The Senate has overwhelmingly passed an extension to the hotly debated homebuyer tax credit. The updated version of the program has larger scope and is more generous than its predecessors. Note that the extension is not official until it is also passed by the House and signed by President Obama. The new program offers people that have lived in their home for 5 years or more (move-up buyers) a $6,500 credit. It also increases the

A Halloween Tradition on Four Mile Road, West Hartford

For the past 16 years, Lisa Campo has been putting on a Halloween show in her front yard. She spends much of the month of October decorating, with her impressive collection of horrible creatures and terrible scenes. Each year there is something new added to the mix. The whole production comes to life on Halloween as live actors join the props for an evening of scares. Kyle and I joined the cast last year and

The Lexicon's Art – West Hartford

The Lexicon is one of the new buildings in Blue Back Square, located at 75 Isham Road. The ground floor is retail, with offices on the upper three levels. Although I had been in the stores and restaurants on many occasions, I had not visited the lobby area that leads to the elevators until recently. There isn’t really that much to the lobby – it’s a relatively narrow corridor that leads to the center of