Archive By Section - Your Home
Medicinal herbs grown at home
What if you could soothe a sore throat or a headache with the snip of a scissors? Plant some herbs indoors now, before fall sets in, and you could have a winter's worth of folksy remedies.
Gardening’s late second season
Mid- to late summer is prime time for gardeners - a last chance to grow a second batch of fresh vegetables before the plant-killing frosts arrive. Add a few protective enclosures, such as cold frames, overhead sheets and hoops, and the harvest can be extended until Thanksgiving and beyond.
Keep your cool
The warm weather and long days of summer can give us a free and easy feeling - that is, until it's time to pay the utility bill.
Brad Watson: Better to submit to review process
I recently moved into a new community and I am in the process of working with landscape architects to redo my front yard.
Robert Lamoureux: Security system offers peace of mind
Hello Robert, I got a question for you. I don't know if you have touched on this in the past, but I'm a single female and live alone. I'm concerned about my safety especially after somebody broke into my neighbor's garage. I know they say dogs are the best alarm but I have a very small yard and don't have the time or patience to take care of an animal, so that would ...
Pest prevention basics
Nobody likes a pest, especially the creepy, crawly kind. But they exist, and, unfortunately, too many of us make it easy for pests to take up residence right alongside the family. To help you remember the most effective way to deal with pests, use this acronym - INSPECT. It stands for: Investigate. Take a serious, strategic approach to discovering potential pest problems in and around your home. Study. After identifying potential problems, study the potential ...
Robert Lamoureux: Solar screens a solution to heat
Robert, Can you advise us on this topic? The sun shines directly on two glass doors in our den. Will some type of screen doors solve the heat problem? We have only one screen, on the non-sliding window. Thank you for a response and any suggestion you may have. Dan H. Hi Dan, Solar screens prevent up to 90 percent of the sun's radiant heat from entering your home. This not only translates into energy ...
Paint your home like the pros
Maybe you find yourself with some free time, as we move toward the end of summer. Maybe you've come into a small sum of cash. Or maybe your wife has decided she can no longer live in a home where the exterior walls are peeling and the interior walls have huge, off-color rectangles where your "Rocky III" posters used to hang. Whatever your motivation, if you can't quite bring yourself to hire painters, then you've ...
Tips to increase your HOA value
There is obviously very little I can do about the recession and depreciating home values, but are there things that I could be doing, or our neighborhood can do to increase the value or appeal of our community? How can we set ourselves apart from all of the other communities through the valley?
One unit or two for two-stories?
Editor's note: This is the 260th column from Robert Lamoureux and Your Home Improvements. That's a total of five years of helpful advice dispensed to Santa Clarita Valley homeowners. "We look forward to more questions and working with our readers in the future," said Lamoureux.
Adequate footings needed for sundeck
Hello Robert, I just finished reading your column and it reminded me of a project of mine. I don't know if you have been asked this before but we have a slatted patio cover that extends out 9 feet and is 9 feet wide. We were thinking about putting some plywood down and use it as a sun deck. What size thickness of plywood would you recommend for an 81 square foot ...
Under the swaying SCV palms
When it comes time to select trees for their landscaping, many SCV homeowners overlook one of the best choices: the palm. According to Richard Green of Green Landscape Nursery in Saugus, in general, palms are slow growing, drought tolerant and low maintenance, and they have a root "ball" that usually doesn't cause problems with sidewalks and retaining walls and such.
Add wood and ivy to muffle noise
Robert, We have a block wall in our backyard that helps stop the noise coming from the street. It is still louder than what we would want at times. Is there a problem with adding blocks to the top of the wall to help prevent some of the street noise? I know I can't prevent everything but I just want to make it as quiet as possible. I enjoy your column very much. Thank you, ...
Defend your space
Though you might be starting to think about "back to school" already, or still deep in "summer vacation" mode, brush fire season is upon us, and now is the time to prepare for it.
Take your home on the road
Do you just want to get away from your home now and then? But do you also want to carry some of its creature comforts along with you? In all these situations, and many others, a recreational vehicle (RV) could be the solution.
Articles by Section - Your Home
Entice buyers with sweet scents
When a home smells good, it makes a favorable impression on visitors. This is exactly what home sellers want when they put their house on the market.
Tips for buyers/sellers
Key indicators point to conditions for a seller's real estate market this spring.
Smart spending tips
Spring home improvement season is on the way, and if you're like most homeowners you have a list of jobs you want to accomplish.
Popular spring remodeling trends
It's time to think spring, which means fresh home updates. Spring home improvement projects will help you update your home, add comfort and save more of your hard-earned paycheck.
Celebrate winter white all year
It's cold out there. In much of the country, now's the time when home serves as a cozy refuge from the ice and snow. We light our fireplaces and wish for springtime.
New gardeners have questions
People new to gardening ask the darndest questions: about how seeds work, about growing the perfect tomato, about waging war with insects (many of them beneficial).
How to fit new tile
Q: I need to replace some cracked and chipped tile in the bathroom. Some of it was shaped to fit around the base of the toilet. Is it difficult to shape replacement tiles in the same way? - Sarah S., Fort Worth, Texas
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