What Is the Difference Between a HELOC & a Home Equity Loan?
HELOC stands for home equity line of credit. The credit line allows a homeowner to tap into existing equity to obtain money. Home equity loans also use existing home equity as security in exchange for money. Banks approve HELOCs and…
Rights & Responsibilities of Tenants
Even though most issues that occur between a landlord and tenant could be resolved when both parties work together, it’s important to understand your rights as a tenant in case a situation arises that can't be resolved amicably. Along with…
Polish Your Garden's Look With Metal
When building our gardens we are apt to use brick, stone or wood. But what about metal? Gates and fences have traditionally been the clear uses for metal in the backyard, since the material is durable and cost effective but…
Architect's Toolbox: The Sketches That Spark a House
With everything that goes into creating a house today, it’s tough to envision where everything starts. How do you communicate your thoughts to another person, and how does an architect translate things such as “indoor-outdoor stream, tons of natural lighting…
6 Tower Houses Boost to Today's Tastes
Although most of us are lucky to not need to reside in fortified houses today, there’s some thing about tower homes that continue to capture our imagination. We often think of towers too dark, foreboding places where water always seeps…
9 Ways to Avoid Kitchen Traffic Jams
When it comes to designing your dream kitchen, it is tempting to try to squeeze in all of the latest and finest gadgets and appliances — and enough cabinetry to contain them all. But unless you also put some thought…
Kitchen of the Week: A Cottage-Chic Kitchen on a Budget
Designer Sarah Phipps saw possible when she walked to the door of this 1940s Oregon kitchen — regardless of the shag carpeting, horrifying heater and peeling paperboard walls. “I always see what it looks like in the end,” she states….
Designing Your Kitchen: Where to Put the Sink
When you’ve spent hours poring through the numerous kitchen photos and products here on , let us say you’ve finally settled on your dream kitchen sink. How much thought have you put in to where it should reside in your…
How to Account for the Cost of Building & Real Estate Taxes
If your company bought a building for business use, you must account for the price of the construction and the real estate tax due on the construction each year. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) considers a building a capital asset,…
March Into Year-Round Chic With 15 Twists on Red, White and Blue
While I think of red, blue and white, I usually think about good old-fashioned Fourth of July ornaments and kids’ rooms — bright white, fire engine red and navy blue. These are wonderful classics, but tweaking the hues and utilizing…