Here's another great tip from BobVila.com. While washing day has come a long way since the tub and washboard, it can still feel like drudgery if your laundry area needs help. Because it s so often relegated to the basement, garage or shared space in a bathroom or hallway, the laundry room needs small-space solutions to make washing a more pleasant and efficient chore. Make the best use of the floor space you have like they did a century ago in the great American bungalow: Install a drop-in ironing board or work surface and hide them away when they re not in use. A wall-mounted, accordion-style drying rack can provide 25 feet of hanging space without using any floor space at all and it saves energy. If the floor is concrete, painting it and adding an area rug would help underfoot. Keep the floor clear by using laundry sorting bins. Use shelves and labeled baskets to catch laundry that is set aside for mending or donation. If your laundry s in the mudroom or hallway, work it into the d cor by installing a countertop over the machines and hanging a curtain or louvered doors in front. If it s time for new machines, many new models have storage pedestal drawers to hide the detergent bottles and save your back while you load and unload the laundry. And remember to always look for the energy star label to save water and energy costs. Find out more at BobVila.com: The ultimate home improvement web site! BobVila.com 2008

Lever locksets are a great feature for your home, especially when accessibility is an issue. Lever locksets are easy to install, especially on pre-hung doors. The first piece to install is the latch set. Once in a place, the handles simply fit in with a couple of the screws. For someone with arthritis, a disability, or even just an armload of laundry, these are a great option because they are easier to use than typical doorknobs.

Here's another great tip from BobVila.com. Even if you live in a quiet neighborhood, laundry and dishwashers, hair dryers and even showers can make your house a noisy place. If you work at home, you know how important a quiet environment is especially when the kids are enjoying that fabulous new home theater. So, what s the best way to keep sound from going where you don t want it? You can absorb it, block it, break it or isolate it. Absorption dampens sound waves by converting them into weaker energy. Fiberglass batt insulation inside interior partitions actually converts sound to heat. Carpets, upholstered furniture and acoustical ceilings also help with sound absorption in large open areas. Blocking sound requires a barrier with enough mass to stop the air movement caused by airborne sound waves. you can block noise by using acoustical caulk in all gaps, double drywall, concrete walls or even lead sheeting. Breaking the path of the sound means removing the point of contact between the inside and outside so sound doesn t reverberate through the structure. Acoustic wall studs or a layer of foam under flooring allow the inner surface to float and isolate the noise. Even if you re not building a recording studio in your garage, there are lots of reasons to make noise control part of your next remodel. Find out more at BobVila.com: The ultimate home improvement web site! BobVila.com 2008

Here s another great tip from BobVila.com. On average, Americans recycle less than a third of our waste. If we doubled our efforts and recycled 60 percent, we d save 35 million barrels of oil a year. The best way to get your whole family involved in the recycling effort is to set up a system that s easy to use. Color-code and label bins with pictures if necessary, and post instructions where everyone can read them. Offer kids the incentive of keeping the refund for washing out, organizing and redeeming the bottles and cans. Whether your community collects recyclables at the curb or you bring them to a recycling center yourself, get a list of what they take, what you re required to sort and what can be crushed. That will determine the number and size of containers you need. Check your city or town s web site or call 1-800-cleanup to find the recycling center nearest you. Some communities provide recycling bins for curbside collection, but you ll probably want to keep the muddy bins outside and set up a sorting or collecting center inside. Locate it as close as possible to the source of most of the waste: the kitchen. Building your recycling center into your kitchen cabinets is ideal. Cabinet makers now offer a great pull-out drawer or even corner carousels with specially made plastic bins to sort recyclables and keep them out of sight and out of the reach of small children and pets. If you don t have room in your kitchen, stack or line a shelf with dedicated bins or baskets in the mud room, laundry room, basement or garage, or convert a closet into your recycling center. Keep the can crusher, extra bags, twine, scissors and any other tools and supplies there. If your recycling center is far away and you don t go very often, store sorted materials outside the house in tightly covered bins or barrels. Make sure containers are well-rinsed to avoid attracting pests and to keep recycling a pleasant job for everyone. Find out more at BobVila.com: the ultimate home improvement web site! 2008 BobVila.com

…from over 4,500 local agents and dozens of major carriers • Take advantage of discounts for the simplest of home improvement projects • Identify easy ways to save up to 25% on your monthly rates Compare Online Homeowners Quotes…

…on. Choosing to use Sears for your home improvement needs is a decision you will be happy…
…can count on Sears to complete your home improvement project with high quality materials, workmanship…
…process. Additionally, your Sears home improvement always includes: · Quality materials…

On television, home improvement projects go from start to finish…
…amount of choices at your local home improvement center. But once you make your…
…DIY Network program, Talk2DIY Home Improvement. All you need are eight, 8…

…patio" doors, especially sliding glass doors, lose heat much faster than other types…
…a very poor insulator. Most modern glass doors with metal frames have a "thermal break…
…replace worn weatherstripping on sliding glass doors with new weatherstripping. Storm…

1. Evaluate your home s exterior envelope, from the garage and roof structure to windows and doors. Exterior openings of the home play a crucial role in severe storms. If wind pressure penetrates the home, it can lead to catastrophic results. 2. Know your zone.

With all signs now pointing at a downturn in the economy, CNN Money has 11 home improvement tips that can spruce up your home on the cheap. The list: Buy square edge, standard color or remnant stone countertops…