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Beauty may be skin deep, but when it comes to siding, at least, looks are everything. Google search “siding curb appeal” and help yourself to the roughly 1.5 million links on that topic, many leading to real estate agents' pages eager to point this fact out. But here’s the paradox: The people who own the house are usually in the house, looking out, not outside the house looking in. What they’re looking at right now is their kitchen, their bathroom, their boring den. If they want to change something, that’s probably where they’re going to start, buying what they can...

Cleaning a grill is never any fun. They require a lot of elbow grease, but if you want to have a quality cookout this summer it’s a chore that needs to be done. If you’re an aspiring grill master and want to serve the best quality grilled food to your family and friends, then this article is just for you. Cleaning your grill grate regularly will not only keep the food particles from building up, it will also prevent harmful bacteria from collecting and decrease the risk of fires and burnt foods. To clean your grill grates this season, take...

Gary Marsh, a much-published deck designer and builder in Northern California, still gets calls from people who want curves. When Marsh—trained as an artist, designer, draftsman, and builder—first launched his business, All Decked Out, curves were curiosities. That was 1979. Though design in California, where the biggest trees on the continent grow, has always made innovative use of wood, Marsh’s signature curves and organic shapes put his deck designs in another league. In his original mission statement, the contractor/designer announced that he was “striving to reshape the image of a deck.” Platform Blues Fast-forward 38 years and the image of...

Pressure washers have been very popular in recent years --and with good reason. They are extremely versatile tools that save a lot of time, often with great results. A lot of cleaning can be accomplished in a little amount of time. Some jobs can be accomplished so quickly in fact, that when renting a pressure washer it may be a good idea to line up a couple of jobs to get the most for your money. For example, after pressure washing the deck, why not give your driveway the treatment? For lawn and garden uses, pressure washers are ideal for...

As the temperatures rise, your living space can finally extend to the outdoors once again.  As you venture outside and begin your spring cleanup, in addition to taking care of what winter had left behind and making whatever repairs are necessary to your patio, why not take the time to consider different outdoor lighting options? Not only can this extend your use of the patio into the evening hours, a properly lit patio can be a safe and attractive alternative to the typical outdoor light usually attached to the side of the house. How you light your patio depends on how you use your...