Home Journal: Home Improvement

Home Journal: Home Improvement Archive

493 records found. Displaying 1 to 30 Page 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
What Went Wrong With Weatherization Is government spending on weatherization a waste? We talked to economist and engineer Lester Lave about the Weatherization Assistance Program, about why this stimulus effort is off to such a slow start and why Europeans are ahead in home energy efficiency.
Virginia Tech's Lumenhaus Wows Crowds in Times Square After a solid performance at the 2009 Solar Decathlon in Washington, D.C., the solar-powered, net-zero home built by the Virginia Tech Hokies travels to New York's Times Square for a public reception on Broadway—and it's a hit.
17 Projects Shaping the Future of LED Lights Solid-state lighting holds the promise of huge energy savings and long-lasting light sources. Here's how the U.S. Department of Energy is investing in a future illuminated by light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs).
How to Fix a Broken Gutter in a Storm When the weather gets bad, or some important mechanical system (such as your home's sump pump) fails, you have to act quickly. There's not a lot of time to spend fooling around.
Power Tool Party: Drinks, Drills and Elvis Could power tools hold their own against the King? Elvis, striking a pose in his gold blazer, nearly stole the show at this power-tool party, held for the media at the swanky penthouse of the Palms Casino during this week's International Builders' Show.
A Common Pavement Sealer May Lead to Unhealthy Homes Protecting your home from the elements seems like a fail-safe goal, but according to recent research your maintenance habits could be harming you. Coal-tar-based pavement sealer wears away to expose carcinogens that can be tracked indoors.
How to Move a 120-Year Old House: Gallery House moving requires hard work, boldness and a sense of timing. It doesn't hurt to have a big truck and a massive hydraulic rig as well. Here's how it works. (Published in the February 2010 issue)
Garbage Bag Faceoff: Abusive Lab Test We have to be able to trust our garbage bags. After all, their thin skins are all that stands between our floors and a gruesome concoction of trash and ooze. We tested three contractor garbage bags: a 2-mil and two 3-mils to see the difference a mil makes. (Published in the January 2010 issue)
As Seen on TV Hopefuls Pitch Products on Inventor's Day Inventor's Day—one of six annual casting calls for aspiring As Seen on TV product designers to pitch their inventions—took place on Dec. 9 at the New Jersey headquarters of infomercial giant Telebrands. PM's Harry Sawyers was on hand.
Batts, Polymers or Recycled Jeans: Which Insulation Is Sexiest? At a Home Depot in Virginia on Tuesday, President Obama spoke about the ways millions of homeowners can earn tax credits among other incentives. He turned to Frank Blake, chairman and CEO of Home Depot, to ask, "Frank, don't you think insulation is sexy stuff?"
The World’s 18 Strangest Homes: Gallery As homeowners begin shifting toward more sustainable, off-the-grid, DIY habitats, more personal, unique homes are inevitable. Here we look at innovative, bizarre and one-of-a-kind homes and what makes them stand out.
Painting Tool Showdown: Brush & Roller vs. Paint Sprayer Paint Sprayers used to be for "pros only," but today a number of sprayers are available at affordable prices for the amateur, DIY painter. PM tests consumer-ready paint sprayers against the traditional aces of acrylic: the brush and the roller.
6 Surprising Findings from the Chinese Drywall Report Last spring, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission conducted 44 investigations into consumer complaints about drywall. Here are six surprising findings from the report.
Five of the Craziest Chinese Drywall Stories We've Heard Almost a year after news began breaking about bizarre happenings related to Chinese drywall, numerous questions remain unanswered. Despite the lack of definitive answers, the investigation so far certainly hasn't come up short on strange anecdotes.
How to Build a Stone Garden Bench Inspired by a 1938 stone fireplace project, PM decided to build an old-fashioned stone bench. We picked the stones, shaped them, mixed and trimmed the mortar and laid the foundation—the results are a simple and elegant outdoor bench. (Published in the November 2009 issue)
What to Expect From the Cash for Appliance Program After the perceived success of the Cash for Clunkers program, the Department of Energy pledged that a similar rebate program would soon roll out for inefficient appliances. More than three months after that announcement, details still remain hazy. Here are three questions about the new program.
Do Dryer Balls Work? As Seen on TV Lab Test The makers of Dryer Balls claim their product will soften your clothes and make them dry faster, without the use of chemicals. We ran a few loads of laundry through the dryer with and without Dryer Balls to find out if they really work, or if they're full of hot air.
Spain's Modular Solar Home Travels 6800 Miles to the Decathlon: Solar Decathlon The Black and White House built by Team Spain, from the University of Madrid, intentionally "has a lot of things in it that express opposites," says team member Luis Burred.
Team Germany's Solar Home Turns to High-Tech Phase-Changing Materials: Solar Decathlon Team Germany's members may all be new to the Solar Decathlon this year, but they learned from the previous team's house—and though it won first place in 2007, they strived to improve upon it.
Penn State's Natural Fusion House Shows Off Round Solar PV: Solar Decathlon The albedo, also known as the extent to which surfaces reflect sunlight, is essential to Penn State's round solar photovoltaic panels from Solyndra. At full capacity, the cylinders crank out 5.1 kilowatts of electricity per hour.
Embracing the Outdoors at Puerto Rico's CASH House: Solar Decathlon The Universidad de Puerto Rico's CASH House—the acronym stands for Caribbean Affordable Solar House—has an architectural style that assistant construction manager Ernesto Mohler calls "representative" of the vernacular on the island.
Team Ontario and British Columbia Build a Home to Withstand Harsh Climate: Solar Decathlon Team Ontario/BC's house features a series of screens mounted conspicuously throughout the building to deliver breaking news of energy production and consumption.
Iowa State's 6-Piece Solar Home: Solar Decathlon Iowa State's Interlock House, which breaks down into six modules, is without a doubt high-tech.
Boston's Curio.House: Solar Decathlon To make energy-use data available to the homeowner, Team Boston created a Web-based energy-monitoring system, in which 24-7 real-time feedback helps users to adjust their energy habits (leaving lights off, turning the heat down) even when they are away.
Insulated Undulation at the University of Kentucky's Sky Blue House: Solar Decathlon Lit at night, the machine-milled pinpoints in the cement fiberboard cladding evoke the rolling landscape of the Bluegrass State. It's a moving sight. During a visit to the home, PM overheard one Kentucky engineer ask of another, "Is this the Lido deck?"
Missouri's One-Piece Solar Home Is Easy-to-Ship Team Missouri's vaulted ceiling adds a sense of openness to 15 x 40' house, but its hinged top meets a more practical constraint unique to Solar Decathlon—the need to ship the house and rebuild it on the mall.
Team Alberta Emphasizes Water, Local Materials: Solar Decathlon The SolAbode built by Team Alberta, made up of students from four schools in Calgary, reflects the forested, mountainous and sometimes industrial environment of southern Alberta.
University of Arizona's Funky, Familiar SEED House: Solar Decathlon The first thing one notices when stepping up to Arizona's SEED [pod] House is the curved rib of steel displayed on the deck. Part industrial, part sculptural, it looks like a clever bit of landscaping, but it's actually there to show visitors the structural system that supports the roof and south wa...
Louisiana's Water-Collecting, Hurricane-Ready BeauSoleil Home: Solar Decathlon Louisiana's BeauSoleil House has been engineered to not only blend into and celebrate its home state's environment but also to work with and, in some cases, defend against it.
Cornell University Silo House at Solar Decathlon 2009 Cornell's Solar Decathlon entry looks less like a cutting-edge, high-tech, high-efficiency home than like a cluster of rusted grain silos. In reality, it's both—an unusual combination that somehow comes across as a compelling and indulgent place to live.
493 records found. Displaying 1 to 30 Page 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

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