Get financing for your home & renovation: FHA 203k Loan

Purchasing a home in need of renovation can seem like a daunting task for a lot of reasons. One of which is the idea of financing the renovation costs. It's hard enough these days to qualify for the mortgage alone but tack on an additional loan to renovate and it can appear impossible. Well there's no need to worry about that anymore! The latest thing to hit the mortgage world is called a 203k loan which allows you to incorporate the cost...

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Room Envy: Wine Cellar edition

Bring on the VINO! Whether you're looking for function or design or both the options are endless with wine cellars... like accessing it through a trap door in the floor like this one......

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Room Envy, Kitchen edition

Light bright and airy these are perfect examples of a dream for anyone who loves to cook and entertain... ...

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Luxury Homes in Disney World!

According to the Wall Street Journal, it's the latest idea from Disney, creating a development of luxury homes allowing for a new way to experience "Disney" and the Orlando area. The Golden Oak housing development will offer homes from $1.5 to $8 million. It is expected to hold 450 homes and a new Four Seasons hotel. There are plans for a clubhouse, parks, walkways, and a wet lands conservation all of which is expected to be completed in 8-10...

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Planet Reuse: Reclaimed & Salvaged Materials for your project!

Stumbled onto a fantastic website today thanks to the NAHB. Planet Reuse is an excellent resource for builders, designers, and homeowners looking to find salvaged and reclaimed materials for their projects. I am a big fan of antiques and vintage goods. I love the idea of repurposing an old and unusual item or material and turning it into something new and relevant. Pair that with the green attitude of the country and you end up with...

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What does $258 Million buy you?

Well here in the Denver area it buys you an outstanding new judicial complex to house our Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, and Attorney Generals office! There was a massive demolition today of the previous building. The previous building was the victim of outdated and shoddy building practice from years ago and was therefore destroyed to lend way to a new complex that will be up to date and up to the standards that Denverites expect, especially in a goverment building that our precious tax dollars are funding! It just goes to show that...

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Less Is More: a new approach in home trends

Here's a great video from the Today Show. It's a good take on the changes we're seeing in home construction. Less is more seems to be the new approach. Plus some great insight from Barbara Corcoran on what home improvements will add value vs the ones that wont. Does It Add Value? Home Improvement Tips & Insi...

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A change in the tide: Renovation & Remodeling trends 2010-2011

As a result of the times people are changing the way they do things in their every day lives and those changes have now translated into the home improvement realm. There is an overall change in the tide with construction these days... One of the biggest trends we've seen this past year has been the green movement. It started as a catch phrase but has grown into an actual movement since the downturn of the economy and job market. People...

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Room Envy: Cozy Great Room

I saw this picture and fell in love with the design and architecture. My favorite parts are the wood clad windows, the architectural beams, and the grand yet subtle fireplace. I love the simple color pallet, it allows for the room to stand alone without overdoing it. It feels cozy and bright and very homey! Courtesy of Keith Waters & Associates, Inc. ~5280 L...

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Building for Energy Savings: 9 great tips

So I have to say thank you to Stewart Perry over at Planting Acorns for this list. He attended a U.S. Green Building Council and listened to a lecture from architect Norbert Lechner. Lechner is an energy expert who discussed energy efficiency and green building with the audience. Here's the 9 tips he gave to save energy straight from the building process. Now before I go into the list I think it's important to realize here that it...

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Design A Room, some great resources for decorating

I'm sure there are plenty of you that have grand ideas of home remodeling and decorating but it's often hard to picture the outcome. Well there are a lot of great things on the interwebs that can help you! Better Homes and Gardens has a great program called Arrange A Room where you can adjust every aspect of the room including furniture and even house plants to give you some help with your decorating ideas. You pick the shape of your room, which...

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Decorating in tight spaces: Kitchen

So how do you amplify the amount of space in your home without jumping into costly additions? You have to master the art of decorating and renovating in tight spaces. There are a lot of techniques and tricks that you can use to make lemonade out of lemons, in this case, the tiny kitchen. The first thing to consider in a small kitchen is the functional layout. There are dozens of kitchen designers that take factors into account to make the best...

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