Acknowledgments
Introduction: Adventures in Home Improvement
Warming Up: Getting Ready For Home Improvements
SECTION 1: Inside Your Money Pit
Chapter 1: Designing Confidence
- On The Walls: Solutions For Surfaces
- Finding Your Way To Fabulous Flooring
- Looking Up: Ceiling Solutions
Chapter 2: Cooking Up the Kitchen of Your Dreams Without Getting Burned
- The Basics of Kitchen Space Planning
- Kitchen Flooring: Begin At The Bottom, and Everything Starts Looking Up
- Counters: High-tech Tops for Beauty, Convenience, and Safety
- Cabinets: Put it Away
- Plumbing: Solutions for Sinks
- Lighting For Task and Effect
- Appliances: Where Most Kitchen Remodels Begin
Chapter 3: Bathrooms
- Facelifts: The Lighter Side of Bathroom Remodeling
- Let There Be Light...Lots of It!
- Plumbing Fixtures
- Bathroom Décor: The Finishing Touch
- Biggest Bathroom Remodels: Home Spa Sanctuary
- Blown Away: Whirlpools, Air Baths and Bath Tubs to Sooth Sore Home Improvement Muscles
Chapter 4: Kids' Spaces
- Spaces That Grow
- Easy Care and Cleaning
- Safety Considerations
- Giving Your Kids a Say
Chapter 5: Laundry and Mud Rooms
- Laundry Rooms: Spaces to Keep You and Your Clothes Happy
- Mud Rooms: The Official Entrance of Your Family
Chapter 6: Bonus Spaces
- Basements, Not Wetlands
- Garages That Kick Butt
- Up, Up in the Attic
Chapter 7: New Spaces: Additions & Repurposing
- Masterful Master Suites
- Cool Workshops and Creative Hobby Rooms
- Entertainment Centers and Home Theaters: The Vacation Home Within Your Home
- Home Offices and Family Computer Centers That Work
Chapter 8: Avoid Freezing, Sneezing, Frying and Fizzling...and Freaking Out over Utility Costs
- Heated Discussions about Heating
- Cool Down: Air Conditioning Talk
- Hot Tips for a Comfort and Efficiency
- Troubleshooting System Snafus
- Breathing Easy: The Fungus Among Us and Other Irritating Irritants
- Carbon Monoxide: Solutions for a Serious Safety Issue
- Comfort on the Cheap: Top Ten Tips to Save Costs
- Charged Up: You and Your Electrical System
Chapter 9: 50 Design Ideas under $50
SECTION 2: Outside Your Money Pit
Chapter 10: Bringing the Inside Outside with Decks, Patios, and Porches
- Getting All Decked Out
- Perfect Patios
- Perfect Porches
- Bringing the Inside Outside with Outdoor Rooms
Chapter 11: Curb Appeal and Other Strategies to Keep Your Neighbors and Homeowner's Association Happy
- Points of Arrival: Driveways and Walkways
- Days on the Green: Lawns and Landscaping
- Making an Entrance: Door "Belles"
- Fabulous Fences
- Outdoor Lighting for Safety and Impact
Chapter 12: The Building Envelope: Siding, Roofing and Windows
- Siding Selections
- Picture Perfect Exterior Painting
- Roofing Review
- Window Shopping
Chapter 13: Critter Control
- Battling the Wood-Destroyers: Termites, Carpenter Ants, and Carpenter Bees
- Warm-Blooded Pests: Mice, Rats, Moles and Squirrels
- Vampire Varmints: Mosquitoes, Ticks and, Yes, Bats
- Critters in Flight: Woodpecker and Pigeon Proofing
Chapter 14: 40 Fabulous Facelifts for Your Façade
SECTION 3: Managing Your Money Pit
Chapter 15: Hiring Help: If Do-It-Yourself will Do You In, Don't Do It at All
- Types of Home Improvement Professionals
- Due Diligence: What to Look For, and How to Hire
- Evaluating Bids
- Contracting With Your Contractor
Chapter 16: Protecting Your Money Pit, Part 1: Homeland Security
- Fired up Fire Protection
- Get Smart on Security
- Vacation Protection for Your Home
Chapter 17: Protecting Your Money Pit, Part 2: Earth, Wind and Fire
- Creating a Plan
- Storm-Tossed: Secure Your Home Against the Tide
- Lightning Protection
- Power Protection: Avoiding Sags, Surges and Spikes
- After the Storm
- Products That Protect
Chapter 18: Home Selling Tips and Advice
- Hiring a Home Selling Pro
- Styled To Sell
- Home Inspection Survival
- Seller Disclosure Can Reduce Liability