Landscaping

What home improvement projects will offer the best return on investment (ROI)? As the economy continues to falter, enhancing curb appeal is still your best bet … however, the ROI of a few projects that made Remodeling Magazine’s Cost vs. Value list this year may surprise you.

Every year for the last quarter century, Remodeling Magazine has published the results of its survey comparing the cost of home improvements with the value of those improvements at resale. Remodeling 2011-2012  Cost vs. Value Report examines 35 popular projects ranging in scope from under $1,500 to over $225,000, and, in drill-down fashion, provides national, regional, and city averages on how the projects fare as investments.

Old is made new again – and made greener – in this Phoenix-area home, designed by Circle West Architects.

Is an architect's toughest client himself? Not when he has a crystal clear vision for his family’s home. Phoenix-based architect Peter Koliopoulos, AIA, founder and president of Circle West Architects, drew on his Miesian training at the Illinois Institute of Technology to transform a 30-year-old concrete block and stucco home in the residential neighborhood of Paradise Valley into a modern crystal that rises from the revegetated desert landscape.

Green is here to stay! Here’s what to watch for in the next few months.

With 2011 quickly drawing to a close, it’s time to take out our crystal ball and conjure up the green home trends that will shape our choices in the coming year. Many of these trends will sound very familiar; some have evolved out of economic necessity, while others exist thanks to great advances in technology. Whether you already own a home or plan to build a new one, there’s bound to be at least one trend that appeals to you.

Oversized homes are going out of style. Check out these seven ways to live more graciously in a small space.

Are you ready for a pop quiz? True or false: it’s easier to live better when you have more.

Conventional wisdom would have us believe it’s true, but it’s 100% false, says designer John M. Stephens, ASID, owner of John M. Stephens Design in New Orleans. Living well is a way of being in your space and caring for your things. “Gracious living is living in the best possible way no matter what your circumstances are,” he says. It’s about taking the time to make the small details special, from how you display your favorite pieces to how you make guests feel welcome. “It’s really taking all the small pieces of your life and putting them together so they make the whole better,” Stephens says.

A challenge of mining operations and any project that disturbs large volumes of earth below grade is the potential to generate contaminated water runoff at the surface known as acid mine drainage (AMD). Precious metal and coal mine shafts traditionally require excavation below the water table, exposing metal sulfides in the disturbed earth and waste soils to the atmosphere and water. Similar exposure can occur during major highway construction projects. Stormwater runoff and water discharged from dewatering pumps related to these construction activities can be very low in pH (acidic) and can contain harmful metal ions. Eric McCleary of Greenhorne & O’Mara helped develop the successive alkalinity-producing system (SAPS) process to treat this AMD water and shares insights regarding this innovative technology with the Buildipedia audience.

Arc fault circuit interrupters (ACFIs) de-energize circuits when an arc fault is detected, preventing overheating and possible combustion. ACFIs enhance safety in any home and are required for some new construction, varying by state.

Over the past decade or so, a discussion about arc fault circuit interrupters and their required use in residential construction has raged among officials, organizations, corporations, and individuals related to the construction industry. Change can be difficult but “only the wisest and stupidest of men never change," as Confucius said. Change has occurred consistently in residential electrical systems since Thomas Edison unveiled the first electric light on New Year’s Eve, 1879. Knob and tube, cloth-braided, PVC-jacketed, two wire then three wire, fuses then breakers… the list goes on and on. Change happens. Most of that change can be attributed to our steadily increasing understanding of electricity since we were first electrified. With its increasing use in our homes, and the considerations of inhabitants’ safety and the prevention of property damage, it is not surprising that regulations have continued to change. So why do we resist? We should expect change and grow with it, particularly when it is in the interest of our own safety and can prevent the loss of property.

If you really want to get some things done around the house, you will need power tools. Jeff Wilson shares his insights regarding which tools are must-haves.

I always loved shows like Roy Underhill’s The Woodwright’s Shop – by watching I can experience, vicariously, detailed woodworking without power tools. Folks like Roy are truly artisans, and I have tremendous respect for that kind of work.

A Bainbridge Island home represents a marriage of modern aesthetics and sustainability.

When Ed and Joanne Ellis decided to build their dream home on Yeomalt Bluff on Bainbridge Island, Washington, their wish list was threefold: they wanted to create a luxurious yet comfortable space, achieve a high level of sustainability, and help to educate the community on the feasibility of building green without sacrificing beauty.

Find out, step by step, how to upcycle a sturdy wooden door into an upholstered floating headboard. Watch {Re}habitat, Rachael Ranney’s online video series, to learn how adaptive reuse can add fun and function to your space.

Few furnishings add opulent coziness to your bedroom the way upholstered headboards do, but such pieces come with hefty pricetags. Rachael shows how to make an inexpensive and luxurious upholstered floating headboard with a salvaged wooden door, decorative wood trim, and upholstery materials.

At the heart of any city is its marketplace. Madrid remakes some of its classic markets while adding modern twists.

Never one to be outdone by its neighbor Barcelona, Madrid is seeing its own market makeover craze. Two newly refurbished markets have risen from the brink of ruin to become the latest gourmet hot spots – the San Miguel Market and the San Antón Market.