Painting interior doors adds 'wow' to rooms

If you've got your decor looking just about right but want that extra "wow" factor, consider painting interior doors.

IWU student helps start tool library

BLOOMINGTON, Ill.| After her husband died last year, Normal resident Elsie Cadieux was left with boxes of tools she would never use.

IWU student helps start tool library

Illinois Wesleyan University junior Matt LaLonde sorts through donations of tools for the Tool Library, a project of the West Bloomington Revitalization Project at the Westside Community Garden in Bloomington, Ill. Residents can borrow tools for free to complete home repair projects.

Cal City's 'Best Houses on the Block' honored at awards ceremony

CALUMET CITY | Neighborhoods Inc. hosted the city's 1st and 5th wards Best House on the Block contest last month, including an awards ceremony at the Calumet City Library, according to a news release.

Getting started on your fall DIY projects

Fall is the perfect time to complete home projects you put off during the dog days of summer. There are a number of basic changes you can do right now that are easy and inexpensive.

Project Nation

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A FINE MESS: HGTV addiction leads to lofty home improvement ideas

At the end of 2011, Time magazine published a list of the twenty-five people they felt were to blame for the worldwide financial crisis. I agreed with twenty-four of the names, but one of them didn't seem like he belonged on the list: Burton Jablin, the programming guru of Scripps TV, which …

The Lake County Home and Lifestyles Show offers products and services for homeowners

This year's Lake County Home and Lifestyles Show, March 24 and 25, showcases every service and product you could want for your home — whether you're doing small home improvement jobs, remodeling, renovating or buying a new house, said Vicky Gadd, executive officer of the Home Builders Associ…

Bungalows need TLC to keep them looking like new

The classic Chicago bungalow is loaded with plaster problems. A workshop in Beverly this week was designed to help people fix their own plaster.

Bungalows need TLC to keep them looking like new

CHICAGO | Whether it's the Vanderbilt mansions dotting the East Coast, the adobe homes in the Southwest, or the log cabins tucked back in the North Woods, every area of the country is known for a distinctive housing design.

Craftsman copies mansion decorative plasterwork

Master plaster worker Bill Schermerhorn Jr. creates a mold of a detail from a parlor ceiling medallion at the Reddick Mansion in Ottawa, Ill. The entire intricate feature is being copied for installation at the historic Tanner House in Aurora, Ill., which decades ago lost a nearly identical …

Sealing air leaks

Man caulking window

Quick Fall Fix-Ups

If you already own home but are considering making a move thanks to all the great opportunities available right now, fall is the perfect time to tackle a few home improvement projects. After all, most people looking at houses have plenty of properties to choose from, so those that are the mo…

Small home renovations buy time

It's a reality of our fragile economy: Many homeowners who dream of the perfect kitchen or master bath are putting full-scale renovation on hold in favor of more limited changes.

Professional contractor Mike Holmes does it right

When 6-year-old Mike Holmes began emulating his father in doing electrical work, his father gave him two pieces of advice: "Make it right" and "Do it right the first time." Holmes must have been paying attention, because by the time he was 12, he had renovated an entire basement.

Replacing cabinets or refacing old ones

Q: You recently wrote about reglazing instead of replacing ceramic tile. My oak kitchen cabinets are about 23 years old and are structurally sound, but are outdated and showing wear.

Create a spacious retreat all by yourself without breaking the bank or the shower

The current state of the economy may encourage us to downgrade spending, but it doesn't mean halting your home upgrades. Look to the smallest room in the house to make the biggest imprint, and look to yourself to make the difference. Don your overalls and bust out the hammer - here's how to …

Schilling hosts grand opening at its new Mokena location

Schilling will host a grand opening event from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at its new Mokena location, 900 191st St., which is just off Interstate 80 and LaGrange.

At Home: Office space cubed

As some of you know, I recently got a real job. Besides writing my weekly column where I offer up rants about home improvement thinly disguised as helpful hints, I'm also now a full-time reporter. My new job is the kind with regular hours, benefits, other people, and my very own cubicle.