Are you looking to illuminate your outdoor landscaping or highlight special features of your home or patio? Browse through CalFinder Home Remodeling Library’s new articles for inspiration and information on lighting system possibilities. You can find a variety listed, along with ideas that will transform your yard into an evening spectacle of warmth and beauty.

• Outdoor lighting for your deck has endless possibilities for design and style, but safety is usually an issue, too. Illuminate your deck with three basic types of lighting: recessed deck lights, post cap lights, and accent lights. Of course there is so much more to choose from, but these will get you started.
• Light your home’s first impression with an entryway that is welcoming and secure.
• Low-voltage lighting for landscapes, walkways, or decks save money and are energy efficient. This type of outdoor lighting is easy to install and requires little maintenance. (more…)

Yes, the seasons are a-changing and entertaining and family visits are just around the corner. You’ve pulled down the boxes from the attic or storage room and have started with fall holiday decorating. Of course, it only goes on from there, from one month to the next, practically until spring.

Looking around for ideas, I found a great little site for the most outrageous bathrooms. Though a little crazy, it could provide some little bits of fun for decorating your bathroom. Check it out at HGTV: Special Features. At the least, it will be entertaining.

I do have a few suggestions of my own to offer. You can change up the whole look of your bathroom with just a few on-hand supplies. Play around with different colors, shapes, and sizes, and in moments, your bathroom can go from your usual decor to one with a special theme: (more…)

At This Old House, I came across several articles, or rather, photos of home inspection nightmares. After spending too long looking at these pictures and the comments attached to them, I realized that this could almost become a Halloween Blockbuster! Some of these nightmares were straight out of something that could be used to scare local children and some of them were straight up hilarious. I picked five that were my favorites. I’ve listed them with their comments, but before I do reveal the show, I just want to thank the American Society of Home Inspectors for their hard work in finding and maybe even saving these homes from near disaster.

Here are my pics:

Food chain

This picture was taken by an inspector when checking an attic. He states that when he first approached the vent, there were about 15 more bats than in the picture and his flashlight chased them off. The scary thing is the 2’ black snake at the top of the vent. It looks like dinner time. The inspector wondered if he should let the buyer of the house decide if they should keep the snake to keep the bats out or get rid of it? What do you think?

Fried

The mouse in this picture was looking for a house with a view. I don’t think his realtor mentioned the exposed wiring.

Sweet

Inspectors usually expect to encounter something when looking down chimneys, but he was very surprised to find honey bees instead of the usual wasps, hornets, or raccoons. That is one large hive.

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