As we head into the first month of spring, there is no doubt -- real estate activity has increased significantly in many parts of the country. This leaves many to wonder: is this the beginning of the end of the real estate market downturn? The spring market is looming -- the big question is, what type of market will it be? 2006 is no longer new new

As most homeowners do, we looked at some model homes today to get ideas for cabinets. As I toured the house I had forgotten about all the tables, cabinets, wood art frames, wood staircases, and all the ornamental wood products that make up a new and furnished house. As we walked around the model home, my young 14 month old was looking into some of

Straw Bale Houses seem to be the rave of sustainable construction lately. With everyone thinking of going green so are the construction specialists. There is a lot of buzz about the invasion of green houses in different parts of the country. The green houses that we are going to discuss in this article are the straw bale houses.Many of us would hav

Walt Kelly [the great cartoonist/journalist] coined the phrase, "we have met the enemy and it is us," years ago when lamenting through his cartoon the harm being done to the environment by litterers, chiefly -- us. Up until that point, the complainers of the environment being harmed were probably thought to be some outsider intent on destroying the

Many people who are looking to build new homes these days want to be as green and environmentally friendly as possible. There are lots of ways to do this, from buying more energy efficient appliances to orienting your home to take advantage of the sun in winter and the breeze in summer. Did you know, though, that you can actually use green prefab h