By Kaitlyn Keegan From Hartford Courant One of the biggest ways to gain equity in your home is a kitchen remodel. Gutting the entire kitchen and getting brand new cabinets and countertops, though, is expensive. For more homeowners, that’s a remodel you save up for years for. You may not want to deal with the…

I’d like to share a story with you. This saga transpired over the past six weeks, and I feel it contains a valuable lesson that could save you thousands of dollars, allow you to sleep at night, and go to dinner with your remodeling contractor at the end of the job. This is a tale…

Just a half-mile from my home a new house is being built. I’ve yet to meet the new owners but I’ve been able to closely monitor the progress. The aroma of sawdust still invigorates me, and I must say I do miss wearing my tool belt rig all day long while building a new house….

Dear Monty: I need to find out if I can convert my single-family home into a two-family. The second thing is, if so, what are the legal rules for the transformation? Monty’s Answer: The rules you seek are not uniform across the U.S. There is no federal building code except one. The Department of Housing…

The trend in remodeling continues, reports the recent Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity (LIRA) from Harvard’s Remodeling Futures Program. Any upgrade even replacing a bathroom faucet won’t go unnoticed if you decide to sell your home, so don’t hesitate to make the upgrade and enjoy using it. It’s not the largest feature in a bathroom,…

By Ed Del Grande From Tribune News Service Q: Hi Ed: We’re remodeling our smaller bathroom and want a separate shower stall and a bathtub. The shower stall will be custom to give us design flexibility. But we need to find a comfortable tub that can fit smaller spaces. Any ideas? — Todd, Texas A:…