Category: HOME

Craft Your Way to a Handmade Holiday

Start a new family tradition—or expand on an existing one—by crafting this year’s presents, ornaments, and more. You don’t have to be particularly artistic to have the best holiday season ever with these easy, do-it-yourself projects suitable for a wide variety of ages, starting with a popcorn garland for the Christmas tree. Fun for the…


Living and Working — With History, Nature, Ghosts, and Water Snakes — in a 300-Year-Old Wissahickon Valley Park House

By Kevin Riordan From The Philadelphia Inquirer Philadelphia–As resident stewards of the nearly 300-year-old house known as Glen Fern, Craig Johnson and Carol Adams are immersed in the many splendors of Wissahickon Valley Park. The couple live on a Mount Airy lane that plunges into the valley through thick woods, curving to an end at…


Buckle Down and Save Up for Home Improvements

Today is a good day to reach into my virtual mailbag and pull out letters from two of my dear readers. Dear Mary: We are homeowners with about $175,000 in equity, which we will need to buy a bigger house in the future. Our home needs some expensive improvements (new windows, updated kitchen, siding), none…


Love Your Christmas, Not Someone Else’s

Christmas is supposed to be a season full of joy. And sometimes, you have to be intentional about protecting that joy. One thing that instantly puts the spirit of the season at risk is comparison, because it doesn’t just steal your joy—it steals your paycheck, too. One minute you’re scrolling through social media, then suddenly…


How to Draft a Real Estate Contingency

Dear Monty: We are selling our home to a neighbor down the street. We didn’t know them, but they knocked on our door a month ago and asked if we would be interested in selling. We got several opinions from agents and decided we could do this on our own. We have now agreed on…


Home Equity Scams

Homeowners beware. These days, home loan scam artists are lurking around every corner. They’re hungry, they’re determined and they’re coming after your equity. Unscrupulous loan peddlers are known as predatory lenders because of their uncanny resemblance to vultures. These loans encourage people to consolidate their debts and suggest this will prevent them from ever overspending…


Mr. Wong, Detective (1938)

Simon Dayton is in fear for his life and seeks the help of Mr. Wong to protect him. Just prior to meeting Mr. Wong, Dayton is found dead in his office without a mark on him, with several witnesses testifying Dayton was alone in his office that was locked from the inside. Credit: Public Domain…


Repair Damaged Plaster

Plaster walls and ceilings are found in many older homes; and all too often, they’re marred with holes and cracks. Over time a plaster ceiling often sags, another problem. To repair damaged plaster walls with a hodgepodge of cracks or a ceiling that sags we’ve used a specific process. First, secure the loose plaster to…


Install a Self-Learning Thermostat

Now even your home thermostat can learn how much heat and cooling conditions family members prefer and adjust the climate in your home accordingly. Based on data, it will automatically adjust to what you’re doing from day to day and react to your actual behavior. The energy savings and the convenience make this feature a…


Dreamwash Your Mind to Reach Your Goals, and Other Reader Tips

In today’s offering of tips from your fellow readers, you’re going to get a bonus: a new vocabulary word. Read on. My dream is to own a second home in Sweden, and to be able to purchase it without a long-term mortgage. I found a picture of the home I dream of and hung it…