So you want to "go green" when you decorate or furnish your home! Just the thought of doing that may conjure up going to a chic city showroom and choosing some expensive furniture made of native materials from the rain forest. Of course that may be a part of going green, but you don't have to spend a lot of money to go green. Instead, just consider buying plain old furniture made in the U.S.

Finding the right window can seem like a daunting task. One thing important to consider when thinking about your new windows for your home is often overlooked by many people. When it comes to buying windows, you must ask yourself why.

Why are you buying new windows for your home?

Do you want to replace those old drafty ones just because of their poor shape and because they leak?

The earthquake in Haiti has made us keenly aware of the damage to life and property that these forces of nature can do. If you live in California, the Pacific Northwest or Hawaii, you are probably more aware of their destructive power. However, earthquakes occur routinely every day in the world and in places not known for them.

Earthquakes occur every day
Places like Washington DC, New York City and Chicago have all had earthquakes in the last 10 to 15 years. Luckily, these quakes have not made the front page or caused much damage other than frayed nerves and some broken dishes. Most people were barely aware of them when they did occur.

Selecting a bathroom sink and countertop can range from being very easy to a real pain in the neck. That's because you have to consider the vanity cabinet, countertop, sink, and faucet all together. We lay out an approach to simplify the process and tell you the pros and cons of your options.

Develop a plan first
You'll be tempted to just go to a bathroom show room and start ordering. You will find that there are lots of choices and all are tied to how much you want to spend in terms of time and money. Get organized first. We suggest you organize your bathrooms into four categories according to the money you will spend: master bathroom, powder room, every day bathrooms, guest bathroom and utility basement bathroom. Spend the most money in the master bathroom and powder room and the least on that basement or utility room bathroom.

Even more important, decide on a common color theme for the vanity cabinet. If you don't do this you will go crazy trying to mix, match or coordinate the colors of the countertop, and sinks with the vanity cabinet.  If you have a cabinet color in mind and can get a sample take it or a door sample when you shop.

We are always on the look out for products that will reduce pollution and our carbon footprint. It's seldom that we find a company that is attacking the problem with drywall, windows and soundproofing materials that are important components of every remodeling and new construction project. Serious Materials is such a company and it's CEO Kevin Surace was named Inc. Magazine's 2009 Entrepreneur of the Year.

Serious Materials provides three kinds of products- windows and glass, drywall and soundproofing materials. When you buy these products from the compnay you can be assured that they were manufactured in an environmentally conscientious manner and that they will save you money, energy and reduce your environmental footprint. If buying American is important (we think it is), you can also feel good that this is an American company that is creating green jobs here in the U.S. Serious materials manufacturers it's products in Sunnyvale, California; Newark, California; Boulder, Colorado; and Vandergrift, Pennsylvania.

I found your site via links on other blogs. I truly enjoyed browsing through your posts and I want to thank you for the great content. I really appreciateyour advice and insights. I bookmarked your site and plan to pass it along to my parents who are gearing up to renovate their home.

You've heard the horror stories and unfortunately many are true. People handing over their hard earned money to contractors who can't deliver or worse construct unsafe projects. No one can promise that it won't happen to you, but we can tell you how to reduce your risks, protect yourself and improve the chances of getting the remodeling project that you want. Just follow these steps.

Remember the "Unwritten Clause" in every Remodeling Contract
HGTV's Mike Holmes of "Holmes on Homes" recently said that it seems that on the projects he fixes there might as well be an unwritten clause in the contract. The clause is reads "Beware, you could be screwed." Those may not be the exact words, but they are pretty close to it even if you have done your home work, checked references etc. before going with a certain contractor. If we got it wrong, we apologize Mike. By the way we love the Holmes on Homes website and show.