The sun's heat and light provide an abundant source of energy that can be harnessed in many ways.
In my quest to discover what there is to know about solar power, I found all kinds of uses for the suns rays that can help us conserve energy. First off was my discovery of solar water heaters.

Also called solar domestic hot water systems, solar water heaters generate hot water for your home in any type of climate, fueled solely by sunshine.

Solar water heating systems usually cost more to purchase and install than conventional water heating systems. However, a solar water heater can usually save you money in the long run. Check out the U.S. Department of Energy site on solar power for the economics of potential savings. Find out more about solar water heaters here; and if you're feeling particularly DIY, check out how to build your own unit!

The next interesting thing I found was an article at News Scientist Tech about solar-power paint.

Scientists are developing a way to paint solar cells with a photovoltaic paint onto the steel sheets of walls and roofs of warehouses and other buildings to generate electricity from the sun.                                                                                                                                                   
The paint will be based on dye-sensitised solar cells. Instead of absorbing sunlight using silicon like conventional solar panels, they use dye molecules attached to particles of the titanium dioxide pigment used in paints.                                                                                                                                                     
Finally, the solar panel. Through the use of photvoltaic cells, solar panels make use of renewable energy from the sun, and are a clean and environmentally sound means of collecting solar energy.

If you are looking for information on solar panels and don't know where to start, check out CALFINDER's blog on solar panels and going solar.

Not quite ready to tackle solar projects on your own???   Don’t forget the fact that searching for a qualified solar installer will never be a dilemma. CalFinder Solar does the FREE screening for you and only works with the best installers in the industry. Get a bid now!

With the current housing market being the way it is, more people are opting to remodel instead of buying a larger home. My friend Carol is doing just that- when I saw her last week, she told me she needed a bigger house, stat.

Her biggest concern was finding a good contractor to do the remodeling. She told me that seems to be the hardest part, because it's hard to find good reviews of contractors anywhere, and one person's good experience can be another person's nightmare. It's hard to know, really.

I told her about CalFinder. They have free estimates for all kinds of home improvement, and I love what they say about why you should use a CalFinder contractor:

Why You Should Use a CalFinder Contractor?

• Quality workmanship
• Fair pricing
• Availability for your questions
• Happy customers and vendors
• Clear contracts and agreements
• Friendly service

We only feel comfortable referring contractors that we would have work on our own homes. When we certify a contractor we are looking for more than just quality workmanship or a final product.

We care about the customer experience and look for contractors that ease the process of home improvement. Our contractors are reliable, you can count on the promises they make.

Being able to count on your contractor is so important! Remodeling is a major transition time in your life, and anything to make the process easier is a blessing.

Carol's going to finish her basement to make more space in her house. Finishing your basement can be a great way to both add space and value to your home. She also told me that while she was having remodeling done, she's going to add value to her home by remodeling the bathroom. Having a fabulous bathroom makes your home easier to sell- that's so important in this stagnant market.

I'm excited to see what Carol's home looks like when it's finished. It is good to know there are companies out there like CalFinder that can make the process a little easier.

In the midst of the real estate slowdown, more and more home owners are deciding to stay in their homes and remodel rather than trying to sell in a challenging market. The 2007 Remodeling Cost vs. Value Report has recently stated that three of the four projects with the highest national percentage of costs recouped this year were exterior upgrades.

The most profitable project on the national level was upscale siding replacement, recouping 88 percent of costs upon resale.

Our friends over at CALFINDER agree. They say in their post Fiber Cement Siding: Why It Stands Up to Wood and Vinyl that

"home improvement projects are not all created equal. Some garner a higher return on your investment. Installing fiber cement siding is one such project. According to Remodeling Magazine, an average of 88.1% of the cost of installing fiber cement siding can be recouped after resale. The magazine’s 2007 Cost Vs. Value Report identifies fiber cement siding replacements as the consistently highest paying midrange and upscale remodeling investment in several U.S. regions. In addition, Industry News reports that fiber cement siding demand will rise at an above average rate through 2010".

Read more about Fiber Cement Siding and request Free General Remodeling Estimates here.

The other two exterior remodels that rated high for cost recovery were wood deck additions and wood window replacements also returning more than 80 percent of costs.

Moving inside the home, according to the same report, remodeling trends tend to be the most costly upscale remodeling projects consisting of master suite additions and major kitchen remodels. Those projects can reach costs well into six digits. As it turns out, these major projects are also among the most popular.

Find Kitchen Remodeling Contractors for Design and Renovation  and receive free estimates through our friends at CALFINDER

Finding a good contractor for your remodeling project can be a dicey proposition. A friend of mine recently interviewed a contractor who got into a screaming match with his ex-wife on his cell phone while she was interviewing him. My parents hired contractors who left the state, leaving their job unfinished and with their money long gone. We've all heard the contractor horror stories before.

If only you knew who to call, to avoid getting ripped off. Well, now you do; our friends over at CALFINDER has started a network that has taken the worry out of the process. CALFINDER was developed by homeowners for homeowners.They do the screening of contractors for you as well as conduct ongoing monitoring and customer satisfaction surveys. All CALFINDER's contractors are carefully pre-screened and monitored. Here's just a few of the services you get when you partner with CALFINDER to find your next contractor;

"Before we certify a contractor we perform a variety of checks. Below are just a few of those checks:In-depth check of current license and insurance coverage   

• Personal interview with at least 10 previous clients ensuring customer satisfaction and business reliability
• Ongoing monitoring and customer satisfaction surveys
• Follow up with each homeowner we work with to ensure that our contractors are providing a great service

CALFINDER’s founders, who have a diverse background in construction, computer technology and business management, realized that planning and executing home improvement projects are incredibly time-consuming and expensive and believed they could fill a void by developing a reliable source to help local homeowners find high-quality contractors. CALFINDER was established in 2005 covering main home improvement projects including home remodeling, painting and window installation. Working with a vast network of 200 top-notch, professional contractors, CALFINDER handles more than 600 homeowner service requests per month."

We at Shakhammer think this is a great solution to taking the worry out of finding a good general contractor who is good enough to work on one of your most valuable assets- your home. Check out their home improvement and remodeling blog too for the most up-to-date information on home rejuvenation trends and remodeling projects.

I don't know whether to thank CasaSugar immensely for bringing this jewel of a website to my attention, or kick them for causing me to spend more time on this website than I really have to give today.

Vintage vacations takes vintage trailers and restores them. They keep original details while adding modern conveniences (such as bathrooms- 95% of pre-1960 trailers didn't have bathrooms). They keep the original feel without sacrificing anything. Fabulous. When I get rich, I totally know where I'll be looking to buy a trailer. Go waste some time at Vintage Vacations. You'll be glad you did.

[Photo Credit: Vintage-Vacations.com]

Create You Squidoo Lens On A Shak Subject And You Could Be Featured On Shakadoo! Once you have built your lens, submit it to the group HERE.

Laminate Flooring Guide by JonitasKalimpo

Laminate Flooring, Make a Dream Home

Unlike hardwood, laminate floors will not stain, fade, dent and are far more scratch and water resistant. Warranties range from 10 years to lifetime and cover such factors as mentioned above. Entry level laminate wood flooring is designed for light traffic areas and come with warranties ranging from 10 to 15 years. Most people set their expectations too high and expect that entry level floors will perform under heavy traffic conditions and still look good for the duration of the warranty. This is however not the case, as an entry level floor subject to high traffic will start to show wear and tear within three to five years.

We hope this guide will help to understand better what laminate flooring is and how can improve your home, ALOT!

Everything You Need To Know on Laminate Flooring

Laminate Flooring mimics the look of traditional woods while offering easy installation and lasting durability. At first glance, it can be difficult to spot the difference between hardwoods and laminate flooring. What appears to be a natural wood grain pattern is really a thin layer of decor paper (a photographic image) under a tough-as-nails protective film that is glued and pressed to a high-density backing board. Laminate Flooring comes in an array of wood effects as well as stone and ceramic effects.

Laminate floorings main advantages are that it is easy to install, is very hardwearing and relatively inexpensive compared to real hardwood flooring.

Laminate flooring is a floating floor, which means it does not fasten directly to the sub-floor. Instead the planks are clicked together. This enables the floor to be fitted fast and with no real mess.

Most laminate floors today fit together with a click system with the most common being the UNICLIC system as used by Quick-Step. This is extremely easy and fast to fit. The ingenious UNICLIC-system has a special shape of tongue and groove. You simply place the tongue of one plank into the grove of another at an angle and press down. Their sophisticated and very accurate milled shape makes it possible to create a very tight connection during the installation. The floor can be walked on straight away.

If you are laying laminate flooring over a concrete sub-floor then you will fist need to lay down a damp proof membrane (DPM). This is basically a sheet of plastic usually around 5mm which helps protect the Laminate from moisture. On top of this goes the foam underlay this acts as sound absorption and also helps even out minor irregularities in the sub-floor.

Most manufactories now offer a combined DPM and underlay along with several underlay's that have better sound absorbing qualities
Most of the leading laminate floor manufactories now also have ranges of flooring that also include built in underlay. This underlay is pre-fitted to the bottom of the flooring and is usually of sound absorbing quality. You do not need to install this type of floor a secondary but if you are laying over a concrete sub-floor you still have to lay down a D.P.M. (Damp Proof Membrane) first.

Laminate flooring has been around in Europe for around 15 years and has seen massive growth in the past few years read the rest....... 

To learn everything you ever wanted to know about laminate flooring, visit the entire lens by clicking: Laminate Flooring Guide

I found something that is invaluable or at least to me it would be. When you are in need of contractor all you have to do is head on over to ConstructionDeal.com Contractor Directory...

"The Contractor Directory acts as a yellow pages book or a phone book where homeowners and business owners can look up contractors in their area, review their listing and company details, and call them directly."

I can not tell you how many times I would like something around my house done but have no idea who to call. Problem solved!

If you're doing a retro-themed kitchen remodel, don't forget the accouterments! A friend sent me a link to this super cool set at Punk Rock Padding that would go perfectly with the retro-themed kitchen.

[Photo credit: Punk Rock Padding]

I don't know about you but I love to redecorate over and over again.  I drive my husband crazy since he is the one paying the bills. My friend is in real estate and for years I would make her take me through homes on the market just to get ideas for my home. She has become way too busy for this, so I now rely on the  internet for decorating tips. I found a  great website called Get Decorating.com that is a site with thousands of photos of homes to look at. They have photos for every room in the house and then some. They also allow you to tour homes. I feel like a kid in a candy store every time I log on. Hope you enjoy!

How would you like to change the look of your whole kitchen at a very minimal cost? Well, that is exactly what I just did. I decided that I wanted a new look for my home and changing the color of my kitchen cabinets would give me the look that I wanted. I had very light blond wood cabinets to start with and after a terrific paint job, I now have ivory cabinets with a chocolate glaze. I can now bring in darker, richer accents in to decorate.  This process took a little longer than a weekend and cost only $2,500. Not a bad deal for a new kitchen and seems to be quite popular these days! I did some research and found a website called DIY Networks (do it yourself projects). The first article that was on the site refers to painting your kitchen cabinets......

Q: I want to give my kitchen cabinets a new look. They're wood-stained cabinets. Is it possible to paint them?

A: (Sharon Hanby-Robie, Ask DIY remodeling expert) ) Absolutely! It's a project that requires you to take enough time and not rush, but the results will be worth the effort.

The article goes on to give a step by step accounting of everything involved. I was always told that painting over wood stain was a no no, but with all of the products out there it is possible with beautiful results.

Take a look at the after effect that added richness and subtly changed the look of my cabinets.

Dear Big Chill,

I have lusted after many an appliance in my lifetime. I mean, Dysons are the most fab vacuum cleaner ever made, and I'd just love to have a nifty new front loading washing machine. However, I have never in my life experienced such lust as I have for your refrigerators and stoves.

Unfortunately, I'm a little cash strapped at this time. I don't suppose you would consider sending me some samples so I can review them for the blog? Our readers, I'm sure, would totally appreciate knowing if the appliances work as awesomely as they look.

What, you don't want to send over $7000 worth of stuff (including delivery, since I'll need it delivered, natch) to me? Especially since you were already mentioned on that juggernaut blog CasaSugar just today? Well, I understand. But I'll be right here if you ever change your mind and decide you want to be reviewed by the coolest blogger on the internet. No, not Brittney Gilbert, me. I want to review you.

Very Truly Yours,

BadBadIvy

The bloggers over at Design Self found this really cool tool that allows you to design your floorplan online for free.......

"It’s a great web based flash application that allows you to draft out a floor plan. You can sign up for free and start playing with it immediately."

Don't panic if you find Floor Planner is all in another language. You might need to go into preferences and change the language to "Engels".  Have fun rearranging, after all.....free is good!

We've touched upon some of the ugly aspect of parts of our home when we first purchased it, but we haven't explored the very ugliest part yet--our kitchen.

The floor was bargain basement linoleum, the counter was pink with gold sparkles and gold stars, (really)
And the appliances were almost as bad. The lovely brown stove next to a harvest gold refrigerator that coordinated beautifully with the pink sink that featured a rusty, broken corner. OMG! We're talking gouge-out-your-eyes ugly.

We actually had enough self control to wait a few weeks before doing any appliance shopping, believe it or not. We browsed a couple of times, but were turned off by the aggressive salespeople for a while. At one national department store we were descended upon by so many salespeople it was like mosquitoes at a campout. At a nationwide chain-type electronics store that also sells appliances, we were greeted by a pimply high-school kid who knew less about appliances than we did, but he sure was eager to sell us an extended warranty!

Eventually, we ended up at our locally owned, high-end (read- expensive) appliance store, Idler's. We nearly ran screaming from the store when we caught sight of the $10,000 oven/ cooktop combos in the front windows, but as we looked around, we realized that their prices on the stuff in our price range really were pretty fair.

Back in the left rear corner we noticed a hallway that a couple of salesperson/customer groups had slipped into and then sneaked out of. I asked our salesman what they were hiding back there. Turns out it was their damaged items area. Now we're talking!

We looked and looked, and actually found some things that were interesting and workable. For instance, there was a nice big, side-by-side refrigerator in black. The freezer door had a good sized dent in it, however. We asked about a replacement panel but the manufacturer only sold complete doors for about $700.00 each, making it more expensive than an undamaged refrigerator.

My ever-thinking spouse had a solution though, "What if we glued a cork bulletin board over the dent, you know, for our boy's drawings and things?" What a great idea! Cha-ching! $1450.00 refrigerator with a full warranty- $700.00! Done deal.

The next thing we found was the dishwasher. Almost top of the line, black, with every feature imaginable, but there was a tiny scratch in the plastic controls console and a small white smudge
on the bottom corner. I could live with the tiny scratch, you really had to look hard to see it, and I knew the smudge would polish off. Cha-ching! $850.00 dishwasher with a full warranty- $300.00! Done deal.

Next was the stove. We looked and looked, but we couldn't find anything in the super- secret damaged- goods back room that suited our needs. We really needed a freestanding stove, not a cooktop and separate oven. Black and/or stainless, with a solid grill on top, not four individual grills, and a convection oven. With the help of our knowledgeable, and decidedly unpushy salesman, we found just the one.

Everything we asked for, in stainless and black. $1500.00. Hyperventilate. We'd bought actual working cars for that amount.

Certainly not a deal like the blemished room, so I asked about a discount. At first he said that he really couldn't mark it down at all, it was a brand new model, blaah blaah, so we pressured him for awhile until finally he agreed to talk to the boss.

Returning with a smile, he says "The boss says it's cool if I knock off $200.00. I told him you guys were buying a lot of stuff and that you were really nice." Very small cha-ching. $1500.00 stove, $1300.00. But a cha-ching nonetheless.

All in all, a great shopping experience. Our salesman had been selling appliances for 9 years and he knew everything about them. He never pressured us at all, offered extended warranties but recommended that we not buy it for the stove because he said that, "nothing ever fails on that one and their parts are cheap anyway."

So while you're window shopping at your local appliance store, don't forget to check out the blemished goods section. You might get lucky and score like we did--there's nothing like a great deal to stretch those home improvement dollars.

Bamboo floors are becoming all the rage and to tell the truth, I'm right in there with the rest of the fanatics. This might just be our next big home improvement project.

It's gorgeous, durable, and can be much less expensive than traditional hardwood floors. Plus, it's cheaper than those hideous composite floor systems. Lots of different colors, patterns, finishes, and installation methods are available--virtually anything you might want or need.

With prices as low as $2.00 a square foot on Ebay, bamboo's popularity is growing nearly as fast as the quickly renewed resource grows in the real world. You can install it as a floating floor, nailed down, or glued as your situation demands, and it's available in colors that run the gamut from the lightest blonde to a striking black.

Solid bamboo flooring is durable enough to be sanded and refinished 3 or 4 times. It's a bit harder than White Oak and slightly softer than Maple, but grows to maturity in 6 years, compared to 20-30 years for traditional hardwoods; so it's a much Greener option.

As long as we're doing something beautiful for our home, why not have it be eco-friendly and inexpensive as well? Sometimes, you can have your cake and eat it, too.

Many of us, particularly city-dwellers, suffer from what non-authorities call the “small master bathroom syndrome.”  The one major symptom of this malady is the prevalence of traffic jams both on the highway known as the hallway leading to the bathroom of your home and in the bathroom itself. What can you do about cabinets so packed nothing can be added or extracted and toiletries that seem to reproduce overnight on your crowded shelves? Well, read on, whether you believe in organization or not.

According to a survey conducted by Moen (you know, those interesting faucet people) more than half the master bathrooms are less than 75 square feet, forcing most homeowners to make do with very limited space. Yet Tim Bitterman, products manager of the Inspirations by Moen line of bath accessories, insists there are effective ways to reduce congestion in this crowded room. He says, “Careful design, dedicated space for each individual and a willingness to compromise can make even the smallest room feel more spacious.”

Never Underestimate the Power of Organization

While all living things need love, small spaces scream for organization.  A small space can only be made to look smaller if it is crammed with too many toiletries, cleaning products and small appliances like hair dryers and such.  According once again to Mr. Bitterman, “it’s all about creating more room and carving out your own space.”  Clear the sink, clean out the medicine cabinet and those things that you have been storing under the sink (it’s time for Uncle Ambrose to come out, come out wherever he is and go home where he belongs.) In short, take stock of what you own and what you use on a daily basis. Keep only that which you really need.

Stay tuned for some more bathroom thoughts and tips for creating more space.

Do YOU have any to add to the list?  Please share.

Have you ever heard of Eric Stromer? If not, no biggie because his name is not what's worth knowing as much as he is worth seeing.  According to The Home Remodelblog, Eric Stromer has contracted with AOL to feature his informative, home improvement, Do It Yourself videos. THR thinks these videos are quiet comprehensive as well as entertaining (and pleasing to the eye, I might add):

"The topics range from how to antique furniture to how to create a ceramic tile backsplash for your kitchen. You can also learn how to build a fence, picnic table or sandbox, and how to paint like a expert. These videos feature tips and tricks usually only known by professionals, and if followed carefully, can save you thousands on home improvements. Text located under the video tells you exactly what tools and materials you will need, so you can assemble them ahead of time."

Eric also offers a whole section of over 25 GMC Trade Secrets for around the home which feature quick tips from backyard safety to making your own bulletin board.  So if you're looking to get some totally free assistance with a DIY project check out some of his videos but if you just want to watch a good-looking carpenter handle a few tools then by all means check out his videos!