Spaces for Life: How to Prepare Your Home for the Holidays
By Lance McCarthy The holidays make for some really great movie scenes. Remember Owen Wilson’s flaming gazebo in Meet the Parents? Or Chevy Chase’s crazy squirrel in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation? It can be a stressful time to be a house. All those visitors and merriments have a way of causing trouble for the home.
Spaces For Life: Spring is coming, can you smell the flowers?
By Lance McCarthy This week even feels like Spring so I am ready to start thinking about it. I figure if Target can play Christmas music after Halloween, then I certainly get to celebrate Spring a month early. Punxsutawney Phil the groundhog didn’t see his shadow this year, so I think I’m pretty safe. I
Spaces for Life: Communication tips to help you survive a remodeling project
By Lance McCarthy I just finished a really good marriage book by John Gottman called The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work. Excellent read, and I learned a lot that I hope will make me a better husband. (You’ll have to ask my wife if it is actually working). As I was reading, it occurred
Spaces for Life: Foundation Repairs that Don’t Work Part I
By Lance McCarthy Last week I promised some answers about fixing foundation problems. Well…I’m back with those answers. We were talking about failed fixes that many foundation repair companies use, and why they usually don’t work–because they are usually trying to fix a symptom instead of fixing the actual problem. This reminds me of an
Spaces for Life: Foundation repairs that work
By Lance McCarthy Last week I promised some answers about fixing foundation problems. Well…I’m back with those answers. We were talking about failed fixes that many foundation repair companies use, and why they usually don’t work–because they are usually trying to fix a symptom instead of fixing the actual problem. This reminds me of an
Spaces for Life: Prairie Village Bathroom
By Lance McCarthy There are many ways to work with a contractor that are swirling around out there in Constructionland. I thought it might be helpful to give a brief overview of those different methods. As with chess pieces or Marvel Superheroes, there are strengths and weaknesses to each type. In case you were wondering,
Spaces for Life: Ways to work with a contractor
By Lance McCarthy There are many ways to work with a contractor that are swirling around out there in Constructionland. I thought it might be helpful to give a brief overview of those different methods. As with chess pieces or Marvel Superheroes, there are strengths and weaknesses to each type. In case you were wondering,
Spaces for Life: The Secret to a successful construction project
By Lance McCarthy My 6-year-old has been honing his comedy skills, and discovered the impatient cow joke. You know this one? ***Spoiler alert*** I’m telling the joke now… “Knock Knock” “Who’s there?” “Impatient Cow” “Impatient C–” (before the other person can say “who”) “MOO!” I consider myself a humor connisseur, and this is still
Spaces for Life: Top 10 DIY hom projects
By Lance McCarthy Home Depot’s commercial always says, “Let’s do this!” over some really awesome music, and let’s face it. Those ads aren’t for me, they are for you. The goal is to get homeowners to come to their store and buy stuff. Buy stuff, then do stuff. So what’s my problem? They
Spaces for Life: The Chimney
By Lance McCarthy Do you find your house mysterious and perplexing? I have decided to bravely serve as tour guide to the home. Each month I will dedicate one of my columns to illuminating some part of the house that most people might not know much about. This week’s topic: So what do the Big