Louise Scoggins

Fans tout the lower building costs, saying that owners can save up to 30 percent over conventional post and beam homes. However, depending on your location and your choice of finishing, saving money on construction may not be a reality. Saving money on your insurance is likely.

When planning the space, the furniture is very important. Furniture with a lighter footprint won't suck up as much space from the floor, so choose items with lighter frames. The space around the furniture is also important - this is referred to negative space.

The latest idea of great rooms is really catching on and if a home is going to keep up with the latest and newest on the market - its living room is extinct!

How better to chase away the winter blahs than to do a bit of redecorating in the home. Being the beginning of a new year, this is the ideal time to update your interior design to the latest in color and fashion trends. Or maybe you just bought a new home and are ready to make it your own.

Whatever your homes exterior is finished with, paint, vinyl, brick, stucco or anything else, chances are that it will need a little lift sometime in it's life. Short of completely re-doing it, there are a few options for cleaning and brightening up your home's exterior.

As a homeowner you obviously want to prevent skyrocketing utility bills. Good news; you can invest in ways to improve your home's energy efficiency. But, before you go about making drastic changes to your home, you might consider an Energy Audit.