Home Renovation

House Paint: It’s NOT All the Same

February 8, 2010 by BigMama · Leave a Comment 

Meet Dale. Dale is my Paint Guy – he is the Manager of Austin’s Hill Country Paints.
When I need my paint fix, which is quite frequent, I go visit him and his co-worker John, at the store on Anderson Mill in Northwest Austin. I’ve recently realized just how interesting these visits [...]

Tax Credits for Energy Efficient Home Upgrades

February 6, 2010 by BigMama · Leave a Comment 

Ah, the joy of opening a really nice low water, electric or gas bill can *almost* off-set the nasty surprise we get when we open up a whopper bill and wonder how on earth we used THAT much of something in a given month . . . and then realize that we’re half-way through the [...]

Tax Credits for Replacing Doors and Skylights

January 28, 2010 by BigMama · Leave a Comment 

If money seems to be escaping through drafty windows, doors, and skylights, this federal tax credit might make energy-efficient replacements more affordable. Does it feel like money is escaping through your home’s drafty windows, doors, and skylights? You might be able to keep at least some of that cash in your [...]

Smoking Bacon and the Kitchen Remodel

December 30, 2009 by BigMama · 2 Comments 

It all began with a pan of smoking bacon grease.
A few weeks earlier, my soon-to-be ex had left a pan of bacon grease on a still-hot burner and in the ensuing chaos of the smoke-filled kitchen, the pan had caught on fire. The hot pan melted a part of the laminate counter near [...]

You Can Do It, Yes You Can!

December 3, 2009 by BigMama · Leave a Comment 

Meet Frank. Frank bailed me out of one of my most stressful, and ultimately, most rewarding adventures as a homeowner. My divorce-recovery therapy was ripping out parts of my home. Sometimes I was successful at putting things back together, and sometimes, well, not so much. By now, my journey from a wife whose husband [...]