Create a Home Office for the New Year

Since so many people are out of work, indeed, some have stopped looking, it might be time to start a home-based business. Or are you looking to do something a little extra to pull in some extra cash? Either way, you can remodel a garage into a home office.

I know of whence I speak, because I did just that myself a few years ago. I decided to shift into freelance writing full-time. It has been so good to me that last year I decided to empower others to do the same thing.

Write Articles for Extra Income

I already had one healthy money-making site, I Can Fix Up My Home, and I set up another, The Green Frugal to capture another niche market. If you can write and have a level of expertise in either home improvement/woodworking or green/money-saving topics, contact me at admin@icanfixupmyhome.com or admin@the-green-frugal.com.

The revenue model is simple; you use your own Google Adsense or Chitika code on your articles and keep all the income it generates. Unlike other sites, you don't share any of that revenue with the site. Ka-ching!

You Need a Home Office

But back to your home office. First, it offers tax advantages since a portion of your taxes are deductible. Secondly, you really do need a separate space. This will help you to psychologically shift into work mode and get away from distractions.

Yes, you will spend some money setting up your workspace. But again, business tax deductions are wonderful things. Don't skimp on a comfortable chair. Be sure you plan carefully when adding light to your home office.

The bottom line? Be sure you create a comfortable space — you'll be spending a spending a lot of time in there.

Protect Yourself When Hiring a Contractor

While operating a small home remodeling company, I can't tell you how many times I've been called, submitted a bid, got turned down, and then got called back to fix the mess that the "low bid guy" left behind.

It's not just me; it's all too common. Ask any legitimate tailgate carpenter or handyman. It is natural that people will seek out a bargain (just look at the whole Black Friday thing), but there are times in life when you should not be cutting corners.

Are you considering a home improvement project? Take some advice here from a pro. Learn how to find and evaluate contractor bids.

We have a huge problem here in my area with two "problem children" home improvement contractors. First, the illegal alien community who can wield a hammer, but you don't want him installing crown molding in your living room.

The second problem child is the "storm chaser" types. This is hurricane territory so when a calamity happens, there is a LOT of work needing to be done. These guys roam the gulf states picking up the pieces.

I'm not saying they are all bad craftsmen because they are not. There are some superb journeymen (or women) out there. The problems are that they don't have an anchor company that can honor a warrantee and if something goes wrong down the road, you're hosed.

Just saying, beware and protect yourself.

Maintain and Clean Vinyl and Aluminum Siding

This is always a good time of year to maintain and clean vinyl siding. Well, for most of us anyway. It's too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter.

Vinyl and aluminum are popular siding replacements for traditional wood siding like shiplap and paneling style. Wood, unfortunately is susceptible to pests such as termites, and weather conditions, such as frost, rain, and high winds.

Aluminum and vinyl should be cleaned on a yearly basis at the minimum, and more often under extreme conditions. The good news is that it rarely needs painting, although it can be done.

The two best methods of cleaning this durable material is pressure washing and brushing. Sometimes one method will be sufficient; other times, a combination of the two is the best choice.

Expand Your Woodshop with a Router Table

When most DIY folks think of the one indispensable power tool in the shop, it's (surprise, surprise) the tablesaw. True enough, but a close second is the router table.

In fact, once you get one, you'll be surprised and wonder how you got along without it. The problem is that it can take up valuable space in smaller shops. I solved this problem by building one with a small footprint.

Want to build one yourself? I've posted my compact router table plans, complete with pictures, for your convenience.

This is easily a one day project, and better still, it won't set you back that much cash. Especially compared to how much a prefab one costs. I bought the actual tabletop from Rockler Woodworking and Hardware.

Can you build this component yourself as well? Sure, but I wouldn't recommend it. For the money you would spend and the amount of work that would go into it, it's better to buy one that's as well-built and affordable as this one is.

Besides, you would still need to buy the fence, mounting plate, etc. Interested in some more projects? here are a few:
Build a Recessed Medicine Cabinet
Build a New Headboard
Make a PVC Flagpole

Recipe Ideas for Thanksgiving and Christmas Dinner

Yes, once again the holiday season has snuck up on us. Either time is speeding up, the universe is expanding more rapidly, or (shudder), I'm getting older. You decide.

Anyway, that means food and merriment and lots of it! I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that I like all kinds of chow in addition to the traditional turkey, ham, and potato salad. I thought that I would share some of my favorite recipes with you.

So yes, you might not think of some of my choices here as "regular" holiday fare, but sometimes it pays to be a bit adventurous. And anyway, they are "regular" somewhere.

I strongly encourage you to step out of the box here and give some of these a try:

• Spicy Baked Habanero Chicken 
• Organic Apple Sauce 
• Johnny Mazetti (A Panama Canal Zone Favorite) 
• Whole Wheat High-Fiber Pizza Crust 
• Hummus-Inspired Spinach Dip 
• Low Sodium Chunky Salsa 
• Panamanian-Style Beef Empanadas

Great Interior Decorating Ideas

The truth of the matter is that I'm a hammer and nail/nuts and bolts kind of guy. The fashion side of thing is really out of my league; unless I'm designing a new woodworking project.

Interior Decorators Provide Good Advice

Needless to say, this was reflected in the articles I posted on my home improvement site for the first few years of its life. That all changed early last year when couple interior decorators started contributing articles.

I created a subsection on the "Interior" topic page. Now it's loaded with high-quality content. The range of topics is quite varied, from decorating children's rooms by creating superhero wall hangings to using paint illusions to enlarge a room.

Save Money in a Down Economy

We're all fairly strapped for cash today. People that still have jobs worry about conserving capital "just in case". Job lay-offs don't show any signs of slowing down any time soon.

Frankly, I don't think any of this has any chance of improving much until we off-load the current administration during the next election cycle. I'm not trying to be partisan here.

No, it's just that all the wrong fiscal decisions are being made. Here in Houston there are a lot of energy-related companies as well as one of the largest ports in the country.

Nobody is going to ramp up hiring much with the uncertainty about the tax situation. And with all the new EPA regulations, industry is not going to expand. It can't.

With that in mind, most of the information in these articles doesn't call for a huge outlay of cash; very green and frugal actually. Really, you don't even have to have much experience, the instructions are so to-the-point.

You can locate all this great content on the interior DIY projects page. Just scroll down about halfway to the Interior Decorating subsection. If the info helps you, please leave some feedback in this blog's comment section.

Top Hot Water Heater Maintenance and Repair Tips

If you live in an area with hard water and don't use a water softener, chances are good that your water heater will slowly build up a "honeycomb" of mineral deposits, robbing you of internal tank volume.

Other issues can plague you as well - electrical problems, heating elements gone bad, and more. To find out how you can protect your investment, go here to read up on the best water heater repair tips.

Most of these maintenance and repair tasks you can do yourself. The only time when you might need to call in specialists is when you need a licensed service, like permitted electrical repairs or natural gas service.

Now that we are going through a seasonal change, it is prime time for going through your maintenance checklist. Go for it.

Related Information:

• Active and Passive Solar Water Heaters 
• A Home Energy Efficiency Checklist 
• Benefits of the Tankless Water Heater