Someday, when the history of our Petroleum Age is written and the internal-combustion automobile is considered a quaint and rather silly conveyance on par with the oxcart, scholars will have a field day examining the myriad aspects of our vanished autocentric society.  more...

Doors can carry all kind of mystical symbolic meanings, but sometimes a door is just a door. This is one of those times. Below is a simple rundown of the basic types of residential doors and their uses.

First, some general information. A standard residential door is 6 feet 8 inches high. Most exterior doors are 1 3/4 inches thick, while most interior doors are 1 3/8 inches thick. Standard door widths range from 24 to 36 inches in 2-inch increments.  more...

"It does not matter how badly you paint," said the English writer George Moore, "so long as you don't paint badly like other people."

The same might be said for architects, whose professional success hinges on novelty just as surely as it does for artists. In order to garner even a small measure of recognition, an architect must manage to stand out from a whole sea of colleagues equally starved for attention.  more...

(This is Part 2 of a two-part series. Read Part 1, "Windows, roofs are no place to skimp on quality.")

Last time, we talked about the worst places to save money when you're remodeling. Windows, roofs and exterior finishes prevailed as lousy places to cut corners. Today we'll look at some ways you can save money without sabotaging your project for the long term.  more...