Published in the Idaho Press-Tribune November 14, 2009

Believe it or not, Thanksgiving is already less than two weeks away. Before you know it, your home will be filled with family for our annual holiday season. Is your home prepared for the festivities?

Even I would have to doubt the ability to get much done now before Thanksgiving, you might have missed that boat! But never fear if you are...read more

Published in the Idaho Press-Tribune October 31, 2009

It is the last week of October, and I have officially called an end to my exterior painting for the season. First, I don't like playing the weather game, it is stressful to me and wreaks havoc with a schedule. But second, I feel I have been doing this a long time, and I have paid my dues and don't want to work in the cold! The extreme...read more

Printed in the Idaho Press-Tribune October 10, 2009

To most people, the crisp days of fall means their outside home improvement projects must end. If you wanted to paint your exterior, and it still hasn't happened, it is not necessarily too late.

In today's world of advanced latex paints (latex meaning water based) a natural step for the demanding consumer is low temperature paint. Just...read more

I have been amiss at posting my published columns from the Idaho Press-Tribune for those of you who do not receive the printed paper. Please be patient as I try to catch up

Printed in the Idaho Press-Tribune September 12, 2009:

As Labor Day passes, the unofficial end to our summer activities, and all the little kiddies head back to school, we realize we are running out of time for our outdoor...read more

Published in the Idaho Press-Tribune August 29, 2009

Exterior paint color is always a touchy subject for a painting contractor. Some contractors have no eye for color whatsoever, they are there only to do the job. Others might have an opinion, but it really doesn't matter to them one way or the other. Then there are those like me (at least I think there are others out there like me!) who have...read more

Published in the Idaho Press-Tribune August 15, 2009

For professionals, do-it-yourselfer's, and amateur artists, HGTV (Home and Garden Television) is what ESPN is to armchair quarterbacks or jocks, The History Channel is to Professors or buffs, or The Food Network is to potential Chefs. It is the first channel you check when the TV comes on, and most of us know the programming by heart.

Well...read more

Every time I write a column on deck maintenance I get a huge response, so I had to write more about my experience with the newest thing in deck care, latex stains. As I have mentioned in the past, I first used latex deck stain on my sister Jacque's deck several years ago. I had stumbled on the product by accident, and was very skeptical about how well it would hold up

As my guinea pig, my sister...read more

Published in the Idaho Press-Tribune June 20, 2009.

Believe it or not, there are people all over the world whose job is to figure out what colors are going to be popular in the future. From clothes to electronics to paint, these groups study the trends and try to be ahead of the curve. They use a variety of factors to determine what will be the new rage in color and style.

In most cases, architectural...read more

Published in the Idaho Press-Tribune June 6, 2009

This time of year, many of you will make the decision to have your home exterior painted. Unfortunately, this is one of the more expensive maintenance items required for homeowners. So if you are industrious enough to be contemplating doing it yourself, I have some helpful information for you.

First and most importantly, plan to rent an airless...read more

Published in the Idaho Press-Tribune May 9, 2009

Today I want to talk about the exterior color design of your home. In a nutshell, this means what part of your home is painted in what color, as body color or trim color. For most of you, your home was already painted a certain way when you bought it. There was no decision for you to make as far as what color paint goes where. You accept the way...read more

Published in the Idaho Press-Tribune April 25, 2009

A couple of weeks ago, I talked to you about cleaning your wood deck to strip all the old gray wood, dirt and debris off. I use Super Deck from the Kwal Paint store in Nampa for this. They have a great line of products for your decking and fencing.

Now that you have cleaned and allowed your deck to dry thoroughly, I am going to talk about a...read more

Published in the Idaho Press-Tribune April 11, 2009

As we are now moving into our warmer season, even if a little windy, one of the things on your list of spring projects might be your deck. Whenever I write about decks, I get an overwhelming response, so I know that this is a problem many of you have lurking in the backyard, nagging at you.

People are so excited when they first build that beautiful...read more

The first column I wrote five years ago for the Press-Tribune. Do you think much has changed? Let me know!

July 19, 2004

WOMEN IN CONSTRUCTION:

As a female contractor, I have spent most of my adult life 'bucking' the system. In the 80's, the men I dealt with didn't know what to think of me. Those I had to compete with thought it was a joke, suppliers never took me seriously, and...read more

March 15, 2009, Idaho Press-Tribune

It is the middle of March already, and even though we just had a snowstorm here in the valley, the warm weather is creeping up on us. Many of you are eagerly anticipating your outdoor activities, including yard and home improvement projects. If you are the ambitious type, planning to do it all yourself, I recommend starting early. It is still way too iffy, weather...read more