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On the Level with Bob Vila - Latest Entries:

• USGBC Announces Natural Talent Design Finalists

  The USGBC recently announced its four finalists for the Natural Talent Design Competition, a competition pitting students and emerging professionals against one another to determine the best sustainable design to be applied to the New Orleans rebuilding efforts. The finalist designs were chosen for their "small, affordable, ADA-compliant, LEED Platinum homes" qualities, which are not only green but should also save a homeowner money over the life-cycle of each home. Take a peek at the ...

• An End to Bird-Window Collisions?

  I just moved into a new apartment with floor-to-ceiling windows that afford great views of Boston. However, as much as I love this feature of my new place, I'm dreading the day when some unsuspecting bird plows into the glass and drops eight stories to the ground. Since birds can't see glass, the lives of our avian friends is often the price of having big windows. But thanks to German design company Arnold Glas, that may not be the case much longer. Since 2006, Arnold Glas has manufactured ...

• Are You Ready for Hurricane Earl?

  Hurricane Earl is blasting its way up the East Coast, with Tropical Storm Fiona hot on its heels. If you live in Earl's path, you should be prepared for the possibility of torrential rain, flooding, and dangerous winds in the next few days. Make sure your disaster kit is complete with enough food, water, and medication to last for at least three days. Watch this video to find out how to board up your windows if you don't have impact-resistant glass. Follow this checklist to make sure you've ...

• Mandatory Sprinkler Systems Drive Up New Home Costs

  As more states vote to adopt the 2009 International Residential Code changes that mandate sprinkler systems in all new one- and two-family homes, builders worry that the additional cost could scare off potential new homebuyers. According to this recent article in Builderonline.com, some builders in Pennsylvania--the latest state to adopt the changes--see the decision as a "loss for the housing consumers in Pennsylvania." The decision to install a sprinkler system should lay with the ...

• Green Toad Debuts Biodegradable Paint System

  It's not so much the fact that every part of the Green Toad paint system--including the plastic parts, handle, brush heads, bristles and internal parts--is biodegradable and compostable. No, that's very cool, for sure, but that's not what turns my head. With a toy-gun grip handle and a quick release button for easy attachment switching, the Green Toad paint system is claiming ergonomic superiority over the traditional paint brush and roller. Designed to reduce hand and wrist strain, ...

• Should We Stop Building New Homes?

  The word in new home construction, according to Martin Holladay of the Green Building Advisor is that energy consumption matters more than any other "green" consideration, including energy efficiency, indoor air quality, and those other factors that make a home green. You can make a home as efficient as you want--tight windows, great insulation, and so on--but if you're building big, the house is going to consume more energy. In other words, big homes are not "green." Holladay takes a ...

• Recall of Television Wall Mount Due to Injury Hazard

  The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recently announced the recall of over 130,000 television wall mounts by Milestone AV Technologies. The wall mounts have elbow joint components that don't fit together properly, which can send a mounted television toppling onto a consumer. The two models recalled are the Sanus Vision Mount model LF228-B1 and the Simplicity model SLF2. Instructions for visual inspection of a suspected recalled wall mount can be found at ...

• Smog-Eating Roof | Roof Materials

  What's the best way to combat air pollution? Install smog-eating roofing tiles. SMOG-EATING Technology roof tiles--or SET Roof Tiles--do just that: eat smog. Well, not so much eat, but reduce, at any rate. Made by Boral Roofing (formerly MonierLifetile), the SET concrete Roof Tiles contain titanium dioxide--a photo catalytic agent--which breaks down polluting nitric oxide molecules in the air, improving overall air quality. The smog-eating properties of the tiles are considered ...

• Kenmore Connect Lets Appliances Do the Talking

  What do you do when the washing machine quits? Make a service call, try to describe the problem, fall short on technical vocab and end the call in frustration. Sound familiar? Well, not anymore. Kenmore recently announced a new bit of technology in their appliances called Kenmore Connect. When something goes wrong with the appliance, simply call the the 800 number and hold the phone up to the appliance. The appliance will do the talking--albeit through a series of beeps and robotic ...

• Back to School Decorating

  I've lived in dorms or on-campus apartments for the past three years, and I'm gearing up to start my fourth year next week. As someone who knows exactly what bathtub I'm going to put in my tastefully decorated historic home someday, I haven't always been satisfied with the range of décor options available in the sort of buildings that universities often house their students in: lots of tiny, boxy rooms with white walls. My off-campus friends have similar problems in terms of non-descript ...

• Beware The Bedbugs -- And Their Cures

  If you have bedbugs in your house, you might be desperate to get rid of them by any means possible. But be careful - the cure for bedbugs is sometimes more harmful than the little pests themselves. The EPA issued a report last week cautioning homeowners against a recent spate of pesticides that make unrealistic promises about their effectiveness and low prices. In addition, the EPA warns against indoor use of any pesticide labeled for outdoors, as doing so can make you, your pets, and your ...

• Family Turns Backyard Pool Into Organic Garden

  What do you do with a run-down, unused, in-ground, backyard pool? Turn it into an organic garden, of course. That's what Dennis and Danielle McClung did with their Mesa, Arizona home in 2009. Rather than spending thousands on fixing and maintaining the pool or filling it with dirt, the family created an urban greenhouse, which yields fresh eggs, tilapia fish, organic fruits and veggies and herbs. This is no ordinary backyard greenhouse. In addition to organic gardening, the greenhouse ...

• Popular Real Estate App Gets a Highlight | Real Estate

  The new "Area Highlighter" feature on the Real Estate Search iPhone app makes it that much more fun to search for real estate by location. By free-style drawing with your fingers on a map, you can highlight the specific area where you'd like to check out real estate. Got a neighborhood in mind? Zip your fingers around to set the area where you want to search and then browse through the properties therein. Compliments of Move, Inc., the new Area Highlighter feature is just one more feather in ...

• Sliding Door Track Hardware Moves Into 21st Century

  Although not a new product, advances in track technology have made the inclusion of sliding and pocket doors a reality for bigger application. Shown here is a sliding door scenario featuring Johnson Hardware's Multi-pass Hardware, capable of multiple 300-plus pound wall panels. It's a great way to allow for both the open, flowing design and privacy options with ease of operation. Anyone who has every operated a sliding or pocket door knows that the track hardware makes or breaks the ...

• Maytag Unveils Energy Efficient Four-Door Refrigerator | Kitchen Appliances

  Maytag® revealed its latest French door refrigerator, the Ice20® Easy Access. This two-door, two-drawer beauty has a full extension external drawer that can hold up to five bags of groceries. By limiting the number of open components (when either loading up or removing items) this design is intended to save on energy consumption. It does make some sense. Why open half the refrigerator when what you need is in one drawer? It does require, however, that everyone in the house knows exactly ...

Press Releases/News - Dewalt, Carhartt, Wenger:

DeWalt

• April, 23 2006 - Kenseth Regains Points Lead With Strong Run In The Desert
• February 21, 2006 - DEWALT Introduces Self-Leveling Exterior Rotary Laser
• January 21, 2006 - DEWALT Launches New Line Of Accessories
• January 18, 2006 - DEWALT Unveils Heavy-Duty SDS MAX Combination Hammer
• January 15, 2006 - DEWALT Offers Framer Combo Kits