Those needing help with home-improvement projects can find solutions at the Old House New House Home Show from Feb. 10-12 at Pheasant Run Resort, 4051 E. Main St., in St. Charles.

Brent Stevens appreciates history. That's one reason he and his wife, Vicki, purchased an 1840s-era home in Constantine, Mich., in 1999.

The freebie lumberyard nail pouch isn't a standard giveaway anymore. Not that it worked very well. Two pockets for different kinds of nails became one, slipping a hammer into the waist string was a wrestling match, and then the string came loose until you knotted it and couldn't get it off. No wonder it was free.

Before you begin a remodeling project, you need estimates. Getting them requires research into materials, appliances, colors, finishes and, of course, prices. Sort out the pieces, and then comes the really hard part: finding someone to put all the pieces together.

President Barack Obama on Wednesday called on Congress to approve a $5 billion to $10 billion effort to help U.S. homeowners refinance as part of a wider package of proposals to shore up the depressed housing market.

Serene and stationary in a centerpiece or outdoor container, Oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus) appears innocent. But when set loose in a natural area, this aggressive vine quickly forms a patch of tangled stems where nothing else can live.

The winter of 2011-2012 has been pretty mild in many parts of the country, but there's still plenty of frigid weather to come. When it does, dogs and cats can get frostbite. Most susceptible are the tips of their tails and ears. Dogs with long ears, like Basset Hounds and Weimaraners, are especially at risk.

Home prices in the Chicago area fell in November for the third consecutive month, putting them back at May 2001 levels, according to a widely watched index released Tuesday.

No matter whether it's the year of the dragon, the horse, or the sheep, the philosophical principles of feng shui can add harmony to your interior design -- and even inject a new spirit of romance.

New plants can bring some spark to gardens (and help us dream of spring)

Every winter, as icy winds whip sleet around the yard, gardeners long for spring and the chance to try new things. But "new" — the most powerful word in the plant business — can be tricky.

Separate the good-as-gold advice from the misguided tips that won't go away

Sometimes it seems as if there are as many gardening books as there are dandelions in spring.

It may seem a bit premature, but if you look closely, you can see the earliest signs of spring. Depending on where you live, it may not feel like spring, but the signs are there.

Before you call a plumber to fix an old toilet, try diagnosing the problem. If that doesn't work, call a plumber. To troubleshoot the problem, go to www.fluidmaster.com , a manufacturer's website where you'll learn how to inspect your toilet and determine exactly what's wrong. The problem is usually a broken or failing part that needs to be replaced. The parts of the toilet tank -- fill valves, flappers and tank levers -- age and weaken over time. And with continued use, the gaskets, seals and connectors in the tank can deteriorate.

Karen Mena managed to get a foreclosure on her San Bernardino home rescinded. But she continues to negotiate with Bank of America over loan terms and could still lose the house.

Karen Mena managed to get a foreclosure rescinded. But she continues to negotiate with Bank of America over loan terms and could still lose the house.

Q: I have a lease that doesn't say anything about pets. My landlord wants me to agree to a new clause prohibiting pets without his consent, but I refused to sign the amended lease, because I was planning on getting a dog.

DEAR TIM: I want to start construction on a home, but just about everyone wants me to wait for months because bad weather is just around the corner. Can you build a home in the rainy season or in the middle of winter without causing problems to the structure? Does rainwater hurt all the lumber as a house is being built? --Jason S., Cut Bank, Mont.

Q: I bought a unit eight years ago as an investment property where I plan to live when I retire. At the time of the purchase, there were no rental restrictions for the unit. A recent proposal by some residents to increase the number of rentals from 5 percent to 10 percent of the building was defeated.

New data on who took the plunge and purchased a home last year shows that declining prices and mortgage interest rates made homeownership attainable for some Chicagoans who couldn't get into the market just two years earlier.

Can't get a mortgage from the bank? Have you thought about tapping mom and dad on the shoulder?

A team of attorneys, agents and analysts will try to speed up existing federal and state probes and launch new ones into the highly risky mortgage-backed securities that fell apart.

The Obama administration's new effort to investigate the causes of the nation's mortgage meltdown will focus on coordinating the often overlapping state and federal investigations and on holding accountable those whose misconduct led to the global financial crisis.