In the grand scheme of a home, the faucets and sinks may not seem to be a big deal. But they can make a big impact. Simply swapping out the old for new is a surefire way to enliven a bathroom or change its look and feel. The days of being limited to chrome faucets and porcelain sinks are far gone, as finishing and style options are numerous.
“If there’s a look you want, you can find it,” says Linda Bozzuto, showroom specialist at Reno’s Savage & Son.

If you’re tired of your landscaping, it needs some pizzazz, or you want to increase its water efficiency, you have several affordable options. Here’s a look at the Top 10.

At the end of a stressful day, coming home to a beautiful outdoor environment can reduce your anxiety and calm you. The time, money, and effort you put into creating and maintaining a lovely landscape is an investment in your property, as well as your family’s well being. Whether you are starting with bare dirt, redesigning an outdated yard, or simply wish to properly maintain your current landscape, hiring a professional landscape company to help is a major investment and one for which you should be prepared.

Whether you’re looking to sell your home or simply keep your equity increasing at the pace of the market, upgrades are all but mandatory. But not just any improvements will maintain or increase your home’s appeal. “A pool or hot tub is not a recommended upgrade,” says Dee Dee Remaklus, broker with Reno-based Buyer Agents Remaklus Realty. “Something that requires added maintenance may actually make your home less appealing.” An overall guideline: Know that buyers are looking for turnkey houses—ones that are finished and don’t require improvements or repairs.

To change the look of your kitchen cabinets without replacing them, consider having them refinished.

“If you’re happy with the style of door you have, it’s a good way to spruce them up,” says Mary Ann Vincent, who, with her husband, Richard Vincent, owns The Finish Line, a 23-year-old, furniture repair and refinishing company.

Kevin and Maureen DePaoli revel in the sun-splashed views of the Sierra and Peavine Mountain, just a stone’s throw from their new custom-built home in Verdi.
But just as precious to them is the view when all is dark. “Standing in the courtyard under the moon and all the stars—it’s unbelievable,” Maureen says.

Capped fixtures keep light from going skyward. Photo by Gary Weinheimer

Unfortunately, the DePaolis are among a shrinking minority in the United States. Two-thirds of the U.S. population can no longer see the Milky Way from their homes, according to a worldwide study by astronomers at the University of Italy, Padova, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Boulder, Colorado. And the problem will only grow worse unless something is done about light pollution.

Perhaps you haven’t given much thought to the almost-invisible substance of caulking. It doesn’t exactly scream out for attention. However, you may be surprised to learn the important role it plays in your home.

Caulking is a compound used to form a flexible seal around cracks, gaps, or joints that are roughly less than 1/4 of an inch wide. Most commonly, caulking is packaged in disposable cartridges that fit into half-barrel caulking guns, but it’s also available in aerosol cans, squeeze tubes, and ropes.

Are you in the market for a new showerhead or faucet, or a lower water bill? Maybe you just want to do your part to conserve our high desert resources. In any case, the dizzying array of choices for energy-efficient and water-saving devices can be, well, dizzying. But don’t let that dissuade you; the rewards are definitely worth the effort. Here is some basic information to get you started.

Installing low-flow showerheads and faucet aerators is the single most cost-effective way you can save water in your home. Inexpensive and simple to mount, these devices can reduce water consumption and reduce your energy cost for heating water by as much as 50 percent. They pay for themselves quickly and do a great job, too. In fact, low-flow showerheads now dominate the market.

A good set of screwdrivers is a primary component of any well-stocked toolbox. And there is a tremendous difference between a good screwdriver and a cheap one. The biggest difference is in the manufacturing process.

The basic components of all screwdrivers are the steel bar, or shank, and handle. Screwdriver shanks are drawn and formed from huge wire spools and then annealed at roughly 1,350 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 hours to achieve proper tensile strength. After the manufacturer cuts the tip and shapes the opposite end to fit a handle, the shank is again heat-treated at more than 1,500 degrees before hitting an oil quench for cooling.

Here’s where cheap screwdrivers, which often strip at the tip, miss the mark. Most commercial-grade screwdriver shanks are simply plated in nickel, inserted six at a time into handles and then shipped. Most professional-grade shanks are sent to a grinding department, where the tip is hand-ground to size. They are chemically milled and polished, flash-coated in nickel and, finally, electronically plated in chromium. The handles of most professional-grade models are attached, individually, by hand.