Dining-room addition has 'living' floor

OWYHEE COUNTY, Idaho - When she added on to her home, Jeri Rutherford found a way to go green - literally.

Home and garden calendar

Oct. 5

Putting bulbs to test

Compact fluorescent bulbs, say the folks at Consumer Reports, can save energy and money, and new versions provide nice, bright white light.

Measure, do math before buying garden mulch

A layer of mulch over the soil does plants no end of good. It insulates, keeping the temperature more steady and protecting roots from cold snaps and hot spells. It keeps soil moisture from evaporating so you don't have to water as often. It shades out weed seeds so they don't get enough light to sprout. In a ring around a tree trunk, mulch keeps bark-chewing string trimmers and lawnmowers at a safe distance. And if it's an organic mulch - anything that once was a plant - it breaks down to feed microorganisms that in turn nurture plants and make soil a better home for roots. Here are some things to think about when you are shopping for mulch.

Web site can help homeowners figure energy savings

Question: Our family room always feels drafty no matter what season it is. A few of my neighbors said it sounds like it's time to replace the windows. Anything else we should check first before making this big expenditure?

New art from old windows

FRESNO, Calif. - When Sandi Ollenberger moved into her home four years ago, the view from the kitchen window was of a 6-foot wooden fence.

Garden inside dog run stays safe from wildlife

BOISE, Idaho - Bodie Stout was tired of going to the trouble of raising a garden only to have freeloaders show up at harvest time and eat most of the produce. From raccoons and rabbits to deer and skunks, she had them all.

Good ways to get garden ready for winter

For plant lovers, autumn's arrival heralds the opening of a critical window of time in which they can prepare their gardens for the coming winter and set the stage for the spring bloom.

Inexpensive ways to spruce up a rental

There's not a lot to love about many apartments: featureless white rooms with flimsy molding, boring flooring and workmanlike blinds or drapes. In its September issue, Domino picks the brain of fashion consultant and longtime apartment dweller Michael Berkowitz for tips on how to spiff up rented quarters. His ideas:

Washing windows lets autumn light shine in

You don't do windows? Well, maybe you should start. With the price of energy skyrocketing and the days getting shorter, the more natural light you can bring indoors the better.