Articulating a vision is one of the most difficult aspects to building a home or planning a remodeling project. For those who are not interior designers or architects, Autodesk Homestyler has come to the rescue. The 3D design software is free, entirely Web-based and easier than hammering a nail.

With Autodesk Homesyler, users can create their dream home from scratch by choosing from a wide range of floor plans and more than 22,000 name-brand products from the product catalog (including Marvin Window and Doors). To kick-start inspiration, users can browse the design gallery to view and tinker with designs made by other users. There’s also a series of advice videos from professional interior designer Nadia Geller.

No more flipping through design magazines and spending hours perusing real estate websites. A mental picture isn’t good enough. Check out Autodesk Homestyler to render your dream project. It just might be the first step toward completion.

Everyone loves a clean house, but it can be so hard to achieve and maintain. Between work, family, friends, and social and volunteer activities, the last thing most people want to spend their precious free time doing is cleaning. But there’s nothing like the serenity of a perfectly clean house where everything is in its place.

Shelterpop offered up a list of cleaning tips for every room in the house. Here are our favorite tips of theirs for each room.

• Create an inbox in the entryway. This can serve as a repository for bills and other mail to take care of — no more mail strewn on the kitchen table! Don’t forget to recycle junk mail and toss unwanted credit card solicitations and the like in the shredder as soon as they arrive.
• Recycle all those magazines and newspapers in your living room. Unless you are a collector, you probably will never read old magazines. Clip or scan articles you find interesting and get rid of the rest.
• Pare down the “bag of bags” in the kitchen. Whether they are paper or plastic, trust us: there are more where they came from.
• Sleep stuff only in the bedroom. Shelterpop suggests removing “anything that doesn’t relate to your nocturnal life.” It’s a tall order, but really, what do you need in your bedroom? A bed, of course. Drawers and closets for storing clothes. A bedside table for a few  necessities. A chair or bench maybe. Keeping your bedroom clutter-free can only improve your sleeping.
• Streamline your products in the bathroom. Got through drawers and shelves and only keep the stuff that you use on a regular basis. Toss old or expired makeup, use up the lotion bottles that have just a tiny bit of lotion in them and ask your friends if they want that styling creme you bought at the salon a few months ago and only used once.

Check out Shelterpop to read the rest of their tips!

Thanksgiving Centerpiece Ideas: Poppies and Posies
Design*Sponge
If you are looking for a beautiful DIY autumn centerpiece for your Thanksgiving table, check out this step-by-step guide and prepare to wow your guests.

Consider This! A Multi-Course Plated Thanksgiving Dinner
The Kitchn
“Sure, it’s traditional to pass huge platters around the table in one merry food frenzy at Thanksgiving. And, yes, we’ll be busy enough just getting all the food prepared, so why throw in the extra step of multiple courses and plating food individually? We’ll give you two big reasons why we’re thinking about doing this.”

Thanksgiving Specials Across the U.S.
Open Table
If you’d like to be giving thanks for not having to cook, check out Open Table’s guide for where to eat on Thanksgiving Day.

101 Head Starts on the Day
New York Times
“For cooks, most Thanksgiving problems are brought about by the sheer number of dishes competing for the stove: It’s not easy to roast a turkey and sweet potatoes for 20 at the same time. The best solution is to make food in advance, like one of the dishes that follow.”

It’s Thanksgiving; We’re Doomed
City Room Blog (New York Times)
If you feel like Turkey Day might make you crazy, you’ll like these Thanksgiving stories from psychiatrists. Don’t forget to check out the numerous comments for tales of Thanksgiving disasters, which might make you give thanks for a relatively normal celebration.

Looking for a way to remodel your house and add value? You might think of adding in a family room or extra bedroom, gutting kitchen or redoing the bathroom. But surprisingly, one of the best remodeling investments you can make might already exist in your home. Yes, that’s right: You can remodel your attic and reap some big rewards.

According to Calfinder, “the attic-to-bedroom conversion ranked number two for highest return on investment” in 2009 and 2010. Attic-to-bedroom conversion recouped over 83 percent of cost — pretty impressive! Attics can be dark, drafty spaces that are hard to live in, but they might be perfect for a large master suite or could fit two new bedrooms in an existing space.

Of course, there are considerations like: Will the roof need to be raised? What about dormers? Is there a permanent staircase in existence or will you need to put one in? But if you are looking for a good use of space, considering making your attic into the bedroom of your dreams!

Image courtesy of Calfinder

The end of the Energy Tax Credit is coming soon and homeowners need to act fast to take advantage! The tax credit expires on December 31, 2010.  As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, this federal tax credit allows for energy efficient home improvements to receive a $1,500 tax credit. The tax credit is based on 30 percent of the cost of the product cost of the energy efficient product, up to $1,500. For example, a purchase price totaling $5,000 of qualifying products will receive the maximum tax credit of $1,500.

Windows and doors are a great way to use this tax credit! In addition to a great new look, new windows and doors are often made of energy efficient materials that can save money on heating and cooling bills.

Marvin Windows and Doors has numerous products that qualify for the tax credit, including our new Ultimate Casement with a unique wash mode. This beautiful yet tough window comes in a variety of styles, sizes and options to meet the needs of any home. And Marvin’s large product portfolio means that you can find any number of windows and doors to satisfy your design and energy needs.

Act fast and contact your local Marvin retailer to take advantage of this tax credit before it expires!

Remodeling and renovation are near and dear to our hearts at Marvin, so we have to give some love to This Old House for their feature on Reader Remodel Contest 2010. From all over the country, these are real people’s houses and the results are amazing! Can you believe that that this is the same house?!?!

Check out the story for some more amazing remodels and read all about what needed to be done to get there — hard work, careful planning and DIY triumphs: it’s all there.

Photos courtesy of This Old House

Shopping for a home a few years ago, my wife and I knew only vaguely what we wanted — until the real estate agent walked us up to a slightly tired-looking brick Georgian.

The place was far from trendy; in fact, it had been built back when FDR was president. There was no hot tub in the back yard, no “family recycling center,” and no skylights. But as we stepped inside on that wintry day, I closed the two-inch thick front door behind us and heard a sturdy “thunk” — like an old Mercedes. “This is the house!” I instantly whispered to my wife. “What are you talking about? We haven’t even been through it!” she responded. But I persisted. “I’m telling you, this is the house!”

And I was right. “Which doesn’t happen often.” With my wife’s enthusiastic approval, we bought the place — metal kitchen cabinets and all — the next day. Lots of people, especially real estate agents, think they can define exactly how a house should be renovated and decorated to maximize the resale value, but I think that’s all nonsense. Because when it comes down to it, the only thing that’s truly important in a house is the way it feels — solid, not tinny; a place that will stand up for the ages, rather than fall apart before the next winter. And when you’re renovating and maintaining a home of your own, it’s a lot better to let yourself be guided by that rather than trying to add a few haphazard things you think will attract future buyers.

The first challenge, whatever renovations you plan, is to hire the best contractor. Don’t just take a recommendation from someone. Instead, go out and find several candidates for the job, have them come to your home, and talk to them. And be prepared to wait because good contractors tend to be continuously busy (and if they aren’t, how good can they be?).

As for what you renovate, the choice is yours. If an enlarged family entryway with coat hooks for the kids and shelves for their shoes means more to you than a granite-topped island in the kitchen, go for it. If you’ve always dreamed of a bathroom lined with fuchsia-colored Mexican tiles, rather than the neutral shades preferred by real estate agents, who’s to stop you? Just make sure you that whatever you do, you buy the best materials you can afford, and spend the money to have them installed perfectly. Sloppiness is always offensive, but good craftsmanship — regardless of the style, taste or decor — never is.

Although I hate to think about it, I know someday when we’re older my wife and I won’t have any trouble selling our home if we have to. The new buyers will surely quibble over our color schemes and choice in carpeting. But when that front door closes, they’ll know — as I did — that the best home really is a castle.

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We recently talked about some (supposedly) passé decorating trends. According to The Nest, there are seven big mistakes you can make when decorating–even if you avoid the aforementioned trends. In no order of importance, they are:

1. The unanchored rug–nothing on top of it? Then why is it there? We’ll make exceptions for small rugs used by doorways to avoid tracking dirt in.

2. Really big furniture. If it takes up most of the room, it will look ridiculous.

3. Bad paint. It can’t be said enough–test your paint in various lights and sleep on your decision. Maybe in the morning that tangerine accent wall in the living room will seem less kicky.

4. Too much of everything. The article evokes the old Coco Chanel adage that says that before a woman leaves the house, she should take one thing off (e.g. a piece of jewelry or a scarf). The same is true for homes. If course you want it to look lived in and not empty, but too much stuff=clutter. Fast.

5. Decorating from a single era. Yes, you want your furniture to fit your home. And you don’t have to go completely crazy, but don’t be afraid to put a piece of African art in your Cape Cod, a Ligne Roset chair in your Victorian or a piece of chintz in your modern house. After all, you don’t live in a museum.

6. A BIG TV. Look, we all like the idea of a home theater. but consider your room’s proportions. Also look at the pattern of use. For a basement rec room, a very large TV might be just the thing. For a living room used for multiple purposes, such as gathering after dinner and entertaining guests, don’t let your television become the focal point.

7. Bad lighting. It’s unflattering and causes eyestrain.

Of course, this is all opinion, and in the end you should do what you are comfortable with. But the thread that runs through all these “donts” is a lack of consideration for living and for human interaction. Clutter, TV, distracting walls and bad lighting will detract from the warm human element that home should bring to mind.

What are your decorating donts?

Image courtesy of Chris Campbell on Flickr.

As the heart of the home, the kitchen is arguably the most-loved and used room in the house. When it looks outdated or the traffic flow becomes inefficient, most homeowners choose to remodel. Traditionally, the process includes pricing cabinetry, choosing the flooring and picking out the perfect appliances.

More and more homeowners, however, are looking at ways to update the kitchen and remodel in a green way. It makes sense: Not only can you choose green kitchen materials, but you also have the chance to up your home’s energy efficiency with new appliances. Cathy at Olio United chose to make green remodeling a priority in her kitchen re-do.

Here’s how it looked before and after:

Beautiful! One of the best parts is that Cathy chose to support local business. Her tile is from Portland-based Stardust Glass and she used Ecohaus and Canopy Home, also local businesses, to find sustainable materials.

If you are considering remodeling your kitchen, and want to go green, check out Green Home Guide’s Tips for Efficient Kitchen Space. There are some things you can do to make your kitchen remodel efficient, energy and otherwise:

• Think about what you really need, not what advertising tells you that you need.
• Not only do lighter-colored cabinets and counter tops make the kitchen feel spacious, they also lessen the need for more lighting, saving electricity.
• Don’t forget the windows! Daylight is a free light source, and it also helps to make the kitchen feel larger.

Happy remodeling!

Photos courtesy of Olio United.

This kitchen remodel story focuses on a 1947 2,500-square-foot midcentury modern home in Burbank, Calif. The story ran a while ago (originally in Dec. 2008), but we think others can learn from it, especially folks who like to cook and want to create more usable space while not having to take serious steps to make it happen.

One of the main goals of the remodel was to remake the dated kitchen, which was remodeled in the 1980s, into an “elegant and functional cook’s space,” as the LA Times writer, Kathy Price-Robinson wrote. Rather than totally redo the kitchen and knock down walls, the owner felt she could open up work space to feel comfortable while she cooked by making some less drastic changes.

Here are a few of the features of the remodel:

• Countertops: Given that this remodel was approached from a chef’s point of view, the lack of counter space was the first issue addressed. The owner’s first act was adding a portable granite-covered worktable that allows future owners the option of an eat-in kitchen while still giving her space to cook. Being a big baker, the owner had countertop space in mind throughout the remodel.
• Refrigerator: To create even more counter space, the owner moved the refrigerator and replaced it with custom-made base cabinets to match others in the kitchen and the upper cabinets salvaged from the refrigerator’s new location.
• Floor: The owner chose an espresso-stained, hand-hewn oak laminate, which matched new floors in the rest of the house and was coated with aluminum oxide, which makes it very durable, important considering the amount of time the owner spends in the room.
• Appliances: The owner’s prize appliance was her new $1,600 KitchenAid double oven that gives her four ways to cook: conventional, convection, steam and microwave. Why let a microwave take up extra space?

Please feel free to read about the other changes in the remodel in the LA Times piece. What was amazing was that the owner only spent around $18,000 and the finished room was a budget-minded kitchen that looks great, but most important for the owner, was functional for a chef. What are some other remodels that you’re aware of that have been remodeled with a specific person’s role or profession in mind?

Photo courtesy of the LA Times.