Homebuilding gets increasingly expensive

September 23, 2021

LOS ANGELES — Even in the hottest U.S. housing market in more than a decade, new home construction has turned into a frustratingly uncertain and costly proposition for many homebuilders. Rising costs and shortages of building materials and labor are rippling across the homebuilding industry, which accounted for nearly 12% of all U.S. home sales in July. Construction delays are common, prompting many builders to pump the brakes on the number of new homes they put up for sale. As building a new home gets more expensive, some of those costs are passed along to buyers. Across the ...

‘Your house becomes your story’: Fall decor getting personal — in a good way

September 16, 2021

As fall nesting season returns, home decor retailers are presenting collections that reflect the idea that home is where our hearts and heads are. Our long housebound stretch may have made us restless for the outside world, but it has helped us appreciate our homes more. Even if you didn’t ...

Prep soil, plant wisely in dry conditions: Drought doesn’t mean you can’t garden

September 9, 2021

Is your summer a summer of drought? No need to sit back and accept what Mother Nature offers — you can soften the impact of dry weather on your garden. The time to start preparing for dry conditions is long before they occur, but plans made now will help down the road. Prepping begins with ...

Tell us about mu variant of coronavirus

September 9, 2021

Q: What is the mu variant? --------------------------- A: It’s a version of the coronavirus that was first identified in Colombia in January and has since caused isolated outbreaks in South America, Europe and the United States. The World Health Organization last month listed it as a “variant of interest” because of concerns it may make vaccines and treatments less effective, though more evidence is needed. Scientists monitor emerging COVID-19 variants based on suspicious genetic changes and then look for evidence to determine whether the new version is more infectious ...

Soil on the wet side can be managed: Good drainage, raising roots possible solutions to problem

September 2, 2021

Odd weather this summer has taken its toll on many gardens. For many the problem is drought, but what if it just keeps raining? In some gardens, water sits on the surface of the ground or the ground stays slurpy for hours after rain stops. The best advice then is to move the garden to a ...

Wisconsin backs off creating app regulations for private swimming pool rentals

September 2, 2021

MADISON, Wis. — A startup that allows private homeowners to rent their swimming pools by the hour won’t have to meet the same stringent requirements that large, public pools do after Wisconsin regulators backed down in the face of a threatened lawsuit. The regulators told Swimply in April that pools offered for rent would have to be treated the same as large, public swimming pools. That meant a pool’s owner would have to obtain a license and meet construction requirements that are more onerous. But last Friday, the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer ...