(StatePoint) Painting your home yourself? Don’t be intimidated.

(BPT) - As the weather turns warmer, most of us are experiencing cabin fever, anxious to escape to the outdoors. But has the harsh winter weather put a damper on your outdoor spaces? Don’t fret. You can easily spruce up your exteriors with a few easy and inexpensive home improvement projects. Here are a few fast fixes that will have your home looking great without taking a huge hit on your wallet.

(BPT) - If you’re like most homeowners, you have several furniture and decor pieces around the house that have seen better days. And while the natural response is to throw away outdated items and buy something new, even lackluster home objects deserve a second chance. You can easily transform your trash into treasure with a little creativity and some elbow grease.

Let us now say a prayer for forced air heating systems. They were good for awhile and kept many homes warm through the years, but let’s now leave these noisy relics in the dust and embrace the wonders of hot water heating systems. To say nothing about the ease of control, hot water heating offers a more evenly held heat and a more palpable heat, seeing as it is based on moisture rather than dry air. Hot water heating makes any home more comforting and welcoming during winter.

The furnaces used in hot water heating can be powered by gas, oil, coal, wood, or electric coil. Typically gravity fed or pumped, the heated water in the boiler travels up to the radiators, and as they disperse the heat, the cooler water travels down to the boiler to be reheated.

(NAPSI)—Feeling happier at home may hinge on something as simple as repainting the walls. Different colors affect your mood, your energy and your efficiency in different ways. Changing the shade of paint in your bedroom, kitchen or home office can be a big improvement. Here are some ideas from color expert Erika Woelfel, director of color marketing for Behr Paints.

(BPT) - If you’re tired of looking at your outdated kitchen, but feel replacement would be impractical, you’re not alone. In 2013, consumers will be trying to find the beauty in the beast. Projects that help the old look new will be the next big makeover trend – especially in the kitchen where remodeling becomes more pricey.

(BPT) - With the fast-paced lives people can lead today, often we strive for instant gratification to fit into our busy schedules. So when it comes to home improvement projects, wouldn’t you love an instant update for boring home decor? Fortunately, there are numerous fast fixes that can produce fantastic results. Try these easy update ideas and realize the rewards of a fabulous and functional home makeover.

(BPT) - As cooler temperatures approach, more homeowners are turning to value-driven renovation projects that will warm up their space and withstand the test of time.

Today’s subject comes to us thanks to an old upstate friend who just recently bought a home and is quickly scheduling a myriad of projects to keep him busy. Being a chef, most of his attention is pointed directly at the kitchen, appliances and all, and his first idea was to repaint his kitchen cabinet doors before putting on a set of designs; I almost immediately shot down the idea of putting various sorts of proteins on them. Honestly, who wants to see a chicken on a cabinet…when they’re about to eat chicken?

A car accident is a headache for any driver. He or she has to worry about the repairs, working with the insurance companies and finding the right auto specialist to fix the damage. Sonny’s Collision in Richmond Hill is there to help. Since 1946, three generations of the family-owned collision shop have been keeping customers satisfied with their quality service while relieving the headaches that auto accidents bring to drivers.

Today's subject comes to us thanks to my cousin's college roommate, who just recently bought a home upstate and sent me a kind e-mail telling me about some projects he was thinking about undertaking. Being a chef, most of his major wants surround the kitchen and his first idea was to repaint his kitchen cabinet doors before putting on a set of designs; we spit-balled and decided that cooking utensils and accessories would make a great theme.

While many of us enjoy New York’s architecture, few residents probably take as much note of the city’s buildings as Joe LoGuirato, who has been painstakingly drawing historic structures for the last three years.

The College Point artist — LoGuirato has lived in the neighborhood since the 1970s — now has an exhibit of his work in what is itself a historic building, College Point’s Poppenhusen Institute.

It used to be that “green” was the color of money and while that still holds true today, the concept of green has far more reaching implications than it’s association to cash. The term that is more familiar in today’s society is “going green,” and it’s a term of global consequence.

Almost 30 years have passed since lead based paint was banned for residential use in the United States.