8 Smart Choices for Curb Appeal

HouseLogic. By Jamie Weibe: Improving your home’s curb appeal brings immediate satisfaction. Plus, the financial benefits can be fabulous, too.

The challenge? Spending too much limits your ROI, yet going cheap could cost you more in redos. The key is to choose durable materials that’ll save you money over time while making your house look fab.

10 Trees Designers Love

Houzz. April 26, 2019. By Annie Thornton: Consider how beneficial planting a tree can be. Trees shade and cool our homes and streets, helping to mitigate the heat island effect and reduce reliance on air conditioning and other energy consumers. Trees also provide food and habitat to wildlife, capture carbon dioxide from the air, provide natural play areas, enhance curb appeal and add beauty and a feeling of place to gardens and communities.

Lessons from Australia’s Fires

The Malibu Times. April 17, 2019. By Jimy Tallal: Whereas the Woolsey Fire of 2018 was considered to be one of the worst fires in LA County history, it didn’t occur until nine years after the worst wildfire ever to hit Australia. The folks Down Under have had much longer to think about how to do things better in the future than we have, and one of them came to Malibu last week to share what his country has learned.