Yelena Moroz Alpert is an editor for USA TODAY Homefront. She has written about home improvement and renovation projects as well as design trends for the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Architectural Digest and House Beautiful. Having moved almost a dozen times, Yelena knows a thing or two about packing and organizing. In her spare time, Yelena is experimenting with gardening and updating her 1938 Cleveland home. Follow her DIY adventures @designfix.cle.
Don’t let pesky weeds ruin your garden feng shui or crowd out your tomatoes or herbs. Instead, put together a plan to stop weeds in their tracks. Professional lawn care services can handle weeds for you and will typically cost $25 to $200 for an herbicide treatment, according to our March 2024 lawn expert interview…
Discovering that insects have claimed a room as their own can be incredibly disconcerting. To eradicate an infestation, a pest control company may recommend a bug bomb as a relatively quick and easy solution. “Bug bombs are effective for a wide range of pests, like fleas, cockroaches, and spiders,” said John Target of Target Pest…
You may know that adding solar panels can help lower energy bills, but whether or not solar panels can increase home value depends on your system and when and how it was installed. Homes with solar panels — installed in the past five years — could make for a great selling point. “If panels are…
Plants likely grow in your garden — with or without your help. But creating a garden design that balances annuals and perennials with your lawn takes work. “The design is the blueprint for the project and can make all the difference between a mediocre installation versus a spectacular one,” said Joe Raboine, vice president of…
Home prices and mortgage rates aren’t the only culprits contributing to the high cost of housing. Home maintenance costs present their own obstacles for homeowners, who report their expensive home appliances break down sooner than expected. Ninety-six percent of homeowners have repaired or replaced a major appliance, such as a dishwasher or HVAC system, in…
Summer is the season for the reemergence of bugs — not just the American cicada — but all types of indoor and outdoor bugs. You’ll spot silverfish, carpenter ants, ticks and spiders. With so many insects, you may be wondering where bugs go in the winter. It turns out the answer is a little complicated,…
Organizing and having a yard sale should be the No. 1 step in moving, even before researching the best moving companies. If you want to have a yard sale that’s a success, start by treating it like a boutique in your backyard — complete with refreshments and good deals. Whether you’re decluttering before you pack…
An air conditioner that is not cooling in the dead of summer is a homeowner’s nightmare. Precisely why your air conditioner is not cooling can be due to a range of problems. “Most typical issues during the summer are a result of dirty air filters,” said Marco Radocaj, owner of Balance HVAC in Vero Beach,…
Roof flashing is an element of your roof that protects it against leaks and helps you mitigate roof replacement costs. It is typically made of aluminum, steel or copper roofing materials. “The piece of metal surrounds roof penetrations or areas prone to water flow, such as roof valleys, [which are] slopes in the roof,” said…
A DIY move can save you money on moving costs, but it can also be a pain in the back — quite literally. While decluttering and knowing how to pack up your house are pretty straightforward tasks, loading up the moving truck can be a hefty project. This is where hiring movers may be worth…
Unwelcome creatures can carry diseases, pose a health risk and may cause structural damage to your home. Sure, you can run for bug spray, stomp on a roach or put out mouse traps, but DIY methods are not always effective for a real infestation. Pest control is worth it if DIY methods are out of…
Buying a house is a big investment, and home maintenance costs linger long after closing. The research team at USA TODAY Homefront found that the typical homeowner spends almost $6,000 on maintenance and repairs each year. Of the 2,000 homeowners surveyed in May 2024, the majority (54%) spent more than planned on home maintenance, and…
The surge in travel post-pandemic benefited short-term vacation rentals significantly. Thanks to local hosts opening doors to their properties, short-term rentals listed on Airbnb, Vrbo and Vacasa offer memorable experiences that replicate a flexible and convenient home-away-from-home stay. Investing in a short-term rental can quickly go from having a family getaway spot to profitable income…
Consider hydroseeding if you want a lush, grassy foundation in a jiffy. Hydroseeding is a technique that can produce faster results than overseeding — you might start to see signs of new grass in a matter of days. “Hydroseeding is the spray of a mixture of seed, moisture and adhesive that can prevent erosion,” explained…
Moving to a different state can be an adventure. Starting afresh with a change of scenery can bring opportunities for new experiences, professional and personal growth, expanded social networks, and overall, an improved quality of life. As a matter of fact, out-of-state moves have been growing in popularity in recent years. We’ve enlisted the help…
House centipedes — creepy crawlies with spindly pairs of legs — often look like something out of a nightmare. You might be tempted to reach for a heavy shoe when you see these arthropods scurrying at full speed along your baseboards. Not so fast. Centipedes can be an unlikely ally and personal exterminator, feeding on other…
Packing for a move is never easy, even when it comes to packing up your bathroom essentials. Clearing out a bathroom can be deceptive. On the one hand, bathrooms generally cover the smallest footprint of any space in a home, but on the other, the under-sink storage can surely be filled to the brim. Then,…
Though it may sound like something you do on evening strolls as you admire your neighbors’ handiwork (“Now, that lawn striping is a solid A+!”), yard grading has nothing to do with judging grass and gardens. It is, however, the foundation for creating a solid lawn and is crucial for protecting your home from water…
A well-maintained lawn is one thing. Growing food and flowers from seed, on the other hand, is utterly fulfilling. Whether you start seeds indoors or plant directly into the ground, garden seeding will save you money. Starting plants from seeds is the most economical way to start a garden, as it is significantly less expensive…
Charming historic districts, picturesque coastal cities and famous golf courses attract millions of tourists to South Carolina every year. Visitors are not the only ones clamoring to South Carolina, however. The U.S. Census Bureau reported that this Lowcountry region saw the fastest-growing population of any state in 2023. Charleston, Hilton Head Island and Myrtle Beach…
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