Home Improvement Ideas

Natural Gas Hanging Patio Heater Warms Outdoor Living Space

As soon as the snow melts, you'll probably start thinking of spring and summer and outdoor living spaces again. You can start the grilling and lounging-around-the-deck season a littler earlier with a patio heater.

There are quite a few models to pick from (we've looked at tabletop patio heaters, combination misters and heaters that look like palm trees, and umbrella stands with patio heater bases to name a few). Well here's one that won't take up any floor or table space:

The Sunglo Natural Gas Hanging Patio Heater mounts to the ceiling and radiates down 50,000 BTU/Hour of warmth. That might be enough to brown your burgers without even turning on the grill!

You can also order the heater to run on propane.

$883 from Patio Heating Plus

Etched Glass Interior Doors Increase Light in Your Home

Wood interior doors are pretty common, but they don't do a good job (or any kind of job at all) at letting light flow through when the door is shut. For interior rooms without a lot of windows, or homes surrounded by trees that block out a lot of sunlight, glass interior doors can help brighten up inside space.

Glass can be etched or obscured with texture and design to provide privacy (hey, you don't necessarily want the bathroom door to provide a transparent window to the inside).

Etched glass doors, in particular, offer a chance for artistic expression. Whether you enjoy rugged mountain scenery, serene flowers, or food arrangements, all these designs (and just about anything else you can imagine) can be transcribed in glass.

The door shown here was done by Visions in Glass.

Home Security Television Simulator Offers Alternative to Lights on Timers

Lights with timers are a pretty home security good idea, because they can fool burglars into thinking someone is home. Most burglars don't want to come face to face with homeowners, so they go for empty houses. If you want to take the I'm-not-home-but-it-looks-like-I-am set-up a little further, you could get a television simulator.

"Unlike timers that just turn lights on and off, this device mimics the flickering glow of a television to dissuade burglars who may be sizing up potential homes for thievery. Its built-in microchip simulates the scene changes, fades, swells, and color shifts of a TV as perceived from outside using a bright multi-color LED display diffused with an opalescent lens."

In case you're wondering why you would buy something like this instead of just connecting a timer to your regular TV and having that turn on, well, the simulator uses only 2% of the power of a regular boob tube, so there you go.

$40 at Hammacher Schlemmer:

Home Security Television Simulator

SolarSheat Space Heater Can Warm a 1000 Square Foot Space

You may be excited about the idea of green living, but there's no denying that getting set up with solar panels is pretty expensive. If heating is one of your biggest expenses, you may be able to cut out that bill without installing a huge solar grid on your roof.

The SolarSheat heating system is definitely more compact, and it costs less too.

"The SolarSheat 1500G is a glazed recirculation solar air collector designed for space heating applications. Air is drawn from inside the room through the bottom of the collector and blown out through a duct in the top. The unit is self-powered. No electrical hook-up required."

While it's true that this thing isn't going to power your plasma tv and iMac, you'll probably find that heating accounts for the majority of your energy bill in the colder months, anyway, so something like this could pay off in a short time.

More information at Your Solar Home.

Oxo Good Grips Jar Opener Review

I got my parents an Oxo Good Grips Jar Opener for Christmas, and it's surprising how delighted my mom in particular has been about it. Who knew you could win big with a $12 gift?

She has trouble with her hands, so the jar opener gives her a lot of extra leverage, making it easy to pry open everything from jars of baby food to large bottles of spaghetti sauce. Even if you don't have arthritis or RSI or any hand/wrist issues, the gadget makes opening jars a lot easier--no more thumping on the bottom of the jar with your palm or striking the lid against the counter to loosen it.

My mom actually already had a battery-powered jar opener, but she's not the most tech-oriented person and always had trouble getting it to work. Plus the batteries tended to die while it was sitting unused and taking up a lot of space in the drawer.

The Oxo Good Grips model isn't exactly tiny, but it's a lot more compact (flatter), making it easy to slide into a drawer with your other utensils. But it's big enough that you can find it amongst the clutter.

I've got an Oxo Steel Can Opener myself, and over all I'm impressed with the sturdiness and ergonomics of the company's kitchen tools.

$12 for the jar opener at Amazon:

Oxo Good Grips i-Series Jar Opener

Water Drops Square Glass Vessel Sink Stands out

When you're shopping for vessel sinks, you'll probably be surprised with all the variety. There are so many cool designs that it can be hard to narrow it down and pick one for a permanent home in your bathroom.

This square "Water Drops" glass sink is a fun pick.

Made using 3/4" thick tempered glass, the bold sink is sure to make guests notice. Just don't spend too much time trying to wipe it dry, since those "drops" are built into the design...

$399 from GlassSinksOnline

"School of Fish" Decorative Sink Drain

Tired of looking at a boring metal circular drain when you fill your sink? Perhaps you need a decorative drain that adds a bit of whimsy to your bathroom.

The 1.5" School of Fish drain from Linkasink is available in several finishes (dark bronze, pewter, polished nickel, satin nickel, and weathered copper) and with or without an overflow.

Fish whimsy doesn't come cheaply, and this drain will cost you $120, but shipping is included.

If fish aren't your passion, some of the company's other decorative drain options include flower and vine patterns, suns, hearts, turtles, shells, and even buffalo (for that Old West themed sink, no doubt).

Space Shuttle & Astronaut Cabinet Knobs

If you have children who dream of going to space camp, then you can inspire their astronautic aspirations with the appropriate cabinet knobs on their dresser or perhaps on the cabinets and drawers in the kids' bathroom.

This space shuttle and astronaut are part of Amerock's Accent'z Collection of cabinet knobsdesigned just for kids (though if you are an adult and like them, I won't tell). Fire trucks, police cars, sports balls, and animals are also options.

At $6.43 a piece, the fun knobs shouldn't break the bank.

From Eclectic Ware

Concrete Floor Paint Can Spruce up Your Garage

There are lots of garage floor coverings you can consider, both to give a little color to the space and to protect the floor from stains, road salts, and moisture.

The most affordable option is simple concrete floor paint. This is a tougher version of wall paint, and all you do is roll it on as with any other type of paint. The downside is that paint isn't as good for protecting your floor as other coating options.

If you do choose concrete floor paint, you can select from latex or oil-based, with latex being easier to apply and clean up. Latex dries to a low-sheen flat finish (oil gives you a high gloss).

The cost runs 15 cents or less per square foot for one coat, and you can pick floor paint up at any home improvement store.

Reclaimed Pinewood Flooring with Herringbone Pattern

You may think of pine as a rustic flooring choice, ideal for ski lodges and cabins in the woods, but it can be given a modern look too. Even reclaimed antique pinewood boards can look great in many settings.

These wood floors feature a herringbone pattern that draws down the eye and makes you appreciate the handsome pine. Of course, soft woods such as pine don't hold up as well as harder woods, so that's something to consider if you're installing these in highly trafficked areas.

The pine floors here are from Clark's Antique Wood, Inc., a company that specializes in floors, stairs, posts, handrails, etc. from reclaimed wood.

Kidde Carbon Monoxide Detector with Front-Loading Batteries

I'm not sure who decided carbon monoxide detectors and smoke alarms should need to be taken off the wall so you could load the batteries in the back, but it's an annoying trend that has been accepted as standard for a long time. Fortunately, the folks at Kidde decided to give us something a little more user friendly.

This Kidde carbon monoxide dectecotr has the battery cover on the front, so you can reload without removing the device from the wall.

Other handy features include a patented Nighthawk electrochemical CO sensor and a digital display that shows CO levels in parts per million and updates every 15 seconds. Its peak-level memory keeps track of the maximum CO level detected between resets.

There's even an alarm to tell you when the batteries need to be replaced (no more staring up at the ceiling and wondering if anyone has tested the unit anytime in the last 6 ~~months~~ years).

Get it for about $50 at Amazon:

Kidde Front Load Battery-Operated Carbon Monoxide Alarm with Digital Display

Wood & Glass Greenhouse Kits Offer Attractive Gardening Solution

With the prices of food heading north, gardening is becoming increasingly popular for folks with enough space to grow some fruits and veggies. Even if you have a short growing season (of if your favorite vegetables usually grow in warmer climates), you can get your heart's desire with the aid of a greenhouse.

Greenhouse kits come in all shapes and sizes, allowing homeowners with a DIY knack to install them themselves. However, you may be hesitating at having a big plastic-looking eyesore in your yard (which is exactly what lower end kits tend to offer). Also cheaper greenhouses may not last through very many seasons of snow and storms.

Fortunately, if you have some cash to invest, you can find higher quality greenhouse kits. The model shown here uses wood as well as glass to provide a cozy environment for gardens to grow while still offering an attractive solution for your yard.

The kit is available at Sturdi-Built.

Reclaimed Barnwood Ceiling Warms up Study

For those of you fascinated with the idea of implementing recycled or "reclaimed" wood into your home, here's another use for old barnwood:

Put it on the ceiling.

A wood ceiling can add warmth and coziness to a room (and save you from having to paint up there), and if you use reclaimed wood, you'll know no new trees had to be cut down for your use.

The barnwood ceiling here looks nice with the mahogany trim of the rest of this study. It's the work of Conroe Texas-based Stout Carpentry.

"Black Cow" Handblown Glass Doorknobs

Tired of the same old brass doorknobs that everybody in your subdivision has? Well, you could really stand out with a knob made from handblown glass. You'd stand out doubly if that knob was speckled with "black cow" spots.

This decorative doorknob is from Megna Glass, a company that features all sorts of colorful glass knobs. For $140-$160, you can even have one custom made to your specifications.

You get the knob and fitting for your money. You'll have to pick up the rest of the hardware for installation at Home Depot or another upscale hardware distributor.

But surely this is a small price to pay for a Black Cow doorknob!

Custom Wood Radiator Cover Hides Old, Ugly Heaters

If you've got an old, ugly radiator acting as a sore thumb in an otherwise well-appointed room, you're not alone. Some of the most popular posts here have been on hiding radiators with cabinets and heater covers that hide baseboard vents.

If none of those solutions work for you and you've got the money to have something custom built, you could invest in hand-crafted wood radiator covers that blend seamlessly into a room's decor.

The handsome angled mahogany radiator cover here looks so much like a window seat that you wouldn't even guess that there is a heater underneath. It's the work of John Carlton Custom Woodwork & Furniture, and something like this will cost you $2,200.