Money

...is on everyone's mind right now, and I'll mention two areas where it intersects strongly with matters of home.

First, the urge to conserve fuel will lead many homeowners to look into insulation upgrades, air sealing, and replacement of aged (20 years old and up) heating plants-all of which will pay themselves back in dollars and comfort. I was happy to see experts recently cited by the Boston Globe strongly advise against window replacement (a pet peeve of mine, as readers of previous newsletters may recall). Payback for such a move occurs about 30+ years out, after the new windows may very well have failed. (Did you know that 30% of the windows being replaced these days are less than 10 years old?) Boston.com offers an interactive site as well as the full article, worth reading.

Second, for those fortunate enough to have money available for renovation work, now is an exceptionally good time to be in the market. Architects and builders are available, attentive, and many are cutting their fees. The only risk is that in their eagerness, certain ones can overpromise and may be tempted to recoup some on the margins later in the project. That's where knowing people's reputations comes into play and why having, say, a renovation consultant on board would be a good idea.