Home and Patio Show 2010

Friday, February 19th, 2010 at 4:00pm. 68 Views, 0 Comments.

The Home and Patio Show is back at the Saint Paul RiverCentre! This show features hundreds of exhibitors and has the best and most respected local resources for all home and garden needs. Find what is needed for new spring and summer gardening, home renovation, landscaping, building, decorating, or green projects. There's also a kids' potting table, bulb sale, and opportunities to consult experts through Ask the Gardener!

The show opened Thursday and will be open through Sunday. The cost is $9 for adults and $2.50 for children ages 6 to 12. Younger kids have free admission!

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Minnesota Housing Fix-Up Fund Offers More

Wednesday, December 16th, 2009 at 10:07pm. 331 Views, 1 Comments.

With the help of federal stimulus funds, Minnesota Housing is offering rebates to homeowners that make energy saving updates in when they make home improvements using loans through the state's Fix-up Fund. Homeowners may receive an Energy Saver Rebate for 35% of the cost of eligible improvements financed with the Fix-up Fund loan, up to $10,000.

The Fix-Up Fund offers affordable, fixed-rate loans to eligible homeowners to make home improvements. The rebate program is designed to help homeowners with household income up to $96,500 improve home energy efficiency. Owner-occupied single family, condominium, duplex, triplex, or fourplex homes are eligible for the program.

Homeowners may be eligible for rebates by installing select energy-efficient furnaces,…

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Air Date for Saint Paul "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition"

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009 at 7:10pm. 224 Views, 0 Comments.

Though construction and filming wrapped up in October, a date has finally been set for the "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" taped in Saint Paul. The episode of the ABC show featuring local daycare provider Sandy Morris and her two children, Catricia and Mychal, will air at 7 p.m. on January 3.

The 1896 home at 226 Prescott St. on St. Paul's West Side was demolished and replaced in just 96 hours thanks to thousands of volunteers.

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Saint Paul "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" Finished

Wednesday, October 14th, 2009 at 6:10pm. 322 Views, 0 Comments.

In the blog last week, I wrote about the "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" that was taking place in St. Paul. Now the new home at 226 Prescott Street on St. Paul's West Side has been finished! A crowd of more than 1,500 people were there on Friday to greet Sandy Morris and her two children, Catricia and Mychal, and to watch their reactions as they saw their new home for the very first time.

Saturday, the Morris family was still amazed.

“It’s a beautiful house, it’s amazing, it’s a beautiful house,” said Sandy Morris. It’s what went into the house that makes it so special for Morris and her children – lots of labor and love. “The amount of volunteers that came through here throughout the week… on cold rainy days and nights and were here all night long and all…

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"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" Descends on Saint Paul

Tuesday, October 6th, 2009 at 10:08pm. 238 Views, 2 Comments.

Expect there to be a lot of noise and a flurry of action on St. Paul's West Side this week due to a taping of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition." While the Morris family of 226 Prescott Street is off on a cruise courtesy of the show, thousands of volunteers have been working around the clock to complete the new home in less than 100 hours.

On Sunday, the house was demolished. On Monday, the basement wad been poured, framing put in place and working on the roof. The weather hasn't been helping matters.

"We can work with a little drizzle," said Tom Budzynski, owner of TJB Homes — the Blaine company spearheading the building of the Morris' new 2,800-square-foot home that will include three bedrooms, three baths and a separate area for the day care center that…

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2008 Minnesota Solar Tour

Tuesday, September 30th, 2008 at 10:45pm. 112 Views, 0 Comments.

If you haven’t decided what you want to do yet this weekend and you have an appreciation for earth-friendly home improvements, you could be in luck.  The 2008 Minnesota Solar Tour may be the perfect event for you.  Put together by the Minnesota Renewable Energy Society (MRES), the Minnesota Solar Tour is a self-guided, public tour featuring 70+ exemplary homes, businesses, and institutions that have incorporated renewable energy into the design and operation of their buildings.

This is an excellent opportunity local residents to find out how their neighbors are lowering their energy bills, creating energy independence, and taking their own personal steps toward addressing global warming.  This event also offers people who are interested in solar and…

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