Give Mom a gift that will keep giving and she will be reminded of you every time she looks at it!!
First, find out what project Mom would like done most and begin with this. Chances are, if your wife or mom is like me, you will know what she wants done! Here are the most common jobs in a house that you can tackle on your own for your Mom!
Replace an ugly or damaged door: Exterior and screen doors take a great deal of abuse in families with kids. Usually most people will get by with an older door even though it may drive them crazy, simply because they think replacing the door will be a DIY nightmare. Screen doors are really quite simple to hang. The important thing is to measure properly. You can get a very nice new door for well under $200 and a door can be replaced in an hour or two.

Build or assemble a new DIY shelving unit. We moms can never have enough shelf space. Many people are creating great storage spaces by adding shelves with coat and shoe racks underneath in their entry ways. Create a storage unit for mom by installing a wide wooden shelf and placing attractive cloth lined baskets, one per family member. Hang coat hooks underneath for each person also. You can purchase the shelf, hooks and baskets for under $50 from Bed, Bath and Beyond. Look for $5 and 20% coupons in BB and B flyers. You can use both on a single order.

Install a bathroom over the toilet shelving unit. This shelf can hold linens and toiletry products. There are all sorts of easy DIY shelves project kits at any Home Depot or Lowe's.

Paint a room. Walls with marred and scuffed paint drives many moms nuts, with a gallon of paint, a drop cloth, paintbrush, and a roll of painters tape, you can create a fresh new look for any room. 

Create a photo wall. Most of us moms have all sorts of photos that we would like framed, but have not gotten around to it. Shop around for unique frames and assemble the photos into a photo wall. You can find beautiful frames for under $10, many under $5 at TJ Maxx, Family Dollar, Dollar General and most dollar stores.

Replace kitchen cupboard doors or door handles. Buy some really nifty drawer and cupboard handles. This project will freshen up any kitchen or bathroom immediately. Remember to measure the space between the screws to get the right size handle.

Any of these home improvement projects make a terrific, lasting Mother's Day gift that is sure to delight your Mom!

 Starburst Construction Company just voted Best Builder in Silicon Valley by the San Jose Mercury News for 2012--Thank you to all who voted for us...look for the special section with pictures in the Mercury in the next few weeks.

 
 
If you are buying or selling a home, remember that a realtor is your sales advocate and they should have any work to your home done by a licensed contractor.  It is easy to check visit the cslb.ca.gov.  A handyman can only do work less than $500.00 and they should be a licensed handyman as well.
We had a project where this became an issue and one of the realtors ended up paying for a lot of unlicensed work to be permitted and completed properly.

•  Here we are with our Earth Day Challenge Week:
   

•  Thought we had Meatless Monday conquered,  when I realized the soup we had had small bits of chicken (Oh well, they were little-do they really count?)
   Power down Tuesday was really easy when our server was down, but we, generally,  remember to unplug, turn off and eliminate charger type of plug ins
   Wednesday I took my coffee with me, I drank water from a glass and dinner at the NARI meeting is on real plates....I think I am good today...oops plastic bottles for water at the meeting (still good they are recyclable and I reduced my waste from everything else.
   

•  Thursday-Reduce paper consumption, I use two sides of most for printing, where I can and  maximize paper space when printing--I will be checking out the cancelling junk mail--does anyone know how to do that? Is there a web-site?
   If you have done anything this week big or small  for our earth week challenge, let us know because it all counts and is GREAT!!
   

We invite you to take on one easy goal per day to reduce your impact on the planet. We can't extend a challenge without attempting it ourselves, so our team will tackle each goal as well and share with you the highs and lows of our experiences.

We realize it will take more than a few small personal changes to make our planet healthy. But if you can make one lifestyle change e...ach day this coming week, it's a start. If you can stick with that change beyond one day, even better.

If you participate in our daily challenges, we want to hear from you, share your experiences here!

Check out the daily challenges below to go green:

Monday: Meatless Monday. Reduce your carbon footprint by cutting down or eliminating your meat consumption for a day.

Tuesday: Power Down. Fix your computer settings, unplug energy sapping devices, install smart strips to eliminate vampire power.

Wednesday: Reusable Bottles & Mugs. Eliminate the use of all paper coffee cups and plastic water bottles.

Thursday: Cut Paper Waste. Reduce your use of paper, adjust your printer settings, cancel junk mail subscriptions.

Friday: (Reusable) Bag Lunch. Bring your own lunch in reusable containers or bring the containers to your favorite take-out restaurant and pass on the plastic utensils, excess paper napkins and bags.

Saturday: Second-Hand Clothes And Products. Instead of purchasing new items, reuse and upcycle old items.

Sunday: Waste Less Water. Take shorter showers, turn the faucet off while brushing teeth, do only full loads of dishes and laundry.

Let us know your results even if they are hard...better to have tried....See More

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 It would really be appreciated if you would vote for Starburst Construction for Mercury News best builder and kitchen/bath remodeler!! Here is the link http://bestinsv.com/home/

 As I was explaining the meaning of Easter to my 7 year old grandson--he asked the brilliant question what does the Easter Bunny have to do with it? Thank goodness for the computer within seconds (which in the past would have taken me going to the library and researching) we had our answer...Want to know...Read on...

What does the Easter bunny have to do with Easter-- nothing.

Bunnies, eggs, Easter gifts and fluffy, yellow chicks in gardening hats all stem from pagan roots. They were incorporated into the celebration of Easter separately from the Christian tradition.

The Easter bunny can be traced back to 13th century, Germany, when people worshiped several gods and goddesses. The Teutonic deity Eostra was the goddess of spring and fertility, and feasts were held in her honor on the Vernal Equinox. Her symbol was the rabbit because of the animal’s high reproduction rate.

The first Easter bunny legend was documented in the 1500s. By 1680, the first story about a rabbit laying eggs and hiding them in a garden was published. These legends were brought to the United States in the 1700s when German immigrants settled in Pennsylvania Dutch country, according to the Center for Children's Literature and Culture.

The tradition of making nests for the rabbit to lay its eggs in soon followed. Eventually, nests became decorated baskets and colorful eggs were swapped for candy, treats and other small gifts.

So while you're scarfing down chocolate bunnies (hey, I hear chocolate is good for you!) and marshmallow chicks this Easter Sunday, think fondly of this holiday's origins and maybe even impress your friends at your local Easter egg hunt.

Happy Easter Weekend, enjoy whatever you are celebrating!

 Today is World Water Day--Do you run the sink while you are brushing your teeth, have your sprinklers automatically go on even in the rain, run the kitchen sink water when you grab the veggies out of the fridge.  All those little actions add up over time to a lot of water literally down the train.  Just for today try to change one thing and think about water.  It is a finite resource that may be our kids and grand kids next "oil"
 

Consumers have been feeling a little more confident about their finances lately, and that's translated into an uptick in home remodeling over the past several months, according to recent data.
After being in the post-recession doldrums, the number of Americans spending cash to spruce up their homes is recovering, according the National Association of Home Builders, and it's not just fixing a sagging gutter here or a broken patio paver there.
The association's latest Remodeling Market Index rose to about 47, a big improvement from the quarter before, but just under the 50 benchmark, which indicates healthier demand for remodeling projects.
"There are a good number of people who are doing minor additions in the $10,000 to $25,000 range," says Nissa Hiatt of NAHB. "They might not be doing the entire floor of the house, but maybe [adding] the kitchen that they've always wanted."
According to the latest data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, almost $170 billion was spent on home improvements last year. The prospect of buying a new home or selling an existing one remains daunting. Many times it's easier to qualify to finance a home improvement than it is to apply for a new mortgage, says Pat Newport, economist at IHS Global Insight.
"In a lot of cases, people just decided it wasn't worth trying to sell their house, so they spent money making their existing home work," he adds. "It's still going on today, primarily because it's so hard to qualify to get a loan."
"We've definitely seen the home improvement market come back," says Chris Christopher, another economist at IHS Global Insight who tracks retail trends. "Garden and building supply stores have made a significant comeback, much stronger than the overall housing market as a whole."
mhandley@usnews.com