As I started to write Unorganized Territory this week, I knew what the topic would be. We’ve been gathering information, getting pictures and writing stories to put together in the Cook County News- Herald’s traditional spring home improvement insert for several weeks now, so that’s what’s on my mind.
I realized I have written a column about home improvement every spring for at least a decade. I’m not exactly sure how many we have done—I don’t know if we put together a home improvement the first few years I worked at the newspaper, but it has been at least that long.
I did a quick search of “Home Improvement” on my computer and a delightful assortment of articles appeared. We’ve produced stories on wine storage trends, bear proofing your yard, decorating with dogs and cats, well testing, user-friendly kitchens, deterring woodpeckers, septic system heaters, recycling and reusing building products, heating with wood, eliminating insect pests, soybean insulation, glass sinks, restoring wicker furniture, low income home loans, gutter cleaning tips, stained concrete, rain gardens, Firewise, wind power, bat houses, garden tool tips, mushroom gardening and much, much, more.
It was fun looking through the archives at the practical and whimsical stories we’ve found over the years.
The amazing thing is that we never run out of ideas for our home improvement issues. Throughout the year, all of us at the News-Herald keep an eye out for things in the community that could be reported on in our home improvement issue, such as our Spring means it’s time to clean your windows story in this year’s edition. Brian Larsen not only shares window cleaning tips, but caught up with a former Cook County resident and friend.
We’ve shared news about changes at the local businesses that serve the building community in the past and we are doing that again this spring with news about staff changes at 1010 Interiors and about the new Cook County Home Center.
The idea for A different kind of roof preserving history came from Dick Nelson of Lutsen, whose timing was perfect. Just when we were looking for another story with a local connection, Dick stopped by to suggest a story on the stone coated steel roof he had installed on his family’s historic homestead.
If there isn’t something happening locally, there is always something new in the world of home improvement. I remember the first time I heard about chalkboard paint in 2007. I had to do a story on that. Likewise the toilet tank with a built-in fish tank back in 2005—it wasn’t something I wanted but it was something fun to write about!
I hope you enjoy our spring home improvement issue as much as we enjoyed putting it together. Whether it inspires you to start a project or hire one of our advertisers to create something for you, good luck. Happy spring!
The fellow that owns
his own home is always
just coming out of a
hardware store.
Kin Hubbard
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