That vacant, foreclosed home next door isn't just bringing down your neighborhood's property values. It may also be a haven for a myriad of pests that can threaten the health and safety of neighbors, children and pets.

Two of the hallmarks of green building are energy efficiency and indoor air quality. Skylights can improve both, and incentives and rebates are available to help defray the extra costs and keep green building affordable.

As the weather cools, homeowners see fall as the year's last chance to do home maintenance to lower heating bills. Of course, you will not save money if you spend more on home improvement than you will save in reduced energy costs. Here are cost-effective ways to winterize your home.

Water coolers -- the machines with a bottle on top that dispense water -- are typically associated with offices. But drinking water is beneficial for everyone, not just office workers, and having a home water cooler is convenient, cost effective and environmentally friendly.

Homeowners who want to make their house their home for a lifetime, regardless of their age or functional abilities, have a friend in the Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist program. It addresses the needs of the growing number of homeowners choosing not to move, but to make specialized modifications to their homes for long-term living.

Long gone are the days when homeowners were satisfied with a simple deck, a beat-up grill and some basic patio furniture. Now the trend brings living rooms, baths, home spas, full kitchens and even meditation rooms into the great outdoors. Stone fireplaces, built-in grills, water features, multiple levels for patios and decks, hot tubs and even flat-screen TVs - all the luxurious appointments of indoor life are finding their way into outdoor environments.

It's easy for your family room's purpose to get lost in the hectic pace and clutter of everyday life. If it's time for your family to rise up and reclaim this room, here are some tips for putting the "family" back into "family room."