It's important to be honest with yourself about space needs, expectations, lifestyle and budget when looking to upgrade or renovate your small kitchen.

Both Steve Francis, owner of Aspire Renovations, and Karen Allbright, owner of organizational design company Calm Order, agree homeowners must plan well to ensure changes to the kitchen improve its function.

Thanks to Mother Nature's rotating extremes of freezing snow and thawing chinooks in the Calgary region, our rooftops require special attention. Like a solid foundation, the roof is essential to a home's structural integrity. Poor maintenance can result in major damage, inside and out.

Finding the ideal mattress for some solid shuteye shouldn't be a tiring process. Thankfully, it's easier than ever to find a sleep space that fits one's specific preferences when it comes to firmness, temperature and durability.

Home renovations are now a multi-billion-dollar industry in Canada, with a domino economic impact for various related businesses.

When it cools off outside, it's time to warm up inside with a seasonal update to home décor.

"Fall is a great time for design in general because you can start to layer," said Alykhan Velji, principal and senior designer for Alykhan Velji Designs. "Just like in fashion, where you can start adding scarves and such, with an interior you can start adding more textural items – layering on more pillows, throws and artwork."

Here are three of Velji's top design trends for fall:

When custom-home designer Kathy Yuen purchased her first home 13 years ago, she quickly realized it wasn't the perfect fit.

"I think your first home really teaches you what you like and what you don't like," she said.

When Todd Hirsch went looking for his first home in 1994, he remembers telling his REALTOR® he wanted something that was new or recently updated.

Renovation guru and HGTV star Bryan Baeumler is in town this weekend for the Calgary Fall Home Show, which runs from Thursday, Sept. 19 to Sunday, Sept. 22 at the BMO Centre.

My friend Liz had a yellow house once, but as a gardener and a homeowner, she won't live in another yellow house ever again.