Keeping park-side gardens free of unwanted visitors is a constant struggle

There is a dark side to living close to parks when you have a garden: wildlife. Park animals will always prefer your tasty seeds and expensive perennials over the slim pickings in the park.

"I have a severe squirrel problem here ... they are digging up the seeds I keep replanting," said my friend Jeannine Oakes. I laughed, but should have been more sympathetic.

Deer are also a frequent nuisance for many people that live near parks, but there are ways to stop them from feasting on your garden.

The number of Albertans spending money on renovations for their existing homes and recreational properties is on the rise.

According to Statistics Canada, investment in home renovations in the first quarter of 2017 hit a record high of $1.78 billion. A release from ATB Financial's Economics and Research Team says this is close to double the spending a decade ago.

Todd Hirsch, chief economist with ATB Financial, says he was surprised by the data for the first three months of this year.

"The increase that we saw in late 2016 and the first quarter of this year can be attributed to the rebuild in Fort McMurray (from last year's wildfires) because not every house was destroyed, which we tend to focus on." he said. "There were also many, many homes that needed to be renovated."

Gas stoves offer more control to home cooks

If your trusty old stove is on its last legs, it might be time to consider a switch to a range powered by natural gas.

"All your chefs use gas ranges. It's so easy to control your heat for cooking. It's instant on and instant off," said Peter Voelk, owner of Lone Star Plumbing and Heating. He explains that over time there are also cost savings from using natural gas for cooking instead of electricity.

"We've had a gas stove for years in our home and we just love it. I wouldn't know what to do with an electric stove anymore," he said.

Voelk adds many styles of ranges are available that exclusively use gas for all cooking functions. There are also dual-fuel ranges with gas stovetop burners but a traditional electric element oven.

A bit of preparation, and business savvy, can make a world of difference

Summer is rapidly approaching, and odds are you've still got some stuff lying around from spring cleaning that you're not sure what to do with.

Gently used power tools, heirloom furniture, old DVDs and electronics, and all manner of items collecting dust in your basement are ripe for selling to neighbours, friends and passersby – why not have a garage sale?

These time-tested, often impromptu, community get-togethers are the perfect opportunity to score old treasures, get to know your neighbours or even make a bit of cash. Not only that, but with the ever-increasing focus on eco-friendliness and conscientious consumerism, garage sales are an excellent way to keep forgotten possessions out of the landfill.

When you shrink your square footage, your furniture needs to follow suit

You've decided to sell your current home and move into a smaller house or perhaps a modest-sized condominium.

That means making some decisions, including how to downsize your furniture.

Liz Nandee, owner and head designer at Basic Black Designs, says as North Americans we tend to have a lot of possessions and "we like to keep everything."

But Nandee says some of your current furniture may just be too big for your new place, and you don't want to start downsizing after the mover has unloaded your possessions into a jammed-packed new home.

Staying one step ahead of the consumer technology bubble

"Everything you see here today will be totally obsolete in four years."

Those words of wisdom came from Bill Gates, spoken to Alberta-based technology commentator Steve Makris just before Gates stepped down as CEO of Microsoft.

"Count on everything changing every few years," said Makris, whose reviews and analysis of consumer technology can be found in Postmedia newspapers, on Global TV and at techuntangled.ca.

"The cycle of technology, even smart technology, arriving to consumers and disappearing altogether is getting shorter."

How a massive flood couldn't stop Brian Beck's vision of a Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired inner-city home

Twelve years ago, Brian Beck, wife Lynne Rennie and two-and-a-half-year-old daughter Kate, jumped into their newly acquired airstream trailer and hit the road for three months.

With no real itinerary, only the desire to travel south in advance of winter, the family stopped at the Frank Lloyd Wright (FLW) Fallingwater house, built in the 1930s over a waterfall in southwest Pennsylvania.

That stop led the Calgary corporate lawyer – now president of Cococo Chocolatiers with Chocolaterie Bernard Callebaut stores across Canada – to nine other FLW sites during those travels.

This began a journey transforming the couple's original 1,340-square-foot, 1950s Bridgeland bungalow into an homage to the brilliant Wright, who designed more than 1,000 structures over a 70-year span.

Do your homework to ensure your fixer-upper home purchase is a success

Turn on your TV and there are shows aplenty with always-eager renovation crews turning a run-down house into something out of a show-home showcase.

Browse the Internet and you can find real estate websites devoted to fixer-upper properties that just need a little "TLC" to become your dream home.

There's even an offering from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. (CMHC) and Genworth Canada called Purchase Plus Improvements, allowing you to finance some future renovations into the cost of purchasing a home.

But buying a fixer upper is not for everyone, and requires due diligence just like any other real estate purchase, starting with a home inspection.

With a dizzying array of styles and patterns, laminate flooring has become the popular choice

Laminate flooring has come a long way since the early days of shiny-looking fake oak and maple products.

Today there are patterns and designs so realistic "you would never know whether it's real wood or not," said L.J. Boehm, account manager with Dannburg Floor Coverings, and a second-generation flooring expert in the family-owned and operated business.

Owners and experts explore the ins and outs of operating a vacation rental property

The Gierke family has seen just about everything while renting out their Sylvan Lake vacation home over the past 20 years.

They've housed families, business people and youthful tenants who turned their 840 square foot cottage into a party house.