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Care: Due to the fact that wood is a natural, soft material, a wood floor will eventually scratch-there is no way around this! However preventative care can minimize this. Use throw and area rugs. Remove shoes before entering the area. Avoid wearing high heels, which can leave divets. Use furniture pads. Daily sweeping to remove dirt is one of the best ways to keep your floor looking its best. A humidifier in the winter can help prevent shrinkage.

Care: Wipe up any water or liquid as soon as possible. Do not slide objects across finished wood to avoid scratching. Do not leave newspapers or other printed materials on finished wood-inks can bleed into finish. Always use coasters or hot pads on wood surfaces.

Care: Laminate is not heat or stain resistant. It is recommended to clean up spills as soon as possible. Always use a cutting board and trivets for hot items.

Care: Solid Surfaces are not heat resistant; always use a hot pad or trivet. Always use a cutting board to avoid seeing scratch marks. While stain resistant, wipe up spills as soon as possible.

Care: Quartz is heat and scratch resistant, but not scratch proof, it is recommended to use a cutting board and trivets. While stain resistant, wipe up spills as soon as possible.

Care: While heat resistant and scratch resistant, always use a cutting board with knives. Be cautious with hot objects-trivets are not necessary but recommended.

Last night at 11:15 Kristin and the kids were asleep and I was sitting in my chair watching TV when all of the detectors in the house went off at once and a none too reassuring voice shouted, "Carbon Monoxide Alert...[repeatedly]." So what are you supposed to do then? Here's what we did.

What is the qualitative value of your guest room? Quantitatively speaking it allows for 2 more people to "sleep" in your home.

Today it is more than 90 degrees outside, and the funny thing about when it is this hot is that you all get really grumpy. Thankfully, by the time you read this it will be 10 degrees cooler, and hopefully we all will be a little more rational because the message I have for you today is a bit counter-intuitive. Here's the message: A properly designed house could have intentionally been DESIGNED to not be comfortable on days like today. What a shocking statement, can you believe that I said such a thing? I am a huge comfort snob yet I have modified my own expectations.

5 Tips to beat the heat in a poorly performing house: