Expert Advice on Home Improvement TV Host of Today's Homeowner^® and home expert for The Weather Channel

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and was able to slow down long enough to catch a little of that Christmas spirit. When I have a few days to chill, I tend to start looking around my house for little projects that I haven’t had time to do. I have to make myself stop and take time out to rest, think, and do things with my wife and girls. Things like going to my little river cabin, building a fire in the fireplace, or watching a movie together in the middle of the day. It seems to be the only time of the year this can happen.

I just returned from attending the “Greenbuild Show” in Chicago where we shot some great footage on a ton of new ideas that have hit the market as well as a few new twists on some old ideas. This recent interest in green building and living is big. The effort and focus that is being placed on this trend should produce some very innovative products in the months and years ahead.

Can you believe its all ready November? Holidays are coming, and some of the best times of the year. More than ever, homeowners are really focusing on how they can save money this winter on their utility bills. Well, there won’t be any shortage of information out there because I have been doing either a newspaper or magazine interview every day for the last two weeks about that very subject. It makes sense, do a few simple things around the house now to save energy when it really gets cold.

Everyone is always talking about how busy life is these days. Well, if my recent schedule is any indication, they’re right. Our 10th season of Today’s Homeowner starts next week, and we’re really pumped about it. I just reviewed the first show of the new season and it’s awesome, the best we’ve ever done.

It can be 95 degrees in Mobile, Alabama, where I live and 60 degress in New York at the same time. What this means is, some parts of the country starts thinking about fall and cooler months a lot quicker than others and if you think about it, the first day of fall is only 16 days away? Hard to believe. It a good time to start thinking ahead about what you would like to do to your home to prepare it for colder weather. We have numerous articles here on our website and will be posting more soon to help you save money and be more comfortable.

Let me tell you about something that happened a few days ago. I was standing in the studio at 59th and 5th Avenue very early the morning of Aug. 8th wondering if the rain was going to stop long enough so that I could do my “Fencing Options” live segment planned for the outside plaza. The rain didn’t stop and got so bad that it started leaking on the inside of the studio …

I met a whole a lot of homeowners while traveling this summer and they all seemed to be interested in one thing…Going Green. I have never seen a building trend that so many people have become aware of so quickly and it seems to be the focus of many home enthusiast and consumers across the board.

We just finished taping one of our Today’s Homeowner shows for our upcoming 10th season. It’s a show we are calling “10 Steps to a Successful Kitchen Renovation”. And I’m headed to NY on Monday for a special live segment on The CBS Early Show on Tuesday morning.

I make about 20-25 visits to the Early Show every year and its always fun. I have a lot of friends here that always have a few home improvement questions. Some of your friends may show you pictures of kids, vacations, etc. I get pictures of bathrooms, kitchens, and patios. It’s ok, I love being able to point people in the right direction on improving their homes.

I’m hoping this blog will be a great place to share ideas and comments I receive from homeowners. Besides, I’ve always wanted to write a little about what goes on behind the scenes when the cameras aren’t rolling.