Despite a slumping economy, home improvements remain a popular investment for homeowners. Lisa LaPorta, designer and host of HGTV's "Designed to Sell," offers tips to help homeowners make good design decisions -- whether they're selling, staying or going green.

It's a home comfort emergency. Your air conditioning system breaks down in the middle of a heat wave, or your current heating, ventilation and cooling (HVAC) system sounds and feels like it's on its last legs. When you need to replace your system quickly, what should you do?

Incorporating current trends into your kitchen design not only helps you create a stylish and updated room, but also increases functionality. From the latest colors to the newest materials, good design can ensure you enjoy your new kitchen.

Woodpecks can cause a lot of damage when they peck holes in cedar wood siding or the eaves of a home while looking for shelter, trying to find food, or when they're sending out a mating call to other birds. Here are some humane ways to keep them out of your yard.

Do you ever find yourself wishing you could use your deck or patio more often but find it to be useless because of the weather? Imagine turning your deck or patio into a usable outdoor living space where you can spend more time enjoying life no matter what the weather. An awning could be the answer.

With the growing popularity of green building practices, more companies are incorporating environmental and sustainability policies. These are all positive steps toward reducing the impact of global warming and caring for our earth. But what do you really know about a product you buy that is labeled green? Is it really environmentally friendly, or is it just a marketing scheme? And how much of a difference is it actually making?

Whether selling a home in today's tough real estate market or simply trying to beautify and protect your home, curb appeal should be very important to you. Home selling experts predict that as many as 40 percent of potential buyers reject a home based on their first impression of the front of the home. That makes curb appeal -- the general appearance of the front yard -- the single largest factor shaping impressions of your home.