http://hamptonroads.com/taxonomy/term/2834 Category: Home en-us Copyright 2012 PilotOnline.com / HamptonRoads.com. Sat, 26 May 2012 19:09:54 -0400 The buzz is growing that 2012 might be one of the worst mosquito years ever. The first batch of mosquitoes are hatching early - up to six weeks ahead of schedule - thanks to warmer weather and early spring rain. http://hamptonroads.com/2012/05/head-scratcher-mild-winter-may-mean-more-mosquitoes Tue, 22 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400 CHESAPEAKE T.E. Jones knelt and grabbed the open box of drywall screws, printed with the words "Made in America" next to an image of a rippling Stars and Stripes. The homebuilder paid roughly $235 for the box - nearly $200 more than he would spend on a typical box of screws from China. http://hamptonroads.com/2012/05/homearama-builder-goes-allamerican-materials Sun, 20 May 2012 21:56:25 -0400 Scott Fitzgerald might have made a great wedding planner. The lavish galas, extravagant excess and fabulous fortunes in "The Great Gatsby" - the novel he set in the Jazz Age in which the wealthy Gatsby woos his Daisy with money - rival the rich romp through flowers and crystal and china and silk that many brides strive to emulate while dreaming about their big day. http://hamptonroads.com/2012/05/great-gatsby-wedding Sun, 20 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400 VIRGINIA BEACH Eileen Vernon gave one of the final tours to friends of her parents' home on Linkhorn Bay, remembering fondly sneaking out on the slate roof from her bedroom window, listening intently to her grandmother's tales of the Lindsley family farm, and admiring her father's meticulous upkeep of the two-story, brick Colonial home in Virginia Beach where she grew up. http://hamptonroads.com/2012/05/letting-go-family-home Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400 NORFOLK Mary Ann Fussell once had a mini-backyard without charm or purpose. "It was totally useless," she said, thinking back 18 months to the sloping lawn and tiny aggregate patio in the petite space behind her East Beach house in Norfolk's Ocean View. "You couldn't even put a table out here," she said. http://hamptonroads.com/2012/05/big-functionality-small-yards Sat, 12 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400 AHOSKIE, N.C. Pat and Lynette Brabble returned from church on a laid-back Sunday and flipped on Animal Planet's "River Monsters" on their 82-inch, high-definition TV. Lynette fielded phone calls from her two grown daughters, a daily occurrence to check in and see how the family's doing. http://hamptonroads.com/2012/05/ready-doomsday-some-our-neighbors-are Tue, 08 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400 You'd be surprised at who's hugging trees these days. People like city planners, engineers, scientists, mayors, landscape architects, businessmen, developers and homeowners are all tree huggers. In the past the phrase was used to describe mainly hippies and little old ladies in tennis shoes. http://hamptonroads.com/2012/04/trees-what-are-they-good Sun, 22 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0400 DRAT TO THAT frayed carpet near the door jamb. Curses to the crayon markings on the wall. Anyone who owns or rents a home knows little things can add up into eyesores that make your home look dingy and worn. But those blemishes don't have to raid your wallet of big money to repair or replace and rob your weekends of precious time for lengthy do-it-yourself projects. http://hamptonroads.com/2012/04/home-eyesores-take-care-them Mon, 16 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0400 IN 1988, LOUDOUN COUNTy residents George and Janice Tauser purchased a timeshare - a vacation property shared by several joint owners - for $6,500 at the Land of Canaan Vacation Resort in Davis, W.Va. http://hamptonroads.com/2012/05/selling-your-timeshare-look-out-scammers Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400 OWNING A home on the coast shouldn't be a lesson in dreams gone wrong. For Wayne Higson, the coastal environment offered peace, serenity and a place to get away from it all - until corrosion, wind and water created a nightmare in vacation homeownership. http://hamptonroads.com/2012/04/coastal-homeownership-has-its-own-challenges Mon, 30 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0400