">HomeOwnerNut

We’ve learned from Katrina and tornadoes in Joplin and Tuscaloosa that natural disasters are no joke. There are still parts of those cities that still look like they were carpet combed. You see empty lots where the owners lacked the money to rebuild or just up and moved from communities vulnerable to nature’s fury. These photos got me to thinking about homeowner's insurance and coverage for nature’s angry outbursts. Thanks to Pamela Stevens of TopTen Reviews, I have the skinny for you. Ugly outcome when the earth roars [caption id="attachment_9227" align="alignnone" width="452" caption="Photo by USGS"][/caption] In 1971, a magnitude 6.7 quake threw me out of bed, across the room, and dropped a bookcase on me. We were luckier than many in the San Fernando ...

For all their centuries-old practicality, lighthouses remain among the most romantic architecture of the human imagination. Lighthouses have lined American ocean shores and the rocky outcroppings of the Great Lakes since the 17th Century. Alas, with the advancement of GPS maritime systems, shipping can find its way around dangerous shoals in pitch dark. Now, many lighthouses have fallen into disrepair and the lights staffed throughout American history by the Coast Guard are crumbling into the sea. In 2000, Congress enacted the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act, putting some 200 American lighthouses up for adoption. Lighthouse conversions are still a romantic notion, but the need to repair or retrofit many of the unique buildings in disuse has limited the transfer so far to ...