Improvement

L.A. County ends controversial PACE home improvement loan program

By Phil M. Sinha 12 hours ago

Los Angeles County has ended its controversial PACE home improvement loan program, a decision that follows years of criticism that the county enabled predatory lending and put people at risk of losing their homes.

County officials — who launched the PACE program in 2015 to fund energy- and water-efficient home improvements — said they made the decision after determining the program lacked adequate consumer protections.

Homeowners repeatedly alleged the private home improvement contractors who signed them up for PACE misrepresented how the financing would work, saddling them with loans they could not understand or afford.

The county also faced lawsuits alleging that government authorities failed to properly oversee the private lenders it partnered with to issue loans that, if unpaid, could lead to foreclosure.

The criticisms mirror complaints directed at other Property Assessed Clean Energy, or PACE, programs across California that fund environmentally friendly home improvements such as solar panels,

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Are Lowe’s registers down? Outages and ‘technical issues’ reported at home improvement chain resolved

By Phil M. Sinha 3 weeks ago

After technical issues were reported at some Lowe’s stores across the country, the home improvement chain confirmed to USA TODAY that systems were operating normally Saturday evening.

The retailer acknowledged “unexpected and unforeseen technical issues” Saturday in a tweet when it responded to a shopper who said his store was “shut down because their bank can’t process all the transactions” and was accepting only cash.

In another tweet Saturday, Lowe’s apologized “for any inconvenience experienced while the systems were down.”

@Ja_Carey483 from Michigan tweeted to the retailer “you all need to get a better computer system, so the whole country doesn’t have to pay cash.”

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Another Twitter user reported long lines

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Tim Allen Owns The ’33 Ford Roadster Featured On ‘Home Improvement’

By Phil M. Sinha 3 weeks ago

The hot rod was built on the set of the ’90s sitcom for timeline accuracy.

Known as one of Hollywood’s funny guys, Tim Allen has brought us plenty of laughs in different movies and television shows over the years. We remember his first onscreen role as Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor in Home Improvement that debuted back in 1991 and went on for eight full seasons. In later seasons of the show, Allen was able to earn more money as he helped with production of the sitcom, and he made a healthy $1 million per episode in the last season. We know Allen as a huge car enthusiast with some professional racing under his belt and for his vast collection of cars. Among his hoard is the 1933 Ford Roadster that was built on the set of the ’90s sitcom.

Comedian and actor Tim Allen

Although the show aired quite some time back,

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9 Easy Home Improvement Projects To Keep You Busy While Quarantined

By Phil M. Sinha 3 weeks ago

We’re spending way more time at home these days, which means it’s more important than ever for our living spaces to bring us joy and comfort. But if you’re like me, you’ve begun to notice ― maybe even fixate on ― imperfections like run down furniture and outdated wallpaper. 

Since you’re stuck at home anyway, now might be a good opportunity to work on a project or two that will spruce up your home and take your mind off the coronavirus pandemic. Most major hardware stores are offering online ordering with curbside pickup, so getting supplies should be a breeze. And as long as you’re handy with a few basic tools and paintbrush, you can tackle these easy home improvement projects.

1. Add an accent wall

(Photo: asbe via Getty Images)
(Photo: asbe via Getty Images)

A fresh coat of paint can transform a space. But if you don’t have the patience or energy to

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