r they've Been Sleeping for a Very Long Time: Ah, landscaping. It's something no one really wants to do: some women might even get married just so they never have to mow another lawn. It can get bothersome, causing allergies to flare up and insects to crawl out of bushes and onto your arms, but landscaping is a key in keeping your house appealing. Dead trees and dead bushes make a yard look neglected, as if you are only a few days away from using it as a parking spot for your car. Instead of keeping a lawn full of dead shrubs, uproot them and give new trees Home improvement, for many of us, may be little more than a former television show starring Tim Allen. We may never think about redecorating, never ponder painting with a new color, and never consider landscaping. We may simply think things are fine as they are and disregard any suggestion of change. But even if we think like this, there comes a time when home improvement isn't a bonus, it's a necessity. The following list is five ways to know when it is time to raise the roof on improving your house.

Your Shag Carpet Just Invited you to a Donna Summer's Concert: Yes, goodbyes are hard. No one likes to say goodbye to their yellow wallpaper, their wood paneling, or their shag carpet. Going separate ways can be difficult, but sometimes it is for the better. If your house looks like something from the 1970's - as if Marsha Brady will come bustling through the door at any moment - it just may be time for an upgrade. The goodbyes will hurt at first, but you will get over it.

You Want to Sell, but so Does Everyone else: In this day and age, many houses look the same, like sets of triplets and quintuplets in a cookie cutter neighborhood. For this reason, your house needs an edge when you want to sell. The way to get this edge is to give your house something the surrounding homes don't have: get hard wood floors, invest in new carpet, add on a sun room, put in granite counter tops. Not only will these things increase the value of your home, but they will also allow you to purchase a "My house can beat up your house" bumper sticker.

Your Windows Aren't Doing Their Jobs: It seems that windows, as long as they avoid random neighborhood baseballs, should last forever: unfortunately, they don't; yes, they are a pane. Windows can deteriorate over time and there is little that can be done about it. Some windows may become cloudy, and contain a permanent fog-like appearance. Other windows may become leaky, and let in cold air during the winter months. If any of your windows fall into these two categories, it may be time to get some new ones. This can be expensive, but it will pay off in the end by making your house look nicer, keeping it warmer, and increasing its value.

Your Trees and Bushes are Dead or they've Been Sleeping for a Very Long Time: Ah, landscaping. It's something no one really wants to do: some women might even get married just so they never have to mow another lawn. It can get bothersome, causing allergies to flare up and insects to crawl out of bushes and onto your arms, but landscaping is a key in keeping your house appealing. Dead trees and dead bushes make a yard look neglected, as if you are only a few days away from using it as a parking spot for your car. Instead of keeping a lawn full of dead shrubs, uproot them and give new trees a

s Concert: Yes, goodbyes are hard. No one likes to say goodbye to their yellow wallpaper, their wood paneling, or their shag carpet. Going separate ways can be difficult, but sometimes it is for the better. If your house looks like something from the 1970's - as if Marsha Brady will come bustling through the door at any moment - it just may be time for an upgrade. The goodbyes will hurt at first, but you will get over it.

You Want to Sell, but so Does Everyone else: In this day and age, many houses look the same, like sets of triplets and quintuplets in a cookie cutter neighborhood. For this reason, your house needs an edge when you want to sell. The way to get this edge is to give your house something the surrounding homes don't have: get hard wood floors, invest in new carpet, add on a sun room, put in granite counter tops. Not only will these things increase the value of your home, but they will also allow you to purchase a "My house can beat up your house" bumper sticker.

Your Windows Aren't Doing Their Jobs: It seems that windows, as long as they avoid random neighborhood baseballs, should last forever: unfortunately, they don't; yes, they are a pane. Windows can deteriorate over time and there is little that can be done about it. Some windows may become cloudy, and contain a permanent fog-like appearance. Other windows may become leaky, and let in cold air during the winter months. If any of your windows fall into these two categories, it may be time to get some new ones. This can be expensive, but it will pay off in the end by making your house look nicer, keeping it warmer, and increasing its value.

Your Trees and Bushes are Dead or they've Been Sleeping for a Very Long Time: Ah, landscaping. It's something no one really wants to do: some women might even get married just so they never have to mow another lawn. It can get bothersome, causing allergies to flare up and insects to crawl out of bushes and onto your arms, but landscaping is a key in keeping your house appealing. Dead trees and dead bushes make a yard look neglected, as if you are only a few days away from using it as a parking spot for your car. Instead of keeping a lawn full of dead shrubs, uproot them and give new trees

lets in a cookie cutter neighborhood. For this reason, your house needs an edge when you want to sell. The way to get this edge is to give your house something the surrounding homes don't have: get hard wood floors, invest in new carpet, add on a sun room, put in granite counter tops. Not only will these things increase the value of your home, but they will also allow you to purchase a "My house can beat up your house" bumper sticker.

Your Windows Aren't Doing Their Jobs: It seems that windows, as long as they avoid random neighborhood baseballs, should last forever: unfortunately, they don't; yes, they are a pane. Windows can deteriorate over time and there is little that can be done about it. Some windows may become cloudy, and contain a permanent fog-like appearance. Other windows may become leaky, and let in cold air during the winter months. If any of your windows fall into these two categories, it may be time to get some new ones. This can be expensive, but it will pay off in the end by making your house look nicer, keeping it warmer, and increasing its value.

Your Trees and Bushes are Dead or they've Been Sleeping for a Very Long Time: Ah, landscaping. It's something no one really wants to do: some women might even get married just so they never have to mow another lawn. It can get bothersome, causing allergies to flare up and insects to crawl out of bushes and onto your arms, but landscaping is a key in keeping your house appealing. Dead trees and dead bushes make a yard look neglected, as if you are only a few days away from using it as a parking spot for your car. Instead of keeping a lawn full of dead shrubs, uproot them and give new trees

ould last forever: unfortunately, they don't; yes, they are a pane. Windows can deteriorate over time and there is little that can be done about it. Some windows may become cloudy, and contain a permanent fog-like appearance. Other windows may become leaky, and let in cold air during the winter months. If any of your windows fall into these two categories, it may be time to get some new ones. This can be expensive, but it will pay off in the end by making your house look nicer, keeping it warmer, and increasing its value.

Your Trees and Bushes are Dead or they've Been Sleeping for a Very Long Time: Ah, landscaping. It's something no one really wants to do: some women might even get married just so they never have to mow another lawn. It can get bothersome, causing allergies to flare up and insects to crawl out of bushes and onto your arms, but landscaping is a key in keeping your house appealing. Dead trees and dead bushes make a yard look neglected, as if you are only a few days away from using it as a parking spot for your car. Instead of keeping a lawn full of dead shrubs, uproot them and give new trees

r they've Been Sleeping for a Very Long Time: Ah, landscaping. It's something no one really wants to do: some women might even get married just so they never have to mow another lawn. It can get bothersome, causing allergies to flare up and insects to crawl out of bushes and onto your arms, but landscaping is a key in keeping your house appealing. Dead trees and dead bushes make a yard look neglected, as if you are only a few days away from using it as a parking spot for your car. Instead of keeping a lawn full of dead shrubs, uproot them and give new trees and new bushes a chance to thrive

Your Doors Don't Lock and You Don't Know Karate: Locks aren't unbreakable: sometimes they simply stop working. This may happen to your front door, your garage door, or the sliding glass door that goes out to your backyard. Wherever this happens, it's time to invest in a new door, and do it immediately. A door that doesn't lock is about as effective as a clock that doesn't tell time: a door that doesn't lock can make your home vulnerable to robbery and your family vulnerable to danger. Replacing a door because it doesn't lock isn't merely a matter of home improvement, it's a matter of home preservation.