On Wednesday, a crowd of President Trump's supporters stormed the United States Capitol in a domestic terrorist attack while Congress met to certify the most recent presidential election. As elected officials were evacuated, the group broke through police barriers and into the historic building, causing a stunning wake of damage: They smashed windows and doors to senators' offices, vandalized hallways and statues, and stole furnishings and politicians belongings (such as podiums and mail).

Many have expressed disgust at this attack in our nations capital. But what exactly makes the Capitol building so important, and what will be done to fix the damage?

Since 1800, the United States Capitol has been the meeting place of the House of Representatives and the Senate, which together form the United States Congress. This iconic building serves many purposes: Its where our nations laws are created and its also where presidential inaugurations take place and where presidents give their State of the Union Addresses.

The Neoclassical-style building that we know as the United States Capitol was designed by architect William Thornton. His creative vision was chosen as part of a competition established by then-Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson in 1792, wherein architects submitted design plans for both the Capitol building and the White House. (The prize? $500 and the honor of designing two of the most important buildings in the United States of America.) Thornton's submission came in late January of 1793, months after the competition was established in spring of the prior year. George Washington, who was president at the time, admired Thorntons designs for their grandeur, simplicity, and beauty, according to the official Senate website. The architect's inspiration for the Capitol building's design came from the Louvre and the Paris Panthon.

While the January 6 attack was in many ways unprecedented (and not just because it was carried out by our country's own citizens), this is actually not the first time the Capitol has been damaged: In 1814, the buildingas well as the White House (then called the Presidential Mansion)and other notable landmarks were set on fire by invading British troops following the Battle of Bladensburg as part of the War of 1812. But within five years, the Capitol was restored.

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After the January 6th attack, shattered glass was found from insurgents breaking into the edifice and into various senators offices, including that of Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi. Pelosi's mail was stolen, as was her name plaquewhich was also brokenand papers and folders found in her office were defaced with phrases such as WE WILL NOT BACK DOWN. There was also damaged and broken furniture, papers scattered all over senators offices in disarray, pieces of door frames broken off, trash scattered about the building, and bloodstains on the busts of important historical figures, among even more grotesque defacement.

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While we cant predict just how long it will take to restore the Capitol to the way it appeared prior to the January 6th attack, we can speculate how the damage might handled. A large part of it, apparently, will be through prison labor.

When purchasing furniture on its own dime, the government is legally required to buy through UNICOR, a Washington, D.C.-based prison labor program run by Federal Prison Industries, Inc. (or FPI). UNICOR was created in 1934, and its a requirement that all physically able convicts who do not have any health or security risks must work for either UNICOR or another prison labor program. In 2018, Vox reported that the inmates who are forced into doing this work make items such as lamps, office supplies, air filters, and clothinglabor for which they are paid a minimum of 23 cents per hour to a maximum $1.15 per hour. UNICOR is owned by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and it made over $530 million in revenue in 2019.

There has yet to be an official announcement on plans for restoring the Capitolalthough some senators, including New Jersey Rep. Andy Kim, took it upon themselves to begin clearing garbage and debris in the days following the attack, joining custodial workers tasked with clearing the halls of the building.

Many have speculated that this week's attacks will mean more restricted access to the Capitol building for tourists and visitorsthough no government officials have yet to confirm or deny that this will be the case.

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Why the U.S. Capitol Building Is So Important and How the Damage Will Be Fixed - HouseBeautiful.com

Living a happy life requires a person to surround himself with a positive environment. Every person spends most of his time at his home so it is really important for him to go for home remodeling after a few years. The home renovation adds more value to a home by increasing livability and comfort in it.

It is a desire of every person to live a safe and comfortable life at his home. With the use of the best home renovation practices, it is possible for every homeowner to get the desired level of comfort and functionality in his home. Due to the rising disposable income of the US people, most people are now going for home renovation to a great extent.

Apart from renovating other areas of their houses, people are consulting suitable firms for a bathroom remodel in Denver after a regular time interval. It is helping people create a more relaxed and private space in a bathroom. Kitchen remodeling is also being considered by people to make the cooking process a lot easy and fun.

Installation of eco-friendly kitchen cabinets and energy-efficient kitchen gadgets are now becoming a popular thing in houses.As the size of a family grows, it becomes all the more important to renovate a house to add more spaces to the house.

Moreover, improvement in the living and dining area must be considered to add more value to a house. Adding more features to a house can make a house comfortable to live in. And every family member can do different home activities in a satisfactorily and convenient fashion.

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Home Renovation Ensures a Boost in Liveability and Comfort in a Home - The American Reporter

Coral reefs all over the world are struggling to survive, with hundreds of millions of people and tens of billions of dollars in business that rely on them at risk on top of the fundamental tragedy of losing such a crucial ecosystem. Coral Vita aims to modernize both coral restoration techniques and the economy surrounding them, and has raised a $2 million seed round to kick things off in earnest.

I wrote about Coral Vita late in 2019 when I encountered co-founder Gator Halpern on the Sustainable Ocean Alliances Accelerator at Sea. At the time, the operation was both smaller and under siege by Hurricane Dorian, which wiped out the teams coral farm in the Bahamas and then, of course, the pandemic arrived just in time to spoil the teams 2020 plans along with everyone elses.

But despite the general chaos of the last year, Coral Vita managed to start and at last close a $2 million round, with the intention to come back bigger and better and demonstrate a new global model for the field.

We decided rather than just rebuilding our pilot farm to that pilot level, wed just take the next step forward in our journey. We really believe this is an opportunity to jump start a restoration economy, said Sam Teicher, co-founder and chief reef officer.

To picture how reef restoration looks today, imagine (as Teicher invited me to) an underwater garden near the shore, with floating ropes and structures on which grow coral fragments that are occasionally harvested and transported to the area in need of young, healthy corals.

Image Credits: Coral Vita

But when you think about the scale of the problem half the worlds reefs are dead and 90 percent of the other half are predicted to die in the next 30 years relying on underwater facilities alone isnt possible, he said.

The plan Coral Vita has is to transition away from ocean-based farms to land facilities that allow for much improved yield and survivability, and employ advanced techniques to speed up corals growth and increase its survival rate. One such technique is coral microfragmenting, developed by the restoration community at large, in which corals are broken up into tiny pieces, which can grow as much as 50 times faster in aggregate. And by doing so on land they can exert much more control over the corals attributes.

Weve got tanks on land with clean sea water pumping through and the ability, among other things, to control conditions, he explained. So if you think of what itll be like off the coast of Grand Bahama in 40-50 years, we can essentially simulate that to harden the corals against those conditions. Up front, an ocean-based nursery is much cheaper, but when you start thinking about the need to grow millions or billions of corals around the world, land-based facilities start to look a lot more realistic. The cost goes down with scale, too ocean-based nurseries go to about $30-$40 per coral; we can get it down to $10 as we get up to a hundred or a thousand tanks.

On the left, a Bahamanian tourism official (far left) listens to Sam Teicher. On the right, Gator Halpern (center) talks with others before the pandemic. Image Credits: Coral Vita

Not only is the physical scale limited at present, but the income sources are as well: Often its government money instead of the inexhaustible well of private cash. Coral Vita hopes to be able to change that by increasing and diversifying supply and income, and going directly to those affected.

As the world starts to open back up, Coral Vita hopes to be able to rely again on eco-tourism, with people coming by the coral farm as they might go to a hatchery or wildlife reserve. That helps balance far-flung income and projects with more local ones (and connects the company to smaller communities like those where its based).

While things were still locked down, the company took the opportunity to allow distant support for its local operations, however, by expanding its adopt a coral campaign. Anyone whos contributed to one of these for an endangered animal or ravaged forest will be familiar with how it works, but until last year Coral Vita hadnt actively pursued the concept.

Were trying to transform the space away from grants and aid were selling to customers that depend on the ecosystems of reefs, Teicher said. If youre a hotel that relies on scuba or snorkel tourists, if youre a coastal property owner or insurer, a government, a development bank, a cruise line, you can hire Coral Vita to restore the reefs that you depend on.

This superficially mercenary business model where commercially important reefs get priority wouldnt be necessary, of course, if governments and industry hadnt systematically neglected these reefs to begin with. Not that privately funded projects are somehow fundamentally tainted, but this type of restoration work tends to be seen as the milieu of nonprofits and government agencies. One might consider this approach a direct, if late, tax that cuts out the government middle man.

The fact is this is globally crucial work that needs to start now, not in five or 10 years when the correct conservation funds are organized by concerned parties. Every month counts when reefs are actively deteriorating, and private money is the only realistic option to scale up fast and do what needs to be done. Plus, as the process becomes cheaper, it becomes easier to fund projects without commercial backing.

Image Credits: Coral Vita

On top of that is the ability to innovate, added Teicher. What were trying to do with this round is to make advances to the science and engineering, including 3D printing and robotics in the process. Were launching R&D projects not just for restoration but protection.

He cited Tom Chi, co-founder of Google X and an early advisor and investor, as someone who has pushed on the automation side, comparing the industry to agriculture, where robotics is currently having a transformative effect.

Proving out the scalable land-based farms opens up the possibility of a global presence, as well lowering costs and lead times for corals to be brought to where theyre needed.

Were at a point where we need to rethink adaptation and how to fund it, said Teicher. The two-year plan is to launch more farms in other countries ultimately we want them in every nation with reefs and for this to be the biggest coral farm that ever existed.

Of course he, like most, would rather that restoration never had to happen in the first place. If people would stop the practices that kill reefs, it would certainly help though as with most of these global-scale problems, stopping the behavior doesnt mean the problem disappears. Coral farming will still be crucial for recovery, just as other mitigations and contributions will be needed to help nature reestablish balance, or at least something approaching balance.

Leading the $2 million round was the environment-focused Builders Collective, with participation from Apollo Projects Max Altman and baseballs Max and Erica Scherzer. Earlier investors (in a pre-seed or seed one round) include the Sustainable Ocean Alliance, Tom Chi as mentioned, Adam Draper, Yale University, and Sven and Kristin Lindblad.

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Coral Vita cultivates $2M seed to take its reef restoration mission global - TechCrunch

Grounded by the pandemic, many housebound homeowners (at least, those who could afford it) spent the past year improving their living spaces, whether they were converting basements into boardrooms or transforming backyards into makeshift family resorts. Despite a COVID-ravaged economy, Americans spent a projected $338 billion on home improvements in 2020, according to Harvards Joint Center for Housing Studies, a 3.4 percent increase over 2019.

But after the construction crew has cleaned up and cleared out, theres still one more item that should be on any homeowners remodeling to-do list. Changes to your home often demand adjustments to the insurance policy that protects it.

There are a number of ways a renovation can affect your homeowners insurance, but chief among them is this: After a major remodeling project, your home is probably worth more and it would cost more to rebuild to its current standard should it be destroyed by fire or water.

When you first get an insurance policy, they assess the features of your home and they say, Heres how much it would cost to rebuild your home, explained Angi Orbann, vice president of property and personal insurance at Travelers. And as you make renovations and improvements to the home, that replacement cost, that cost to rebuild, likely increases. You want to make sure you have enough coverage on your policy in the horrible event that you might have a total loss.

You probably dont need to call your insurance company after, say, painting the dining room, but if its a big remodel, including kitchen and baths, youve just increased the value of your home, and your current policy probably doesnt cover all the upgraded kitchen cabinets, appliances, and bath fixtures, said Mark Philben, manager of project development at Charlie Allen Renovations in Cambridge.

Its even more important to reevaluate your replacement cost coverage if youve added square footage or invested in high-end finishes and new furnishings. The goal is to ensure the home is adequately insured to repair or replace the home with the same level of detail, finishes, and quality of workmanship, said Scott Harold, regional risk consulting manager for the Northeast region at insurer Chubb.

Your homes replacement cost is simply the amount of money it would take to rebuild it with all the stuff in it from scratch. A lot of factors influence that figure, but homeowners are often surprised to learn that it has little to do with their homes market value. Thats because the land your home sits on is just as valuable as the structure itself, at least in the Boston area. A homes lot accounts for about half of its market value in metro Boston, according to a 2019 Redfin study.

Yet in lower-priced areas, a homes replacement cost could actually be higher than the market value especially for an old home, since new construction must meet stricter modern building codes. The lesson, Orbann said, is not to conflate one with the other. Market value does not equal the cost to rebuild a home, she said.

Its even more important to reevaluate your replacement cost coverage if youve added square footage or invested in high-end finishes and new furnishings.

And if a renovation cost you $100,000, adjusting your homes replacement value isnt just a matter of tacking on that sum to your existing coverage. Sometimes a significant part of the expense of a home renovation is associated with tear-out costs, expenses that help a contractor tie in the new with the old, or expenses involved in replacing older furnishings with newer ones, said Daniel Heinold, a sales and client services director at Amica insurance. Those types of one-off costs often dont apply when rebuilding after a total loss, he said, so you may not need to add quite as much additional insurance as you think.

So how do you know how much coverage you need after a remodel? Insurers have appraisers and sophisticated algorithms to help determine that so in most cases, its just a matter of explaining the scope of work to your insurance provider. But if you want to come up with your own ballpark figure: A survey by the National Association of Homebuilders found that the cost of constructing a new home in New England not including the land averaged $158 per square foot in 2019. That would put the replacement cost of a 2,000-square-foot home around $316,000 (a number thats surely risen in the last year due to inflation and lumber shortages).

You dont have to wait until a renovation is done to contact your insurer, though. In fact, Philben suggested notifying them ahead of any remodeling work, to make sure youre fully covered. For example, not all homeowners policies cover building materials from damage or theft, and some insurers may require fire extinguishers or other safety measures during a big renovation.

Outdoor upgrades can necessitate insurance changes, too. Backyard pools were a hot item last summer, with many installers reporting backlogs into 2021 and even 2022, the Syracuse Post-Standard reports as summer vacation plans evaporated. If you were among those who managed to get a pool installed, Orbann said thats definitely something to tell your insurance provider. Theres different liability on the policy when you have a pool, she said.

New pool owners will probably want to increase their Coverage B insurance, too, Heinold said, which applies to detached structures on the property. Your insurance company will also want to know that youve met local safety codes. Wed want to ensure there are certain safeguards in place, such as a locking fence, Heinold said, [but] there wouldnt be too much of an impact on their premium.

In fact, a remodel doesnt always increase your insurance bill. Some home improvements reduce the risk of property damage or injury, and thus may actually lower your premiums.

Some carriers have discounts available for older homes if the home has been renovated, Heinold said. Installing a new roof, for example, or replacing dated electric, plumbing, or HVAC systems could result in a discount. Replacing these systems in an older home mitigates the potential for loss or damage and enhances the overall safety of the home, especially in the case of an older electrical system with knob-and-tube wiring, Harold noted.

Many insurers also offer discounts or credits when you install monitoring systems or devices designed to protect your home, Heinold said, such as burglar alarms, fire alarms, sprinkler systems, leak-detection devices, generators, or storm shutters.

With non-flood-related water damage (such as from a burst pipe) accounting for more than 37 percent of total losses in 2017 and 2018 in Massachusetts even more than fire insurance companies typically reward homeowners who install an automatic water shut-off device. [Its] a nominal cost when renovating, and the investment can typically be offset by a premium credit, Harold said.

Some home improvements reduce the risk of property damage or injury, and thus may actually lower your premiums.

Such home-monitoring systems are simple enough to install, Philben said, especially during a renovation. When youre doing a remodel and the walls are open, it makes a lot of sense to do it then, he said. He suggests contacting your insurer beforehand to see what kind of discounts you can expect and what level of monitoring is required. For example, its neat to be able to keep tabs on your homes major systems with your smartphone, Philben said, but often when it comes to discounts, the key is that its being monitored by an alarm company and they can track if theres a sudden or prolonged drop in water pressure in the house.

Another such home upgrade is an automatic whole-house generator, Harold said, which can ensure your heat stays on during a power outage, reducing the risk of frozen and burst pipes. While the benefit is to maintain safety and comfort during power outages, its an often overlooked upgrade that may be eligible for a premium credit, he said.

As always, its helpful to take and safely store photos of any remodeling work performed and the contents of your home in case you ever need to file a claim. And in that unfortunate event, Philben said, it can pay to bring in your own adjuster. If there is, God forbid, a claim, you want to get a public adjuster somebody you hire as opposed to the insurance companys adjuster, he said. Oftentimes theyll negotiate a better deal for you.

Even if you didnt complete a renovation in 2020, the start of a new year is a good time to review your homeowners policy.

We typically encourage people to revisit those coverages once a year anyway and think about their current home situation, Orbann said. And theres no need to wait until your policy is up for renewal if you do decide to make changes. You can review it at any point in the year and call in and make updates, she said.

That sounds like a good new years resolution for any homeowner.

Jon Gorey blogs about homes at HouseandHammer.com. Send comments to [emailprotected]. Follow him on Twitter at @jongorey. Subscribe to our free real estate newsletter at pages.email.bostonglobe.com/AddressSignUp.

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Renovating? Why your insurance needs an update, too - Boston.com

WASHINGTON, Jan. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Prison Fellowshipwill host a Zoom virtual reporters roundtable on Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021 from 11noon (EST) to discuss the impact ofthe recent actions of the U.S. Congress in restoring access to Pell Grants for incarcerated students as a provision within the Fiscal Year 2021 omnibus package.

Learn more about the impact of the Pell ban for incarcerated students, their families, and society in general. The virtual panel will include:

"Pell Grant access offers people in prison the opportunity to pursue good citizenship behind and beyond bars," said James Ackerman, president and CEO of Prison Fellowship. "We applaud federal policymakersand particularly Secretary DeVos, the White House, bipartisan cosponsors of the REAL Act, and higher education leaders like Senators Lamar Alexander and Patty Murray and Representatives Virginia Foxx and Bobby Scott for moving this historic reform to transform lives, livelihoods, and communities across the finish line."

"Hope is such a powerful gift," said Heather Rice-Minus, senior vice president of advocacy and church mobilization for Prison Fellowship. "Access to Pell Grants has been denied to aspiring incarcerated students for a quarter century. Today's inclusion of this reform opens a new window of hope that will pay back dividends in the form of safer communities inside and outside corrections facilities for decades to come."

About Prison FellowshipPrison Fellowship is the nation's largest outreach to prisoners, former prisoners, and their families, and a leading voice for criminal justice reform.With more than 40 years of experience helping restore men and women behind bars, Prison Fellowship advocates for federal and state criminaljustice reforms that transform those responsible for crime, validate victims, and encourage communities to play a role in creating a safe, redemptive, and just society.

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Virtual Reporters Roundtable to Discuss Restoration of Access to Pell Grants for Incarcerated Students Seeking to Become Productive Citizens - KHQ...

The project to bring the Paignton Picture House back to life has moved another step forward.

Listed building consent has been granted for the north facade repairs project which will restore the front of the building in Torbay Road which was also known as the Torbay Cinema before it closed.

As revealed last week, the Paignton Picture House Trust has secured 200,000 from Historic England to begin work on the facade.

The full restoration of the cinema will take several years, and is being funded in part by the governments Future High Streets funding for Paignton, which will mean more than 13m to be spent on projects in the town.

Trust spokesman Paul Hawthorne said he hoped the cinema would become a beacon for the regeneration of the town.

Some of the most vulnerable parts of the building, including delicate stonework and stained glass, are found on the front of the building.

Conservation architects Le Page Architects put together a detailed application for consent based on survey work they had previously carried out.

Historic Englands feedback to the statutory planning consultation said: The application is thorough and detailed, identifying appropriate methodologies to undertake each type of repair, and clearly illustrating which parts of the building these apply to.

Conservation best practice is applied, with the maximum conservation of original fabric.

Mr Hawthorne said: This is another positive step forward to saving this incredibly important building and reopening it for us all to enjoy.

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Another boost for Paignton Picture House restoration project - In Your Area

This year saw an incredible shift in the day-to-day operations of the world. Offices shuttered, daily commutes ended, and we tried to do it allfrom schooling to working out to therapy to vacationsin our homes. According to a study, 36.2 million Americans (22% of the workforce) will be working remotely by 2025, which is an 87% increase from the number of remote workers prior to the pandemic. Its no wonder that how were thinking about renovation projects has likely changed from previous years. So we reached out to those in the world of decorating, landscape design, and home improvement for the scoop on what they think the big trends will be for 2021 reno projects.

Giving rooms a new life

Entertainment and recreational room design help requests have, as of recently, begun to supersedefamily room makeovers, which were the leading trend for the past eight to nine months, says Devin Shaffer, lead interior designer at Decorilla Online Interior Design. The pandemic continues to teach us new ways to maximize the uses of the space that were spending time in. Because of this, many homeowners have maxed out the design opportunities for the most commonly used rooms in their homes and are now seeking expert advice on what rooms or areas in their home can take on a new life.Basement remodel projectsare a great way to create a recreational room, and theyhave been in high demand over the last quarter of the year. We expect this to trend more and more over the nextyear.

The most fun requests Devin is seeing: in-home theaters, indoor bowling lanes, full home bars, indoor golf simulators, and climbing walls. It's been really interesting to see designers and clients get creativewith out-of-the-box alternatives to basements with garage-tohome-gym conversions, guest bedroomstoat-home arcade rooms, and the latest is a home librarytoLego-collection showroom.

Focusing on work-from-home sanctuaries

With more and more workers taking up remote positions in a post-COVID world, I think we are going to see an even larger increase in demand for live/work-space renovation, whether thats the transformation of current bedrooms and bonus spaces into offices or the addition of purpose-built home-office structures to empty land, says Christian Adams, CEO and cofounder atRepair Pricer. The focus will be on creating functional spaces that can double for both [live/work] purposes, such as built-in furniture that can be hidden away or used for work and storage, or improving sound insulation in existing walls and areas to create a calm environment for work.

People will spend more time and effort in designing a unique working space to maximize their concentration, motivation, and productivity, says Jing Xue, COO and cofounder ofDecorMatters. Things like location, colors, decorations, and furniture have a big effect on your mental and physical state. In fact, bright lighting has been shown to make people happier, ambient sounds help people focus, and poor air quality can lead to a drop in productivity.

Making room for multigenerational households

One trend I have seen emerging in major markets that has even been picked up on by large tract builders such as Lennar, is the creation of purpose-built multigenerational homes with essentially two separate homes under one roof, says Christian. This is not just down to the shifting dynamic among families but also because of the ability for homeowners to monetize the extra space for long-term rentals or even Airbnb-style short-term leasing.

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7 Renovation Trends To Look Out For In 2021 - Architectural Digest

With the holiday season going in full swing and many parts of the world still stuck in quarantine, its safe to say youll probably be spending most of your time indoors this time of year. Instead of spending your holidays scrolling through social media or bingewatching another new TV show, why not spice up your home with a little renovation instead?

As were spending more time than ever in the comfort of our own homes, its all the more reason to dive into some DIY home renovation projects to make it look & feel more like the home of your dreams. Weve got you covered with a list of some awesome DIY tips to spruce up your living space and make it more comfortable, practical, and beautiful.

While the mirror propped up in your room is always there to make sure you look good, why not also help make it look great as well? There are plenty of simple ways to beautify your mirror, either through lining up mosaic tiles on the sides for a glamorous look, doing wood paneling for a more earthy vibe, or simply painting the frames a different color. This project can easily be done within an hour.

This is a fairly simple DIY home renovation project for adding a little bit of life into your boring furniture. You can either paint your furniture a brand new color or add some creativity by using a stencil & some chalk paint to create cute designs onto anything needing a little extra beauty in the house such as drawers, cabinets, bedside tables, and more.

This is an option that is fairly simple, quick, and cheap to do. Simply add some floating shelves to any wall that looks a little too blank & bland and store anything from books & family pictures to small knick-knacks. Itll not only be convenient as a storage space for smaller items, but it will also bring some more life to your home by showcasing your interests, favorite memories, or hobbies.

Whats a more perfect DIY home renovation project for the cold winter weather other than building your own fire pit for the family in the backyard? Austin Alvarez of Building Our Rez explained Go to your local hardware store and grab 30 pewter concrete retaining wall blocks, a bag of pea pebbles, and a bag of paver base. Two hours later youll be roasting all the marshmallows with the closest of friends and family.

Lining your walls with crown molding is a subtle detail that makes all the difference in making your home look sophisticated. There are numerous materials to choose from depending on what look youre going for, such as wood or plaster. However, if youre looking for something cheaper & simpler, you can always try peel & stick crown molding.

Lets not forget about the outside of your house when it comes to home renovations. A few ways you can spruce up your houses exterior is through either painting your front door or switching it up altogether, installing shelves on the outside of your windows to place potted plants if youve got a green thumb, or build some fencing around the house if youre in the need of more privacy. The options are endless!

If your basement or attic acts only as storage space and has just been left unattended gathering dust for years, make your house feel bigger by turning it into an extra room. Find a weekend to clean it up, buy some furniture, and turn it into an extra guest room or something fun for parties such as an awesome game room.

Will you be trying out some of the DIY home renovation projects listed here? Do you have any other ideas? Let us know in the comments.

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Is home renovation on your 2021 to-do list? All the best DIY tips - Film Daily

HGTV's Home Town is our happy place: a show that combines incredible home renovations with emotional journeys that leave us grabbing for the tissue box. What more could you want? Hosts Ben and Erin Napier's southern charm runs through every aspect of the show, enveloping the viewer as we watch them work their magic on historic houses in their hometown of Laurel, Mississippi. Erin, with her amazing eye for all things decor and renovation strategy, plus Ben's craftsmanship and skill, make for stunning restorations that deserve their own Pinterest board. Before the popular show's season five premiere on Jan. 3, POPSUGAR spoke to Ben and Erin about their whirlwind journey to where they are now, their goals in highlighting small town living, and what fans can expect from the new season, plus the forthcoming releases of both Home Town Takeover and Home Town: Ben's Workshop.

Ben and Erin's path to becoming some of HGTV's most successful and recognizable showrunners and home renovators stems from their mutual love for rebuilding homes, helping others, and showcasing the beauty of small towns. "We really hope that no matter where people live and watch our show, that they see the value in the place they're from . . . that they see what's special about [that place] and why it's different from any place in the world," Erin told POPSUGAR. With that mission, the couple has captivated the hearts of a wide-spanning audience, keen on discovering what they'll do next with properties in need of some serious TLC. Ahead, find out more about Ben and Erin's journey, their favorite parts about renovating, and even a couple of decor tips too.

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Home Town's Ben and Erin Napier on What to Except From "Emotional" Season Five: "It's Very Personal" - POPSUGAR

Until youve done it yourself, its hard to overestimate just how much time, energy and love goes into a renovation project and how good it feels when its finished. Whether youre redecorating or embarking on a sizable extension project, there will be stress and tears, but there will also be laughter (once youve got over the aforementioned stress) and excitement. Thats why its called a labour of love: you put a lot of yourself in it.

That was certainly true for Niamh and her husband Brian, who took on their Victorian terrace and soon discovered the extent of the work they had to do. Its not their forever home Niamh says that herself but its a project they took on during an important time in their life, when Niamh had stepped away from her job as a law firm partner to pursue a career in writing and styling. Doing up this house was her first creative project, and shes rightly proud of the stylish, cosy and quirky home shes created.

If you are keen to tackle a home makeover, just like Niamh and Brian have, there are lots of ideas and helpful advice on what to do and where to start in our feature on house renovation. For more real home transformations, head to our hub page.

We treat this space in the kitchen as the breakfast room. The bench seating doubles up as storage and fits five people around the table when Cocos not snoozing there! Table, Habitat. Dining bench, Harvey Jones. Pendant light, Made

(Image credit: Future James Balston)

The owners Niamh Dennehy-Mayer (@homeontherye), a consultant lawyer, her husband Brian, also a lawyer, and their cockapoo, CocoThe property A three-bed Victorian end-of-terrace in East DulwichProject cost 85,000

'Its been such a great project and a lovely house to work on. From our first viewing it had such a nice feel to it. The previous owners had a similar colour scheme with the dark wood accents, and it was styled quite nicely, but it needed a bit of work. We only realised the full extent of that work when we moved in. The kitchen was in need of a facelift it was dark and the cabinetry wasnt in the best condition and they hadnt done anything with the garden. The bathroom had lovely proportions and a layout that worked. The whole house had the potential to be improved and modernised, but we knew wed keep key features, like some of the exposed brick walls.'

Kitchen, Harvey Jones. Flooring, Topps Tiles. Chairs, vintage

(Image credit: Future James Balston)

This is the room thats changed the most, says Niamh. Harvey Jones added so much storage to the kitchen layout and the design creates the illusion of more space. We ummed and ahhed over whether to get patterned flooring, but in the end we decided on plain flooring and some brightly coloured splashback tiles

'The splashback tiles were a collaboration with Tile Giant and the V&A; they add interest without overhelming the room, and work well with the vintage tap.' Splashback tiles, Tile Giant

(Image credit: Future James Balston)

'I fell in love with the dining room when we viewed the house. We did think about knocking it through to make it open plan with the kitchen, but when we spoke to builders about it, it quickly became apparent that wed need to move out during the works and the thought of doing that so soon after moving in wasnt appealing! If we were planning to stay here for the next 20 or 30 years, we might have decided differently, but we knew it wouldnt be a wasted room so we kept it as it is. The kitchen is more of a breakfast room, whereas we eat in the dining room at weekends, which feels special, and host friends in there for dinner parties.'

When we have people over, this is where we sit together the table stretches to seat eight, says Niamh. We make a point of eating here when its just the two of us at weekends it feels a little more special. The storage units were left by the last owners. We repainted them and added fun shell handles. Table and bench, Loaf. Chairs, Cult Furniture. Rug, Made. Storage units painted in Dove Tail, Farrow & Ball. Vintage light, The Light Keeper of Margate. Bar trolley, Swoon. Cupboard handles, Anthropologie

(Image credit: Future James Balston)

'We didnt do anything for the first year because we were so busy with our jobs and, to be honest, we were a little overwhelmed with it all. We were also getting to know this part of south-east London, and had just welcomed a very energetic Coco into the fold it was a busy time. Once wed moved in and the previous owners had taken all their nicely styled bits away, we realised just how much there was to do.'

'The exposed brick came about as result of lucky accident though it didnt feel lucky at the time, says Niamh. Wed had the living room painted and wanted to put in this wood-burning stove. But when we removed the fireplace, all the plaster on the chimney breast came with it! After we got over the initial shock, we realised it could look really good if we touched it up and repainted it. Its turned out to be my favourite feature. Sofa, Made. Mirror, Anthropologie. Coffee table and rug, West Elm. Pendant lights, Heals

(Image credit: Future James Balston)

'The first thing we tackled was the storage, or the lack of it. Weve tried to use local suppliers as much as we can, and we found an excellent carpenter who built storage in the bedrooms and the loft. After that, we replaced and updated our bathroom, which gave us our colour scheme for the rest of the house.

'Just under a year later, we took on the kitchen, which was the biggest job of the lot. We replaced everything the cabinets, appliances, flooring, tiles, lighting. We didnt venture out into the garden for two years because we werent sure whether we were going to extend, but eventually we tackled the front and back and updated the exterior, smoothing the pebbledash finish at the front of the house and landscaping the gardens.'

Original flooring sanded and polished by Lordship Flooring. Door painted in Railings, Farrow & Ball

(Image credit: Future James Balston)

'I'd describe my style as modern vintage, I think. Im drawn to older things since I moved to London 13 years ago, Ive always lived in lovely period properties, and I love vintage clothes and accessories. My idea of a fun day out is scouring flea markets! I like keeping the character of older houses, but enjoy bringing in modern elements to update them. Brian and I also love to travel, so weve picked up a few things from different places that have a home here now, too.'

We persuaded the previous owners to sell us the freestanding wardrobes in our bedroom, says Niamh. Theyre hard spaces to fill and the wardrobes are so unique. Weve tried to keep the room fairly traditional, but the bed is a little more modern and industrial. On the walls we have images of California. We spent some time living in the US after we got married and we were drawn to California and LA the beachy scenes are nice to have up when you live in a mostly rainy England. Walls painted in Pink Ground, Farrow & Ball. Bed, Loaf. Pendant light, rug and bedside lamp, Made. Pink throw, Avoca. Mirror, Decorum of Shoreditch

(Image credit: Future James Balston)

'My favourite room in the house is the bathroom, and we put a lot of thought into it because its our only one, so it needed to be special. Only having one bathroom does bring challenges, though. When we were doing up the kitchen, the builder mentioned a space under the staircase that could fit a WC, but with everything going on, we decided against it. We realised afterwards that it would have been handy, but doing more work would have meant undoing pipework and ripping up new flooring. We just did it the wrong way round. It wouldve been a useful thing to have so weve learned a lesson there!'

This is my favourite room, says Niamh. I love having a bath and Id always wanted a freestanding roll-top design like this. The pattern on the floor tiles is a lovely soft colour that picks up the darker tone of the bath. The overall effect is airy and spacious. Metro tiles and flooring, Fired Earth. Walls painted in Elephants Breath and Strong White, Farrow & Ball. Sink and bath, Cast Iron Bath Company. Jute basket, Design Vintage

(Image credit: Future James Balston)

'This house has been a very personal project Id even say its been transformative. Most of the work we undertook was done at a time when Id stopped working as a partner in a law firm because it was proving difficult to juggle it with the fertility treatment Id been undergoing. Overnight, I had all this extra time on my hands, and the house project gave me exactly the creative outlet I needed.

'Ultimately, the treatment didnt work out for us, but our home became a labour of love unto itself, and kick-started a whole new chapter of my life. Ill always be grateful for that, so even if were not here forever, this house has a special place in my heart.

'Its been wonderful to work on and weve learned so much along the way. Eventually we may move on maybe to take on a bigger project, or somewhere with that second bathroom but we plan to enjoy the fruits of our labour for a while first, so were not in any rush at all.'

We used the spare room as a home office while we figured out what to do with the loft. It had already been converted and we had it down as the guest bedroom, but it didnt feel right. It gets the most light in the house, so why wouldnt we use it more? It works best as a home office and creative space. Its lovely to sit and work in. Desk, Ikea. Chair, Cult Furniture. Desk lamp and rug, West Elm

(Image credit: Future James Balston)

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