You want your basement to feel like the rest of your house. It should be dry, and comfortable. However, the basement is NOT like the rest of the house. The basement is in a hole in the ground. The ideal solution for a warm dry basement is a subject of much debate. I talk about a few of the popular options and the one that was recommended by the insulation company we are hiring.

Figuring out which tasks need to be done first in our basement renovation. Energy audit to qualify for home efficiency rebates. And I completely rethink the layout of the basement at the suggestion of the HVAC installer.

Stuff is happening. Big stuff. In this episode of the podcast, I talk about our choice of furnace and air conditioner for the house, why I decided on a split ductless system for the garage-workshop, and our reasoning for ditching our hot water tank and going with a tankless water heater.

How do you react when someone tells you that something you did is "all wrong?" In this episode of the podcast, I respond to just such a criticism.

If getting stuck in the snow taught us anything, it's that we have to replace our furnace this year. Plus I do a little surgery in the basement.

Looking for a new home improvement or DIY podcast to listen to? Here are my personal favorites that you may enjoy, too.

I've come across news stories about people running afoul of their HOAs by painting their house the wrong color, or putting up Christmas decorations that were deemed too tacky. But I've never experienced what it's like living in an HOA community or talked to anyone who has. Until now. John from AZDIYguy joins me to talk about life in an HOA.

Paying down a mortgage isn't necessarily the end all be all. In fact, by increasing our mortgage, we could end up further ahead in the long run. And in the short term, well, we're finally getting relief from the financial pressure we've been feeling for the past few years.

We are always looking for ways to save a buck. But it's a fine line between cutting costs and cutting corners and often saving a buck now will cost you more in the long run.

So what do you get someone who already has everything?