Laura Foster-Bobroff

Laura Foster-Bobroff

Laura Foster-Bobroff is an old house remodeler based in Derry, NH. She shares 20+ years of building and remodeling expertise with Networx readers.

Thinking of creating your own art show? Well now you know which fasteners to use to hang heavy pictures. Photo: Rob React/Flickr

Use the Right Anchor to Prevent Falling Art and Shelving

Posted by Laura Foster-Bobroff | Oct 27, 2011

Ever try to hang a heavily-framed picture with a small brad nail, only to come home and find it has fallen to the floor? Or worse...you installed shelving, piled on the books, then...

Renaude Hatsedakis/stock.xchng

How to Negotiate a Price with a Contractor

Posted by Laura Foster-Bobroff | Oct 20, 2011

If you’re building a custom home, negotiating a price with a contractor will be a challenge, and the most you can expect is negotiating a square foot price matching your bottom...

Brad Harrison/stock.xchng

20 Essential Tools for Your Toolbox

Posted by Laura Foster-Bobroff | Oct 14, 2011

Are the tips of your butter knives twisted and bent from using them as a substitute screwdriver? Did you break the only screwdriver you owned while using it as a hammer? It's time to...

Vedran Jukic/stock.xchng

What is Builder Grade?

Posted by Laura Foster-Bobroff | Oct 06, 2011

"Builder grade" or "contractor grade" is defined as inexpensive products made from low-grade materials, as opposed to quality grade or custom grade materials that are more durable....

Ronit Geller/stock.xchng

Professional Tips on How to Use a Hammer

Posted by Laura Foster-Bobroff | Oct 03, 2011

Tackling home repairs starts out innocently enough, but handling a hammer often turns into game of Russian Roulette with your fingers as the target, and a simple screwdriver seems possessed...

kslyesmith/stock.xchng

5 Ways to Improve Your Kitchen Without Remodeling

Posted by Laura Foster-Bobroff | Sep 22, 2011

Maybe a full kitchen remodel is not in your budget. (Don't feel bad – who's got money these days?) Still, there are a few projects you can take on that will change the look and feel...

Lauren via Hometalk.com

The 5 Steps of Planning a Kitchen Remodel

Posted by Laura Foster-Bobroff | Sep 19, 2011

Only a small minority of homeowners undertake a kitchen remodel by gutting the room and starting from scratch. Since the kitchen is the most expensive and inconvenient room to renovate,...

Photo by Laura Foster-Bobroff

Profile of Robert Frost's All American Farmhouse

Posted by Laura Foster-Bobroff | Sep 12, 2011

Something about a farmhouse characterizes the essence of our country. We may admire the feat of engineering skyscrapers and appreciate modern design, but walking through the door of...

cuttlefish/Flickr

7 Practical Uses for Beeswax

Posted by Laura Foster-Bobroff | Sep 08, 2011

No one has a fondness for stinging insects, but when it comes to the honeybee, humanity owes an enormous debt. Honeybees produce a multitude of products that benefit us. In the process...

Winter is coming sooner than you think! It's time to weatherize your house.  Photo: KMS Woodworks.

6 Ways to Seal Your House for Winter

Posted by Laura Foster-Bobroff | Sep 02, 2011

Air leaks can raise your home energy bills by as much as 30 percent. Having a “leaky” home causes an exchange of warm and cool air through openings in the building. That...