Daniel Boone Regional Library

Home Maintenance & Repairs

• Home Improvement Reference Center
  Search or browse through the contents of 26 major reference texts, full-text magazines, and videos about home maintenance, electrical work, plumbing, carpentry, decorating, landscaping and more.
• Ace Hardware
  This commercial site provides free informational resources about home projects with step-by-step instructions as well as video format.
• Better Homes & Gardens
  The website of the popular magazine includes information on decorating, gardening, cooking, crafts and more.
• BobVila.com
  The website of the popular home improvement expert. Includes step-by-step instructions on a variety of home repair topics in video format as well as a variety of articles, a fix-it-forum where you can post a question, etc.
• City of Columbia Home Assistance Programs
  Site includes information about various programs such as Emergency Repair Program, Home Owner Assistance Programs, etc.
• City of Columbia Window Air Conditioner Exchange Program
• DIY – Do It Yourself Network
  The website of the cable TV channel DIY includes instructions on a variety of home and do-it-yourself projects, as well as video from their various TV programs.
• DoItYourself.com
  DoItYourself.com features resources on a wide range of home repair projects and how-to articles as well as a limited number of related videos. Also includes a limited number of articles in Spanish.
• Energy Star
  A government site that provides information on energy efficient choices for home and business. Includes information on appliances and other products; ideas for home improvement; even includes a section for kids to how to be more energy efficient.
• Home & Garden TV
  The website for the cable TV station HGTV provides information on decorating, gardening, landscaping, home improvement, real estate, crafts, organizing and more.
• HomeownerNet
  Access to a variety of information about home remodeling, construction, maintenance, design, furnishings, lawn and garden care, safety concerns, real estate, mortgages, do-it yourself projects, home shows and much more.
• Hometime
  From the PBS series, this website features articles and videos on a wide range of home maintenance and repair topics.
• Hometips.com
  Presented by home improvement author Don Vandervort, this site includes buying guides (e.g., for appliances) and brief informational articles on a variety of home maintenance and repair topics.
• Home Depot
  Home Depot’s “Know How Center” includes information on a wide variety of home repair and renovation topics.
• Home Energy Saver
  An Internet-based tool for calculating energy use in residential buildings. By changing one or more features of the modeled home, users can estimate how much energy and money can be saved and how much pollution prevented by implementing energy-efficiency improvements.
• Lowes.com
  Click on “How to” for “thousands of how-to guides” on a wide variety of home repair, lawn and garden projects. Etc.
• Organized Home.com
  Advice on organizing and cleaning your home.

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Home Buying and Selling

• Home Buying 101
  Columbia Public Library, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. One Saturday each month
• Chambers of Commerce
  Click on Resource Directory to find Chambers of Commerce and Convention & Visitors Bureaus nationwide. Search by city name for information on size, housing, healthcare and a host of other factors that assess a city’s suitability for seniors and retirees
• City of Columbia First Time Homebuyer Program
  This program is designed to help low- to moderate-income families purchase and occupy a home in the City of Columbia.
• City Comparisons
  Research and compare prospective retirement places throughout the United States at City-Data.com and register for free to participate on discussion forums about life in different cities.
• Consumer Information Center - Housing
  The housing section of the U.S. Government Consumer Information Center has full text pamphlets covering various aspects of home ownership including buying a home, getting a mortgage, home maintenance, home heating, etc.
• Eldr.com
  Eldr.com has a housing locator for independent living & retirement communities and for assisted living, residential care and nursing care facilities.
• Homes and Communities
  Tips on home buying, mortgage shopping, and finding affordable rental housing. Includes a Guide to Avoiding Foreclosure. Lists HUD homes for sale and opportunities to volunteer to help your community. For Community and Business Partners, there is information about funding, technical assistance, best practices, contracting opportunities, major HUD initiatives, and more.
• IRS Tax Credit for First-Time Home Buyers
  Available for a limited time only, the credit applies to home purchases after April 8, 2008 and before July 1, 2009 and must be repaid over 15 years.
• Making Home Affordable.com
  From the U.S. Government, Making Home Affordable is "a plan to stabilize our housing market and help up to 7 to 9 million Americans reduce their monthly mortgage payments to more affordable levels. The Home Affordable Refinance Program gives up to 4 to 5 million homeowners with loans owned or guaranteed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac an opportunity to refinance into more affordable monthly payments. The Home Affordable Modification Program commits $75 billion to keep up to 3 to 4 million Americans in their homes by preventing avoidable foreclosures."
• Microsoft Home Advisor
  Includes information and advice on various home-related topics, such as buying or renting; choosing a mortgage; etc.   Find information on national loan rates and specific neighborhoods. You can even look at and compare houses for sale.
• Money Magazine Best Places to Live
  Profiles America's best small cities. Rankings by financial factors (e.g., affordability); job growth; weather; quality of air; etc.  
• Money Magazine Best Places to Retire
  Find the “Best Places to Retire” by Money Magazine for the current and previous two years.
• Mortgage 101
  Includes information on current mortgage rates; mortgage payment calculator; refinance calculator. Limited list of mortgage sources, however.
• Realtor.com
  From the National Association of Realtors, this site provides listings across the country. You can specify location; price range; and other features. Also includes information on financing; moving; and other aspects of home ownership.
• Realtytrac.com
  Lists brief information about foreclosed properties around the U.S.  In-depth information available with subscription.
• Sustainable Building Sources
  Includes links to a green building professional directory, sustainable building sourcebook, discussion forums, home listings, as well as related associations and magazines.

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Gardening

(See also: Sustainable Gardening & Food Production)

• Garden Guides
  Thousands of pages of detailed and extensive information on plants, pests, gardening tips & techniques, gardening recipes, seeds & bulbs, gardening books, nurseries & landscapers, and much more.
• Garden Web
  From iVillage Home and Garden Network, this site contains forums and blogs and FAQ’s gathered from the forums on a large variety of gardening topics. Includes lists of gardening organizations and vendors of garden supplies; also a calendar of garden-related events that is searchable by date, location, or subject.
• Horticulture Solutions
  Includes information on gardening and horticultural topics from the University of Illinois Extension. Includes basics of gardening; composting; flowers and ornamentals; trees and shrubs; fruit; pests and diseases; etc.
• National Gardening Association
  Browse thousands of gardening questions and answers.
• Ohio State University WebGarden
  Offers a wide range of multimedia resources, including online video information on gardening. Includes the PlantFacts database, which searches for content from over 46 university and government sources; over 60,000 extension fact sheets from universities across the U.S., and the Plant Dictionary, a database of images.
• Old Farmers Almanac
  Includes gardening information, weather information, similar to the print “Old Farmers Almanac”.
• University of Missouri Extension Publications
  Includes information on trees and shrubs; vegetables; fruits; landscaping; pests and diseases; flowers and houseplants.
• USDA Home Gardening
  USDA, along with its extension service partners, provide the public with resources related to home gardening, nurseries, horticulture, composting, and landscaping.
• Victory Garden (PBS)
  Information about the TV series, but website also includes some gardening primers. Click on “Grow’.

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Organizations

• Central Missouri Orchid Society
• Columbia Garden Club
• Community Garden Coalition - Columbia
• Mid-Missouri Bonsai Society
• Master Gardeners - Missouri
• Master Gardeners – Central Missouri Area
• University of Missouri Extension – Boone County
• University of Missouri Extension- Callaway County
• Wild Ones - Native Plant Society - Mid-Mo Chapter

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