How To Add Value to Your Airbnb

Need a place to stay on vacation without crashing with annoying in-laws? Airbnb removes the hassle of pricey hotel stays with a home-away-from-home feeling. Getting cozy without the crowd shouldn’t come at a premium. Instead of dishing out thousands for an upscale condo or cabin, vacationers can get first-class treatment and homeowners can create passive…

Life’s no ‘Beech’ When it Comes to Tornadoes

From the mountains to the sea, there’s no reprieve in North Carolina for dangerous tornadoes. Two weeks ago, the National Weather Service confirmed that an EF1 tornado, packing windspeeds in excess of 100 miles per hour, touched down along the sky-reaching peaks of Beech Mountain. Known for its views of unparalleled serenity, as well as…

Can Tornadoes Happen in the Mountains?

Ever heard of a mountain tornado? While extremely rare, mountain tornadoes can be silent killers in the ancient hills. Towering peaks and lush evergreen forests make it nearly impossible to spot spinning cyclones lurking beyond the next ridge. Unlike their storm weary brethren of the Deep South, folks living in the Appalachian Mountains don’t rank…

What To Consider When Remodeling Your Home

Thinking about remodeling your home? Every year, millions of Americans unfurl their toolbelts and head to the closest hardware store to learn the ins and outs of home improvement. Home renovation is part of the American spirit. We are a DIY nation. Why shell out thousands of dollars to a nitpicking contractor when you can…

Mobile Home Tornado Shelters

Mobile homes are the last place you want to be during a tornado. With timing of the essence, thousands of tornado victims have little choice but to stay put in their mobile home to ride out the storm’s wrath. High sheering winds will easily toss around premanufactured homes with ease. The leftover carnage from a…

North Carolina Tornado Shelters

When it comes to climate and fluctuating weather patterns, North Carolina is a diverse state. While snowstorms rage in the mountains to the west, stifling heat and humidity can engross the Piedmont and coastal plains. North Carolina will even experience the occasional hurricane as the tropics heat up in July. There’s an old prevailing saying…

Mississippi Tornado Kills One, Injures 18

Humidity in the Deep South creeps in like the intrusive kudzu vine. At first, the twisting and winding vine is little more than just a minor annoyance. Over time, the resilient undergrowth envelops your property like a plaque. Humidity is like kudzu in that it smothers and slowly suffocates the besieged Deep South. It’s ubiquitous…

Alabama Storm Shelter Tax Credit

New Tax Credit Could Cover 50 Percent of Total Costs for Tornado Safe Room Construction Meteorologists rarely agree on much. From conflicting long-term models on how much snow a new low-pressure system will bring next week to even trivial matters on relative humidity on the day-to-day forecast, forecasters rarely find common ground when it comes…