Bathroom remodels in 2026: where the budget actually goes (with real numbers)
The Houzz cost survey is averaged across too many regions to be useful for your decision. carmannews collected line-item bathroom remodel budgets…
Carmannews staff
Sarah Bell
Home Editor
Sarah covers the carmannews home desk: renovation, contracting, rental-market shifts, and the codes and inspections that surround any real repair. She holds a US general contractor license and worked five years on residential builds before moving full-time into reporting.
Credentials: Licensed contractor (US); ten years covering housing, renovation, and the residential trades.
Based in: Portland, Oregon
12 stories at carmannews
Recent stories
12 stories filed at the carmannews newsroom
Heat pumps vs. gas furnaces: the calculation that depends on your state
Whether a heat pump saves money in your house depends on three numbers: electricity rate, gas rate, and your climate zone. carmannews…
Why your dishwasher takes three hours now — and what you can do about it
Modern dishwashers run longer cycles to meet efficiency standards, not because they're slower at cleaning. carmannews explains the cycle math and lists…
Renter’s insurance: the seven things most policies don’t cover that people assume they do
Mold, sewer backup, expensive electronics, valuable jewellery: most standard renter's insurance excludes more than it includes. carmannews talked to four claims adjusters…
The five things to inspect on a house before the buyer’s inspector arrives
Buyer's inspectors look at 200+ items; you can pre-screen for the five that most often kill deals. carmannews walks through them with…
HVAC maintenance: the four-times-a-year routine that doubles equipment life
Annual HVAC service is the minimum, not the optimum. carmannews talked to three HVAC techs about the quarterly maintenance routine that genuinely…
Insulation upgrades: which ones pay back, and how fast
Attic insulation, wall insulation, basement insulation, and weatherstripping all sound similar but have wildly different paybacks. carmannews maps each against typical install…
Smart thermostats actually do save money — for some households, not others
The Nest/Ecobee marketing tends to oversell savings. carmannews summarises the recent independent studies on actual realised savings by household type — and…
The renovation order that prevents 80 percent of regret
There is a near-universal order for whole-home renovations: structure → systems → surface. carmannews walks through the order and the four moves…
Solar panel buying in 2026: what the IRA tax credit changes actually look like
The Inflation Reduction Act solar incentives are partly phasing through 2026; the math is different depending on when you sign. carmannews shows…