When people recognize me when I’m traveling, or find out what I do for a living, it makes for great common ground with plenty to talk about. It might be a repair project that went wrong, a funny story that starts with “I’ll never do that again,” or many times it’s “my wife and I just finished remodeling our bathroom, and we love it.” The passion people have with their homes is so cool. Everybody has something they’ve wanted to do to improve, change, or update it. I also just love it when someone comes up and talks about how they used a tip we suggested on our show or Weather Channel segments to solve a problem around their home. It’s great.

Our 11th season has started and the new shows are airing. We’re working hard to make it to where everyone in the country can see Today’s Homeowner. We are up to coverage in over 80% of the U.S. and working hard to make the show available everywhere. If you can’t see our show where you live (check your local listing), call or e-mail your favorite local TV station and tell them about us.

I heard today that some areas of the country may be facing freezing temperatures this weekend . . . did I hear that right? Wow! It’s time to get your home ready for the cooler temperature ahead, so check out our article on Winterizing Your Home. Small improvements can add up to big savings in your utility bills that lead to a little extra money for the holidays. Is that possible? Yes, it is!

This annual show features seminars and a large exhibit floor designed to attract remodeling contractors from across the country. I’ve been going to this show since it first started 18 years ago. I found a few cool things we will be featuring on Today’s Homeowner soon.

Of course conventions like this can also be a little fun as well, so I’m headed to Camden Yards tonight with a few friends to watch the Orioles play in this famous ballpark. Work hard and play hard is okay with me.

I hope everyone had a nice Labor Day. Mine was spent, like many others along the Gulf Coast, watching the path of Hurricane Gustav on television. Fortunately for us around the Mobile, Alabama, area, we had a little rain and wind but basically not much to worry about. I hope everyone in the New Orleans and Texas area does okay and doesn’t experience any significant damage.

Storms like this are so strange how they take on a life of their own, with their own name and personality. You always have to take them serious, watch them closely, and hope they weaken before hitting land.

When I have this much rain, it makes me glad I cleaned all my gutters, downspouts, and drains a few days ago. I also recently addressed a few erosion areas in my yard. Everything seems to be working as it should.

We were very lucky on this one but there is a lot of time left in this year’s hurricane season. Now we have to start watching Hurricane Hannah. I hope it heads east and leaves us all alone.

Thirty years ago today—August 28, 1978—when I was just 21 years old, I started Lipford Remodeling, later renamed Lipford Construction, Inc. I still remember my very first job and most of the 3,000 or so projects we’ve worked on since then.

There are very few construction companies that remain in business this long, so I consider our anniversary quite an achievement. I’m very proud of all the projects we’ve completed over the years, and all the homeowners we’ve made happy, as well as the sterling reputation we have achieved in Mobile, Alabama, and across the country.

While I’ve worked very hard, it would never have been possible without the tireless work and dedication of the other members of our remodeling team: Barbara Johnson, Bob Caron, and Wiley Bullock. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate all that you have done to make this day a reality. There are many other people who have contributed to our longevity as well, and I know we are very blessed and lucky to be able to continue doing what we’re doing.

AND without a doubt the one who has helped me the most—in more ways than I can ever name—is my wife, Sharon. She has been by my side through the good times and bad and always encouraged me to keep going. To her I owe a very special thanks.

Here’s to many more great years ahead!

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and was able to slow down long enough to catch a little of that Christmas spirit. When I have a few days to chill, I tend to start looking around my house for little projects that I haven’t had time to do. I have to make myself stop and take time out to rest, think, and do things with my wife and girls. Things like going to my little river cabin, building a fire in the fireplace, or watching a movie together in the middle of the day. It seems to be the only time of the year this can happen.

2008 is coming fast and with it the opportunity to look ahead at what can be accomplished. I’m very excited about all our new projects here at Today’s Homeowner® which we’ll be announcing soon. I also hope to be able to answer more of your questions in the Ask Danny section of our website. We want to be your source of home improvement information—both online and on the air—and hope you will continue visiting us.

I hope you have a very happy New Year and would like to thank each of you for the great support, comments, and e-mails we have received.

Hey, let’s all have the best year we’ve ever had.

I just returned from attending the “Greenbuild Show” in Chicago where we shot some great footage on a ton of new ideas that have hit the market as well as a few new twists on some old ideas. This recent interest in green building and living is big. The effort and focus that is being placed on this trend should produce some very innovative products in the months and years ahead. I remember when the energy crunch of the 80’s hit, every one was looking for alternatives and many were found. This push to develop the latest and greatest ideas will be something we’ll be following closely and look forward to sharing with you…..online and on the air.

We’re also in the process of putting together a list of cool gift ideas for that handy person around your home. We will have that ready for you soon. This is not a list that companies pay to be on, it’s our effort to comb through all the information we receive and share it with you.

If you find something on our site that proves helpful or have any suggestions, bring them on….feedback@dannylipford.com or leave a comment.

It’s been a while since I have had a chance to write a piece for my blog, it’s been a little busy here.

We got our 10th season launched and I’m feeling pretty good. Thanks for all the great emails about the show especially those from the new cities we are now airing in.

More than ever, homeowners are really focusing on how they can save money this winter on their utility bills. Well, there won’t be any shortage of information out there because I have been doing either a newspaper or magazine interview every day for the last two weeks about that very subject. It makes sense, do a few simple things around the house now to save energy when it really gets cold. We have numerous articles on our site right now that can help you. If you have any questions, let us know.

We are getting some fantastic comments on the articles on our site. Check out the great advice that is coming in from all over the country.

Can you believe its all ready November? Holidays are coming and some of the best times of the year, plus more time to blog…..

Everyone is always talking about how busy life is these days. Well, if my recent schedule is any indication, they’re right.

I just returned yesterday from a very pleasant trip to the West Coast where I taped a segment in Portland, Oregon, that will air on my “Clean and Green” series September 24-28 on The Early Show on CBS.

I also spent a couple of days with one of the most impressive companies I’ve ever had the pleasure to visit. Phantom Screens—located in Abbotsford, British Columbia—held their 15th anniversary celebration in the beautiful resort town of Whistler, B.C. What an event it was! Over 200 distributors and employees from this unique company came together to celebrate their modest beginning and subsequent growth to become the leading retractable screen company in North America. It was heartwarming to see the product’s inventor, company owners and CEO all glowing with pride during the events. So organized, so thoughtful, so professional, so perfect. Congratulations Phantom! Check them out at www.phantomscreens.com.

I arrived back in Mobile, Alabama, to tape segments for our 10th season and record spots for The Weather Channel. Then on Saturday I’m off to Fish Creek, Wisconsin, for a series of live segments on The Weather Channel to mark the first day of fall on Sunday, Sept 23rd. After that it’s on to New York for my special week long run on The Early Show starting Monday, September 24th.

I hope you had a chance to check out the article we contributed to in last Sunday’s edition of PARADE magazine, the country’s biggest magazine. It offered several innovative ways to save money this winter on your heating bills.

Our 10th season of Today’s Homeowner starts next week, and we’re really pumped about it. I just reviewed the first show of the new season and it’s awesome, the best we’ve ever done. I have a great group of people working with me, and I appreciate each and every one of them. I hope you get a chance to see our first show. Check the local listing in your area.

Send us an e-mail, and tell us what you think. We would love to hear from you.

Our country is so diverse especially when it comes to weather. It can be 95 degrees in Mobile, Alabama, where I live and 60 degrees in New York at the same time. What this means is, some parts of the country start thinking about fall and cooler months a lot quicker than others and if you think about it, the first day of fall is only 16 days away. Hard to believe. It’s a good time to start thinking ahead about what you would like to do to your home to prepare it for colder weather. We have numerous articles here on our website and will be posting more soon to help you save money and be more comfortable.

Speaking of fall, I will be live all day on the Weather Channel September 23 from Fish Creek, Wisconsin, sharing ideas of things you can easily do around your home to prepare.

I have never been more excited about a new season than I am about our 10th season that starts the week of September 23rd. New graphics, great new music, a few new faces and an overall facelift/remodel that will allow us to provide you even more useful info in a slightly more contemporary style.

Yesterday I completed my 100th appearance on the Early Show on CBS and now I’m near Youngstown, Ohio about to tape a piece for my CBS “Clean and Green” series that will air the last week of September. This series will highlight many new ideas that have been submitted by viewers across the country on how they are “living green”. We are receiving many very interesting methods homeowners have adopted in their homes to make our world a better place. I hope you will tune in.

Thanks for all your support and great comments we have received on our website, our show, and my appearances on CBS and The Weather Channel.

If you ever wanted to know more about what happens behind the scenes at the Early Show on CBS, let me tell you about something that happened there a few days ago.

I was standing in the studio at 59th and 5th Avenue very early the morning of Aug. 8th wondering if the rain was going to stop long enough so that I could do my “Fencing Options” live segment planned for the outside plaza. The rain didn’t stop and got so bad that it started leaking on the inside of the studio along the front and one side. The water seeped into the lower control rooms and offices and caused a dangerous situation since we all know lots of electrical equipment and lots of water does not mix. At this point it was 6:15am and the show was to go live in 45 minutes to over 3.5 millions households across the country?

Let me stop right there and say the staff and crew at The Early Show are awesome!

The decision was made that the show had to move to the Broadcast Center and the entire staff of over 40 people and guests made the journey over to the studios of the Evening News with Katie Couric approx. 15 blocks away by jumping in every available cabs we could find with some of the crew riding in the back of prop trucks. I caught a cab with Dave Price who was receiving his weather info for the day over his cell phone while we were traveling fast to get to the studio. Props, computers, music tracks, graphics, wardrobe, and even my bulky fence sections and tools somehow made it and the show went live on time. I still don’t know how they did that?

It’s like any fine tuned machine, when tough times hit, you work together with the same goal in mind and your effort is successful. I am glad to be a part of this amazing team of professionals at the Early Show.

As I write this, I’m jumping on a plane to head back to NY for a segment that will air on Wed. Aug. 15th. I will be announcing a special opportunity for viewers of the Early Show to send in their ideas for different green living approaches and methods with chances to win a $3000 gift card.

Then we have a very busy week of taping more segments for our 10th Season that starts 3rd week in September.