I've never wanted a house with those enormous ceilings. I love looking at them, but living in them and paying the utility bills to heat and cool them never made any sense to me.

According to the Wall Street Journal, I'm not alone. According to a recent article, between the added utility costs, wasted space and noise, these will soon be a remnant of the past.

If you're in the market to buy, this is one factor I'd keep in mind! What you buy now may determine whether you sell in the future! It will definitely determine how much you'll sell for and how quickly you'll sell.

More and more homeowners are electing to recycle as much of the material as possible when tearing down a house (deconstruction) or doing a major remodel. This Wall Street Journal article tells one homeowner's story.

In addition to helping save the planet, recycling what you can makes economic sense. Materials you can reuse in your new house can help reduce costs there. And, materials that are donated, say to a Habitat Restore, can provide a tax deduction.

There are a number of places locally to recycle these materials. Some operate for profit. Some, such as Habitat for Humanity's Restores are used to fund charitable organizations.

To find other businesses that help you recycle, check out this previous blog post.