Magazines For Your Remodeling Needs

One of the best sources of information you can find for all your remodeling needs are home improvement magazines. They can offer you specific information on a wide variety of remodeling subjects. Subscribing to a magazine may offer some advantages over purchasing a book, which costs as much as a year's subscription and is focused on only one subject. Furthermore, many people find reading instructional guides on home remodeling more helpful than watching a fast-moving TV show.

Subscription Magazines

Popular home magazines of the day include Architectural Digest, Fine Homebuilding, Family Handyman, Home, House and Garden, House Beautiful and This Old House. Magazine issues, which could total well over 30 pages, usually cost an average of $3.00-$4.00 individually. Most subscriptions are listed at just under $50.00 per year. However, many magazine companies offer special savings online or for new customers and have been known to drop their annual fee to as low as $12.00 per year. This offers savings anywhere from $20.00-$30.00, and discounts each issue at a little over $1.00 each. However, when comparing yearly rates remember to check how many issues you get with your subscription, as it could be a bi-monthly publication or quietly short you two issues out of the year.

Online Magazines And The Internet Advantage

Online magazines, or E-Zines are exclusively available on the Internet. Like traditional magazines, these are also offered at an annual price, or as the website might call it, a "membership fee." Online publications do offer some advantages over traditional publications. First, it's available online and can be accessed anywhere at any time. You don't have to travel to a newsstand or wait by your mailbox for new issues. Simply log on and check for new stories. Second, Internet E-zines are much more interactive than traditional magazines, and make clever use of animation, video and audio content. E-Zines also offer instant customization to Internet readers, which allow them to get specific feedback. For example, a reader could see what a certain color combination would look like; he or she could design a virtual house as a guide or measure proximity.

Disadvantages To Online Magazines

Disadvantages to online magazines often lie in filtering. It doesn't cost thousands of dollars to launch a new publication. (Though it may cost to hire a web designer) For this reason, anyone is capable of producing a magazine. While some might be of high quality just like a traditional magazine, others might feature below-standard writing. But in cyberspace standards of excellence and the respect of the academic community are not the criteria; the total number of hits (or page views) is what makes money. When subscribing to an online magazine, research the company and make sure it's a professional website with accurate information.