Katie Marks

Katie Marks

Katie Marks is a California-based author who loves finding cool life hacks, sharing them with friends, and diving headlong into craft projects. If there is a garden somewhere, you can probably find her outside playing in it. She also enjoys cooking, reading, and being a full-time nerd. Don’t be fooled by her profile picture: She is a person, not a vegetable, who has written an incredible amount of insightful articles for Networx.com.

Among her written works, Katie has written about Earthships, which are highly sustainable buildings created entirely from recycled and natural materials, typically integrated together in a seamless whole (see her article “Extreme Earthships in Extreme Places” for more details: https://www.networx.com/article/extreme-earthships-in-extreme-places). She has also written about dressing up a home with wainscoting, in which she recommends adventuring into using unusual materials such lincrusta, hemp, sewn paper, fiber, and mosaics, if you are wanting to achieve a more unique look than that of wood paneling.
(https://www.networx.com/article/dress-up-with-wainscoting).

For those wanting recommendations for the best paint colors for the exterior of their home, I’d suggest checking out Katie’s article entitled “Go Bold With Exterior Color” (https://www.networx.com/article/go-bold-with-exterior-color), where she provides images and slideshows of homes that take advantage of the more saturated parts of the color wheel. This article provides exciting ideas for color schemes for those who have too big of a personality to settle for painting the exterior of their home in a dull grey or beige hue.


Katie also gives simple day-to-day tips for activities such as storing food properly (https://www.networx.com/article/store-food-right) and starting gardens (https://www.networx.com/article/gardeners-start-your-seedlings), where you can really see her passion for gardening shine through her writing.

See more of Katie’s articles below for more life hacks, home improvement tips and gardening how-tos!

Photo: Harsh Agrawal/Flickr

7 Uses for Candle Stubs

Posted by Katie Marks | Nov 15, 2013

This winter, it's likely you'll be burning a lot of candles; for entertaining, for ambient lighting, and perhaps for the occasional power outage. That means that you're inevitably going...

Photo: Sophia/Hometalk

Make a Rental a Home

Posted by Katie Marks | Nov 14, 2013

I'm a huge advocate for renting, because it carries tremendous advantages, especially for many young people. But one problem we renters perennially face is that our houses don't always...

Photo: Maya at Completely Coastal/Hometalk

Make Bookcases Pop With Contrasting Backings!

Posted by Katie Marks | Nov 14, 2013

I am really excited about the emerging trend I'm spotting with bookcases, cabinets, shelving, and similar furniture designed for storage and display: painting, wallpapering, or otherwise...

Photo: Michael Dorausch/Flickr

Building? Be Sure to Pick the Right Home Site

Posted by Katie Marks | Nov 13, 2013

Location, location, location! Those are the watchwords of the real estate industry, where prospective homebuyers are cautioned to consider a huge number of potential factors when they...

Photo: Alvimann/Morguefile

Spruce Up Your Home for the Holidays

Posted by Katie Marks | Nov 12, 2013

They're coming. You can practically hear the ominous music and the gunning of engines in the background heralding the arrival of guests for the holidays. And while you're excited to...

Photo: David Chau/Flickr

Music to Our Ears: Pop Increases Solar Panel Efficiency

Posted by Katie Marks | Nov 11, 2013

Ever been struggling on deadline and felt your energy levels, and your efficiency, lagging? Drink all the tea and coffee you like, and you still find yourself moving sluggishly, trying...

Photo: Martin Abegglen/Flickr

Home Depot Wants Your Old Christmas Lights

Posted by Katie Marks | Nov 11, 2013

We know it's only early November, but signs of the winter holidays are everywhere around us, including lights, lights, lights! Which are a welcome sight in the northern reaches where...

Photo: Shinkenchiku Sha/Arch Daily

Making Modern Architecture Blend In

Posted by Katie Marks | Nov 08, 2013

Ever walk down the block and see a new house sticking out like a sore thumb? It's a particularly common problem with modern architecture, which stands out in historic communities because...

Photo: Aquascape, Inc./Hometalk

It's Time for Winterizing Your Home

Posted by Katie Marks | Nov 07, 2013

Thanks to the time change, it's starting to feel like the middle of the night all the time -- at least in the northern reaches of the US. That means it's time to start thinking about...

Photo: Fast Company

20k Project Builds Smart Homes for Under 20k

Posted by Katie Marks | Nov 07, 2013

Sometimes the definition of "affordable housing" is enough to raise eyebrows, but in Alabama, a state with some extremely poverished regions, a group of architecture students decided...