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: bee-cycle/Flickr.com

16 Ways to Reuse Wine Bottles

Posted by Katie Marks | Aug 28, 2013

Even if you're not a big drinker, wine bottles can stack up fast. You can certainly recycle them, but they're such a great shape and heft that it almost seems a pity to just get rid...

Photo: Pamela Groppe/Hometalk

Five Absolutely Adorable Garden Cottages

Posted by Katie Marks | Aug 27, 2013

For those lucky enough to have a little patch of land to call their own, a garden is a must; and you'd be amazed by how much you can fit even into a very small space. Even better, though,...

Photo: trooney, morguefile.com

Keeping Deer Out of the Garden

Posted by Katie Marks | Aug 27, 2013

Deer -- especially fawns -- are lovely to look at. However, if you are a home gardener, you're probably none too fond of these creatures, which often devastate a beautiful flower or...

Photo: Vinyl Design, Flickr.

How Hard is it to Remove Vinyl Wall Decals?

Posted by Katie Marks | Aug 27, 2013

Those nifty wall decals are all the rage these days, and no wonder. With the application of a simple sticker, you can totally spice up the look and feel of a room. Trees, plants,...

Photo: wunee/morguefile.com

What Types of Solar Panels are Available?

Posted by Katie Marks | Aug 26, 2013

Thinking about going solar? Congratulations! You're joining a growing movement of people around the world who are trying to move into more sustainable modes of energy generation while...

Photo: Peter Blanchard/Flickr

Do Solar Panels Use More Energy Than They Generate?

Posted by Katie Marks | Aug 22, 2013

You've probably heard the claim that solar panels take more energy to make than they generate. That's a pretty crushing thing to hear if you've just hired an electrician to install...

Photo: Elle Decor

10 Mind-Blowing Baths

Posted by Katie Marks | Aug 21, 2013

A hot bath can be just the thing, right? Most of us have to settle for pretty basic models if we even have room for a bathtub at all, but we're allowed to dare to dream about remodeling...

Photo: BrightNest/Hometalk

5 Cute Uses for Teacups

Posted by Katie Marks | Aug 21, 2013

I love tea. It's an integral part of my day, and I take my teacup collection very, very seriously. But, let's face it; even if you're meticulously careful, you're going to end up chipping...

Photo: kamuelaboy/morguefile.com

What Types of Kitchen Laminate are Available?

Posted by Katie Marks | Aug 20, 2013

When you're remodeling your kitchen, finish materials are an important consideration. What will you be putting on your floors and countertops? Have you thought about what style of...

Photo: click/morguefile.com

Get the Scoop on Asphalt Shingle Coating

Posted by Katie Marks | Aug 20, 2013

You may have seen advertisements for roof sealants designed to be applied directly to asphalt roofs. Such sealants are supposed to stop leaks, extend the life of your roof, and prevent...