If you're already building a pool, right now is the best time to add an outdoor kitchen too. Once construction wraps up, adding one later means more crews, more disruption, and more money out of pocket. This post breaks down exactly why timing matters and what your options look like.

Ready to build or upgrade your backyard pool but unsure about the financing? You're not alone. Pool financing can be confusing. Credit pulls, liens, stage funding. We've answered the eight questions homeowners ask most, so you can move forward with confidence.

—Rates are lower, and in-house finance experts know where to find the money

Building a new swimming pool is one of several kinds of home-improvement projects that observers say will increase in 2017. A recent survey by LightStream, a division of SunTrust Banks Inc., indicates 59 percent of homeowners expect to spend money on home renovation projects this year.