Citing increased purchases of flooring and kitchen cabinets, Lowe's recently reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings. Company shareholders probably welcome that news, a possible sign that home remodeling is picking up.

At the same time, the American Institute of Architects' Home Design Trends Survey for the fourth quarter of 2009 noted that as kitchens are becoming smaller, homeowners are looking for more green products, and that "doing more with less space is now a key consideration."

As we've been seeing on our kitchen-remodeling and bath-remodeling discussions, some green shoots are popping up around the subject of maximizing money and space while remodeling.

Kitchen remodeling: A new discussion has arisen around specific brands of vinyl and linoleum flooring, and some people are  for or against soapstone and engineered quartz countertops. If new kitchen cabinets aren't for you, these storage-extending pullout shelves and lazy-Susans can make your current cabinets more space efficient (ratings available to subscribers). Finally, the space-saving GE Advantium oven is the subject of a busy discussion in our more kitchen appliances forum.

Bathroom remodeling: Green-minded readers have started a discussion on whether cork or bamboo flooring is better. They're also running hot and cold about their favorite low-cost bathroom fixtures, low-flow showerheads, and toilet models that are least likely to clog.