Harvard-trained in architecture, new-house expert Katherine Salant began her career as a Fulbright scholar, studying village houses in Nepal. She's been a National Endowment for the Arts Professional Fellow and winner of the prestigious University of Missouri Lifestyle Journalism Award. She has also won a Best Column All Media award from the National Association of Real Estate Editors (NAREE).

Katherine began writing her "Housewatch" column for the Washington Post in 1994. She is now a nationally syndicated columnist appearing in home and real estate sections of newspapers across the country and on Web sites.

In her lively, accessible style, Katherine helps consumers learn to make good decisions, step by step, on every aspect of house design and construction, as they build a home that makes sense for them. She always keeps in mind that home building is not only a major financial commitment but also an emotional one — and that the process can be overwhelming.

Katherine grew up in Northern Virginia and now lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with her husband and three teenage daughters.