Before & After: Modern Colonial Style

Perhaps no architectural style says “America” more than Colonial. And while we love the classic Americana look, it sometimes requires updates to reflect the way modern families live.

That was the case for the owners of this Colonial-style home. The entry hall not only presents a formal yet inviting feel, but also acts as the hub of the residence. Warm neutral paint on the walls and bright white stairway balusters immediately welcome guests to this home. A geometric yet classic stair runner creates softness underfoot.

A fresh coat of paint and new patterned stair runner liven up the entry hall.

Functional features

A large living area that is detached from the rest of the home is a common feature of Colonial-style homes. Modern amenities were a must to update this room and make it more functional for the owners.

Now the room features a gas fireplace with television above, remote sound system, can lighting and lamps on dimmers, and layered window coverings that allow the homeowners to control the light and mood throughout the day. The space is ready for movie night, game day or a laidback Sunday morning reading the newspaper.

Before the renovation, the Colonial’s large living room (left) didn’t offer the owners much functionality. Now it’s equipped with modern amenities to draw the family together.

Kitchen and dining nook makeover

Colonial home kitchens are typically cut off from the home’s other rooms. While this may have worked when hired help did the cooking and cleanup, it doesn’t serve the needs of today’s families.

A new island provides a spot for grabbing a quick snack or hanging out while dinner is in the works. A fresh coat of cheery blue paint ties the kitchen and nook together to create an inviting space to gather.

Replacing gray paint on the trim and built-in cabinets with bright white makes the features stand out.

Bonus basement space

Finishing the basement created allowed the owners to set up a teenage lounge complete with homework area and media retreat.

The unfinished basement (left) represented an opportunity for the owners to add functional living space (right).

article courtesy of: http://www.zillow.com/blog/before-after-modern-colonial-177793/

Flower Gardening for Beginners

STORY / BY STEVE ASBELL 

There’s more to planting a flower garden than digging a hole and adding plants, but it’s still easy enough that anyone can have their own bountiful bed of blooms to adorn their home. Here’s what you need to know.

Placement

Unless you’re planting enough flowers to fill a large space, try to keep your flowerbed where it can be appreciated up close by yourself and passersby, such as along your front walk or around the mailbox.

Another reason to plant in an accessible area is so that you can easily water during dry weeks or cover during frosts. You can also expand existing borders, such as against hedges or around small trees, adding interest to areas that would otherwise go overlooked.

The most important consideration is that the flowers can thrive where they’re planted. Most plants need good drainage, meaning a spot where water will not collect, since soggy soil may rot the plants. Six or more hours of direct sunlight is also a must for most annual bedding plants.

Choosing plants

However, if you choose the right plants, there are always exceptions. If you don’t have a well-draining place to plant, select coleus, impatiens or pansies, which can tolerate wet feet for short periods.

While most flowers require lots of sun, begonias, impatiens, coleus and salvia can handle shade. Violas, petunias, pansies and alyssum can even handle light frosts!

You may choose to grow perennials in addition to the usual annual bedding plants, since they’ll likely return and get bigger in the following years.

It’s cheaper to start plants from seed if possible, but the downside is that it takes more time. And some plants, like sunflowers and morning glories, don’t handle transplanting from pots well. Before you check out at the garden center, slide the plants and their root masses out of their pots and ensure that the roots are white — and not so firmly packed that they won’t budge. Do not buy plants with obvious pests or signs of disease, as they may spread to your garden.

Preparing the bed

A well-prepared bed is the key to a successful flower garden, so don’t rush this step. There are two ways to prepare a bed.

One is to remove the grass and cover your future garden bed with compost. Then dig a trench along the edge of the bed, place the dug-up soil inside the bed and work your way inward until you’ve reached the middle. This way there will be plenty of room for roots to establish.

The other way to plant a bed is to smother the grass with layers of newspaper, then a few inches of compost, and wait a few seasons for the existing grass to die. This is more time consuming, but is the best option if you have a tough turfgrass (like St. Augustine grass) or persistent weeds, and it also preserves the soil structure and beneficial organisms like earthworms.

Planting

Before planting, thoroughly water the plants you bought from the nursery so that they won’t suffer transplant shock. Arrange the plants, still in their pots, where you’d like to plant them in the garden. Play around with different designs and see which one you like best.

Dig a hole for each plant that is as deep as the plant’s root ball and twice as wide, fluffing up the soil at the bottom of the hole with your trowel. This will help the plant put out long, strong roots. Place the plant in the hole, ensuring that the top of the root ball is level with the surrounding soil.

Fill the hole with either the soil you dug up or, better yet, compost. After planting, add a one- to three-inch layer of mulch over the garden bed and water thoroughly to help the soil settle in around the roots.

Fertilizing

It might not seem as important as say, watering, but feeding your plants will make them fuller and more resilient to drought, pests and other abuses. Not all fertilizers are great for flowers, though, so either choose one labeled for flower gardening or one that is low in nitrogen, since nitrogen promotes leaf growth at the expense of flowers.

Both synthetic and organic fertilizers will work, but each has its strengths and weaknesses. Synthetic fertilizers are fast acting, but can also quickly leach away from the soil or burn plants. Organic fertilizers may cost more and take a little longer to show results, but they’re generally considered safer for plants and gardeners.

Since each fertilizer is unique, feed plants according to package instructions.

Weeding

Even a well-prepared bed has its weeds, but a badly prepared one will have a lot more. Weeds are not just unattractive; they steal water and nutrients from your plants, and foster pests and diseases.

Do not use chemical sprays to kill weeds, since they can damage or kill surrounding plants. Instead, just use your hands. Grip the weed at the base of the soil and pull up firmly, disposing of the weed (the compost pile is best) so that it doesn’t resprout in the bed later. You can quickly and easily dislodge new weeds with a hoe or cultivator, but be sure to get the roots so that they don’t come back.

Watering

All garden beds need to be watered in the weeks following planting, since they haven’t yet established a sufficient network of roots. The best ways to water are with drip irrigation or by hand.

With drip irrigation or soaker hoses, you are watering the soil itself rather than the leaves, where the moisture can evaporate or cause diseases.

The other way to water is by hand, with a hose and nozzle. This is useful since you have more control over which plants get watered and how much. After the plants have become established, water only when they show signs of drought stress — such as limp, wilting leaves.


article courtesy of: http://www.zillow.com/blog/flower-gardening-for-beginners-177898/

Landscaping Cheat Sheet: 4 Smart Timesavers for Your Yard and Garden

STORY / BY BOBVILA.COM 

From curb appeal up front to a little piece of heaven out back, gardening pays off in pleasures aplenty — resale value among them. Of course, to maximize enjoyment, you’ll want to minimize the hours of effort spent on lawn and plant care. The strategies here will cut down on toil time and may just spare you some aches, pains and frustrations in the process. Less work, more loll — and truly lovely results.

Pick the right plants

While considering varieties in sync with your USDA hardiness zone, also research disease-resistant, hardy species. For lush flowers with little maintenance, choose annuals that keep on blooming without need for constant deadheading (think: lobelia, impatiens, and fibrous begonias).

And do beware of volunteers: Some annuals like calendulas and cleome reseed themselves if you don’t remove spent blooms in the fall. If you want them next season, let them self-sow; if not, deadhead conscientiously to prevent these “fertile myrtles” from taking over your garden.

Arrange strategically

Save time in the garden by growing annuals such as impatiens that will bloom throughout the season without requiring deadheading.

Design your space to group the thirstier, more high-maintenance plant varieties in one spot, so you won’t be running all over the place tending to them. Once you’ve sorted out the neediest, tend to the rest.

Put stiff, bulkier plants in front of tall, delicate ones to prop up the floppier species — you’ll save yourself an hour of staking.

Then, make your lawn work just as light. Save yourself an uphill battle by eschewing grass in favor of no-mow groundcover on sloped areas. Also skip turf grass in areas of poor drainage.

Equally important to consider when you establish the lay of the land out back is where to place the tool storage. Rather than trek to the shed or garage every time you need a trimmer or spade, keep frequently used garden tools close by, perhaps in a decorative container that suits your garden’s vibe.

And buy tools with brightly colored handles that will easily catch your eye if you mislay them.

Water efficiently

Consider installing a timed system so you won’t have to water manually. Soaker hoses, with tiny pores running the length of the tube, are smarter than traditional hoses and sprinklers. There’s no run-off, less evaporation, and you can leave them on while you work elsewhere (or just chill out). For best results, set it for early in the morning, before the sun can zap moisture.

To make your job easier while also conserving a little bit of water, skip cleanup on the days you mow the lawn. Leaving the clippings out rather than gathering them up will shade the grass, preserving precious H2O.

Weed wisely

Why get snagged by semantics? Call an unexpected crop of greens in your flowerbed “indigenous plants,” and let them grow. If you simply can’t, plant densely and mulch freely around flowerbeds to discourage unwanted greenery.

When it comes time to weed, take steps to minimize the time required. Wage war when the soil is moist or, rather than attempt to pull weeds out by the roots, simply cut them down and then let them wither in the sun.

If weeds rear their ugly heads en masse to form a mat, use a sharp shovel to slice into the ground beneath them, and then turn them over, completely burying the leaves. This not only frees your flowers, but the decomposing weeds will nourish the soil.


article courtesy of: http://www.zillow.com/blog/timesavers-yard-and-garden-178300/

5 Home Updates for $10,000 or Less

Whether you’re moving in, moving out or just looking to move up without leaving your current home, a mini-makeover can be every bit as satisfying as a complete renovation. At the right price point, it can also provide a great return on investment.

If you focus on the right elements, you’ll be amazed how $10,000 can transform your home. Here are five great ideas that show just how far your investment will go.

A classic kitchen

Start by simply refacing those cabinets. At less than half the cost and one-third the time required to replace them, this project is a no-brainer. If you’re aiming for a classic, light and airy feel, then a white color scheme is ideal.

After the cabinets, repaint the rest of the space. The simplicity of white-on-white tends to make quite the statement. But if that’s a bit too much white for you, consider a complementary wall color in softer shades of citrus or blue that keep the space bright and friendly.

Add some polish by replacing all your hardware, and don’t forget the faucet. Working with a light or white scheme, think brushed nickel for drawer pulls and hardware.

If you’re happy with the cabinets you have, an alternate makeover at this budget is an appliance upgrade. Stainless steel is timeless. You can get high-quality equipment that makes cooking an event, and turns your kitchen into a high-tech, high-luxe space without going over budget.

Brand new bathroom

Get this makeover moving by replacing that built-in vanity with a standalone that offers a much more personalized and custom look. Here, too, remember that the faucet is key in terms of looks and functionality. Choose a style that sits a little higher above the bowl than the original to add a bit of functional luxury.

A new countertop at this scale is very affordable — especially if you can find a remnant — so splurge for some sleek, low-maintenance, solid surface quartz that wears well and cleans easily.

Source: Tiffany Farha Design

While we’re at the vanity, replace that builder-style mirror clipped to the wall by either covering the entire vanity wall with a seamless, clipless mirror, or hanging one with a frame that fits the space. Finish off your own private hideaway with a fresh coat of paint or wall covering that creates a spa-like feel. Think light and inviting here, with cool pastel shades such as soft green, blue or yellow.

Your favorite house on the block

In a sale situation, curb appeal offers an excellent return on your investment, but many homeowners think twice about selling once they see their home with a new façade. Painting the exterior can take up most of your $10,000 budget, but in most cases, you’ll have enough for a few other key changes.

After the exterior paint, a complementary color for the trim will bring a crispness that takes years off the look of your home. A contrasting color for the door will bring that last pop of polish to the project.

Bring in a couple of large-scale pots with dramatic plantings to frame the entry, and update shrubs and fresh bark or mulch to bring the exterior back to life. Highlight your work with exterior lighting, and invite your guests in with new house numbers and walkway lights.

Beyond cosmetics

Remember that a big part of what makes us feel comfortable in our own homes relates to light and temperature. You’ll notice right away the difference that a 21st-century thermostat makes in temperature accuracy, and in the time your systems need to run to keep your home at your preferred environment.

Dual- or triple-pane windows are another huge factor in controlling your home’s climate while keeping costs down.

Finally, consider going at least partially solar. The money you save will pay you back over time, and solar power is an attractive amenity for potential buyers.

Makeover from the inside out

When many homeowners paint, they just do a quick covering of the walls. But the difference between only painting the walls and getting the ceiling, trim and doors, too, really can’t be measured.

Try to make one color work throughout the house to create a sense of space and consistency. Beiges, grays and other neutral shades keep the space looking clean and bring enough contrast to make that trim pop.

Source: Julians Interiors

When you’re done, you should have enough money left for throw pillows and other accessories that will convince you you’re not in the house you started in.

article courtesy of: http://www.zillow.com/blog/5-home-updates-for-10k-179408/