Posts in category 'Home Improvement'

I feel very fortunate to have a home with more than enough space for my roommate and I. During this pandemic, we are both working from home, but can honestly go almost the full day without seeing or hearing each other. Throw in the garage and backyard and we each have our own little escapes. All that said, the one area where we both end up connecting is the back deck. We just added one of those tables with the propane fire pit in the middle and we have a pretty comfy couch. Last year we added an umbrella to make the morning sun a little more bearable, as well as a cafe table for two. It's wonderful to get "outside" without having to go out where all the scary people are!

Regardless of the size of your home, you are likely still itching to get outside. Today I'd like to talk about a few neat ideas you can utilize to make y...

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Last week we focused on some design ideas inside the house. This week we're moving up and out! I was fortunate enough to design and build my house (with a contractor!) with a pretty blank slate. Aside from budgetary concerns, which of course there were, I had the flexibility to move walls around, raise or lower window heights and configure the bathroom (100 different times!). The experience of walking around the flooring deck once it had been added to the foundation was great. I then started measuring, laying down dividers, trying to imagine being in the "space", and then measuring some more. It was awesome. Today let's talk about a few of the lessons I learned along the way and maybe you'll be able to use some of these when you start laying out your new home.

Design for the buyers. If you've been reading along for a w...

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The one thing I know for sure about relationships is I don't know much about relationships. Sitting on the precipice of a half-century, I'm still single. If I'm being completely honest, I'm pretty happy with that. I have had some good relationships and I'm still working on that magic formula that leads to one that stands the test of time. Sure it has a lot to do with the people IN the relationship, but as I get older (and hopefully a smidge wiser) I'm learning that you really do need to give it some attention. Like so many plants that have passed through my life, if you ignore them and neglect feeding/nurturing them, they will wither and die.

If you have been reading along for a few weeks, months or even years (wow!) you know that this little article is intended to be focused on real estate. So while I am excited about what...

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Now that we've all smashed our way into a new decade (and I celebrated my birthday by getting my avalanche safety certification) it is time to take a look at what buyers are going to be itching for in the coming year. There are certainly features that always stand the test of time. Like a roof that doesn't leak and windows that go up and down. But I digress. What we're focused on today are those features that (for the most part) you can add to or upgrade in your own home in order to make it more enticing for buyers. And as with all of these options, they simply make your home more pleasurable for YOU while you are still living there. Let's jump in. (And Happy New Year!)

The survey was done by Porch.com and they picked the brains of 980 recent home shoppers. One of the more interesting notes I found was that these buyers...

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I'm a huge fan of Calvin and Hobbes. If you haven't had the pleasure of those comic strips, run-don't-walk to your local bookstore and grab one of the collections. You won't regret it and your family will continue to enjoy it for years. One of the sadder storylines Bill Watterson told was when Calvin's home was broken into and burglarized. He did a great job of eliciting the fear and vulnerability that Calvin's mom and dad felt after coming home to that scene. You feel like a stranger in your own home. And you have certainly lost all sense of safety and comfort inside those 4 walls. Of course Calvin was mostly concerned that they stole the television!

This is the time of year when many of us are hitting the road. Whether to head off on a skiing (or more likely - beach) adventure or simply visiting family and friends for the holidays...

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