Waste Not, Want Not!

Green Living: Making it Last by Carla Hill

We live in a disposable society. The products that fill our daily lives are used and discarded. This habitual "use and lose" puts a dent in not only our pocketbooks, but also in the environment.

According to Cleanair.org, every year Americans throw away enough paper and plastic cups, forks, and spoons to circle the equator 300 times. Yes, 300 times.

This is just the tip of the trash iceberg. Parents all across the nation gird the loins of their joyful little cherubs with disposable diapers.

Cleanair notes, "Disposable diapers are the third largest single consumer item in landfills, and represent about 4% of solid waste. In a house with a child in diapers, disposables make up 50% of household waste." In addition, these diapers take hundreds of years to decompose and cost thousands of dollars to use.

Plus, the oil used to produce those dandy disposables is more oil than used during the lifetime use of your car!

The EPA reports that in 2010, American generated about 250 million tons of trash, with just a 34.1 percent recycling rate. What is being tossed that could be repurposed, reused, or revisioned?

Learning to reduce, reuse, and recycle is a great way to cut down on household expenses, something that many homeowners are searching out.

There's a honorable movement spreading across the nation bent on saving money and preserving the environment.

The new book Make it Last: Prolonging and Preserving What We Love bridges the gap between life in a disposable culture and the basic skills needed to save money and live more sustainably. This book teaches the reader how to extend the lives of the things they love by repairing clothing, preserving home-grown food, and even repairing your kitchen sink.

Raleigh Briggs takes her longtime commitment to community building through the DIY movement and shares her valuable experience with the reader through a conversational tone in her hand drawn and illustrated guide.

"People are starting to realize not only that they can do this stuff, but that it's fun and fulfilling to boot." says Briggs. "Whenever you think about the choices you're making, you're doing a good thing."

Verbicide Magazine described it as "a Gideon Bible-like manual that should be heavily circulated to people who are just scraping by in life. Her pragmatic approach to taking back your home is what makes this book so appealing."

Save money while saving the planet. That's some noble work!

Published: November 29, 2012 realtytimes.com

Keep Those Cold Weather Pests Out!

Cold Weather Pests by Carla Hill

Ah. The sound of a gently crackling fire. The aroma of cinnamon. It's an idyllic Fall. The taste of warm apple cider. The melodic sound of rain on the roof. The arrival of spiders and stink bugs. Wait. What?

The change in seasons to cooler weather can mean an unwelcome addition to your home. Household pets can cause major damage to a home if left untreated.

Power Home Remodeling Group, one of the nation's largest home remodeling companies, knows a little something about these cold weather pests.

"Homeowners need to take the threat of pests seriously because they can do so much damage to the structure of a home," says Matt Hess, Power's VP of Operations-Installations. "Most pest infestations and accompanying damage are considered maintenance issues by homeowners' insurance carriers, forcing homeowners to cover costs themselves. Prevention is key to protecting both your home and your wallet."

Some species of pests are more likely to invade your home come fall than others. Power offers tips below to help protect your home from pests this fall:

1.Remove standing water: While this was a mosquito breeding ground during the heat of Summer, it's now a playground for termites, carpenter ants, and powderpost beetles.

2.Trim shrubs: According to Power, "Many pests use vegetation as a bridge from the ground into your home; so keep bushes, shrubs, vines and trees from touching the house. Wood mulch and plants should also be kept at least 18 inches away from the foundation to prevent rot."

3.Eliminate yard clutter: Termites and carpenter ants love wood. They love piles of wood, rotted stumps, and any other yummy tree-based products! Store firewood at least 20 feet away from your home and outdoor structures and at least five inches off the ground.

4.Seal gaps and cracks: Stink bugs, in all their loveliness, are looking for a warm place to rest. By sealing up gaps around windows, doors, and roofing you are making it just a little harder for them to make your home their winter getaway. Power suggests, "Seal any cracks or gaps with caulk or epoxy, and use steel wool or hardware cloth to block openings where wires, pipes and cables come into or out of exterior walls. Also be sure to ventilate attics and crawl spaces to ensure the venting system has a good airflow to prevent the buildup of moisture."

5.Don't forget the attic! If you think pests can't climb or fly, you're wrong! Warm dryer vents are cozy places to set up camp. Attics can be perfect homes for raccoons, squirrels, and mice. All of these larger pests can do some real damage to your home. Placing a mesh barrier over points of entry, like vents, holes or large cracks, will keep both the animals, and the mites and fleas they carry, outside where they belong.

By addressing this issue now before they become problematic you can save yourself time and money in the long run. Take a few moments today to do a "pest prevention" check-up on your home.

Courtesy of Realty Times http://realtytimes.com/rtpages/20121206_coldpests.htm

Staging Your Home

 

The process of staging your home is all about illusions, so to speak. It is more than just cleaning and decorating, it’s about preparing the home for sale and creating and perfecting moods. Staging is the part that takes place AFTER you have done all of your cleaning, de-cluttering, painting, and minor repairs. When you stage your home it makes your home look bigger, cleaner, brighter, warmer, and most of all it makes buyer want to buy it. The key is adding the small details, for example: that perfect amount of lipstick/lip gloss, light mascara, and a stunning single strand of pearls. It’s simple, yet elegant.

Secrets of a Professional Home Stager

Professional Stagers possess the skills of a top-level designer and they create dramatic scenery that appeals to all five senses. Here are some of their secrets:

• Arrange sparse pieces of furniture in an appealing grouping known as a vignette
• Showcase a generous usage of soft fabrics such as silk and satin
• Display unusual knickknacks in units of 1, 3 or 5
• Drape window coverings with simple lines
• Add unique elements to shelving, bookcases and fireplace mantels, which draw attention to predetermined areas

What Accessories Does a Stager Use?

Stagers bring in a vast array of items to spruce up the house. Here is a small sampling of items professional stagers often use to dress each room. How they are utilized is limited only by the creativity and vision of the stager.

• Mirrors
• Plants
• Silk Flowers
• Floor & Table Lamps,
• Area and Throw Rugs
• Small Love Seats
• Ottomans
• Afghans
• Pillows
• Inflatable Queen-Size Beds
• Baskets
• Plastic Tables & Chairs

Professional Staging Tricks & Tips

I spoke to a few stagers in my area and they offered this practical advice for making your space sparkle:

• Apply orange oil to cabinets that appear dry, which will renew their original luster
• Put out large bowls of fruit such as polished apples, bright oranges, luscious grapes
• Arrange colorful and fun cookbooks on the counters

On stager had a “green thumb” and loved bringing the outdoors inside through the use of greenery and plants; in creating clean, crisp spaces and arranging furniture with plenty of room to walk around. Another stager mentioned that bathrooms are essential to dress well. Bathrooms should look open, airy and delightful. One of her favorite tricks is to add baskets filled with spa treatments such as:

• Towels, tied with ribbons
• Scented soaps
• Creamy lotions
• Moisturizing & Facial jars

Just because we stage the house doesn’t meant that the back yard doesn’t need staging too! For patios and decks, bring in plants and potted flowers, and add additional color by setting the picnic table with bright, plastic dinner plates.

How Much Does It Cost?

Prices vary depending on where you live and the local demand for professional home staging. I believe that vacant homes show better with staging, however, fees range from $500 to $5,000 or more, depending on square footage and the number of rooms staged. It is not a requirement to have a professional stager. Based on the tips that I mentioned in this post coupled with your creative sense of design you very well may be able to create a beautiful “illusion” to your buyers. Good luck!!

Additional Resources:

Search All Homes For Sale In Fayetteville, NC

Search Foreclosed Homes

View My Personal Home Listings

Mortgage Lender (VA, Purchase, & Refinance)

6 cures for the small-kitchen blues

Expand your kitchen without breaking the bank using these simple solutions from Money Magazine Money Magazine By Josh Garskof, Money Magazine contributing writer October 26 2007: 7:44 AM EDT
(Money Magazine) -- Sure, you order takeout three nights a week, and preparing a burger tests the limits of your culinary know-how. But that doesn't mean you don't need and deserve a spacious kitchen. After all, the kitchen has evolved from a room where food is prepared to the hub of a house, where you do everything from eating casual meals to paying the bills and helping Junior with his algebra homework.

Plus, as long as you stick within the norms of the neighborhood, a kitchen expansion is one of the best ways to increase your property value, says Omaha appraiser John Bredemeyer, a spokesman for the Appraisal Institute. "A lot of people buy the kitchen and take the house that comes along with it," he says. "So going from a cooking kitchen to an entertaining kitchen is likely to pay for itself when you sell your house someday."

Without walls: When the dining room and kitchen are part of the same open space, the room feels larger.

Best of all, you don't necessarily have to shell out the $50,000 to $100,000 cost of a kitchen addition. Here are some money-saving tricks for enlarging the kitchen - or at least making it seem bigger: Reconfigure the eating area

Having a place to eat in the kitchen is essential, but even a 3�-foot-wide round table takes up a 10-foot-by-10-foot floor space to comfortably accommodate walking around it, says Denver architect Doug Walter. So consider these space-conserving alternatives:

* Lose the table You could replace it with a diner-style booth ($2,000 to $5,000), which needs just six feet by eight feet of floor space and can be set directly against the wall or in an alcove. Or let a new countertop double as a breakfast bar by overhanging it 15 inches off a peninsula or an island. Opt for backless stools, and they can be tucked almost entirely under the counter.
* Use the dining room If you rarely eat a meal in the dining room, consider knocking down the wall separating it from the kitchen to form an attached, everyday eating area. That costs about $1,500 (if you have to move a structural wall, it will cost another $4,500). You'll lose cabinets, but if you put a peninsula in the wall's place, you'll retain some storage space.

Maximize the space

Sometimes kitchen congestion can be resolved by updating an old-fashioned floor plan that's chopping up ample square footage with too many walls and other obstructions.

* Annex other spaces Walk-in pantries, mudrooms and laundry rooms that abut the kitchen are often worth sacrificing for an expanded kitchen, says Charlotte, N.C. contractor John Harmon. Construction costs can be as little as $2,000, depending on the situation. And thanks to stackable laundry machines that can be tucked away in a closet and cabinets that can store as much as an entire closet in a fraction of the space, they won't be missed.
* Move the sliders Replacing sliding-glass patio doors with a single swing-out door ($3,000 to $4,000) or relocating your backdoor out of prime kitchen territory ($5,000 to $7,000) can free up vital wall space for new cabinets and a countertop without adding any floor space.

Add on economically

If the only solution is more physical space, you may be able to do the job for less than the $400-a-square-foot (or higher) cost of a full-scale kitchen addition and remodel.

* Add adjacent living space If what you really need is an eating area or a space next to your existing kitchen, build a family room, den or great room alongside it. The open floor plan will make the kitchen seem bigger, and the person cooking (or microwaving, as the case may be) will feel like part of the household activity. And because the new space won't require all the labor and materials involved in reconstructing a kitchen, the project will cost about $200 a square foot.
* Hang a bump-out If your plans for the kitchen require just a little more room, you may be able to hang the space off the side of the house by suspending the additional square footage from the existing structure, much like a bay window. As long as the bump-out doesn't extend more than three feet beyond the main exterior wall, it should easily cost $2,000 less than if the contractor had to excavate the yard and pour a new foundation, says Walter.

Whatever technique you use to expand your kitchen, once it has an open, spacious feel, it's sure to become an even more popular hangout. Heck, it might even inspire you to break out a cookbook.

Top 10 Home Improvements That Pay You Back

| By Tom Kraeutler | Posted Sep 7th 2010 2:44PM

If you're planning to sell your house any time soon, home improvements that build property value should be on your to-do list. It's a buyer's market, and between tighter purse strings and plenty of properties to choose from, shoppers want homes that are move-in ready and free of the need for home improvement projects that will add to their own bottom lines.

"There's enough inventory out there right now that buyers can find what they like without having to compromise," says Harrison Tulloss, a ZipRealty agent based in Raleigh, N.C. "They don't have the money or inclination to put in a down payment, get a loan and then turn around and spend more cash to do exactly what they want to improve a property."

Planning home improvements that pay you back at the time of sale requires a strategic vision as well as design, finish and product selections that welcome the widest possible range of buyer tastes. Drawing on tips from real estate pros, along with Remodeling magazine's annual Cost vs. Value Report, here are 10 home improvements that pay you back when you sell.

1. Front entry doors: Curb appeal is the first step in a successful home sale, and installing a beautiful, high-quality entry door is a simple home improvement that delivers impact both in buyer drive-bys and online listings. A new entry door will also help lower home energy costs and stand up to weather extremes.

2. Attic bedroom: Converting an attic into useful living space is a smart way to add value and attract those shopping for multigenerational family homes. "Parents are moving in with their kids and vice versa, or people are combining their incomes to live in a bigger house," says Renee Mayhall, RealEstate.com managing broker for the Carolinas. "So we see buyers focusing on properties with a higher number of bedrooms and baths to accommodate that."

3. Decks: Building a deck is one of the least-expensive ways to extend your living space. Composite decking is a great low-maintenance option, and even building a deck from pressure-treated wood can bring a return on investment of up to 80 percent at the time of sale. (Also see Best Landscape Design Options.)

4. Siding: A tight, tidy home contributes to curb appeal and takes major home improvement worries off a potential buyer's list. Spruce up your home's exterior by repairing or replacing siding for an eye-catching, protective finish. And for way less than the cost of siding replacement, consider adding easy-to-install decorative trim elements made of high-density polyurethane foam to spruce up an otherwise dull exterior. (Also see Siding for Your Home: Which Should You Choose?)

5. Kitchen: The kitchen is a major selling point for a home, and its appearance and layout can often be a deal-breaker. Improving your kitchen doesn't have to be a huge investment, however: just replacing countertops, key appliances or cabinet hardware can transform a kitchen's look and impact. (Also see Minor Kitchen Renovations Help Sell Your Home.)

6. Windows: Installing replacement windows is a pre-sale home improvement that pays for everyone, with the seller earning valuable energy tax credits and the buyer enjoying lower home energy bills. Says Tulloss: "Especially in older homes, buyers always seem to appreciate when new, better windows have been put in. People like the energy efficiency aspect now more than ever."

7. Basement: Make the most of this bonus space by finishing it for use as an apartment, office or entertainment zone ─ more great ways to appeal to multi-generational households.

8. Bathroom: Along with kitchens, bathrooms tend to age easily, so neutralize potential design objections by replacing the vanity, installing efficient fixtures and choosing hardware that facilitates easy access for all. (Also see Increase Home Value With Bathroom Renovations.)

9. Backup power generator: With the aging electrical grid becoming less reliable, access to backup power is essential for a home. Gone are the days of bulky, smelly, portable gas-powered generators: You can now have a neat, compact standby generator installed right next to your outdoor AC unit that can repower most of your home within seconds of losing electricity from the utility.

10. Additions: If done wisely and in a way that won't price your home out of the local market, additions are valuable home improvements. Add a second story, expand into a master suite, enlarge the garage or create an extra bathroom for a busy household.

A final thought comes from Atlanta agent Katrina Walker of RealEstate.com. "Of course your home is your castle, and you want to be pleased with the way your home looks while you're in it," she says. "But you don't want to put in things that are extremely personal. For instance, choose colors that are neutral. I'm not saying that everything has to be beige and bland, but you don't want to pick colors that the average person isn't going to like."

Tom Kraeutler is a home improvement expert for AOL Real Estate and host of "The Money Pit," a nationally syndicated home improvement radio program.