CasaSugar

Five Tips For Increasing the Property Value of Your Home

CasaSugar — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 09:15:09 -0700

In anticipation of the new TLC series Hope For Your Home, which premieres this Saturday, I thought I'd share with you host Kirsten Kemp Becker's five tips for increasing the value of your property. A veteran Realtor, author and real estate company, and owner of a successful design company, Becker knows a thing or two about acclimating your home to the current economic climate. Here's a few ways she says you can do so yourself:

Plants on the outside. "The most economic way to achieve curb appeal is by refining your landscaping at the front of your house and by making sure the front door is the focal point. Guests, buyers, and appraisers will take notice of the entry experience and homeowners/sellers need to establish that emotional connection from the moment they pull up to your home. Remember the details: trim weeds, fix broken screens, hide the trash cans from view, and plant some fresh flowers in prominent planters."

There's four more where this came from, so read more.

Paint on the inside. "The biggest transformation in the shortest period of time results from paint. It can lighten a room, create an accent wall, and provide flow from one space to another."
- "If you can't afford new lighting or higher ceilings try painting a neutral color on the walls and a shade lighter on the ceiling."
- "To give a room a focal point or create more drama around one wall, try your hand at some color by painting it a shade of chocolate or charcoal to achieve a designer's touch."
- "If you can't afford to remodel the entire house and change your floor plan to make each room transition smoothly, try using the same shade of paint in all the public areas and down hallways - consistency of tone adds a feeling of congruency and openness."

Kitchens and baths. "Invest time and money into updating kitchens and bathrooms, but it doesn't mean ripping it all out and starting over - you can enhance what is already there. Learn to distract buyers' eyes from that which is not perfect by directing them towards areas that have been completely updated. A coat of paint and new hardware on existing cabinets and bathroom vanities can instantly update dated countertops tiles and fixtures. Take it one step further by using epoxy over existing tile or regrout to avoid demolishing and installing new tile, which saves time and money."

Declutter. "Stick with the timeless tried and true paint colors, accessories, and furniture in order to maximize the length of time and enjoyment out of your investment. Paramount to this is how you maintain your home. There is nothing like clutter to bury a home's value. If a professional can't see the space, appreciate the finishes or easily navigate around personal belongings and oversized furniture, they can't appraise it or sell it for top dollar."

Clean, clean, then clean again. "Even if a house has a poor floor plan, limited landscaping, or outdated bathrooms and kitchens, everything looks more valuable when it is well maintained and dust free. Pride of ownership shines through in a house that is clean and well cared for, which translates into higher profits in a sale and more attractive loan options for a refinance."

Source and Source

In the News: More Than Four Walls and a Roof

CasaSugar — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 14:00:45 -0700

The New York Times' "You Might Move Out, but You Can’t Move On", explores the emotional attachments we form with our homes. After selling their 1910 house in Danbury, Connecticut (pictured below), Mr. Schoenfeld experienced "bouts of melancholia [which] grew so acute that Mr. Field had to stash away pictures of the place," or "seller's remorse." Several years after selling, the pair repurchased their beloved home, this time paying $335,000 than they'd paid for in the first place — though $200,000 worth of renovation had been done. The article also shares an anecdote of one man who "insisted on negotiating visiting rights before he was willing to sell" his old home. Another family, after selling and learning that their buyer wouldn't be living in the beach house for some time, moved right back in surreptitiously — that is, until the buyer's relatives showed up for a weekend on the sand. It seems that becoming attached to our homes is not so uncommon; I for one cling to the memories of my childhood home. But who knew the lengths some would go to preserve those precious attachments? Source

What's Your Natural Disaster?

CasaSugar — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 09:00:08 -0800

According to CNN, Hawaiian homeowners living in proximity to Kilauea, one of the world's most active volcanoes, have chosen to outrun lava flows instead of picking up and moving to greener pastures. Lava destroyed three abandoned houses there just this week in a nearly deserted neighborhood there, but one local said:

It's the safest place I've ever lived, safer than the mainland. They have forest fires over there that burn up 3,000 homes in Southern California. I'm here for the duration, whatever happens.

Tell me, if any, what natural disaster do you face where you live?
Source

Home Library: Majestic Metropolitan Living

CasaSugar — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:00:10 -0800

Just a week after the fold of Metropolitan Home, I've got my hands on another city-centric design volume: Sue Hostetler's new book Majestic Metropolitan Living: Visionary Homes in the Heart of Cities. The shelter and design editor for magazines like Gotham, Hamptons, and LA Confidential, and the host of Plum Homes With Sue Hostetler on Plum TV (which "targets the most active, influential, and educated audience in the world"), Hostetler has tapped her cronies for tours of their unique and luxe urban dwellings.

The American dream of retiring to the pool and tennis courts in your countryside home is squashed by this book, which showcases a range of sprawling, real-life city homes. Each has an original sense of style, a warmth that defies traditional conceptions of "cold urban modernism," spectacular views, and in several cases, an outdoor space complete with a pool or lush garden. Many of the homes were created, not surprisingly, by converting former warehouses or other nonresidential buildings, or combining apartments.

Continue reading . . .

Love It or Hate It? Painted Stair Railing

CasaSugar — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 06:15:46 -0800

I love it when homeowners get creative with their staircases, and this design is no exception. While it's a little more traditional in pattern and color, I find it utterly charming. The only problem that I can see is that it is potentially difficult to decorate around.

Source: Flickr User Allie_Caulfield

Do You Have Window Boxes on All Floors?

CasaSugar — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:00:50 -0700

Homeowners (and renters as well) tend to only install window boxes on the first floor of their houses. But I love the way the boxes of geraniums on this four-story white building look. On second thought, they're almost too healthy looking; they may be fake, and perhaps it wouldn't work on a more traditional house. Tell me, do you have window boxes on all floors?

Home Library: A Girl's Guide to Decorating

CasaSugar — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 09:00:07 -0700

When I think of interior designer and stylist Abigail Ahern, who also owns one of London's leading interiors stores, there are a few things that come to mind. One is the Neo Baroque Chandelier in her collection - one of the most breathtaking and showstopping pieces I have ever come across. And the other is her perfected and signature use of Farrow & Ball's "Downpipe" paint from floor to ceiling - which inspired my own gray(-ish) kitchen. And last, her playful use of both scale and vibrant colors, evident in both her own home (which you can tour here) and her sister's, which was featured in the New York Times. What this all adds up to is that the girl's got serious design skills.

So it's no surprise that Ahern's new book, A Girl's Guide to Decorating, is filled with plenty of inspiring and helpful design advice, not to mention gorgeous photos. Want to hear about it? Then read more.

The book covers a few of the fundamentals of decorating, including planning, color, light, texture, and accents, what she calls "glamorous personal touches."

When it comes to planning, some of her tips may feel irrelevant if you're not doing any renovating, but overall her advice will apply to renters and homeowners alike, with words on arranging multi-use rooms and using different types of mirrors to your advantage.

Throughout the book, Ahern offers tried-and-true how-to advice on things like putting up shelves, hanging mirrors, and making over your kitchen cabinets - task that are never as easy they seem. This might be my favorite element of the book.

As for those glamorous touches, she advocates using eccentric and rare finds and mixing-and-matching to give your home that X-factor. She offers various routes for arranging display items on a shelf, as well as artwork and pictures. And to finish it off, she recommends switching out door handles and drawer knobs.

Since we might not all be sold on "Down Pipe," Ahern considers the effects of colors warm and cool on your mood, and attempts to conquer the query of good vs. bad color combinations. Color, as you know, is a personal, subjective choice, but Ahern manages to handle it analytically. With so many swatch options out there, this is a relief. Beyond that, she gets down to the bottom of paint finishes and their effects, which can be illuminating for some of us.

She continues this combination of technical, practical advice mixed with her own design tips through her chapters on light and texture. And all the while, she pulls easy and universally affordable style advice from the photographs of dozens of beautiful, unique rooms - including the home of former Domino editor Rita Konig. This terrific tome is equal parts informative and inspiring, and both are bound to help even a "dude" decorator.

Room Therapy: Has Anyone Used Rust-Oleum on Their Counters?

CasaSugar — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:00:19 -0700

Dear Casa,

I just recently moved into a house and am excited about making it "my own." The problem is I'm broke. The house is old and I've already made peace with the fact that I'm going to have to live with some things (such as the horrendous '70s-era orange countertops in the kitchen) for the next few years until I can afford to replace them. But then today, while researching inexpensive options for refinishing my tacky gold light fixtures, I stumbled across this, a paint made just for countertops! Can it be?!

The product claims to be simple and effective (and the video-demo shows this to be true, ha) but it sounds suspiciously too good to be true. I do not want to get my hopes up if this product is really just crap. I was wondering if you knew anyone that had used this product with success or if I'm headed towards a horror story?

Thanks!

Rainey

To see my suggestions, and to leave comments, read more.

Hi Rainey,

I haven't personally tried this product, but I found this blog post from a homeowner who used this product on her counters. The results, at least from this picture, look great, and she says she's very happy with the results.

However, on the blog Tattered Hydrangeas, multiple readers commented that the paint doesn't hold up well at all. Perhaps if you used a sealant on it, it would be more wear-resistant. However, these users seem to think that one should proceed with caution.

Has anyone else used this product? Have you tried to paint your countertops with other products? What were your results? Leave your thoughts about the experience in the comments.

Good luck!
Casa

Love It or Hate It? Cowboy Boots on Display

CasaSugar — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 08:00:07 -0700

While these shelves might usually hold books, framed photos, or sculptural objects, this homeowner has decided to use them to display a cowboy boot collection. Do you showcase unusual collections at your home?

Source: Steven Randazzo

Casa Quickie: Paint Your Home Library

CasaSugar — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 06:15:00 -0700

If you don't read and you don't want other people to know it, you can fool your guests by painting a faux bookcase on your wall. New York interior designer Amie Weitzman had a trompe-l'œil bookcase put in this sitting room of the New York residence of one of her clients. As you can see, the homeowner appears to have a mighty colorful and extensive book collection that makes a powerful focal point. But if you look closely you'll realize it's not what it seems. Literacy is overrated anyway, isn't it?