Wednesday, May 28, 2014

AFFORDABLE BACKYARD MAKEOVERS

Written by Jaymi Naciri on Tuesday, 27 May 2014 1:04 pm

The sun is shining, the school year is winding down, and summer is nearly upon us. We're backyard dreaming, and we're pretty sure we're not alone.

Frankly, once spring break is upon us, it's a downhill slide into full-time outdoor living for this family. Our fleeting thoughts are about outdoor kitchens and resort-style pools.

But if your budget is more "Live it up on vacation for a long weekend in July" than "Spend your annual salary on a dream yard," you can still create a snazzy space. At least that's what we are always searching for.

Below, we share a few tips and tricks to create a resort-style outdoor space on a budget.

Bring in a water feature

Not only does it give you a great focal point, but a water feature can also create a relaxation zone. You can create a pond in your backyard for $100-300 according to This Old House, with a few tools you probably already have around the house and about six hours of effort.

For under $200, you can also bring in an inexpensive fountain, which has the added benefit of creating soothing white noise that can drown out the sound of traffic

Build your own fountain for a custom look if you have a bit of DIY skill. Check out Sunset magazine for some ideas.

Create a patio

Looking for an inexpensive and easy-care alternative to grass or concrete? Try pavers.

If you can use a shovel to create a flat surface, lay down sand for a foundation followed by pebbles or mulch, and place stones on top, you can create an inexpensive patio area, or a walkway. Concrete step stones come in a range of pre-fab sizes from 12"x12" up, and can be found at Home Depot in gray or red for under a buck a piece. For a fancier look, you can also choose irregular shaped step stones that look like natural stone, or a herringbone paver patio like this.

Outdoor kitchen

You don't have to have a kitchen to rival a five-star restaurant outside in order to have a useful outdoor cooking, prepping, and eating area. If you already have a barbecue, you're halfway there. You can add a rolling bar cart or outdoor island for counter space. Or buy a high bar area with seating like this one from Target. "This can help to eliminate what can be costly custom improvements like concrete countertops and stone bases," said HGTV. "It's also a great solution for homeowners who would like to take the grilling station with them for a future home."

Bring in a small fridge like this one you can get for $119 at Walmart, and you're all set. Consider purchasing a pre-made outdoor grill island or bar-style structure.

Patio cover

Wouldn't you love one of those built-in things with a full-coverage roof with a fan and heaters and a flat-screen TV in the corner? Yeah, us too. But you can replicate the look inexpensively with a variety of arbors and pergolas, like this metal-topped gazebo for $1048 we've had our eye on at Lowe's that gives your yard a resort look for much less. You can find soft-top versions for half that price. Look for sales that make them even more affordable.

Fire

Outdoor fireplaces can invite great ambiance, and can also invite beg dents in your bank account. But you can create the same feel with an inexpensive pre-fab firepit. Set up some inexpensive but comfortable patio chairs around it and you'e got a great seating area. Better yet, build your own firepit. Get some ideas on DIY Network.

Lighting

Nothing can transform a space more quickly at night than a few strands of twinkling lights. Hang them from your trees or along your fence and in and around conversation areas.

If you have a patio cover, you can also run rope lights along the interior. These LED fairy lights are solar, so you don't have to worry about electricity or non-functioning bulbs. Check out some more great ideas here.

Monday, May 12, 2014

The Best of the 2014 Kitchen and Bath Show

Published: February 19, 2014
By: Christina Hoffmann

The kitchen and bath and home builder shows provide a treasure trove of ideas for your next remodel.

Neolith countertops are among the most durable. In fact, the manufacturer says you can use the material in showers and on exteriors. Image: Neolith Colorfeel Collection in Avorio

There’s a different kind of cabin fever breaking out — the kind you catch when you’re stuck inside staring at your walls during a cold, wicked winter. When you realize you don’t have quite enough storage space. Or your kitchen is really dark and dingy. And your bathroom? Well, let’s not go there.

There’s no better cure than highlights from the kitchen and bath show and the international builder show held earlier this month.

The major takeaway from the shows? A strong focus on practicality, durability, and elegant space-saving solutions — three features we love for their value-adding potential.

Long-Lasting Beauties

There were some really interesting products that seemed to successfully meld beauty, practicality, and durability. Take kitchen sinks, for example.

One uber-durable option rising in popularity is granite composite, a mix of granite and resin ($200-$500).

Pros of granite composite:

Uniform look and color throughout.

If it gets scratched you won’t see it.

No sealing as with granite.

Good online buzz from users, though they recommend black over white, which can stain.

Less expensive than granite.

Cons of granite composite:

Will get damaged by abrasive chemicals. Soap or vinegar and water is all you need. (That’s true of most kitchen sink materials, and a great way to keep chemicals from seeping into the environment.)

Limited colors.

Users report staining with white versions.

More expensive than stainless.

By the way, stainless steel is still the most popular sink material. If you go that route, make sure you get 16-gauge. The stamping process that shapes stainless steel sheets into sinks can thin the thickness. Also avoid those that have a proportion of nickel, which makes them tinny.

Another durable product with some positive buzz: Neolith (pictured at the top of this post), a material made from clay and minerals that its maker, Spanish company TheSize, claims can be used for countertops, showers, cabinets, and even exteriors.

The manufacturer also claims Neolith resists scratches, heat, and chemicals, and is close to being completely nonporous. (A one-half-inch thick countertop costs $65-$120/sq. ft., depending on edge detail, pattern, and install.)

Sliding and Gliding to Get More Space

Storage and space-saving is always popular, and the big thing is sliding and gliding interior and cabinet doors — a trend likely to stick around. A sliding interior barn door or pocket door takes up no space, while a regular 3-by-8-foot interior door eats up 7 feet of space in opening. Another plus: Without hinges, you can make doorways wider, allowing for more light and maneuverability.

Haefele’s barn door hardware (starting about $1,000). Image: Christina Hoffmann for HouseLogic.com
Pulldown shelf

Rev-a-Shelf’s universal pull-down ($600, coming in March) for 24-inch wall cabinets handily slides down to you and organizes your meds, spices, baby or pet products into compartments. Image: Christina Hoffmann for HouseLogic.com

Bathroom Trends

From the 2014 National Kitchen & Bath Association Design Trends survey:

Gray will be the fastest-growing color for bathrooms.

Quartz vanities are up-and-comers.

Spa-like bathrooms are hot, so steam showers and electric radiant floor heating are picking up steam.

Radiant floor maker WarmUp has released the 3iE thermostat (about $200), which lets you monitor energy consumption just for your floors. (Radiant floor system, $4-$10/sq. ft)

Instant home spa: Beside filtering chlorine from the water, the AromaSense showerhead infuses your shower with one of three scents of your choice and Vitamin C. About $60. Image: Christina Hoffmann for HouseLogic.com

Kitchens Trends

From the same survey:

Zoning for multiple cooks is in, rather than the traditional kitchen triangle. (Some designers even include two ovens — not stacked, but in different parts of the kitchen.)

Ceiling-height kitchen cabinets. (Who wants to clean up there?)

Steam ovens, which better preserve nutrients and antioxidants in food. Kitchen designer Moorea Hoffman predicts these will be the oven of the future.

Induction cooktops.

Daybeds, feeding stations, and more for your pets. (But one designer at the show said from experience, you can’t guarantee Fido will use it.)

Kitchen charging stations.

The circuit breaker called the DockingDrawer (about $170), from JTech Solutions, lets you charge devices in a kitchen drawer out of sight. You need a power source and have to sacrifice a little drawer room. Image: JTech Solutions

More Smart Takeaways from Designers

Lighting

Taller ceilings (9 feet is new minimum) mean you need more light; semi-flush fixtures are helpful in bringing light closer.

The closer a light source comes to the ceiling line, the more likelihood for glare. Make sure the light source in recessed cans is set deeper into the ceiling to avoid glare.

There are more replacement LED bulbs on the market, but many aren’t good, so do your research, says lighting designer Jeffrey Dross of Kichler.

Appliances

Make sure your range hood is three inches wider than your range on each side, so it sucks up all the pollutants.

Opt for updraft, not downdraft, vent hoods. The physics of the latter don’t work.

Only shelf space, not cubic feet, matters in fridges. Take your tape measure to the store.

The world’s worst fridge design: 36-inch side by side. Opt for maximum fridge over freezer space since we open the fridge 21 times for every time we do the freezer, says designer Hoffman.

Use your secondary dishwasher at least once a week. Otherwise, the seals will dry out and you’ll need to replace them.

Christina Hoffmann has been an editor in the housing field for two decades — most recently as content manager for HouseLogic. She’s given her 100-year-old frame home the attention it deserves: new kitchen, siding, HVAC, and windows and doors. She’s betting the roof is next. Follow Christina on Google+.