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To-Dos: Your June Home Checklist

June 4, 2014 By Leave a Comment

Screen Shot 2014-06-02 at 7.53.07 AMMake summer easy by getting your home and outdoor gear in shape now

June is here, and it’s time to get in the swing of summer. Whether you are watching your kids say goodbye to another year of school, scheduling a major home improvement project (like painting the house), or just looking forward to some much-deserved time hanging out on the porch, these to-dos will help get your home and yard in shape so you can fully savor the months ahead.

Filed Under: Blog, Home Care

Investing in student housing

June 3, 2014 By Leave a Comment

student-housing

Looking to invest in student housing? Click below to watch the video and listen as Al Rabil of Kayne Anderson Real Estate Advisors LLC – the largest private buyer of student housing in the U.S. – explains the markets they go after and why:

Filed Under: Economy, real estate financing

So Over Stainless in the Kitchen? 14 Reasons to Give In to Color

June 2, 2014 By Leave a Comment

Screen Shot 2014-05-28 at 11.10.25 AMColorful kitchen appliances are popular again, and now you’ve got more choices than ever. Which would you choose?

Those who survived the invasion of avocado-green and harvest-gold appliances in the 1970s are still trepidatious about using strong color on kitchen appliances. In the 1980s we clung to white and sometimesblack, and sometime during the 1990s, stainless steel took over as the must-have finish for appliances. Next we started to hide the appliances, camouflaging refrigerators and dishwashers with panel fronts that matched the cabinetry.

In typical fashion, now things are swinging back. Home cooks are proud of their appliances and want to make them stand out. Once only offered by a few companies, a wide range of appliance color options are now being offered by many manufacturers.

Filed Under: Appliances, Blog

How to Install a Wood Fence

June 1, 2014 By Leave a Comment

Screen Shot 2014-05-28 at 11.07.12 AMGain privacy and separate areas with one of the most economical fencing choices: stained, painted or untreated wood

Each frame speaks to the masterpiece it contains, and in your home’s yard, the way you surround your landscape can be both an accent and a solution to needs for containment and privacy. A wood fence is a versatile choice, offering picket pageantry and modern styling, as well as endless opportunities for customization. It also happens to be one of the most economically viable ways to wrap your yard, and an achievable DIY project. I talked with Bridget Lowing of Fence Consultants of West Michigan to find out how to install one right.

Filed Under: Architecture, Blog, Home Care

Kitchen Counters: Try an Integrated Cutting Board for Easy Food Prep

May 31, 2014 By Leave a Comment

Screen Shot 2014-05-28 at 8.38.09 AMKeep knife marks in their place and make dicing and slicing more convenient with an integrated butcher block or cutting board

Last weekend I caught my husband as he was about to slice some cheese. With a butcher knife. On the coffee table. Using only the parchment paper in which it was wrapped to protect the surface. Yeah, I know. I caught him as he was cutting the cheese. Hilarious. Although it certainly wouldn’t have been if he’d left knife marks on the coffee table.

And yet I think there are probably a lot of homes in which a careless or harried cook has inadvertently left knife marks on a table or countertop. Fortunately, adding an integrated cutting surface can be an effective preventative measure, particularly in small or modern kitchens, where leaving the board sitting out creates clutter. Because why use the coffee table to slice up a snack when the kitchen island is one big butcher block?

With that in mind, here are eight integrated cutting surfaces to help keep knife-mark accidents at bay.

Filed Under: Appliances, Architecture, Blog

Floating Home Sits Atop Glass

May 30, 2014 By Leave a Comment

floating-home

Typically, a home has a layer that can be considered a base or foundation, and above that there are levels which can be designated as public and/or private living spaces. And for the most part, we know what to expect from those levels: wider on the bottom and narrower near the top, since that’s what physics and engineering tell us makes sense. clear-middle-layer-be-house

The BE House in Paredes, Portugal turns that expectation upside-down. Designed by Portuguese firm spaceworkers, the three-level home features what appears to be an impossible middle layer made entirely of glass. The glass level is actually smaller than the overhanging enclosed layer, making the house appear to be precariously stacked out of order.

be-house-see-through-middle-level deck-be-houseglass-second-level half-indoor-pool upper-level

Filed Under: Architecture, Blog

Amazing Dream Headboards

May 29, 2014 By Leave a Comment

Let your imagination run wild creating a unique look in a bedroom. Obviously, the first one is my favorite!
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Filed Under: Blog, Furniture

7 Unusual Homes

May 28, 2014 By Leave a Comment

Through history, houses have evolved from caves to lodges, from castles to mansions. And nowadays it seems like you can find an example of anything. Some people are forced to get creative because of restrictions – like small or unusual space – while others do so just because.Transaprent houseBelgium Tower Bubble Castle Converted Church Flinstone house Slim House Skateboard house

Filed Under: Architecture, Blog

Choosing Your Room Colours

May 22, 2014 By Leave a Comment

the-colours-and-moods-of-your-home

Filed Under: Blog, Home Care, Home Remodel
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