Aug
31
Smart tips for buying a first-home that will be easy and affordable to personalize
August 31, 2016 | Leave a Comment
(BPT) – Call this the age of personalization. You can customize practically anything these days, from the kind of information you get on your favorite news feed and the offers you receive from your bank to the icons, background and sounds on your smartphone. Personalizing something really makes it feel more “yours,” so of course you want to be able to do that to your first home.
If you’re shopping for your first home, you may already know what you want to do to personalize it. However, you may not be aware that certain features can make a home easier and more affordable to customize after you’ve moved in. For example, if you think you’ll need room to expand for a growing family down the road, it will be cheaper in the long run to buy a home with an attic or basement that you can finish into living space than to try and build on an addition from scratch.
As you’re shopping for your first home, keep in mind these elements that will help make it easier and financially feasible for you to make your new home truly your own:
Architectural bones that are right for you
What’s your personal style? Do you favor a mid-century modern look? Art-deco? Craftsman? Colonial? It’s important to choose a home in a basic architectural style you love, because while you can affordably change the color and landscaping, it’s much harder to create a whole new look. Look for exterior features that play up the home’s architectural style, and then think of ways to customize them down the road. For example, simply painting the gingerbread trim on your Victorian style home in a different color can celebrate the look you love while making it your own.
Energy efficient lifestyle features
Green considerations and energy efficiency are top priorities for many of today’s first-time homebuyers, so it’s important to look for a home that has conservation-minded features like a high-efficiency water heater or low-flow showerheads. The best eco-conscious home features, however, will also enhance your lifestyle. Upgrades like Energy Star-qualified, solar-powered, fresh-air skylights like those from Velux America provide natural light plus passive ventilation, helping to cut energy costs while reducing dependency on artificial light and ventilation sources.
If you buy a home that already has skylights, you can personalize them by adding energy efficient blinds in designer colors and patterns.
And if you add solar powered skylights to the home, it’s easy and cost-effective since there is no cost for electrical work to operate the units. Solar skylights, blinds and installation costs are eligible for a 30 percent federal tax credit. A programmable touchpad remote allows you to adjust the amount of light entering through the venting skylights and also to adjust the blinds with the touch of button. The skylights close automatically in case of rain.
You can also easily and affordably add more natural light to interior spaces like hallways and closets with Sun Tunnel tubular skylights, which can be installed by a handy DIYer in a few hours. Visit www.whyskylights.com to learn more.
Room to grow
More Americans are living in multi-generational homes. Whether you plan to grow your family by having kids, moving your aging parents in with you, or adopting as many pets as you can fit in your house, you may find you’ll need more space in your new home before you’re ready to move out of it. Homes that have unfinished basements and/or attics will be easier to customize for your growing space needs. Converting an attic or basement into living space can cost much less than having an addition built on your home and attics are perfect spaces to easily add light and fresh air with skylights or roof windows.
A price that lets you add value
Popular renovation and fixer-upper shows make it easy to understand the idea of finding a home at a price that will allow you to add value. A home that needs some renovation and upgrading will likely cost less than a comparable new home, but it also affords you the opportunity to extensively personalize your space. If you buy a home that needs work for a price well under your budget limit, you can use the extra money to invest in renovations that put your personal stamp on your home. In addition to customization for additional enjoyment, those upgrades will also allow you to instantly add value to your home.
Aug
31
5 ways to reinvent your garage
August 31, 2016 | Leave a Comment
(BPT) – The garage – it’s that space where you used to just store your car, lawn mower, power tools, bikes, bats and boxes of things you wore in the 90s. But to say a garage is only for storage is like saying a truck is only for hauling dressers and box springs.
From game room to workshop, man cave to hangout — your garage has the potential to be anything you want it to be. So if you’re thinking of redecorating or remodeling your house, don’t spend all your time picking out kitchen tile and arguing over what type of counter looks best — step into your garage and let yourself dream big.
With the right materials, some creativity and a little work, you can turn your garage into the star of the house. How? TV personality and award-winning interior designer Anitra Mecadon offers the following five ideas to get you excited about all the possibilities.
Toughen up your walls
No matter what you want to do with your garage, first make sure your walls can stand up to real life. There’s probably no space in the house more susceptible to scratches, scuffs and accidental holes than the garage — so pick your walls accordingly. Look for PURPLE Hi-Impact XP made by National Gypsum for extra wear and tear to resist everything from car doors opened too close to the wall to the hockey sticks swung a little too hard. This drywall is embedded with fiberglass mesh to make it impact and penetration resistant — and like all PURPLE drywall, it resists moisture, mold and mildew.
Make your garage your hideaway
Sometimes you need to get away from it all — especially from your “honey do” or project list — and the garage can be where you go, your hangout, an extension of yourself and a definite point of pride. Add a snack machine, fridge, swivel chair or two and big screen TV, and you and your friends will have it made.
Lift it up
Most people have a lot of stuff to store in the garage in addition to cars, tools and bikes. And let’s face it, the more available space you have, the more likely you’ll find stuff to fill it. That means you’ll need to get creative with storage. In addition to shelves and cabinets attached to the walls, another way to store your stuff is to use a raised lift system which retracts up into the top levels of your garage and comes down with a push of a button when you need something.
Hang it up
There are some things that just don’t belong in your house but are perfect for the garage. Just like restaurants that have walls crowded with collectibles such as old soda signs, sea anchors and license plates — garages can follow this same design concept and personalize a space even more. Walls also can serve as anchors for storage systems that hold your tools, bikes, boxes and equipment. And you can rest assured that high-performing drywall, like PURPLE Hi-Impact XP, will stand up to the wear and tear of hanging up and taking down your tools, rakes, bikes and more, day after day.
Do more with your floor
Today, garage floors can be anything you want — yellow, red, metallic, acid-washed or made out of heavy-duty vinyl or rubber. And whether you want the grey concrete vintage look of your childhood or something that reflects your more grown-up self, when it comes to garage floors, take a chance and get inventive, because your garage can be your personal and customized sanctuary.
There’s a lot you can do with a modern garage, and no matter how you decide to personalize it, the best garage remodel starts at the studs. The right drywall is as important as the right wrench in the toolbox. To learn more, visit www.askforpurple.com
Aug
31
Smart tips for buying a first-home that will be easy and affordable to personalize
August 31, 2016 | Leave a Comment
(BPT) – Call this the age of personalization. You can customize practically anything these days, from the kind of information you get on your favorite news feed and the offers you receive from your bank to the icons, background and sounds on your smartphone. Personalizing something really makes it feel more “yours,” so of course you want to be able to do that to your first home.
If you’re shopping for your first home, you may already know what you want to do to personalize it. However, you may not be aware that certain features can make a home easier and more affordable to customize after you’ve moved in. For example, if you think you’ll need room to expand for a growing family down the road, it will be cheaper in the long run to buy a home with an attic or basement that you can finish into living space than to try and build on an addition from scratch.
As you’re shopping for your first home, keep in mind these elements that will help make it easier and financially feasible for you to make your new home truly your own:
Architectural bones that are right for you
What’s your personal style? Do you favor a mid-century modern look? Art-deco? Craftsman? Colonial? It’s important to choose a home in a basic architectural style you love, because while you can affordably change the color and landscaping, it’s much harder to create a whole new look. Look for exterior features that play up the home’s architectural style, and then think of ways to customize them down the road. For example, simply painting the gingerbread trim on your Victorian style home in a different color can celebrate the look you love while making it your own.
Energy efficient lifestyle features
Green considerations and energy efficiency are top priorities for many of today’s first-time homebuyers, so it’s important to look for a home that has conservation-minded features like a high-efficiency water heater or low-flow showerheads. The best eco-conscious home features, however, will also enhance your lifestyle. Upgrades like Energy Star-qualified, solar-powered, fresh-air skylights like those from Velux America provide natural light plus passive ventilation, helping to cut energy costs while reducing dependency on artificial light and ventilation sources.
If you buy a home that already has skylights, you can personalize them by adding energy efficient blinds in designer colors and patterns.
And if you add solar powered skylights to the home, it’s easy and cost-effective since there is no cost for electrical work to operate the units. Solar skylights, blinds and installation costs are eligible for a 30 percent federal tax credit. A programmable touchpad remote allows you to adjust the amount of light entering through the venting skylights and also to adjust the blinds with the touch of button. The skylights close automatically in case of rain.
You can also easily and affordably add more natural light to interior spaces like hallways and closets with Sun Tunnel tubular skylights, which can be installed by a handy DIYer in a few hours. Visit www.whyskylights.com to learn more.
Room to grow
More Americans are living in multi-generational homes. Whether you plan to grow your family by having kids, moving your aging parents in with you, or adopting as many pets as you can fit in your house, you may find you’ll need more space in your new home before you’re ready to move out of it. Homes that have unfinished basements and/or attics will be easier to customize for your growing space needs. Converting an attic or basement into living space can cost much less than having an addition built on your home and attics are perfect spaces to easily add light and fresh air with skylights or roof windows.
A price that lets you add value
Popular renovation and fixer-upper shows make it easy to understand the idea of finding a home at a price that will allow you to add value. A home that needs some renovation and upgrading will likely cost less than a comparable new home, but it also affords you the opportunity to extensively personalize your space. If you buy a home that needs work for a price well under your budget limit, you can use the extra money to invest in renovations that put your personal stamp on your home. In addition to customization for additional enjoyment, those upgrades will also allow you to instantly add value to your home.
Aug
31
5 ways to reinvent your garage
August 31, 2016 | Leave a Comment
(BPT) – The garage – it’s that space where you used to just store your car, lawn mower, power tools, bikes, bats and boxes of things you wore in the 90s. But to say a garage is only for storage is like saying a truck is only for hauling dressers and box springs.
From game room to workshop, man cave to hangout — your garage has the potential to be anything you want it to be. So if you’re thinking of redecorating or remodeling your house, don’t spend all your time picking out kitchen tile and arguing over what type of counter looks best — step into your garage and let yourself dream big.
With the right materials, some creativity and a little work, you can turn your garage into the star of the house. How? TV personality and award-winning interior designer Anitra Mecadon offers the following five ideas to get you excited about all the possibilities.
Toughen up your walls
No matter what you want to do with your garage, first make sure your walls can stand up to real life. There’s probably no space in the house more susceptible to scratches, scuffs and accidental holes than the garage — so pick your walls accordingly. Look for PURPLE Hi-Impact XP made by National Gypsum for extra wear and tear to resist everything from car doors opened too close to the wall to the hockey sticks swung a little too hard. This drywall is embedded with fiberglass mesh to make it impact and penetration resistant — and like all PURPLE drywall, it resists moisture, mold and mildew.
Make your garage your hideaway
Sometimes you need to get away from it all — especially from your “honey do” or project list — and the garage can be where you go, your hangout, an extension of yourself and a definite point of pride. Add a snack machine, fridge, swivel chair or two and big screen TV, and you and your friends will have it made.
Lift it up
Most people have a lot of stuff to store in the garage in addition to cars, tools and bikes. And let’s face it, the more available space you have, the more likely you’ll find stuff to fill it. That means you’ll need to get creative with storage. In addition to shelves and cabinets attached to the walls, another way to store your stuff is to use a raised lift system which retracts up into the top levels of your garage and comes down with a push of a button when you need something.
Hang it up
There are some things that just don’t belong in your house but are perfect for the garage. Just like restaurants that have walls crowded with collectibles such as old soda signs, sea anchors and license plates — garages can follow this same design concept and personalize a space even more. Walls also can serve as anchors for storage systems that hold your tools, bikes, boxes and equipment. And you can rest assured that high-performing drywall, like PURPLE Hi-Impact XP, will stand up to the wear and tear of hanging up and taking down your tools, rakes, bikes and more, day after day.
Do more with your floor
Today, garage floors can be anything you want — yellow, red, metallic, acid-washed or made out of heavy-duty vinyl or rubber. And whether you want the grey concrete vintage look of your childhood or something that reflects your more grown-up self, when it comes to garage floors, take a chance and get inventive, because your garage can be your personal and customized sanctuary.
There’s a lot you can do with a modern garage, and no matter how you decide to personalize it, the best garage remodel starts at the studs. The right drywall is as important as the right wrench in the toolbox. To learn more, visit www.askforpurple.com
Aug
30
Wildfire protection starts in these 5 places
August 30, 2016 | Leave a Comment
(BPT) – As recent wildfires in California and other parts of the U.S. have shown, nature’s wrath is a good reminder to evaluate your own home’s safety. If you live in a wildfire-prone area, it’s essential to stave off potential damage long before flame…
Aug
30
Wildfire protection starts in these 5 places
August 30, 2016 | Leave a Comment
(BPT) – As recent wildfires in California and other parts of the U.S. have shown, nature’s wrath is a good reminder to evaluate your own home’s safety. If you live in a wildfire-prone area, it’s essential to stave off potential damage long …