Monday, March 28, 2011

Small Spaces: Under 500 sq feet

There is a genius in being able to design a function 500 sq foot living space and these folks have thought of everything!










http://www.littlediggs.com/

Friday, March 25, 2011

FAQ's about when to plant flowers in Toronto


The saying April showers bring May flowers must have been coined by someone living slightly south of the Canada border. In Toronto, we can still get cold weather, even frost up until the end of May. For those of us in southern Ontario, it's May showers that bring June flowers.

With patio furniture in the stores and garden centres slowly being stocked, it's time to start thinking about planting even if it is still hopeful thinking at this time of the year.

Here are some gardening FAQ's:

I just cannot wait to get out there and garden! At what temperature is it safe for me to plant annuals?

The frost free date in Southern Ontario varies per location, but historically May 24 is the start of the safe time to plant all annuals. But cool loving annuals such as pansies can go into the garden well ahead of the 24th! Different annuals have different tolerances to cold temperatures. We like snaps, viola, dianthus, and pansies early – ahead of the warmer weather.

Every year I plant annuals — pansies, violas, lobelia, etc… they look great for the first month or two, but by mid-summer they start to fade.

Annuals often are either 'cool' or 'warm' season flowers. Pansies are the best known of annual flowers that will flower while the night temps are low, but sort of poop out when the summer heat starts. While some of the heat loving plants will not do well early in spring when it is cool, coleus, New Guinea impatiens and vinca are some well known warm plants. For a great looking annual flower bed many folks plan a 'change-out' mid summer. Plant the cool flowers early in spring, say late April, then by end of June come back in with the warm flowers.

What are the best perenial bulbs for a Toronto Garden?

Narcissus ‘Salome’, Narcissus ‘Ice Follies’, Tulipa ‘Orange Emperor', Tulipa tarda, Crocus vernus ‘Jeanne d’Arc’, Crocus tommasinianus ‘Ruby Giant’, Camassia cusickii
, Leucojum aestivum - Common names: meadow snowflake and summer snowflake, Anemone blanda ‘Blue Shades’- common name windflower, and Scilla siberica

Do you have a chemical free way to kill weeds between patio stones?

Yes! 5 min | 5 min prep | 1 Liter 4 cups white vinegar
1/4 cup salt
2 teaspoons dish detergent

Mix ingredients together and spray on the weeds- Goodbye Weeds!

You can also pour boiling water on weeds and that will also kill them. You may have to repeat both remedies but the result is environment freindly


When is the best time to plant trees?

Plant deciduous trees in the spring, as soon as the frost is out of the ground, or in the fall, from leaf-fall until freeze-up.

Evergreens can be planted early in the spring until four weeks after deciduous trees have opened their leaves or in the fall, from about the first week of August to the end of October.


Thanks to these sites for the informaiton!

http://landscapeontario.com/plant-resource-faq

http://www.treesontario.ca/programs/index.php/workbook

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

A Canadian federal election would rule out a spring interest rate hike


Michael Babad

What an election could mean:

If Canada in fact heads into an election, economists believe there could be some headwinds for the Canadian dollar (CAD/USD-I1.02-0.002-0.21%), which didn’t react much yesterday after NDP leader Jack Layton said he wouldn’t support the budget, and uncertainty surrounding the fiscal outlook. Most likely is that a campaign would stop any talk of the Bank of Canada hiking its benchmark overnight rate in April.

“First, the uncertainty over the near-term fiscal policy environment just went up in that it is less clear whether fiscal policy will act as a drag on growth if election goodies are dangled about,” said economists Derek Holt and Gorica Djeric of Scotia Capital.

“Second, over roughly the past 20 years, the [Bank of Canada] has generally avoided starting a tightening campaign in an election. It only did so in 1997, and that was because the economy was rapidly healing after the disaster of the first two thirds of the 1990s via over 734,000 jobs having been created in the back to back years of 1997-98. Now, if a May or June vote is in the cards, that adds to a long list of reasons why most analysts have abandoned much of any notion of a spring hike.”

Avery Shenfeld, the chief economist at CIBC World Markets, agreed, moving back his forecast for a rate hike to July, from his initial projection of May. He cited three reasons:

•The loonie will probably stay firm given high oil prices.
•Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney may be "reluctant" to even signal a May rate hike at his next meeting in April.
•Softer core inflation amid 7.8-per cent unemployment could prompt Mr. Carney to raise his estimate of "potential" economic growth.
Over all, economists believe that Canada's fiscal standing will trump any uncertainty surrounding an election, which should leave the loonie in a strong position.

"Political uncertainty will be a looming question, however the global market has become quite comfortable with Canadian elections, the differences (or lack of) in our parties and a minority government," said Scotia Capital currency strategist Camilla Sutton. "Accordingly, we think in the medium term the focus should reside more with the strong sovereign position in Canada and less with political uncertainty."

Carl Weinberg, the chief economist at High Frequency Economics in Valhalla, N.Y., told his clients today that there wouldn't be a "sea change in power" if an election is called, and deficit-reduction will still be on the table regardless of what happens.

"Anything can happen at the polls, and the resulting budget is likely to differ in some respects from the plan outlined yesterday," he said. "However, fiscal austerity will be a key part of the platform of any party that wants to form a government Up North. So we see an election as neutral for the loonie and the bond market."

There was no detremental news to the housing industry and with the budget likely to be over turned, any fundamental changes won't be seen until the next adminstration.

Laneway Housing: Affordability goes small


The award-winning Smallworks Studios have been pioneers in Vancouver, a city now firmly on the forefront of new laneway housing nationally. Ever since council passed a bylaw in 2009 that allowed for laneway homes in RS1 and RS5 zones of the city, Smallworks have been creating variants of six two-level prototypes for a wide variety of Vancouverites.

Tiny castles From a 650-square-foot Arts and Crafts style home, to a more modern-feeling “loft house”, the firm – the brainchild of builder Jake Fry – has exemplified the new residential take on “small is beautiful.”

But now their kind of beautiful is even smaller. With the recent unveiling of a new trio of more affordable 380-square-foot “laneway cottages”, Smallworks hopes to attract dozens of buyers.

As always, the firm works collaboratively with homeowners, in-house designers and architects (notably James Burton of Birmingham and Wood) to customize homes according to site demands and client preferences. And they pre-assemble the homes at their studio/factory in Southlands (the bucolic location begs the moniker “cottage industry”) so 10 to 12 components – constructed with locally sourced and sustainable materials – are neatly bolted together on site just like an Ikea cabinet.

The difference now – one that has almost halved the price of their standard laneway houses – is that their designers have literally gone back to the drawing board to envision inventive ways of reducing infrastructure costs. Building costs account for only 30 per cent of the total price point, with infrastructure and onsite costs taking the lion’s share of expenditures. But these new laneway cottages have been designed with a small footprint and, at $150,000, a much smaller price.

They are available in three different styles, with floor plans that can be interchanged or modified for maximum flexibility. The “elegant” – a cousin to their Edwardian style laneway house, features a traditional pitched roof and dormer window. The interior consists of a bedroom walled off for privacy, a small bathroom, galley kitchen and larger living/dining area. Skilled use of custom-built millwork throughout streamlines clutter and maximizes space. Consider the bedroom, for instance, where deep drawers on one side merge into a large-screen TV in the living area in a single piece of millwork.

Then there’s the “modern” – a miniature riff on the work of iconic West Coast architect Ron Thom – with a multilayered flat roof raised to maximize floor space in the living area (and also available for “greening”). The floor plan offers a double-access closet in the bedroom, and a captains’ bed with built-in cabinetry underneath that could double as a linen cupboard. A sliding wall separates the bedroom and kitchen area from the living space – making it a perfect live/work space.

The “simple” has a more contemporary exterior with a shed roof and ample glazing to let in light. It also features the same patio door that the other two prototypes have to encourage a real indoor/outdoor aesthetic as well as two sets of French doors. But this unit more than the others offers a singular interior space. It’s designed with extra storage space and a Murphy bed, so that living area can quickly be converted into a work space.

For clients David Vogt and his wife Tracy Proke – who chose the “simple” style for the backyard of their Dunbar home – the appeal of the cottage was not just its reduced price – but its smaller footprint.

In a “transitional” stage of new empty-nesters, Mr. Vogt says, “We didn’t want something that would impose itself too much on the property.” Happily, with their home’s sloping site, their existing balcony will still tower above their soon to be built (building time is a mere three months with the new Smallworks prototype) cottage. But above all they wanted something that would be flexible to fit their changing needs.

“We have children in their 20s and they all have partners,” says Ms. Proke, “we don’t know if perhaps one day one of them might like to live here. Or perhaps it might be a suitable place for my mother.”

It’s also a place they might rent out to a tenant. But it’s not just a case of bringing in revenue, they say, it’s also a way of doing their bit for densification.

“I remember when a Japanese colleague of mine came to visit,” Mr. Vogt, who works at UBC, recalls. “He looked out at our lane, saw all the garages, and wondered if there were some strange underclass of people who lived in windowless residences in other people’s backyards. He couldn’t imagine that all that space was being used to house cars.”

Having laneway housing on their property, he contends, is a way of “socializing and beautifying the laneway.”

It’s also a way of adapting to their changing circumstances. “Sometimes it feels like the two of us rummaging around in this big old house,” says Ms. Proke of their 2,600-square-foot 1920s Arts and Crafts style home. “But we’re not quite ready to pick up and move downtown.” The laneway cottage will create a sense of multi-family living without having to forsake the place where she raised her own family.

“In some ways,” notes Mr. Fry, “laneway housing is a more sustainable alternative to the ‘monster house’ ”– which was after all – a form of “family compound” very popular with new Asian communities.

And laneway housing isn’t a new housing type of course, with its roots in the traditional coach house. “Even in Dunbar” notes Mr. Fry of the now tony neighbourhood,” which was really a largely working class area until the eighties – it wasn’t uncommon for people to live in their garages.”

A quick tour of Dunbar’s back lanes reveals a few earlier, pre-Smallworks attempts at laneway housing – including an interesting and quite modern backyard writer’s studio encased in steel – as well as some of Smallworks’ – who have essentially standardized, modernized and made sustainable a rather old world housing-type works-in-progress.

In front of one “Edwardian” style house with a modern, spacious, high-ceilinged interior, a 40- something woman and her parents in their late 70s are sizing it up with a view to purchasing one of their own. Mr. Fry notes that 30 per cent of his clientele are young first-time homeowners building on their parents’ property (one such couple is even blogging about the whole experience) while an equal percentage are older folks moving into laneway housing on their children’s property.

As Vancouver’s population continues to grow – and age – not to mention as demand and cost of housing rises, it’s easy to imagine a city where laneway cottages can become part of a well- designed and rather charming solution.

It also offers the possibility of “having your own house and garden,” contends Mr. Fry, “to a much wider segment of the city’s population.”

Special to The Globe and Mail
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/home-and-garden/architecture/architecture-features/affordability-goes-small/article1945928/singlepage/#articlecontent

Monday, March 21, 2011

Bathrooms Sell Houses: Some dreamy bathroom ideas

Most real estate professionals will tell you that kitchens and bathrooms sell a house. When people see an off the charts bathroom, they can see themselves in the house. It's an interesting phenomenon. Looking at some of these dream bathrooms, you can see how people see how people can fall in love with a bathtub!









Thursday, March 17, 2011

Just Listed: 449 Clinton Street Toronto


Open House:
Saturday March 19th and Sunday March 20th
2 pm until 4 pm

Beautiful newly renovated 2 1/2 story detached home in the Annex/Seaton Village area. With a light filled oversized gourmet kitchen and open concept living spaces, this is the idea home for entertaining. This 4 bedroom home has a spacious master bed room with private spa like bathroom and walk in closet. Enjoy the garden oasis with a walk out to the back deck and easy parking with a new 2 car garage.

Extra's include: Stainless steel gas stove, fridge and double washer, front loading washer dryer, new high efficiency furnace and CAC, ELF's, finished basement, granite counters in kitchen, all centrally located close to TTC, College Street, shopping, and Palmerston School district.

Just us on Saturday March 19th and Sunday March 20th from 2 - 4 pm for an Open House

For more information, contact The Corcoran Team at 416.465.4545
or Dan@DanCorcoran.ca of Keller Williams Advantage Realty.

www.DanCorcoran.ca

449 Clinton Street
Toronto

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Getting your house ready to sell: A check list for home sellers


When getting your home ready to sell, you need to look at your house in a new way. Think of your house as a product about to go on the market where it is probably competing with brand new housing. It needs to show well – which means clutter-free and well kept.

Today’s homebuyers lead busy lives and may not be interested in taking on major repairs or improvements upon moving in. You need to make your house a “10”. This document will help you spot what is right and what is not so good about your "product". It will give you the opportunity to take corrective action to ensure your house looks fresh, clean and well maintained when the “For Sale” sign goes up.

Fix It First

If you need to make improvements to your home, do the work before it goes on the market. Potential buyers are not interested in hearing about your good intentions to look after defects before a transfer of ownership takes place. Even if fix-up work is underway, buyers may not be able to visualize what your home will look like when the work is finished. They will just remember it being in a state of disrepair.

Professional Inspection: Yes or No?

A serious buyer may want to have a professional home inspector check your house from top to bottom before making an offer. Even though this guide will help you identify problems on your own, the option of hiring a professional home inspector is open to you as well. If you can afford it, an inspection in advance of putting your home on the market is a good idea. It is your best way of finding and taking care of serious deficiencies before an inspector hired by a potential buyer discovers them.

CMHC's Homeowner’s Inspection Checklist

This practical, easy-to-follow guide for homeowners will help you identify common house problems and deal with them. In it, you will find illustrated how-to tips offering effective solutions for every room of your house. Use the ordering instructions on the back page of this fact sheet.

Let’s Begin Outside

Check Your House’s Curb Appeal


How does your house look from the street? That is where prospective buyers will be when they first see your home; and, that is where they will form that all-important first impression. Stand at the curb in front of your house and note what you see.

- Remove any clutter in your yard.
- Repair cracked or uneven driveway or walkway surfaces.
- If your lawn has bald spots, apply some top dressing and re-seed. Prune trees and shrubs of dead wood. Weed and mulch flower beds, if you have them. If it is the right time of year, consider buying some flower-filled planters to enhance the eye appeal of your property. Make sure your lawn is mowed regularly. Ensure that the composter area is tidy.
- Are your windows and walls clean?
- Does your front door need paint?
- Ensure your eaves and downspouts are clear of debris and in good repair.
- Are your backyard deck and walkways clean? If not, use a power washer and do any necessary painting, staining or sealing.
- If you have a swimming pool, are the deck and pool clean (when in season)?
- Do all outside lights work? Replace any burned out bulbs, and clean fixtures of dirt and cobwebs.
- Is there a shed? Does it look presentable?
- Do windows and exterior doors need recaulking? Even at 6-7 years of age, the caulking may be dried out and in need of replacement.
- Do you have decorative wooden poles on the porch? Is the wood at the bottom in good condition? Overall, does it need a new coat of paint?
- If you have a gate, is it well oiled?

When you have completed the curb appeal inspection, carefully check the rest of your home’s exterior.

Will Your Roof and Chimney Pass Inspection?

If you are uneasy about climbing onto your roof, you can inspect most items from the ground using binoculars. Otherwise, be careful when working or moving about on your roof. Unless roof repair is a simple matter of applying new caulking, you will probably need the services of a professional.

Check the general condition of your roof. Sagging sections, curled shingles, pooled water on flat roofs and corrosion on metal roofing mean it is time for repair or replacement.

Both masonry and metal chimneys need to be straight and structurally sound, have proper capping on top and watertight flashing where they penetrate the roof.

All roofs undergo stress from snow and rain loads, so a truss or rafter may become damaged, resulting in a noticeable small depression. A professional should do this inexpensive repair.


Examine Your Walls

The condition of your exterior walls directly affects the look and curb appeal of your home.

- Replace old caulking. You may have to cut or scrape away old caulking to get a good seal. Do not seal drainage or ventilation gaps.
- Is your exterior paint looking good? If you see faded colours and cracked or peeling surfaces, you need to repaint. Be sure to get competitive bids if you hire professional painters.
- You can clean vinyl siding but defects or damage to it and to metal siding usually means replacement.
- Stucco can be repaired but some skill is required to blend patches with existing stucco.

Now, Let’s Go Indoors

A prospective buyer will usually enter through your front door; so, that is where you should begin your interior inspection. You want your buyer to see a neat, clean, well-lit interior. Get clutter out of sight; ensure that carpets are clean and floors are scrubbed and polished; and that walls and trim show fresh paint (preferably neutral or light colours).

Take a sniff. Are there any unpleasant odours in your home? If so, track them down and eliminate them. Ensure all your lights work and are free of cobwebs. You want your home to look spacious, bright and fresh.

If you have considerable family memorabilia, consider thinning it out. Your objective is to help potential buyers feel as if they could live in your home. That mental leap becomes more difficult for them if your house resembles a shrine your family.

Professional realtors and decorators say the most important areas of your home to upgrade and modernize are the kitchen and bathrooms. Buyers also want to see new or recently installed floor coverings throughout.

General Interior

- Check stairs for loose boards, ripped carpeting, and missing or loose handrails and guards.
- Most problems with interior walls are cosmetic and can be repaired with spackling compound and paint.
- Ensure doors open and shut properly. Minor sticking is normal but excessive binding indicates possible structural problems.
- Open and close all windows to ensure they work properly. Fogging between the panes of a sealed window indicates the seal is broken and the unit needs to be replaced.
- Keep furniture to a minimum so rooms do not appear smaller than they are. Ensure that traffic can flow in or through rooms unimpeded. If they contain bookshelves or cabinets overflowing with books, magazines and knick-knacks, remove some of these items.
- Ensure closets look spacious, organized and uncluttered. Create space by getting rid of old clothes and junk.
- Remove or lock away valuables such as jewellery, coins, currency, cameras and compact discs.


Kitchen and Bathrooms

People splash water around in the kitchen and bathrooms so check around sinks, tubs and toilets for rotting countertops and floors. Problems could be due to poor caulking or plumbing leaks. Fogged windows, molds and sweating toilet tanks indicate high humidity levels, which you can remedy with exhaust fans.

In the kitchen, clean all appliances, including your oven. Clean or replace your greasy stove hood filter. Clean your cabinets inside and out, as well as your countertops and backsplashes. Repair dripping faucets.

Remove anything stored on top of your fridge and remove artwork and magnets.

Remove any items stored on countertops.

Remove items stored under the sink.

In bathrooms, scrub sinks, tubs and toilets, taking care to remove any rust stains. Remove mildew from showers and bathtubs. Fix dripping faucets or trickling toilets, and vacuum your fan grill.

Clean mirrors, light switch plates and cupboard handles.

Consider installing new 6-litre toilets if you currently have water-guzzlers.

If you have ceramic tile in either your kitchen or bathroom, ensure grouting is intact and clean.


Basement

The condition of the foundation and main structural members in the basement are critical to the fitness of any house. The purpose of your inspection is to make sure these are sound and durable.

Look for cracks, water seepage, efflorescence (white powder-like substance), crumbling mortar or concrete, and rotting wood. If any of these problems are present, you need to do further research to learn about causes and possible solutions.

If your basement is damp or musty, consider using a dehumidifier.

Like all other areas of your home, your basement should be organized and clutter-free.

Change the filters in the furnace and have it cleaned–this is the number one item purchasers want done after a home inspection.

If you have a pet with a litterbox, ensure the litterbox is clean.


Garage

Get rid of the broken tools, old car parts, discarded bicycles, empty paint cans and the hundreds of other useless items that accumulate in garages. Again, you want a clutter-free zone.

Use cleaning solutions to remove oil stains from the floor.

When It’s Showtime!

You have inspected your house and taken care of problems. Now you are ready for showings. You will need a plan of action that assigns duties to each family member so the place can quickly be whipped into shape.

Open all drapes, blinds, etc. and turn on lights to make the house bright.

Air out the house to get rid of cooking, pet odours, and so on.

Have fresh flowers in view.

Pick up clutter, and empty garbage.

Make sure everything is spotless.

Set your thermostat at a comfortable level.

Remove pets from the house or put them outside.

If you have an agent, leave when the house is being shown. If you are selling it yourself, you need to strike a balance between being helpful and crowding the buyer.

In poor weather, provide a place for boots, overshoes and umbrellas.

Display photos of the house in summer to show landscaping if selling in the winter months.

Leave out heating and hydro bills.

For those on a septic system and/or well, leave out inspection and maintenance information.

Monday, March 14, 2011

Getting your house ready to sell: Declutter 101


By Cynthia EwerEditor, Organized Home

Taking aim on the household clutter problem, you've resolved to work slowly and steadily, and you've carved out blocks of time to declutter. Now what? And how?

Time to consider weigh in with specific methods and strategies for decluttering. These tried-and-tested methods bring different strengths to the fight against clutter. Choose the one that's right for you and your family.

Forcing Decisions: The Four-Box Method
Clutter is evidence of many things: poor habits, lack of organization, sentimental attachment, too much stuff. But, at bottom, each item of clutter is a decision delayed. The mail arrives, replete with circulars and junk mail and catalogs. "Oh, I'll go through that later!" whispers the clutter monster, deferring the simple decision to cull and toss the unwanted paper.

The Four-Box method forces a decision, item by item. To apply it, gather three boxes and a large trash can. Label the boxes, "Put Away", "Give Away/Sell" and "Storage." Items to be thrown away belong in the trash can.

Take the four boxes to the declutter area. One at a time, pick up each piece of clutter. Ask yourself, "Do I want to put this away in another place, donate it (or sell it at a yard sale), store it, or throw it away?" You may not release your grip on the item until you have made a decision.

At the end of the decluttering session, reserve 10 to 15 minutes to empty the boxes. Put Away items are put in more appropriate places. Give Away/Sell items should be stored outside the house, in a garage, or in the trunk of the car for drop-off at a charity donation center. As each Storage box fills, make a brief inventory of the contents and put the box into the storage area. Finally, empty the trash can quickly to prevent second thoughts!

The Four Box method will work for anyone, in any declutter mode. Use it to clear a shelf or drawer each day, or apply it as part of a whole-house weekend assault on clutter. By forcing a decision, it will serve you well as you cull clutter from the home.

Out of Sight, Out of Mind: Box and Banish
Box and Banish is an alternative to the Four Box method. Where the Four Box method nibbles away at clutter bit-by-bit, Box and Banish is a drastic, clear-it-out effort that transports clutter away from living areas, to be dealt with later.

Box and Banish is simple. Gather all clutter from counters, drawers, chairs, tables, floors, ovens, and bathtubs. Place the clutter into boxes or bags, and stack it somewhere outside the living area. Work until all surfaces are clear and clutter free.

Next step: open each box or bag of clutter, one at a time. As with the Four Box method, decide whether each item inside should be thrown away, put away, given away or sold, or stored. In extreme cases, declutterers have been known to throw away Box and Banish boxes, sight unseen!

Box and Banish has one big advantage and two big disadvantages as a declutter method. On the plus side, Box and Banish creates instant results. Often, impending guests or other emergencies force a version of Box and Banish upon the cluttered household. Clearing clutter quickly sparks enthusiasm and motivation.

On the minus side, energies often flag before the Box and Banish declutterer reaches the end of the boxed clutter. The effort stalls, the clutter remains, aging gently in the bags and boxes as it becomes surrounded by new layers of clutter. In a worst-case scenario, the need for some Boxed-and-Banished item can trigger formation of Mt. Cluttermore, as the frantic searcher upends each carefully boxed hillock of clutter, looking for the single missing item.

More important, while Box and Banish can create an instant absence of apparent clutter, the method does nothing to change the underlying problem. More gradual decluttering methods go hand-in-hand with other components of getting organized: building new habits, organizing stored items, creating new household routines. Box and Banish, for many, is a mere cosmetic quick-fix.

Still, if you're fiercely motivated and determined to complete the declutter process, Box and Banish is an option that jumpstarts organization efforts with fast results.

Ellen's Penicillin Method
Often, decluttering efforts chase their tails in an endless loop. The home manager declutters the small table in the hallway and moves on. By the following week, a whole new species of clutter has returned to the cleared area.

The Penicillin method, devised by online declutterer Ellen in MN, uses a Petri dish metaphor to get a grip on clutter. Imagine a Petri dish full of fuzzy brown mold spores. A researcher begins to apply small drops of penicillin to the dish. Each little drop clears a small circular area; soon, drop upon drop, the entire dish is cleared of the distasteful intruder.

So, too, with the Penicillin method of decluttering. Today, the declutterer clears the kitchen table. From this point, no matter how bad the clutter becomes elsewhere, the kitchen table is inoculated with Penicillin. Daily clutter checks make sure no clutter is permitted to return.

Next declutter session, the declutterer attacks the top of the buffet. Thinking "Penicillin!", that clear space joins the kitchen table. Soon, the cleared areas link up, banishing clutter from the entire house.

By devoting declutter energies to retaining the Penicillin effect of each declutter session, the Penicillin method focuses the declutterer on prevention. The method is useful, creative, and works well to bring an entire house under control.

Closet-Go-Round: Whole House Declutter
Sometimes, you simply have to re-invent the wheel. Perhaps you realize, three years into a new house, that household storage needs a complete overhaul. Remodeling, a child's departure for college, or birth of a new baby can all signal a need for a whole-house declutter.

Call it the Closet-Go-Round. It's a two-part process of identifying and assigning storage, while at the same time decluttering and revamping existing areas in the home.

Like a merry-go-round, the Closet-Go-Round turns out, sorts out and relocates all the storage functions of the home. In the initial stage, you'll identify storage needs and match them to available storage areas, regardless of what's being stored where at the moment. You can find more complete information on making a household storage plan in our article Store It! The ABCs of Household Storage Plans.

Once you know what should go where, the active phase begins. You will need boxes, lots of them, and time--quite a bit of time. Starting at the front door, move from room to room placing boxes in front of each storage area: cabinets, drawers, closets, and shelves.

Then begin at the beginning once more. Start, for example, at the table in the hall. Remove any and all items from the table that are not assigned there: gloves, mail, keys, change, handbags. Place them in your box.

When the table is empty, except for the vase of flowers that belongs there, circle the house with your catch. Gloves are placed in the box before the coat closet where they are supposed to live. Mail is dumped into the box in front of the desk area. Handbags and change are delivered to the owner's launch pad area (Tame Morning Madness with Launch Pads). Items to be thrown away are delivered to the garbage can.

When the box is empty, move on to the next storage area in the hall: the coat closet. Empty the coat closet of all unassigned items, while adding the gloves to their assigned area. Again, circle the house with your coat closet box, delivering items to the new storage area where each belongs.

As you work, you're sorting and decluttering in two directions. You're removing clutter and improperly-stored items, while collecting and replacing the things which belong in any given area.

A Closet-Go-Round is a big undertaking, and it doesn't work well if performed in fits and starts. Choose this method if you have a block of two or three days to devote to a major declutter. While you'll work hard during that time, a Closet-Go-Round can take giant strides toward a more efficient, easy-to-manage home.

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Decorating a back yard fence: Ideas for your outdoor living space

Whether you are getting your house ready to sell or looking to warm up your back yard living space, there are some cheap and cheerful ways to reenergize your back yard fence.










http://decorateyourfence.com/Ideas-and-Projects.html

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Dude-tastic Man Caves

I would suggest that almost every man has man cave envy at one time or another. Our neighbour and good friend has a man cave garage with a big screen, ping pong table, fridge and cool old cars. It's the garage-mahal.

Check out these dude-tastic man cave from HGTV.





Wednesday, March 09, 2011

Getting ready to sell? Wall Murals are cheap and cheerful

Wall murals start at $35 and can really brighten up a room. Check out some cheap and cheerful designs that can add real wow whether your are selling or staying.

http://www.artapplique.ca/













Monday, March 07, 2011

No Pantry? 8 Tips for Keeping Counters Clutter-Free

Many of us who live in apartments or small houses are pantry-less, which means all of those bags of rice and cans of tomatoes must find a home somewhere. We don't mind leaving small appliances on the counter, but boxes of crackers or canisters of baby munchies are another story. Here's how we stash it all in limited cabinet space.



Here are some tips that help me keep everything under control:

1. Lose the boxes. If something is packaged individually, then in a larger box (like instant oatmeal), take out the packets and put them in a plastic bag. Or just wrap a rubber band around them. If you use half a box of pasta, put the other half in a zip-top bag. It will take up less space and stay fresher, too.

2. Don't overbuy. Simple, but true. Don't buy what you don't need and don't have room to store. That means this is probably out of the question.

3. Look for unlikely storage places. Do you have a couch with a skirt? Store non-perishables under it. Or look for unused nooks in cabinets where you normally store pots and pans or your food processor. If you're afraid you'll forget where things are, make a master list.

4. Use your refrigerator. Canned goods don't need to go in the fridge, but they, ahem, can. If you aren't using all of your shelf space in the fridge, shove some non-perishables in the back.

5. Get a basket. You might already have a fruit basket, but a basket that holds small boxes or bags of grains, cereals, and pasta can also keep your counters looking neat.

6. Leave out the stuff you use often. Don't use precious cabinet space to store your olive oil if you use it every day (yes, it should be in a place that's cool and dark, but if it's a small bottle that you use up fairly quickly, and you can keep it in a dark corner on the counter, it should be fine). I am planning to put the big box of Diamond Crystal Kosher salt on my countertop because I am constantly refilling my salt bowl, it's taking up a lot of cabinet space, and honestly I think it's kind of cool-looking. I'll use that empty shelf space for things I use less often.

7. Toss the old stuff. You likely have things hiding in the back of your cabinets that are past their prime. It stinks to throw away food, but if you'll never use it, toss it. Make room.

8. Don't get frustrated trying to store tonight's dinner. What I mean is: If you come home from the grocery at noon and are making chili at 6 p.m., don't sweat stacking cans of tomatoes and beans in your cabinets. This sounds silly, but I've been there, thinking, "Argh! I can't even put my groceries away!" Only to realize three hours later that I'm using half of them.

And it goes without saying that the more organized your cabinets, the more you can fit in them. Stack neatly and use dividers, racks, and storage boxes to help.

What are your tips for storing pantry items when you don't have a pantry?

Looking for more ideas on storage and design? Check out http://www.thekitchn.com/

Friday, March 04, 2011

TREB: Some home improvements will pay off big

Bill Johnston

SPECIAL TO THE STAR

The Greater Toronto Area’s spring real estate market is just a few week away.

If you’re planning on making a foray into the market this year, now could be the time to undertake improvements, which if carefully planned, can increase the value of your home considerably.

Most of us know that kitchens, bathrooms and a fresh coat of paint inside and out offer the best return on investment. According to the Appraisal Institute of Canada, you can expect to get back 75 to 100 per cent of what you put into kitchens and bathrooms. Painting can return 50 to 100 per cent of your investment.

While these are typically low-risk investments, a number of factors can influence the gains you achieve with other types of renovations. Location is one such consideration. The completion of a basement recreation room, for example, can generally return 50 to 75 per cent of expenses, depending on the preferences of future buyers in your area. In a predominantly seniors community, its value could be considerably limited.

It’s also important to consider your home’s most crucial needs. Window and door replacement may offer a return of 50 to 75 per cent, but if your existing units are broken, this home improvement should take priority on your project list. Where glaring needs are concerned, the value associated with your home’s overall impression outweighs specific project returns.

When deciding whether to proceed with functional renovations though, it’s also important to consider that significant government rebates are available for many energy efficiency improvements.

There are some improvements that we undertake simply for our own enjoyment, like a swimming pool, from which you can get back up to 40 per cent of your investment, or landscaping, which is likely to offer a 25 to 50 per cent return. Despite the limited gains they may offer individually, these types of improvements can also make an important contribution to your property’s overall image.

Consider as well that not all of your renovations need to be sizable. Even minor improvements like new light fixtures, cabinet hardware or faucets can give your home a contemporary look

Wednesday, March 02, 2011

Inspiration: Unconventional Headboards

Thinking of refreshing the look of your bedroom? Here are some great ideas for headboards

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/

As the focal point of most bedrooms, the headboard is a feature in which there lies opportunity to think outside the box. From fashionable wall decals to reclaimed window frames, check out these eight great rooms with novel bed-heads.