How to NOT sell a house

Selling a house in today's market is difficult.  However, why make it impossible?  Are there really people out there who list their homes for sale when they really don't want to sell them?  Apparently.  I can't think of any other reason as to why folks do the things listed below.  And for the record, none of the houses that I've pictured below were For Sale By Owner.  ALL of them had licensed real estate agents who actually allowed their name and the name of their company to be associated with the properties.  Moral of the day?  Just because you have an agent to list your home does not mean he or she is going to clean your house for you to get it sold.

Now let's get started on the list!

TOP 4 WAYS TO KEEP YOUR HOUSE FROM SELLING

4. Things that don't work or fall off when you touch them.

Everything in your house should work before you put it on the market.  Nothing in your house should fall off whenever someone touches it.  Two simple rules to live by.

Trust me.  When people come to view your home they are going to open your kitchen drawers and your kitchen cabinets.  They are going to slide the closet doors open and flip light switches.  They are going to use the banisters when they go up or down the stairs and believe it or not - they are going to fully expect them not to wiggle or fall off.

None of your lights should flicker - replace bulbs.  None of the drawer fronts should come off in the buyers hands.  None of the cabinet doors should swing off the hinges.  Invest in a pack of light bulbs and a screwdriver and fix this stuff BEFORE you put your house on the market or your only option will be to live there for the next few years because that's how long, if ever, it will take for you to even get an offer that will let you break even on your loan.


3.  Odors.
Let's picture an all too frequent scenario.  Your house is on the market and your agent calls to let you know that there will be an open house from noon to 4 this Saturday.  The entire family cleans and declutters to a frenzy and then packing up the kids, dogs and spouse you make yourselves scarce on Saturday between noon and 4.  By the time you get home you are about 2 seconds away from taking the dogs to the pound, the kids to the orphanage and the spouse to divorce court.  The only thing that could possibly save your day (and family) will be news from your agent of an offer!!  But, alas, you get no such news.

Why?  The house and yard are spotless!!  I'll tell you why.  The basement smells a bit musty.  Your son's room smells like dirty socks, your daughter's room smells like the dog that sneaks into her bed every night.  The master bedroom smells like an odd mixture of after shave and hair spray and the entire downstairs smells faintly of last night's dinner.

You and your family don't even notice any of the above.  Why?  Because you all live in the house and have grown accustomed to those smells.  With the ever growing number of non smokers in this world, odor is a real threat to selling a house.  Gosh real estate was so much easier back in the days when everyone smoked 2 packs a day....

One last note on odor.  GET RID OF THE PLUG-INS!  Sure they smell good but they also send a very loud message that there's something to cover up.  Try the scented melting waxes or simple diffusers instead.  Trust me, if those two things don't work - you have a serious odor problem.

2. Overpricing.
I know you love your home.  You're proud of it.  You've worked hard to get it and keep it.  To you it's worth millions!!  However, at the end of the day, it's really only worth what someone is willing to pay for it.  I don't care if it appraised at $250,000.  Always remember that what a bank will loan on a house and what a buyer will pay for it are usually two entirely different numbers.  If the only offer you get on it is $150,000 then that's probably what the house is worth.

You can try the old "slap a price on it and see if anyone bites" routine and then lower it until someone makes an offer.  Sure you can.  Just be ready for a long long wait and many low ball offensive offers to come your way.  There's an old real estate saying that goes something like this "It's better to be the cheapest house in an expensive neighborhood then the most expensive house in a cheap neighborhood." (or something to that effect).  This is very true.

It doesn't matter if your home really is worth $250,000 if all the houses around you are only worth $100,000.  Very few, if any, people are going to pay 2 1/2 times what all their neighbors paid for a house.  If you just can't stand to part with your house for less than you think it's worth, stay put and hope the real estate market bounces back with a vengeance.

There are a couple of other reasons you should never get crazy on your pricing.  One of them is the fact that buyers (and their agents) can smell blood.  If you have reduced the price on your house 4 times in the past 6 months and still no offers, they will be able to smell the desperation and the low ball offers will begin to flood you.  The second reason is they will assume that something is seriously wrong with your house, neighborhood or both - and they'll run in the opposite direction.

And the number one reason houses sit on the market for so long?

1. Clutter and Filth.
I've said it before and I'll say it again.  Do you really want the whole world to know you live like a pig??  Why anyone would allow their home to be photographed or shown when it's dirty is beyond my comprehension  Further, why a professional real estate agent would ever photograph or show a nasty house is beyond my comprehension - but that's for another blog.

Clutter could be toys strewn about. It could be laundry that has yet to be folded and put neatly away.  But it can also be collectibles - LOTS OF COLLECTIBLES!  I know you might love your plastic flowers, dolls, elephants, religious artifacts, clowns (shudder) - but believe me when I tell you - you are in the minority.  Again, I will say - You're planning to move anyway (otherwise your house would not be for sale) so rent a storage unit and pack at least 50% of your stuff up and store it away from the sight of potential buyers......please.

(Doll collections creep me out)

Roosters don't creep me out but in this instance they do prevent me from seeing the window, the walls, the floor....

Some people think that dishes and groceries all over the counters, in the sink and covering every other inch of square footage in the kitchen and dining room falls under the heading of clutter.  I, for one, think it falls into the filth category.  When I look at the pictures below, I don't think "They must be a busy family who just haven't gotten around to putting the makings of breakfast back into the cupboards"....no....I think "there are roaches and rats in here - I just know there are!!"

Side note:  It's sad when you have to bring in a TV dinner tray in order to have a surface upon which to put your garbage....

This gem of a kitchen sports a "lovely" wallpaper border, missing drawer front and plenty of garbage for the truly discerning home buyer.

The picture above is from a house for sale in New Jersey.  I got nothing else to say about this kitchen that wouldn't get me booted from this site.....

I think I can smell this bathroom through my monitor - that's how nasty this looks.

The ad for this house actually touted the fact that this house has a home office!  There's nothing about this room that I'd tout....

How much money would it have cost the home owner to rip up that worse than nasty carpet, slap a coat of paint on the walls, rip down that sheet they're using for a curtain and pick up the garbage littering the floor?  Answer:  About $30 and 2-4 hours of their time.

Again, take the carpet to the curb and slap some paint on these walls and ceiling. 4 hours of your time, $30 for paint and you've just added maybe another $10,000 to the price of the house with it selling in half the time.

To recap this section, it's not difficult to get ready to put your house on the market.  You don't have to rip out the kitchens and bathrooms and put in high end ones.  You don't even have to replace the carpeting that you rip out and take to the curb if you can't afford to - you'll still make more money from a naked, but clean, slab than you will from exposing potential buyers to this filth.

All you have to do is wash (and put away) your dishes.  Grab a couple of garbage bags and pick up all the garbage.  Wipe the light switches and - for God's sake - clean your bathrooms!!

Everything above is really common sense.  Most people knock themselves out cleaning and straightening up in preparation for company.  Strangers coming to your home to decide if they want to write you a very large check is a category far above "company".  They deserve the extra effort for sure!

But that's just me.....

Open Concept.....ugh

My last post was about things that I hope will go out of style very very soon and things that have gone out of style (thankfully).  Today I'd like to revisit one of those.  Open Concept.

If I hear that term one more time, I very well may throw up in my mouth.

As I've stated before, there are houses that need some walls taken down.  Row houses are notorious about having small rooms.  After both WWII and the Korean War, small bungalow type houses were built for the returning veterans.  They were cracker box houses.  Very small foot print.  1 bathroom.  Closet sized kitchen.  No exterior decoration.  I know you've all seen them before. Below are a couple of photo's.

  Over the years some owners have embellished these houses and added to them but without additions, unless you rip out nearly all the interior walls, you will always have small rooms.

In these instances, I completely get open concept - as long as it doesn't bother you that you are permanently and forever changing the entire character of your house. Or in some folks opinions, taking the character away from the house.

There are a few things people should realize about open concept.  Things they never ever mention in all the home improvement TV shows.

The noise. 

When you remove walls, it creates open space which allows sound to bounce around in a more open area causing it to amplify.  Think about a bowling alley or a train station.  This means your footsteps will be louder, your laughter, your voice, the kids playing...everything will be louder.


If you aren't very careful when deciding which walls to remove and you take down the walls where the hallway once stood, you can say goodbye to nap time for the kids or your being able to get to sleep while your teenagers stay up late watching movies in the living room because your noise buffer (the hallway) has been removed and now sound can float all the way to (and into) the bedrooms.

Display area.

Obviously, open concept also means much less wall space.  For those of you who don't particularly like hanging family photo's on the walls or artwork or even mirrors, this may not be an issue.  But for those of us who do.....bad situation. Good news is that you'll save a ton of money on paint.....because there aren't many walls left to paint.

Privacy. 

If you don't mind sitting down at a dinner party or holiday meal with your kitchen completely exposed for all to see, then open concept won't be a big deal to you.  But if you do - then you're out of luck.  Also, if you are the cleanest, neatest and most efficient cook in the world, then having the kitchen open for all to see will just cement the legend of your prowess as a cook.  But if you are like me and occasionally drop stuff, use prepackaged stuff that you just dress up to look home made or don't clean as you cook and wait for the party to be over before cleaning the kitchen - you're screwed.

Shoddy or ill advised workmanship

I'm sure your cousin's husband's father Harold, is a great guy and he's been doing this kind of work forever!  However, just because he eyeballs the wall and tells you that it's not a load bearing wall - it don't make it so. You really need a licensed/bonded professional to make that call.  Perhaps even a structural engineer.  Then if they make a mistake - there's something to sue for the damages.  Harold might not have the funds to make this mistake right.

Let's say Harold is correct in his assumption that it's a load bearing wall and all you have to do is add a beam.  Will the beam that he adds be enough?  Should he have added a footer?  Again, consulate an experienced professional who does this type of thing often.  Otherwise, one day you may see your roof slowly falling into your brand new open concept kitchen.

The picture below shows an example of what I like to call "bowling alley" living.

Yes, it's pretty.  Yes, it's functional.  Yes, it's loud. No, it's not private.  While it looks great just remember the old saying "Looks can be deceiving".  That old saying goes perfectly in this situation.

Is there EVER a time that open concept is advisable?  Sure there is.  Nothing is ever 100% this or 100% that.

The picture above is an example of (in my opinion) one of the ONLY times anyone should open their kitchen up to the rest of the house.  If you had walls that divided this kitchen from the rest of the house - you'd never be able to cook in it because it would send you running to the pharmacy for anti-anxiety medication!

Another good reason to take down a wall is when you have 3 rooms that together really only equal 2 rooms.   Then when you take down a wall or two you will actually have 2 good sized rooms.  Sometimes you really do need to steal footage from one room in order to make the other room truly functional.

The only other time is when you have 3 bedrooms and 1 bath.  Stealing one of the bedrooms might not be a great idea if the market is over-saturated with 2 bedroom 2 bathroom houses but I greatly doubt that turning a 3 bedroom 1 bath house into a 2 bedroom 2 bath house would alter the price drastically.  Especially if the conversion is done with high end finishes.  Giving a potentially new home owner a master bath and walk in closet plus enlarging the master bedroom a little will more than not compensate them for the loss of a single bedroom.  These days potential homeowners would rather double up a couple of kids in the same room than share their bathroom with their kids.

Do I hate open concept?  No.  I see the need from time to time.  I'm just overly sick of it being applied to every house on the planet.  I am sick of hearing people list open concept in their wish lists.  Honestly, I don't think half of these people truly understand the way an open concept will affect their lives.  It's like everyone wanting granite and stainless steel appliances.  Do most of these people realize the maintenance required?  Probably not.  They have just heard it and seen it on all the TV shows and they don't really know why they have to have it - they just know they HAVE TO HAVE IT!

So to recap here in a nutshell are my views on open concept.
1.     Having your kitchen open to the family room or breakfast room is acceptable.  Having it open to your ONLY living space is not.
2.     Knocking down a wall to steal square footage for another room is acceptable.  Knocking down all the walls so that the only walls left are the exterior and bedroom walls is not.
3.     Making a mid century modern house open concept is acceptable.  Making a Craftsman bungalow or German 4 square open concept is not.

Last note (I promise).
Eventually open concept will go far far out of style.  Just as shag carpeting did.  Just as grass cloth did.  Just as pink and black tiled bathrooms (with matching pink bathtubs, sinks and toilets).  Just as granite and stainless steel will.  The major problem with making your home an open concept is the fact that when this "style" goes out of style, it will cost far more to rectify.  You can't just hire someone to come in, take it out and replace it in an afternoon as you can with granite counter tops or stainless steel appliances.  There will be major carpentry involved and possibly even electrical, HVAC and other professionals involved.

It's always best when wanting to update your home that you try to stick with the things that will be the least trouble and expense to change.  Counter tops. Appliances. Wall coverings and colors.  Flooring.  These things can be easily changed out when the mood (and budget) hit.  Structural things - not so much.

There you go.  Hope this was informative and that you come back for more!!  

10 Design Fads that need to go away!

Every decade has a "style" of its own.  To be fair and honest, I've been guilty of more than one of the examples below....okay...all of them.

In the past we've had wicker everything that was all the rage.  Wicker fans on the walls, wicker furniture, wicker accessories, etc. Then there were ducks everywhere in the kitchen.  Wall paper, curtains, canisters, ceramic measuring cups....ducks everywhere.  We had mushrooms that eventually took over from the ducks.  To make the kitchen even more "special" there were the avocado green, brown or even turquoise appliances which just made the ducks and/or mushroom accessories pop! (note some sarcasm there?)

There was the carpet craze where every surface (sometimes even walls) were covered in some type of carpet.  We had the dreaded shag (currently staging an updated comeback) which secretly and securely harbored every pointed object in your house, such as safety pins, needles and sharp toys so that when you walked through your living room barefoot, well, you get the idea.

Then there came the horrors of the indoor/outdoor carpet that folks glued down.  Not only was this carpet particularly ugly but it takes an act of God to get it all off your floors when you get ready to change it out. The really scary thing about this fad is the fact that folks put this carpet everywhere!  Even in the kitchen and bathrooms!  NOTE: UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD ANY TYPE OF CARPET EVER BE INSTALLED IN A KITCHEN OR BATHROOM.....EVER.  The most favored color was green.  It was supposed to simulate bringing the outdoors in (I guess).  But it also came in patterns! Much easier to clean than shag - but again, ugly.

No article on ugly past decorating choices would be complete without mentioning paneling.  I'm not speaking about the thick real wood paneling that you see in many upscale homes.  I'm speaking about the faux wood paneling that is most closely associated with trailers.  Notice I didn't say mobile homes. There is a difference.

At some point someone obviously thought, "Sheet rock is pricey and difficult to put up correctly.  Let's try this fake wood product"....and our world was suddenly thrust into being a world of fake wood paneling.  Not only is this a very ugly design choice but all manner of critters love this product.  Roaches especially are drawn to it. Ever try to hang a picture on a wall covered in paneling?  It takes about 5 or 6 generous nail holes before you finally find a spot secure enough to hold your picture without it crashing off the wall.

I've always been shocked by the areas in which people decided to put this paneling.  For some reason it's always in the darkest rooms in the house and usually accompanied by an equally dark floor product.  Basement family rooms and bedrooms appear to be the first choice of paneling hangers. I've often wondered why anyone ever thought "This is a dark room.  I think I'll make it even darker by installing faux wood paneling on the walls and some brown shag carpet on the floors".

 
Anyone remember the fake brick that folks used to slap on their walls?  Especially in the kitchen?  Has anyone ever been fooled into thinking it was actual brick? I have seen a resurgence of this product recently.  Thankfully, it has been improved and has more of a realistic touch and appearance, but it will wear on you over time so my question is - why do it?

There are past fads that went away and are staging comebacks.  Some of them don't make me cringe. I'm actually good with the resurgence of grass cloth (and to a point, shag carpet).  That is, as long as I'm not the one having to take it down. Grass cloth is textural and really adds depth and character to a room when done correctly.  However, cats LOVE to use it as a scratching post, smells (and stains) stick to it like glue (as in smoke and/or cooking fumes) and it seems nothing attracts dust quite like grass cloth.  One of the biggest draw backs to grass cloth is the fact that when you either get tired of it or decide it's too ripped up or stained to be attractive any longer - it can be impossible to take down without having to do massive repair work to your sheet rock.  I hear the newer version of grass cloth is a bit more forgiving in the take down department than its ancestors but quite honestly I haven't tried any of it so I can't vouch for that rumor.

The modern use of grass cloth is done in a more subtle way.  Sometimes it covers the entire room but usually it's done either above or below a chair rail or perhaps only on one wall.  The new grass cloth wall paper also comes in a variety of colors and designs.  If you find yourself with the old version of grass cloth and don't really want to fool with the considerable time and expense necessary to take it down and repair your walls, you can actually paint over it which leaves the texture but gives the old wall covering a fresh new life and eliminates both the old odors and stains.

The new incarnation of shag carpeting is a wonderful improvement when used correctly in your room.  The new version is thicker with a deeper pile and normally a single color.  No more varying degrees of brown, blue, orange or green swirling around on your floor.  Shag is a wonderful carpet when used sparingly.  Such as using it only in the bedroom or perhaps only in the family room.  My personal favorite is to buy an area rug version of the shag and use it in such a way that the wood or tile floors still show around the border of the room.  Otherwise, shag can be overwhelming.

Below are my top 10 choices for the most overused and (I hope) quickly becoming past fads of the past decade.

1. Granite?  

Am I the only person left on the planet Earth who dislikes granite?  Sure, it's pretty and the options are endless in the color and vein department.  However, it's not the indestructible natural product that folks would have you believe.  It takes maintenance   It's pricey.  It doesn't hold up well to heavily used kitchens and/or bathrooms.  No matter what your salesperson told you, granite will break and/or chip.

The key to maintaining your granite is to closely monitor its use.  Trivets always beneath hot pans.  Don't dare spill wine or other acidic liquids on it!  Seal it at least every six months.

Marble is another surface product that is equally as high maintenance.  If you are Suzy Clean and live alone with no children to worry about - then you could probably do marble and granite without it looking atrocious after only a couple of years.  But otherwise.....forget about it.  When you couple the above with the fact that you can spend nearly the same amount and get an actual maintenance proof product like soap stone or Quartz - why get granite or marble? I'll give you that marble is the best surface for baking - but most of us don't bake every day of the week so why even consider that when purchasing a surface product? Especially one as expensive as a good marble or granite.

Back in the day when the fad was laminate or ceramic tile surfaces, it wasn't a big deal to go with the fad.  Both of the products were very reasonably priced and easy to both install and remove.  However, granite and marble are not such creatures.  They require professional installation and professional removal.  They also cost at least 4 times the amount of money.

2. Monochromatic decorating.

Please God make it go away!!  I remember the Shabby Chic trend - I liked it for a minute.  The stainless and concrete urban trend - I liked it for a minute.  The 70's retro trend - I didn't like it at all.  But this monochromatic, white on white or white on beige trend is really annoying me.

A lot of the older homes are filled with wonderful moldings, casings and beams that should be showcased and accentuated.  However, this trend covers them all up and makes them go away.  Did I say that I really hate this trend?  Paint is a wonderful invention!  It is by far the cheapest and most effective way to change the look of a room.  Or house for that matter.  However, before you paint a good quality wood, think about how much time and money it's going to cost you if you change your mind down the road and decide you want the look of the wood back.  Trust me, sand blasting is not cheap.

Below is a photo of a room in a castle.  If you look closely you will see magnificent woodwork.  But you have look closely because the designer has opted to paint it all white.  The designer should be arrested for defacing such incredible craftsmanship.

3. Open Concept.

I hate open concept nearly as much as I hate monochromatic rooms.  There are times when it is advisable to knock down a wall or two.  For example, many row houses have a lot of rooms but they're all very small.  I can see the necessity in taking a few of those walls down in order to expand the area.  However, why would you tear out walls in a four square or a craftsman bungalow?  My personal feeling is that when I am hosting a dinner party or a family holiday meal, the last thing I want is for everyone to be able to see directly into my kitchen.  To me, there should always be a wall dividing the kitchen from the dining room and/or living room.  Always.  Can't see your kids when they're in the living room playing and you're fixing dinner?  I think there are other ways to deal with that situation than to knock down walls and destroy the integrity of your house.

4. Stainless steel and/or black appliances. 

Nice to look at in the show room but have you ever tried to keep them clean in real life?  Fingerprints and dust collect on them like flies to honey.  I don't care how good your exhaust fan is, there will always be some level of moisture, smoke and/or grease that is going to escape into your kitchen.  Where does it all go?  Straight to your stainless steel and/or black appliances.


The picture below shows an oven that was all the rage back in the late 1970's early 1980's.  It was quite the fad.  Now?  If you walked into a house for sale and saw it would you want it?  Same thing will happen in the next year or so when folks walk into houses for sale that include granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances.

5. Smooth cooktops and/or Induction cooktops.

Do I need my water to boil 3 times faster?  I really don't.  Do I want a smooth cooktop?  I truly don't. Where does the water go when you boil the pasta over when you have these?  I don't even want to know.  Also, if they have to come out with specific products that should be used to clean the cooktop, it should warn folks that maybe these aren't going to be the easiest things to maintain.

6. Chalkboard anything.

I HATE chalkboard paint.  With all my heart.  End of discussion.

7. TV's above the fireplace or anywhere on the wall.

Several years ago while touring a new upscale housing development I noticed that above every single fireplace was a "TV nook".  Really?  First, unless you had a TV that exactly fits into that nook, you're screwed.  Better get a large vase and fill it with flowers because otherwise that is absolutely wasted space.

Hanging a TV over your fireplace or on your wall, is never a good thing.  First if you are like me and you like to rearrange your furniture, you're screwed.  Once you go through the time and expense to find a stud and attach the mounting hardware necessary to hang your TV, there's a good chance that you're not going to take it all down and move it to the other side of the room.  Right?

Secondly, who wants to have to crane their neck at an unnatural angle in order to watch TV?

Thirdly, after decades of designers vehemently declaring that TV's are NOT focal points in rooms - when did they suddenly decide that they should be the focal point of your room?  Personally, I like well crafted open entertainment centers or TV armoires   Then if I get a larger TV, no problem.  If I decide to put it on the opposite wall?  No problem.

8. Desk in the kitchen.

I don't know about you, but I like storage in my kitchen.  I have a room that is designated as an office space so why do I need a desk taking up valuable space in my kitchen where cabinetry could have been?

9. Fake hardwoods.

To me laminate hardwood floors are the new millennium's version of vinyl flooring. Laminate hardwood floors are nothing but fake trailer paneling on your floor.  They look like it, they warp like it, they sound like it when you walk on them, they feel like it.....you know the old saying..."if it quacks like a duck and looks like a duck...it's probably a duck."   Spend that extra  approximately $3.00 per foot and get some real wood put down.  The money you will save down the road will make the extra investment well worth it in the end.  The reason I'm saying that is because just like the indoor/outdoor carpeting, the fake brick back splashes, the orange swirl carpeting and even the granite counter top fads....laminate flooring will become a design faux pas and when you get ready to sell your home, potential buyers will cringe when they see the laminate floors.  Same thing goes for your expensive granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances.

10. Textured anything - ceilings, walls - anything.

This includes the paintable textured wall paper.  I understand that sometimes you have a wall  that is badly damaged by years of bad repair work or whatever.  Or maybe you have some trailer paneling that you want to cover up rather than remove.  Textured wall paper or a textured paint finish might sound like a good solution.  I'm here to tell you - it's not.  Below is an example of what I'm talking about.

My recommendation is to stick to the classics.  The finishes and reno choices that have withstood the tests of time.  You can always jazz your interior up with fad furniture, current paint colors, trendy rugs or artwork/accessories if you want your home to be current but when it comes to the pricey and sometimes pretty permanent upgrades, stick to what will get your home sold quickly and for more money in the end.  Even if you are certain that this is your "forever" home, always remember that things go out of style and design choices will eventually look ugly and dated even to you over time so spend your money where it counts.

Cardboard Creations!

Cardboard boxes can be found for free nearly everywhere! Drive behind a strip mall and take a peek in their dumpsters and you will be amazed at the boxes sitting there in perfect condition just waiting for the garbage truck to haul them off and fill up the landfills.  I personally have tons of them that I broke down after my move (3 years ago) taking up space in the storage shed.

I live in a house that was built in the early 1950's.  When heating and cooling was cheap.  As a result apparently, the builders didn't see a need to insulate the walls.  My bedroom walls face north with no trees or shrubs to block the wind.  Because of this in the winter time you can put your hand a foot away from the wall and feel the cold air seeping through the sheetrock.  Makes for a very cold bedroom or a very expensive heating bill.

Then the other day I was digging through my shed looking for something and saw the boxes.  I remembered seeing a documentary on the homeless not that long ago and I remembered one of the men used cardboard boxes beneath his clothes to give him insulation.  Hmmmm......a decorating quest was born!!

I'm not a huge fan of headboards and footboards in a small bedroom.  They seem to overpower the entire room.  I would much prefer to use wall art over the bed and lots of pillows to create that sense of the headboard and I have a much loved bench that I use in place of the footboard.  Very functional and looks great at the same time.

I knew that I wanted to cover the entire wall and create a headboard at the same time so my solution?  I left the cardboard boxes flat (which gave me a double thickness) and just trimmed the edges so that every box was the same size.

Then I wrapped the front of the box in fabric and using movers tape, taped the fabric to the back side to keep it from slipping as I installed it on the wall.  I used small nails to attach the squares to the wall.  (Note:  use nails with a nailhead because if you use the headless nails they will easily slip away from the cardboard and fabric causing your square to fall off the wall) I covered the entire wall in the fabric squares.  Top to bottom taking care to keep the pattern on the fabric matching.

The final step in my creation was to tape together enough boxes to give me the width and height that I needed for my headboard.  I then wrapped  the front of the boxes in a coordinating fabric and nailed it to the wall behind my bed.

The entire project (wall and headboard) costs me nothing (as I already had the boxes, nails and fabric) and took me nearly 3 hours to complete start to finish.

Padded walls not only insulate against the outside elements but also against noise.  Below are some ideas for your cardboard project!  Remember, cardboard costs nothing so go ahead and get fancy!  Cut shapes to give yourself an unique headboard or tuft it to give it that old world feel. Go ahead and pad it to give it just that extra opulence.

Remember if you don't like it or you mess it up - go back to the shops and get more boxes!!  Also when you tire of it, it's easy to just pop the panels off the wall, and cover it with a new piece of fabric.  WAY easier than wall paper and these days much cheaper.  There are sites online that offer fabric at incredibly low prices.  I use www.glamorousfabrics.com  www.onlinefabricstore.net and (my favorite) www.designdivafabrics.com

You can't go wrong with it!

Tufting when using cardboard is so much easier than when using wood.  Simple rectangles, a bit of foam and tufting buttons are all you need.

This wall looks amazing!  Usually amazing results require amazing skills.  Not with this wall! Arrange your covered cardboard in a diamond shape to fit the area you want to cover.  Then tack simple molding along the edges to finish it off.

Don't want to tuft?  Then try this easy wall!  Tape your boxes end to end until you have the height you need, cover them individually and nail them to the wall!  Beautiful!

This project won't involve any padding, tufting or complicated cuts.  Just wrap, position and nail.

Want a more intricate design for your headboard?  Then cut the cardboard to suit your design idea, pad, wrap and nail it to the wall.  The wrapping part is more difficult and time consuming when you have curves, but it can be done!

Can anything get easier than to cover a square piece of cardboard with fabric and then nail it to the wall?

This look can easily be achieved.  If you have a large piece of fabric or maybe even a large throw or tapestry that you love, you can wrap it and nail it to your wall.  Note:  If the fabric is extremely thick and heavy, and you aren't going to nail it into the wall but rather want to just prop it up against the wall, you may have to opt for plywood rather than cardboard to prevent it from bending over time.

Now all you have to do is pick out your fabric.  Got any sheets, table cloths or even comforters/quilts that you love but rarely, if ever, use?  How about heading down to the dollar store and picking up some inexpensive kitchen towels that are colorful or decorative?  Try making the blocks smaller for those and creating a patch quilt effect?  At the big box stores you can get an incredibly large painters canvass for around $30.  There's enough of this neutral fabric to do the entire wall.  Tip:  this canvass can also be dyed to whatever color you need. However, I love its original neutral beige color.

Have a good time with it and let me know how it turns out!!

If I rent - do I renovate?

LOTS of people rent.  The reasons behind why they rent are as varied as the renters.  Some are renting until something changes in their lives (like their credit score goes up or they have saved enough money for the down payment) while others are professional renters.  They like having the flexibility of not being responsible if the hot water heater goes out or a tree falls on the roof.  They also like the fact that if they don't like their house or neighborhood - they can move as soon as the lease is up.

The question in my title is not for the professional renters.  This question was more for the folks who have moved into a rental and have no plans on living there for years and years.  A student? Someone who has just moved to town for a job?  Maybe someone who has gone through a divorce?

The answer to "If I rent - do I renovate" is pretty simple in my book.  However, it gets asked A LOT.  When I say renovate I don't mean knock down some walls and add a room - I mean doing permanent decorating.  Decorating that you can't take with you when you move.

An example of that would be painting.  You'd be surprised how many landlords are out there who don't mind if you paint - as long as YOU pay for it.  Then there's the updating on the kitchen and baths.  I don't care what the DIY shows and magazines tell you.  You don't have to rip it apart and start from scratch to update any room.  Sometimes all it takes is a new light fixture, back splash, tile accents and maybe even a new faucet you found on sale at the big box store.  None of the things I mentioned are expensive and none of them require that you hire a professional to install.  However, none of them can be taken with you when you move. Or at least not if you want a good rental reference.

Example:
The kitchen in my rental house had laminate counter tops that carried up onto the walls creating a laminate back splash.  It looks pink.  It was hard to clean and it was ugly.  Below is a picture of the before.

I spent just under $100 on stainless steel stick on tiles and in a single afternoon transformed this to this:

I continued the metal tiles all the way around the room and the difference this made is incredible! Light bounces more in the room, it feels cleaner and larger.  I am loving it!

Now the counter tops don't appear to have that pink tint to them that they had before.  The tiles were super easy to apply.  No glue, no grout and I used regular office scissors to cut them to fit.  I highly recommend them.

Many people would be aghast that a renter would pay $100 for an improvement to a rental.  I say this.  If you are going to live there (rental or not) you want to be comfortable and happy in your space.  You want to be proud of it when friends and family come to visit.  You want to walk in at the end of the day and be glad you're there.  So how much is that worth to you?  If you are in a 6 months lease - maybe you can stick it out.  but if you are going to live there for a year or more I say put some money into making it work for you.

My rule of thumb is this - not more than $300 per year on permanent decorating. That equals to just $25 per month.  Most folks spend that much on Starbucks!  You would be amazed at the amount of decorating you can do for $300!

Caution: Never ever do a permanent decorating job on a rental without clearing this with your landlord.  Put in writing exactly what you want to do to the rental and include pictures and/or samples if possible.


An e-mail works great because when the landlord responds - you have his/her response in writing too.  I've had good landlords and I've had bad landlords and trust me when I tell you that a bad landlord will swear they never gave you permission and when the time comes for your deposit - kiss it goodbye.

Now go transform some rentals!

My hatred for "Garage Neighborhoods"

Most of my posts concern what to do (and not do) with older houses.  Today we're going to talk about what to do (and not do) with newer builds.

In the 1950's & 1960's affordable housing meant a small ranch style house with a nice size yard.  These days it means the about same thing only with a modern twist.  I call them garage neighborhoods because when you drive through them all you really notice are the garages (or parking pads).  The builders have made the garages or the parking pads the focal point of the entire neighborhood.

While the inside of these homes have all the modern amenities that one would need, they are still small ranch houses.  Most of the time the garage is larger than the actual living space and there is little or no yard.  I think the term the builders use is "Zero lot" houses.

Sometimes, we find a house in a location we desire, for the price we can afford and when we view the house, we overlook some potential issues.  Then once we've bought it and moved into it, we are at a loss as to how to make those issues livable for the life of the mortgage.  I have included a few pictures of "what not to do".

When these builders slap these houses together, they obviously (1) don't cook (2) don't clean and (3) don't have children.  I say that because if they did any of the above, the houses would be designed entirely differently.  For example the kitchens would have more storage and counter space with more plug-ins for small appliances. The dining room which leads out onto the deck or backyard would NEVER be carpeted and the bathrooms would hold more than 1/2 a person at a time.

The other thing that annoys me about these houses is the fact that they have lent an entirely new meaning to the term "builders grade".  When I view these houses and I see the $10 faucets and the $15 countertops and the $20 cabinets coupled with the plastic bathtubs and the $.25 a square foot carpet/tile, I always wonder where else they scrimped.  While the house may have a jetted tub, 2 bath rooms, a huge garage.....they just look cheaply built.

Here's that 1/2 person bathroom I mentioned.  Notice the plastic tub takes up the majority of the space.  While this tub annoys me for several reasons, painting a windowless bathroom that is already the size of a normal closet, a dark color is just not a good idea.  That monstrosity of a plastic tub with its plastic surround should NEVER be the focal point of a room.

Anyone who knows me knows that above all else I loath white walls especially in a bathroom.  Let me reiterate my reasoning.  There are as many shades of white as there are of any other single color.  Maybe even more.  White is a very reflective color.  I would venture to say white is the most reflective color.  So what happens when you put one shade of white up against another shade (or two) of white?  It changes all the shades of white and they each morph into a duller and dirtier shade of white.  I don't care if your tub and your toilet are made by the very same manufacturer, the chance of them being the exact shade of white are slim to none.

The homeowner had the right idea in not painting the walls white.  She just went a bit too far in her color choice.

Here's what she should have done.  Find a vein of color in the tile or the base color in the counter tops.  In this particular room, it would be gray.  Then paint the walls a LIGHT gray.  To coin an 80's phrase - a "pastel" gray.  A barely there gray.  That will pull out the gray in the tile and counter top and it will tone down the whites and make them look clean.  Then put up a graphic shower curtain.  Going for a country feel?  Then do a gingham design with tones of gray and blue.  More modern feel?  Circles in various shades of gray and blue.  On the subject of shower curtains, never ever use just one.  The whole idea of putting a shower curtain isn't just to keep the water off the floor, it's to hide the plastic tub and surround and add some visual and textural interest to the room.  If you use just one curtain, when you pull it closed, it gives the appearance and feel of a wall thus closing off the space and making it appear even smaller.  Use 2 or 3 curtains and then when you close them, they will still have gathers in them which will give an illusion of a window rather than a wall.  Windows denote space - walls denote dead end.

All that's left to do is add a towel or two and perhaps some interesting bath accessories like a textured rectangular basket on the back of the toilet to hold a couple of rolls of toilet paper and a pretty water glass or toothbrush holder on the sink area.

Let's move on............

 
Builders grade kitchen (in the same house).

BORING!  Cheap laminate counter tops.  Cheap sink and faucet.  Low quality appliances.  Cheap tile on floor. Stock cabinets - and not many of them.

Notice they tiled the back of the pony wall/breakfast bar?  Not attractive.  They also painted an already small kitchen red.  Another thing that annoys me is the fact that the floor (and pony wall) are tiled in beige.  The stock cabinets have a beige undertone but the appliances are white.  For some reason builders think that everything should be either beige or white.  Ugh.

Here's how I would "fix" this kitchen.  I would invest a little money on new facets.  I'd get an oil rubbed bronze faucet which would really dress up that cheap sink.  By the way, studies have determined that oil rubbed bronze, and also brass, repel germs so they are the best selections for your kitchen and bathroom fixtures.  They can look amazing as well.

Counter tops can be pricey so I'm not against leaving the laminate for another day.  However, you can tone them down and make them disappear (well, almost disappear) by changing the things that surround them like the cabinets and walls.

The walls in this one window tiny kitchen should be light in color - not white - just light.  Since this kitchen opens up into the dining room, living room and hallway, it should be either the same color as those areas or just a shade away from it.  No dramatic colors!  People who love dramatic colors need to be living in large houses with lots of windows.  Those of us who don't, need to stick with light bouncing colors and that means light and bright.  I would go with a very light color that combines blue with green.  Just be careful not to get a color that is too saturated.  Pastel is the key word for small spaces.  Not your parents version of pastel - just a white that is tinted to give you the feeling of the color - not an in your face shock of color such as the red on these walls.  Hints of color leave you feeling the room is clean, bright and larger than it actually is.

On to the cabinets.  Stock cabinets are inexpensive and surprisingly sturdy.  They can last just as long as custom cabinetry.  However, they usually aren't attractive.  My solution?  Take the doors and drawer fronts down, go outside, sand them until all the poly and/or varnish is gone and you have a smooth surface.  Then prime them, lightly sand and prime them again giving a good 8 hours between coats to allow the primer to cure and tightly grip the wood.

Now some folks will say "I don't want to fool with taking all the doors off and taking them outside.  I think I'll just leave them up and paint them where they are."  NOT A GOOD IDEA!  That's how you get drips and smears!  The doors need to be flat when they are painted and you need to have them outside in the light so you can see where you might have missed a stroke.  Be sure to number the back of the doors so you can remember exactly where each door goes.  They may all look the exact same - but they probably aren't.

Once you've done that, paint them white, let the paint cure for 8 hours and paint them again.  I recommend at least 3 coats on cabinetry - 5 is optimal.  I know that you can get a gallon of paint for under $20 at some stores and I also know that you can get primer and paint in one.  However, I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS when you are painting cabinetry.  You want a top shelf primer and an equally top shelf paint otherwise, next year you will be painting your cabinetry again.  Spend a little extra and not be forced to paint them again for years rather than year.  Also, cheap paint tends to dull and by next year, your beautiful clean white is looking dull and dirty.  I don't care what the label says, you can't scrub cheap paint without it coming off and in the kitchen and bathroom, you are going to have to scrub your cabinets from time to time.

Once you've got your drawer and doors painted, move onto the bases.  You only have to sand and paint the parts that show.  I like to paint the insides when I redo cabinetry only because when you open the cabinet door - you can see what it used to be.  I like it all to look new and uniform.  However, you can also use wallpaper on the inside of the cabinets to give it an element of surprise.  The wallpaper can easily be changed out according to your mood and/or changes in taste and/or decorating styles.

It's human nature to want to glob the paint on so you can be done with it.  I say to you - DON'T.  You want to put thin coats on at a time.  This way you don't get bubbles or drips or uneven coats.  All things that will ruin your paint job and cause you to have to start all over which will not only double your time but double your investment.

Now that the cabinets are all painted, drill holes in the doors and drawers and add hardware.  You can buy a handle guide at any DIY store for under $3.  You simple clip it to the door or drawer and drill where the holes are to get the perfect spacing for your handles.  Well worth the investment.

Oil rubbed bronze is my choice for the handles.  Always try to match your pulls to your faucet.  Uniformity is like wearing vertical stripes - it makes you appear taller than you really are.  Uniformity in the kitchen makes it appear larger than it really is.

This particular pull is about $1.50 each.  The beauty of a small kitchen is the fact that you can spend $1.50 on each of the pulls because there's not going to be 50 of them required.  Use them on both the upper and lower cabinets and drawers to keep it uniform.  In a large kitchen having handles below and knobs above (or vice versa) is fine but in a small kitchen you want them all to match to give the illusion of space.  Any time your eyes are interrupted it tricks your mind into thinking something is smaller than it actually is.  The reverse is also true.  That's one reason that you don't wear a checked blue shirt with a striped yellow skirt.  You'd look 25 pounds heavier and 6 inches shorter.  Same thing is true of your kitchen.  Too many colors, too many styles will shrink your kitchen (or any other room) considerably.

Let's put the finishing touches on now!

Another way to expand your space and lend an air of cleanliness is by adding reflective items that will bounce the light around.  While we all love our decorative canisters, these plain glass canisters will visually expand your room and will go with any color choice without competing.

I remember having a white set with mushrooms on them.  That went out of style and a set with frogs took their place.  Then I had to get rid of the frogs because ducks came into style.  The ducks were replaced with another fad.....and on and on.  How much money would I have saved over the years had I just opted for pretty clear glass canisters that go with any style and any color??

Rule of thumb.........add color either in your accessories or your wall - try not to do both if your space is small.

If you noticed, this kitchen had no backsplash.  The area between the cabinets and the counter top was painted red.

Since my idea of fixing this kitchen involved painting the walls a bluish green, how about continuing this onto the back splash?  These glass tiles are reflective and colorful without being overwhelming.  If you're going to do your own installation, the small tiles are the way to go.  There's no cutting required.

What if you're thinking "I don't want bluish gray and I don't want white cabinets"?  Let me show you what a beige kitchen looks like.  You know I'm not a huge beige fan, but beige can be very attractive if done correctly.

This beige kitchen is clean and shiny!  Just as a kitchen should be!  Notice the glass canisters?  They add visual interest in the room while not getting in your face!  Lovely!

Last tip for the kitchen or bathroom - never EVER put borders in either room.  A border attracts your eyes to it.  It interrupts your eyes.  It ALWAYS makes your room appear shorter and smaller than it really is.  Want color?  Get it by putting a red (or any other saturated color) teapot on your stove, colorful kitchen towels, a colorful backsplash.

Next we talk about awkward support walls.

Where to begin with this picture?  The first thing I notice about this picture is the black support wall.  Then I notice the tiny kitchen (painted red) and the sage green walls (which are nice).  I can't begin to imagine what they were thinking when they decided that a single black wall in the middle of the room coupled with the brick red cave kitchen and light sage green walls were a good idea.  I'm all for separation of spaces, but this takes that concept to a new extreme.  And don't even get me started on the carpet in the dining room.

My solution?  Paint, paint and more paint.  Because they painted this black, primer is the key here.  If I were going to go with the bluish green in the kitchen, I would paint these walls to match exactly or at a maximum to be only 1 shade darker than the kitchen.  I would rip off that tile on the back of the pony wall (it's really too narrow to be considered a breakfast bar) and then paint it the same color as the walls.

Once the cabinets are painted white, the walls painted a neutral color and the backsplash is tiled, this entire space will look and feel so much brighter, cleaner and larger.

Long blog today but as you know, I am not a woman of few words when it comes to bad taste and bad design.

Enjoy your day!