5 White Modern Farmhouse Favorites

I am grateful to be back with a new “Top 5” post today especially because we will be seeing some incredible white modern farmhouse exteriors. This is, without doubt, the most popular exterior style we are seeing at the moment and it’s easy to see why so many homeowners are choosing this type of home.

You can get the modern farmhouse look on the exterior of a home by adding white siding, black accents such as front door, trim and, of course, the popular black windows. These elements are often combined with board and batten, brick and metal roof.

Now, go ahead and find a comfy place to sit and get ready to see some beautiful modern farmhouses. Make sure to click the links provided under each photo so you can see the full house tours and know all details and sources.

1: Off-white Modern Farmhouse Exterior

This off-white modern farmhouse features current and yet timeless architectural details. Siding is a combination of James Hardie, board and batten, and lap siding. Paint color is Valspar Cream Delight. Design: @plankandpillow

2: Small Lot White Modern Farmhouse

You certainly don’t need to live in the country to have the modern farmhouse of your dreams. This “small lot modern farmhouse” is a great example that an urban farmhouse can fit in any type of neighborhood! Builder: @mhousedevelopment : @stofferphotographyinteriors

See Full Details: Small Lot Modern Farmhouse.

3: White Modern Farmhouse with Front Porch

What can be better than a white modern farmhouse with wrap-around porch? This home is stunning from every angle! The white siding paint color is Paint color is Sherwin Williams Snowbound. Builder: wilson_design_construction : Laurey Glenn Photography.

See Full Details: Modern Farmhouse with Front Porch.

4: White Modern Farmhouse with Painted Brick Exterior

This home is what dreams are made of! If you haven’t seen the complete house tour, you really need to! The painted brick siding paint color is “Extra White by Sherwin Williams Extra White”. Design: @chrissymarieblog

See Full Details: Beautiful Homes of Instagram: Coastal Farmhouse Design.

5: Board and Batten Modern Farmhouse

This modern farmhouse not only features a gorgeous white exterior with black accents but the interiors are also incredibly fresh and inspiring. The board and batten siding is James Hardie Arctic White. Builder: @timbertrailshomes : @stofferphotographyinteriors

Kitchen of the Week: Refacing Refreshes a Family Kitchen on a Budget

Two-tone cabinets, vibrant fabric and a frosty backsplash brighten this eat-in kitchen

With two teenage boys going off to college in a few years, this couple didn’t want to break the bank on a kitchen renovation. However, they were tired of living with the room’s dark and gloomy style. In addition, they wanted a closer connection to their backyard patio, which they had to walk through another room to access. By repurposing what she could and keeping the existing layout intact, interior designer Sabrina Alfin was able to give them a bright, fresh and new-to-them kitchen at about a third of the cost of a complete renovation.

Before Photo

Sabrina Alfin Interiors

“After” photos by Dean J. Birinyi Photography

Kitchen of the Week
Who lives here: A couple and their two teenage boys
Location: San Carlos, California
Size: 209 square feet (19.5 square meters)
Designer: Sabrina Alfin Interiors

BEFORE: While not compact, the previous kitchen looked small and cramped because it was so dark. In addition, the family had to cart food and drinks through another room to their backyard entertainment space. However, their appliances, granite countertops and cabinet bases were in great shape.

“At first they thought they wanted an all-white Shaker kitchen, but I thought that could wind up looking too stark and antiseptic for them — I wanted them to have something more cool updated to reflect them,” Alfin says. So she nudged them toward a two-tone cabinet scheme that injected the room with more color.

Learn more about using two-tone cabinets

Sabrina Alfin Interiors

AFTER: “My clients liked blue but didn’t want nautical navy or to go too beachy,” Alfin says. Instead, she helped them find a grayish teal that’s updated and sophisticated.

One of the biggest cost savers was refacing rather than replacing the cabinets. The designer added new custom Shaker doors and drawer fronts, updating the classic style with long bar pulls.

Lower cabinet paint: Refuge, No. 6228, Sherwin-Williams; upper cabinet paint: Ice Cube, No. 6252, Sherwin-Williams; bar pulls: Emtek

Sabrina Alfin Interiors

Alfin didn’t stop at just blue and white. She knew that her clients loved deep reds and wanted to find a fabric that incorporated those while tying into the teal. She also knew that spicy colors would warm up the blue and white scheme and steer it away from a coastal look.

She had the built-in bench refaced in white, with new drawer fronts and hardware that coordinates with the cabinetry. The eat-in area is an important part of the room, as the family enjoys almost all their meals together in here.

New recessed lighting and vintage-style glass pendants help brighten the room. Framed groups of vintage bottle caps add an eclectic touch. In case you’re wondering, the door leads to the existing pantry.

Chairs: Crate & Barrel; bottle cap artwork: Bed Bath & Beyond; Eastmoreland pendant lights: Rejuvenation

How to Reface Your Old Kitchen Cabinets

Before Photo

Sabrina Alfin Interiors

BEFORE: Here’s a glimpse of the original upholstered bench. The family wanted to keep the existing table, and Alfin made it work with new chairs, a refaced bench and new upholstery.

Sabrina Alfin Interiors

AFTER: “I was looking for fabric that had a lot of visual interest and has the blue in it, and I found a bunch to show them — my clients fell in love with this one,” Alfin says. “It was so much fun to work with them, as they were so willing not to go down the neutral path and to take artistic risks.”

Rowten fabric: No. 4354 in Fiesta, Pindler & Pindler

Sabrina Alfin Interiors

The upholstery has a contrasting welt detail.

Callahan welt fabric: No. 2381 in turquoise, Pindler & Pindler

Before Photo

Sabrina Alfin Interiors

BEFORE: The room didn’t have a physical connection to the adjacent patio and outdoor entertainment area.

Sabrina Alfin Interiors

AFTER: The biggest structural change to the room is the new window over the sink, which opens to the patio. Alfin took out the cabinets flanking the original window, which gave her room for a 7½-foot-wide window. Of the window’s three panes, two slide open to the outdoors, making it easy to pass food and drinks through to the bar counter on the other side.

Sabrina Alfin Interiors

Another cost saver was preserving the existing granite countertops, but the coordinating granite backsplash had to go. The designer replaced it with classic 6-by-3-inch subway tiles. Next she added a border of 3-by-1-inch frosty glass accent tiles. “We could have gone with just white subway tile, but it would have looked too monolithic,” she says. “We wanted to break it up without too much contrast — we already had that from the two-tone cabinets.”

She also added LED lighting underneath the cabinets. Previously the only source of light on the counters had been from the vent hood.

Arctic White subway tile: Daltile; Frost Iridescent accent tile: Water & Light series, Boyce & Bean

Sabrina Alfin Interiors

A spicy mat at the sink picks up on the colors of the bench fabric across the room.

The floor looks like weathered driftwood but is actually porcelain tile. Because the homeowners have dogs, they needed the durability of porcelain.

Sidecar floor tile: SpeakEasy series, 36 by 12 inches, Crossville

Sabrina Alfin Interiors

When it comes to refacing cabinets, Alfin says that although finding good-quality paint-grade doors and drawer fronts is important, the key is finding a great painter. She recommends looking for someone who is very detail-oriented.

“They should do good prep work on the cabinet bases first, filling in all the holes,” she says. She also says it’s best if the painter has a spray booth in which to paint the doors and drawer faces before bringing them to the house to install. “It’s not cheap, but it’s still a lot less expensive than buying all new cabinetry,” she says.

How to Reface Your Old Kitchen Cabinets

THANK YOU TO HOUZZ AND MARTHA WOLFORD FOR THE GREAT INFO!!

What’s Popular in Kitchens Now

Working the Room:

We break down 9 kitchen design ideas that are making people happy — and show how to make them work for you

Whether it’s a splash of color in the cabinets, a champagne-brass drawer pull or a wall of open shelving, the kitchen ideas homeowners and designers are loving now can elevate everybody’s favorite gathering space to home showpiece status.

Kitchens remain the most popular room for homeowners to renovate, and it’s no wonder why — thanks to the array of popular and practical countertop, cabinet and lighting styles out there, an updated kitchen can make a house feel fresh again in a way other rooms can’t. Here are the kitchen design ideas that pros, homeowners and Houzz photos say are taking off or still going strong.

Trend No. 1: Colorful Cabinets

What the pros say. “Painted cabinets are having a bit of a moment,” says designer and decorator Nancy Harper of Washington, D.C.-based Studio Miel. Harper and other pros agreed that blues and greens are the go-to non-neutral colors of choice now, but Harper says she could see other bold hues — emeralds, darker shades — also take hold soon.

What popular Houzz photos say. Seven of the 10 most-saved kitchen photos uploaded in the last three months feature cabinets with some color, including four examples of blue cabinets, one example of green and two black. Even if gray and white are still more common in most remodels, many Houzz users are drawn to brighter pops of personality.

Getting the low-key look. Paul McAlary, of Pennsylvania-based kitchen and cabinet design firm Main Line Kitchen Design, says more colorful cabinets, particularly bolder shades like navy blue, can cost more. He doesn’t recommend painting them yourself as it can damage the quality of the cabinets. Instead, he suggests homeowners get their color fix through the easier-to-update walls or backsplash. Still, painting your cabinets yourself is definitely the affordable option if you want to get the look for less.“They’ll never look quite like they actually should, but it’ll be [an updated] color and they’ll be OK for a few years,” McAlary says.

Getting the full-out look. Incorporate vibrant cabinetry in just the island or base cabinets, or create dimension and visual interest by pairing all-around colorful cabinets with contrasting countertops and on-trend brass or gold hardware.

Find kitchen designers and see their projects | Browse gold and brass hardware

AUREA STONE

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Trend No. 2: Marbled Quartz

What the pros say. Homeowners looking to make a more dramatic, organic statement with their kitchen countertops used to gravitate toward natural stones such as granite for the unique speckling and veins. But pros say more natural-looking quartz — an engineered product that contains mostly quartz mineral, as well as resins, pigments and polymers — is showing up in more kitchens.

Designers are seeing more and more higher-end remodelers opting for quartz countertops that are designed to look like marble. Mary Kathryn Reese of Dallas-based Kitchen Design Concepts says slabs of these types of quartz, such as the popular Aurea Stone shown here, also are available in larger slabs now, making it easier to create seamless countertops.

Granite, still pricey but available in more affordable varieties than quartz, still reigns in some areas.

What homeowners say. Engineered quartz overall beat out granite 43 to 34 percent among homeowners updating countertops in the 2018 U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study. (Countertops, homeowners said, were the kitchen feature they were most likely to splurge on.)

Quartz’s expanding pattern palette may be contributing to its growing popularity, along with other pluses like its stain resistance and durability. Homeowner Jennifer Dabbs, who worked with Studio Miel’s Harper to renovate her 1894 Washington, D.C.-area kitchen, says quartz’s reputation for being a more contemporary style initially gave her pause. “I was afraid it would look too modern in our home,” Dabbs says. “However, we chose a stone that replicates a marble and turns out to be exactly what we wanted in terms of functionality — low maintenance — and look.”

What saved Houzz photos say. Favorite kitchen photos from the previous three months feature a number of white and white marbleized quartz countertops, including Cambria’s Brittanicca and Walker Zanger’s Calacatta 981 Quartz, which can be striking against a wood butcher-block island or countertop extension.

Battle of the Countertops: Granite vs. Quartz

Studio Miel

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Trend No. 3: Open Shelving

What the pros say. Open shelving can make a kitchen look taller and airier. As this look gets more popular, Luke Owen of Kansas City-based Owen Homessays his team has seen a corresponding spike in requests for hideaway places for smaller appliances, outlets and other clutter.

Dishes, plants and knickknacks displayed on open shelves need thoughtful curation to avoid a cluttered look, so having spaces to tuck away less-attractive counter-crowders can keep things balanced and tidy. Having fewer pieces on the shelves also minimizes the risk of your favorite platter crashing down. (Open shelves typically aren’t made to withstand the weight cabinets are.)

What homeowners say. Though it can work with a number of styles, the sometimes minimalist, sometimes rustic vibe of wood and metal open shelving fits right in with transitional, contemporary and farmhouse kitchen styles — the first, second and third most-popular new kitchen styles that renovating homeowners chose when updating their kitchens, according to the Houzz 2018 Kitchen Trends Study.

What saved Houzz photos say. Natural wood open shelving seems to come up the most in recent popular photos, though white and black examples also appear.

Getting the low-key look. Even just a few shelves can draw the eye up and make a small space look bigger.

Getting the full-out look. More shelves mean more styling and maintenance to keep your kitchen from looking too busy. To create that sleek, intentional feeling with more shelves, group items by color, leave some shelf space open and carve out plenty of sturdier, hidden space for bulky appliances and mismatched dishware.

Style Your Open Kitchen Shelving Like a Pro

Owen Homes LLC

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Trend No. 4: Still Shaker

What the pros say. The versatility of basic Shaker cabinets — defined by their flat center door panels and a generally clean raised-square frame — continues to make them a popular pick for kitchens. “Shaker-style cabinets are very popular because they can look a little bit traditional and they can look a little bit modern,” Harper says. “They have clean lines, so depending on the hardware that you choose and other elements in the kitchen, it can go either way.”

What homeowners say. By choosing Shaker style for her cabinet redo, Dabbs says she was able to give a nod to her traditional house’s history while giving the space a fresh update. It also saved her a significant amount of money, as the inset cabinets she had initially wanted would have cost $20,000 more.

And she’s not alone: Shaker cabinets remain the most popular among all segments of homeowners, according to Houzz research.

What saved Houzz photos say. More than half of the 20 most popular recent kitchen photos featured Shaker-style cabinets.

See more kitchens with Shaker-style cabinets | Find cabinet pros

Tracey Stephens Interior Design Inc

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Trend No. 5: Staying Connected

What the pros say. High-tech touch-screen refrigerators and ovens have yet to really catch on with the typical homeowner, pros say, but smart electronics are appearing in the kitchen in other ways.

The Dallas-area clients that Reese works with can be a little leery of major appliances with too many bells and whistles, Reese says. “They’re a little afraid of that technology,” she says. “Is it going to break? How much will it cost to fix it? How long will it take to fix it? Is it going to be too difficult for me to actually cook even though the whole premise is to enable the whole cooking experience?” Other pros echoed similar sentiments.

Where technology is cropping up more in the kitchen is through wireless speakers, smart lighting and voice-controlled TVs and assistants. Harper says her clients are always looking for more outlets and often a separate charging station in the kitchen for powering their devices, though she’s noticed she’s adding fewer USB connector ports as technology evolves.

What homeowners say. Touchscreen controls or built-in speakers appear in 1 in 4 new appliances that homeowners are choosing as replacements for their old gadgets, the kitchen study found. Wireless and voice-controlled appliances appear in 11 percent of upgraded appliances.

Getting the low-key effect. A voice-controlled or wireless speaker or digital assistant comes in handy in the kitchen when you need a measurement converted or background dinner-making music.

Getting the full-out effect. Homeowners reported their refrigerators, dishwashers, microwaves and range hoods were their top updated appliances, so tricking out those major players with touchscreens and smart controls may be the way to go if you’re tech-happy (and have the budget for it).

Future Home: How We’ll Be Living in 10 Years

Joseph Deats Photography

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Trend No. 6: Going Gray

What the pros say. There’s nothing drab about gray these days, and there hasn’t been for quite a while. In fact, a lot of pros consider it the new(ish) neutral.

What homeowners say. While white still holds the lead for most popular cabinet color among homeowners, gray wins for go-to wall color.

What saved Houzz photos say. Gray shows up in Houzzers’ kitchen ideabooks constantly.

Getting the low-key look. A gray island, accent wall or tile can add an element of calm sophistication to a kitchen.

Getting the full-out look. Because gray is so mellow a color, your kitchen may be able to handle gray cabinets, shelving and backsplash, like the kitchen shown here, without feeling overpowering.

When to Go Gray in the Kitchen | Browse gray tile choices

Haven Design and Construction

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Trend No. 7: Let There Be Light

What the pros say. Owen says good lighting is the second-biggest kitchen priority he hears from clients behind opening up a kitchen space into a living area. To get it, he might add a picture window above a sink or score more natural light by knocking down a dividing wall. Statement pendants, like the ones shown here, are also popular, as are sconces, which can come in handy in illuminating an open shelf.

What saved Houzz photos say. Dramatic pendant lights and chandeliers, many with gold details, are a repeat sight in the recent most-saved kitchen photos.

Getting the low-key look. Light fixtures can be a great place to test out a trend, as they’re typically easy to replace or upgrade, Harper says.

Getting the full-out look. Statement lights you can control with your voice or a smartphone are all the rage.

Find kitchen light fixtures

Pickell Architecture

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Trend No. 8: White Everything

What the pros say. The all-white trend doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, to some pros’ dismay. “You’re spending all this money for cabinets and all this money for countertops and everything else, and when everything is white nothing stands out,” McAlary says. Harper says if her clients are leaning toward a white-on-white look, her team will typically suggest adding tile or backsplash that makes the space a little more dynamic and unique — an approach she expects to see more of going forward.

What homeowners say. White still tops remodeling homeowners’ favorites list when it comes to cabinets and backsplashes, and it narrowly trails gray in wall color preference, according to the Kitchen Trends Study.

What saved Houzz photos say. Survey-taking homeowners and pros say all-white everything is still the most common choice in practice, but when Houzz users are planning or daydreaming about their next projects as they’re scrolling through photos on the site, it’s mostly shades of blue and gray they covet. Could that mean white kitchens might get knocked from their popularity throne in the next few years?

Getting the low-key look. White is classic and crisp, and it works with all kinds of kitchen styles. White countertops paired with either white upper or lower cabinets or a white backsplash leave room to break things up with a gray island, black countertops or another colorful accent.

Getting the full-out look. White cabinets, countertops, backsplash, appliances — go to town!

More guides to creating a beautiful white kitchen

Sealy Design Inc.

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Trend No. 9: Mixing Metals

What the pros say. As cabinet pulls, light fixtures, faucets and other hardware are one of the easiest parts of a kitchen to swap out, they’re a logical place to try something new. And pros say that while oil-rubbed bronze and brass were must-haves recently, people are experimenting with a variety of metal finishes, including champagne brass and charcoal stainless.

“It’s not just about brass anymore. I feel like for a while everybody wanted brass, but there are so many beautiful options out there,” Harper says. “And I think people are a little bit more comfortable mixing metals too.” A client might opt for brass hardware and a different metallic colorin lighting, she says.

What saved Houzz photos say. Saved kitchen photos from the past three months feature a mix of more golden brass hardware and darker bronzes, often set against the glint of stainless steel appliances.

Getting the low-key look. Just one element — a pendant light, stool legs, a faucet — with a different finish can help you avoid any matchy-matchy monotony and give your kitchen a bolder, lived-in edge.

Getting the full-out look. Incorporating too many different finishes in one space can feel busy, but two or three can make things interesting and sophisticated.

Browse kitchen hardware finishes

Tell us: What kitchen trends are you loving? Homeowners and designers, please share your favorite kitchen colors and finishes in the Comments.

More
How to Remodel Your Kitchen
15 Top Countertop Materials
How to Refresh Your Kitchen on Any Budget

THANK YOU TO HOUZZ FOR THE GREAT INFORMATION!

A Quick Downsizing Quiz for the Undecided

On the fence about downsizing? We help you decide whether that fencing should encircle a mansion or a mini trailer

We all consider downsizing for different reasons. Maybe we’re sick and tired of the maintenance and upkeep of a large home. It could be that we’re weary of the financial burden, or of being tied to a house and yard. Perhaps we want a smaller footprint for greener living. But is downsizing really for you?

If your circumstances make downsizing a necessity, go for it and decide to love it. But if you have a choice in the matter, take a few minutes with what I call the Knee-Jerk Reaction Test to see if downsizing is really for you. Gather a pencil and paper, look at each picture below and write down the number next to the response that most closely matches your own.Ready? Here we go.

Siemasko + Verbridge

1. This is my dream home!
2. Lots of roof there to maintain.
3. All I see is time and $$$$.

Bonterra Build | Design

1. I don’t think my grand piano will fit through the door.
2. Must be nice having time to sit on the porch.
3. When can I move in?

Oregon Cottage Company

1. Is this the garage?
2. I’d have to get rid of a lot of stuff, but maybe it’s time.
3. We could live on the road and visit the grandkids whenever we wanted!

Beth Dana Design

1. Where’s the kitchen?
2. It calls to me. But where am I going to put the Cuisinart, the KitchenAid mixer, the coffeemaker, the espresso machine and the countertop rotisserie?
3. As long as I can find the microwave, I’m good.

Leff Construction Design/Build

1. This is a bedroom I would love to live in.
2. I could probably get along without the fireplace.
3. How many people sleep in this room?

Dailinger Designs

1. I am so not ready to give up my king-size bed.
2. At least there’s room for a chair to throw my clothes on.
3. All I do is sleep there, anyway.

Martha O’Hara Interiors

1. Finally! A laundry room that fits my family!
2. Hopefully I’ve outgrown the need for multiple machines.
3. Looks more like a Laundromat than a laundry room to me.

Castle Building & Remodeling

1. And just where am I supposed to fold the 15 loads of washing I do each week?
2. Maybe this would discourage my son from bringing home his laundry.
3. Compact, functional, no piles of clothes … I like it!

Anthony Wilder Design/Build, Inc.

1. My partner and I both work from home, so this shared office is a good idea.
2. This office makes me tired.
3. Just give me my laptop and a Starbucks!

Rossington Architecture

1. How can you expect me to accomplish anything in such a ridiculous space?
2. This could work if I culled my files …
3. Genius use of closet space.

Stephanie Bonini

1. This closet might work for my partner. But where’s mine?
2. I wish my closet looked like this.
3. Anything I haven’t worn in the past year gets donated, so this is perfect.

David Clough Construction Company

1. Cleaning gutters and working all day in the garden is my idea of a good time.
2. I am seriously getting too old for this.
3. I’d rather golf, read, drink, watch TV, shop or travel than work in my yard.

Shades Of Green Landscape Architecture

1. Where would I play croquet?
2. Wow, I could weed this in five minutes.
3. Someone pour the wine!OK. All done? Now add up all the numbers you wrote down. If you scored:

13–21: You are definitely not a candidate for downsizing, and can totally ignore my next several ideabooks.

22–30: Brace yourself — there is a move in your future. You are definitely showing signs of being bitten by the “maybe it’s time to downsize” bug.

31–39: Call the moving company! And watch for the next installment in this series on the secrets to successful downsizing.

Thank you to:

Houzz and

Becky Dietrich

Christmas Cleanup Tips for the Not Naturally Organized

Dreading the post holiday chores?

First let yourself unwind!

Then grab some boxes, a few supplies and this easy guide!

 Cleanup? I finally got my feet up! Let’s face it: After all the time and work we’ve put in to making the holidays, the last thing anyone wants to do is clean it all up.

If that resonated with you, you are probably Not Naturally Organized and this is just the holiday version of the core issue that divides the Naturally and Not Naturally Organized: now or later. While we, the Not Naturally Organized, want to finally relax and maybe think about cleaning up someday, our Naturally Organized brothers and sisters are twitch, twitch, twitching to haul it all away today.But what about savoring the beauty? I’m with you completely … until February when your tree is moldering in the corner of your living room. Who wants that? Go ahead and relax; whenever you decide to tackle the mess, here are a few tips to make the process as easy as can be.

Take pictures

Before you tear everything apart, take some quick pictures of all of your decorations. I did this last year, and these were my reference when I pulled out the boxes this year. I made a few small changes, but this gave me an easy start.

Be sure to take close-ups to see the details.

Separate the non-breakables

This is my biggest time saver and how I start on the tree. I remove the non-breakable ornaments and lay them in their box. I don’t bother removing the hooks, and with a few exceptions they don’t get tangled. I began doing this to save space on the divided boxes but found it saved me so much time. Bonus!

Break it down into categories

In addition to non-breakable and fragile ornaments, I have boxes for trees, books, lights and miscellaneous larger items like snow globes and the Advent calendar.

With the trees I set the large ones on the bottom and carefully stack the others. The glass or pottery trees I wrap in tissue and securely place in the middle.

Organize-It

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Ornament Keeper Ornament Storage Box – $61.99

This is a very nice box, but inexpensive plastic ones work just fine.

Buy the right supplies

In my family growing up, taking down the tree was as much a part of the tradition as setting it up. My siblings and I were responsible for packing up our personal ornaments, and I carefully wrapped each one in tissue. When I had my own tree with hundreds of ornaments, I dreaded putting them away every year until I finally bought a slew of boxes with dividers.

After the non-breakable ornaments, I remove the fragile ones. If an ornament is precious to me, I’ll take time to wrap it in tissue, but most of them I set in their little cardboard cradles. I’ve never had an ornament break in storage.

This is a really good time to cull the ornaments you don’t love or use. If it’s sitting in the bottom of your boxes when you take down the tree, there’s a reason. I always have a bag for Goodwill at hand.

All season long I have a big basket of our Christmas books by the tree. Every night youngest and I read several titles — a favorite tradition. Storing the books is as simple as emptying the basket into their labeled box. A non-breakable tree or two is often stacked on top.

Make a note

This is one of my miscellaneous boxes. Here I’ve created an inventory for this box: nativities, Advent calendar, snow globes, wreaths, luminaries, lights for the tree.

Under that is a second note and a reminder that we needed to buy two more strands of lights. I was glad to have this when we opened the boxes and before I hung the lights on our tree.

What do you need or want to buy before next Christmas? Take note and write it down.

Get help at the end

I work alone stripping the tree. I’m able to move quickly without breaking anything. When all of the ornaments are boxed, I ask one or two members of my family to haul them down to storage.

Although this looks like mayhem, it’s really only some cardboard, a few boxes, a bit of paper and tissue, and some greenery. This is when I want to throw in the towel, but I make myself keep going. Once I’ve recycled, thrown away or put away everything outstanding, my husband and son haul the tree out and tie it back on the van to take to a local park for recycling. I sweep and vacuum everywhere, but we’ll still see needles here and there for weeks.

Special Thanks to:

Alison Hodgson

Houzz Contributor

Visit our HOUZZ site at

http://www.houzz.com/pro/marthabrown

Winterizing Your Plumbing

Don’t let the cold weather play Russian roulette with your pipes. Water freezes and turns to ice, and when that happens it expands. If that water happens to be inside a metal pipe, it may be strong enough to burst that pipe open. So if you live in an area where water freezes in the wintertime, you’ve got to start winterizing your plumbing.

Going Away

Are you going on vacation? Do you own a property that you don’t live in full-time? Unattended plumbing systems are much, much more likely to fall prey to winter weather. If you own property where hot water isn’t going to be used for many days or weeks at a time, you’ve got to winterize.

Begin by turning off your main water valve. Next, go outside and turn on your hose bib (the outside faucet where you connect the hose). This allows water to drain out of all the pipes. If you have a basement, turn any faucets on there to drain the water.

Buy a large bottle of windshield wiper fluid, liquid that will not freeze even in freezing temperature conditions. Put about 2 cups of this fluid into all drains. This includes the sinks, showers and bath tubs. The goal is to allow the liquid to drain down to the trap, where it will stay. Plumbing traps must have liquid in them to prevent noxious sewer gas smells. But in winter, ordinary water may freeze in that trap and burst pipes. Use your windshield fluid instead. To finish the job, pour about 4 cups of the fluid into each toilet (and don’t flush!).

Staying in the Cold

Even if you plan on using your plumbing system throughout the winter, certain pipes and fixtures can still freeze in cold weather. Check the inside of all your exterior walls. Exterior walls are exposed to the cold. Any plumbing pipes against these walls are at risk. Insulate them to protect them from the cold. Pipe insulation is foam-like material that can be purchased at any home improvement store. Simply wrap it around pipes and use duct or electrical tape to keep it in place.

The same goes for pipes in unconditioned spaces, like attics, crawlspaces and basements.

Next, you need to shut off your hose bibs (the outside faucets). It’s highly unlikely you will be using your garden hose in the winter, and this is why this particular fixture is so prone to freezing and bursting in cold conditions. Locate the inside shut-off valve for this fixture (it’s commonly found under the kitchen sink) and turn it off.

Go outside and disconnect the hose if it is in place. Now, turn on the hose bib to allow any water inside the pipe to drain. Turn off the outside shut-off valve as well. No water will flow to the hose bib while the shut-offs are engaged, so write yourself a note to open them back up once spring rolls around.

Thank you http://www.doityourself.com for great ideas!

Are you planning on building your dream home?  Remodeling your existing home?

Ron and Martha Wolford are the leaders in luxury home construction in Louisville, KY.

Wolford Built Homes

Let us help you have the home of your dreams!    

 

http://www.wolfordbuilthomes.com

Winterizing Your Home: Making Your House Airtight

According to the Department of Energy, you can save 5 to 30% on your home energy bill just by fixing gaps and cracks where air enters or leaves your house. The first step is a visual inspection. Indoors, on a windy day, light a stick of incense and hold it around windows, doors, and other areas where air can get in or out. If the incense travels horizontally, you know you’ve got a problem.
For more accurate results, hire a pro to conduct a home-energy assessment that includes a blower door test. This uses a door-sized fan to pull air out of your house, which will reveal air leaks that aren’t easy to find.
Outside look for gaps and cracks in your home’s foundation, siding, and in spots where two building materials meet-such as siding and a brick chimney. These spots often develop gaps as your house settles with age and because materials expand and contract. Once you’ve identified where your house is leaking air, use this guide to fix the leaks.

1. Exterior Elements:  Seal gaps between different materials (like brick and siding) using exterior caulk or a patching compound.  Make sure it is for outdoor use and compatible with the materials it is in contact with.
2.   Attic Hatches:  Seal the perimeter of the access panel to your attic with weather stripping.  You can also get a draft-blocking stair cover if you have pull-down attic stairs. For walk-up attics, use weather stripping and a door.

3.  Electrical Outlets:  Remove cover plates and secure foam gaskets onto their backsides before reattaching them.

4.  Windows and Doors:  Add caulk or weather stripping around windows and doors. A door sweep will create a weatherproof seal between the door and threshold.

5.  Pipes or Ducts/Vents:  Use caulk or canned spray foam to close gaps wherever pipes, wiring, or ducts penetrate walls, floors, and ceilings.

6.  Ceiling Fixtures:  Gaps around light fixtures often create air loss.  But restricting airflow can cause overheating.  Try replacing older fixtures with air-sealed, IC-rated models.

What sealants work best where?

 Wider gaps in doors and windows:  Weather stripping

Irregularly shaped gaps:  Canned spray foam

Hairline Cracks and Narrow Gaps:  Caulk

  Many thanks to Green Energy Homes and Living Magazine for great suggestions!!!

Are you planning on building your dream home?  Remodeling your existing home?

Ron and Martha Wolford are Louisville’s premier luxury homebuilders.

 

Wolford Built Homes

Let us help you have the home of your dreams!

http://www.wolfordbuilthomes.com