Easy Agent Blogs

Wisteria blooms elegantly along the back fence, temperatures are gradually nudging their way up, grilling season is oh, so close and you’re ready to give your patio or balcony a shot of pre-summer sprucing.

Few things in a busy life feel more luxurious than breakfast on the patio, deck or balcony on a gorgeous spring or summer day, so it’s worth the investment in time, a bit of money and elbow grease to create the patio of your dreams.

This week we offer up 5 steps to get your patio ready for the outdoor-living season.

1. Restore or replace?

If your patio furniture isn’t too terribly shabby, consider restoring it to its former splendor. It’s an easy and inexpensive DIY project, especially if the pieces are made of wood. Wicker or metal furniture are good candidates for restoration as well, but they’ll take a few extra steps.

Use a wire brush or sandpaper to rid metal furniture of built-up grime and rust, thoroughly clean wicker furniture and allow to dry. Then, slap on some gorgeous paint.

The Wicker Woman walks you through the process of painting wicker furniture here. Restoring wood furniture is a snap and you can learn how at Today’s Homeowner.

Need to buy new patio furniture? You can find it at bargain prices at Craigslist.org.

2. Cushions?

It does you no good to refurbish the furniture if you plan on topping it with worn, ratty cushions. New cushions or pillows will add a pop of color and texture. They don’t have to be a budget buster either. Ikea and Walmart carry reasonably-priced cushions.

Prefer to shop online? Check Lowes.com, Amazon.com or Overstock.com.

3. Provide some shade

Your patio will need a shady spot in which to escape the summer sun and there are several brilliant ways to provide it.

If you have money to burn, check out retractable awnings that will cover your patio.  Home Depot and Costco offer them. Read up on the pros and cons of retractable awnings at AngiesList.com.

If you’re on a budget, consider shade sails, which you can purchase at the major home improvement stores or online at retailers such as Coolaroo. Even an inexpensive umbrella can provide shade for people and/or plants.

Need some inspiration? Check out these cool ideas on Pinterest.

4. Water and summer – the perfect pairing

Every patio oasis needs some sort of water feature. Waterfalls and fountains are the most popular and you don’t need an elaborate electrical and irrigation system to build one.

Many of today’s fountains are solar-powered, so you won’t need to perform a major electrical system hack to accommodate them either.

Check out the selection at wayfair.com.

Need inspiration? Find it on Pinterest.

5. Light it up

Is there anything better than al fresco dining? And, no, you don’t need to visit our high-end eateries to experience it.

Once your patio is whipped into shape, all you need to do is add lighting to provide the perfect ambiance.

Get ideas on pinterest.com, hgtv.com and yardenvy.com.

If you live in a condo, the board may have restrictions on what you can do with your balcony or patio, so check with them before spending any money.

Not all home improvement projects are created equal

Trying to figure out which home improvement projects will give you the most bang for your buck? Check out these suggestions:

 

 

 

Last week I came across an article about the latest tech gadgets for the home. There is some pretty cool stuff out there, some of it new and some that has been around for a few years. If you’re in the market for home tech to help make life easier, read on.

Alexa

How can any homeowner get along without Alexa? Once she moves in, you’ll be saying her name more than anyone else’s.

I recently attended a family get together and, when I got home, I realized I’d left my phone behind. I had no way to call them to determine if, indeed, it was sitting on their kitchen counter.

So, I asked Alexa. “Hey, Alexa, can you make phone calls?” She then promptly asked who in my contact list I wished to call and within seconds I was speaking with my uncle over my Echo device.

Echo, for the uninitiated, is a device that has a built-in voice assistant. This assistant is Alexa and she can perform a variety of tasks from singing you to sleep, or playing music and telling jokes to locking the doors at home or turning on the thermostat (if they are enabled to work with Alexa).

In fact, Alexa has more than 7,000 skills, with more added frequently. I turn to Alexa multiple times during the day to remind me of things I need to do, to ask when it will stop raining and to answer questions that I’m too lazy to “Google” for an answer.

If you have no other tech gadget in your home, get an Echo. To learn more about Alexa, visit digitaltrends.com and to see current prices of the Echo device, visit Amazon.com.

 

The food sniffer

Ok, so it’s not life changing, like Alexa, but it may be life-saving. The Food Sniffer has been around for a couple of years, helping you avoid throwing away perfectly good leftovers or, prompting you to throw away those that are spoiled.

The Peres Company describes the Food Sniffer as an “electronic nose.” Run it over the food in question and it “sniffs out the gasses” (such as ammonia) that decomposing meat and fish release.

It isn’t able to sniff out bacteria, however.

A small device, it works via an app that’s available for both iOS and Android devices. It sells for about $130 and you can learn more about it at MyFoodSniffer.com.

 

Tile Pro

Who doesn’t misplace their keys occasionally? Or their phone?

The size of a keychain, Tile Pro attaches to anything you frequently misplace. When you need it, you can locate the item via the TileMate app.

Since it’s the phone we tend to misplace most often, Tile Mate still finds the item for you without having to consult the app — “by remotely making the Tile vibrate, flash, or ring.”

We look forward to if and when this device is compatible with Alexa. Then, she can tell us where it is.

The Tile Mate is a step down from Tile Pro, with a shorter range and less volume. Both are available at Amazon.com, Best Buy and Target.

 

Neato Botvac

Robot vacuums are nothing new, but pair one with smart tech and your housecleaning regime gets a whole lot easier. In fact, the Cnet.com review team calls it “the best-performing robot vacuum we’ve ever tested.”

Best of all? You can control it with Alexa.

Neato Botvac Connected pairs its Wi-Fi with an app for both iOS or Android devices, making it completely controllable via your smartphone. Start it, stop it, schedule it and “even steer it, right from your phone,” claims Ry Crist at Cnet.com.

Watch it in action at YouTube.com.

Hurricane season in 2018 was brutal. We saw eight hurricanes, with Florence and Michael producing the most significant damage.

Hurricane season this year begins on June 1.

Last month, California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, declared a state of emergency in preparation for the 2019 wildfire season. The declaration allows him to waive environmental restrictions “to speed up fire prevention projects …” according to CBS Los Angeles.

Notice the key concept in that announcement: Preparation.

With a couple of months’ lead time, even the most unprepared homeowner can take steps to keeping his or her family and home safe during natural disasters.

Family first

We’ve all seen the news reports about people who wait until the last minute to stock up on supplies when a killer storm is expected. Don’t be one of them, facing picked over hardware items and empty shelves at the grocery store.

First, make a plan. Questions to have the answers to include:

How will we contact one another?

It is especially important for children to know the plan in case of an emergency. Designate one adult family member to be the designated contact. Ready.gov recommends choosing someone who lives out of town in case cell service is down in your area.

Write down the contact’s phone number and a reminder of the meeting spots and keep it in your child’s school bag. Cell phones may not be working

Where will we meet?

If your children are older, pick a meeting spot that’s close to home and an alternative spot that is outside the neighborhood in case roads are blocked.

If we have to evacuate, what is the best route?

Plan your route before disaster strikes. Figure out where you can go if evacuation is ordered. Think friends, family members or a hotel. The experts at Ready.gov suggest that you “Choose destinations in different directions so that you have options during an emergency.”

Always follow the instructions of local officials and remember that your evacuation route may be on foot depending on the type of disaster.

Always keep enough fuel in your car to get to your destination.

Do you have emergency supplies set aside? You’ll need a lot more than water if the power is out for any length of time. Find a list of what to set aside for emergencies at Fema.gov.

Keep an emergency survival kit in the trunk of your automobile (especially if you live where earthquakes occur). Include, at the very minimum a portable radio, cell phone charger, matches, flashlights and batteries, blankets, extra shoes and socks in case you need to walk to your destination and drinking water.

You’ll find a list of other items to include at Almanac.com and on the National Safety Council’s website.

Don’t forget the pets

Although many Americans consider their pets as part of the family, they’re frequently left off the to-do list when considering prepping for the expected or unexpected that nature throws our way.

So, we’ve compiled that list for you and your pets:

• Ensure that each of your pets is microchipped. Then, if a hurricane or other natural disaster is expected, ensure that they’re wearing collars with up-to-date identification tags firmly attached to the collars.
• Don’t leave your pets behind if you need to evacuate. Have a plan on where you will take them before finding shelter for yourself. Ideas may include hotels that allow pets, boarding facilities outside of the danger zone, a friend or relative’s home, also outside the danger zone.
• Keep a pet emergency kit. You can buy them online or create your own. TheSeniorDog.com has a brilliant list of items you’ll need in your kit.

Get more tips at ASPCA.org.

Items you’ll need for an insurance claim

Do you have an inventory of all of your belongings? If not, get that done now, before hurricane and wildfire seasons arrive. Photographs or video are ideal ways of cataloging your belongings. Be sure to include purchase dates and places and serial numbers.

If you need help visit the Insurance Information Institute’s website.

Then, keep copies of other important documents such as your driver’s license, insurance paperwork, bank account numbers, the deed to your home or your mortgage company’s contact information, vital statistics documents (birth, marriage, citizenship or Green Card).

Go to Fema.gov for more information on how to protect important documents and which ones you may need during and after a disaster.

Most of us homeowners consider spring cleaning as the project that clears the home’s interiors of winter’s nastiness. You know, the mud in the mud room, the stale odors, the fireplace scent clinging to draperies and rugs.

The home’s exterior rarely gets our spring-cleaning love, but it should, according to the founder of Winkelmann Design & Construction in Akron, Ohio. In fact, he provided Weather.com a list of 10 home exterior cleaning projects that are inexpensive and won’t take up too much of your time.

Is that grime on your garage door?

When the garage is at the front of the home, it’s even more important to keep the door clean – especially if you have an overly-picky HOA or your home is on the market.

Winkelmann claims that about 85 percent of garage doors today are made of fiberglass, an easy substance to clean.

In fact, all it takes is a solution of warm water and a small amount of bleach, a scrub brush and a hose with which to rinse the door after cleaning.

Winkelmann cautions owners of metal garage doors to ensure they follow up the rinse with a thorough drying. Otherwise, you may face rust in the future.

 

Whatcha gonna do with all that junk?

Your garage, when the door is closed, is a sparkling marvel for the neighbors to behold. Open that door, though, and “all that junk” is exposed for all the world to see.

But, appearances, as we all know, aren’t the only things that matter. A garage is the ultimate storage solution, whether for your autos or for belongings. But it’s useless if it’s cluttered and disorganized.

No, it’s not exactly a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon, but get it done and vow to keep it organized, and it may just be the one household task you are grateful you performed.

 

Ew, what’s that smell?

Our HOA demands that our trash cans and recycling bins be kept in our garage. You can imagine what they smell like right around mid-summer after sitting, full of garbage, in a hot garage.

And, if you’re blessed with an HOA that allows your cans to reside outdoors, the stench may act as an invitation to critters. You know, rats, mice, raccoons, coyotes.

Winkelmann suggests, again, using bleach to get rid of the crud and the stench. We rather like the job that ammonia does, especially when it’s allowed to sit for a time.

Then, add water and get to work wiping down the walls. An old mop works well for this job or, purchase an extendable tub and tile scrubber, like this one.

Naturally, you’ll want to wear gloves and a mask when working with either substance – they’re both pretty caustic.

And never, ever mix bleach and ammonia. Ever.

If you just can’t stand the thought of using either substance, consider a powdered cleanser or white vinegar.

 

Keep spring showers outdoors

One of the best ways to avoid moisture intrusion in the home is to clean the gutters and downspouts. After a blustery fall and winter, they’re most likely full of all kinds of stuff that will impede drainage and end up backed up into the home.

Need some inspiration and instructions on how to get the job done safely? Lowe’s has produced a brilliant video walk-through and you’ll find it on YouTube.com.

 

Summer is coming

Whether you store your patio furniture indoors or out over the winter, it’s in need of at least a wipe down. We’d wager that it probably needs more, though.

Remove the cushions and, hopefully, they have zippers and are machine washable. If not, grab a can of upholstery cleaner (Car Guys or Resolve are both highly rated) and scrub away the grime from last year.

Then, get to work cleaning the chairs, table and umbrella.

Still have some energy? Grilling season is coming up so tear into that barbecue. Steel wool and scrubbing will get the mess off the grills.

The pros at TodaysHomeonwer.com recommend using aluminum foil and vinegar. You can learn that technique, here.

The best part about exterior spring cleaning is that it can be done in chunks. Save the projects for those spring days that aren’t sunny or warm enough to beckon you out to play.

What’s old typically becomes new, right? Whether it’s fashion, music, dance styles or décor, never count a trend down and out, because the chances are good that it will see a revival.

Scandinavian décor hit it big again a couple of years ago, especially in the midwest United States. And now, we’ve niched that down to a return to the “Danish modern” period of furniture design.

While once the epitome of tasteful, modern décor, Danish modern is now considered vintage, and in high demand. While some authentic pieces may run into the thousands of dollars, there are still bargains available if you don’t mind using pieces from lesser-known designers.

The Danish modern period runs, roughly, from 1920 to the 1960’s.

Danish modern history

The early 1900’s saw a plethora of new inventions including adhesive tape, the airplane, the ballpoint pen and the Model T. Furniture designers around the world also became caught up in the movement toward new concepts and ideas.

Kaare Klint, a designer from Copenhagen, felt otherwise. According to Andrew Hollingsworth, author of “Danish Modern,” Mr. Klint, a traditionalist, felt that there was no need to reinvent furniture.

Changing the lines and materials were all that was required to modernize traditional pieces. Klint ascribed to a design ideal that put comfort and utility over design.

Subsequent designers of note, such as Hans Wegner, Finn Juhl and Ole Wanscher expanded on Klint’s foundation to create what is now known as Danish modern furniture. 

Form

Danish modern furniture is, overall, simple, or, as Andrew Hollingsworth describes it, “austere.” While chairs were designed primarily for comfort, designers carefully sculptured them into works of art.

Free-flowing designs, such as Finn Juhl’s Pelikan chair, are examples of this concept: comfort combined with artistic flair.

Danish modern cabinetry has simple lines, chairs typically contain pointed arms and sofas are streamlined, many with asymmetrical backs.

 Wood

One of the hallmarks of true Danish modern furniture is dark wood. Teak was one of the more commonly used materials, with European oak running a close second. Rosewood was employed in higher-end designs, according to Andrew Hollingsworth.

Mahogany, while not common, was utilized during the latter half of the period. After World War II, when materials were scarce, designers began using plywood, bending it and molding it into their designs.

The famous Ant Chair, designed by Arne Jacobsen in 1952, used a single piece of plywood, bent into the design.

Metal

Poul Kjaerholm’s designs diverged from those of his contemporaries by his extensive use of steel instead of wood. In keeping with the main hallmark of Danish modern design – comfort – he combined steel with wood, leather and other materials.

Overall, the play of light on steel ignited his artistic sensibilities and provided stunning Danish modern pieces that today’s collectors clamor after. Check out this 3-seat sofa that sells today for more than $44,000.

Fabrics that define Danish Modern

Another common hallmark of Danish modern furniture is the choice of leather for upholstered pieces. Chairs and stools were frequently upholstered in different types of leather, with the patterns of ostrich leather in high demand.

Later in the movement, while leather was still prominent, stretch fabric was utilized frequently. While the darker colors, such as black and deep brown, were the most popular, toward the end of the period green and light blue leather were in vogue.

Learn more about Danish Modern at Collector’sWeekly.com and HiveModern.com and view creations from some of the more famous furniture designers at DanishFurniture.com.