Housing Trends Archives - Page 7 of 9 - Windermere Certified Senior Transitions

Choosing the Right Backsplash for Your Kitchen

October 16, 2018/in Blog, home design, home interior, home interiors, Housing Trends, kitchen design, kitchen trends /by Windermere Colorado

Every chef’s kitchen should have a style that matches the delicious food that comes out of it. But even if you’re doing little more than making mac and cheese out of a box, your kitchen still can be a place of color and creativity. Kitchen backsplashes are nothing new, but they’ve seen a recent surge in popularity. We’re fortunate to see homes every day with creative takes on this tiling trend, so we decided to showcase some popular backsplash designs to serve as inspiration.

Glass Tile

Image Rights – Better Homes & Gardens

When designing a kitchen, function and flair should work hand in hand. The appeal of glass tiling is that it’s easy to clean.
Backing up the functionality is affordability. While glass tiling runs more expensive than ceramic, the cost is typically below stainless steel, and even some stones.
Glass tiling is perfect for those with an artistic flair. Whether it’s simply a splash of color, a full mosaic, or even an intricate design, glass tile lets your inner artist shine.
While the initial cost may be greater, glass tiling can more easily be found in pre-set sheets, making DIY installation far easier than many other types of tiles.

Ceramic Tile

Image Rights – Kitchen-Design-Ideas.org

If you need a backsplash that can hold up to consistent use, ceramic tile is a great fit.
The most cost-effective tile to professionally install, ceramic tiling offers a glazed shine with a variety of color options.
Creating a clear, simple, ceramic backsplash is a great way to add a colorful flair to your kitchen.
Between the cost-effectiveness and its low-maintenance nature, ceramic is unsurprisingly the most common type of kitchen tiling.

Metallic Tile

Image Rights – Architecture Art Designs

Stainless steel is one of the more popular backsplash options for those interested in a metallic finish, but we’re also seeing more aluminum, copper, and bronze tiles.
The range in metal type obviously impacts the cost, but most metal tiles are much more expensive than their ceramic counterparts – at least $10 per square foot more.
For that extra cost, however, you’ll receive a sturdy backsplash with a modern sheen that is easy to clean.
With stainless steel in particular, consistent maintenance is necessary to avoid a dulling of the backsplash’s shine.

Stone Slab

Image Rights – Houzz.com

Sturdy? Check. Waterproof? Check. Classy? Check. From soapstone to marble to granite to good old-fashioned brick, there is no more low-maintenance backsplash base than stone.
For the pleasure of acquiring a stone backsplash, you’ll typically pay more than most other materials. Between installation and material cost, the up-front payment can approach $1,000 for less than 30 square feet of wall space.
With a wide range of stone to choose from, a number of color options are available at varying costs.

If that upfront payment is manageable, the results will blend both aesthetics and function, and stone’s resiliency makes any follow-up costs minimal.

For an expert DIY challenge, there are many other ways to create a satisfying backsplash that fits your fancy, including vinyl wallpaper, wood, and even beadboard. What’s your dream backsplash style?

The post Choosing the Right Backsplash for Your Kitchen appeared first on Windermere Colorado REALTORS.

How Glass Design Can Help Reflect the Best of Your Home

October 11, 2018/in Blog, decorating, glass design, Housing Trends, interior design /by Windermere Colorado

Glass has been a key component of home design for style and function for thousands of years. The versatility of glass is such that nearly every single modern home constructed utilizes glass in some way, shape, or form. But there’s no need to settle for simply including glass window panes and calling it good. Whether it’s in the interior or exterior, accentuating your home with glass is a great way to invite light, show creativity, and convey a truly modern sense of style in your home. We picked a few of our favorite ways to utilize glass below:

Glass Furniture

Photo Credit: Trendir.com

Glass tables, chairs, bookcases, and more are unique choices that deliver a clear message in your home: you mean business.
If you work from home often, a glass table is an excellent accent to add a hint of professionalism to the home office.
Glass shelving can be used to keep a space feeling open and light, while still maximizing function.

Creative Window Glass

Photo Credit: Freshome.com

Whether your climate is arid or humid, snowy or rainy, there’s a glass style that fits your home.
Multi-paned glass not only is tougher but provides enough protection from the elements to make it worthy of full-wall usage in some homes.
Embracing open glass windows and walls is a great step, but adding glass features throughout a room can help enhance the sense of openness and promote a sense of natural lighting.
Stained glass needn’t be the purview of Gothic architecture alone. A well-placed stained glass insert can completely transform the lighting and aesthetic of an otherwise unremarkable interior.

Glass Accents

Photo Credit: HomeDIT.com

A glass table or window is all well and good, but sometimes your space needs more, or has limitations on what can be done.
Stepping stones, candle-holders, and light fixtures are just a few ways to use glass in the periphery of your home to shed light and attention onto the parts of your home you’d like focus on.
Feeling particularly bold? Glass items with multi-chromatic finishes can shed lights of various colors, delivering just the right vibe for the moment.

Sea Glass/Beach Glass

Photo Credit: LovelyGreens.com

Whether lakeside in Idaho or on the beach in Santa Monica, the experience of living surrounded by water is unique in all its forms. But a dash of seaside flair can be added to any home.
In some cases the best ways to evoke the spirit of waterfront living is with sea glass accents.
From a DIY sea glass-filled candle jar to a letterpress tray display of color, or even a faux-stained glass window styling to play with lighting effects, sea glass is a fun accent that can bring a theme all the way home.

The post How Glass Design Can Help Reflect the Best of Your Home appeared first on Windermere Colorado REALTORS.

How Glass Design Can Help Reflect the Best of Your Home

October 11, 2018/in Blog, decorating, glass design, Housing Trends, interior design /by Windermere Colorado

Glass has been a key component of home design for style and function for thousands of years. The versatility of glass is such that nearly every single modern home constructed utilizes glass in some way, shape, or form. But there’s no need to settle for simply including glass window panes and calling it good. Whether it’s in the interior or exterior, accentuating your home with glass is a great way to invite light, show creativity, and convey a truly modern sense of style in your home. We picked a few of our favorite ways to utilize glass below:

Glass Furniture

Photo Credit: Trendir.com

Glass tables, chairs, bookcases, and more are unique choices that deliver a clear message in your home: you mean business.
If you work from home often, a glass table is an excellent accent to add a hint of professionalism to the home office.
Glass shelving can be used to keep a space feeling open and light, while still maximizing function.

Creative Window Glass

Photo Credit: Freshome.com

Whether your climate is arid or humid, snowy or rainy, there’s a glass style that fits your home.
Multi-paned glass not only is tougher but provides enough protection from the elements to make it worthy of full-wall usage in some homes.
Embracing open glass windows and walls is a great step, but adding glass features throughout a room can help enhance the sense of openness and promote a sense of natural lighting.
Stained glass needn’t be the purview of Gothic architecture alone. A well-placed stained glass insert can completely transform the lighting and aesthetic of an otherwise unremarkable interior.

Glass Accents

Photo Credit: HomeDIT.com

A glass table or window is all well and good, but sometimes your space needs more, or has limitations on what can be done.
Stepping stones, candle-holders, and light fixtures are just a few ways to use glass in the periphery of your home to shed light and attention onto the parts of your home you’d like focus on.
Feeling particularly bold? Glass items with multi-chromatic finishes can shed lights of various colors, delivering just the right vibe for the moment.

Sea Glass/Beach Glass

Photo Credit: LovelyGreens.com

Whether lakeside in Idaho or on the beach in Santa Monica, the experience of living surrounded by water is unique in all its forms. But a dash of seaside flair can be added to any home.
In some cases the best ways to evoke the spirit of waterfront living is with sea glass accents.
From a DIY sea glass-filled candle jar to a letterpress tray display of color, or even a faux-stained glass window styling to play with lighting effects, sea glass is a fun accent that can bring a theme all the way home.

The post How Glass Design Can Help Reflect the Best of Your Home appeared first on Windermere Colorado REALTORS.

Yard Sale Success

September 28, 2018/in garage sale, Housing Trends, yard sale /by Windermere Colorado

Yard sale season has arrived! Many people shy away from the idea of having a yard sale, but do you truly need that broken down accordion or the 80’s styled prom dress? A yard sale is a great way to get out with the old and make room for the new. Here are some tips to help make your yard sale a success …

1. If you haven’t used it in more than a year you most likely won’t use it in the next year. Sell it.

2. Get the community involved. Contact your neighbors and coordinate having one large neighborhood sale on the same day. This will give consumers a greater incentive to come.

- Helpful Hint: Have each participating household pitch in a few bucks for directional signs or an advertisement in the local paper.

3. Get your whole family involved. Set up a lemonade stand or have a small bake sale for your kids to run.

4. Promote yourself through your favorite social networking site … for free.

- Create a facebook event page and invite all your friends

- Tweet about it. Create a fun Twitter hashtag and offer a prize to those who Tweet about your sale.

5. Offer an incentive. Give away a free grab-bag to your tenth customer.

6. Price slightly higher than you’re willing to sell that way, there is room for negotiation.

7. After your sale is over, do not, I repeat, DO NOT put the leftovers back in your house, garage, or storage. Immediately donate them to your local thrift store, so there is no chance of procrastination or keeping things you do not need.

We would love to hear your tips when it comes to yard sale success!

The post Yard Sale Success appeared first on Windermere Colorado REALTORS.

Yard Sale Success

September 28, 2018/in garage sale, Housing Trends, yard sale /by Windermere Colorado

Yard sale season has arrived! Many people shy away from the idea of having a yard sale, but do you truly need that broken down accordion or the 80’s styled prom dress? A yard sale is a great way to get out with the old and make room for the new. Here are some tips to help make your yard sale a success …

1. If you haven’t used it in more than a year you most likely won’t use it in the next year. Sell it.

2. Get the community involved. Contact your neighbors and coordinate having one large neighborhood sale on the same day. This will give consumers a greater incentive to come.

- Helpful Hint: Have each participating household pitch in a few bucks for directional signs or an advertisement in the local paper.

3. Get your whole family involved. Set up a lemonade stand or have a small bake sale for your kids to run.

4. Promote yourself through your favorite social networking site … for free.

- Create a facebook event page and invite all your friends

- Tweet about it. Create a fun Twitter hashtag and offer a prize to those who Tweet about your sale.

5. Offer an incentive. Give away a free grab-bag to your tenth customer.

6. Price slightly higher than you’re willing to sell that way, there is room for negotiation.

7. After your sale is over, do not, I repeat, DO NOT put the leftovers back in your house, garage, or storage. Immediately donate them to your local thrift store, so there is no chance of procrastination or keeping things you do not need.

We would love to hear your tips when it comes to yard sale success!

The post Yard Sale Success appeared first on Windermere Colorado REALTORS.

Transforming Your House from a Summer Home to a Winter Hideaway

September 25, 2018/in Housing Trends, Windermere Colorado, winterize your home, winterizing your home /by Windermere Colorado

None of us want to admit it, but Winter is Coming. The new season of Game of Thrones might not be until 2019, but your home will need preparation before then. As the days shorten, you can mitigate many mid-winter headaches with some preemptive prep. Proper weatherizing can help protect your investment from preventable damage, save money on energy costs, and, most importantly, keep your home safe and warm for you and your loved ones throughout the winter season. Here is a useful checklist to manage your weatherization project. Setting aside some time on a couple Sundays should be more than enough to knock this out:

Getting started: Check your toolbox to make sure you have all the materials you need for home maintenance in one place. This NY Times article provides a good list of the tools you’ll really need to maintain your home. After your toolbox is put together, you can confidently begin the maintenance on your home.

Insulation: Insulating a home can reduce your energy bill by up to 50%. For the best results, your home should be properly insulated from the ceilings to the basement. By starting in your attic and progressively adding insulation to other areas of your home over time, you will avoid spending a large sum of money up-front.

Cracks & Leaks: Do a run-through of your entire house for cracks and leaks, from your roof to your baseboards. Winter weather is unpredictable. Whether your area gets rain, wind or snow, cracks in your house can lead to cold drafts or leaks that cause water damage. Depending on your house type, most cracks can be easily filled with supplies from your local hardware store in a do-it-yourself fashion. Use caulk to seal any cracks in the permanent building materials.

Windows & Doors: Another common place for heat leakage is in your windows and exterior doorways. Make sure seals are tight and no leaks exist. If you have storm windows, make sure you put them on before the cold season begins. Don’t underestimate the difference some weatherstrips and a door sweep can provide in preventing drafts and keeping the heat in.

Rain Gutters: Clean your rain gutters of any debris. In colder climates, buildup will cause gutters to freeze with ice, crack and then leak. Once you have removed the residue from the drains, test them by running hose water to make sure cracks and leaks have not already formed. Even in warmer locales, the buildup can put undue stress on your roof and home.

Pipes: Pipes are a number one risk in winter climates. A burst pipe can become a winter disaster in a matter of seconds. Remember to turn off your exterior water source and take in your hose. Internally, wrapping your pipes is a recommended precaution to take.

Heating System: What’s one thing gas fireplaces, wood burning stoves, and central air heating systems all have in common? They all need to be cleaned and maintained. Annual checks of are vital in avoiding dangers such as house fires. If you use an old-fashioned wood stove, make sure there are no leaks and that all soot build up or nests are removed. If a furnace is what you have, remember to change the filters as recommended or clean out your reusable filters.

Fireplace & Wood burning stoves: Make sure to have chimneys and air vents cleaned early in the season if you are planning on warming your home with a wood-burning source. When your fireplace is not in use make sure to close the damper, some resources estimate an open damper can increase energy consumption by as much as 30%.

Outside: As we mentioned before, make sure you bring your patio furniture inside (or cover) for the winter- but don’t forget other, smaller items such as your tools, including a hose and small planting pot. Clear out any piles around the side of your house, checking for cracks as you go so to avoid providing shelter for unwelcome guests over the cold season. If your property has large trees check for loose branches and call someone to trim back any items that may fall in your yard, on your roof or even damage a window.

Emergency Kit: Lastly, make sure your emergency kit is up-to-date with provisions, batteries, fresh water, food for animals, entertainment for kids, etc- especially if you live in an area prone to power outages.

The post Transforming Your House from a Summer Home to a Winter Hideaway appeared first on Windermere Colorado REALTORS.

Keeping Up with the Joneses: The Great Paint Debate

September 24, 2018/in decorating, exterior, Housing Trends, Keeping Up with the Joneses, painting your home /by Windermere Colorado

A few weeks back, Jenn and I decided to finally pull the trigger on painting our home. The vinyl siding of the 1942 Seattle Cape Cod fixer we purchased nine months ago had been sun bleached to the point of resembling a kind of soft lemon chiffon yellow you’d see on a cake your grandmother baked. Great for dessert, bad for today’s exterior home color. We wanted a charming, warm and inviting new exterior home color but were fearful about what it would cost to have a professional do it. We had saved between 10-15k by renovating our bathroom ourselves. Couldn’t we just pick up some paint and make a Saturday of it?

Pro tip: In Seattle, painting outside competes with the weather. Make sure you have a runway of at least a week of good weather to ensure you can paint the house in its entirety while leaving time for it to dry.

Seeing as the summer season was pretty much over (say it ain’t so!) and the wet Seattle fall was nearly upon us, we figured we had only a week or two left to get the job done. I’m the kind of person who jumps on a new project… and maybe sometimes I put the horse before the cart. *Cue Jenn’s pursed-lips smirk* So once Jenn and I agreed we were going through with the project, I had three different painters bid out the job and booked the least expensive (but experienced) professional within two days. I scheduled him to arrive the following day.

Good Husband Tip: Don’t give your wife 12 hours to decide what color to paint your house.

Pro Tip: Don’t feel bad about shopping for the best price with home professionals. They bid homes out every day and won’t be offended. Most of the time, they present a bid with room for negotiation. It never hurts to get a second bid or ask for a cheaper price.

With the pressure of our painter showing up the next day, we scarfed down dinner and took a trip to the paint store. (I tried to convince my wife this was an opportunity for us to bond as a family unit. “We could make it educational! Teach Addie about hues and shades! C’mon, honey… it’ll be fun!” *Cue Jenn’s pursed-lips smirk*) We knew we had to get special paint for our vinyl siding so that narrowed it down to about 20 options. And we wanted a sort of dark blue so we picked out two colors that looked promising and headed home to test them out.

Pro Tip: When testing paint, make sure you let it dry before you decide which color to go with. Paint a few different swatches on various sides of the house and watch how it looks during different times of the day.

One test swatch (on the right, called “Prime Time”) was a little purplely/blue grey and the other was a slightly lighter blue (on the left, called “Stone Cold). Those are two seriously stellar wrestler names, amiright?

With our painter arriving that evening, the pressure was on for us to choose. We’re Millennials so we did the only logical thing you can do when making a big decision. We asked our friends on Facebook. 76 comments later, there was still no clear answer.

Mid-debate, our dear friend Kim Gorsline of Kimberlee Marie Interior Design called us up with some highly insightful information. First of all, a paint store has pre-mixed vinyl siding paint but they can actually make ANY color into vinyl siding paint. Which means we had a lot more choices (which left me feeling excited and gave Jenn heartburn). More importantly, Kim pointed out that the two options we had might not be exactly what we hoped for. She suggested a few colors that had more grey tones and in much deeper shades. She promised us that we’d still get the blue house of our dreams even if the colors looked dark grey on the swatches.

Pro tip: You can get small paper swatches for free or pay a few bucks for a large paper square but nothing will compare to a sample of real paint on your surface. We spent $59.34 on paint samples and it was worth every penny.

Back to the paint store we went, grabbing three more options to test. Our painter began taping off the trim as we took a few steps back to assess the swatches… BOOM! We had our answer… Britannia Blue by Benjamin Moore. Not the best wrestler name but a nice blue nonetheless.

We trust Kim’s vision and design talent wholeheartedly and as the days went on and the paint went up, we couldn’t have been more pleased. I installed some new lights fixtures and house numbers that Jenn picked out. Only this time, I gave her three days of lead time *Cue Jenn’s pursed-lips smirk*

Tyler Davis Jones is a Windermere Real Estate agent in Seattle who, with his wife Jenn, recently traded in their in-city condo for a 1940s fixer-upper. Tyler and Jenn, along with the help of some very generous friends and family members, are taking on all the renovations themselves. You can follow the transformation process on the Windermere Blog or on Tyler’s website and Instagram.

The post Keeping Up with the Joneses: The Great Paint Debate appeared first on Windermere Colorado REALTORS.