Home Staging

The purpose of this article is to provide you with some ideas that can help you make the most out of landscaping your new Chicago home.

New home landscaping can be defined as the art of conscious arrangement or organization of outdoor space for human satisfaction and enjoyment. Naturally a new home owner will want to make the landscape look as great as the interior of the house. If you just take a casual look at magazines or websites devoted to ‘new home landscaping’, you will find out that today your problem is not what to use but how to limit yourself to the most effective plants and materials for your particular landscape. The idea is to create a landscape that tells everyone who you are and makes your home even more beautiful. Below are some steps that could be useful for you to follow when designing and implementing your new home’s landscape.

You start your new home landscaping project with a plan. A landscaping plan typically shows an aerial view of the lot and notes the location of patios, sidewalks, trees, shrubs, flower beds, ponds and other features. To create this plan, you can either hire a landscape architect or contractor, or do it on your own. A landscape professional will visit the site and draw in detail every aspect of the yard, and design the landscaping.

Here is a guide if you want to create the landscaping plan on your own. First and foremost, get a layout diagram from the builder showing your property and its boundaries. Copy it and even enlarge it to a scale that you find useful and readable. It is advisable to make several copies as you will use them for different aspects of your work. With a copy of this in hand, walk around your property and take note of anything that may affect your design. Mark the location of trees, fences, utility lines, water, sidewalks, driveways. Indicate drainage patterns and slope of the land. After preparing the base plan, place tracing paper or tissue paper over the original plan to sketch possible ideas and solutions to your landscape needs and problems. The final goal is to get to know your property as much as possible and get a detailed vision of what you want to make out of it.

The next step is to create a vision in your mind of how you would like your new home landscape to look like. But what you should never forget is your budget. Plan before you make any purchases. Without a plan, you may buy things you don’t really need, and that can waste money. Only after you know exactly what you need for this project should you start buying supplies.

Your next task is to decide how you will go about doing your new home landscaping, which quite often depends on your budget as well. You have two options here: to make the whole project at once, or do it piece by piece, in stages. There are many instances when landscaping in stages is the best solution. For some home buyers, their budgets will not support a full scale project all at once so they find staging to be the best choice.

Even though home landscaping can’t be broken down to a series of rules, it may be helpful for the homeowner to keep the following design concepts in mind as the design develops:

1. Always choose building materials that fit into the overall look and feel of the landscape, materials that blend well in the natural environment or that may be found there.

2. Repeat materials and colors already used on the home in the landscaping.

3. Group similar plants together.

4. Regarding the trees, choose spots that have adequate sunlight and make sure the trees are protected from pests.

Dave Badge
http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/landscaping-a-new-chicago-home-59824.html

In today’s high-stakes world of real estate sales you may, at some time be approached by your realtor and be asked to have your home staged. This process is becoming ever more popular in home sales and as it gains popularity it becomes ever more necessary; due to the fact that staged homes simply show better. This simple fact has led to the explosion of the home staging industry and it takes little effort to find a stager in almost any town or city.Any stager will operated along the same principles; get rid of clutter and mess and improve the visual qualities of all rooms.This is true in all staging as homes in their lived-in condition can sometimes be harder to sell as they do have that “lived in” look. This can make it more difficult to sell a home as places such as this tend to impart too much of the seller to the buyer, thereby making it hard for the buyer to gain a sense of comfort in the home.

Comfort for viewers is incredibly important, too many prospective sales have left homes because they just “don’t feel right.” Much of the time this is due to your daily items being in their line of sight, This is one reason why some stagers will suggest that you use rental furniture specially chosen for the staging process. With rental or replacement furniture, the stager can tailor colors and patterns to compliment the home and you can get started on your packing without having to worry about showing an empty home. Unfortunately ‘lived in” is not really the look you are shooting for here, what is preferable is the “showroom” look that you see in magazines and furniture stores. This has become the reality of home sales. Simply cleaning the home has ceased to be sufficient to ensure a quick sale and buyers are looking for something more in homes that they view and the responsibility to provide that has fallen to the seller. Sellers must supply more of a complete package than ever before and staging has proven to a great way to do this.

John West
http://www.articlesbase.com/real-estate-articles/home-staging-and-you-171189.html

Decorating with the Contemporary home decorating style is a fantastic way to give your home a sleek and stylish look. Using this style you can get the feeling of modern design with contemporary style decorating no matter what type of home you have.

One of the first things you need to think about is furniture. You want to choose items that are sleek and made of simple woods or, perhaps, steel to enhance the contemporary home decorating style. Make sure you stick to pieces in a sleek linear style and don’t go for any floral or “old fashioned” style fabrics.

Window treatments is another important part of any interior decorating design. Decorating with simple curtains, drapes or shutters with this interior decorating scheme works great, but you should make sure they are minimalist in design. Depending on the type of look you are going for in the room, you could choose plain sheers or even just wooden blinds.

Take your design theme down to the floor by having matching area rugs. You should try to ensure you pick something which enhances your interior design in both color and style. To provide an attractive decorative look, why not consider short pile or shag rugs in colors like white, black or beiges?

Every design theme needs accessories, so try to choose paintings and other decorative items that set off your contemporary theme. The minimalist aura of this design approach should be mirrored in the accessories so you don’t want to pick anything that is to frilly, nor do you want to clutter up the room with too much stuff. A few simple but carefully placed items will work with your décor to enhance the design.

Lighting is a key factor for any style but you would be smart to be certain that you match yours to the contemporary style. When locating your lighting fixtures for this look, go with something that is modernistic in design and simple in line. Recessed lighting always looks good and for accent lamps you want to stick to simple wood or steel lamps with unadorned shades.

It’s not hard to add the sleek look of the contemporary home decorating style and it doesn’t have to drain your budget either. If you apply smart shopping techniques and look for your items at sales and even buy second hand at consignment stores and yard sales, you can save loads of money while still getting a great look!

Lee Dobbins
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/jazz-up-your-home-with-the-contemporary-home-decorating-style-118614.html

Furnishing and accessorizing a deck can easily be a pleasant experience. A wide variety of different products are vailable to a homeowner. It is very important to avoid going to the extreme by placing too much on the deck.

This can easily turn the outdoor living space into an obstacle rather than a structure that enhances its aesthetic and functional qualities in relation to the home and yard.

In situations where the deck is to be used year round or during the evening, outdoor lights, fire pits and patio heaters merit consideration. Plan extra space around grills and fire pits. Take the steps required to ensure that passageways that are frequently used are a minimum of 4 feet wide and are clear of any kinds of obstruction.

Hot tubs and water features should only be considered if there is sufficient space available. Features such as these demand careful planning, substantial amounts of space, weight supports and their own electrical circuits.

Decorative lighting is a great way to establish the mood on a deck. The possibilities are almost limitless. Low voltage commercial light strings can be woven along railing systems or in nearby overhanging branches. Low voltage light fixtures can also be hidden in hanging planters to create a feeling of ambiance.

The addition of lights to the surrounding yard greatly enhances the view from the deck at night creating drama as well as a sense of security. Utilize spotlights or floodlights to accent trees, shrubs and sculpture. Add spread lights to throw light horizontally across a garden or flower bed. In addition, position wash lights to reveal texture on a surface such as a chimney or masonry wall.

Decorative lighting fixtures for the outdoors are available in both line and low voltage types. Often they are available with a choice of lamps that include halogen, incandescent and compact flourescent. The latter lamp type is energy efficient and lasts the longest.

Avoid solar powered lights because the light output they generate is quite low. LED lighting fixtures are the wave of the future for low voltage deck and landscape lighting. These lights work well on stairs, in railing systems and when mounted on railing posts.

LED bulbs have an incredible lifespan and virtually never need changing. Although LED light fixtures cost more initially than their traditional counterparts, they are cheaper in the long run. They also conserve energy and are cooler thus reducing any danger related to finger burns.

A hot tub can be a great deck addition for relaxation but it requires a good deal of planning. Details must be worked out well in advance for its size, the number and placement of water jets, the location on the deck and support. All this must be done before any concrete is poured and any framework is built.

Hot tubs come in a variety of materials that include acrylic, stainless steel and ceramic tile. They also vary greatly in size with capacities up to 8 people.

The hot tub should be located in a space that maintains privacy. A separate open air or screened gazebo can work extremely well while providing a handy place to store towels, robes, shoes and even books.

Where the hot tub is part of the main deck structure, consider the installation of built-in seating around it. Think about placing planters in such a way as to separate the hot tub from other activity areas. Hot tubs can be installed flush with the deck surface or they can sit on the deck’s surface.

Flush type hot tubs need a concrete slab for support. Hot tubs on the deck surface require extra footings and additional framing.

Any hot tub will need a water source, an electrical source, housing for the pump, valves and filter. A ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) is a must to prevent possible electrocution. A wise decision would be to involve a licensed electrician and plumber in the addition process of a hot tub to the deck.

Ornamental water features, either freestanding or wall mounted, can buffer unwanted noise and provide a measure of relaxation. They require a power source to operate the pump motor. Water can be added occasionally to replenish the system and help to keep the pump functioning efficiently.

In cases where the foutain has a large water basin, a direct water source and a float valve can be used to maintain the water level automatically.

Reflecting pools and small ponds are wonderful possible deck accessories. Most often they are permanent structures with poured concrete or brick bases. A pump is a necessity to keep the water aerated and prevent the growth of algae. Again, a GFCI is an absolute necessity.

The pond or pool can be lined with either a rigid or flexible liner to keep water from draining away. Stones can be place around the edges to keep the liner in place and add a natural look. A wide array of aquatic plants such as water lilies can provide many decorative opportunities for the home gardener.

The number one activity on a deck is the burning of meat. Portable grills include larger grilling areas, side tables for resting serving plates, wheels so that the grill can be moved out of the way when necessary, rotisseries and side burners.

Built-in grills are a recent popular option. The advantages of these include permanent gas hookups, large grilling areas and roasting capactitiy, optional burners and rotisseries as well as durable weatherproof construction.

Portable or permanent food preparation and staging counters are becoming more popular. The space below the counter can become a cabinet for the storage of basic cooking and serving supplies. Cabinets on locking casters can add a great deal of portability to the food preparation and serving area.

Construction of such items will require the use of exterior grade plywood, water resistant finishes and polished stone, stainless steel or pocelain tile countertop materials.

The choice of whether or not to have a fire pit on a deck hinges upon how often it will be used and whether or not local bylaws allow it. In addition fire pits take up much space, pose safety issues and can be an eyesore at times. An alternative to a fire pit might be a chimnea or a portable fireplace.

The second choice, often called a fire bowl, is generally ringed with a stone ledge which can double as a place to set down a drink or plate.

More and more homeowners are opting to extend the outdoor entertaining season on the deck by using parasol shaped patio heaters. They are movable and burn kerosene, butane, propane or natural gas. Patio heaters come in many styles, sizes and price ranges.

Safety features can include emergency cutoff valves, flame controls, electronic ignition and infrared heating technology. The best placement is in a wind sheltered area.

The final option would be a built-in masonry fireplace located near the perimeter of the deck. It can be constructed with stone or brick which can complement materials already in existence around the house and yard.

Successful deck planning should take into account furnishing and accessorizing a deck so that homeowners, family members and guests will have every opportunity to enjoy their time on this new outdoor living space.

Richard Vande Sompel
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-and-family-articles/how-to-accessorize-a-deck-237334.html

If you are thinking of decorating your home you may be wondering what kind of style to go for. Well, if you are looking for something a little different, why not opt for a Tuscan style theme?

Tuscan Style Decorating

When trying to think of Tuscan style decorating, the main thing to keep in mind is that Tuscan houses tend to follow a natural theme. Houses in Tuscan tend to have crumbling stone walls, marble flooring and wrought iron accessories. Everything about them looks natural and that in itself makes everything seem calm and peaceful.

Also, Tuscan is a colourful country and that reflects in the brightness of the homes. Now, that isn’t to say that you should rush out and buy bright red paint. You still have to keep the theme natural and even a bright white color can make the house look alive and bright. However, for best results it is always best to go for warm coffee colors or yellow. Try not to use a bright yellow but perhaps a more sedate yellow color. Any colors which make the house feel alive and which make it feel warm are definitely recommended.

How to Incorporate the Stone Look within the Home

Of course if you do not live in Tuscan you cannot really copy the crumbling stone walls which appear everywhere that you look. However, with Tuscan style decorating you can bring that stone look inside by doing a number of things.

One of these things is using a stone style counter in the kitchen. Of course marble floors are also recommended for the kitchen and that will bring a natural feel into the home too. The bathroom also is a great place to have stone decorating whether it is the floor or tiles which are made of stone. If you cannot do anything as drastic as change the tiles or the floors then why not consider changing the fireplace? There are so many different style of stone fireplaces that it is one of the easiest ways to add a little Tuscan decorating to the home.

Remember that there are various different types of stone so it should be easy to incorporate the look into your home. You can choose form granite, marble or even limestone – all of which can be easily found in most hardware stores and stores offering kitchens and bathrooms for sale.

Overall adding a Tuscan feel to any home is easy when you know how. It will give the home a peaceful and calm feel and it will help you to relax and enjoy your surroundings as much as possible. So, why not think of adding a Tuscan style to your home to make it more beautiful to you?

A.Caxton
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/brighten-up-your-home-with-tuscan-decorating-92511.html