Unfortunate. I will never, ever own another split-foyer house.

Oh! Genevieve, Re your "narrow" entrance remember prints, paintings, mirrors take up little room & can be interspersed with art of the "found" kind....signage, wheels, clocks, whatever! Also adding some panelling or tongue & groove can lift even the narrowest spaces & allow different depths of paint or wallpaper to create interest. I love rug runners too that take you into the house on a wave!

In progress!

I taught the guys not to miss, or they'd be the ones cleaning the floor!

jagood -- having a urinal and toilet is NOT more hygenic as you claim. There is no way to flush your Toto urinal and have it remove all traces of urine (as you claim) without using a lot of water at high pressure and that has the effect of aerosolizing the mixture and spreading it all over your bathroom.

I guess it's good for lazy people who don't want to clean the bathroom often.

I think women who object to urinals are just insensitive to the needs of men.

I saw some recycled glass countertops recently at a home show. They are lovely and if I were in the market, I'd seriously consider them. [houzz= ]

How about stainless steel?

Husband would not go for stainless steel, but that recycled glass is beautiful.

How about the wood-look tile? Best of both worlds.

I want to thank Creatively Custom for the heads-up on granite counter tops. Everyone seems to want them, but this is the first time anyone said they are fragile. One thing about mosaic tile is that the zig-zag pattern in some can be unsettling as a person's eyes get older and have difficulty focusing. That is why I recommend a nearly solid color, plain back splash with maybe a narrow border for contrast.

I love this! You almost have the same cabinets as I do, right up to the soffet over the top. I believe I even have the same flooring you do. I'm planning on painting my cabinets too, but a light beige because the appliances are almond/bisque...something that matches. How I wish I could do white! It looks terrific!

Thanks for your advice, rosecottagehome. Actually the walls are BM smokey taupe but it looks a bit green in the photos.

The paint is probably the Advance paint by Benjamin Moore-if it was a water and soap clean up-(it's the new paint that works like an oil with the convenience of water clean up-it takes 16 hours in between coats though) I'm using that for my cabinets -I have so many to do, luckily I'm not doing the inside of them-I worked for Benny and I always recommended that paint for cabinets and even trim. Fantastic job

We had the windows replaced in our 40+ year old split foyer home. We replaced wooden, single-pane with storm windows with vinyl double-pane through one of the big window replacement companies. I believe it was American Exteriors. They did it in January 2012, in the dead of winter, and it took just a couple hours! They look great and more important, aren't drafty. Actually, the biggest change I've noticed is that the noise level dropped significantly. We used to hear music from the local high school about a mile away during ballgames. Not anymore. The only thing I wish I'd done differently was get double hung for ease of cleaning. The only thing that surprised me and which has caused me any problem is none of the old, inside mount, mini-blinds now fit and I had to buy new outside mount bilnds.

The windows are great! Used Sierra Pacific!

@Janet B I'm in the Netherlands, guess my manufacturer isn't of much use for you.

And yes I still love'm, the only downside is the hollow open spaces in the frame, can't clean them.. But overall they were absolutely worth the investment (and extra cost for wood grain and different interior color).

I like the two-tone paint on this house, it might work well on the one you are looking at. For instance, paint the now red porch area lighter, along with the trim and the triangles of the dormers. The stone accents on the other are a nice touch. A combination of the two would be nice.

I picture the columns beefed up, the paint lighter and more accents, then nice stonework at the bottom...maybe stone planting areas and replace that sidewalk with stone. I could see it being very "cottagey".

[houzz= ]
[houzz= ]

This is an example of what comes to mind for me when I think of a cottage:
http://houzz.com/photos/745437
Good luck with your project!

Here is a more cottage-y look....

Have you tried Old English scratch cover?

This looks just like our cabinets, which looked beautiful at first.. Water
damage is the cause of the problem. It appeared very soon after installation.
We have tried all of the suggested fixes but oil art paints and Minwax. (We
have acres of cabinets in our kitchen which has made us avoid replacement.
Retailer and manufacturer went out of business soon after we bought.) Now
my husband is considering epoxy paint, thinking if it will stick on fiberglass boats
it should stick on our cabinets.....

@pattitus: sounds like a familiar problem. Please consider taking some photos and starting your own new thread. Posts with photos get more comments.

I'm no expert, but I'll answer if only to bump it back up the thread. I like your house. I really like the gray of the shutters. I'd consider a light gray for the upper. It won't pop, but it would be nice I think. I'd also beef up the posts that hold up the roof and carport. The just look a litle frail for their purpose to me. Hope you get lots of good advice.

blenheimnewzeland, love your color choices for matching the red brick. Looks like there's something for everyone. It seems everyone's first inclination is to paint the brick but with all those choices it's not necessary.

POSTED APRIL 2014

For the two Boston Terriers: Couch, yes. Bed, no. We have crates right next to the bed they sleep in so they can keep us awake with their snoring all night. They think the best place to sit/lay/sleep is on your lap. Second best is making a nest in the couch cushions.

The cat is also not allowed in the bed to sleep...the door is closed with her out of the bedroom. She does get on during the day - usually on a pair of black pants that didn't get put away quickly enough. She's also not allowed on tables or counters (when we're home. We're not silly enough to believe she stays off when we're gone).

But our Frenchie is about to get ousted from the bed though if she doesn't cut her "warbling" noises in the middle of the night!

Ancient thread, but we are definitely in the Yes to Dogs on Furniture group.

It’s their bed — we just sleep on it.

Daisy

Darby

This is why God invented the washing machine!

We were preparing to leave for vacation when I noticed the empty, white laundry basket in my basement laundry room had a few bugs in it. They were icky looking bugs with wings...I thought some kind of ant. I squished them and cleaned out the basket and went about my business. The next day there were more in the basket. At that point I had a lightbulb moment and did a quick internet search and found out they were termites! We looked and looked, but never saw any damage or traces, except in the basket. We called the exterminator, gave my house-sitting in-laws a blank check and went on vacation. $800 later, we were termite treated and came home to peace of mind.

IMO, if you own a home, you need to schedule a regular termite check. If you're the homeowner, know what you're looking for or schedule through a pest company. Keep trees and bushes off your roof and walls (they provide pathways for pests), and keep gutters clean.

Here everyone uses Boron or Borax to treat log home and wood. Just mix 1/2 lb to a gallon of water and spray the wood surface.

I always use Tempo SC Ultra to treat my house inside and out. It will kill just about anything except a Pharaoh ant. Pharaoh ants are the very small ones that like to invade homes mainly in the late late summer and early fall. The problem with them is they only eat protein (meats, nuts, cat and dog food etc). Terro liquid ant killer works good on them. I like to crush cat food into a fine powder and mix it with Terro. They will carry it back to the nest and feed it to the queen and larva thus wiping out the nest. Boron and borax is also good to mix with finely crushed cat or dog food..

Well okay - I would not have cared that the logo was in the front instead of the back of the sink...because then it wouldn't show all the time. However, since you had it changed, the off-center thing would make me crazy. (I'm the person who sits in church and stares at the candle that's an inch off center when I should be paying attention to more important things.) That being said, are you sure the logo isn't what's off? Maybe the sink company screwed it up. I think I'd have to measure that to be sure.

You might want to check and see if any mechanic's liens have been filed on your property due to the payment dispute. This could be a roadblock for you, should you decide to sell your home down the road.

I read that in order for that to have been placed by the subs, a 20 day notice must have been given. As a side note, boy do these clauses all seem to weaken and hurt the consumer.

I admit I've only skimmed the thread...looks like tons of good advice on color and accessories. I was wondering if the love seat has to be under that window? It looks so far away there. Could you switch it with the wooden cabinet?

Ha ha bahaa,black bear skin rug,growl lol

I agree with so many that the clock, lamps and coffee table make the room very old in appearance, but a few bold contemporary pillows, lamps and a rectangle coffee table of iron and glass would modernize you look so easily. Don't get discouraged. The suggestion to try somewhere like Home Goods or Target where things are very easy to return make it easy to experiment. Home Goods has good rugs as does Ballard Designs. A more modern print over the fireplace could help but never get rid of the beautiful white paneling as that is very, very popular. Very classy look.

I'm not going to pretend I'm anything close to a designer, but I really wish the trend of open shelving in the kitchen would go away. There are doors for a reason! I'd feel like I had to wash the dishes every time I took one down before I could use it just because of dust and whatever. Do people with open shelves ever fry anything? You get a grease film on stuff after a while. Plus, I'd have to buy all new dishes because none of mine matches! LOL

I'm another person who doesn't like puddling draperies. What's the purpose? You can't close them.

I'm actually a fan of Old World and Tuscan...but then I'd like nothing more than to live in a castle - or at least in Italy - so there you go. Of course, real castle kitchens would have open shelving....so I guess I have a problem.

Oh, the other thing I am tired of bedrooms bigger than my first apartment. I watch HGTV and see people walking into master bedrooms and complaining about the size when you could fit two of my bedrooms into it. Of course, that could be sour grapes because I can't afford a house like that.

Well that makes some sende PirateFoxy...when you see them in pictures there's always dishes and glassware and pitchers and such.

[houzz= ][houzz= ][houzz= ] [houzz= ]
That last one - open shelves down low? Ewwww. My dogs would be licking them all the time. (Okay, maybe they don't have dogs, but still...) Otherwise I like that kitchen.

For me it’s maximalism. Lovely in a quirky cafe or boutique hotel but at home it would give me a headache. I like a restful house and so yes quite a lot of it is grey! Not battleship grey or anthracite but bluey or greeny greys.

Concrete floors. Depressing, cold, ecologically not great, look unfinished.

Plants very high up. How do you water them?

Walk in wardrobes even if it means the bedroom becomes tiny. I’d rather have a bigger bedroom with wardrobes in it, than dress and sleep in tiny spaces.

Uber industrial. There’s a reason we usually hide cables, conduits, vent ducts...because they are ugly.

Buying new furniture and accessories very often to have an “up to date“ look. I see all these instagram pictures with everything brass, mid century, wood, rattan, green (today’s trends) and I wonder what has happened to all their grey, painted, silver, shabby chic items from 5/10 years ago. And what will they do with today’s items when the look swings round again...

LOL I bought a house with 'cultured marble' plastic bathroom counters - yeah, they're considered outdated but I love the easy care - no hidden dirt/grime buildup around undercounter sinks. Same with my kitchen, stuck to the traditional stainless sink. Didn't change out to stone counters either, my LH was noisy enough. So for me, it's the easier and more practical answers... I'm definitely not the person targeted in marketing tho LOL. I do hate grey however as i grew up with it. have neck problems and hate TVs over fireplace, don't want to have sit in a recliner in order to watch anything! I guess getting older makes some decisions easier.