New tract home.
2 months ago
I am purchasing a new construction tract home. It is a small home 1500 sq ft. The kitchen living and dining rooms are all one room. The house is bare bones and mostly gray. I was thinking of matching neutral blinds through out the house with cornices to add color and give each room personality. Is this a good idea?
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PRO2 months agolast modified: 2 months agoRelated Discussions
'Landscape' as % cost, or: most homes aren't really complete
Comments (2)The old number that used to get tossed around twenty five years ago was 10% as a minimal rule of thumb. That had to do with real estate value rather than lifestyle value. I think most of us would agree that there has been a considerable shift of a larger proportion of the population looking for more outdoor amenities. I believe that has changed expectations in the real estate market. Whether or not your lifestyle has use for these amenities, they have become expected in many markets and not so much in others. Where having them in the past was a bonus, now not having them has become a negative in the house value for a larger range of property types. Almost everyone has a home, so television shows, magazines, and articles about the home are hotly consumed. Everyone, it seems, wants granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, 6 burner stoves, a "media room", and everything else. Outside, they want a lot of the stuff that "everyone else" has. If the size of all amenities was in equal proportion to the house price, the percentage of cost might hold that proportion. The problem is that less well-to-do people take up the same amount of space as wealthy people (for the most part). Size is often more driven by use than income when it comes to outdoor spaces. Cost can be more easily controlled by level of craftsmanship and materials rather than size. Typically amenities take a higher percentage of the value of the house as the value of the house lowers. Until or unless your house is in a market where a lack of these amenities are a greater detriment to selling price than they cost to create, you should only invest in them because of the personal value they add to the quality of your life rather than that of the real estate. This is an example of two sets of values. One is personal and the other is that of the market. Both are highly variable. You know your personal values, but sometimes it is harder to understand where the house fits in the market and what the value of those amenities is in that market. It is also important to realize that certain houses or where they are tend to be more appealing to one set of demographics and less appealing to another. Amenities (wheter plants or hardscapes or both) can be a dream to one demographic and a nightmare to others (swimming pool for example, or large well tended garden). This is what is great about almost anything in landscape design - there are endless variables. You don't have to use all of them, but you should always keep your head up not to be victimized by one....See MoreNeed advice on mulch dilemma
Comments (48)nil13 I wasn't dismissing your advice; please, please don't take it so. I sincerely appreciate anybody who takes the time to read my posts and respond. I didn't mean to impugn your knowledge or advice, and I'm sorry if it came out that way. Not everyone really understands my climate or conditions, and I'm used to getting inapplicable advice from people living in other parts of the US. I know what a rill is, too! It can be a really beautiful feature, and harks back to indigenous water management techniques, which we don't pay enough attention to, imo. The landscaping in front came with the house and is not what I would have put in. Those are not native plants out there, the "landscapers" (and I use that term loosely) plopped big boulders in a very random way, they made that dry stream to point uphill, I don't know where the irrigation system lines go, etc. etc. However-- Right now my biggest concern is simply maintaining the front in a neat manner while I put my attention and money on the back, which up to now has been merely a rectangle of dirt. One of my biggest problems has simply been to find somebody to do the work of cleaning the front, because they'd promise me and not show up. I'm also culpable because being a new homeowner, I didn't understand the maintenance required (i.e, blowing the dirt off) to keep it looking nice. In fact, I have workers coming tomorrow to start the landscape in my BACK yard -- building a low retaining rock wall, extending the drip irrigation, putting a sleeve for future lighting, and delineating a circular feature with steel edging. That's a big project -- for me at least. A major problem still remains with accumulation of dust and sand over every surface. I've decided to wait to put gravel down in the back until it's more finished, because until all of the houses get built and more of my neighbors plant up their yards, it will continue to be a problem. Probably will still be a problem forever just because of being on the edge of the sprawl, but I'll do what I can. My intent with this post is to update you that for now, at least, the front is okay. This forum has been, and continues to be very helpful to me; and again, I appreciate the advice. This post was edited by Violet.West on Tue, Apr 8, 14 at 22:15...See MoreMenu desks -- love them or hate them?
Comments (21)Ours is counter height with a stool, which is especially helpful to use as an extra stool for the island, without taking space there all the time. I don't sit there much at all, but I have on occasion. We have two offices, one for me and one for DH, so our kitchen desk doesn't get cluttered. We use it as a place to jot down notes and a place to store non-kitchen items. We keep note pads and pens, scissors, measuring tape, etc., there. I have a shelf for my cookbooks just above it. I keep a clipboard out with several copies of our shopping list. Speaking of organization tips, my best ever is the way we do our shopping list. I made a list on my computer that includes everything we get on a fairly regular basis. The list is organized by aisle in the grocery store. Under each aisle's list, there is a place for "other" where I write in anything unusual. Whenever we discover we are low on something, we immediately go put a blank line next to that item on the list. I write in specific directions (e.g., how many, which brand) next to the item's name. Before going to the store, we go through the whole list quickly to see if there is anything else we need. As we shop, we put a check on the line as soon as we put the item in our basket. With this system, shopping is a breeze and we never forget to buy things we need. Here is a link that might be useful:...See MoreDIY Baseboards
Comments (10)I’m confused...it is hard to tell from the way you worded it...how high are your ceilings? We have 10’ ceilings, and we did 8” plus a 1.5” cap for a total of 9.5”. They were custom designed. I am also a “go big or go home” gal, lol! And personally, I dislike stained moldings...and literally would not buy a house that had them unless my Dh agreed to letting me have them ripped out or painted prior to moving in. I hate how stained moldings “outline” a room if the walls are light. And basically, I love light, airy, everything so they just don’t work for me. But of course YMMV!...See MoreRelated Professionals
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2 months ago- PRO2 months ago
2 months agoI think there are far better ways to add color than with cornices. I am not sure I would want cornices in your more modern space.
You can add color with curtains, furnishings, accessories, area rugs and art.
I have always loved this designers use of color in this home, yet most of the home is white.
PRO2 months ago- 2 months ago
Get white blinds that match your white trim. This allows you to easily change wall paint colors.
I would use Hunter Douglas Duette shades with top-down/bottom-up option for the most flexibility. You can lower the top rail to get light/views from the top and block people from looking in on the lower parts of your windows.
2 months ago
PROlast month- last month
- last monthlast modified: last month
I wouldn't put them throughout the house. Too much. And not really the style of house for them. We call them valances on the Coast but drapes might be a better option for this house.
Some drapes with your white and your shade of gray but add spring green for your color.
If interested these are called Regan Green Pencil Lined pattern.
It would be nice to see your progress photos if you have any. Good luck!
- last month
PROlast monthIt’s great that you’re considering both furniture and blinds colors together for one space for a cohesive look. Consistency is key to avoid a cluttered feel, but playing with contrasting or bold colors, can definitely make the space more dynamic.
Hanas Blinds seems like a good choice for this approach, offering a warm atmosphere and a wide range of colors that can match your furniture while still adding a bit of
vibrancy.
last monthlast modified: last month
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