Kitchen Design Ideas – Do's And Dont's For 2014

 

The kitchen is one of the most important rooms of your home. It is where you prepare all of your meals and it is often a hub of family activity. When you host a party, the action often ends up in the kitchen.

Where drinks and snacks are enjoyed into the early hours of the morning. It’s crucial that your kitchen functions well because you will use it every day, but you also want to make it beautiful and stylish.

Renovating and decorating your kitchen can also be one of the best ways to increase the resale value of your home. If you are planning on a kitchen makeover:

Here Are Some Dos And Don’ts To Keep In Mind:

• Don’t forget to consider the proportions of everyone who will use the kitchen. Don’t choose kitchen stools that are too high for your kids to sit on, or cabinets that your wife cannot reach.
• Think carefully about storage space. What do you need to store and how much room do you need? You might want to store away your blender and toaster and other small appliances as well, so that they don’t have to clutter up the counter all the time.
• If you are selling your home, a neutral tone will appeal more to the majority of buyers.
• Another popular trend is green and environmentally sustainable elements within the kitchen. Recycled, renewable and energy-efficient products are in abundance at the moment and these options will not only save you money, they will be much better for the environment.
• Instead of placing your microwave on the counter, it makes a lot more sense to fit it in seamlessly with your cabinets. This will allow you to free up counter space in your kitchen.
• Be careful not to over design – it’s a common decorating mistake. Keep things simple and know when to stop, so that you don’t have a kitchen that looks overwhelming and cluttered.

These are just a few tips to keep in mind if you are giving the kitchen of your home a makeover for 2014. For more helpful tips and information, contact your trusted mortgageprofessional.

 

Consider the spring thaw before you’re standing in it

By: Bryan Baeumler  

Spring is less than a week away but, before he hits the road, Jack Frost this year has one final, parting prank: ice buildup.

When it melts — and it will — excess water this year could result in some costly damage to your foundation or basement.

“Leaks happen when people neglect to get out there and clear the ice dams off their roofs, or shovel snow away from their foundations,” says home renovation guru Bryan Baeumler in a conversation with Alex Nino Gheciu. “That should be the focus around this time of year.

“After the thaw, of course, there’s plenty more stuff to do around the house.”

Putting the 'Spring' Into Your Home – Home Renovations

Putting the 'Spring' Into Your Home – Home Renovations
 

Posted by: Diane Alvernaz

At DLC Metro City Mortgages we get many clients who call us looking to refinance their property to help them pay for home renovations

As spring time rolls around, home owners inevitably start to look around at their homes and consider what improvements they might make next. Whether you’re looking to add to the value of your home, or you’re just looking to enjoy a makeover, a home renovation might make sense for you.

According to the CMHC, over 36% of home owners renovated their homes in 2011 (spending an average of approx. $14,000) & 37% of home owners indicated that they intended to undergo a home renovation in 2012 across the 10 largest urban cities in Canada

In order to finance your home renovation of choice here are the basics you should know: 
 

Consider the Type of Home Renovation

Home Renovations Typically Fall Into Three Segments:

Lifestyle renovations:

• these home renovations improve your home and your way of life, ex; building a sun room for pleasure, or converting unused attic space into living quarters to meet your changing needs.

Retrofit projects:

• these home renovations focus on your home’s shell or mechanical systems, Ex; upgrading your insulation, replacing your furnace, or putting on new siding.

Maintenance and repair renovations:

• these types of home renovations protect the investment you have made in your house, ex; caulking windows, re-shingling your roof, or replacing your eaves troughs. 
   
• Decide what kind of contractor you need:

A general contractor manages the project, hires the tradespeople and takes care of the permits. If it’s a smaller job, choose a specialized contractor who handles specific projects (like bathrooms or windows) and does the work himself.

• Interview and get quotes from at least three:

Ask about experience, talk to past clients and visit past projects. Make sure each contractor has a license, liability insurance, workers’ compensation insurance and a clean Better Business Bureau record. Then ask for a detailed plan, including timeframe and cost.

• Get everything in writing:

Include a list of materials and brands, labor to be performed (is site cleanup included?), warranty, permit obligations, and how client changes will be handled.

• Agree on a payment plan:

Include down payment amount (anything under 15% is reasonable). Work out a payment schedule and make sure payments sync with the work that’s been done. 

 

Maximize Your Living Space

Lately, we're enjoying our gardens, terraces, balconies or any outdoor space we can claim as a temporary refuge. With the vast array of outdoor furniture available, our outdoor spaces can now rival our equivalent indoor spaces because they have the benefit of being surrounded by decorating's most beautiful accessory: nature. Here, we'll show you what to shop for to ensure you buy the right pieces for maximum enjoyment.

Measure Your Space

Before you head out to shop, measure your space -- take into account length, height and depth, so your furniture doesn't encroach on any passageways or become part of your flower bed. Next, think about what you want it to be: a conversation area, an intimate seating area, a quiet corner of contemplation for one, etc. Consider the style of your furniture: Do you want a loungey modern sectional in a dark, all-weather rattan; do you want a more traditional ensemble made of metal; etc.? Finally, think about the amount of exposure to which your furniture will be subjected. Regardless of their technological properties, outdoor cushions subjected to the elements will show wear over time; consider bringing cushions inside regularly or, better yet, buy a water-repellant cover that you can use to protect your investment.

Large Areas

If you're lucky enough to have a space large enough for multiple sitting areas, the world is your oyster. Many outdoor sets are modular and allow for multiple configurations. If your budget is a little looser and you like the idea of modularity, consider creating an outdoor area that looks just like an indoor living room, that you can dress to the nines with colourful throw cushions; pair it with a couple of single seats and you've got yourself a conversation area that you'll dream about all winter.

Swing Benches

Swing benches are wonderful outdoor furniture options that can be shared for conversation or enjoyed solo with a book. The swing has a unique design that could fit in almost any setting.

Outdoor Lighting

To heighten the sense that your outdoor living area is a bona-fide room, add some portable lighting,

Teak Chairs for Small Spaces

Very small areas — the ones that only accommodate one person or two in close proximity — can become the most special. If your nook can fit only one piece of furniture, consider the tried-and-true Adirondack chair: its generous arms double as a table and the shape allows for a relaxing sitting position. A simple, more upright teak chair can also work.

The Humble Bench

This amazingly utilitarian piece of outdoor furniture can be placed on a wide pathway to provide seating while still allowing circulation. Benches can be economical options as most are sold in kit form, so you do the labour. Tip: Boost the wilderness quotient with a bounty of potted greens and shrubbery.

Add a Little Curb Appeal to your Home!

It's what’s outside that counts! Check out these 11 exterior upgrades that will give your home simple but effective curb appeal.

Your home’s curb appeal sets the tone for what potential buyers expect of the home they’re walking into, explains Darren Brand. “Since most people’s buying decisions are based on an emotional response, the curb appeal starts the love affair, or terminates it immediately,” he says.

But you don’t have to completely overhaul the exterior of your home in order to sell. Just pick and choose what you think will have the most impact and go from there.  No matter what state the economy is in, dealing with curb appeal issues are important since even in good times, you could be leaving money on the table by not doing needed work. When times are tough, there are also a lot less potential purchasers and a lot more competition, so you have to make your home stand out in a crowd.

Here are 11 simple ways to improve your home’s curb appeal for maximum impact.

1 Start with the most obvious things
If you can only do a few things to spruce up the exterior of your home, start with the most glaringly obvious. For example, if your garden is overrun with weeds, the front lawn hasn’t been cut in so long that you need a machete to get to the door and remnants of last spring’s garage sale still adorn the front porch, mow the lawn, pull the weeds and get rid of the mess. A messy front yard will be the first thing a potential buyer sees and it might tell them not to look any further. You don’t have to have a prize-winning rose garden to attract potential buyers, just a yard that looks tidy and well cared for.

2 Add planters
Adding planters (even store bought, ready-made ones) can go a long way toward creating the perception of a well loved home. They not only add colour to a porch or patio, they’re eye-catching and give the impression you spend time improving your surroundings.

3 Ensure consistent window treatments
Matched blinds and curtains can add a lot to the perception of quality and thought put into a home, says Darren. “A lot of people don’t even think about how this interior element affects the look of the exterior.”  He also stresses the importance of washing your windows; this is also something that has an impact on the inside as well as outside of your home.

4 Wake up your driveway
Since the driveway is one of the first things prospective buyers will notice, it’s a good idea to freshen it up.  Adding a sealer can refresh a tired driveway. This is an inexpensive makeover that can be accomplished in a short time by almost anyone, Darren says.

5 Add cedar mulch
Adding cedar mulch goes a long way to freshening up flowerbeds even in early spring when plants are small or non-existent. The mulch can be any shade but Darren suggests red to add a nice punch of colour.

6 Create a welcoming porch
An empty porch can look stark and cold. If you have a porch large enough to accommodate furniture, set up a welcoming grouping such as two exterior club chairs and a table or a bistro set for dining. It’s also a good idea to add some colour with plants in containers.

7 Put down new sod
A lawn in poor condition does not create a good first impression and is something you should consider replacing if you’re trying to sell your home.  It’s a lot faster to put down new sod instead of seeding and waiting, Darren says.

8 Add mature plants
When working on flowerbeds, adding larger mature plants is a lot easier (and in some cases, less expensive) than buying several flats of annuals, says Darren. Larger, more mature plants also tend to have a greater impact.

9 Spring for new accoutrements
Adding a new mailbox, house light and house number is a cheap and cheerful way of updating your home’s exterior.

10 Repaint
Giving the exterior of your home a fresh coat of paint can do wonders for curb appeal. Darren suggests painting your house in the colour of homes in a more expensive neighbourhood as a great way to create the perception of quality while doing something you probably already need to do.

11 Replace windows
Replacing windows is expensive but has a definite impact on curb appeal, says Darren.  It can make your home look polished and give the impression you’ve upgraded more than just the windows.

March Break Boredom Busters

Find tips for keeping kids busy -- and happy -- the whole March Break.
By Dee Van Dyk


"I'm bored”. There's nothing to do."

Those words are enough to make a parent's heart sink like a stone. Spring Break, or March Break, is just around the corner and a week of unstructured time could be a kid's recipe for boredom. However, a little planning around your personal time and budget, and you can craft a unique and interesting March Break plan for your family. Check out the ideas below to get you started.

1. Involve your children in the planning
Kids are more likely to actively engage in the activity if they have had some say in it. Have everyone write down their interests and then pull together lists of activities to do based around those interests.

2. Check out what's available in your community for day camps
Working parents often scramble to work out childcare arrangements over March Break. Check out community leisure centres, the library, planetarium and zoo for day camps that meet your child's interests.

Community centres will often put together special March Break programs, as well. Hockey, dance, cooking, writing and art camps give parents and children a wide scope of activities to choose from.

Again, this is an opportunity for kids to take some ownership of their time and interests. Older kids can do Internet research for themselves to find programs that appeal to them.

3. Put together an activity jar
Injecting a little fun and excitement doesn't need to be time consuming or expensive. Draw up a list of activities that your child enjoys (a trip to the park, paint-by-numbers, Cranium, Monopoly, an afternoon story, a trip to the movies) and put them in a jar. Then have your child pick an activity each day. It doesn't really matter if they are activities you might do anyway -- it's fun to pick out of the jar and be surprised!

4. Involve your extended family
Is March Break a good time for your child to spend with Grandpa and Grandma? Think back to when you were a child. Did you bake with Grandma or build a birdhouse with Grandpa? Chances are, both your parents and your child will enjoy a little quality time together. You might even choose to front the money for tickets to the movies or the zoo.

5. Be a tourist for a day
Many people have never been to the city sights in their hometown. Take a look at your surroundings with fresh eyes. What sights and venues bring tourists into your city?

Do some research; plug into the Internet to search your local tourism link for ideas for things to do locally.

6. Band together with other parents to fight spring break boredom
Divvy up the Boredom Busters with other parents. Whether it's a trip to the zoo, a morning craft time, an afternoon at the playground, or an evening at the movies, joining forces with other parents in the same boat can make a week of planned activities more manageable for all involved.
And finally:

7. Have a backup plan
The weather is always variable this time of year, so have a backup plan for outdoor activities. The only thing worse than a bored kid is a wet, cold one!