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Choosing Color for Your Home
Written by Lisa Medina Thursday, 24 June 2010 00:00
Paint colors are one of the most basic, but important, decisions you make when determining the look and feel of your home. Often, people get caught up in the current color trends and lose sight of what they really like and what suits their personality. Numerous studies have been conducted about the relationship between color and mood. For instance, red tones are supposed to raise the energy level in a room, blue has a calming effect, and purple stimulates creativity. Anyone who has ever added a new coat of paint to an existing room can see the transforming power of color. Color can not only create a mood, but change the appearance of the shape and size of the room itself.
When selecting colors for your home, ask yourself, what mood you want to create. Which colors elicit that mood? Magazines, decorating books, decorating websites, or even a sample of your fabric can be your guide. Remember, all of the interior choices you make come together to create the overall feel of your home. Fabric, carpeting, furniture and tile choices should be made in conjunction with your paint color choices.
Interior designers suggest certain colors are more appropriate for one room in your house versus another. For instance, if red raises a room’s energy level, it’s a good choice in the living room or dining room so that the color can stimulate conversation. Yellow is a “happy” color. It’s perfect for kitchens, dining rooms, and even bathrooms, where its affect is energizing and uplifting. Blue is considered calming, relaxing, and serene, and is often recommended for bedrooms and bathrooms. Green is considered restful to the eye. Green is appropriate for virtually any room in the house. In a kitchen, a family room, or living room, it encourages unwinding and serenity.
If you are building a custom home and have the opportunity to consult with an interior designer, take the opportunity to get his or her opinion on, not only your color palette, but on which room you plan on using each color in the palette. That being said, it is your home. You will be the one living with, and hopefully enjoying, your color choices. No matter what the experts say, always pick shades that suit you, your family, and your lifestyle.
Creating Curb Appeal
Written by Lisa Medina Sunday, 18 April 2010 21:00
What is curb appeal? Simply put, it’s the attractiveness of a home from the street to a prospective buyer. But whether you are planning to sell your home or just want to increase the satisfaction you feel about the look of your home, experts agree, landscaping is the best way to create curb appeal.
Not everyone can afford to hire a landscape architect to create a design, but there is no need to be discouraged. Simple and inexpensive changes can transform the look of your yard and home.
For example, create a welcoming entrance by adding two large pots filled with colourful plants by the front door. Or, if you plan to be in your home for a while, plant a few small trees. Smaller trees tend to acclimate better and they are less expensive.
Also, make sure your shrubs and lawn are neatly trimmed. It sounds basic, but clean lines go a long way. Pull any weeds or stray grass from plant beds to bring attention to the flowers you do have, and create a border for your flower beds with long-blooming perennials. Add fresh mulch and you will be surprised at the professional look.
In Texas, Xeriscaping, or gardening in ways that reduce or eliminate the need for supplemental irrigation, is quite popular. Xeriscaping utilizes native plants and flowers that tend to be hardier and also less expensive. Include native stones as interesting “fillers” and create dimension. Additionally, utilizing evergreen plants is a great solution for landscaping on a budget. Both trees and shrubs create year-round color in your yard.
Finally, at minimal cost, you can purchase solar powered landscape lighting to illuminate the path to your front door. Add a small bench or water feature and the impact far exceeds the investment.
Whether you are just moving into a new home and want to make the most of your investment or you are an established homeowner looking to create added curb appeal, landscaping is a simple, inexpensive way to enhance the look and value of your home.
Green Building Guidelines
Written by Lisa Medina Sunday, 18 April 2010 21:01
There is so much buzz around “green building”, particularly in the environmentally friendly Austin market, that many consumers are confused about exactly what the term means and how to determine whether or not a builder truly adheres to “green building principles”.
So that raises the question, is there a system in place for determining if a homebuilder is adhering to green building guidelines? The answer is yes. ENERGY STAR is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy helping consumers save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices.
The results speak for themselves. Americans, with the help of ENERGY STAR, saved enough energy in 2009 alone to avoid greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from 30 million cars all while saving nearly $17 billion on their utility bills!
To earn the ENERGY STAR, a home must meet strict guidelines for energy efficiency set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), making them 20–30% more efficient than standard homes. Homes achieve this standard of performance through a combination of energy–efficient improvements, including: effective insulation systems, high–performance windows, tight construction and ducts, efficient heating and cooling equipment and ENERGY STAR qualified lighting and appliances. A third–party verification by a certified Home Energy Rater is then required. The rater works with the builder to help determine the necessary construction techniques, energy–saving equipment, and diagnostic testing and inspections to document that the home is eligible to earn the ENERGY STAR label.
What does a builder do to become an ENERGY STAR partner? Four basic steps are required. The builder chooses to partner with ENERGY STAR, the builder works with the rater to select appropriate energy–efficient home features, the builder constructs the home and the rater verifies the features and performance, and the rater qualifies the home as ENERGY STAR. After the final inspection when all requirements have been met, the rater will provide the builder with an ENERGY STAR label.
While green principles may once have seemed unprofitable, they are being increasingly recognized as marketable. Builders have developed new techniques, and the price has gone down with initial spending offset by significant savings.
As a result, interest in the environment is not necessary for working with green building principles. Sustainable building is more durable and its features are valuable amenities. As green building features become increasingly attractive to residential buyers, the rapid increase in sustainable building legislation will change today's "amenities" into tomorrow's standard requirements.