DIY Projects, Real Estate, Real Estate (Residential)

Smart Homes

We know how to connect our computers and smartphones, now we can connect clocks, speakers, lights, door bells, cameras, windows, window blinds, hot water heaters, appliances, cooking utensils, you name it. And what if those devices could all communicate, send you information, and take your commands? It’s not science fiction; it’s the Internet of Things, and it’s a key component of smart homes.

Home automation is exactly what it sounds like: automating the ability to control items around the house—from window shades to pet feeders—with a simple push of a button (or a voice command) mainly from your phone. Some activities, like setting up a lamp to turn on and off at your whim, are simple and relatively inexpensive. Others, like advanced surveillance cameras, may require a more serious investment of time and money

Whether DIY or professionally installed, smart-home systems that the user can manage themselves and control via app provide the most value. These are some popular smart-home investments that should appeal to most age groups.

Buyers may value the existence of technology that is difficult to install, such as smart thermostats and smart lighting, which can require special wiring. It means they won’t have to go to the trouble of installing it themselves.

More expensive technology, such as integrated home security systems with sensors and smart fire alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. Integrative systems that can be controlled via voice command and can easily be transferred between owners.

Buyer need to look for smart-home products and brands they are familiar with and comfortable using. Also, keep an eye out for up-and-coming trends, including smart speaker assistants such as the Apple HomePod, companion products for Amazon’s Echo, and new devices such as video doorbells, sprinkler controllers, DIY security systems, and multiroom, high-resolution audio systems.

Even kitchen appliances are becoming smart like the refrigerator that keeps track of food used.

DIY Projects

Thousands of Colors of Paint

This time of the year, is a good time to paint the interior of your home, not too hot to leave your window open. In a world where thousands of colors of paint can be yours for just $25 a gallon, it pays to consider the colors you want to live with. Remember that while there are thousands of paint chips at the store, there are only seven colors in the paint spectrum.

If you find yourself paralyzed at the paint store, unable to choose your color sample cards, look at the darkest color at the bottom of the strip. If you can live with the one at the bottom, you know you’ll like the middle and top, but if you choose by looking at the top, lightest colors, all the cards in that category start to look the same.

Where rooms are relatively featureless, painting an “accent wall” in a vivid hue where the others are white or neutral can add a dramatic, contemporary edge when the accent wall three shades darker.

Consider the ceiling the fifth wall of a room. Though sticking to “ceiling white” generally makes a space feel airy, a similar effect can be achieved by painting the ceiling a lighter shade of the wall color. Just take the paint sample card that has your wall color as the middle choice, then go one or two choices lighter for the ceiling color. The result will be a room that appears larger, because the contrast between wall color and ceiling color has been softened. In a small room, such as a bathroom, the ceiling can even be painted the same color as the walls to make it look bigger.

Once you have your colors in hand, consider the finish you’ll be using. Though today’s flat paints have increased stain resistance, conventional wisdom has long held that a satin (also called eggshell) finish is best for walls because it is scrubbable and doesn’t draw attention to imperfections. Semi-gloss and high-gloss finishes, it was thought, were best left to the trim, where they could accent the curves of a molding profile or the panels of a door. Today, however, finishes are also being used to create visual effects on the entire wall. Paint one wall in a flat or satin finish and the adjacent wall in a semi-gloss, both in the same color, and “when the light hits the walls, it creates a corduroy or velvet effect. Similarly, you can paint the walls flat and the ceiling semi-gloss to achieve a matte and sheen contrast. The ceiling will feel higher the lighter-more reflective it is. Keep in mind that the higher the gloss, the more sheen and the more attention you draw to the surface. Used strategically, color and gloss together can emphasize your interior’s best assets.

 

 

5 Common Color Mistakes

  1. Being afraid.

The world is divided into two groups—the color courageous and the color cowardly. The best way to get over that fear is to always start with a color you love—from a rug, a painting, a fabric. Then test it on the wall. If it’s too strong, consider asking your paint store to formulate it at “half-strength” to lighten it or to tone it down by adding grayer.

2.Putting too many colors on the walls.

Be aware of the intensity of the colors in a room.

 

  1. Putting too little on the walls.

If you think your room is boring, look at it in terms of the 60-30-10 rule that designers employ: Sixty percent of the color in a space generally comes from the walls; 30 percent from upholstery, floor covering, or window treatments; and 10 percent from accent pieces, accessories, and artwork. Translation: Liven up those white walls.

 

  1. Rushing the process.

The best way to find a color you can live with is to paint a 4-by-4-foot swatch on the wall and live with it for at least 24 to 48 hours, so you can see it in natural and artificial light.

 

  1. Forgetting about primer.

Priming ensures there will be no interference from the previous wall color.

Vegetable and Fruits

Use Tomato Cages for Healthy Fruits

I started to cage tomatoes a couple of years ago. Why did I wait so long?

Partly, it was money. I didn’t want to spend $5.99 each for 16 sturdy tomato cages. That’s almost $100 for tomato cages that will probably buckle under the weight of the plants in a wind storm anyway.

And, let’s be honest, my big garden dreams got in the way. I had visions of creating sturdy cages from cattle panels or old sheep fence. I even did a bunch of research on putting them together, but rainy daily life got in the way of completing the project.

Reality has finally set in. I’m growing indeterminate tomatoes and they get wild and sprawling when you don’t cage them. I need to get to work right away. I shelled out money for the store bought, however, we pound in a t-post beside each cage to keep them sturdy.

Why Do We Cage Tomatoes Anyway?

All tomatoes except patio varieties benefit from being grown on supports. The traditional tomato cage can be purchased in several height and gauge thicknesses and are suitable for determinate varieties (those that grow and then set their fruit all at once). Indeterminate tomatoes can become a sprawling mess without some kind of support.

  1. Caging helps to keep fruit off the ground and away from bugs and slugs

2. Caged tomatoes are easier to see and therefore harvest

3. Studies have found that caged tomatoes are less susceptible to disease

4. Caging can increase fruit yields

5. Overall, it makes for a tidier garden

I am growing two kinds of tomatoes this year – Mortgage Lifter, an heirloom variety good for slicing and sauces, plus Sweet Sugar, a semi cherry variety that will do double duty in salads and sauces. They are both indeterminate varieties, meaning that they will continue to grow and set fruit until the first frost. Indeterminate tomatoes can get 3 – 4 feet tall and once they are set with fruit, the vines tend to be heavy.