Here are some ideas to consider before installing an island in your kitchen. A kitchen with an island should have at least 42 inches of clearance on each side of the island. Why so much? It is meant to be a work…
Kitchen Island Ideas
Category: Real Estate
Farm Credit Services of America Updates Benchmark Farm Values for First Half of 2018
Farm Credit Services of America Updates Benchmark Farm Values for First Half of 2018 in the grain belt states served by Farm Credit Services of America (FCSAmerica) appear to have adjusted to a new normal. Even with seasonal fluctuations, farmland…
Exterior Window Treatments
Window Boxes Putting up exterior window treatments such as shutters and window boxes can beautify your home while adding some practical benefits. On top of curb appeal (both through flowers and paint colors), awnings and closable shutters can help keep…
Focal Points in a Garden Design
Focal points in a garden design to draw and direct the eye. Think of a garden or your backyard, large or small, that was just a swath of plants. Your eye sweeps along, not knowing where to land. A sense…
Gazebos
A gazebos are freestanding, open garden structure, sometimes hexagonal or octagonal in shape, with a roof. Most gazebos are constructed of wood or metal and have built-in seating inside the sheltered area. To add a sense of enclosure and privacy, latticework or…
Exterior Window Treatments
Window Boxes Putting up exterior window treatments such as shutters and window boxes can beautify your home while adding some practical benefits. On top of curb appeal (both through flowers and paint colors), awnings and closable shutters can help keep…
Fall in Love With a Pergola
Fall in love with your yard again with a pergola. For homeowners, beautiful landscaping can make a significant difference. While lush plants and verdant lawns are common outdoor features, adding a structure to complement the greenery in your backyard is a popular…
Home Shelving Decor
Often the appearance of your home depends upon the arrangement and placement of your things. Most of the time people concentrate on the decor of their homes, but forget that arranging stuff you own in a certain manner also matter that…
Update your Sidewalks and Pathways
One of the most important design elements in a garden is structure. It’s easy (with a little bit of work!) to add structure by adding paths and garden walkways and certainly the sidewalk coming to your front door. They give…
Garage Makeover
One in four Americans with two-car garages don’t have room to park their cars inside of them, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. The main reason? Clutter. Your garage should be much more than a place to park cars: it’s…
No More Zucchini
Zucchini is so easy to grow, and you take pride it over the limping tomatoes and insect ridden cucumbers. So, if you are like myself, you plant a lot of it! I think it will be another year of excess.…
The Great Fire Pit
A great fire pit or a fireplace is an excellent catalyst for good conversation, an excuse to relax outdoors away from technology, or enjoy the beauty that exists in your own backyard. When considering making the addition of a fire…
Farm Equipment for the Rustic Touch
Old farm equipment adds a rustic touch to decor for the backyard, garden, front porch — or even inside, in moderation. Everything from wagon wheels to a wooden wheelbarrow may be repurposed into decor around the garden; in some cases,…
Unfinished Basement to a Living Space
An unfinished basement, with its concrete floor and exposed joists, may seem dreary and cold. But in reality, it is an enormous blank canvas just waiting for your inspired ideas and artistic vision. The fact is, you don’t really need…
Shabby Chic Garden Sheds
One of the most popular trends still going strong 20 years after the term was coined. A distressed and timeworn look is the epitome of shabby chic decorating. Contemporary but classic, it has become a popular and universal style. The…