Utah Spaces Magazine - 2017 Spring Edition

Mixed Metals Rugs are an investment. Learn how to choose the right one

Who says gold and silver can’t be friends?

Localscapes

®

Creative ways to bring your Utah yard to life

Home Staging

Ways to improve your home before you list it COVER PRICE $5

MARCH 2017

SPECIAL EDITION FOR SUBSCRIBERS OF DESERET NEWS AND THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE

PLUS: 12 Ways to Make Your Bathroom Safer • Hotel Style At Home • Remodel vs. Move

Don’t fall for the “STARS”...

Go with Sabra Richins & FSI Mortgage, a LOCAL UTAH company!

is a * s n i h c i R a r Sab t s i l a i c e p S e g r tga Reverse Mo G DIN N A T S T U who is O ! in this field

Let her help you reap the great benefits this program has to offer!

Call or visit her today!

801.281.0205 or toll free 800.808.3066 *NMLS #29202

Ask her about using a Reverse Mortgage to buy a home.

We do ALL types of Mortgages!

Some restrictions may apply. Some products may be available.

2 notSpacesUtah.com

FSI Mortgage • 111 East 5600 South • Suite 102 Murray, Utah 84107 • NMLS #4398 www.fsimortgage.net

March 2017

W H AT A

WA N TS PRESENTS THEIR SPRING SHOW

April 28 & 29 | South Towne Expo Center FEATURING

PARTY with the Gardiner Sisters SPEAKER Emmy Lowe & Fri. 7PM-8PM from Emmy Lowe Photo, Sat. 4PM for more info visit whatawomanwants.com

FRIDAY NIGHT PARTY featuring the Gardiner Sisters! 7-8PM Free treats and activities sponsored by our partners!

Become a vendor or sponsor today! Contact Stacy Fenton: sfenton@utahmediagroup.com or 801-204-6829

Purchase tickets at whatawomanwants.com $5 weekend pass March 2017

WhataWomanWantsSLC #ShopHappySLC SpacesUtah.com

1

2

SpacesUtah.com

4

Pantone Color of the Year

6

Pretty as Paper

8

5 Rules to Finding the Right Rug

A refreshing and revitalizing shade, Greenery is symbolic of new beginnings Wallpaper remains a popular choice for home decorators, and it’s no longer just for the wall What to consider when picking the perfect rug for your unique space

10

Mixing Metals

12

World-Class Hotel Luxury at Home

16

One Habit for a Clean Home

18

Storage Solutions

20

Conquering the Chaos

Who says gold and silver can’t be friends? How to mix metals for a sophisticated look and style How to achieve a luxurious, global look in your own space

Author Dana K. White shares why “getting organized” isn’t always the best way to keep an organized house Storage solutions for every home that saves space, brings creativity, and a peace of mind Seven tips that allow you to go from messy to well maintained in a flash

March 2017

22

Making Your Bathroom Safer

24

Localscapes

Whether planning to build, or updating an old bathroom, keep these things in mind Creative ways to bring your Utah yard to life

March 2017

©2017 All rights reserved

28

Going Green

30

What to Ask Before Going Solar

34

Smart Homes

36

Staging a Home

40

Remodel vs. Move

42

New Home with Reverse Mortgage

March 2017

Easy ways to make your home a bit more environmentally friendly Homeowners looking to save money and increase their home’s value are turning to solar Smart homes for smart homeowners and how to easily update your home Ways you can improve your home when you’re in the process of selling The decision to move to a new home or remodel your current one can be daunting How to finance that $400k home with $200k down and no mortgage payments

Published by

4770 South 5600 West, West Valley City, UT 84118 editor@utahmediagroup.com www.utahmediagroup.com 801-204-6300 President & CEO Brent Low Project Team Sally Steed, Sr. VP of Advertising Megan Donio, Editorial Manager Tyler Pratt, Design Manager Jeni Fitzgibbon, Coordinator Content and images from CTW Features, iStock Spaces Magazine is a publication of Utah Media Group. Copyright © March 2017. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any format without consent of Utah Media Group. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information in this publication and assume no liability for errors, inaccuracies or omissions.

Spaces: HomeSpacesUtah.com for the Holidays

3

‘Greenery’

BY JESSE DARLAND, CTW FEATURES

A refreshing and revitalizing shade, Greenery is symbolic of new beginnings

P

antone, the color authority and provider of professional color standards for designers, announced its Color of the Year selection for 2017. The color, a shade called “Greenery,” is a bright, hopeful yellowish green.

The company expects that its selection, Pantone color 15-0343, will be one of the most popular colors worldwide in the New Year.

“Greenery bursts forth in 2017 to provide us with the hope we collectively yearn for amid a complex social and political landscape.

Satisfying our growing desire to rejuvenate, revitalize and unite, Greenery symbolizes the reconnection we seek with nature, one another and a larger purpose,” Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, says.

Eiseman says that the color “speaks to our desire to express, explore, experiment and reinvent, imparting a sense of buoyancy.

Through its reassuring yet assertive vibrancy, Greenery offers us self-assurance and boldness to live life on our own terms, during a time when we are redefining what makes us successful and happy.”

4

SpacesUtah.com

Pantone looked to trends toward open spaces in both interior and exterior design – both in the increasing use of potted plants and greenery inside architectural spaces, and a growing emphasis on tall, floor-to-ceiling windows that give commanding views of green spaces outside. The company suggests painting a wall with the color, or using it to give a piece of furniture a bright pop.

The company is also partnering this year with home-sharing juggernaut Airbnb to create an “experience” highlighting the color. The two will unveil their collaboration early in 2017.

Pantone also expects to see similar shades become popular in fashion, beauty and graphic design.

Each year, the company takes a look at worldwide trends to select which color best embodies the mood of the coming year. Art, fashion, lifestyles and even travel trends are taken into account for the final selection. 2016 saw the selection of a pair of shades, the pale blue “Serenity” and smoky pink “Rose Quartz,” while 2015’s color was the red wine “Marsala.” © CTW FEATURES March 2017

March 2017

SpacesUtah.com

5

BY DAWN KLINGENSMITH, CTW FEATURES

Pretty as Paper Wallpaper remains a popular choice for home decorators, and it’s no longer just for the wall

6

SpacesUtah.com

March 2017

P

aint can bring a space to life, but sometimes a room needs something a little bit fancier. Enter wallpaper … again. With the current resurgence in wallpaper’s popularity, many people once again are rolling prints into their home décor.

However, if doing a whole room in wallpaper isn’t your thing, savvy designers are finding some “off-thewall” uses for it. Wallpaper has long been used to line the insides of hutches, cabinets and bookcases, providing an unexpected pop of color, says Molly McDermott Walsh, VP of marketing, Farrow & Ball, New York City.

More recently, people have begun to paper the ceiling to create a “conversation-worthy” effect, she says.

That’s not the only way interior design has gone topsy-turvy of late. Instead of paint or paper, people are installing upholstery on the walls. Sometimes, the fabric is stretched over a layer of batting and tacked down in places for a soft, quilted look and feel.

Alternately, upholstered panels can be hung on the wall, and a certain type of wall upholstery has paper backing that installs like wallpaper.

The latter two application methods are easier for DIYers. “Generally, though, I would always leave wallpaper to professionals and that’s doubly so for wall upholstery,” says interior designer Katherine Shenaman of West Palm Beach, Florida.

To be sure, covering walls with fabric has a long history throughout the world.

Fabric brings color, pattern, texture and dimensionality into a room; paint and wallpaper fall flat by comparison.

Cleaning fabric-covered walls is challenging if not impossible, so kitchens, bathrooms and high-traffic areas aren’t wise choices for wall upholstery, Shenaman says.

Fabric harbors odors and dust, so upholstered walls offer little joy or comfort to allergy sufferers, she adds.

On the plus side, upholstered walls dampen sound and look “really cozy and March 2017

nice” in a bedroom, Shenaman says.

A small nook with lushly upholstered walls “ends up feeling like a little jewel box,” she adds.

The safest wallpaper choices for the ceiling are monochromatic, textured prints or non-directional patterns, says Walsh, adding that anything bolder would be especially distracting in a bedroom.

An experienced do-it-yourselfer can single-handedly paper walls, but for ceilings, it’s better to have a helper so one person can hold the roll while the other smooths out the paper.

Installing wallpaper to one section of the ceiling over an open floor plan, and framing the section with molding, helps to delineate the space beneath it for a specific purpose, says Walsh: “When it’s over the dining area or the play area or the media area, it really creates a zone.”

There also are many new, unique options from which to choose.

“I’ve seen wallpaper now that’s actually made from pheasant feathers, gold leaf and leather. The list goes on,” says Jamie Beckwith, designer and creator of the Jamie Beckwith Collection, Nashville.

Wallpaper is a safer choice for most rooms than one might expect because it’s no longer as difficult to remove.

Wallpaper doesn’t just peel off, however.

Wallpaper has a broad price range, as well, with a mid-range cost of about $45 per roll. But with renowned designers

and artists putting their work (in some cases, hand-painted originals) on both wallpaper and tile, the sky is the limit when it comes to price.

Do-it-yourselfers can capably hang wallpaper, but if it’s badly installed or misaligned, “it looks horrible,” warns Florence de Dampierre, author of “Walls: The Best Decorative Treatments” (Rizzoli, 2011). Some newer wallpapers “are stronger and easier to line up,” she says, and some even go on dry.

Wallpaper may be more sensitive than tile to humidity levels and certain climates.

Before wallpapering, a big part of the process is getting the walls back to good condition. The prep work can be extensive as opposed to just painting.

Flat paint minimizes the appearance of flaws, “so you can almost get away with not repairing all the defects,” Beckwith adds, whereas wallpaper and tile require a flawlessly smooth surface for proper adherence. © CTW FEATURES SpacesUtah.com

7

BY ERIK J. MARTIN, CTW FEATURES

5 Rules to Finding the Right Rug What to consider when picking the perfect rug for your unique space

8

SpacesUtah.com

March 2017

G

ot a room that somehow lacks the charm and character you crave? Don’t just sweep that problem under the rug, as they say – get an actual area rug to add comfort, color and definition to your interiors.

“Area rugs offer an opportunity to add a layer of style to any space, bringing in color and excitement,” says Marlaina Teich, owner of Marlaina Teich Designs in New York City. “Think of rugs as art for your floors that provides visual and physical warmth to a room and which perfectly anchors a space.”

Sehra Han, owner/designer with Marina Del Rey, California-based Scarlett Interior Designs, says an area rug also ties a furniture set together visually and tones down hard angles in a stiff room.

“For example, a rug can signify that a particular set of furniture is for watching TV or for conversing, or a rug can add visual softness to a room with a hardwood floor and no drapes,” Han says.

In addition to accenting a room and cushioning the impact of walking feet, “rugs protect hardwoods from excessive wear and help with sound reduction,” says Leslie Waller, designer with Atlantaheadquartered MODA Floors & Interiors.

Any living space with a bare floor is prime real estate for a rug – particularly the family room, living room, dining room and master bedroom, say the pros.

Square or rectangular rugs are best for square or rectangular rooms, while rounded rugs are often ideal for bathrooms or foyers.

Here are five things to consider carefully before choosing an area rug: 1. SIZE “Determining the size of the rug is the most important factor to make it look good in a room,” Han says. “Figure out what group of furniture the rug is meant to go under. The rug should go under at least the two front feet of all the pieces in a furniture group.” Be sure to measure the floor dimensions carefully “and leave an uncovered gap of two to three feet from the wall,” says Kymberlyn Lacy, designer with International Flair Designs in Little Rock, Arkansas.

March 2017

2. MATERIAL Modern rugs are either comprised of synthetic fibers like polypropylene, acrylic or nylon, or natural fibers like wool, hemp, silk, viscose, sisal or seagrass. Natural fiber types are usually more luxurious, durable and expensive, while synthetic rugs are often easier to clean and better for hightraffic areas with kids and pets.

3. PATTERN AND COLOR Determine if you want to punch up the room or softly blend in. “If you already have big, bold patterns on your draperies and accent pillow, you might want to go with a solid color or smaller pattern,” Han says. Additionally, subtle, soft, neutraltextured rugs are trending right now, “as homeowners are going for more of a natural feel in room design, as reflected by the popularity of neutral palette paint colors,” Lacy says.

4. PILE HEIGHT If you’re placing an area rug down on an already carpeted floor, “you may want to go with a woven rug or one with a shorter pile,” Han says. “On a hardwood floor, you may want more cushioning that comes with a higher pile.”

Get free rug swatches from your local hardware or rug store before you buy your rug to see and feel how your new rugs will look in your home.

5. BORDER OR NO BORDER “Area rugs with borders on the edges can be visually confining if the furniture is not placed just so, which can throw off the balance,” says Teich, who prefers borderless rugs for this reason. © CTW FEATURES

SpacesUtah.com

9

BY KEESA FULLMER, INTERIOR DESIGNER

Mixing Metals Who says gold and silver can’t be friends? How to mix metals for a sophisticated look and style.

Top: Park Capital Homes, designer Erin Hansen Right: Candlelight Homes, designer Pace Interiors Photo Credit: Ann Parris for the Salt Lake Parade of Homes

M

ixing metals is kind of a big deal right now in the design world. It is one of the easiest items to replace that has the largest overall impact in the home. Whether that be the cabinet hardware in your kitchen or the showerheads in your bathrooms, you are easily able to update the feel or style of a room. It’s one of the hottest hardware design trends in the industry— right up there with subway tile, faux fig plants and white kitchens (will white kitchens ever go out of style?!) As an ongoing trend, you can even see it in many of the amazing Parade homes across the state such as the the homes shown above from the Salt Lake Parade of Homes. Chrome, nickel, satin nickel, bronze, stainless steel, flat black, black stainless steel; the options are endless. There are so many finishes to choose from. So how do you know how to use them together? You want the room to flow and look

10

SpacesUtah.com

uniform, but how is that possible with so many variables? Done right, the whole room comes together like Van Gogh’s "Starry Night". Done wrong, it looks like the science project your 7th grader threw together the night before it was due.

For beginners looking for some guidance on the art of mixing metals within the same room, here are a few tips to take into consideration before you order that gorgeous black matte kitchen faucet and one hundred and something gold cabinet handles.

PICK A DOMINANT METAL One of the best things you can do for yourself is to pick a dominant metal from the very get-go.

You’ll thank yourself later when making future design decisions. This is the metal that will be used the most in the room. And, make sure to choose your favorite metal: The one you’ll be happy to look at every day for the foreseeable future; the one that March 2017

in every Instagram, Pinterest and Houzz picture you bookmark or screenshot.

Don’t have a favorite metal? Do some research. Check your Pinterest boards or personal phone gallery and ask yourself, “What metal have I pinned the most?

What have I bookmarked the most?”

You may be surprised. Chances are you have one metal that you clearly favor.

Mine is chrome. I love me some polished chrome.

It is important that you choose a metal that you love the most. This is your foundation that you will work from. Ever heard of the wise man and the foolish man who built their houses upon a rock versus a sand foundation? The wise man’s house on the rock stood upright. The foolish man on the sand lost his house. This metal will be your metaphorical rock or sand, so make the right choice. The more confident you are in your initial decision, the better off the rest of the project will be.

CAN’T HAVE JUST ONE If you’re certain you are unable to pick a dominant metal, go “halfsies” with two dominants. Okay, so you’re incapable of picking one metal. You sound like me at the Park City outlets over Labor Day weekend trying to decide what to leave behind. I get it! I’m an all-or-nothing type of person. In all seriousness, how about two dominant metals? Do you have two favorites that can be split 50/50 as the dominant metal? The important thing to consider is that you don’t want the metals to be competing with one another. If you go this route, make sure these two are sharing the space equally. You will subtly be able to throw in one more metal in small amounts if you’d like for accent, elegance or flair.

GENERALLY, USE THREE METALS Now that you have your dominant metal(s) picked out, it’s time to choose your secondary metals. If you’re a real novice, I suggest picking and sticking with three metals total. If you’re feeling confident and are working with a larger area, you can use four metals. Anything past four and you’re headed for the danger zone of the room feeling hodge podge and not flowing well.

Unless you are a professional designer, it is going to be very hard to utilize five metals or more in a space while creating a sense of balance.

March 2017

USE CONTRASTING METALS When picking your secondary metals, as with all projects in design, there is a feeling of balance that we need to find with color.

If you pick all dark metals, there is a severe lack of contrast. The same can be said if you pick all light metals. This behavior absolutely defeats the purpose of “mixed metals”. The point of the design trend is to literally use opposites together. This is also what makes it so nerve-racking for some. Mixed metals work because they are not similar. The differences make the room more interesting, so don’t be afraid to mix those black stainless steel appliances, brass bin cabinet pulls and that industrial chrome faucet.

BALANCE METALS BY CREATING VISUAL GROUPINGS By now you have your three metals picked out and they are stellar. Let’s say they are brass as your dominant, and black matte and silver as your secondary metals.

Now, where and how to use them within the space? Consider the other objects in the room and create groups. If you need to literally write down the other objects in the room to create the groups, then do it. For example, in a living room (in regards to your metals) you may need a chandelier, side tables, lamps and curtain rods. You have three metals, so let’s create three groups for those.

• Group 1: Large chandelier • Group 2: Side tables and curtain rods • Group 3: Lamps

Next, we’ll decide what group will be most dominant and apply the dominant metal to this group. It may not always be the group with the most items, either.

This is going to be the group with the heaviest visual weight in the room. In this case, it is Group 1: large chandelier and the dominant metal is brass. Group 2 and 3 will then be our secondary metals and there is no equation for these groups. At this point, you may pick your secondary metals as you please. I am choosing the black matte for Group 2, the side tables and curtain rods and silver for Group 3, the lamps. By creating groups within the room, you are able to assign the metals accordingly and continue on your merry way of searching and ordering your products without the confusion. You know exactly what you are searching for and oftentimes that is half the battle.

If you’re not wanting to commit to a metal long-term, incorporate it in with your décor. Sometimes it is hard to tell how long a metal will be in style. You want to make a wise investment for your circumstance. Here’s an example: gold metal. How long will it be in style? In the past, gold comes in fast and goes out faster.

Not wanting to change all your kitchen cabinet handles? Maybe invest in a gold three-tier stand for baked goods that can sit out on the counter or a gold metal mug rack that mounts on the kitchen wall.

There are other ways to incorporate that metal you so desperately love but can’t completely commit to.

I wish you the best of luck on your mixing metal endeavors!

SpacesUtah.com

11

World-Class Hotel Luxury at Home

BY JESSE DARLAND, CTW FEATURES

Travel blogger and author Sara Bliss discusses her new book and how to achieve a luxurious, global look in your own space

12

SpacesUtah.com

March 2017

March 2017

SpacesUtah.com

13

A

uthor Sara Bliss is nothing if not well traveled. A writer who covers health, beauty, celebrities, inspiring women, travel and design, she is the creator and primary author of the weekly travel and design blog HotelChicBlog.com.

Bliss recently took her experiences and worldwide eye for design and distilled them into “Hotel Chic at Home” (The Monacelli Press, 2016) a glossy, 300-page book filled with chic and colorful ideas based on real-life boutique hotels around the world.

The book was partly inspired by the explosion of well-designed hotel spaces around the world. “I think that in the past few years hotels have realized that design is a great way to get people through the door and get people to notice them,” Bliss says. “People don’t like that feeling that you’re in a hotel room that’s going to be the same in Moscow as it is in Miami. I don’t think people like that whole cookie cutter experience. They like things that are unique.”

Bliss began combing through these well designed spaces around the world, and found that there were many design lessons that could be applied to any room of the house.

“What I loved about this book is that there are so many different designers from all over the world,” she says.

“You’re getting such an incredible variety of looks. I think that, no matter what your style is, you’re going to find something that appeals to you in the book.”

Whether you like something that’s more exotic – there are spaces from Marrakesh or funky Boho Parisian spaces – the clean, crisp look of a white room in Mykonos, or even a Victorian hotel filled with vintage 14

SpacesUtah.com

furniture pieces, the book certainly delivers on the promise of variety.

Bliss organized her book both by room and by design trend, which makes it easy to flip through and find something to like.

“The fun thing was to call out the design ideas that were linked,” she says. “Spaces where they have a lot of pattern, that was one trend. Designing the ceiling was another that I found.

There are so many themes that could connect hotels from around the world from a design perspective.”

But even though many of the hotel spaces look lush and luxurious, that doesn’t mean that they necessarily cost a lot of money – a definite plus if you’re looking to copy something for your own home or apartment. “People forget that, for a lot of these small boutique hotels, they’re doing things on a budget,” Bliss says. She points to the Hotel Henriette in Paris. Rather than install headboards, the owner found vintage ceiling tiles and

“Hotel Chic at Home” - The Monacelli Press, 2016. Was inspired by the well-designed hotel spaces around the world.

This 300-page book will appeal to all styles.

March 2017

attached groups of them to the wall behind the beds. “It’s a really inexpensive and creative way of reusing things,” Bliss says.

For people looking for a weekend project – a relatively quick task to tackle in a few days – “Hotel Chic at Home” can easily be used as a sourcebook for creative ideas. Here are a few things that Bliss suggests to bring a bit of luxury travel into your everyday surroundings: BLOCK YOUR COLORS “One of the things I loved that feels really fresh right now is the color blocking trend,” Bliss says. Color blocking combines two colors together on a single wall. Bliss points to the Chequit on Shelter Island as a great example for how to paint with dark colors. “The thing about dark colors, even though I like dark colors and feature them in the book, is that they can sometimes feel too intense,” she says. “Color blocking makes it feel March 2017

more playful somehow and it’s a way to use a dark color without it being too intense.”

The Hoxton painted the bottom portion of their walls elephant gray, and the top part of the wall pink. “If you just had the gray, the room would feel a little too dark, and if you just had the pink the room would feel too girly,” she says.

“It’s just paint, just elbow grease,” Bliss says, but it can completely transform the look of a room.

MAKE OVERSIZED ARTWORK The Grace Mykonos in Greece makes use of a single oversized photograph to add impact to an otherwise all-white bedroom. “If you have a decent camera, you can take a picture and get it blown up at Kinkos,” she says, or from an online service like Shutterf ly.

“There’s something really cool about that, because it ends up looking like a window,” she says.

“Especially if you’re in a dark space but don’t have a good view, it almost makes the room look like you have a cool view.”

BRING BACK THE POLAROID At the Palihotel in West Hollywood, a giant framed collage of more than 400 Polariod images creates a sense of place. “Basically, they took a Polaroid and took all these cool pictures of the neighborhood,” Bliss says. Some images are abstract and some are really close up. To recreate this look at home, you don’t necessarily need to use a Polaroid – just a home printer.

“I actually did this with my son,” Bliss says. “We walked around our neighborhood and he just took all the pictures. It’s this big piece of custom art that feels really personal. It’s a fun art project you can do with your kids.” © CTW FEATURES

SpacesUtah.com

15

BY JESSE DARLAND, CTW FEATURES

One Habit for a Clean Home Author Dana K. White shares why ‘getting organized’ isn’t always the best way to keep an organized house

D

ana K. White is a blogger, podcaster, speaker and decluttering expert. In an attempt to get her home under control, Dana started blogging at ASlobComesClean. com. Her book “How to Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind” was released by Thomas Nelson in 2016. I sat down with Dana to talk about her book, washing the dishes and the downward spiral of clutter.

One of the big ideas in your book is that a clean home is a routine, rather than a destination. How did you arrive at that understanding?

I have a project mentality. I love projects. That served me very well in other areas of my life, but treating my home like a project wasn’t doing me any good. I would clean like crazy and then wait for it to need cleaning again. It was such a bad cycle.

Out of desperation I said, “I’m just going to do my dishes and keep my kitchen clean.” I knew that my kitchen was always the place where I needed to start whenever I cleaned my house. I was really shocked that just that one simple routine made such a big impact on my

16

SpacesUtah.com

entire home.

A big part of my problem was that I didn’t truly understand the time needed to do the small things, like doing my dishes or sweeping the kitchen, because I’d always waited for them to become a project in order to justify stopping everything to do them. As a project, they took hours, but when done as a routine they took me 10 minutes.

The book calls these routines “premade decisions.” Why is that?

If I let myself make the decision every night about whether I should do the dishes, I would talk myself out of it every night. Now the time required to do the dishes doesn’t include time spent deciding whether I should do the dishes. I don’t have to make a decision. I just have to do the dishes.

Taking those decisions away also frees up brain space. When I make myself figure out whether I should do something over and over again every single day it exhausts me. If it’s a pre-made decision, that mental stress is removed.

So is doing the dishes really so important?

There’s something about dirty dishes that makes people think, “I’ll do that eventually, but right now while I’m inspired to clean my house I should do something more important.” But when you feel inspired to clean, focus your effort on a space that’s visible. You’ll be inspired to keep going because you’ll see the improvement in your home.

For most of us, we have a drawer or closet – or room – that’s filled with stuff

that we want to organize but never do.

How can we get started organizing?

First of all, know that there’s a difference between decluttering and organizing, and it’s OK to just declutter.

Organizing is problem solving, and problem solving can be overwhelming.

Therefore, a lot of people put it off. The natural tendency is to [try to] figure out how a space needs to be organized for the rest of eternity. That often keeps us from getting started.

When I realized it was OK to just declutter without having a plan for organizing the space, it was a huge weight off me. I could just go in and get started.

When I declutter, I pull out the things we don’t need, and the space becomes functional. Now my family is able to live better with that space, because we don’t have to dig around to find the things we need.

Before, if I said I’d “get organized,” I’d go out and buy a bunch of containers.

But by the time I got home my drive to get organized was gone and I had a bunch of containers that created more clutter.

How can readers make the changes stick?

Decluttering momentum is a real thing. If you get stuck, I say go through your house and throw away trash. Instead of focusing on the thing that’s slowing your progress, go back and get rid of things that obviously need to go. Do what’s easy first and that will build momentum.

As long as you don’t quit, you’re making progress. © CTW FEATURES March 2017

Innovate & Create Your Space

Davis & Weber County

Salt Lake County

(801) 728-0747

(801) 532-4224

ORGANIZING & STORAGE SOLUTIONS FOR HOME & GARAGE With only the finest materials, and every job being installed by a member of our staff, not by a subcontractor, we ensure your satisfaction.

www.theclosetbutler.com

18

SpacesUtah.com

March 2017

BY JULIE ROBERTS

Storage Solutions Easy storage solutions for every home owner that saves space, brings creativity, and a peace of mind

W

hether you live in a city condominium or a country estate, every homeowner understands how difficult it is to conquer clutter.

Fortunately, with today’s storage options, organizing your stuff doesn’t need to be time consuming and expensive. The key is to begin with a thorough purge – go through your house room by room and donate or throw away everything you don’t want or need. After you’re left with the items that you really want to keep in your home, you are ready to get started on your new storage and organization plan. Here are a few strategies for you to consider:

REPURPOSE AND REUSE Do you have old wooden crates that are gathering dust? Paint them in fun colors and use them to store toys, papers, and books. Take that old piano bench sitting in your basement and use it to feature pictures, candles, and vases. Old bowls and cups can gain new life as storage containers for pencils, pens, and paper clips. An old fishing tackle box can serve as an ideal organizer for your jewelry.

HANG IT UP Do you have limited floor space in your home? Then it’s time to put your walls to work! Use colorful hooks and pegs to hang clothes, garment bags, and laundry sacks. Create a new home for your reading material by installing shelves, ledges, and racks. Magnet boards, chalkboards, and pin boards are fun and versatile options for featuring artwork and to-do lists. For the heavy-duty items that you store in your garage, try wallmounted cabinets and shelves.

March 2017

COVER AND CONCEAL If you are looking for a clean, streamlined look in your home, hidden storage might be your best bet. Storage ottomans are an ingenious way to store your stuff and provide extra seating at the same time. Use shallow bins to hold your shoes and store them under the bed. You can also find coffee tables with drawers and hinged lids to hold remote controls and magazines. And don’t forget about storage mirrors – they can be used in your bathroom and bedroom to store toiletries.

we use every day, the kitchen is one of the toughest rooms in the house to organize.

Fortunately, there are simple ways to maximize limited cabinet spaces. For example, drawer organizers are inexpensive and will make a huge difference in your kitchen’s functionality.

Installing a Lazy Susan in your deep cabinets or on a shelf will also make it easier for you to access your kitchen items.

Use glass or stainless steel canisters to hold your flour and sugar, and find a pretty wire mesh basket to store your fruit.

INVEST IN BINS AND BASKETS The best thing about bins and baskets is their versatility. Whether you prefer plastic, wicker, cloth, or wood, you’ll likely have no trouble finding an inexpensive bin or basket option in your preferred size and style. If you really want to double down on organizing, you can label your baskets and bins with adhesive or chalkboard labels.

BRING ORDER TO YOUR BATHROOM Another tricky room to organize is the bathroom because most of them have limited square footage. But there are a few simple things you can do to create a clutter-free zone. Try free-standing cabinets or carts to store bigger items such as towels and cleaning supplies. For the smaller items, you can install medicine cabinets and shelves that will fit conveniently over the toilet or sink to utilize every inch of space.

GET CREATIVE IN THE KITCHEN With all the food, dishes, and utensils that

SpacesUtah.com

19

BY NANCY MATTIA, CTW FEATURES

Conquering the Chaos Seven tips that will allow you to go from messy to well maintained in a flash

I

f you find it challenging to keep your home from looking like a tornado blew through, take heart: Many busy parents have the same dilemma.

Rasing children takes up a huge amount of time and energy, leaving little left for keeping your home looking clean and organized.

But having a routine, enlisting the help of your kids, and using the right storage containers go a long way in getting your home in shape. Here are seven very doable tips to try.

20

SpacesUtah.com

1. KEEP ON TOP OF THINGS AS THEY HAPPEN Putting things like shoes and books back where they belong as soon as you or your child are done using them will make a noticeable difference to how orderly your home looks. “Restocking” items continuously during the day is also less exhaustive than if you waited until the kids are in bed to do it.

2. DON’T WALK EMPTY-HANDED FROM ONE ROOM TO ANOTHER If the baby’s empty bottle is in the

living room and you’re heading to the kitchen, grab it and put in the dishwasher. Use this pickup method every time you’re walking around your home so you’ll have that much less to put away later. Also, place a basket next to the stairs—one at the top, one at the bottom—so when you find something that belongs upstairs (or vice versa), you can put it in the basket, says Julie Bestry, a certified professional organizer and president of Best Results Organizing, in Chattanooga, Tenn.

“Make it a house rule to never go up or March 2017

5. SET UP VERTICAL STORAGE Over-the-door shoe hangers, especially the kind where you can see the contents, are great for corralling everything from chargers to cleaning supplies, says Bestry. Keep similar items grouped together and out of the way behind doors.

down the stairs without taking the basket or at least some of its contents.”

3. GET EVERYONE TO PITCH IN Establish a pre-dinner ritual for parents or sitters and kids to take part in the day’s big cleanup, and make it fun (play a song with a peppy beat).

Work with youngsters to get everything back to the room or storage area where they belong. “By pairing fun music with the organizing task,” says Bestry, “it encourages children to think about cleaning up in a positive way.”

4. AVOID TOY BINS The deeper the bin, the less likely kids will see something they want to play with since smaller things will fall to the bottom. Instead, Bestry suggests open shelving with brightly colored plastic dishpans or tubs, which are shallower and act as drawers. Put similar things together—all the action figures in one dishpan, the small stuffed animals in another; bigger toys can just sit on the shelves by

March 2017

6. TAKE 10 MINUTES AFTER THE KIDS GO TO BED TO ORGANIZE THEIR LIVES The best use of that time is making sure lunches and snacks are packed, homework and permission slips are in backpacks, and sports equipment is ready to go.

Storage containers can make organizing fun for you children and allows a peace of mind for busy parents. themselves. Label each container with words or photos (for young kids) of what goes inside.

7. GIVE YOURSELF A BREAK When you have young kids, your house may never be as organized as you’d like. And that’s okay. “Doing a little is better than doing nothing,” says Bestry. “It’s also better than going overboard, because trying to do everything tends to make a person burn out.” © CTW FEATURES

SpacesUtah.com

21

BY NANCY MATTIA, CTW FEATURES

12 Ways to Make Your Bathroom Safer Whether you’re planning to build a new bathroom or update an old one, you can make your family’s wellbeing a top priority, stylishly

A

ccidents happen at home, especially in the bathroom. Water is often the culprit – people slip in the shower, tub, and in puddles on the floor and get burned by scalding temperatures. Then there are tripping hazards and if you’ve got young children, there are even more concerns. Here’s how to reduce the 22

SpacesUtah.com

risks and help everyone stay safe.

1. DON’T LOCK THE DOOR WHEN YOU’RE INSIDE Everyone wants privacy in the bathroom, but locking the door could be dangerous. If you injured yourself and needed help, a rescuer would first have to try his best MacGyver moves to unlock the door before having to break

it down. It’s better to keep it closed but unlocked.

2. LOCK IT ON THE OUTSIDE IF YOU’VE GOT A YOUNG CHILD An effective way to keep your curious child out of the bathroom when he’s out of your sight is to install a hook-and-eye lock high up on the door that’s out of your child’s reach.

March 2017

3. INSTALL A CHILD-SAFETY TOILET LOCK Another way to keep little ones safe is to have a lock on the toilet to prevent them from opening the lid and falling in. There are many toilet styles and types of locks, so shop around and test out which one fits your toilet best.

4. INSTALL GRAB BARS “Having grab bars inside and outside the shower, tub, and toilet reduces falls,” says Bonnie Lewis, who owns the interior design firm, 55 Plus TLC, in Scottsdale, Arizona. But the bars won’t work if they’re not installed correctly.

She says it’s a mistake “to use the type of anchor you’d use to hang a painting.” To be certain they’re installed properly, hire someone who is a certified aging-in-place specialist or a builder/remodeler trained to do the installation. Aesthetically, grab bars now come in many styles and finishes that match your bathroom’s other fixtures.

5. REMOVE MEDICATIONS Even if your meds have child-safety caps, don’t leave them in the medicine cabinet if your kids can climb and grab them. It’s safer to put them in a high place out of reach of little climbers.

“Medications” doesn’t just refer to prescriptions but aspirin, cold remedies, and all over-the-counter medications too.

6. CHOOSE SLIP-RESISTANT PRODUCTS Soap and water are a natural combo but a hazardous one in the tub. You can help prevent falls by installing a nonslip mat with rubber backing. If you’re remodeling, choose slip-resistant porcelain or ceramic tiles, says Lewis.

Avoid mosaic glass—it’s pretty, but as a flooring material, it poses a slipping risk.

7. SAY NO TO BIG TILES The size of your floor tile can help prevent injury too. “Install small tiles, which are less slippery than bigger ones and require more grout,” says Lewis.

Grout increases traction, especially on a wet floor.

8. AVOID GLASS OBJECTS Whether it’s a drinking vessel or a March 2017

container to hold cotton swabs, anything made of glass should never find its way to the bathroom. If it breaks, you may step on slivers or shards of glass and cut yourself.

9. LOWER WATER HEATER TEMPERATURE If your water heater is set to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, lower it—at that temperature, someone could burn their skin. Setting the heater to 120 degrees Fahrenheit will reduce the risk.

10. REMOVE SLIPPERY THROW RUGS The rug may be a perfect match with the curtains but if it’s got no traction left and slips or bunches up, it’s a hazard and needs to be taken away.

Taking these simple steps allows your bathroom to become more safe for you and your family.

11. CHANGE TO A CURBLESS SHOWER ENTRANCE When a threshold is flat rather than raised, the risk of tripping while entering or leaving the shower goes way down, says Lewis. It’s especially important for homeowners who are aging in place and essential if someone is in a wheelchair.

12. WIPE UP PUDDLES ON FLOOR IMMEDIATELY Water is vital but also the enemy in the bathroom, where spills and falls occur when you don’t sop up water from the floor. Remember: A dry floor is a safe floor, so keep a mop handy and remove wet spots pronto. © CTW FEATURES SpacesUtah.com

23

BY MEGAN HATCH, CONSERVATION GARDEN PARK

Localscapes

®

Creative ways to bring your Utah yard to life

U

tah is different. Where else do you use your car heater and air conditioner on the same flipping day? We have fry sauce, Donny Osmond, green Jell-O and probably more Old Navy Fourth-of-July t-shirts than the rest of the country combined! With our unique climate and culture, it only makes sense that in order to grow right, our landscapes need to be different too.

When the pioneers entered the Salt Lake Valley back in 1847, they brought many worthwhile traditions, created a grid system WAY ahead of its time, and got us an extra day off work in July—but they also brought a European-style of landscaping that was never meant for a place like Utah.

Now the landscape style they brought with them has perpetuated for generations, and we’ve all been frustrated with sprinkler

24

SpacesUtah.com

systems that don’t work, plants that fail, and Saturdays that have been sacrificed to menial yard maintenance. But landscape fails might not be our fault. It could be our landscape style—and the fact that we aren’t in England anymore.

A new movement called “Localscapes” is growing from the epiphany that rather than importing landscape styles from different climates and trying to force them to fit here, Utah needs its own style of landscaping—one that creates yards that work, not more yard work.

The premise of Localscapes is simple. By re-thinking five areas of your yard, you can have a landscape that works for you and thrives in Utah.

1. THE CENTRAL OPEN SHAPE: In Utah, we don’t get much rain. This means that if we want a lawn (which many

March 2017

1

2

3

4

5

Central Open Shape Prevent frustration by designing your landscape to fit your sprinklers instead of forcing sprinklers to fit your landscape. Keeping lawn in a central open shape allows sprinkler systems to work efficiently Gathering Areas Rethinking maintenance as part of landscape design saves time, energy and more of your Saturday. For example, placing gathering areas like patios, decks, or informal seating outside of your lawn means fewer areas to irrigate and maintain.

Activity Zones Just like gathering areas, activity zones like trampolines, play sets, sheds, and hot tubs should be placed outside of your lawn area. You get the same benefits plus no more objects to mow around!

Paths Narrow lawn strips are difficult to irrigate and require a lot of maintenance. In contrast, paths between elements of your landscape means less work and you might even visit areas of the landscape you used to ignore.

Planting Beds Choosing the right plants to fill in the rest of your landscape will save you money and time because Utah-friendly plants thrive there.

ÂŽ Photos courtesy of Conservation Garden Park

March 2017

Spaces Magazine

25

BEFORE

of us do), we need a sprinkler system.

Most people go through heck trying to fit their sprinklers to their landscape (often without success) and end up with dryspots, overspray and plenty of Saturdays lost to irrigation maintenance. Localscapes turns this concept on its (sprinkler) head by designing landscapes to fit irrigation systems instead. Keeping lawn in a central open shape allows sprinklers to work as they were designed, which means not forcing them to water oddly-shaped or positioned lawn areas (think side-yards, park strips, and that weird piece of grass right behind your play-set). Plus, when the lawn is all grouped together it ensures that 100% of the lawn is available for recreational use while giving you a single edge to trim and maintain.

Even without lawn, a central open shape created with gravel, pavers, or groundcover can create a consistent unbroken plane within your landscape that helps it look more organized.

2. GATHERING AREAS Rethinking maintenance as part of landscape design saves time, energy and more of your Saturday. For example, designing gathering areas like patios, decks, or informal seating into your landscape can add function and enjoyment. Placing them outside of your lawn area means fewer areas to irrigate and maintain. Win, win, and win. One approach to designing gathering areas for your landscape is the “3-Patio System.”

Front Yard Seating: A small seating area 26

SpacesUtah.com

AFTER

in the front yard creates a no-maintenance zone where you can relax and socialize with neighbors. Front yard seating can also increase the curb appeal of your landscape.

Main Patio: Most often located next to the back door, the main seating area can be open or covered but should be large enough to allow for outdoor dining and socializing.

Secondary Seating: Whether you tuck a fire pit, arbor swing or just a small reading nook into the back corner of your landscape, adding this gathering area will bring function and enjoyment.

3. ACTIVITY ZONES Just like gathering areas, activity zones such as trampolines, play sets, sheds, and hot tubs should be placed outside of your lawn area. You get the same benefits plus fewer areas to irrigate, less space to maintain, and no bars and poles to mow around. If you’ve ever tried to mow and maintain lawn around a swing set, you’ll quickly understand the value of having a space dedicated to that use with shockabsorbent playground bark instead of lawn beneath! And, if you outgrow one type of activity zone, you can easily switch it out without having to undertake a major landscape remodel. A play-space can convert to a fire pit area or a vegetable garden can transform into a dog run. It’s up to you!

4. PATHS Narrow lawn strips are difficult to irrigate and require a lot of

maintenance. In contrast, paths between elements of your landscape mean less work and you might even visit areas of the landscape you used to ignore. Paths are like connectors. Now that you have all of these great gathering areas and activity zones, paths help you connect and explore your outdoor space. Paths can be hardscape—such as concrete or pavers, or easy-to-install materials like stepping stones or rock chips. The one material paths should never be made of is grass.

In your Localscape design, you will need two types of paths.

Primary Paths: Paths that are March 2017

Aside from Utah’s unique culture, it also has a unique climate where you could have a picnic and sled in the same week. A new trend called “Localscapes” allows Utah residents to create yards that work, not more yard work!

March 2017

necessary to access your home are primary paths— these should always be a hard surface. Because, hello, who wants to try snow removal on gravel?

Secondary Paths: These are seasonal paths, so it is ok to get creative. Materials like gravel, stone or even bark mulch will all work just fine.

5. PLANTING BEDS In a Localscape, planter beds fill the leftover landscape space rather than lawn. Choosing the right plants to fill in your landscape will save you money and time because Utah-friendly plants thrive here. There are several free resources to help you pick the right plants for you, check out some free designs and plant pairings on localscapes.com.

And for those of you who believe that having more planter beds means more maintenance, that’s like believing every Utahn puts carrots in Jell-O. Maintenance reduction happens when you use drip irrigation in your planting beds and apply generous amounts of mulch. Now you’re only watering the plants you want to keep, and weeds don’t grow as well. All this reduced maintenance means more time to actually enjoy your yard. Take that, European landscape!

There is no place quite like Utah—home of the “Greatest Snow on Earth” and some of the driest summers in the nation. Isn’t it time we start letting our landscapes be local too? To learn more about Localscapes and how you can start localizing visit www.localscapes.com.

SpacesUtah.com

27

BY MARISSA GLOWACZ

Going Green Easy ways to make your home a bit more environmentally friendly

Here are a few simple ideas that you can implement to make your home more environmentally friendly:

C

reating a home that incorporates aspects of going green can be easier than you think. You don’t have fit the stereotype of being a “tree hugger” who drinks kale smoothies and drives a Prius to make big changes in your home. Going Green will positively affect your energy bills and water usage, as well as your community and environment.

28

SpacesUtah.com

1. CREATE A COMPOSTING GARDEN Beginning the process of composting can be an ominous task for many. But have no fear, you can start composting on a very small scale and use a method that is customized and conducive to your lifestyle. Here are some tips for getting started: Step One: Find a composting bin that is suitably sized for your home or backyard. If you do not want to purchase a bin, you can even compost in a large garbage bag.

Step Two: Research. Not all composting bins function the same way and most don’t have the capacity to compost any and all leftovers. Expert tip: If you want to use a garbage bag to compost, use plant waste, fertilizer (one tablespoon with a high nitrogen content), lime (1 cup per bag) and a quart of water. Make sure to seal the bag tightly after adding your discarded remains.

Step Three: The waiting period. Composting doesn’t just happen over night; it usually takes a few months to have fully fertilized soil that you can use for your garden. Although this is not the fastest idea to implement, in the long run it will be extremely worthwhile.

Step Four: Plant your garden using the composted material as the fertilizer. Keep in mind location and climate when planting your garden.

March 2017

footprint. On average, a solar panel system will cost $18,000 to install but will pay for itself within 11 years. By adding a solar panel to your home, you can save as much as $700 in your first year of use.

3. SWITCH OUT YOUR LIGHT BULBS One of the easiest ways to make a difference in your home, by lowering your electricity cost, is changing out your light bulbs. Opt for a compact florescent light bulb (CFL), which will last 10 times longer than regular incandescent bulbs. Or you can use light-emitting diodes (LED) bulbs that can last up to 50,000 hours, which is 5.7 years! These light bulbs use 25-80% less energy compared to their tradition counterpart, which will save you money.

4. RAINWATER COLLECTION Nothing in this world is free but collecting your own rainwater is pretty close! If you want to collect and store rainwater, you can register with the Utah Division of Water Rights free of charge.

Precipitation storage is limited to 2,500 gallons, but rainwater collected during the winter and spring months can be used to water your composting garden throughout the summer!

Replacing common light bulbs around your house with LED light bulbs uses less energy than other types of lighting and lasts longer than conventional bulbs.

March 2017

Some fruits and vegetables that thrive in Utah include apples, cherries, potatoes and broccoli.

2. SOLAR PANELS Ask your power company about purchasing solar panels for your home. Utah is one of seven states with the greatest potential for solar power usage, so we should take advantage of it! Although it can seem very costly at first, over the long term you will be saving money while decreasing your

5. SMART THERMOSTATS Smart thermostats are the latest and greatest in technology to keep your home at the perfect temperature and your gas bills low. Smart thermostats control heating and air conditioning that are connected to the Internet, which allow their users to adjust home temperature settings from their smartphones, tablets, or desktop computers. Smart thermostats have the ability to track your usage patterns throughout the day and manipulate the temperature based on your preferences. For example, the thermostat tracks your likings while you sleep, wake up and even transitions into energy saving mode when you go to work. A smart thermostat will set you back a few hundred dollars, but this is a small price to pay in order to make a huge transformation in your energy usage.

SpacesUtah.com

29

BY JESSE DARLAND, CTW FEATURES

10 Questions to Ask Before You Go Solar Homeowners looking to save money and increase their home’s value are turning to solar. We took a look at what’s needed to get started.

S

olar panels are booming.

According to the Solar Energies Industry Association, more than a million American homes now sport solar panels. Those million homeowners could agree that sporting solar panels gives their homes energy independence, more control over where their power comes from, increased property values and – most importantly – lower electric bills.

But for homeowners considering adding their own panels, the process can seem daunting.

We spoke to some experts, who suggested some questions that homeowners need to consider when researching getting solar power for themselves.

30

SpacesUtah.com

March 2017

2. HOW MUCH CAN I SAVE? “There really is no standard amount of money that people can save, because everyone is different,” GREEN says.

There are a variety of factors to consider, including the size of the system, its cost, the local electricity rate and available sunlight. “However, the bottom line is that when you go solar, you immediately lower your out-of-pocket costs for electricity, and your system can save you thousands in electricity costs for decades,” she says.

For consumers looking for a national view, Energy Sage publishes a data report every six months that summarizes costs and trends across the United States.

1. DOES MY ROOF GET ENOUGH SUNLIGHT? HOW DO I FIND OUT? There are two factors to consider right off: roof orientation and shading.

Orientation is the simplest thing to determine. “Anything other than North is fine,” Vikram Aggarwal says. Aggarwal is founder and CEO of EnergySage.com, an online marketplace that makes it easy for consumers to comparison shop for rooftop energy systems. “South is generally the best. West is the next best, East is the next best.” South-facing roofs are ideal for solar because they capture the most light during the sun’s trajectory across the sky.

How much shade your roof receives is the second concern. You’ll need about March 2017

4-6 hours of continuous sunshine. “Do you have a lot of trees, adjacent homes, or other obstacles that block sun exposure on your roof?” Jen Darrah of Direct Energy Solar, an installer active in the Northeast, says. “If so, they could be a factor.” Most of the time, trees can easily be trimmed.

Aggarwal mentions another factor to consider. If your roof is complex, with sharp angles or multiple gables, you might not be able to get the combined 300 square feet or so needed by most systems. In those cases, a groundmounted system might be more appropriate, assuming that you have the yard space to accommodate the solar array.

3. HOW DO I DECIDE WHAT KIND OF SYSTEM I NEED? “It really starts with talking with a professional solar installer,” GREEN says. The installer can evaluate the home and roof to make recommendations for the best type of system. “When you meet with us, you receive a selection of panel options to choose from, so you can decide the look and price-point that’s best for you and your home.”

Roof space and electricity needs are big determining factors. Others to consider are warranties and manufacturers. “Some people are really interested in buying American made, and the options are increasing,” Aggarwal says. “You pay a slight premium, but from some people that’s a very big deal.”

4. SHOULD I PURCHASE OR LEASE THE SOLAR PANELS? This is a financial decision that many homeowners face, because the cost of a new solar system can be high. If you don’t have enough cash on hand to buy the system outright, low-interest solar loans are available either through the equipment manufacturers or your local bank.

One advantage of purchasing your system is the array of incentives available through government agencies or your local utility. “With solar ownership, you can take advantage of incentives, rebates, and grants, as well as special programs like net metering and Solar SpacesUtah.com

31

Solar Panels are a great way to lower your energy bill while increasing home value. (Professional Association of Real Estate Appraisers)

32

SpacesUtah.com

Renewable Energy Credits (or SRECs),” GREEN says. “These programs lower your system cost and speed up your solar payback.”

Leases, on the other hand, will give you smaller share of the savings. On the other hand, you won’t need to worry about maintenance or upkeep costs, since the lessor handles those. “If you want to save the most money, ownership makes the most sense. If you’re looking for something very simple, leasing is good,” Aggarwal says.

5. CAN I GET A TAX BREAK? If you own your system, then yes!

“Several state-level tax incentives exist, but the shining star has been the popular Solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC) provided by the federal government,” GREEN says. The ITC is a federal solar incentive that allows you to claim a tax credit for 30% of the total cost of installing your solar system, and it’s available at least until 2022. (Congress has yet to decide whether or not to extend it past them.)

March 2017

roof is older – say 20 years old – most installers would recommend at least replacing the part of the roof where the panels are being installed.

Aggarwal points out one benefit for your roof. “The panels do actually protect the roof, so they can extend the life of your roof,” he says. Panels are relatively easy to remove in the event that your roof needs repair.

9. WHAT HAPPENS IF I MOVE? You have two options. Your first option, as mentioned before, is to keep your system at your house. “It increases the value of your home and provides value to the new homeowner,” GREEN says. The system could also be transferred to your new home. Direct Energy Solar provides a moving guarantee that assists customers if they decide to move.

Appraisal Institute, a professional association of real estate appraisers, solar electric systems positively impact home values. After all, anyone who purchases your home in the future will inherit lowered energy bills.

Homeowners can check www. dsireusa.org, a website run by North Carolina State University, to see a list of local credits, rebates and incentives available in their area. Aggarwal also recommends the solar calculator available on the EnergySage website.

7. HOW WILL THIS AFFECT THE LOOK OF MY HOUSE? “Are the panels going on the front of the house or the back of the house?

People are very focused on how the panels are going to look,” Aggarwal acknowledges with a laugh. Thanks to advances in manufacturing, there are now an increased number of options available, including black-on-black panels, all-glass panels and rimless panels. If you’re looking for a completely invisible option, California manufacturer SolarCity recently announced a premium product that integrates solar panels into individual glass shingles or roof tiles.

6. WILL THE SYSTEM INCREASE THE VALUE OF MY PROPERTY? “Studies have shown that this is indeed the case,” GREEN says.

According to a 2013 study by the

8.DO I NEED TO GET A NEW ROOF FIRST? Maybe. Installation is best done on a roof in good condition that will not need replacement for a while. If the

March 2017

10. SO WHAT DO I DO NEXT? Because solar power can vary greatly from location to location, our experts recommended speaking to local contractors and gathering bids from multiple installers, and speaking to each installer find out why the installer is recommending a particular option.

Aggarwal recommended his company’s service, which takes place entirely online – with no phone call required – giving homeowners 3-7 options. “When I’m talking to my friends and family, one thing that I like to emphasize is why they should even think of solar,” Aggarwal says.

“One is that it’s one of the really good investment options available to homeowners today. Two, you’re locking in your electricity prices for the next 10-20 years.”

Finally, Aggarwal says, “it’s one of the greatest ways to generate economics growth in the U.S. You’re borrowing from a local bank, you’re hiring a local contractor and you’re not exporting your energy dollars.”

In other words, he says, solar is a “triple bottom-line” product that helps your pocketbook, helps the environment, and helps the local economy. In that context, it’s a no-brainer. © CTW Features SpacesUtah.com

33

BY JULIE ROBERTS

Smart Homes for Smart Homeowners Ready to start building out your smart home? We explore the best ways to update your home.

M

ost Americans probably wouldn’t dream of living without our smartphones, but many of us still don’t know very much about smart homes and how they can simplify our lives. To determine if the smart home options are right for you, ask yourself this question: Do you like the idea of having the ability to control all your home devices with your phone, tablet, or PC? If that sounds appealing, a smart home might be perfect for your 34

SpacesUtah.com

lifestyle. Here are a few things that owners of smart homes appreciate about their high-tech abodes: COOKING LIKE A PRO We have all relied on machines in the kitchen for a long time, and now we have new smart options to make our cooking processes even more streamlined. Digitally-controlled appliances include precision cookers, electric smokers, fryers, and food scales. Even the traditional crockpot has received a smart-technology makeover; by checking on an app on March 2017

make it easier to care for their little ones. To monitor and pacify the babies, parents can rely on app-connected baby monitors, video cameras, and cradles. To amuse the older kids, parents can activate smart TVs, home theaters, and portable Bluetooth speakers. And don’t forget about the smart home options for pets!

Your feline friends will appreciate the self-cleaning litter box and automatic pet feeder, and the dogs will love a self-filtering water fountain and electronic pet door.

your phone, you can adjust your smart crockpot’s cooking time, temperature, and settings. If you sometimes forget to turn off your oven, you might want to investigate a smart oven with a self-regulating off/on function.

HELPING WITH THE KIDS If you have children, then you know that parents can use all the assistance they can get.

Fortunately, stressed moms and dads can take advantage of the numerous smart devices that will March 2017

ENSURING HOME SECURITY You can connect your smart home security system to your home Wi-Fi system, which gives you the ability to monitor your home from your phone – even when you’re gone. The security systems can include door and window sensors, indoor and outdoor surveillance cameras, and automatic door locks. You can even find systems that monitor smoke and carbon monoxide alarms to cover all your bases.

DOING THE CHORES Are you tired of tedious housekeeping tasks? With all the smart home options available, your workload can be much simpler. Robotic vacuums work well for homes with a lot of carpet, and robotic mops and

floor dusters are great for homes with hardwoods and other hardsurface floors. If you’re really sold on innovative cleaning options, you should seek out the automatic shower cleaners and rain gutter cleaners that will take away even more dirty work from your schedule. When the summer comes, you might want to invest in a robotic lawn mower with an automatic mulching system.

Smart kitchen devices are now very common with a whole host of accessories for your kitchen.

ENHANCING QUALITY OF LIFE If you are just looking for a little bit of luxury and comfort, you can choose the smart home functions that make our lives just a little bit easier. Do you have trouble sleeping? Then you might enjoy a smart bed, complete with app-controlled options to adjust mattress firmness that will accommodate even the fussiest sleepers. Some smart beds on the market will even monitor your heart rate, breathing, and movements. Or maybe you are just looking for a little help with your everyday tasks? Then you’re in luck – there are several voicecontrolled assistant options available. With just a quick command, you can ask your assistant to adjust the thermostat, purchase a household item, or simply answer your spelling and grammar questions.

SpacesUtah.com

35

BY JENI FITZGIBBON, SPACES STAFF WRITER

Staging a Home Ways you can improve your home when you’re in the process of selling

I

f you’re thinking about selling your house, there’s one thing your realtor might suggest: bring in a home stager. A home stager will make your home appealing to potential buyers by focusing on improving the property’s appearance. This can include painting the home (inside and outside), landscaping or rearranging furniture, wall art or decorations in a more appealing way.

Some realtors and home stagers might not think your home needs it, so it’s really up to you.

36

SpacesUtah.com

Lori Chamberlain of MediaOne Real Estate says, “I do recommend if the home is over $350,000, if it has a strange layout where the flow of the home does not work, or if the home does not look good vacant.

Sometimes the furniture may be distracting, old and worn out, or have a bad odor. That would be the perfect time to have it staged.”

No matter the condition of your home, consider these staging tips.

GET RID OF CLUTTER A home stager will always tell you to hide March 2017

clutter. Some of this clutter may include books, excessive appliances, toys, magazines, bath accessories and other miscellaneous items. Since you’re already planning on moving, take this as an opportunity to go ahead and start packing for the move. In the meantime, use your garage for storage if you have one. If you don’t, now may be the time to rent a storage unit.

TAKE DOWN PERSONAL ITEMS Many realtors and home stagers will advise you to put away any personal photos, or anything that might evoke strong emotions. Potential buyers want to be able to picture themselves in the home.

If they see a stranger’s life on the walls, it could make it tough for them to imagine themselves in that home.

Family photos can make a home look welcoming and warm, but so can neutral photos of landscapes or nature. You want your home to look as neutral as possible, so use this as an opportunity to put your personal photos into storage, ready to move to your new home. Try taking out some of the artwork you may have received as gifts or haven’t had a chance to hang up yet. This leads us to the next tip regarding the importance of attractive wall art.

RE-ARRANGE YOUR WALL ART Stagin your home is a great chance to show off your art. You’ll want to work with your stager on the best way to display this. This is the fun part, I promise! Not only will this help get your home ready for staging, but it will also give you new ideas on how to hang art at your new home.

The stager wants a room to look big and the way you hang wall art might help with that perception.

TRANSFORM A SPARE ROOM You may have a spare room that was for storing clutter only. Try taking that spare room and turning it into something that appears to serve a purpose (like a study, or office). This may include taking some chairs, tables, or console tables that you have in other parts of the house and adding them to this room. A plant in the corner might also be a nice touch along with some artwork you may not be currently displaying.

March 2017

SpacesUtah.com

37

Rearranging your wall art not only preps your home for potential buyers — it allows you to find new ways to showcase your art in your new home. This part of the process should be fun for you and your home stager!

38

SpacesUtah.com

According to Leah Hennen from hgtv.com, “If you have a room that serves only to gather junk, repurpose it into something that will add to the value of your home. The simple addition of a comfortable armchair, a small table and a lamp in a stairwell nook will transform it into a cozy reading spot.”

FURNITURE ARRANGEMENTS Don’t be afraid to rearrange your furniture. If your dining room table has too many chairs, consider taking some of those and placing them in a space that seems empty. You can also float furniture away from walls and place furniture pieces in groups, which could actually make the room seem larger.

March 2017

With some vacant homes, it is easy to see the layout of the home. In others, it helps to have some basic furniture like a kitchen table and master bedroom furniture, which make a big difference when the buyers are trying to decide if their own furniture would fit.”

—Lori Chamberlain Potential buyers want to know if certain furniture pieces will look good in rooms. “With some vacant homes, it is easy to see the layout of the home. In others, it helps to have some basic furniture like a kitchen table and master bedroom furniture, which make a big difference when the buyers are trying to decide if their own furniture would fit,” says Chamberlain.

LANDSCAPE You want your home to look just as inviting on the outside as it does on the inside. This is called ‘curb appeal’, and it’s the first thing realtors and potential buyers will see, so it’s important to give them a good first impression.

Use your neighbors’ homes as an example. If their yards look well maintained and inviting then you want yours to look as good or better. This will keep potential buyers from thinking that your home’s curb appeal is inferior to the rest of the neighborhood.

One easy way to start the landscaping process is to pick up dead leaves (depending on the season), twigs, dog droppings, and broken lawn ornaments.

Lawn ornaments such as gnomes and flamingos may make your yard seem cluttered, so it would be best to put them into storage.

Adding some color to your yard will also help its curb appeal. Try laying down some fresh mulch in the flowerbeds and then placing potted flowers in places that may look dull, like a flower box in front of a bay window or March 2017

the front entryway. This is a quick and easy way to add color without doing any heavy work.

One more thing you can do is remove weeds from cracks in pavement, in your grass and in flower beds. Pruning shrubs and bushes would also be important if you haven’t done it already.

LIGHTING Don’t underestimate the importance of good lighting when staging a home.

You never want your home to appear dark or dreary. Good lighting can make a home appear warm and inviting. If necessary, increase the wattage in your lamps, fans and fixtures. Do not use light bulbs with wattage above the maximum recommendation for the fixture, but try to have a total of 100 watts per 50 square feet.

When it comes to staging a home, minor change can make a big difference which can bring comfort to the sellers knowing that their home did not change too drastically and their devotion to their home can still be seen by potential buyers. According to Chamberlain, “I get positive feedback from both parties, including the sellers, as long as changes to the home are minimal and the buyer can still see their belongings in the home.”

Lori Chamberlain recommends incredibledwellings.com for more ideas on home staging. Incredible Dwellings and Beyond has helped many homes in the Salt Lake area sell due to their successful home staging techniques.

SpacesUtah.com

39

BY UTAH ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS

Remodel vs. Move The decision to move to a new home or remodel your current one can be daunting. Use these tips to help decide.

W

ith warmer months and the spring homebuying season headed our way, now is a great opportunity for would-be remodelers to consider what projects will have the greatest return on investment — or to evaluate whether moving makes more sense.

Whether it’s lack of space, a missing master bedroom suite or tiny closets, remodeling can solve many house problems.

Through combining rooms, creating new storage spaces and adding more natural light, remodelers can resolve many homeowner complaints.

Other issues, however, are not so easily solved. When deciding whether to remodel or move, homeowners can ask several questions to determine whether it makes more sense to remodel or move.

40

SpacesUtah.com

March 2017

Because resale values vary based on city and neighborhood, it’s smart for homeowners who are remodeling with an eye toward resale value. An individual home’s overall condition, availability and condition of surrounding properties can also influence the estimated resale value of a project.

Financial considerations aside, the question of whether to move or improve should be decided by how you feel about the existing neighborhood and the amount of sentiment you have for your current home.

March 2017

WHEN WILL THE HOME BE SOLD? Second, how long is the owner planning to stay?

If the answer is less than five years, it might not make financial sense to invest in significant changes, such as adding new rooms. This is particularly relevant if someone is planning on downsizing in a few years.

When it comes to remodeling, it’s helpful to remember that not all projects are created equal.

Some projects will recoup significantly more of their price tags upon resale than others.

In fact, it’s smart to study how the remodeling project would affect the house’s worth relative to other homes in the neighborhood.

Remodeling magazine analyzes common home improvement projects and helps owners gauge how to increase the value of their properties. The Remodeling 2017 Cost vs. Value Report (www. costvsvalue.com) provides estimates for the cost of 29 midrange and upscale projects, including remodels, additions and replacements. It also provides information on how much the project would be worth to homebuyers.

In Salt Lake City, the No. 1 project is a manufactured stone veneer, which would replace a section of street-facing vinyl siding, followed by an addition of a composite deck. Rounding out the top three, and following the exterior trend, is a garage door replacement.

The worst remodeling project in Salt Lake is a backyard patio addition, according to the Cost vs.

Value Report. Even though it costs more than $48,000, it only adds about $18,000 to the home’s value. That means recouping only 36 percent at sale.

Without careful planning, homeowners could find themselves spending tens of thousands of dollars on projects that won’t add significantly to the home’s value. Many Realtors are happy to provide information about sales of comparable homes in the neighborhood and discuss how a change could affect the home’s resale value.

Homeowners can learn more and find a directory of local Utah Realtors at UtahRealtors.com.

HOW WILL THE PROJECT AFFECT THE HOME’S RESALE VALUE?

Source: Hanley Wood Media Inc. Copyright 2017.

Complete data from the Remodeling 2017 Cost vs. Value Report can be downloaded free at www.costvsvalue.com.

WILL REMODELING SOLVE THE PROBLEM? If problems are related to the structure of the house, remodeling may work. Designers and contractors may be able to come up with creative ways to more effectively use existing space and add new features.

If the problems are associated with the location, it may be time to move. For clients who hate the neighborhood or the views, selling may make the most sense.

SpacesUtah.com

41

BY CARL BAUMEISTER

Financing a New Home with a Reverse Mortgage $400K Home with $200K Down...and No Mortgage Payments? Mom pulls a Rabbit Out of Her Bucket!

W

hen you were young, you used to go to your mother with all sorts of problems to help solve. Now it’s often the other way around, and Mom has a doozy for you. At 68, she’s still pretty cute and fit (if you add “for an older gal,” she’ll smack you down with the same glare she gave you for coming home seven minutes past curfew in high school). She loves early-morning herbal tea followed by a sweaty 45 minutes of Vinyasa Yoga. Her day is full — hobbies, friends, and adjustment of life without

42

SpacesUtah.com

Dad, who died too young. She’s even been on a few dates with with her pottery instructor. His hands are always dry, but other than that, he seems nice enough (just don’t get fresh with my mother, Mister!).

She has a nice long bucket list of things like an Arctic glaciers cruise with her college dorm mates, taking her grandkids to Disney World, and skiing the Alps with her best friend, Alice. She needs to preserve her money.

But? Lately she laments all the changes in her neighborhood. Back in the day, she befriended just about everyone within

a mile radius of the house. Now, when she sips her steamy Lemon Ginger and gazes out, she doesn’t like much. “It’s just not the same anymore. Friends moving out, newcomers not tending their properties. The neighborhood’s run down — and so’s this house.”

And? “I want a new house, with a killer kitchen, a great neighborhood and yard — maybe even a pool — nice hardwood floors, a gorgeous master suite with a fireplace like that one I saw Chip and Joanna refurbish on Fixer Upper ... oh, and a cozy little library with a window seat!”

“But Mom,” you point out, “that kind March 2017

of place is probably around $400,000.

Your house is worth about half that. I know you don’t want another mortgage.

Where are you going to come up with another $200,000?”

Maybe Mom has done one-too-many downward dogs?

She smiles. She’s charming. Here it comes...

“That’s why I gave birth to such a brilliant son. You’ll figure it out!”

So you’re brilliant. Hmm. How exactly are you going to shine for her now?

That’s where Utah’s “Reverse Mortgage Guru,” Chad Peck, Owner of Reverse Freedom in Sandy, Utah, comes in. After 8 years dealing exclusively in reverse mortgages, they say he can play Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata” backwards. He’s often credited with inventing the reverse layup. Quite a talented fellow. But his greatest talent is educating and assisting folks 62 and above in reverse mortgages. And in Mom’s situation, a growingly-popular program introduced in 2009 by HUD is perfect. It’s called the HECM for Purchase (H4P in industry jargon).

THE TURNAROUND In the late 1980s, HUD established the original HECM (Home Equity Conversion Mortgage), commonly called a reverse mortgage. It was, and still is, used primarily by folks wanting to stay in their existing homes while eliminating their mortgages, or to free up cash for retirement needs.

Savvy financial people, in addition to the prescribed method, started altering reverse mortgages slightly. Peck calls the phenomenon “rightsizing.” He says, “a lot of people have lived in the same neighborhood for a long time, have either paid off the house or have substantial equity, but don’t want to live in that house anymore.”

They want more suitable homes, “whether that means a home with fewer stairs, warmer climate, closer to family, or simply a nicer house.”

So, couldn’t they just sell their house and use the $200,000 to plunk down on a “rightsized’ one? Not usually. Often that nicer pad, with modern amenities, in a great neighborhood is considerably more expensive — like in the $400,000 range — just like what Mom now faces.

March 2017

TWO TRANSACTIONS IN ONE “Until the late 2000s,” says Peck, “people were selling their houses, using [for instance] the $200,000 as a down payment, then turning around with a reverse mortgage on the new house, having that instant 50% equity to anchor it.”

Voila — no mortgage payment!

Brilliant, except in effect they were going through two transactions, which required two sets of closing costs, and twice as much paperwork.

In 2009 HUD remedied this problem with its H4P. The now-single transaction is quicker, more cost-effective, with one set of paperwork, and one set of closing costs.

Says Peck, “New purchase accounts for about 30% of the reverse mortgages I do.

It makes a lot of sense for people in the right position, because it’s like getting a house for half the price.”

ARE THEY SAFE? Most of them, including the kind Peck handles, are 100% FHA-secured.

REQUIREMENTS HUD has a few stipulations for the reverse mortgage for purchase: • Youngest titleholder must be at least 62 • New home must be used as primary

residence within 60 days of closing Single family, 2-4 unit, or FHAapproved condo • Difference between price of new home and loan proceeds paid in cash (can be from sale of prior home) • Borrower must complete HUDapproved counseling session • Must meet HUD’s financial eligibility requirements Although monthly mortgage payments are not required, homeowners will remain responsible for property taxes, insurance, HOA fees (if applicable), and home maintenance.

•

MOM’S KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOR! So now you’re shining brightly for Mom. Looks like she’ll have her upgraded house, in a better neighborhood, to live as she wishes, entertain friends and family, even Mr. Pottery ... cracked hands and all.

For more information, visit ReverseFreedom.com—you can even use their chat box—or call Chad Peck directly at 801-809-3872. You can also email him at chad@reversefreedom.com.

Reverse Freedom NMLS: 1382816; Chad G. Peck NMLS: 310031.

SpacesUtah.com

43

SPINNING SOLUTIONS SINCE 1952.

HELPING YOU REACH NEW CLIENTS IN 2017.

Social Media

User Experience Design

Podcasting

Brand Strategy

Email Marketing

SEO

Video

Targeted Research

Digital Display

SEM

Motion Graphics

Pay-Per-Click

Website Development

Internet Radio

Content Creation

Lead Generation

ENHANCE YOUR BUSINESS REACH. CONTACT US TODAY @ 801.204.6300.

VISIT UMGAGENCY.COM 44

SpacesUtah.com

March 2017

say goodbye to...

SLEEPLESS NIGHTS

NO COMPROMISE

™

FIRM AND SOFT STOP BY AN INTELLIBED DEALER TO TRY ONE TODAY

844.304.4233

™