SEPTEMBER 13, 2017 • Volume 12 • Issue 37
RE WEEKLY RESIDENTIAL • ACREAGE • FARM • COMMERCIAL • AREA DEVELOPMENT 515-233-3299 • 317 5th Street, Ames • All REALTOR® ads within are REALTORS® licensed in the State of Iowa
O n l i n e a t w w w. A m e s Tr i b . c o m / r e a l e s t a t e w e e k l y
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Realtors, do you want to reach a wider group of potential buyers? Advertise in the RE Weekly. In print and online.
Call Ali Eernisse 515-663-6956
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DEAR MONTY
Costly remodeling mistakes to avoid
RICHARD MONTGOMERY
R
eader Question: We are selling our home we bought 40 years ago. We finished the unfinished upstairs ourselves to save money after we bought it. Now the real estate agents say because one of the bedrooms is accessed through another bedroom and lacks a closet, it is not a bedroom. We are concerned because they claim the value of the home is more with an additional bedroom. Is this a fact, or are they trying to keep the price down to sell it faster? Monty’s Answer: The definition of what constitutes a bedroom varies from state to state, as the codes in each state and municipality are not universal. Some of the variables considered are the number and location of exits, ceiling height, window size, heating source, and square footage. While a closet is a very desirable feature in a bedroom, it is likely not
a state requirement. That said, buyers in many areas of the country expect a closet in a bedroom. It is not unusual for real estate agents to disagree on the need for a closet to attain bedroom status. Keeping the price down is an unlikely factor. If the room meets all other requirements in your state, is it possible for you to fasten an armoire in the bedroom while maintaining room for a bed and the ability to navigate comfortably? Here are a few other points to keep in mind when remodeling or adding on to your home: • Don’t build additions that create undesirable floor plans. It is a good idea to run a floor plan by people who engage in home design such as space planners, architects, or a home draftsman employed by a building supply company. • Don’t build additions that detract from the architectural appearance of the exterior. Changing the elevation, exterior siding materials, or placement of the addition can create resistance upon future resale. If well thought out, an addition can also add value to a home. Richard Montgomery gives nononsense real estate advice to readers’ most pressing questions. Send him questions at DearMonty.com
TIP OF THE WEEK Reduce dust in your home To reduce the dust in your home so you can breathe easy and dust less, follow some advice from bobvila.com: • Opening the windows to get some fresh air actually increases the amount of dust in your home, so close windows, especially on high-allergy days.
• A good damp mopping and dusting with plain water will go a long way toward eliminating 90 percent of the dust in your home. • Install a humidifier and aim for relative humidity levels of 40 to 50 percent throughout your home to help eliminate static and keep dust levels down.
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Beautiful and colorful hydrangeas make wonderful cut flowers
Summer to fall
Far Right: Limelight hydrangeas were named “Fresh Cut Flower of the Year” in 2008 by the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers. Right: Annabelle hydrangeas planted behind American Boxwoods. [BETTY MONTGOMERY PHOTOS]
By Betty Montgomery More Content Now
H
ydrangeas have wonderful characteristics that make them a good focal point in almost any garden. They shine in a perennial border, they look elegant tucked in behind evergreen shrubs or they can stand alone in the landscape. Plus, you can plant several different varieties that will give you color from late May until late September. In our garden, oakleaf hydrangeas are the first to bloom. They have dramatic white blooms and stunning leaves that resemble an oakleaf, hence the name. The white flowers radiate and are then followed by a kaleidoscope of leaf color in the fall. Most oakleaf hydrangeas grow to be quite large, between 6 to 10 feet in height. There are some smaller varieties available that are also good looking. These native hydrangeas will take the heat of the South and are also quite cold tolerate for more northern gardens. Hydrangea arborescens or smooth hydrangeas start to flower shortly after the oakleaf flowers open. They grow between 3 to 4 feet tall and
are perfect for the smaller garden. “Annabelle” is the most popular of this species with their massive white snowballlike flowers. “Annabelle” flowers open chartreuse, turn white and end the season with a repeat of the chartreuse color. Bigleaf (H. macrophylla) are the next group to flower. We have some varieties that start to bloom in early to mid June and others that do not open until mid July. Bigleaf hydrangeas are divided into two groups, which are based on the shape of the flower. Mopheads have round ballshaped flowers and lacecaps have a more delicate flower with lovely sterile flowers around a cluster of fertile flowers. These hydrangeas are the most grown and used hydrangea and are the ones that come to mind when most people think of hydrangeas. Bigleaf hydrangeas range in color from pink to purple to light blue or deep blue and white. When pigment is present, the bloom color can
change with the pH of the soil. The flowers turn pink in limestone soil or when lime is added and turn blue with an acidic soil or when aluminum sulfate is added to the soil. Bigleaf hydrangeas need very little pruning and should only be pruned immediately after they flower. Dead wood can be removed at any time, of course. If they do not bloom for a season, it tends to be one of the following reasons. A late frost comes in the spring; an early freeze comes in the fall; or the plant has been pruned too much or pruned too late in the season. Panicle hydrangeas (H. paniculata) follow the other hydrangeas and are laden with cone-shaped flowers. These plants bloom in a wide variety of climates, being quite cold hardy, growing in zone 3. However, they do not perform as well in the heat of the
deep South. Panicle hydrangeas are more tolerant of pruning. They can be pruned quite dramatically in the winter or very early spring. They bloom on new wood which is the reason they can take such intense pruning. Panicle hydrangeas can range in size from about 3 to 8 feet tall and support flower clusters that emerge white and fade to pink, green or burgundy. The older varieties tend to grow quite tall while some of the newer varieties like “Little Lime,” “Bobo” and “Little Lamb” tend to be much shorter, ranging from 3 to 5 feet tall. They traditionally have bloomed quite late in the summer. However, some of the newer varieties start blooming earlier than some of the older varieties.
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