Spring
Special Supplement APRIL 8, 2011
2 • Community Advocate • Spring Home Improvement • Friday, April 8, 2011
Hidden Funds Need some extra cash? Get organized Jamie Novak sees hidden cash in surprising places - that junk drawer in your kitchen, for example. Those expensive rechargeable batteries are buried in the back somewhere, but you can’t find them, so you just buy more. What about the gift card you got for your birthday last year? That’s in there, too, but it’s expired. Don’t forget the necklace you got on sale a few months ago. It’s still in the box because it’s just not your style, but someone else might snatch it up on eBay. Get organized and you’ll save money in the long run; you even might make a little extra cash in the process by uncovering hidden gems that fetch big bucks at resale. The key is to keep only what you need, sell what you don’t, reuse when possible and make sure
everything has a home. Sound overwhelming? It’s not. “Organizing is simple. It may not always be easy, but it is always simple,” says clutter buster Jamie Novak, author of “Stop Throwing Money Away: Turn Clutter to Cash, Trash to Treasure -- and Save the Planet While You’re at It!” “Even if you were born without the organizing gene, you can do this. The trick is to stop planning to get to it.” First things first: Forget about perfection. An organized home is a work in progress. Setting impossible standards leads to procrastination and disappointment, so don’t strive to get it right; just get it done. You can go back later and refine the “rough draft.” “It’s easy to become discourGet organized and you’ll save money in the long run.
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Need some extra cash? Get organized Continued from previous page
aged if you promise yourself you’ll de-clutter the entire basement in one weekend. No one has that kind of energy,” Novak says. Instead, set a timer and work in short, focused bursts. Commit to just 18 minutes at a time. “Ten minutes sounds too short to make noticeable progress, and 20 minutes sounds like too long to cram into an already busy day. Eighteen minutes is doable,” Novak explains. “After the buzzer sounds, if you still have time and energy to spare, reset the timer and go for another 18-minute round.” Focus on just a small portion of the project, and ignore distractions. In other words, don’t pull everything out of the linen closet at once. You might not get it all sorted and put back before the time is up, and you’d be left with an overwhelming mess. Don’t leave to put something away in another room. Don’t take a
It’s easy to become discouraged if you promise yourself you’ll de-clutter the entire basement in one weekend. No one has that kind of energy. Jamie Novak quick break to let the dog out. And don’t stop to answer the phone; you can return the call in 18 minutes. “Stay put! Once you leave, the chances of your coming back to finish are slim to none,” Novak says. “Instead, while working, make a to-do list of tasks that come to mind, and make a pile of things to take with you when your time is up and you leave the room.” You may not complete the task at hand, but if you do a little bit each day, the results will add up. Start with the kitchen. It’s the heart of the home, the area in
which you’re likely to reap the biggest results and, emotionally, the easiest place to begin. “The kitchen is command central. When the kitchen runs smoothly, all the other rooms take shape,” Novak says. “It is much easier to recycle an expired grocery coupon than it is to let go of the jeans that are just one size too small or your now-college-age child’s favorite stuffed animal. Plus, the most money is wasted through disorganization in the kitchen; think forgotten leftovers or buying another of an item already in your cluttered pantry.” When sorting, group similar
items together, and label them. It makes it easy to find the things you need and return stray items to their rightful places, saving you money in the long run. “You can make a shopping list by looking at what’s missing, and when you shop from a list, you spend significantly less,” Novak says. “Any time you can see what you have, you’re likelier to use it, and you’re less likely to re-buy something you already own, which saves you money.” There’s also plenty of money to be made. Unused cookbooks, collectible glassware or space hogs, such as that chocolate fountain, likely would fetch a few extra bucks online. Make Some Money Making money from unused items need not be a major project. Just focus on a few items at a time -- and do it while you’re thinking about it. If you spend hours organizing your bookcase but never take action to sell or
donate unwanted books, you’re left with another pile and another item lingering on your to-do list. “Many of us are pros at sorting items into piles, but we never take action on the piles,” Novak says. “If you pick up a book you’ve decided to sell, go directly to the computer and list the book for sale. That’s making real progress.” If you’re not yet ready to tackle eBay, Craigslist or Amazon Marketplace, check the phone book. There may be a store in your area that specializes in creating online auctions. You won’t see all of the profits in your pocketbook, as the store will take a seller’s fee, but it’s quick and simple. Just drop off the items, and the store does the rest. “If you never try, you won’t make a dime, but if you commit to placing even one item up for sale per month, you’ll be surprised to find your clutter can make you cash,” Novak says.
4 • Community Advocate • Spring Home Improvement • Friday, April 8, 2011
Kitchen Style Cabinet designs maximize storage, minimize clutter When Michelle Power designed the kitchen in her new home - the last home she and her husband plan to build - she had two priorities: convenience and contemporary style. She considered the lessons
learned from previous houses, conducted hours of Internet research and asked countless questions of her contractor. The end result is a custom kitchen uniquely suited to her in a vertically divided cabinet near the
oven. The cook top is flanked with pullout spice rack cabinets, pots and pans stored beneath. The increasing need for storage stems from consumers’ busy lifestyles, according to Paul Radoy, design services manager for Merillat Industries, a national cabinet manufacturer. “Added storage features in a kitchen create a more functional space and improve time usage by making items easier to find,” Radoy says. “Even though rollout trays have been around for several years, they still have a ‘wow’ factor with consumers.” Tilt-out sink trays and slide-out wastebaskets are also popular, he adds. Custom and semi-custom cabinetry allows homeowners to create work space that is not only functional, but reflects the personality and lifestyle of their family. “When designing your
kitchen, go with something you really love. People use catalogs and magazines to get ideas, but you should come up with a room that reflects your uniqueness. Don’t make your choices based on resale value,” Kloos says. “Let the kitchen reflect the style of the home.” To make her kitchen unique, Power incorporated glass cabinet doors, crown molding and under-cabinet lighting. The variety of available accessories, in addition to cabinet colors, styles and hardware options, creates a seemingly endless combination of looks to choose from. Maple is the most popular wood at the moment, a shift from oak, which previously dominated the industry, according to Kloos. Glaze finishes are also growing in popularity. She says dark finishes were all the rage, but light cabinets are making a comeback.
“For every trend, there’s a counter-trend. Dark has been popular for a long time, but now we’re seeing lighter tones, even shades of white, gaining popularity,” Kloos says. Satin nickel and brushed aluminum are popular hardware choices, she adds. When choosing hardware, Kloos suggests thinking of it as jewelry for the cabinet. It should blend with the color of the cabinet, and be appropriate in size and scale to the door. Here are 10 easy tips to create an affordable, custom cabinetry look (Courtesy of Aristokraft Cabinetry): - Decorative glass. Break up the monotony of solid wood with glass-front doors. It adds a touch of translucency and puts beautiful stemware and valuable china in the spotlight. - Ceiling-high cabinets. For a look of floor-to-ceiling Continued on following page
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Cabinet designs maximize storage, minimize clutter Continued from previous page
grandeur, forgo 30-inch or 36-inch cabinets and choose ceiling-high cabinets to draw eyes upward, while creating additional storage. - “Invisible” appliances. A growing trend in cabinetry is to hide appliances behind fitted wood panels. To achieve this look without having to purchase custom appliances, install precut appliance panels on the refrigerator, dishwasher and other appliance doors. - Custom-look stove hoods. Install a beautiful wooden stove hood to match the kitchen cabinetry and create a focal point for the room. - Handsome hardware. It’s the little details that can give a kitchen a custom feel. Upgrade cabinet hardware from basic wood or brass knobs to a more intricate bronze, nickel or pewter style. - Accent the positive. Save expensive surfacing like granite for the center island, where durability is critical, and use more
affordable options like laminate on the rest of the kitchen countertops. It’s OK to mix finishes and materials as long as the colors coordinate. - Furniture-like looks. A hot new look in kitchen cabinetry is furniture-like design. Create this look by embellishing cabinets with tapered legs, a rich finish or decorative split turnings to blend with furnishings. - Transition beyond the kitchen. Extend the furniture look with pieces that look like custom furniture but are actually optional built-in upgrades to the home. Modular entertainment centers, hutches, wet bars and desks extend the look of the kitchen into other areas of the home, such as the family room. - Personalize with paint. Don’t be afraid of color. A trendy paint color is an inexpensive way to add spice and warmth to kitchens or family rooms. Complete the look with coordinating accessories.
6 • Community Advocate • Spring Home Improvement • Friday, April 8, 2011
Bug Off Keep unwelcome guests from devouring your garden While garden pests with voracious appetites can devastate a backyard bounty, an increasing number of gardeners are looking to natural, more earth-friendly remedies as alternatives to the harsh chemicals found in pesticides. Carol Norton has been gardening organically for more than 35 years. A master gardener, she believes people are tired of chemicals and want more products that are natural and organic. “We want to live as free of chemicals as possible,” she says. “It’s about getting back to nature.” With an acre of gardens in east Springfield, Ill., she has plenty of experience battling bugs. Recently, Japanese beetles nearly overwhelmed Norton’s roses and raspberries. Initially, she and her husband picked them off by hand and put them in a bucket of soapy
water, where they died. But as the bug population grew, the Nortons were collecting a thousand beetles a day, so they decided to try traps. “The beetles can destroy everything you treasure overnight. The traps are lifesavers. They attract the beetles without any chemicals to hurt the plants,” she says. Another natural way to combat bugs is through companion planting - using certain plants to repel pests. Larry Miller, head gardener at Lincoln Memorial Garden in Illinois, suggests planting marigolds as natural insect repellents. “I plant them in a border around my vegetable garden. People laugh at that because it’s an outdated method, but I don’t care because it works,” he says. “Nasturtiums are also insect repellents. I plant them between my tomatoes and
green peppers.” Norton agrees that the smell of certain plants keeps bugs at bay. She recommends planting fennel, garlic and even catnip around roses to keep bugs away. Choosing native,
disease-resistant plants also ensures a healthier crop that is better able to defend itself against insects. Diversion crops also can be planted to protect plants by giving bugs something else to
munch on. Miller says long-horn caterpillars like fennel and other herbs. “If you plant different herbs, you can attract wouldbe pests away from your more desirable herbs.” Rotating crops also helps control the pest population. Miller suggests moving vegetables around in the garden as well as moving the garden around the yard every year or two. Bugs often burrow deep into soil and re-emerge the following year to continue feeding on garden vegetables. Crop rotation prevents a build-up of pests and allows the soil to regenerate. Terri Woodliff, an avid gardener and environmentalist, plants vegetables at different times from April through June. “It keeps the garden going, keeps your interest up and Continued on following page
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Bug Off Continued from previous page
doesn’t let the bugs get a huge hold on anything.” When bugs do pick on her plants, Woodliff doesn’t pull them. Instead she lets the bugs focus on one or two plants and hopes they avoid the others. “If you pull a plant that’s being eaten, the bugs just move over to the others.” She also lets some weeds grow in her garden so bugs might choose those over what she has planted. Between birds and bugs, some produce is bound to disappear. Miller and Woodliff agree it’s sometimes easier to grow enough for everybody. “You have to expect a certain amount of loss, so plant enough for yourself and a little extra for nature,” Miller says. When slugs have her hostas for lunch, Norton sprinkles ground oyster shells around the plants, under the leaves; the shells are available at farm feed stores. Slug bait works, she says, but also kills beneficial worms. Using ground oyster shells kills the slugs but saves the worms. She estimates using this method has significantly reduced her slug problem. Introducing beneficial bugs is another natural way to control the pest population in a garden. Jennifer Fishburn, horticulture educator with the University of Illinois Extension Sangamon-Menard Unit, says home gardeners always will find insects in their gardens, but not all insects are harmful. In fact, natural enemies or beneficial insects will aid in the control of damaging insects. Lady beetles (more commonly known as ladybugs) feed on aphids, mealy bugs, scale
insects or spider mites. Parasitic wasps (mini-wasps that don’t sting or bother people) feed on caterpillars and other insects. Lacewing larvae feed upon aphids, insect eggs, spider mites and other small insects, Fishburn says. Beneficial bugs are available through gardening Web sites and catalogs. Adding mulch and compost to the garden also creates an environment where beneficial bugs can thrive. Aphids are difficult to control because, as Norton explains, “they’re pregnant before they’re born and multiply tremendously,” she says. To rid the area, she picks them off by hand or sprays them with a garden hose. Woodliff has found that Pyola, an organic, canola oilbased pesticide made from plant extracts, keeps aphids at bay. Available through environmental gardening catalogs, Pyola can be used the day of harvest without harming the flowers’ appearance. FIVE COMMON PESTS AND WHAT THEY EAT - Aphids: Beans, broccoli, cabbage, cucumbers, Irish potatoes, muskmelons, squash, sweet corn, tomatoes and watermelon. - Cucumber beetles: Cucumbers, muskmelon, pumpkin, squash and watermelon. - Japanese beetles: Roses, raspberries (especially destructive to grapes and peaches). - Leafhoppers: Beans, carrots, cucumbers, Irish potatoes and muskmelon. - Squash bugs: Squash, pumpkins and related crops. - Source: Jennifer Fishburn, horticulture educator, University of Illinois Extension Sangamon-Menard Unit.
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A new lawn How to restore a lawn without breaking your budget or back Over time, lawns can begin to look a little long in the tooth. Insect damage, weed infestation and drought can play havoc on a lawn. Many homeowners think the only solution to restoring a lawn is to spread new and expensive topsoil over the yard and then reseed it. The effort and cost required often is viewed as so prohibitive by homeowners that they just say the heck with it and continue to let the lawn go. That’s unfortunate because a beautiful lawn can really dress up the curb appeal and value of a home. In addition, restoring a lawn to its original beauty is much easier and cheaper to do than many homeowners realize. In many cases, restoring a lawn does not require new topsoil. With a few basic lawn maintenance techniques and the use of fertilizer materials
Restoring a lawn to its original beauty is much easier and cheaper to do than many homeowners realize.
that are more inexpensive, a lawn usually can be restored to its original luster. How to restore a lawn Start by raking and dethatching the lawn. Raking and de-thatching the lawn lifts up the dead and matteddown lawn clippings that have worked their way down to the soil level. By raking and dethatching the lawn, sunlight, water, oxygen and fertilizer nutrients can work their way into the soil more easily. All of these ingredients are critical for growing a green and healthy lawn. After de-thatching the lawn, apply a weed-killer to the lawn, and let it sit on the lawn for one to two weeks. After the weed-killer has had a couple of weeks to work, mow the lawn down to about a 1-inch level. Next, aerate the lawn using a coring aerator. You can rent core aerators at any tool rental facility. A core aerator has small, hollow and circular tines that remove small plugs, or cores, from the soil that are approximately a half-inch in diameter and several inches in length. Aerating the lawn helps to loosen the lawn soil and again enables sunlight, fertilizer nutrients, oxygen Continued on following page
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How to restore a lawn without breaking your budget or back the new grass seed is fully germinated and is up a couple of inches. Restoring a lawn using this method is much less expensive and much easier on the body. Within two to three weeks, your lawn should be on its way to looking beautiful again.
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and water to penetrate the soil better. After aerating the lawn, spread a light layer of compost material over the lawn. Usually a half-inch layer is all that is required. Compost material is rich in nutrients and helps to stimulate the soil to improve grass seed germination and lawn growth. In addition to the compost material, apply an application of starter fertilizer on top of the soil. Finally, apply a grass seed over the restored lawn area, and then gently rake the grass seed into the compost and fertilized soil top coat. The raking action helps to cover the grass seed a little and works the compost, fertilizer and grass seed into the core plugs. After raking in the grass seed, water the lawn thoroughly to complete the lawn restoration process. Follow up daily with a quarter-inch of additional watering until
After aerating the lawn, spread a light layer of compost material over the lawn. Usually a half-inch layer is all that is required. Compost material is rich in nutrients and helps to stimulate the soil to improve grass seed germination and lawn growth.
Once your lawn has been fully re-established, make sure to fertilize it several times a year. Also, apply at least once a year a fertilizer with a pre-emergent to control crab grass growth. In addition, apply a grub killer once a year to prevent insect lawn damage.
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Roof Leaks How to find and stop them Roof leaks can occur for a variety of reasons. They typically start out small and grow over time to be larger problems. That said, even a small roof leak can cause major damage to your home. Besides forming wet stain spots on your finished ceilings, roof leaks can cause mold and mildew growth and rot. They even can cause electrical shorts. Checking for roof leaks can be a little tricky. They are typically not found directly above the damaged ceiling area. Roof leaks tend to start higher on a roof and show their symptoms further down the roofline. So for example, when you see a roof leak on your ceiling near the interior edge of your exterior walls, the actual roof leak is likely higher up the roofline.
Checking for Roof Leaks Caused by Ice Dams In the case in which the roof leak signs are exhibited near the interior edge of your exterior walls, chances are the leak is associated with cold weather conditions - more specifically, ice dams. Ice dams back up water behind shingles, where the water finds a path through the roof sheathing and then gets to the drywall ceiling. To find the path, the water works its way down the roof sheathing until it finds a loose nail or a seam. To prevent ice dams, plan on either shoveling off the snow along the edges of the roof after every major snowstorm or adding heating coils along the edge of the roof. You may want to consider having the roof re-shingled so you can install an ice and water shield near the roof eves. Also, make sure your attic is properly ventilated and insulated. Checking for Roof Leaks Caused by a Damaged Ridge Vent If signs of a roof leak are exhibited more toward the center of the room, then there is the possibility that it is associated with a damaged ridge vent. In many cases, wind can work ridge venting loose and pop roofing nails loose. Check the ridge vent to make sure that it is fastened down properly and that the roofing nails are covered with
a roofing sealer. Also note that water that penetrates into the attic and onto the ceiling can meander its way along strapping. Strapping is commonly used to fasten drywall perpendicular to ceiling joists. If you see a long wet line on your drywall ceiling, it is probably because water has run along a length of strapping. Checking for Roof Leaks Caused by Damaged Shingles Another possibility if signs of a roof leak are exhibited more toward the center of the room is you have damaged shingles. Inspect the roof for shingles that are curling, cupping and/or cracked. Shingles that exhibit those types of appearances could very well be the source of your roof leak and should be replaced immediately.
Checking for Roof Leaks in Roof Valleys If your roof has valleys, make sure the shingles are not damaged in these areas. If copper or tin is used for forming the roof valleys, make sure that it is not damaged in any way and that there are no loose or exposed nails. The wrong types of nails used for installing copper flashing can also cause corrosion, which can lead to roof leaks. Checking for Roof Leaks Near Roof Flashing Areas Check roof flashing around and near vent stacks, chimneys and roof/wall lines. Make sure the flashing is not damaged or blocked in any way with leaf debris or snow and ice, which can cause water to back up and work its way underneath the flashing. If the flashing looks damaged, have it replaced immediately.
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Your Home Office Designing a place to work As kids, most of us dreaded the seemingly endless amount of homework assigned by our teachers and the hours upon hours of sitting at the kitchen table studying, memorizing and writing. As grown-ups, sometimes the tasks required by our jobs are not accomplished in an ordinary eight-hour day. At some point, when we have outgrown the dining table as a work surface and if we have a spare room, we imagine a home office. Our initial thought is that once we have this room, all work will be done magically in a quicker and more efficient manner. And that may very well be the case. Designing a home office should be an exercise in both function and aesthetics. One of the main items to assess is how much time you will spend working there. Is this your main office space, or is this just a work area to complete and check daily work and pay household bills? These questions may seem like common sense, but their importance often is underestimated as we design our spaces. Determining the function of and the amount of time we will spend in a home office is vital to designing an adequate workspace that will meet our needs. Besides a work surface or desk, other items to consider are bookcases, storage, filing, a computer, electronics, lighting and appropriate seating. Planning is crucial. List all your necessary equipment, down to the linear feet of filing space required and the number and dimensions of books and journals, etc. Measure all com-
puter equipment, including the monitor and printer, and note ventilation requirements to avoid equipment burnout. If possible, draw a layout of your room and overlay different furniture scenarios to help you sort out your preferences. This phase of your project can feel cumbersome, but this exercise will help identify problems that can be ironed out before any major purchases or costly mistakes are made. Once the issue of a layout has been addressed, aesthetic considerations can begin. What is the design attitude that will guide your home office? Deciding what colors your walls will be can help you identify the style of office that is best for you. Darker colors make for a powerful and mysterious place of work; lighter colors evoke a feeling of trust and transparency. Other important factors
that impact the design of your room are the case goods. These are all the hard surfaces - desks, filing cabinets, bookcases - that are the main components of the room. Case goods can be either stained or painted, and their finishes are the defining factor in the styling of the room. Your selection of flooring - whether carpet, wood or tile - will further help you with the design. Your office’s design should be reflective of your decor and also of your work. So what is yours going to be? A warm clubby library, cool high-tech contemporary or sophisticated high-style glam? Make it appealing but not distracting. Be conscious of the fact that your environment should be conducive to doing work. After all, isn’t that what the room is for? Stave off the unnecessary wallto-wall aquarium. Select some art you enjoy, and get to work!
12 • Community Advocate • Spring Home Improvement • Friday, April 8, 2011