Southside Your Home - Spring 2016 by AIM Media Indiana

Spring 2016

A DAILY JOURNAL PUBLICATION

INSIDE

What can you put in your shade garden?

The latest kitchen flooring options

Make your home allergy free this spring

How to keep your sump pump running

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Your Home Inside & Out SOUTHSIDE

Tips for great shade gardens............................ 4

Southside Your Home Inside & Out is published by the

Kitchen flooring options................................... 8

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Reducing indoor allergies this spring............. 10

For editorial content, contact Paul Hoffman in the Daily Journal special publications department at 317-736-2721 or by e-mail at phoffman@ dailyjournal.net For advertising content, contact the Daily Journal advertising department at 317-736-2730

SPRING 2016

New shades for your old lamps.................... 12 Simple ways to save water ........................... 13 Dressing up your dressers............................. 14

PAGE 4

Dealing with neighborsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; barking dogs........... 15 Design trends for 2016................................. 16 Which shower door is right for you?............ 17

Southside Your Home Inside & Out c/o Daily Journal 30 S. Water St. Franklin, IN 46131

Bee proactive in attracting pollinators........... 18 Keep that sump pump running...................... 20 PAGE 8

Live better inside.

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Made FOR THE shade

Plants that shun the sun thrive in the right location

ardens are usually planted in bright sunny spots, but beautiful things can grow in the shade, too. Shade gardens tend to be lower maintenance. Weeds don’t take hold as well in the shade. The area is cooler and retains moisture, which means less watering. The trees or walls that are blocking the sun also provide a nice focal point for the plantings. The cool shady area is a more pleasant place to work in the summer and makes an ideal spot for a bench or a hammock for summer reading or napping. Doris Winton, who owns Winton’s Iris Hill south of Franklin, said an area that is shaded at least 50 percent of the day is generally considered a shade garden. It can be on the

STORY BY AMY MAY PHOTOS OF KAREN COCHRAN’S GARDEN BY Janet Hommel Mangas north side of your home or in a spot with lots of trees. People can also use shade cloths, or large tarps, to create shady places. Some people do this until their trees grow bigger, she said. “You can make a shade garden just about anywhere. Start with a small area. If it does well, expand it next year,” she recommended. “You can get addicted to it. You’ll want a bigger and bigger area.” Winton started gardening as a hobby after retirement. She has 5 acres with various gardens, including shade gardens and

potted plants and flowers, all over the property. She sells perennials, including hostas, irises and day lilies. Garden clubs visit the property regularly, and she has even hosted weddings. The easiest and most common shade garden plant is the hosta, a shade-preferring foliage plant also known as a plantain lily. The perennial, once a plain green waxy leafed plant, was imported from Asia in the early 19th century, but has since been hybridized. Now there are thousands of varieties with streaked leaves and tinges of color. Among the largest is the Empress Wu, which can grow to 4 feet tall with leaves a foot across, or a sun-tolerant variety, Sum and Substance. There are also miniature varieties, such as Mouse Ears, which are just a few inches tall. There are more

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than 6,000 varieties of hostas on the market. The names are often whimsical, such as Elvis Lives, Afternoon Delight, Summer Lovin’ and Goodness Gracious. Winton thinks the prettiest hosta is the Guardian Angel, which boasts blue-green leaves with bright white streaks. She grows 400 varieties of hostas and has two hosta display gardens.

period of time. They are colorful at first, then turn green over time. They were not stabilized well enough before they were sold. You want to see if the hybrid keeps the traits over the years, as well as through hot or cold or dry spells.” One reason for reversion, she said, is Indiana soil tends to be clay and alkaline, which isn’t ideal for many of the non-native plants people want in their gardens. For example, you can plant tulip bulbs, Hybrid varieties she said, and after a couple of years, they just stop flowering. Karen Cochran, a member of “Or hydrangeas … they are supthe Johnson County Garden “You can make a shade garden just posed to be blue, but they are not Club who has a historic home about anywhere. Start with a small area. blue in Indiana because they need near Whiteland, grows hostas and If it does well, expand it next year.” acidic soil. You have to add alumimany other shade-tolerant plants. num sulfate,” Cochran said. Hostas are perennials, which In fact, soil is a consideration for Doris Winton means they grow every spring any shade garden. Since it’s shaded, Owner, Winton’s Iris Hill without needing to be replanted. it tends to stay moist, but Winton Some of the expensive and detailed varieties can look beautiful said you may need to put a sprinkler on it occasionally. Just as with in the garden store, but after a few years, they will likely come any ornamental garden, the soil should be fertilized in the spring. up plain green again, Cochran said. A natural forest floor is the ultimate shade garden, where Most of the plants and trees sold for ornamental gardens and beautiful ferns, plants and wildflowers like Jack-in-the-pulpit, landscaping have been hybridized, she said. trillium, Virginia bluebell and Dutchman’s breeches, grow. “You can get varieties you’ve never seen before, but someWinton said you can dig some of them up and transplant them times they will revert. One of the things people don’t know in your shade garden (if you are someplace where that’s about hostas is they revert,” Cochran said. “They change over a allowed). One problem, however, is that a forest floor is very

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Your Home Inside and Out / SPRING 2016 rich and fertile, with generations of leaf litter to fertilize it. You will need to apply compost and fertilizer to duplicate that richness so your native Hoosier forest plants can thrive.

Populating your shade garden Cochran said a shade garden starts with the trees and how your house is oriented. “There are beautiful trees that will grow in the shade,” she said. “You plant a tree, you’re planting for the future.” If you have 50-50 shade and sun, you can grow a variety of shade-tolerant plants. If you find your garden is too shady, you can prune the trees a little. Hostas aren’t good for full sun, but they do need a little light. “The more white in them, the more light they can stand,” Cochran said. “There are lots of different things you can grow in your shade garden. I’d start with some cheaper hostas, a couple of ferns and hellebores,” Winton said. “Hostas are easy to grow, and you can leave them in the same spot. They get bigger and multiply.”

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Indianapolis Hosta Society Garden Tour Eleven landscapes have been selected as tour gardens for the American Hosta Society’s National Convention in Indianapolis. One Johnson County 5-acre garden is at the home of Steve Mangas and Janet Hommel Mangas. The gardens will be available for pre-convention tours from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 11 and 12. All gardens show landscape mastery with sweeps of hostas set among contrasting companion plants. The tour is limited to 300 visitors, and ticket cost is $20 per person. To purchase tickets and get more information about the gardens, visit http://ihsgardentour2016.eventbrite.com.

She said you can also cut the flowers from the hostas and bring them inside for a nice bouquet that lasts about a week. Hellebores, she said, are also very easy. They start blooming in February and stay green all

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year. The blooms are rose-like in shape and come in a variety of colors. “I’ve raked snow off them before to see if they were blooming, and they were.” Cochran said there are hundreds of beautiful flowering plants that will grow in the shade when you are ready to expand from the basics. “Heuchera (alumroot or coral bells) is just wonderful with hosta. The leaves have the most beautiful veins,” she said. She also likes barren wort, violets, trillium, allium (purple bulb plant), violets, tradescantia (wandering Jew), tiarella (heartleaf foamflower) and tulips. Lily of the valley is pretty with fragrant blooms, but they are very aggressive and will spread all over the place, as will pulmonaria, Cochran said. Lobelia is fun to grow because it attracts hummingbirds. Liriope muscari and hakondchloa are types of shade-tolerant ornamental grasses that tend to stay short and add variety to a garden. “And ferns. They give me something to offset the hosta. The hosta can be boring after a time. I love hosta, but I don’t want to do a garden that’s all hosta.” She recommends referring to W. George Schmid’s “An Encyclopedia of Shade Perennials” for great ideas of what will grow in central Indiana, which is right on the border of the USDA’s Hardiness Zones 5a and 5b. Use your gardener’s eye and artistic skill to create a lovely setting. “Think tall and short and something with pink and different colors and different leaf shapes and sizes,” Cochran said. H

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Center in Franklin, agrees. “The trend now is definitely toward hard surface,” he said. “Twenty plus years ago, I had one or two hard surfaces in my showroom and the rest was carpet. Now, 60 percent is hard surface.” Burton sees a lot of interest in hardwood luxury vinyl tile and planks. “The planks look like wood, and the tiles vary in style,” he said. “You can do a variety of patterns. It’s a solid eightinch vinyl composition with a ceramic-beaded wear-layer surface. They’ve taken ceramic and have ground it into fine powder.” Jessica Gallagher, an interior designer with Lehner Designs in Greenwood, said anyone with existing carpet in their kitchen area should consider having it removed. “Carpeting has many layers and then a pad underneath. It will absorb a lot of spills, and it’s very hard to clean,” she said. “It’s just not sanitary. Kitchens also have a very definite wear pattern, and that will really show on carpeting. If you have carpet and don’t really have the See FLOORS, Page 21 This kitchen features solid hardwood flooring with porcelain tile in work area.

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Breathe easier Indoor allergies nothing to sneeze at; here’s how to help reduce problems By JENN WILLHITE Correspondent

allergy-proofing your home is the next best thing. When going on the offensive to guard ith allergy season almost here, it’s important to keep symptoms at bay against allergens, the first place to start is where you lay your head. Washing all your bedby allergy-proofing your home. ding in hot water weekly helps cut down on “Allergy-proofing your home is an interesting the allergens contained in the fibers, way to look at it,” says Betsy Swearingen, enviSwearingen says. ronmental health specialist with the Johnson “Heat kills everything; it is your friend,” she County Health Department. “You either have allergies or you don’t. And if you do have them, says. “Running your pillows and blankets in they’re usually controlled with medication or by the dryer for 25 minutes on high will kill anything held in those not exposing yourself to “Heat kills everything; it is your materials.” what you’re allergic to.” But it isn’t always so friend. Running your pillows and Pillows and matblack-and-white when blankets in the dryer for 25 min- tresses are home-sweetdealing with indoor utes on high will kill anything home to dust mites, which can aggravate allergies. “As you start held in those materials.” allergy symptoms. to see the seasons “If you look at a change, that’s when Betsy Swearingen, Johnson County Health you see a resurgence in Department environmental health specialist dust sample under a microscope, there’s allergens,” she says. always dust mites crawling around,” The most predominant allergens in Indiana Duplantier says. “And they’re eating, defecatare ragweed, pollen and mold spores. But the ing, laying eggs and dying. You cannot elimione irritant topping the list is dust mites, says nate all these particles, but you can control Dr. John Duplantier of Central Indiana Allergy in Greenwood. Many people have aller- them.” He recommends using zippered mattress gies to different things, and the trick is to figand pillow protectors to help control dust mite ure out your sensitivities. “The obvious signs are sneezing, runny nose, activity. Today’s zippered covers aren’t made of itchy and watery eyes,” he says. “The ones that the annoying plastic and heavy polymer materials of old; they’re much more comfortable. are a little more subtle are stuffiness in the Although you cannot eliminate dust mite nose, recurrent sinus infections and snoring.” Yes, snoring. If you have allergies, your nasal activity completely, the pores in the fabrics used for these covers are small enough that tissues tend to be more swollen when you lie they keep the dust particles from coming out down, hence, snoring. If you suffer from of the bedding, Duplantier says. indoor allergies, keeping a hygienic environCarpet is another huge medium for allerment is essential, says Swearingen. Opening windows and allowing the space to gens, Swearingen says. “It works like a giant filter. It takes in the allergens, and every time air out can help dissipate many allergens that ISTOCK you walk on it, it releases the allergens back contribute to indoor allergy symptoms. Regularly vacuuming can help rid carpet of allergens. If your vacuum uses a bag or canister to into the air.” collect dirt and debris, make sure the reservoir is always clean to avoid the redistribution of dust However, if you have outdoor allergies, openand allergens that are picked up. Although small children who spend a lot of ing windows may not be the best move, so

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time on the floor are more susceptible to the allergens that are released, adults aren’t immune. Regularly vacuuming can help rid carpet of pesky allergens, but there is a caveat. If your vacuum uses a bag or canister to collect dirt and debris, make sure the reservoir is always clean to avoid the redistribution of dust and allergens that are picked up. Using a vacuum that has a HEPA filter is also beneficial, but once again, you need to make sure the filter is kept clean. Steam cleaning carpets can also help reduce the amount of allergens, but you won’t be rid of them completely, Duplantier says. He and Swearingen agree that for those with severe indoor allergies, it usually is recommended that carpeting in the home be removed and replaced with tile or hardwood. Another common in-home allergy culprit is mold, Swearingen says. There are many different species of mold, and Indiana is home to all of them. They’re always present outside,

11 mends that you keep it simple. “Products with bleach or a bleach booster will take care of most of everything when it comes to cleaning,” she says. “Bleach and water with a little dish soap will also clean anything.” You may be inclined to take a green approach when spring cleaning by using a bleach-and-water-soaked cloth to scrub away the allergens. However, dishcloths and towels tend to hold on to contaminants, and the last thing you want to do is spread the ickiness around. She recommends cleaning with paper towels or one-use cloths as a healthier alternative. If you have pets, they can innocently con-

too. Hot summers and the absence of cold winters have contributed to the prominence of mold spores, which are generally killed off with pronounced climate change. Mold requires three elements to thrive: food (i.e., bacteria), humidity and moisture. To avoid or limit mold spore exposure in your

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home, you have to control the food supply. “You want to make sure you keep humidity levels in your home below 50 percent and alleviate any moisture sources in the home, like leaking shower heads, plumbing issues and leaking windows and doors,” Swearingen says. When it comes to cleaning, she recom-

tribute to indoor allergy issues. They carry allergens and dander that can aggravate allergy symptoms. If you have cats, Swearingen recommends you keep them indoors. When it comes to dogs, keep them groomed and limit their time outside so they bring minimal allergens in from the outdoors. H

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Fun new shades for your tired old lamps By Elaine Markoutsas and Cindy Dampier Chicago Tribune

f you find yourself wishing your tired lamps and chandeliers could stay a bit more in the shadows, perhaps it’s time to replace them. The shades, that is. Lamps are often described as the jewelry of the room — the accessory that sets your style statement. Modern lamps can put an instant, contemporary spin on more traditional furniture, glamorous lamps add a dressed-up element to casual rooms, and vintage pieces can contribute everything from industrial edge to sweet ’70s style. But the shade is the detail that lets your lamp find its voice: It determines whether the lamp fits the space, the purpose, and the style you have in mind. Thus, a quick (and usually inexpensive) change of shade can completely transform the same old lamps into fresh style for your same old room. A few things to consider when switching shades: l Get the proportions right. Pairing the right size and

shape shade with a lamp is key, and there are a few rules that help you get it right. Most importantly, hardware should be covered by the shade, which means you may need to replace the harp that the shade stands on as well, to lower the new shade over the switch and socket. Measuring your lamp ahead of time can help you choose the size you need, ( www.shadesoflight.com has a good online guide to lampshade size and measurements), but your best bet is to bring your lamp to a store and try on shades. A lighting store that sells shades can offer expertise and more options, but bringing your lamp along to a big box store isn’t out of the question, either. In the end, when you see the right look, you’ll know. l Consider size carefully. Know the space you want the lamp to go into and how much room there is for a shade. If you’re bumping the lampshade every time you put your keys down on the hall table, the shade will end up bent, and you’ll end up annoyed. Will a larger shade fit under-

neath those shelves above? Will it obstruct a view? Will the shape complement the table it sits on? All questions to consider, and worth time spent with your tape measure to be sure. Check websites for exact dimensions of the shade you’re considering buying. l Allow for light. Color and opaqueness vary greatly from shade to shade, so remember to choose yours not only for the color you’d like to see in your room but also for the amount of light you’ll need the lamp to produce. Tole shades and some dark, lined shades allow light to be cast only vertically, while lighter shades allow for more ambient light in a room. l Try on everything. Once you’ve got your lamp in the store, be open to different shade shapes, sizes and colors. Like trying on clothes, sometimes the unexpected choice is actually the one that makes the look come together. And a perfect shade can elevate any lamp, from that splurge-worthy favorite to a garage sale find. H

1. The pony hide is faux, but the feel is real. 2. A leopard patterned chandelier shade is pretty in pink. 3. Wide cabana-like stripes shown in bold turquoise and white metal shade. 4. New Orleans artist Ashley Longshore paints exotic birds to roost on rich red cotton shades. 5. Peacock feathers are a fetching graphic design on a 16-inch drum shade. 6. Mosaic design in gold and gray features metallic threads in fabric 7. The pattern is called Carnival Wonderland, but the handpainted drum shade has the vibe of a pastel ethnic Suzani. 8. Bell shaped paisley shade also subtly sparkles with transparent sequins on its teardrop design. TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE PHOTOS

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13 By Alan J. Heavens The Philadelphia Inquirer

YOUR PLACE

Saving water is simple, and light on your wallet

spent $88 to come up with this information — my quarterly bill for regional sewer service contained a brochure that got me thinking. The expense was well-worth advice on this topic: water-saving tips for a family of four. Updating your shower with a low-flow showerhead can save 7,665 gallons of water and up to $50 a year. Cutting the time you spend in the shower to 5 minutes can save 76,650 gallons of water and up to $498 a year. Replacing that old water-guzzling toilet with a WaterSense low-flow version can save 10,986 gallons of water and up to $70 a year. Getting your family to turn the water off while brushing their teeth twice a day can save 11,680 gallons and up to $75 a year. Updating your faucet or attaching an inexpensive aerator can save 15,622 gallons of water and up to $100 a year. And that’s just the savings that can be achieved in the bath-

room. In the kitchen, and for the same family: l Washing dishes when the dishwasher is full can save 2,920 gallons of water and up to $19 a year. l Replacing an old dishwasher with a new high-efficiency model can save 1,314 gallons of water and up to $80 a year. Laundry, same family: l Upgrading to a high-efficiency clothes washer can save

Discounts as big as a house. Or condo. Or apartment

14,585 gallons of water and up to $94 a year. l Washing only full loads of laundry can save 10,534 gallons of water and up to $68 a year. l Lowering the water setting to correspond with the size of the wash load. Savings may vary. Outside the house, consider these steps: l Watering flowers with rain collected from your roof with a rain barrel connected to your downspout. Don’t water the driveway or sidewalks. l Choosing drought-tolerant grass varieties such as tall fescues. l Mulching around trees and plants to reduce evaporation and water-consuming weeds. See www.njwatersavers.rutgers.edu for more details, even if you don’t live in New Jersey. H Contact Alan J. Heavens at aheavens@phillynews.com or write him at The Philadelphia Inquirer, Box 8263, Philadelphia PA 19101.

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Clockwise from above left: The Essen cocktail table by Bernhardt is clad in a skin of highly polished German Silver. The Florence Broadhurst Milan Bar cabinet from Selamat is clad in brass on a black steel base. Thibaut’s Regatta side table wrapped in navy raffia. The Lake Shore Watercolor console by John Strauss Furniture features digitally printed wallpaper on a lacquer frame.

Dressed-up dressers or cabinets undercover By PATRICIA SHERIDAN Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

tural elements to get the most bang for the buck. The wood frame is enveloped in black linen, which becomes a backdrop for solid-

decorative elements for more than 2,000 years and has many of

hether dressing up a dresser, covering a cabinet or embellishing a bureau, furniture makers are adding layers of interest with digital images and natural fibers such as linen, seagrass, paper and metal. In showrooms this spring, consumers will see storage units, tables and consoles with enough panache to become the focal point of a room. At the Fall Market in High Point, North Carolina, Thibaut delivered several variations of casegoods covered in raffia, linen, grasscloth and paper. It’s all made in the United States, including custom creations with more than 200 Thibaut fabrics. The company’s Paperweave in White cabinet has contrasting pink doors made of extra fine sisal, and the Regatta side table is wrapped in navy raffia. Also using natural fibers to build heirloom pieces is Bungalow 5, which pumped up the appeal of its lacquered grasscloth-covered four-door Janak large chest with diamond-patterned brass nail heads. It comes in navy or white. Currey and Company’s Cadena three-drawer chest also uses tex-

brass drawer pulls and drawer collars.

the same characteristics as brass and bronze. We add a protective

Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams introduced its multipurpose

“German silver has been used in architectural structures and

topcoat to prevent oxidation,” said Tammi King, Bernhardt’s mar-

“German silver has been used in architectural structures and decorative elements for more than 2,000 years and has many of the same characteristics as brass and bronze. We add a protective topcoat to prevent oxidation.” Tammi King, Bernhardt and Selamat marketing coordinator Weaver chest, which is wrapped in a gray raffia and outlined in dark-stained mahogany. The inside of the drawer is red lacquer.

keting coordinator. Selamat’s Milan Bar cabinet design comes from the Florence

The chest can be used in a bedroom, entryway or as a media cabi-

Broadhurst archives, which the company has accessed and repur-

net because there are cutouts in the back for cords. It looks great

posed.

with the Weaver mirror hanging above it. Bernhardt and Selamat, meanwhile, managed to enhance and

Broadhurst’s Milan Tapestry pattern was carved into the doors, and the entire cabinet is clad in brass on a black steel base. The

entrance with skins of metal. The Barcelona Sideboard is hand-

interior has a mirrored back and glass shelves surrounded by a wal-

carved reclaimed teak covered in German silver, which is not really

nut veneer. Broadhurst was murdered in 1977, and her killer was

silver but a silver-white alloy of nickel, copper and zinc. It’s also

never caught. However, her visionary designs live on, continuing to capture the imaginations of consumers. H

found on the Essen cocktail table.

Your Home Inside and Out / SPRING 2016

DAILY JOURNAL

In case of barking dogs, a good fence may help

barking is a self-rewarding behavior. Whenever a dog barks something happens in return as a reward. Either a person or object goes away or gives the dog attention or drama. Any correction must be immediate and consistent or it will not work. Since your neighbors are not sympathetic to your situation, the only thing that will save your sanity is to put up a visual barrier between you and the dogs like one of those solid white hard plastic fences. (A wooden stockade fence will only work if the wooden slats are very close together so that the dogs cannot peak through into your yard.) The rule here is “out of sight, out of mind.” The fence will be expensive but your sanity is surely worth it.

By Marc Morrone Newsday Q: My neighbor has two Welsh Corgis; when they are outside they do not stop barking. It’s a constant barking even though there is nothing out there to make them bark. I can’t go into my own backyard without them barking at me. It is extremely annoying. I’ve tried talking to my neighbors but that did not work. I’ve researched the high-pitched dog whistle but reviews aren’t that good. A: The problem with teaching a dog not to bark is that

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Your Home Inside and Out / SPRING 2016

Designer Emily Hewett expects even more homeowners to go for open shelving in the kitchen in 2016.

DAILY JOURNAL

TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICES

Which design trends should you ditch, adopt? By Jamie Knodel The Dallas Morning News It’s a perfect time to try something new in your home. But that means saying goodbye to trends that have overstayed their welcome. Here are some new ideas to replace old ones:

Push the bar carts aside for the bar cabinet

Basic offices make way for stylish studies

Closing the door on standard cabinetry

Flann Harris and Tiffany Taylor Scout Design Studio, Dallas The bar cart has had its day. Now it’s the bar cabinet’s turn, says the team behind Scout Design Studio. A bar cabinet makes a bigger statement and is less of an accessory in a room, they say. Create even more excitement by featuring unusual hardware or a bold color, says Tiffany Taylor. “An essential for entertaining, a bar cabinet is not only the place where the party starts but also an opportunity to showcase your style and personality,” she says. Store liquor inside and utilize the top for pretty stemware and fun accessories. Hang artwork above the cabinet to create an interesting scene in your home.

Abbe Fenimore Studio Ten 25, Dallas As the number of people working from home grows, so does the need to ditch the sofa setup and create a true, and chic, work space, says Dallas designer Abbe Fenimore. “The basic white parsons desk is making room for pieces that are bold and beautiful,” she says. She suggests introducing bold floral prints or animal hide accents and pairing rich wood tones with acrylic accents.

Emily Sheehan Hewett A Well Dressed Home, Dallas No matter your style, open shelving is the way to go in kitchens, says Emily Hewett. “We expect to see more of it in 2016, as it is a dramatic, and often unexpected, way to display coordinating dishes, cookbooks and even small appliances,” she says. The alternative to standard cabinetry can also help open up smaller kitchens. “And let’s be honest, it forces us to stay organized,” says Hewett, who has open shelving in her home.

Your Home Inside and Out / SPRING 2016

DAILY JOURNAL

Which shower door is right for your bathroom? By KALEY BELAKOVICH Angie’s List

nstalling a new shower? Unless you’re getting a walk-in shower or a bathtub/shower insert — which sometimes only requires a shower curtain — you’ll need to select a type of shower door. Here’s some information to help you choose.

Sliding shower doors Sliding shower doors, also referred to as bypass doors, take up the least bathroom space of any type of shower door because they never expand inside or outside the shower. They typically consist of two to three panels that slide past each other on tracks along the top and bottom of the door. Because sliding shower doors come with at least two panels, they’re best used in wide shower openings measuring at least 60 inches. Framed sliding shower doors at a quarter-inch glass thickness, uninstalled, typically cost $175 to $500.

Round shower doors

Pivot shower doors

Round shower doors, unlike most other types, open inward. They are ideal for corner showers. The curved glass gives you more elbow room, and the lack of a corner gives your bathroom more open floor space. They’re also easier to clean because you don’t have to dig into the corners. Framed round shower enclosures, uninstalled, typically cost $500 to $1,000.

Pivot shower doors are the traditional swinging hinged doors. They typically open outward from one side and are only installed in standalone shower stalls. They’re ideal for showers under 60 inches that are too small for sliding doors. For wider openings, like those that are 48 inches, you can choose a double-hinged mount, which allows the door to pivot both inward and outward. Framed pivot shower doors with a quarter-inch glass thickness cost $140 to $500 before installation.

Neo-angle shower doors Neo-angle shower doors are best suited for corner showers. They are designed to keep the door in the open space of the bathroom instead of forcing the door next to a wall. These shower doors typically have three panels: the door, and an angled panel on each side. Framed neo-angle shower doors with a quarterinch glass thickness typically cost between $325 and $900 before installation.

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Frameless shower doors Frameless shower doors aren’t their own exclusive category: Instead, you can get framed or frameless versions of several different types of shower doors, like pivot or bypass. Frameless shower doors are more aesthetically pleasing than framed shower doors. The clear, clean glass allows you to see through to the shower walls, so they’re ideal for showers with tile work. Frameless shower doors are made from thicker

A bifold shower door combines the sliding function of bypass shower doors with the movement of pivot doors. A bifold door has two panels attached by a hinge. When the user pulls the handle, the two panels fold inward toward each other.

Watch for the next issue of the Southside Homes March 29, 2016!

a quarter-inch glass thickness, expect to pay $325

glass than other shower doors — three-eights to one-half inch thickness as opposed to one-quarter inch thickness — so they tend to cost at least twice the amount of a framed shower door. Frameless shower doors start around $700 to $1,200, uninstalled, and the price goes up from there. H

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Your Home Inside and Out / SPRING 2016

DAILY JOURNAL

Bring back

bees the

How to pull pollinators into your garden By TERESA WOODARD Chicago Tribune

uthor Rhonda Fleming Hayes’ garden buzzes, beats and blooms, thanks to the thousands of hard-working pollinators in her eye-catching Minneapolis front yard. She’s one of the lucky ones: Nationally, bees, butterflies, birds and other pollinators are threatened by habitat loss, parasites and pesticides. In her new book, “Pollinator-Friendly Gardening,” this Master Gardener and pollinator advocate urges gardeners to attract these winged friends by planting pollinator-friendly blooms. Her book offers fascinating insights to plant-pollinator relationships, provides categorized plant lists and offers practical steps gardeners can take to make a difference in the pollinator world. We talked with her about how to plant your own pollinator-magnet garden and more. Here’s an edited transcript. Q: What value do pollinators bring to our gardens? A: By now, most folks have heard the sound bite that bees are responsible for every third bite of food we eat. Without bees and other pollinators like butterflies, birds, moths, flies and bats, our dinner plates would be lacking in color, flavor and nutrients. Bees are in trouble for a number of reasons, but the major issue is habitat loss, including millions and millions

of acres just in our country. While many environmental issues are distant, abstract problems, the great thing about pollinators is we can help them right in our own backyards. Garden by garden, I hope we can make up for this habitat loss by planting more food for them, and more food equals more flowers. Q: What plant traits do pollinators value? A: In general, bees like flowers in blues and yellows with a shallow landing area. Butterflies are attracted to reds, purples and pinks, and prefer flat, daisy shapes. Hummingbirds are attracted to red tubular flowers. But, there are plenty of exceptions — like hummingbirds who are all over Salvia ‘Black and Blue.’ A good way to identify good, local pollinator plants is to observe plants in your neighbors’ gardens or a nearby botanical garden. Walk around and see what flowers have the most pollinator visitors. Q: What are five universal must-haves for a pollinator garden? A: I recommend five natives — milkweed, aster, goldenrod, salvia and liatris. A couple bonus must-haves are zinnias and sunflowers since they’re so cheap and easy to grow and attract so many species of pollinators. My favorite moment this summer was when a hummingbird started harassing a monarch who was sitting on a ‘Moulin Rouge’ zinnia in a stand of 20

other blooms and apparently ignoring a popular purple zinnia from the previous season. It’s funny what proves popular to every season. Q: Besides flowers, what trees and shrubs are valuable to pollinators? A: Don’t just think of a single flower bed, think about your whole yard — trees, shrubs, ground covers, vines, herbs, vegetables and fruit bushes. They all have value for pollinators. Fruit trees are especially important in the spring time as one of the first major sources of nectar and pollen. Other sources are crab apples, linden, chestnut and tulip trees, and shrubs like chokeberry, serviceberry, lilac, raspberry brambles and blueberries. I have a long hedge of wild rugosa roses and raspberries along my driveway. In the summertime, it literally buzzes with bumblebees and bees as they work away. Q: In your book, you talk about creating a season-long buffet of overlapping blooms. What are some of the challenges to making this happen? A: Spring blooms are something that people need to really work on. In summertime, it’s easy to throw out a few flowers and get bees, but in spring, they’re really hurting. One of the first sources of nectar is one of the most reviled flowers — the dandelion. So think about leaving some dandelions in a part of

DAILY JOURNAL

Your Home Inside and Out / SPRING 2016

your yard or wait to mow until they’ve bloomed. Spring blooming bulbs, like scilla and alliums, are other good early nectar sources. Annuals and herbs can also help fill in gaps between various bloom times. Q: You challenge gardeners to go beyond a single butterfly garden patch to a more holistic yard approach. Please explain. A: True butterfly gardens are more than just a few pretty flowers. Unlike bees, butterflies need larval host plants to feed their caterpillars. One of the most well-known — monarchs — can’t survive without milkweed. They’re specialists, and their young need milkweed to survive and can’t eat any other plant. A lot of people are surprised to hear trees are one of the major larval host plants for a lot of butterfly species. So if you already have an oak, willow, cherry or cottonwood, you’re already providing lots of good food for those caterpillars. Herbs, especially dill, parsley and fennel, are another great source for butterfly habitat. Just plant extra for them. Q: What are a few easy steps for homeowners to make their backyards more pollinator friendly? A: First, plant more flowers. The busier people get, the more they choose foliage over flowering plants. But, those flowers are what are lacking for pollinators. Second, avoid pesticide use. My book goes into great depth

on this topic explaining why and when pesticides threaten pollinators and how to avoid using them. I have a visible, quarteracre in the city and don’t find the need for pesticides. Still, I get great compliments all the time. Third, allow for nesting sites. Honey bees go back to hives, but many wild bees are ground nesters and need bare soil for nesting. This can worry some people, because they don’t want to come upon a nest of bees with their mower or shovels. So I always say possibly there’s a corner of the yard, slope or unused area to leave unmulched for these nesting bees. Other bees use hollow stems or beetle tunnels in old logs for nesting, so consider leaving pruned debris and fallen branches in a spot for them. Q: How can gardeners also make their pollinator gardens more neighbor-friendly? A: Naturalistic native gardens don’t have to look weedy or unkempt. Keep short plants in the front and tall in back. Add crisp edges or mowed strips to contain natural plantings. Introduce larger flower and leaf shapes for balance. Add human touches — like a piece of garden art, a birdhouse, a chair or other decorative piece — to show “a cue to care” or hint that the garden is being tended. Consider adding a “Bee Safe” yard sign and point out pollinator activity to passersby. H

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TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICES

A caterpillar munches on a milkweed leaf on its way to becoming a monarch butterfly. Pollinator-friendly gardeners need to accept that caterpillars will be devouring some of their plants in order to become mature, beautiful butterflies.

Your Home Inside and Out / SPRING 2016

DAILY JOURNAL

How to keep your sump pump running By PAUL POGUE Angie’s List

omeowners rarely give much thought to their sump pumps except when things go wrong. Often hidden away in a basement sump basin, these devices activate to pump water outside when water reaches a certain level in the pit. But when they fail, homeowners face the prospect of a flooded basement and an expensive cleanup. Highly rated plumbers recommend a few simple steps to maintain your sump pump and keep it in optimal condition. l Hire wisely Brandon Counts, owner of Potomac Plumbing & Gas in Gainesville, Va., says homeowners can help ensure the longest life for their sump pump by hiring a licensed plumber to install it correctly. “I see a lot of mistakes on the front end,” he says. “Lots of times, I’ll see a pump where a check valve wasn’t installed, and without one of those, the pump never gets a chance to rest.” Tyler Diciolla, owner of Lifeline Plumbing in Elgin, Ill., says installers should include materials that help protect the system. “You want a good, solid lid on the pit, and if there’s a battery backup system, make sure it’s protected from dust buildup,” he says. “If there’s debris in the pit or the electronics, it can damage the system.” l Check for yourself Mike Tarvin, owner of Tarvin Plumbing in Cincinnati, suggests homeowners occasionally inspect their system and verify proper operation. “If the lid is easily removable, it’s easy to see if the pump is running or backed up,” he says. “In either case, you can test the pump by turning on the manual switch or adding water to the pit with a hose or bucket to ensure the pump turns on and removes the water.” Diciolla suggests keeping an eye on the outdoor discharge line during cold periods, when frozen pipes can send water back into the

pit and potentially overflow. “I’ve seen the pump turn on while the discharge line was still frozen with a block of ice sitting in the pipe,” he says. l Listen and learn A sump pump should only make a basic motor sound and operate quickly, Diciolla says. “When a pump turns on, it should empty that pit in about 10 seconds,” he says. “If it runs for two or three minutes at a time, call somebody to take a look, because it’s not pumping fast enough.” Counts also notes that unusual sounds, such as grinding or crunching, can indicate an obstruction, which can damage a pump or slow it down. He suggests hiring a professional to check for damage and perform maintenance in that case. l Call in the pros

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Plumbers recommend hiring a professional at least once a year to perform an inspection and check the motor and electronics. Tarvin says this sort of inspection costs between $75 and $200, depending on whether maintenance needs to be performed. Counts points out this can be part of standard home maintenance. “You should have someone check out your plumbing once a year in any event,” he says. l Bet on a backup

Even the finest sump pump becomes an expensive piece of sculpture if a storm knocks out power. Plumbers recommend installing a battery-powered backup to take up the slack. “Your sump pump is useless if your power goes out, so that backup is very important,” Counts says. H

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FLOORS

From Page 9

budget to change it, I recommend putting throw rugs down or something else that can be easily picked up and cleaned.” Industry experts say budgetary considerations should play a major role with homeowners as they consider kitchen floor remodeling projects. “Wood can have a huge range from a couple of dollars per square foot to $10 or more per square foot, while luxury vinyl plank can run anywhere from $5 to $10 per square foot,” Gallagher said. According to Burton, the most affordable material is vinyl or vinyl plank. “For a click-together product, you’re looking at an installed price of $7 for a square foot,” he said. “From there, we go to engineered hardwood at $10 to $12 and then on to ceramic or porcelain at $12 to $15 per square foot. “We try to listen to the customer first and hear what they’re telling us before we make a recommendation,” Burton said. “If you’re shopping price, ceramic is probably something you won’t be willing to spend money on.” Choosing a kitchen floor can be a time-consuming process, and according to DuKate, it should be. “We talk in terms of a triangle that involves budget, square

Your Home Inside and Out / SPRING 2016 “Carpeting has many layers and then a pad underneath. It will absorb a lot of spills, and it’s very hard to clean. It’s just not sanitary.” Jessica Gallagher interior designer with Lehner Designs footage and amenities,” he said. “All three of those areas affect one another, and a homeowner may have to make allowances in order to choose what’s best for them. For example, it might look really good, but it might push your budget. “Let’s say you drop a cast-iron skillet on the floor. If you have vinyl, it might scratch. If you have wood, it might dent. If you have ceramic, it will most likely crack and you’ll have to take a piece out and have it replaced. Nothing is impervious. At that point, beyond budget, it comes back to usage, cleaning and how it will look aesthetically.” Burton said there are other considerations, too. “Do you have pets? Are they indoor or outdoor? Do you have kids? Do you plan to clean regularly? We really try to educate customers because all of these products call out for daily sweepings, and felt pads need to be kept under kitchen chairs,” he added. “If food gets stuck under the leg of a chair and it drags day after day, it’s like sandpaper.”

According to Gallagher, these considerations as well as others should ultimately help homeowners realize the importance of consulting with an interior designer before moving forward with a given kitchen floor replacement project. “An interior designer can sometimes get you a better price on materials than you can get on your own,” she said. In addition, they also know and work with people they trust. “If you go with a box store purchase, you’re probably not going to be getting a store installer. They hire contractors. It’s a third party.” Burton agrees. “We are a full-service company, and if you come here, you get one of the owners in the store,” he said. “When we come out to install, you get another owner. “If you’ve ever had a flooring project go bad and haven’t had anybody standing behind the work, you understand why it’s important to go with a specialty store. We don’t sell lumber out one side of the building and carpet out the other.” As far as future trends are concerned, DuKate believes options are going to become increasingly diversified. “Some of the porcelains have gotten really attractive,” he said. “We just installed a plank ceramic that looks just like barn wood. I even took my nail to it to feel for knot holes and cracks, but there weren’t any. It’s really amazing now how they’re able to photograph things and put those images into products.” H

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Your Home Inside and Out / SPRING 2016

THE MORTGAGE PROFESSOR

DAILY JOURNAL

By Jack Guttentag

Don’t be tricked by mortgage repayment ‘tricks’

he phrase “weird trick” seems to have great sales appeal, judging from the frequency with which it appears in my email inbox. I see weird tricks for lowering blood pressure, losing weight, improving sexual prowess, reversing diabetes and accelerating the pay-down of a mortgage balance. This last group of tricks I hear about mainly from readers, who have been told about the trick by friends, loan officers or Internet hustlers. Some examples: Q: Will borrowing a larger amount than I need and repaying the excess right after closing allow me to pay off my mortgage early? A: Yes, this trick works by generating a larger payment than the one needed to amortize the balance over the term. For example, if you need a 4 percent 30-year loan of $280,000 to purchase your house but borrow $300,000 instead and immediately after closing repay the additional $20,000, your required monthly payment will increase from $1,337 to $1,432. The larger payment results in payoff in 317 months instead of 360, with a savings of $27,214 in interest. But this trick imposes an unnecessary cost on the borrower. Settlement costs that depend on the loan amount, including points and origination fees, title insurance and per diem interest, will be calculated on $300,000 rather than $280,000. In addition, because of the way that loan servicing systems work, it is very likely that the borrower will pay a full month’s interest on $300,000, even if $20,000 is repaid the day after closing. The alternative, which for most borrowers makes more sense, is to borrow the $280,000 needed, and make a payment of $1,432 instead of the required $1,337. You will pay off on the same schedule as using the trick, enjoy the same reduction in interest payments, while avoiding the increase in settlement costs. The only borrowers for whom the trick makes sense are those who do not have the discipline needed to make a payment that is consistently larger than the required payment. They need to lock themselves into the larger pay-

ment, which the trick does by making the larger payment obligatory rather than discretionary. Q: Will paying mortgage interest in advance shorten the payoff period? A: No, because there is no way to pay interest in advance. Interest is calculated each month based on the balance at the end of the preceding month. Interest is not known for future months, since it depends on what happens to the balances in the preceding months. When you make a payment that is larger than the required scheduled payment, there are only three things the lender can do with the excess. First, they can accept it as payment for any amounts owed to them. For example, if you owe them for late fees, or if your escrow account requires replenishment, they will probably use the excess for those purposes. The second thing they can do is apply the excess to the loan balance, which will save on future interest and shorten the period to payoff. Ordinarily, that is what the borrower wants to happen. The third thing the lender can do is assume that the borrower is making scheduled payments early, which would mean that the lender can invest the funds until they are needed. There is seldom if ever a good reason for a borrow-

er to do this. The lender might nonetheless assume that the borrower intends to make scheduled payments early if the excess is an exact multiple of the scheduled payment. If your monthly payment is $640.32 and you have extra money that you want to use to reduce the loan balance, send any amount except $1,280.64, because that is exactly equal to two scheduled payments. Q: Is it true that the payoff period of a mortgage can be cut in half if the borrower doubles the principal payment each month? A: Yes, it is true. But there are formidable downsides to this scheme, the most important of which is that the required extra payment increases every month. Hence, the only borrowers who are able to use it successfully are those who can depend on a constantly rising income. Q: Is it true that a second lien home equity line of credit (known as a HELOC) or a (unsecured) credit card can be used to pay down the balance on a first mortgage well before term? A: A number of schemes focus on exploiting the difference between mortgage balances calculated only once a month and HELOC or credit card balances that are calculated daily. For example, a mortgage borrower who also has a HELOC uses all or most of her paycheck to pay down the mortgage balance and funds current expenses by drawing on the HELOC. If the interest rates are the same, the interest charge on the HELOC, because it is based on the average balance during the month, will be only about half of the interest saving on the mortgage. The net savings, however, are small unless the borrower also makes additional loan repayments. Some borrowers may find the tightly structured set of procedures provided by these programs to be helpful in managing extra payments, but to others they are a needless hassle. H Jack Guttentag is professor emeritus of finance at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Comments and questions can be left at www.mtgprofessor.com.

Your Home Inside and Out / SPRING 2016

DAILY JOURNAL

The hidden costs of selling a home By AMANDA BELL Angie’s List

efore you put your house on the market, your real estate agent will likely provide you with a seller net sheet, which outlines all the fees you’ll owe as part of the transaction and estimates of closing costs and commissions. In total these typically amount to about 10 percent of the sale price of the home. Fees vary from state to state, but read on for a general overview of costs to expect during the home selling process. Realtor commission Any real estate agent who represents you for a transaction is entitled to commissions under state law. The seller’s agent splits the commission with the buyer’s agent. Cost: 5-7 percent of home’s sale price Mortgage balance Before you sell your house, you need to pay off the mortgage. Any remaining balance gets deducted from the sale price. “There’s also a recording service fee for recording the satisfaction of the mortgage,

which is usually about $75,” says Jen Geisinger, a Realtor with Luke Team Real Estate in Maple Grove, Minnesota. Find out if your loan has a prepayment penalty, and factor that in to your costs. Cost: Varies Courier fee This fee might apply if you need a courier to deliver the loan payoff to each lender. Cost: $25-$100 Property taxes The seller is responsible for paying off any outstanding property taxes owed on the property. In most states, property owners pay these in arrears, or for the previous year. Sellers also pay for any estimated prorated taxes. For example, if the sale closes on June 15, the seller will have to pay an estimated tax amount for use of the property from January 1 to June 15. Cost: Varies Transaction fee or brokerage fee If your agent isn’t a broker, he or she works through a broker’s office, which can charge a fee at closing for processing the transaction and keeping all documents related to the sale

on file for at least seven years for tax audit purposes, says Melissa Adams, a Realtor with Re/ Max Advance Realty in Miami. The agent must disclose this fee upfront, which is negotiable in some cases. Cost: $200-$500 Deed and recording fees The title company contracts attorneys to write a deed, the legal document that transfers a title to a piece of property. The county then records this document with county property records to formalize the transfer. Sellers pay for both of these fees, which can range from around $100 to $250 or more. Cost: Varies by state Deed transfer tax Charges vary from municipality to municipality, but in general, property transfer taxes can range from nothing to $10 per $1,000 of the sales price, or you may be assessed a flat fee. Cost: Varies Escrow and closing fee The title company may charge a fee as part of the escrow process, which involves holding the buyer’s money and the seller’s signed deed

until each party has done all necessary steps to complete the transaction at closing. “It depends on the closing company, but the seller typically pays for it,” Geisinger says. Cost: $350+ Estoppel letter If your property or condo unit has a homeowners association, the seller also has to pay for an estoppel letter, the association’s official accounting of any dues the property owner has outstanding. Cost: $150+ Seller contributions To entice a buyer into entering a contract in a competitive buyers’ market, a seller can offer to pay for all or a portion of the buyer’s closing costs. While not necessary, it could help seal a deal. Cost: Varies Repairs and upgrades A buyer can ask the seller to pay for all or part of the home inspector’s repairs after getting a home inspection report as a contingency for purchasing the home. Cost: Varies H

Five appliance-buying tips to know before you shop By STACI GIORDULLOL Angie’s List

ho wouldn’t want a bigger refrigerator, a quieter dishwasher or a new gas stove? But before you indulge in some retail therapy, check out what appliance experts say you should consider when buying new appliances. Ask about fees When comparing prices, be sure to ask questions regarding delivery and installation fees. “Many stores don’t include the required hook-up parts with your purchase,” says Rick Ritt, builder sales specialist with Snow Brothers Appliance in Cleveland. Make a smart switch Before you make a big purchase, do your research and find out what will go into installing the new appliance. For example, if you want to switch from an electric range to a gas range, hire a licensed contractor to tackle the installation.

“It’s not hard, but it requires labor and depends on how far away the gas line is and if the basement ceiling is finished,” Ritt says. Know the pros and cons Before you splurge on the latest trend or the fanciest feature, make sure it really suits your needs. French door refrigerators, in which the freezer is on the bottom, are gaining popularity. “They comprise 75 percent of our total sales,” says Mike Moretti, owner of Top Line Appliance Center in Westfield, New Jersey, adding that they’re very user-friendly, but may not offer enough freezer storage for some consumers. Before you buy, make sure you’re not putting style over functionality. Get the right measurements You don’t want an installer to show up with a new appliance, only to find it doesn’t fit. Make sure you measure correctly and have the right dimensions. Doug Samuels, president of Young’s Appliances in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, says homeowners often measure their old appliance instead

of the space it will occupy. “The only appliances that have a general standard dimension for replacement are 30-inch ranges, over-the-range microwaves and dishwashers,” he says. “A homeowner should check where (front-load washer) is going before even entertaining making the purchase,” Moretti adds, noting that they’re considerably larger than a top-load version. “But you’ll get great capacity and wash results with a front load washer.” Check for user error Before you get rid of an old appliance, ask yourself if it really needs to be replaced. Sometimes, the problem isn’t the appliance, it’s the user. If you’re considering a new dishwasher because the dishes come out clean, but with a coating, you could be the culprit. “The chemicals in the detergents need to interact with food soils and if your dishes are rinsed before you do your load, the detergent tends to foam up and will leave a milky film and spots,” Samuels says. H