At Home Living 012817

Saturday, January 28, 2017 An advertising feature of The Topeka Capital-Journal

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remodeling project

Kitchen expansion Design adds island, tile inset

page 6 n Jamie Kidd on using dormant oils, page 2 n Time to toss out the clutter, page 3 n Organic gardening: trial and error, page 5 n Rec rooms become more versatile, page 8 keith horinek/THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL

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Spray with dormant oils now to control insects Dormant: in a condition of biological rest or suspended animation.

I know this is referring to plants at rest in winter, but all I can see is a ninja fighter making a spectacular mid-air kick and frozen in time and space as the TV camera pans 360 degrees. How do they do that?

We could ask the same thing of nature. How do trees and shrubs stand “suspended” in time with no apparent growth, in sub-zero temperatures and through ice, snow, thaw and refreeze? And then, they spring back to life.

Awesome, isn’t it?

Even more awesome is how pesky insects survive those same weather conditions. How they do that is a whole other discussion,

JAMIE KIDD

DATES TO REMEMBER

n Master Gardener Elsie Gibeson will talk about how recycled materials can be used in the garden and yard at 7 p.m. Feb. 16 at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library, 1515 S.W. 10th Ave. Gibeson also will have examples to view. n The Kansas Garden Show is Feb. 10-12 at the Kansas Expocentre, 1 Expocentre Drive.

jamiehan@ksu.edu

but let’s look at getting an early start on our assault on those pesky critters.

Prune first

This time of year, we should consider spraying our fruit trees and euonymus shrubs with dormant oil to control certain insects and mites. We begin the battle by first pruning trees and shrubs.

It’s important to prune first to avoid wasting spray on wood that’s being

discarded. After pruning, the plants also will be less dense, so you’re more likely to get total dormant oil coverage of limbs, branches and shoots.

Prune older trees first, because the older, larger wood will tolerate lower temperatures better than young trees with smaller wood diameters. Pruning when temperatures are below 20 degrees isn’t advisable because of possible injury. Consider “pruningto-a-bud” when making your cuts. This means

you choose to cut just above a bud that is facing out from the center of the tree. This will open the center to more sunlight and help prevent disease and fungus throughout the growing season.

For more information on pruning fruit trees, you can download a K-State Research and Extension publication at ksre.ksu. edu/bookstore/pubs/c631. pdf.

Spraying with oils Now, it’s time to spray.

Various oils have been used for centuries to control insect and mite pests.

Oils remain an important tool to manage certain pest problems, such as scales, aphids and mites, on fruit trees, shade trees and woody ornamental plants.

Oils affect insects in several ways. Most importantly, they block the air holes, or spiracles, through which the insect breathes, causing them to suffocate.

In some insects, the oils act like poisons, interacting with the fatty acids of the insect and interfering with normal metabolism.

Also, oils may disrupt how an insect feeds. This is very important in the transmission of some plant viruses by aphids.

Definitions of oil types

include: n Dormant oil: An oil used on woody plants during the dormant season.

Originally, dormant oil was a heavy oil applied only to dormant plants and considered unsafe for plants that had broken dormancy. However, it has been refined into a lightweight oil that can be applied to plant foliage.

Dormant oil now refers to the time of application rather than to any characteristic type of oil. n Mineral oil: A petroleum-derived oil, as opposed to a vegetable oil.

It is designed to be mixed with water and applied to plants as a pest control spray. n Summer oil: An oil KIDD continues on 4

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Toss out items that clutter your home

By Alina Gonzalez Domaine

There’s a certain exhilaration that comes with throwing things away and freeing up space in your home. It’s not only an aesthetic task, but decluttering your space also has proven health benefits, too.

A University of California Los Angeles study found that women who live in a cluttered environment are more likely to experience a surge in cortisol, a stress hormone. Yes, that untamed junk drawer is adding to your stress.

Now’s a good time to take a hard look at all the stuff you’ve amassed and get rid of junk. To make it easy on you, we crafted this handy list of things you need to toss, recycle or donate. n Old prescriptions. Clean shop in your medicine cabinet.

Get rid of prescriptions and

over-the-counter pills that have expired or you haven’t used in months. It’s unsafe to keep expired medicine around. n Old towels. Who wants stained, discolored towels? Upgrade your bathroom with a set of fresh towels. Toss any threadbare ones that have just gotten too much wear. n Old chargers. Gather up any random chargers that are cluttering up your shelves, and try to match them to the technology in your home (wireless speakers, Fitbits, etc.). If you can’t find a single item you still own and use that can be charged by the charger in question, toss it. n Receipts. Most of us have a hodgepodge of old receipts and tags lurking in a myriad of places at home. Unless it’s a receipt for a big purchase (sofa, laptop, refrigerator or television), throw them all away. Make sure to toss receipts and tags for clothing

Tip of the Week: Cleaning nooks and crannies

Every home has them — hard-to-reach or tricky places that you just can’t seem to get at to clean. Here are a few hints that might help: n Keyboard cracks. Turn over your keyboard and tap out any crumbs. Then, run the sticky side of a Post-It Note between the keys to nab debris. n Car vents. To keep the air in your car fresh, use a sponge paintbrush from your craft supplies drawer to dust the vents. n Narrow blinds. Wrap a microfiber cloth around each arm of a set of tongs and secure using rubber bands. Close the tongs on a strand of your window blind and pull it across to remove the dust. Repeat with each strand.

Source: goodhousekeeping.com

you’ve worn as you won’t be returning it and definitely don’t need the proof of purchase. n Event tickets. This is one of those items you probably don’t even realize you end up accumulating. Unless you plan to frame or scrapbook the special movie night when you got engaged, throw them away. n Old magazines. If they’re over a year old, they’ve got to go. Every last one of them. Take a look in the mirror and admit it to yourself: You are never going to re-read them. n Chipped mugs. It’s time to purge your cabinets of the random, chipped, coffee-stained mugs that not even a college kid would keep around. n Shoe boxes. Clear out your closet of the packing boxes for things you kept in case you wanted to return, but didn’t end up doing so. n Old bills. If you paid ’em,

toss ’em, unless you need to keep them for tax purposes. Alternatively, scan important documents and keep a softcopy on an external hard drive for future reference. n Dried pens. No one needs the number of pens they mysteriously accumulate, and we bet half of them don’t even work.

Streamline your collection. n Unused gifts. You did your civic duty and kept it around out of guilt, but you haven’t used it in a year. It’s time for the guilt gifts to go. n Takeout menus. You can easily order in via the Internet or your choice of smartphone apps. Toss the old takeout menus cluttering your fridge or kitchen drawer. n Old warranties. If they’re expired or you’re never going to need them, get rid of them. n Broken headphones. One word: useless.

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Kidd: Disadvantage to using oils include possibly causing phytotoxicity Continued from 2

used on plants when foliage is present, also known as foliar oils. Again, the term refers to time of application and not type of oil. n Vegetable oil: An oil derived from the seeds of an oil seed crop, such as soybeans, canola or cottonseed.

Generally, any oil used to protect plants from

pests is referred to as a horticultural oil. The names simply refer to the time of year the application is made.

Pros and cons

There are advantages and disadvantages of using oils. The advantages include: n Oils pose few risks to people, beneficial insects or natural predators. n Oils integrate well

with biological controls. n Toxicity is minimal. n Oils quickly dissipate through evaporation, leaving little residue. n Oils are easy to apply with existing spray equipment. Most homeowners apply oils with hose-end sprayers. n Oils can be mixed with many other pesticides to extend their performance.

The disadvantages of

using oils include: n In some situations, oils have a small but real potential to cause plant injury, or phytotoxicity. n Oils can stain some surfaces, particularly dark-colored house paints. n There’s minimal residual activity to kill new pest infestations. n Some plants are oilsensitive, such as Japanese and red maple, hickory, black walnut, smoke tree,

redbud, juniper, cedar, spruce and Douglas fir.

Spraying tips

Here are a few tips when spraying with dormant oils: n Fresh spray should be mixed for each application. n Stir or shake the sprayer often. n Apply dormant sprays when the temperature is above freezing and will re-

main above freezing while the chemicals dry. n Don’t apply oils if plant tissues are wet or rain is likely. n Don’t apply oils if the humidity is above 90 percent. It will contribute to injury risk.

For more tips, view the “Fruit Pest Control for Home Gardens” publication available at ksre.ksu. edu/bookstore/pubs/c592. pdf.

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Organic gardeners learn as they grow

By Maureen Gilmer Tribune News Service

Learning to grow vegetables is a trial-andfailure endeavor. In the beginning, you get small successes and devastating failures until experience teaches you the hard lessons of nature and her vegetable minions.

In most cases, it’s the under-40 crowd who are having challenges if their parents never gardened, so nothing was handed down. It’s not their fault.

They just haven’t failed enough like everyone did when they first began.

To help busy gardeners do better, here are some solutions to help avoid the major failures and save yourself a lot of work to

boot: n Make water automatic.

The vast majority of vegetable gardens in drier regions fail due to too much or too little water.

That is usually because of human error, which most often is forgetting to water.

Truth is, as summer approaches and kids get out of school, everything gets too hectic to remember to tend the garden each day.

This is where failure begins, because every parent knows you’ll never get caught up by back-toschool season.

For everyone’s sake, and to prevent hoses left running and the inevitable waste that follows, install an irrigation system and

put it on a strictly controlled timer. n Small and diverse.

Unless you have a large backyard in-ground garden, you’re probably growing in raised beds of one sort or another. This limits your square footage. Problems arise when one big collard takes over your beautiful bed or a cherry tomato demands the one next door, too.

This demonstrates how smaller gardens need to focus on a wide diversity of plant types sized for optimal yield from a 4-by8-foot bed or a 32-squarefoot rectangle. It allows you to pack them in during the cool garden season for a huge range of leaf and root crops. In summer, the dwarf patio tomato types

may prove more amenable as will bush beans, cilantro, basil and shorter, dense-growing peppers. n Use row covers.

Almost every heirloom seed catalog carries row cover growing supplies.

The row cover is a lightweight tube that shelters your plants and keeps bugs out. This is huge for lettuce and the cabbage family, Asian vegetables and all the traditional American pot greens.

Where aphids are a real pest, these covers keep them out completely and your greens will be miraculously perfect. You won’t have to be faced with the chemical pest control dilemma either.

Be aware that in summer you must open row

covers to let pollinators come in for the flowering vegetables. Heavier gauge row covers can go on in the fall to hold your crops for deep winter harvest. n Pick often.

The more you harvest your plants, the more they produce. Pick every day even if you don’t need to, because that requires you go out there and get personal with those plants.

In the process, you’ll notice how they look when happy, so you’ll know at a glance when they aren’t doing well. You’ll feel a normally stiff and upright leaf feel soft and floppy, and you’ll know moisture is deficient. And if a pest does get in there, you’ll find the problem on day one before your crop is

damaged.

The only way to really learn how to grow vegetables and flowers is to accept the trial-and-failure process. Every time you try something new, it gets better and better as you build your knowledge base. That knowledge base is driven by your failures more than successes.

Failures drive you to study what went wrong and why.

Only then will you know how to avoid that one next year.

This trial-and-failure learning process occurs during a gardener’s entire life, so don’t quit if you’re discouraged. Each year the effort will grow ever more successful, but only if you strive to learn from the consequences.

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Remodeling project

Kitchen features island, floor tile inset Family heirloom illuminates dining area

By Linda A. Ditch

Special to The Capital-Journal

When planning a remodeling project, many homeowners think it means the complete destruction and rebuilding of a room. However, this isn’t always the case.

Joseph and Jane Weiler built their Berryton home in 2001. Last year, they decided to eliminate their formal dining room and expand their kitchen.

“I just needed more storage,” Jane said. “Some place to put my pots and equipment. We also like to entertain, and I’d always wanted an island.”

Instead of gutting the kitchen, Winston Brown Construction was able to keep the original kitchen and expand it into the dining room. The wall was removed between the two spaces. New cabinets were made to match the original ones. The new wood flooring was blended into the existing floor, so it looks like it has always been there. The dining room chandelier, which is a family heirloom, hangs in a new window seat area.

“The chandelier came from my grandmother’s house,” Jane said. “When I was a little girl, I thought the prisms were diamonds.”

While the kitchen still utilizes the past, there is plenty of new to make it

keith horinek/THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL

Joseph and Jane Weiler decided to remodel the kitchen in their Berryton home last year. They eliminated their formal dining room and expanded their kitchen, which now features an island, tile inset on the floor and separate wine and beverage stations. sparkle. Center stage is the coveted island, which was built along with the new cabinets by Custom Wood Products. Although made in the same style as the existing cabinets, the island has a darker stain to add contrast to the kitchen’s look. Its granite top is also a lighter color compared to the original countertops, with metallic flecks in the stone.

The same darker cabinets line what was the dining room wall to cre-

ate separate wine and beverage stations. Winston Brown owner Jake Brown suggested the wine area, because the Weilers have a vineyard in their backyard and make their own wines.

A window seat was built into the space, with the heirloom chandelier overhead.

The wall also houses perhaps the most unique feature of the kitchen — a dumbwaiter. Built into the lower cabinet of the beverage station, it’s used to

bring wine up from the cellar, as well as other items stored in the basement.

Joseph gets the credit for the idea, which was a challenge for the Winton Brown crew, who were more used to removing dumbwaiters from homes instead of installing them.

“We’ve used it so many times. It’s just phenomenal,” Jane said. “I used it to bring up all of my Christmas decorations, and we can bring up cases of wine or homemade apple butter

when guests come to visit.

My husband thought of it.

I don’t know where he gets his ideas, but he is the one who carries things up from downstairs.”

Another unique feature is Polish tile inset into the wood flooring to look like a rug in front of the stovetop.

Jane collects Polish pottery, with some of her pieces displayed on top of the kitchen cabinets. While shopping for kitchen tiles in Lawrence, she saw an example of a faux-rug in-

set. She decided to add it to her own kitchen, except making the change to Polish tiles.

Winston Brown Construction had completed a previous bedroom and bathroom remodeling project for the couple, so they didn’t hesitate to call them for this project.

“We were happy with their work and ideas. Their site manager was here everyday and told me what KITCHEN continues on 7

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Kitchen: Take your time to make design decisions when remodeling Continued from 6

the schedule was for the day so I knew what to expect,” Jane said. “They were very professional.

They cleaned up every day before they left, and they stayed pretty much on schedule.”

Jane noted the hardest part was being without a kitchen for six weeks.

“Eating out every night was not fun after about two weeks,” she said. “It’s hard having things out of place, but Jake said to pretend we were camping.”

For anyone thinking of starting a remodeling project, Jane advises they take their time making design decisions. She suggested looking at a lot of pictures in magazines and online,

and checking out displays found in home stores and remodeling shops.

Also, she said to talk to your contactor, because he may have excellent suggestions for your space.

“Be patient,” she added.

“It’s messy, and it never takes less time than what you expect. But we are very happy with the results.”

Above: A Polish tile inset, which resembles a rug, was installed in front of the stovetop.

Below: A dumbwaiter is used to bring wine up from the cellar, as well as other stored items.

photographs by keith horinek/THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL

Decorative tile adorns the wall behind a built-in stovetop.

Small bathroom? You should consider wall-hung fixtures Toilet’s water tank can be concealed in wall

By Ed Del Grande Tribune News Service

Q: Hello, Ed: We have an existing closet that we want to remodel as a small bathroom.

What bathroom fixture choices do you recommend

for small areas? We are willing to give up storage space for a little more moving around room.

— Bill, Texas A: This is an easy choice for me, because I have worked in many small bathrooms.

For small powder room areas, just like any bathroom area, I recommend you install a good venting fan.

Next, look into a roundfront toilet bowl, or better yet — but more expensive — you can find residential

wall-hung toilets with the water tank concealed in the wall.

Speaking of wall-hung fixtures, a wall-hung bathroom sink can help you pick up some valuable space as well.

Wall-mounted sinks are natural space-saving designs, and they can do it with classic styling and versatility.

‘‘

Wall-mounted sinks are natural space-saving designs, and they can do it with classic styling and versatility.” ed del grande

Many wall-hung sinks can be used with standard bathroom faucets and have wide, flat rims for a

little shelving.

So, no need to give up comfort while you’re looking to pick up space.

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Versatility’s the key for the modern rec room

By Melissa Kossler Dutton The Associated Press

When asked to build a luxury home for a house tour this year, designer Kenyon Woods opted to include a rec room — but not the rec room of his childhood.

Unlike old-time rec rooms with their wood paneling, ceiling tiles, box TVs and cast-off furniture, this one measures about 800 square feet on the main floor, with space for watching TV, shooting pool, rock climbing and more.

“Media rooms used to be off by themselves,” said Woods, owner of Authentic Custom Homes in Oklahoma City. “I’m tired of the theater or game room being separated. Today, families want to be together” even

if they’re doing different activities.

Recreation rooms of all shapes and sizes are popular in new homes, according to a recent survey by U.S. Houzz and Home, an online source of interior design photos and decor ideas. Gaming and entertainment spaces, gyms and playrooms were among the top uses for rec rooms.

Clients often want “several different areas in one large, open space,” agreed Kristen DuChemin, design director for the Columbus, Ohio, homebuilder Romanelli & Hughes.

For some, that means adding game tables like foosball, shuffleboard, air hockey and billiards.

Chance Pack, spokesman for game manufacturer Valley Dynamo in Richland

Hill, Texas, says sales of game tables, which dipped during the recession, have seen an uptick as the homebuilding industry rebounds.

Parents and grandparents like gaming tables, he said, because they are interactive and intergenerational, luring kids away from electronics and into family activities.

“People are really focused on the entertainment aspect of their home,” Pack said.

All seven homes constructed for the Street of Dreams Home Tour included recreation rooms, said Elisa Milbourn, director of education and special events for the Central Oklahoma Home Builders Association in Oklahoma City.

Furniture makers have responded with multi-func-

tional pieces that aim to get the most out of a space, said Patricia Bowling, a spokeswoman for the American Home Furnishings Alliance, in High Point, N.C. Portable bars and high-top tables with stools have become popular.

“Whether entertaining means kids’ birthday parties or adult cocktail parties, bar furniture is an affordable alternative to the expense of built-ins,” she said. “A portable bar provides a serving counter, sitting/dining space, storage and more.”

Kitchen islands also are playing a role in rec rooms, she said. They can provide seating or a flat surface for serving food, and have space to store games or dishes. If there isn’t space for an island or a bar, a bev-

authentic custom homes via ap

A climbing wall and pool tables are highlighted in a recreation room in a luxury home in Oklahoma. erage cart can be useful.

“You can use them as a nightstand next to a bed or in the kitchen or outfitted as a bar. You move it around as needed,” she said.

Minneapolis interior designer Billy Beson also recommends tables with built-in game boards and

bean-bag chairs, which are great for TV viewing and can easily be moved when not in use. Keeping a space flexible is a priority, he said.

“The rec room is back and definitely here to stay,” he said. “There’s a need for that space to watch a movie, play a game or have a party.”

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Water around furnace may indicate improper draining

By C. Dwight Barnett Tribune News Service

Q: When changing my furnace filter, I noticed a small pool of water on the floor.

The furnace is a 12-year-old, high-efficiency model used to heat the home through metal ducts. I did not see water during the summer, only after the furnace has been on for a few months. Is this something to be concerned about?

A: What you are describing is also known as a condensing furnace. Older, less-efficient furnaces simply burned fuel to produce heat inside a heat exchanger. The products produced by combustion, including gas and water vapors, were then sent up and out through a chimney or flue.

Some of the heat you paid to produce also went out through the chimney.

A condensing furnace utilizes a second heat exchanger to capture heat from the combustion prod-

ucts. The extra heat from the exhaust is then released to the home before being vented to the outside.

When the exhaust loses so much heat, some of the byproducts are condensed back into a liquid and are drained away from the furnace.

Sometimes, they are drained through the same drainpipe as the air conditioner coil if you have one.

If you see any liquid in or around the furnace during the heating season, the furnace isn’t draining the condensate properly. Turn the furnace off at the main service switch or at the main electric panel. Remove the front cover of the burner compartment. (The gas pipe enters the furnace at the burner area.)

If you notice water, don’t touch it as it can be acidic.

There should be rubber hoses, a draft inducement fan and one or two larger plastic PVC or ABS pipes for venting and the com-

bustion air intake. Wearing protective rubber gloves and without touching any of the hoses, wires or pipes, use paper towels to soak up the condensate water.

Properly dispose of the wet paper towels.

Close and seal the furnace cover and turn the electric service to the furnace back on. You have now done all that can be done by a homeowner to one of these complicated high-efficiency units. Call a licensed heating, ventilation and air-conditioning technician for assistance to clean, service and replace any damaged equipment.

If the water you found appears to be leaking from the PVC condensate drainpipe outside of the furnace, you’ll want to make sure all joints in that pipe are secure and sealed against leakage. If there are any leaks in the condensate drainpipe, you may be able to repair them yourself with PVC cement.

Service Directory

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