Tag: home improvement

Eco-Friendly Spring Home Improvements

Written by Marybeth Heckler on . Posted in Home Improvement.

Spring is the perfect time to consider making eco-friendly home improvements. With the warmer weather and longer days, it’s the ideal time to start planning and executing sustainable projects that can help you save money, reduce your carbon footprint, and improve your home’s overall efficiency.

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Tips for Growing Rose Bushes in Colorado

Written by Marybeth Heckler on . Posted in Homeowner.

Gardening in Colorado has its challenges. Mainly, the lack of moisture during the warmer months of the year. However, if you’ve dreamed of growing your own rose bushes and live in Colorful Colorado, you’re in luck. You can absolutely grow a thriving rose garden in your own yard.

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The Summer Care Guide for Your Lawn

Written by Marybeth Heckler on . Posted in Homeowner.

Part of becoming a homeowner usually means that you are purchasing a lawn that needs regular care. Not all new homeowners are equipped with the knowledge it takes to care for their grass. For all our first-time homebuyers or new lawn caretakers, here is our best advice for caring for your lawn this summer.

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Are You Making Any of These Closet Mistakes?

Written by Marybeth Heckler on . Posted in Homeowner.

If you’re like us, you’ve probably been binge-watching shows and reading books on organization from luminaries such as Marie Kondo. While these organizational gurus make it look easy to bring order to a chaotic environment, it’s actually a little harder than it appears.

Probably one of the worst organizational areas for many people is the bedroom closet. After all, you can toss things in there willy-nilly and not have to look at it again. But there are habits you may be doing that are making your closet a disorganized mess.

Here are a few tips to keep your closet organized:

  1. You’ve got too much stuff — The biggest mistake for most people is keeping too many items in your closet. If you’ve been watching Netflix’s Get Organized with The Home Edit, you know the first step to any organizing process is to edit. It’s another way of saying, start your process by decluttering. Take all of your clothes and accessories off the racks and shelves and put them in your bedroom. Then sort it into three piles: keep, donate/sell, trash. Once you go through, you’re going to find some real fashion emergencies that you should have never bought in the first place, much less held onto. Get rid of them and see how much room you have left.

 

  1. Place like items together — The best organizational system is to place all of your like items together. Put pants together with pants, dress shirts together with dress shirts, summer blouses together with summer blouses…you get the picture. This creates a neat organizational system and makes it easier to find things.

 

  1. Use the rows appropriately — If your closet has two rows of hanging rods, then chances are you aren’t using them right. Most people put the shirts on the top and the pants on the bottom. (After all, that’s how it goes on our bodies.) Instead, place the shirts on the bottom and the pants on the top. Generally speaking, pants folded on a hanger take up less space than shirts. If you keep the shirts on top, you will be covering up part of your bottom row and making it harder to see and access.

 

  1. Don’t bury things — Make sure that you set aside a specific area for your shoes so they don’t get buried. If you cover these up with luggage and other items, you will (at best) not be able to find them and (at worst) damage them irreparably.

 

  1. Don’t have boxes inside of boxes — One of the biggest mistakes is that you buy boxes to organize your closet and then put more boxes inside of them. Instead, we recommend using clear plastic containers that are labeled with “shoes” or “purses.” This way, you can actually see what you are looking at before you start digging through the boxes.

 

If you follow these steps, your morning sojourn into the closet to find your clothes will go a lot smoother. And you will have the peace of mind that comes from having an organized closet instead of an untidy disaster area.

 

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Whether you’re buying, selling, refinancing, or building your dream home, I’m here to help you explore the many financing options available. Ensuring that you make the right choice for you and your family is my ultimate goal. I am committed to providing my customers with mortgage services that exceed their expectations. Find out more by visiting my website.

To Renovate or Not: Where to Get the Biggest Bang for Your Buck

Written by Marybeth Heckler on . Posted in Home Improvement.

When it comes to renovating a home, there are generally two mindsets at work. The first is that you want to make your house nicer and more suited to your own style or preferences. But the other one is that you want to make an improvement to your home so that you can recoup your money when you go to resell the house.

Let’s look at the best options you have for improving your property value with renovation projects:

  1. Garage Door — If you’ve never replaced your garage door, then it’s an option you should really consider. Most home builders choose a very basic model that has no personality or style to it. It’s just a generic white or off-white door. Instead, consider replacing this with something more sophisticated like a rustic wood garage door or one with window panels to let natural light in.

 

  1. Kitchen Cabinets — Many people want to do a full kitchen remodel with all new cabinetry, custom backsplashes, and top-of-the-line appliances. This is great if you’ve got the money, but it’s not going to give you a lot of return on investment. Instead, leave your cabinets as they are, but replace the cabinet doors. This simple upgrade will give you a chance to do a lot of cosmetic improvements without breaking your bank.

 

  1. Bathroom Upgrade — Another great remodeling option is to redo your bathroom. Overall, this has the potential to actually increase your home’s value by more than you put into it. Replace your current toilet with a low-flow option that will reduce your water usage. You can also enlarge your shower stall, especially if you have a separate tub that you are willing to sacrifice. An extra-large shower with multiple shower heads and a sit-down bench is a great selling point.

 

  1. Wood Deck — Many homeowners are looking for a great house and a great backyard for entertaining. You can meet the needs of this last point with a simple wood deck or patio addition to your home that will end up recouping almost your entire investment. And, as a bonus, you can get lots of use out of it yourself in the meantime before you decide to sell.

 

  1. New Vinyl Siding — One last upgrade that can really help you with the value of your home is the exterior, specifically new vinyl siding. This may not seem particularly spectacular or exciting, but a refreshed exterior with new siding will give your home more curb appeal. This refers to the positive initial impressions you get when someone first pulls up to the house. A home with good curb appeal is well on its way to getting a good asking price on the market.

These five home renovations aren’t the only improvements you can make. But they are five that have the potential to get you the most bang for your buck and will help the most when looking for resale value later on.

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Whether you’re buying, selling, refinancing, or building your dream home, I’m here to help you explore the many financing options available. Ensuring that you make the right choice for you and your family is my ultimate goal. I am committed to providing my customers with mortgage services that exceed their expectations. Find out more by visiting my website.

The Best Backyard Renovation Tips for Summer Living

Written by Marybeth Heckler on . Posted in Home Improvement, Homeowner.

If your home is your castle, then your backyard is more like your proverbial “fortress of solitude.” This is the place you can kick back, relax with your family and friends, and escape from the stresses of the world by enjoying the sun and nature. But a great backyard requires upkeep and occasional renovations to help it stay fresh and new.

Here are a few ideas on how you can spruce up your backyard for better summer living:

  1. Porch — The centerpiece of your backyard haven should be a luxurious porch or patio. Some of the best options for this would include screening in a large porch and including ceiling fans for those hot summer days. But you can also liven up your porch with new outdoor furniture. This will help you to have a space to entertain when friends visit.

 

  1. Outdoor Kitchen (and Bar) — Part of the fun of spending time outside is grilling out with friends and family. But if you want to take your outdoor cooking game to the next level, you should seriously consider adding an outdoor kitchen. This is more than a grill—it includes a mini-fridge, sink, grill, and oven/stove. If you like your adult libations, you can also add a beer tap and a stocked bar for your partying evenings.

 

  1. Fire Feature — Even though the weather is warmer, you can still enjoy a nice outdoor fire on a summer night. Consider adding a fire feature. This fire pit can be something permanent that is actually part of the landscaping or it can be a portable fire feature that you can move around like part of the furniture. Either way, get the fire started and break out the s’mores for a cool evening with the kids (or just acting like kids).

 

  1. Arbor/Pergola — If you’ve ever seen those beautiful, vine-covered arches in formal gardens, then you know how great they can look. If you want to put one into your own back yard, then you can either buy one at a local hardware store or have it built to suit. One thing that you will want, however, is an arch with at least 8 to 8.5 feet of space underneath. This way, when the flowers and vines begin to grow in, you will still have ample space to walk underneath.

A backyard can be your own little paradise away from all of the hustle and bustle of the world. If you are looking to add some nice touches to yours, consider adding one of these four suggestions to your yard’s mix.

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Whether you’re buying, selling, refinancing, or building your dream home, I’m here to help you explore the many financing options available. Ensuring that you make the right choice for you and your family is my ultimate goal. I am committed to providing my customers with mortgage services that exceed their expectations. Find out more by visiting my website.
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