Decorating Tricks to Make a Small Space Look Larger

Lots of people live in a small home, a small room, or just a small space. Some people live in a small apartment because that's all they can afford, and they're grateful for it.


Some people live in a small apartment or home because they're tired of taking care of a larger place and want to "downsize."
Others just don't want a large home. Small is beautiful! And easy, and practical, too!

But no matter what your reason for living in a small space, you'll undoubtedly have to make some compromises in your decorating, get really organized, and make some adjustments to your lifestyle in order to make everything fit and not feel cramped.

If you're looking for a cozy, intimate space, you're in luck. By using soft, snuggly upholstered pieces, dark, warm tones, and dramatic lighting, your tiny corner can become a wonderful private space.

But if you really feel the need to stretch out in your small space, you can make some decorating changes to make the area look and feel larger without moving any walls! With color, furniture arranging, and interesting lighting, your space won't feel so cramped.

See if some of our tips will work for your small space.

•Clear Out the Clutter

There's nothing that makes a small space feel cramped more than having too much stuff. Work out ways to get collections out of view, organized behind doors, table skirts, or on shelves. With things neatly arranged and out of sight, the space that is in view will feel orderly and open.

•Open the Way

With furniture and accessories blocking the view into a room and out to open spaces, a room will look cramped. By moving furniture out and away from walkways, you'll open up the space and make it feel larger. You can also choose short pieces of furniture like an ottoman, an armless, open chair, or a low table, and place large, tall pieces along a wall rather than out in the open space. If you can see the floor, the room will look larger.

•Chooser Soft, Light Hues

Whereas dark, warm colors make a space feel cozy and intimate, light, cool colors make a space feel open and airy. For optimum effect, select soft tones of blues and greens.

•Use a Monochromatic Color Scheme

Choose colors that are in the same color family and use tone-on-tone woven upholstery fabrics, textured wall finishes, delicate tonal drapery fabrics. Cool colors and delicate warm colors on most surfaces give the room a more open look.

•Coordinate Wall and Furniture Colors

Contrasting colors tend to break up a space. Pieces of furniture are less interrupting and tend to blend with the space if they're colored to match the wall color.

•Let in the Light

Any room will look larger if it's well-lit, either by natural light or artificial lighting. Get rid of heavy draperies and open up the windows to let the light of the outdoors into the space. Add more lamps or install track lighting or recessed lighting.
Here are some more things you can do to make a small space at least feel larger, even if the floor space stays the same.

•See-Through Space

By using materials that you can see through, anything beyond will appear farther away. For a tiny bathroom, I got rid of an opaque glass shower enclosure and substituted a clear, frameless one. The room is the same size looks bigger. Now we can see all the way (an extra 3 feet) to the wall at the back of the shower.

You can also use glass or lucite for tabletops. With a sturdy base of wood, stone, or metal, the space around the table will open up the view beyond.

•Reflective Surfaces

 

You might not like the look of a mirrored wall, but you have to admit that it always makes a room look larger. Instead, use a large framed mirror on a wall or stand an over-sized framed mirror against a wall. You'll get the same room-enlarging effect as a mirrored wall, but with more style. The space and the light will be reflected for a more open feeling.

Top a coffee table or side table with a piece of beveled plate mirror or have a chest of drawers or bureau covered with custom-cut and installed mirrors.

•Believe It or Not, Bigger Is Better!

Use a few large, simple pieces of furniture or accessories in place of several smaller pieces which would make a small space look cluttered. With open space and large blocks of color, the room will appear to be more calm and comfortable.

•Keep the Upholstery Plain

Select plain colored upholstery for furniture instead of bold plaids, stripes, or prints. Use texture for interest and stick to neutral tones if you can.

•Airy, Light Fabrics

Sheer fabrics allow light to pass through window treatments, bed skirts, table covers, and furniture slipcovers. If you want something other than plain colors, find soft floral vines or simple stripes to keep the look simple.

By following some of these simple rules about decorating a small space, your home will feel comfortable, not cramped. You'll have an intimate space that suits all your needs.

Thanks to Coral Nafie for this article

Bring your own mug to Starbucks for Earth Day and get a free coffee

April 22nd is earth day and Starbucks is generously offering a free coffee or tea if you bring in your reusable mug.  They are also offering 20% off travel mugs as a long term sustainability strategy.

So bring your mug, head to your favourite Starbucks and enjoy a free coffee on Earth Day!

Getting your home ready to sell: 10 painting don’ts

Painting is not as easy as it looks. Sure, any chimp can be taught how to load a brush and slap some paint on the wall, but a quality paint job requires human intelligence and at least a temporary devotion to detail. For your next painting project, be sure to steer clear of these 10 amateurish painting mistakes.

1. Don’t skimp on the prep work.

Like middle school, prep work is awful drudgery that must be completed before you can move on to better things. Indoors, the most important stuff is cleaning all surfaces, repairing damaged areas, patching where necessary, and prepping the area (see item 10, below). Outdoors, the critical prep work is removing peeling and otherwise loose paint, repairing damaged or rotted wood, and cleaning all surfaces.

2. Don’t mess with old paint unless you’re sure it’s lead-free.

Apart from curious kids eating paint chips, all of the warnings about lead paint can be realized with paint prep work: sanding or scraping lead paint makes it friable (airborne), the perfect state for getting into your body. To play it safe, if there’s any chance a surface may have been painted with lead paint, have a sample tested first.

3. Don’t paint over moisture or active mould.

Stain-blocking (and specifically mould-blocking) primers are good for preventing colour bleed-through from dark mould stains, but they’re not intended to correct a live mould problem. And they’ll only mask a moisture problem for a very short time. Since mould and moisture go together, first stop the moisture (wherever it’s coming from), then kill the mould (with detergent or diluted bleach) and let it all dry completely before priming and painting.

4. Don’t paint bare surfaces without priming first.

As much as you might resent it, primer is your friend. It sticks really well, it fills pores in raw materials and it’s less than half the price of paint. Using an extra coat of paint instead of primer is a waste of money and likely will result in a poorer finished product.

5. Don’t paint masonry on a whim.

Poured concrete, brick, stone and concrete block are among the very few building materials that can fairly be called “maintenance-free.” Painting them once changes that forever.

6. Don’t use tape (in most cases).

Pros don’t use tape for the same reasons you shouldn’t: it’s time-consuming and painstaking to apply, it usually lets paint bleed underneath its edge, and it can peel the new paint off when it’s removed. Instead of using tape in the usual places, remove anything that’s removable (like outlet covers and cabinet hardware), and take the time to “cut in” a clean line of paint along the edges of trimwork and the like.

7. Don’t use cheap paint.

Quality paint goes on better, lasts longer and has much nicer colour than lousy paint. And when you consider that you’ll be looking at the results for the next decade or so, an extra $10 or $15 is a worthwhile upgrade.

8. Don’t use cheap paintbrushes.

This goes right along with the last item. A $3 brush will never work well and should be discarded after the first job, right about the time it starts shedding bristles. A $10 brush knows how to handle paint and will become a treasured tool for years down the road.

9. Don’t paint window tracks.

Errant baseballs aside, painting the tracks where the sashes slide is perhaps the best (and dumbest) way to ruin a window. This is akin to lubricating ball bearings with caulk. For the same reason, never let paint overlap from the stop to the sash and vice versa.

10. Don’t paint over outlet and switch covers.

Being too lazy to remove electrical cover plates before painting, and merely taping off the covers, leaves a ridge along the edge that usually peels away in a large, unsightly chunk if the cover is removed later. Take the two minutes to remove the switch plate.

Thanks to Philip Schmidt of the Toronto Star for this article

Start Gardening Indoors with Spring Herbs

If you're eager to garden, start with an indoor windowsill herb garden and you'll save money on expensive grocery-store varieties. Plant herbs in pots and place them near a window that gets at least 5 hours of sun a day. Herbs adapt well to indoor growing conditions and can be put outside when the weather warms up.

Position well:

Most herbs need five hours of full midday sun in warm weather to produce the best flavour and growth. They can be planted indoors in containers or window boxes, then moved to the garden when it warms up. Although some herbs like parsley and thyme can tolerate a little cool weather, it's best to bring them indoors in the late fall to help preserve them. A sunny south-facing window is adequate for most indoor herbs.

 
 
 
Follow directions:

Not all herbs are created equal. If you've planted your herb garden in one large pot, group together herbs with similar growing requirements for more efficient plant care. For more tips, read our Plant Care Guides or refer to the section on growing conditions below for detailed planting tips on individual herbs.

 
 
 
Water properly:

Most herbs need to be kept damp but not wet; don't over water and do encourage proper drainage. Wait until the soil is dry, down to a depth of a 1/2 inch or so, then water thoroughly until soil is moist.

The best time to pick herbs is first thing in the morning, when they contain the most essential oils and are most fragrant and aromatic.


Harvest herbs by cutting back a shoot to just above a leaf to encourage regrowth. Fiskars has a wide variety of shears available in-store and online, complete with serrated blades and sharp precision-ground blades.
 
Growing conditions

Basil: Plant in full sun in moist well-drained soil.Mint: Plant in full sun to partial shade in moist soil.Oregano: Plant in full sun in rich fertile soil.Parsley: Plant in full sun or partial shade in rich moist soil.Sage: Plant in full sun in well-drained soil.Thyme: Plant in full sun in light well-drained soil.
 
Thanks to Home Depot for the tips!

Getting your house ready to sell? Save 50% off grass seed

Getting your house ready to sell? Now is the time to start throwing down a little grass seed. Add some rain, sun and voila! A beautiful green lawn and a house with curb appeal!

Enjoy this 50% off grass seed coupon from Home Depot. Just print and remember to bring it with you!

Just Listed: 486 Soudan Avenue

Open House Saturday April 9th & Sunday April 10th

2 pm until 4 pm

Charming updated 2 bedroom semi bungalow in highly sought after Bayview & Eglinton area - a great condo alternative. Bright open concept living dining room with cozy gas fire place. Large eat-in kitchen with a walkout to oversized deck is perfect for entertaining. Includes finished basement and parking. Just steps to TTC, restaurants and shopping.

This may be the most useful plant in the garden

Berberis thunbergii ‘Concorde' – a.k.a. barberry – just may be the most useful plant in your garden. In addition to repelling animal intruders, it has tremendous all-season appeal. In the spring, its gorgeous, deep magenta foliage is complemented by yellow flowers and then bright red berries. In the fall, it turns a magnificent scarlet before dropping its leaves to expose a thorny black structure for winter. Very dramatic.

WHERE TO PLANT IT

Barberry has a compact 45-by-60-centimetre form and should be planted in full sun, although I've got one in part shade and it's doing well. It can adapt to fairly dry conditions but shouldn't sit around with wet feet for too long in spring. Even so, mine has put up with those conditions without complaining for some time now. Prune it to keep its shape without worrying it'll get damaged.

WHAT IT OFFERS

I'm crazy about all barberries but this one is the best: It makes a fine small hedge, it shines in containers and its thorniness effectively discourages dogs and cats from traipsing through your plants if planted as an edger. It also offers exquisite sensuality to borders. Plant it with hellebores, black grasses and black snake root (Actaea ‘Chocoholic') for even more drama.

SOURCE AND COST

I sourced one recently at Fiesta Gardens in Toronto (200 Christie St., 416-537-1235) for $39.99.

Thanks to Marjorie Harris of the Globe and Mail

These wines are like sunshine in a bottle

By Beppi Crosariol of the Globe & Mail

George Harrison, the late Beatle, wrote one of the most uplifting odes to springtime, Here Comes the Sun. I plucked it feebly on the guitar last week as the blinding sun – now where it ought to be, on our side of the equator – managed miraculously to penetrate my grimy, south-facing window and fill the back room with happy light. There’s a keen sense of sonic metaphor in the guitar work, arpeggiated riffs of crisply picked treble notes underpinning such lines as “it seems like years since it’s been clear.” It sure seems like years.

Wine flavours can be metaphorical too, I think – crisp, treble notes supplied by tangy acidity as well as herbaceous characters that can bring to mind green grass and even some of the local produce that will soon be poking up in many southern parts of Canada, such as asparagus and fiddleheads. Not surprisingly, Mr. Harrison wrote his song while strolling around Eric Clapton's garden with one of the famous rocker's acoustic guitars. (I hope he had a glass of wine nearby, though I suspect that if any herbal flavours were going down, they were being smoked, not sipped.)

This is the season when lean white wines start to come alive. I think in particular of zesty sauvignon blanc and dry riesling. But I also look more offbeat gems, such as and albarino and verdejo from Spain as well as gossamer-light vinho verde from Portugal.

If you’re in the mood for a little sunshine in a bottle, I hope these selections, or offerings in your local market of similar description, help to fill the bill.

Domaine de Riaux Pouilly-Fumé 2009, France

SCORE: 88 PRICE: $22.95

I don’t hang around gun ranges much, but I’m guessing that those who do might recognize the slightest whiff of a freshly spent bullet in this smoky, flinty sauvignon blanc from the Loire Valley. For golfers, there’s some fresh-cut grass too. The rest of us may simply appreciate its citrus-like core and elegance. It would match well with pan-seared or grilled flaky white fish, such as trout.

Bernard Reverdy et Fils Sancerre 2009, France

SCORE: 88 PRICE: $22.95

Light and understated, even for a Sancerre, this sauvignon blanc offers up suggestions of peach, lemon, herb and chalk. But, like most good whites from the Loire, it’s more about elegance and subtlety than adjectives. Sancerres like this are consummate partners for asparagus, delicate fish dishes and goat cheese.

Caves de la Tourangelle Grande Réserve Touraine 2009, France

SCORE: 87 PRICE: $14.95

Best for the two preceding wine styles, the Loire produces good renditions of sauvignon blanc without the high-real-estate premium of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé. Looking for value? Try Touraine. Light-bodied, with moderate acidity for a sauvignon blanc, this example serves up flavours of grapefruit, honeydew and grass.

Auntsfield Long Cow Sauvignon Blanc 2009, New Zealand

SCORE: 88 PRICE: $19.95

Some people associate New Zealand lamb with spring. I think of kiwi sauvignon blanc the same way. Assertively fruity and grassy, it’s as though Sancerre had been force-fed bushels of passion fruit and Scott’s Turf Builder. This one leans more toward the fruity side. It would pair well with shellfish.

Quails’ Gate Dry Riesling 2010, British Columbia

SCORE: 91 PRICE: $16.99

Plenty of weight for a dry riesling, though still technically light-bodied, it has a fleshy, silky texture, flavours of green apple, peach and slate, with tangy acidity for lift on the long finish. A fabulous effort from an excellent winery in the Okanagan Valley. Versatile at the table, it would pair well with poultry, fish or pork, and it’s splendid as an aperitif. Available in the West, www.quailsgate.com.

Jacob’s Creek Reserve Riesling 2010, Australia

SCORE: 89 PRICE: $16.95

Bone-dry like most Aussie rieslings, it’s a bushel of tart fruit, with a whiff of drywall dust and a finish as refreshing as a cold swim. Shellfish, including raw oysters, and sushi would make fine partners.

Leira Albarino 2009, Spain

SCORE: 88 PRICE: $16.95

The lean, bracing and elegant whites of Rias Baixas, a district of northwest Spain, are underappreciated treasures. The cool weather of Rias Baixas (REE-ahs BYE-shuss) locks in the natural acidity of the albarino grape. Light and silky, this one delivers a subtle note of cherry along with hints of flowers and mineral. It’s sublimely delicate and perfect for shellfish.

Agricola Castellana Cuatro Rayas Verdejo 2009, Spain

SCORE: 86 PRICE: $14.95

The verdejo grape anchors the whites of the arid Rueda district northwest of Madrid. High-strung – like a guitar badly tuned by yours truly – with crisp acidity, this is a simple, straightforward Rueda, but it shows good balance, with a touch of bitterness in the clean finish. Good for shellfish and salads. A fine, widely available alternative: Marques de Riscal Rueda white, $10.95 in Ontario. In British Columbia, look for the excellent Telmo Rodriguez Basa, $17.99.

Varanda do Conde Alvarinho Trajadura Vinho Verde 2009, Portugal

SCORE: 87 PRICE: $13.95

Vinho verde, a sometimes delicately spritzy wine, can be a blend of various grapes. In this case, there’s not much effervescence, but the wine could almost rise into thin air it’s so light. Yet there’s a vaguely silky quality to this charmer, owing to the trajadura grape, here blended with lean alvarinho (the Portuguese name for albarino). Expect notes of lemon and green apple in this baby’s breath of a white. Pair it with oysters.

Canadians confident about home ownership: RBC

Canadians are not only confident that they are assiduously paying down their mortgages, but they also believe they have the means necessary to weather a drop in house prices, contrary to worries that household debt is out of control, a poll showed on Wednesday.

Almost three-quarters of Canadians, or 73 per cent, believe that they or their families are well-positioned in the event of tumbling home prices, according to the annual RBC Homeownership Study undertaken by Royal Bank of Canada

The poll found that 85 per cent of respondents feel that they are doing a good or excellent job of paying down their mortgage, while 90 per cent of Canadians are confident that real estate in Canada is a good investment.

“There’s been a lot of noise around debt-to-income ratios,” said Marcia Moffat, RBC head of home equity financing, noting that she found it comforting that such a large segment of Canadians said they were able to handle what is typically the biggest purchase of an individual’s life.

She said confidence was drawn from stable employment and rising incomes.

The survey was released a week after the Bank of Canada left its benchmark interest rate unchanged at a low 1 per cent.

The central bank and other policymakers have flagged personal debt as a danger to the economy, although the Bank of Canada last week said household debt was less of a concern than it has been in past months. Consumer spending remains strong but is easing to levels more in line with incomes, the bank said.

Worries about personal debt have twice prompted the government to introduce stricter mortgage rules to prevent overheating in the housing market.

The survey showed that Canadians, supported by a strong banking system, still have a strong interest in purchasing a home over the next two years. Interest declined slightly in the quarter, but remains high overall with 29 per cent saying it’s likely they will buy.

That was down two points from 2010 but is higher than any other year since 2006, the report said. Compared with last year, however, fewer Canadians said it was better to buy now than wait.

Rising home prices were the No. 1 concern about purchasing a home followed by rising mortgage rates, the poll showed.

The poll found that 40 per cent of Canadians feel the current housing market is balanced equally between buyers and sellers, a rise of five points over 2010.

The survey of 2,103 people is considered accurate to within plus or minus 2.2 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

Thanks to the Globe and Mail for this article

Small Spaces: Under 500 sq feet

There is a genius in being able to design a function 500 sq foot living space and these folks have thought of everything!










http://www.littlediggs.com/

FAQ's about when to plant flowers in Toronto

The saying April showers bring May flowers must have been coined by someone living slightly south of the Canada border. In Toronto, we can still get cold weather, even frost up until the end of May. For those of us in southern Ontario, it's May showers that bring June flowers.

With patio furniture in the stores and garden centres slowly being stocked, it's time to start thinking about planting even if it is still hopeful thinking at this time of the year.

Here are some gardening FAQ's:

I just cannot wait to get out there and garden! At what temperature is it safe for me to plant annuals?

The frost free date in Southern Ontario varies per location, but historically May 24 is the start of the safe time to plant all annuals. But cool loving annuals such as pansies can go into the garden well ahead of the 24th! Different annuals have different tolerances to cold temperatures. We like snaps, viola, dianthus, and pansies early – ahead of the warmer weather.

Every year I plant annuals — pansies, violas, lobelia, etc… they look great for the first month or two, but by mid-summer they start to fade.

Annuals often are either 'cool' or 'warm' season flowers. Pansies are the best known of annual flowers that will flower while the night temps are low, but sort of poop out when the summer heat starts. While some of the heat loving plants will not do well early in spring when it is cool, coleus, New Guinea impatiens and vinca are some well known warm plants. For a great looking annual flower bed many folks plan a 'change-out' mid summer. Plant the cool flowers early in spring, say late April, then by end of June come back in with the warm flowers.

What are the best perenial bulbs for a Toronto Garden?

Narcissus ‘Salome’, Narcissus ‘Ice Follies’, Tulipa ‘Orange Emperor', Tulipa tarda, Crocus vernus ‘Jeanne d’Arc’, Crocus tommasinianus ‘Ruby Giant’, Camassia cusickii
, Leucojum aestivum - Common names: meadow snowflake and summer snowflake, Anemone blanda ‘Blue Shades’- common name windflower, and Scilla siberica

Do you have a chemical free way to kill weeds between patio stones?

Yes! 5 min | 5 min prep | 1 Liter 4 cups white vinegar
1/4 cup salt
2 teaspoons dish detergent

Mix ingredients together and spray on the weeds- Goodbye Weeds!

You can also pour boiling water on weeds and that will also kill them. You may have to repeat both remedies but the result is environment freindly


When is the best time to plant trees?

Plant deciduous trees in the spring, as soon as the frost is out of the ground, or in the fall, from leaf-fall until freeze-up.

Evergreens can be planted early in the spring until four weeks after deciduous trees have opened their leaves or in the fall, from about the first week of August to the end of October.


Thanks to these sites for the informaiton!

http://landscapeontario.com/plant-resource-faq

http://www.treesontario.ca/programs/index.php/workbook

A Canadian federal election would rule out a spring interest rate hike

Michael Babad

What an election could mean:

If Canada in fact heads into an election, economists believe there could be some headwinds for the Canadian dollar (CAD/USD-I1.02-0.002-0.21%), which didn’t react much yesterday after NDP leader Jack Layton said he wouldn’t support the budget, and uncertainty surrounding the fiscal outlook. Most likely is that a campaign would stop any talk of the Bank of Canada hiking its benchmark overnight rate in April.

“First, the uncertainty over the near-term fiscal policy environment just went up in that it is less clear whether fiscal policy will act as a drag on growth if election goodies are dangled about,” said economists Derek Holt and Gorica Djeric of Scotia Capital.

“Second, over roughly the past 20 years, the [Bank of Canada] has generally avoided starting a tightening campaign in an election. It only did so in 1997, and that was because the economy was rapidly healing after the disaster of the first two thirds of the 1990s via over 734,000 jobs having been created in the back to back years of 1997-98. Now, if a May or June vote is in the cards, that adds to a long list of reasons why most analysts have abandoned much of any notion of a spring hike.”

Avery Shenfeld, the chief economist at CIBC World Markets, agreed, moving back his forecast for a rate hike to July, from his initial projection of May. He cited three reasons:

•The loonie will probably stay firm given high oil prices.
•Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney may be "reluctant" to even signal a May rate hike at his next meeting in April.
•Softer core inflation amid 7.8-per cent unemployment could prompt Mr. Carney to raise his estimate of "potential" economic growth.
Over all, economists believe that Canada's fiscal standing will trump any uncertainty surrounding an election, which should leave the loonie in a strong position.

"Political uncertainty will be a looming question, however the global market has become quite comfortable with Canadian elections, the differences (or lack of) in our parties and a minority government," said Scotia Capital currency strategist Camilla Sutton. "Accordingly, we think in the medium term the focus should reside more with the strong sovereign position in Canada and less with political uncertainty."

Carl Weinberg, the chief economist at High Frequency Economics in Valhalla, N.Y., told his clients today that there wouldn't be a "sea change in power" if an election is called, and deficit-reduction will still be on the table regardless of what happens.

"Anything can happen at the polls, and the resulting budget is likely to differ in some respects from the plan outlined yesterday," he said. "However, fiscal austerity will be a key part of the platform of any party that wants to form a government Up North. So we see an election as neutral for the loonie and the bond market."

There was no detremental news to the housing industry and with the budget likely to be over turned, any fundamental changes won't be seen until the next adminstration.

Laneway Housing: Affordability goes small

The award-winning Smallworks Studios have been pioneers in Vancouver, a city now firmly on the forefront of new laneway housing nationally. Ever since council passed a bylaw in 2009 that allowed for laneway homes in RS1 and RS5 zones of the city, Smallworks have been creating variants of six two-level prototypes for a wide variety of Vancouverites.

Tiny castles From a 650-square-foot Arts and Crafts style home, to a more modern-feeling “loft house”, the firm – the brainchild of builder Jake Fry – has exemplified the new residential take on “small is beautiful.”

But now their kind of beautiful is even smaller. With the recent unveiling of a new trio of more affordable 380-square-foot “laneway cottages”, Smallworks hopes to attract dozens of buyers.

As always, the firm works collaboratively with homeowners, in-house designers and architects (notably James Burton of Birmingham and Wood) to customize homes according to site demands and client preferences. And they pre-assemble the homes at their studio/factory in Southlands (the bucolic location begs the moniker “cottage industry”) so 10 to 12 components – constructed with locally sourced and sustainable materials – are neatly bolted together on site just like an Ikea cabinet.

The difference now – one that has almost halved the price of their standard laneway houses – is that their designers have literally gone back to the drawing board to envision inventive ways of reducing infrastructure costs. Building costs account for only 30 per cent of the total price point, with infrastructure and onsite costs taking the lion’s share of expenditures. But these new laneway cottages have been designed with a small footprint and, at $150,000, a much smaller price.

They are available in three different styles, with floor plans that can be interchanged or modified for maximum flexibility. The “elegant” – a cousin to their Edwardian style laneway house, features a traditional pitched roof and dormer window. The interior consists of a bedroom walled off for privacy, a small bathroom, galley kitchen and larger living/dining area. Skilled use of custom-built millwork throughout streamlines clutter and maximizes space. Consider the bedroom, for instance, where deep drawers on one side merge into a large-screen TV in the living area in a single piece of millwork.

Then there’s the “modern” – a miniature riff on the work of iconic West Coast architect Ron Thom – with a multilayered flat roof raised to maximize floor space in the living area (and also available for “greening”). The floor plan offers a double-access closet in the bedroom, and a captains’ bed with built-in cabinetry underneath that could double as a linen cupboard. A sliding wall separates the bedroom and kitchen area from the living space – making it a perfect live/work space.

The “simple” has a more contemporary exterior with a shed roof and ample glazing to let in light. It also features the same patio door that the other two prototypes have to encourage a real indoor/outdoor aesthetic as well as two sets of French doors. But this unit more than the others offers a singular interior space. It’s designed with extra storage space and a Murphy bed, so that living area can quickly be converted into a work space.

For clients David Vogt and his wife Tracy Proke – who chose the “simple” style for the backyard of their Dunbar home – the appeal of the cottage was not just its reduced price – but its smaller footprint.

In a “transitional” stage of new empty-nesters, Mr. Vogt says, “We didn’t want something that would impose itself too much on the property.” Happily, with their home’s sloping site, their existing balcony will still tower above their soon to be built (building time is a mere three months with the new Smallworks prototype) cottage. But above all they wanted something that would be flexible to fit their changing needs.

“We have children in their 20s and they all have partners,” says Ms. Proke, “we don’t know if perhaps one day one of them might like to live here. Or perhaps it might be a suitable place for my mother.”

It’s also a place they might rent out to a tenant. But it’s not just a case of bringing in revenue, they say, it’s also a way of doing their bit for densification.

“I remember when a Japanese colleague of mine came to visit,” Mr. Vogt, who works at UBC, recalls. “He looked out at our lane, saw all the garages, and wondered if there were some strange underclass of people who lived in windowless residences in other people’s backyards. He couldn’t imagine that all that space was being used to house cars.”

Having laneway housing on their property, he contends, is a way of “socializing and beautifying the laneway.”

It’s also a way of adapting to their changing circumstances. “Sometimes it feels like the two of us rummaging around in this big old house,” says Ms. Proke of their 2,600-square-foot 1920s Arts and Crafts style home. “But we’re not quite ready to pick up and move downtown.” The laneway cottage will create a sense of multi-family living without having to forsake the place where she raised her own family.

“In some ways,” notes Mr. Fry, “laneway housing is a more sustainable alternative to the ‘monster house’ ”– which was after all – a form of “family compound” very popular with new Asian communities.

And laneway housing isn’t a new housing type of course, with its roots in the traditional coach house. “Even in Dunbar” notes Mr. Fry of the now tony neighbourhood,” which was really a largely working class area until the eighties – it wasn’t uncommon for people to live in their garages.”

A quick tour of Dunbar’s back lanes reveals a few earlier, pre-Smallworks attempts at laneway housing – including an interesting and quite modern backyard writer’s studio encased in steel – as well as some of Smallworks’ – who have essentially standardized, modernized and made sustainable a rather old world housing-type works-in-progress.

In front of one “Edwardian” style house with a modern, spacious, high-ceilinged interior, a 40- something woman and her parents in their late 70s are sizing it up with a view to purchasing one of their own. Mr. Fry notes that 30 per cent of his clientele are young first-time homeowners building on their parents’ property (one such couple is even blogging about the whole experience) while an equal percentage are older folks moving into laneway housing on their children’s property.

As Vancouver’s population continues to grow – and age – not to mention as demand and cost of housing rises, it’s easy to imagine a city where laneway cottages can become part of a well- designed and rather charming solution.

It also offers the possibility of “having your own house and garden,” contends Mr. Fry, “to a much wider segment of the city’s population.”

Special to The Globe and Mail
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/home-and-garden/architecture/architecture-features/affordability-goes-small/article1945928/singlepage/#articlecontent

Bathrooms Sell Houses: Some dreamy bathroom ideas

Most real estate professionals will tell you that kitchens and bathrooms sell a house. When people see an off the charts bathroom, they can see themselves in the house. It's an interesting phenomenon. Looking at some of these dream bathrooms, you can see how people see how people can fall in love with a bathtub!

Just Listed: 449 Clinton Street Toronto

Open House:
Saturday March 19th and Sunday March 20th
2 pm until 4 pm

Beautiful newly renovated 2 1/2 story detached home in the Annex/Seaton Village area. With a light filled oversized gourmet kitchen and open concept living spaces, this is the idea home for entertaining. This 4 bedroom home has a spacious master bed room with private spa like bathroom and walk in closet. Enjoy the garden oasis with a walk out to the back deck and easy parking with a new 2 car garage.

Extra's include: Stainless steel gas stove, fridge and double washer, front loading washer dryer, new high efficiency furnace and CAC, ELF's, finished basement, granite counters in kitchen, all centrally located close to TTC, College Street, shopping, and Palmerston School district.

Just us on Saturday March 19th and Sunday March 20th from 2 - 4 pm for an Open House

For more information, contact The Corcoran Team at 416.465.4545
or Dan@DanCorcoran.ca of Keller Williams Advantage Realty.

www.DanCorcoran.ca

449 Clinton Street
Toronto

Getting your house ready to sell: A check list for home sellers

When getting your home ready to sell, you need to look at your house in a new way. Think of your house as a product about to go on the market where it is probably competing with brand new housing. It needs to show well – which means clutter-free and well kept.

Today’s homebuyers lead busy lives and may not be interested in taking on major repairs or improvements upon moving in. You need to make your house a “10”. This document will help you spot what is right and what is not so good about your "product". It will give you the opportunity to take corrective action to ensure your house looks fresh, clean and well maintained when the “For Sale” sign goes up.

Fix It First

If you need to make improvements to your home, do the work before it goes on the market. Potential buyers are not interested in hearing about your good intentions to look after defects before a transfer of ownership takes place. Even if fix-up work is underway, buyers may not be able to visualize what your home will look like when the work is finished. They will just remember it being in a state of disrepair.

Professional Inspection: Yes or No?

A serious buyer may want to have a professional home inspector check your house from top to bottom before making an offer. Even though this guide will help you identify problems on your own, the option of hiring a professional home inspector is open to you as well. If you can afford it, an inspection in advance of putting your home on the market is a good idea. It is your best way of finding and taking care of serious deficiencies before an inspector hired by a potential buyer discovers them.

CMHC's Homeowner’s Inspection Checklist

This practical, easy-to-follow guide for homeowners will help you identify common house problems and deal with them. In it, you will find illustrated how-to tips offering effective solutions for every room of your house. Use the ordering instructions on the back page of this fact sheet.

Let’s Begin Outside

Check Your House’s Curb Appeal

How does your house look from the street? That is where prospective buyers will be when they first see your home; and, that is where they will form that all-important first impression. Stand at the curb in front of your house and note what you see.

- Remove any clutter in your yard.
- Repair cracked or uneven driveway or walkway surfaces.
- If your lawn has bald spots, apply some top dressing and re-seed. Prune trees and shrubs of dead wood. Weed and mulch flower beds, if you have them. If it is the right time of year, consider buying some flower-filled planters to enhance the eye appeal of your property. Make sure your lawn is mowed regularly. Ensure that the composter area is tidy.
- Are your windows and walls clean?
- Does your front door need paint?
- Ensure your eaves and downspouts are clear of debris and in good repair.
- Are your backyard deck and walkways clean? If not, use a power washer and do any necessary painting, staining or sealing.
- If you have a swimming pool, are the deck and pool clean (when in season)?
- Do all outside lights work? Replace any burned out bulbs, and clean fixtures of dirt and cobwebs.
- Is there a shed? Does it look presentable?
- Do windows and exterior doors need recaulking? Even at 6-7 years of age, the caulking may be dried out and in need of replacement.
- Do you have decorative wooden poles on the porch? Is the wood at the bottom in good condition? Overall, does it need a new coat of paint?
- If you have a gate, is it well oiled?

When you have completed the curb appeal inspection, carefully check the rest of your home’s exterior.

Will Your Roof and Chimney Pass Inspection?

If you are uneasy about climbing onto your roof, you can inspect most items from the ground using binoculars. Otherwise, be careful when working or moving about on your roof. Unless roof repair is a simple matter of applying new caulking, you will probably need the services of a professional.

Check the general condition of your roof. Sagging sections, curled shingles, pooled water on flat roofs and corrosion on metal roofing mean it is time for repair or replacement.

Both masonry and metal chimneys need to be straight and structurally sound, have proper capping on top and watertight flashing where they penetrate the roof.

All roofs undergo stress from snow and rain loads, so a truss or rafter may become damaged, resulting in a noticeable small depression. A professional should do this inexpensive repair.


Examine Your Walls

The condition of your exterior walls directly affects the look and curb appeal of your home.

- Replace old caulking. You may have to cut or scrape away old caulking to get a good seal. Do not seal drainage or ventilation gaps.
- Is your exterior paint looking good? If you see faded colours and cracked or peeling surfaces, you need to repaint. Be sure to get competitive bids if you hire professional painters.
- You can clean vinyl siding but defects or damage to it and to metal siding usually means replacement.
- Stucco can be repaired but some skill is required to blend patches with existing stucco.

Now, Let’s Go Indoors

A prospective buyer will usually enter through your front door; so, that is where you should begin your interior inspection. You want your buyer to see a neat, clean, well-lit interior. Get clutter out of sight; ensure that carpets are clean and floors are scrubbed and polished; and that walls and trim show fresh paint (preferably neutral or light colours).

Take a sniff. Are there any unpleasant odours in your home? If so, track them down and eliminate them. Ensure all your lights work and are free of cobwebs. You want your home to look spacious, bright and fresh.

If you have considerable family memorabilia, consider thinning it out. Your objective is to help potential buyers feel as if they could live in your home. That mental leap becomes more difficult for them if your house resembles a shrine your family.

Professional realtors and decorators say the most important areas of your home to upgrade and modernize are the kitchen and bathrooms. Buyers also want to see new or recently installed floor coverings throughout.

General Interior

- Check stairs for loose boards, ripped carpeting, and missing or loose handrails and guards.
- Most problems with interior walls are cosmetic and can be repaired with spackling compound and paint.
- Ensure doors open and shut properly. Minor sticking is normal but excessive binding indicates possible structural problems.
- Open and close all windows to ensure they work properly. Fogging between the panes of a sealed window indicates the seal is broken and the unit needs to be replaced.
- Keep furniture to a minimum so rooms do not appear smaller than they are. Ensure that traffic can flow in or through rooms unimpeded. If they contain bookshelves or cabinets overflowing with books, magazines and knick-knacks, remove some of these items.
- Ensure closets look spacious, organized and uncluttered. Create space by getting rid of old clothes and junk.
- Remove or lock away valuables such as jewellery, coins, currency, cameras and compact discs.


Kitchen and Bathrooms

People splash water around in the kitchen and bathrooms so check around sinks, tubs and toilets for rotting countertops and floors. Problems could be due to poor caulking or plumbing leaks. Fogged windows, molds and sweating toilet tanks indicate high humidity levels, which you can remedy with exhaust fans.

In the kitchen, clean all appliances, including your oven. Clean or replace your greasy stove hood filter. Clean your cabinets inside and out, as well as your countertops and backsplashes. Repair dripping faucets.

Remove anything stored on top of your fridge and remove artwork and magnets.

Remove any items stored on countertops.

Remove items stored under the sink.

In bathrooms, scrub sinks, tubs and toilets, taking care to remove any rust stains. Remove mildew from showers and bathtubs. Fix dripping faucets or trickling toilets, and vacuum your fan grill.

Clean mirrors, light switch plates and cupboard handles.

Consider installing new 6-litre toilets if you currently have water-guzzlers.

If you have ceramic tile in either your kitchen or bathroom, ensure grouting is intact and clean.


Basement

The condition of the foundation and main structural members in the basement are critical to the fitness of any house. The purpose of your inspection is to make sure these are sound and durable.

Look for cracks, water seepage, efflorescence (white powder-like substance), crumbling mortar or concrete, and rotting wood. If any of these problems are present, you need to do further research to learn about causes and possible solutions.

If your basement is damp or musty, consider using a dehumidifier.

Like all other areas of your home, your basement should be organized and clutter-free.

Change the filters in the furnace and have it cleaned–this is the number one item purchasers want done after a home inspection.

If you have a pet with a litterbox, ensure the litterbox is clean.


Garage

Get rid of the broken tools, old car parts, discarded bicycles, empty paint cans and the hundreds of other useless items that accumulate in garages. Again, you want a clutter-free zone.

Use cleaning solutions to remove oil stains from the floor.

When It’s Showtime!

You have inspected your house and taken care of problems. Now you are ready for showings. You will need a plan of action that assigns duties to each family member so the place can quickly be whipped into shape.

Open all drapes, blinds, etc. and turn on lights to make the house bright.

Air out the house to get rid of cooking, pet odours, and so on.

Have fresh flowers in view.

Pick up clutter, and empty garbage.

Make sure everything is spotless.

Set your thermostat at a comfortable level.

Remove pets from the house or put them outside.

If you have an agent, leave when the house is being shown. If you are selling it yourself, you need to strike a balance between being helpful and crowding the buyer.

In poor weather, provide a place for boots, overshoes and umbrellas.

Display photos of the house in summer to show landscaping if selling in the winter months.

Leave out heating and hydro bills.

For those on a septic system and/or well, leave out inspection and maintenance information.

Getting your house ready to sell: Declutter 101

By Cynthia EwerEditor, Organized Home

Taking aim on the household clutter problem, you've resolved to work slowly and steadily, and you've carved out blocks of time to declutter. Now what? And how?

Time to consider weigh in with specific methods and strategies for decluttering. These tried-and-tested methods bring different strengths to the fight against clutter. Choose the one that's right for you and your family.

Forcing Decisions: The Four-Box Method
Clutter is evidence of many things: poor habits, lack of organization, sentimental attachment, too much stuff. But, at bottom, each item of clutter is a decision delayed. The mail arrives, replete with circulars and junk mail and catalogs. "Oh, I'll go through that later!" whispers the clutter monster, deferring the simple decision to cull and toss the unwanted paper.

The Four-Box method forces a decision, item by item. To apply it, gather three boxes and a large trash can. Label the boxes, "Put Away", "Give Away/Sell" and "Storage." Items to be thrown away belong in the trash can.

Take the four boxes to the declutter area. One at a time, pick up each piece of clutter. Ask yourself, "Do I want to put this away in another place, donate it (or sell it at a yard sale), store it, or throw it away?" You may not release your grip on the item until you have made a decision.

At the end of the decluttering session, reserve 10 to 15 minutes to empty the boxes. Put Away items are put in more appropriate places. Give Away/Sell items should be stored outside the house, in a garage, or in the trunk of the car for drop-off at a charity donation center. As each Storage box fills, make a brief inventory of the contents and put the box into the storage area. Finally, empty the trash can quickly to prevent second thoughts!

The Four Box method will work for anyone, in any declutter mode. Use it to clear a shelf or drawer each day, or apply it as part of a whole-house weekend assault on clutter. By forcing a decision, it will serve you well as you cull clutter from the home.

Out of Sight, Out of Mind: Box and Banish
Box and Banish is an alternative to the Four Box method. Where the Four Box method nibbles away at clutter bit-by-bit, Box and Banish is a drastic, clear-it-out effort that transports clutter away from living areas, to be dealt with later.

Box and Banish is simple. Gather all clutter from counters, drawers, chairs, tables, floors, ovens, and bathtubs. Place the clutter into boxes or bags, and stack it somewhere outside the living area. Work until all surfaces are clear and clutter free.

Next step: open each box or bag of clutter, one at a time. As with the Four Box method, decide whether each item inside should be thrown away, put away, given away or sold, or stored. In extreme cases, declutterers have been known to throw away Box and Banish boxes, sight unseen!

Box and Banish has one big advantage and two big disadvantages as a declutter method. On the plus side, Box and Banish creates instant results. Often, impending guests or other emergencies force a version of Box and Banish upon the cluttered household. Clearing clutter quickly sparks enthusiasm and motivation.

On the minus side, energies often flag before the Box and Banish declutterer reaches the end of the boxed clutter. The effort stalls, the clutter remains, aging gently in the bags and boxes as it becomes surrounded by new layers of clutter. In a worst-case scenario, the need for some Boxed-and-Banished item can trigger formation of Mt. Cluttermore, as the frantic searcher upends each carefully boxed hillock of clutter, looking for the single missing item.

More important, while Box and Banish can create an instant absence of apparent clutter, the method does nothing to change the underlying problem. More gradual decluttering methods go hand-in-hand with other components of getting organized: building new habits, organizing stored items, creating new household routines. Box and Banish, for many, is a mere cosmetic quick-fix.

Still, if you're fiercely motivated and determined to complete the declutter process, Box and Banish is an option that jumpstarts organization efforts with fast results.

Ellen's Penicillin Method
Often, decluttering efforts chase their tails in an endless loop. The home manager declutters the small table in the hallway and moves on. By the following week, a whole new species of clutter has returned to the cleared area.

The Penicillin method, devised by online declutterer Ellen in MN, uses a Petri dish metaphor to get a grip on clutter. Imagine a Petri dish full of fuzzy brown mold spores. A researcher begins to apply small drops of penicillin to the dish. Each little drop clears a small circular area; soon, drop upon drop, the entire dish is cleared of the distasteful intruder.

So, too, with the Penicillin method of decluttering. Today, the declutterer clears the kitchen table. From this point, no matter how bad the clutter becomes elsewhere, the kitchen table is inoculated with Penicillin. Daily clutter checks make sure no clutter is permitted to return.

Next declutter session, the declutterer attacks the top of the buffet. Thinking "Penicillin!", that clear space joins the kitchen table. Soon, the cleared areas link up, banishing clutter from the entire house.

By devoting declutter energies to retaining the Penicillin effect of each declutter session, the Penicillin method focuses the declutterer on prevention. The method is useful, creative, and works well to bring an entire house under control.

Closet-Go-Round: Whole House Declutter
Sometimes, you simply have to re-invent the wheel. Perhaps you realize, three years into a new house, that household storage needs a complete overhaul. Remodeling, a child's departure for college, or birth of a new baby can all signal a need for a whole-house declutter.

Call it the Closet-Go-Round. It's a two-part process of identifying and assigning storage, while at the same time decluttering and revamping existing areas in the home.

Like a merry-go-round, the Closet-Go-Round turns out, sorts out and relocates all the storage functions of the home. In the initial stage, you'll identify storage needs and match them to available storage areas, regardless of what's being stored where at the moment. You can find more complete information on making a household storage plan in our article Store It! The ABCs of Household Storage Plans.

Once you know what should go where, the active phase begins. You will need boxes, lots of them, and time--quite a bit of time. Starting at the front door, move from room to room placing boxes in front of each storage area: cabinets, drawers, closets, and shelves.

Then begin at the beginning once more. Start, for example, at the table in the hall. Remove any and all items from the table that are not assigned there: gloves, mail, keys, change, handbags. Place them in your box.

When the table is empty, except for the vase of flowers that belongs there, circle the house with your catch. Gloves are placed in the box before the coat closet where they are supposed to live. Mail is dumped into the box in front of the desk area. Handbags and change are delivered to the owner's launch pad area (Tame Morning Madness with Launch Pads). Items to be thrown away are delivered to the garbage can.

When the box is empty, move on to the next storage area in the hall: the coat closet. Empty the coat closet of all unassigned items, while adding the gloves to their assigned area. Again, circle the house with your coat closet box, delivering items to the new storage area where each belongs.

As you work, you're sorting and decluttering in two directions. You're removing clutter and improperly-stored items, while collecting and replacing the things which belong in any given area.

A Closet-Go-Round is a big undertaking, and it doesn't work well if performed in fits and starts. Choose this method if you have a block of two or three days to devote to a major declutter. While you'll work hard during that time, a Closet-Go-Round can take giant strides toward a more efficient, easy-to-manage home.

Decorating a back yard fence: Ideas for your outdoor living space

Whether you are getting your house ready to sell or looking to warm up your back yard living space, there are some cheap and cheerful ways to reenergize your back yard fence.










http://decorateyourfence.com/Ideas-and-Projects.html

Dude-tastic Man Caves

I would suggest that almost every man has man cave envy at one time or another. Our neighbour and good friend has a man cave garage with a big screen, ping pong table, fridge and cool old cars. It's the garage-mahal.

Check out these dude-tastic man cave from HGTV.