The Best Time of Year to Buy Household Items

ShoppingWho doesn’t love a deal? I loved this article at Realty Times, which recently revealed the best time of year to buy certain household items in order to score the biggest bargains, based on research from AARP and LifeHacker.

January: Furniture, new flooring, and bedding and linens

February: Air conditioners and older model televisions that will soon be moving out for newer models

March: Gardening tools, china, and flatware

April: Vacuum cleaners

May: Barbecue equipment, patio furniture, and home office furniture

June: Tools

July: Kitchen appliances, such as refrigerators and ranges

August: Linens and storage containers

September: Grills and lawn mowers

October: Appliances and clearance patio furniture and outdoor items

November: Electronics, appliances, and tools

December: Televisions, electronics, and small appliances like toasters and blenders

Read more month-to-month breakdown of household discounts at Realty Times.

Energy Efficient Home

Is your home as comfortable as it could be? Giving your home an energy overhaul isn’t just about reducing your environmental footprint – it’s also about achieving a better quality of life. A deep energy retrofit is a holistic approach to making a comfortable, healthy, and energy efficient home. Check out our infographic to find out what a deep energy retrofit can do for you.

energy-efficient-home

Spring Patio Spiff-Ups: 12 Doable DIY Projects for Your Outdoor Space

Prettify your porch or patio with these time-sensitive decorating boosts you can do yourself.

With advance planning and perhaps a few friends to help (bribe them with dinner out), you can make a big difference in your patio in a single weekend. Arranged from fast and easy (hang lanterns, make a repurposed table) to more time- and labor-intensive (create a canopy, paint the floor) projects, these DIYs are sure to offer something to suit your time commitment and style.

patio

 As the weather improves, take the opportunity to enjoy your outdoor spaces. A little tweak here and there can make a big difference.

patio 2read the article here at Houzz.com

 

Give Me Color: Homeowners Want More

The painting experts at Sherwin Williams conducted a survey of homeowners to discover what were there plans, projects and dreams when it comes to adding a bit of color to their homes. The results showed that 62% of homeowners are planning a painting project this year and 74% feel they need to add more color to their home.

Take a look at the infographic for yourself by clicking here or on the image below. Good luck with your next paint job.

national-home-color-survey

Protected: 6 To Dos To Ensure A Successful Sale!

This content is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

Abandoned House Rededicated to Reuse Grows Like a Living Organism

An abandoned house purchased from a college is now a growing, adapting tribute to reclamation and renovation. ‘Fargo House’, a project by professor of architecture Dennis Maher, looks like a veritable museum of junk. But for Maher, it’s much more than that: it’s an example of how changes in an architectural structure can be interpreted as art.

Many of the flaws in the worn-down, abandoned house are still visible, like unfinished walls and deteriorating ceilings. But rather than rebuilding them to look new, Maher collected other items that are seen as past their prime and began to build them into the structure.

One piece on top of another, the bird cages, broken lamps, dollhouses, mirrors, globes and statues create complex walls of objects. New pieces are constantly tacked on, so the space continues to evolve around Maher. Within these seemingly chaotic groupings are hidden themes relating to the function of the room. For example, the Wardrobe Room is full of chests, screens and closet parts.

Maher sees this project – which is also his home – as a work of art that is never complete. No unwanted object is too random to be included as a small component of the ongoing renovation process. And while a house like this is undoubtedly difficult to dust, you’ll never run out of things to look at.

A Musical Bathtub and 5 Other Smart Home Products

Would you buy any of the wow products HouseLogic’s intrepid reporter spotted at the home builder show?

After hiking miles of aisles past thousands of products (you’re welcome!) displayed at the 2013 International Builders Show in Las Vegas, I found a few designed to make your life easier, cooler, more efficient, and more fun. (Of course, many come with a steep price.) Come on, wouldn’t you want these?

Music in Your Showerhead

Showerhead

Credit: Kohler

Closet crooners, rejoice! Kohler’s Moxie shower head features a Bluetooth-enabled speaker so you can pipe your favorite playlist directly into your morning shower. The waterproof (obviously) wireless speaker attaches with a magnet to the shower head so that — even if you can’t carry a tune — you can detach it post-shower and carry the little speaker with you while you decide which socks to wear. The lithium-ion battery gives 7 hours of play and is rechargeable via USB. List price is $199.

Music Inside Your Bathtub

Can’t help but give innovative Kohler another shout-out for its VibrAcoustic hydrotherapy technology that lets you transfer your music directly into your tub via an MP3 device. Plug in your iPod, pick some mood music, and VibrAcoustic makes the walls of your tub — and the surrounding water — gently vibrate to the rhythms of your tunes. Talk about an immersive musical experience!

VibrAcoustic technology adds $2,400 to the price of your tub. Need even more fun? Include chromatherapy (colored lights) for another $600.

Solar-Ready-or-Not HVAC

Solar HVAC

Credit: John Riha for HouseLogic

Sure, you’d like to go solar, but maybe you’re not sure how to go about it. No worries —Lennox SunSource solar-ready air conditioners and heat pumps are ready when you are. When you decide to go solar and save on your utility bills, an HVAC pro simply plugs compatible solar panels into the unit — there’s no need to fool around with your breaker box or add a power converter.

If you’re not using your HVAC, the unit simply routes the juice from your solar panels into your home to power your appliances, lights, and other electrical goodies.

A high-efficiency unit runs $2,500 to $3,500 installed, depending on its capacity. Solar panels available through Lennox are $1,200-$1,500 per; a typical house uses at least eight.

You may be eligible for a federal tax credit of up to 9% of the cost of “solar-ready equipment.” If you also invest in solar panels, then you may be able to claim a federal tax credit of up to 30% for the whole kit and kaboodle. Check with your tax pro.

Don’t forget: Many states offer additional credits and rebates for solar installations.

Is Your Refrigerator in Hot Water?

Hot water refrigerator

Credit: John Riha for HouseLogic

Your refrigerator wants to be so much more to you than cold. The GE Café series has a touch-control, on-demand hot water dispenser that serves up H2O at four pre-set heat settings. You can get warm water for baking or piping hot water for instant oatmeal. Yup, you can get chilled water and ice cubes from the door-mounted dispenser, too. The sleek fridge retails for $3,299.

Even More Keyless

Fob lock

Credit: John Riha for HouseLogic

Biometric locks have been on the market for a while now, but Simplicikey takes high-techsecurity one step further: a handheld key fob locks and unlocks your door from up to 50 feet away.

Add the new Keycloud technology and you’ll be able to lock your door using your smartphone, tablet, and laptop. Use the Keycloud app to check the status of any of your exterior doors, even at a second house or rental property. Cost: $199-$279 (the app is free).

Private Screening

Bamboo curtain

Credit: John Riha for HouseLogic

On the low-tech end of things, I saw this at a booth and thought it was pretty clever. No, it’s not an actual product, but part of a booth design. Take a large planter, fill it with polished rocks, and stick some bamboo stalks in it to create a tres modern fence. Use it as an indoor partition or outdoor privacy screen.

Energize Your Tax Return

energize-your-tax-return

Horse Stable and Coach House Converted to Home

An 18th century horse stable and coach house has been converted into a bright, modern home that maintains many of the original historical details of the structure. Zecc Architecten and BYTR Architecten tore out most of the interior, which wasn’t fit for modern living, making a solid oak staircase the centerpiece of the home and contrasting the old rustic beams with new smooth, white surfaces.

Originally built in 1760, the Netherlands structure was brimming with character and interesting architectural details. The tack room became the entrance hall, the couch house the kitchen, and the stable with its original hay racks and troughs the living room.

Demolition revealed some of the structure’s original oversized high doors, which made for ideal transitions between rooms. The staircase functions as a skylight for the kitchen, bringing in daylight from the roof upstairs, with the top half of the risers left open.

These stairs lead to a cozy lounge area with a wood stove, where the original wooden trusses of the space can be seen. The remaining rooms of the home, including bedrooms and bathrooms, are accessible from this space.