Yard Art

Accessorizing your yard with artwork can add value to the property. It gives your landscaping interest and pizzazz and draws a buyer in. And if it is not attached to the property, it is usually considered personal property and can be taken with you. Art work is also just lots of fun while you are living there. Here are some examples.

We had a birdbath that a cat jumped on and knocked off the bowl and broke it. What to do with the leftover stand? Add a gazing ball.

Larger yards can handle larger art work. And if you are planning to take it with you, throw it in the hatchback.

Backyard shed with pizzazz!

For ease of gardening, add a shed near your work area. If you have a small yard, you may want to get rid of your grass all together and just have gardens and patios. Then you don't need much space for your tools. And while you are at it, why settle for an ordinary brown one when you can add some color and pizzazz to your backyard.





















Privacy screen (exterior)

You may need screening from neighboring blight and city code requirements may not allow for a fence over 6 feet tall. What's a body to do? Perhaps a privacy screen will work. Using bamboo in a frame, set back from the property line, may be the answer. (Check with city code requirements to be sure.)

Rose Festival Info

Well, it's almost that time of year again. Time to buy your rain jackets for The Rose Festival. The following website has the schedule of events:
http://www.rosefestival.org/events/
The best event I ever went to was the Starlight Parade many years ago when the temperature was in the 80's for the evening parade.  We watched in our short sleeve shirts and shorts until it was over. Take a few moments. Dream that dream. Okay, now go buy your rain gear.

Nice Selection of Paint Colors

Here is an example of a home with well chosen paint colors. As a Realtor, if I were going to meet the home owners for a listing appointment and drove up and saw this house, I would go WOW! Because, I know most buyers will love this choice of paint colors. Three color paint jobs on older homes with a lot of detailing work well.  Body color, trim color, and highlight color. The landscaping and rock wall are really terrific also.

Homeownership Benefits

If you are in the real estate market to buy, here is an interesting survey.

Many first-time buyers were surprised by the immediate benefits they received once they purchased their first home. (According to a recent survey from "The Residential Specialist" Magazine May-June 2011.)

Benefits:
67 percent said the market conditions provided them the opportunity to buy a home sooner than they expected
50 percent said they found a home in a more desirable location than they expected
61 percent got a home for a better price than expected
40 percent got more space than expected
43 percent locked into a lower interest rate than they expected

Outdoor Living Room

If you want to create a special outdoor living space, let your artistic self go wild. This is a wonderful use of materials, textures, and color. Imagine yourself lounging around here on a summer afternoon sipping a cool drink!

Get A Little Crazy!

Get your tin foil atennea on your head and drive to the 12th Annual UFO Festival May 13 and 14 in McMinnville. If you miss it this year, start in now on your costume (I mean space cosmo uniform) for next year. And keep your eye out for extra terrestrial house and garden ideas. Here's tuning you!
 http://www.ufofest.com/

A Day In A National Park

Take a day off from working on your house and yard and spend it in a national park with your family. You deserve to have some fun!

Celebrate Northwest National Park Family Day Saturday, May 14 with free admission and fun at Ft. Vancouver http://www.npca.org/take_action/upcoming_events/northwest-national-park-1.html

Porch Roofing - Clear Plastic

Do you want to add a porch roof but don't want to block the light entering your home? A clear plastic roof may be just what you need. You can get clear corrugated roofing at your local building supply store or try something a little different. The material in this photo is 1/2 inch thick honey comb plastic from Tap Plastic. I think it looks a little more upscale and diffuses the light nicely.

Here are two more examples using clear plastic sheets. Contact me if you want more specifics and where to get it.



Bathroom Storage Cabinet

This bathroom was in need of more storage. The wall to the right of the sink had space to add a recessed cabinet. There was no wiring to move. They just had to cut open the wall and built the cabinet. You can also purchase ready made cabinets from places like Rejuvenation. (Visit their website at Rejuvenation.com). In this case they made the box out of plywood, and then trimmed it out to match the moldings in the rest of the house. The door was purchased at a salvage company for $3.00. Some butterfly hinges and a latch were purchased at the hardware store. Then the whole cabinet was painted white. To finish it off they had some glass shelves cut to fit. Using period looking hardware and matching the moldings makes a nice addition to this 1914 bungalow. The attention to details is what adds value.

Organic Fence

This is a great fence! It is made of rough-cut log strips, alternating with bamboo. It has a Japanese garden feel to it and I love the bamboo arbor and plantings as well. Such a great look! I think it adds a lot of value to the property.