Get smart about your living environment: Five trends that will make your home truly your own
(ARA) - If you're looking to purchase or remodel a home, you likely are building a long list of "must-haves," "must-dos" and "must-includes" for your new space. There's no question the housing market is in a different place than it was as recently as five years ago. Of course, a tough economy has been the prevailing factor, but other things - an aging population and a tough job market - are influencing how people are living today and possibly into the future. If you're like most home seekers and remodelers, you may find that your requirements fall in line with these five growing trends:
Bigger isn't always better: As interest grows in living more efficiently, people are building smaller homes. In fact, new homes are now 7 percent smaller than they were the previous year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Just my style: Homeowners are aiming to make their home fit their personal visions of the best investment on the dollar, and 20 percent of new homes are currently custom-built, according to the American Institute of Architects. This trend to customize is in part made possible by the parallel trend to build a smaller home. Smaller spaces free up dollars to put toward the products that fill it. Color, decor and products that help make a home feel one-of-a-kind versus one-of-many are becoming king.
Multigenerational: Homeowners also are seeking spaces that accommodate residents of all ages. One-third of baby boomers report they have adult children still living at home or likely moving back home at some point, and 8 percent of Americans report their parents already live with them or will in the future, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. With more people living under one roof - some possibly in diminishing health - you may be among the homeowners seeking products that will help ensure a healthier, cleaner environment. This may range from a programmable thermostat to help you bring comfortable temps to all ages, to an air filter to help keep germs and airborne particles at bay.
In for the long haul: As life expectancy increases, Americans are building homes that will allow them to "age in place." Smart technology and system installations that will address future sight, hearing and dexterity-related limitations are becoming increasingly popular as a result.
Energy-efficient: As homeowner concerns about energy costs continue to mount, so too does their attention to home design and products that will help lower their energy bills and decrease their carbon footprint. As a result, homeowners are showing increased attention to factors such as insulation and window quality.
In the end, there are many products and services on the market to help meet these homeowner needs, but there's one you may have not considered, tucked away in your basement. It's your home heating, ventilation and cooling (HVAC) system, and it actually plays a role in meeting each of these growing homeowner trends.
* If it's a smaller home you seek, HVAC manufacturers such as Trane continue to rollout product solutions that offer you the size you need to fit your space.
* Heating and cooling alone accounts for half of the energy used in a home, according the Alliance to Save Energy, so it's important to install a HVAC system that will deliver optimal performance. A product such as the Trane XC95m furnace is among the most energy efficient on the market, and is equipped with technology that allows it to communicate with all other components of a heating and cooling system.
* If smart technology and a customized home experience are what you need, consider remote home energy management systems. With a solution like Schlage LiNK, a remote access solution that provides home control from a cell phone or any computer with Internet access, you can adjust your home's thermostat, even when you are not there.
* Your heating and cooling system can also help keep your home a clean and healthy environment for all ages. Many manufacturers offer whole-house air filtration systems, and some of these systems can filter up to 99.98 percent of particles and allergens from your home's air.
If any of these home trends apply to the "must have" list for your new or remodeled home, your heating and cooling system might be a good place to begin in your planning. Visit www.trane.com to get started. With the right HVAC system, you'll be on your way to creating your picture-perfect home environment, however small, unique, diverse, long-lasting or energy-efficient you need it to be.
How to get colorful home exteriors without a drop of paint
(ARA) - Nothing brightens a home's personality more dramatically than brilliant color. It's easy to freshen your home's exterior with color trim around windows, doors or along corners. With color trim, there are endless ways you can evoke any emotion or personality you desire. Whether you wish for tranquility, elegance or modernism, it's time to add some color to your "to-do" list.
One of the most creative new ways to beautifully set a home apart from others is with vibrantly-colored house trim. Thanks to IQm Trim by Mid-America, achieving that decidedly different look is quick and easy. This unique trim is exceptionally durable, never needs painting or maintenance and is offered in a color spectrum that is unrivaled. That's what makes it popular with smart custom home builders, siding contractors and homeowners.
IQm Trim brings color to all the right places of the home's exterior, from inside corners to fascia, brick mold and decorative windows. This unique trim molding brings distinctive finishing touches all across the home's facade. Enhancing IQm's versatility are three new additions to the line of trim. These include Brick Mold with AquaFlex Fin, 1-by-8-inch Fascia Board offered in wood grain finish with reverse-side score lines for easy ripping, and 5/4-by-2-inch Trim with Aquaflex Fin. These new components fill out a product offering which also includes 5/4-by-4-inch and 5/4-by-6-inch trim boards, with matching outside corners and universal inside corners.
Unlike painted wood and "paint-ready" PVC, IQm Trim never needs maintenance and is available in a comprehensive array of colors, making this unique edge trim the only color-through cellular PVC available in vibrant hues.
That palette is much broader than the whites and neutrals of "paint-ready" PVC trim. While whites and neutrals can be painted, this adds a financial burden in additional costs for rollers, brushes and specially-formulated PVC-suitable paints that can cost $40 a gallon.
For homes that have previously featured painted wood trim, this new option delivers an improved turnkey solution that does away with the need to ever sand, scrape and repaint trim - or worse - replace rotted, warped or termite-infested trim. With IQm, homeowners won't have to buy a cart of paint supplies and spend a weekend on a ladder. Nor will they have to spend over a thousand dollars, plus paint costs, to have professionals paint the home's trim. Moreover, they will never have to make those same investments in time and money every few years to recapture their home's beauty.
Once IQm Trim is installed, it delivers decades of maintenance-free beauty with enhanced weathering performance. Protected from fading by a durable ASA cap, each of the shades retains its rich color. Starting with brilliant Polar White and ending with deep Ebony, the extensive spectrum ranges from subtle, classic inspirations to the remarkably exuberant.
The rich darkness of Espresso Brown is just one color among the several hues in the tan/brown range. Colors such as spicy Cabernet, crisp Vermont Green and striking Dusty Blue bring out bold personality. For classic sophistication, Antique Cream or Castle Grey provide outstanding accents.
Along with extraordinary color and durability, this trim provides an additional benefit to homeowners, and also to contractors. Its patented AquaFlex Fin protects a building, guiding water away from the wall to minimize the chances for water intrusion or resulting mold. An integrated 1-inch J-channel also delivers an easy, finished appearance by hiding cut edges and caulk applications that can interrupt a clean look. The J-channel also means faster, more efficient installations.
The trim's deep pocket can accommodate a variety of siding materials including fiber cement, vinyl, stone and wood. Simple to work with, trim can be cut, drilled, nailed or fastened with screws just like other trim materials. Its unique color-through design provides seamless color even with imperfect miter cuts.
Delivering superior performance, IQm is backed by a limited lifetime warranty against peeling, flaking or blistering so remodelers and siding contractors can add color with confidence.
IQm Trim by Mid-America is a product of The Tapco Group, a U.S. Green Building Council member. For more information, visit www.IQmTrim.com or call 888-289-1169.
Cold weather offers perfect opportunity to work on these projects
(ARA) - Although spring and summer are typically the seasons we focus on home improvement projects, there's no reason to put off projects or planning throughout colder months. If anything, it's the perfect way to spend time while hibernating indoors. From winterizing windows to laying new flooring, there are plenty of ways to keep improving your home year round.
When the seasons change, one of the best things a homeowner can do is an energy audit. Though it's nice to keep the windows open all summer, drafty doors and windows can amount to hundreds of dollars wasted on home heating costs during winter. An energy audit will help you find and fix problem areas, letting you save money for other projects.
During an energy audit, a contractor may use blower door tests to measure the air tightness of your home, infrared scanners to pinpoint heat leaks or even a simple walk-through to find places to improve your home's efficiency. Once problem spots have been identified, hanging plastic sheeting, caulking gaps and further insulating areas will translate to big savings on home heating costs.
While auditing the heat efficiency of each room of your house, keep an eye out for the quick fixes and small projects often put aside during the summer months. Though it is great to get outside and build a deck or retaining wall, big projects often overshadow simple tasks such as fixing outlets and sealing cracks. Use winter as time to knock the little things off the list.
For those who can't wait to get started, there are plenty of projects that can completely change your home without removing walls or installing an addition.
Introducing new color to a space will help fine-tune an interior's design or even completely reinvent a room. Winter is the perfect time to modernize your home's feel with new window treatments, lighting or flooring. New flooring will add both color and character to a room, and is easy to install during any season. Lumber Liquidators offers contemporary and timeless patterns for hardwood floors like Dream Home Plymouth Plank or Bellawood Brazilian Redwood, which can be installed year round.
Because winter may limit a homeowner's ability to complete some projects, it's a great time to plan for spring and summer home improvement projects. There are online tools such as the Home Renovator Suite from BobVila.com and Lumber Liquidators' Room Designer that allow homeowners to easily pull together their dream homes.
After all your projects, big or small, are completed, use the colder months to set a schedule for spring cleaning and home improvement. Setting an agenda will help you avoid having to rush through the summer to get projects done, and ensure you have the time to enjoy the rewards of your hard work.
