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Spring
2007
Fix it Up
Last fall,
while doing the long overdue chore of
painting the outside of my front entrance, a
neighbor stopped by and asked if I was
selling my home. They had noticed that we
had been doing “fix it up” projects most of
the summer and were sure that we were moving
out. As much as I wanted to say “yes, we’re
moving to a maintenance free environment” I
had to admit that selling was the last thing
on our minds and that we were simply overdue
(thinking negligent is more like it but it
is such a strong word!) on some of the items
calling for our attention in our 12 year old
house. After I told my husband about the
encounter with the neighbor, I wondered to
myself why it is that people hold off on all
of those nagging little projects until they
are ready to sell and then HAVE to do them
all at once. I suppose its human nature to
need to procrastinate, but why not enjoy the
fruits of your labor and simply do the
projects for YOU?
Here are
some of the things that I always recommend
when selling a house and I think that they
would work even better if you are staying.
Landscape:
o Freshen
up those plant and flower beds. Most people
with mulch know that you can’t go too long
without throwing on a few new bags of it.
Somehow, those with stone think that they
can do it once and it is good for life. Not
so! Once the ground or weed guard starts
peeking through, its time to call your local
nursery and get a ton or two of stone
delivered for spreading.
o Trim
those over grown hedges and trees. You know
the ones I’m talking about. The ones that
obstruct your view to the outdoors or are
creating an obstacle course to your front
door.
o Get
seeding those dead spots. Yes, now that
your little darling is in college, it’s time
to take down the swing set and get the grass
back where it rightfully belongs.
De-clutter:
o Go
through your cabinets. I thought I was out
of room in my kitchen until I took a serious
look at what was used and what was taking up
space. If I never used it, the item went to
charity. If I used it seldomly, the item
went to the basement for storage. Voila, I
had lots more space for the new stuff I
wanted to buy (and not use).
o Go
through your closets. If you’re over loaded
with clothes in your closet, consider
storing seasonal clothing in a guest closet
or the basement. Did you know that getting
everything off of the floor in a closet
makes it look bigger? Why not create that
spacious feeling now?
o
Revisit those “collections”. I have to
mention my mother here. Her idea of a
collection is to buy 50 (and I am NOT
exaggerating) of something then expect that
they are displayed beautifully by putting
all 50 on the same shelf together. First of
all, I have no idea what I’m looking at with
that many of something, and second, I can’t
pick out the valued or treasured pieces from
the (need I say) junk. Often with
collections, I ask people to pick out a
couple of the pieces that they genuinely
love and treasure. Next I arrange them in
grouping of odd numbers (never even sets)
throughout the room or shelves so that the
mind has some time to rest before taking in
more of the most beautiful items.
Paint:
o My
motto is “make an entrance”. Paint that
tired looking front door and entryway so
that it looks like the day you moved in.
And while you have the paint brush out, why
not get the garage door and mailbox that you
use everyday so that you can feel good
coming in as well.
o Repair
those holes. I’m constantly changing my
mind as to where I want to hang something.
As good as I am about moving the artwork,
I’m not so great about patching and painting
the holes left behind. Maybe you could do
better?
o Look
down, what do you see? If it’s traffic worn
and tired looking woodwork, then maybe its
time for a fresh coat of paint or stain on
those poor areas that take a beating.
Clean:
o
Nothing makes your home sparkle more
than clean windows. If you “don’t do
windows” there are plenty of companies out
there that do, so all it takes is a phone
call and a check.
o
If you were
cooking up a storm this past holiday season,
my guess is that your oven needs some work.
Check it out; would you want to eat off of
those racks? While you’re at it, the
refrigerator could probably use a wipe down
too!
o
Have you
looked at the traffic spots on your stairs
or in your family room lately? Again, if
you “don’t do carpets” there are many great
service providers out there. I prefer the
chemical cleaning method since it dries a
lot faster than a steam or water based
method and they have been know to get RED
candle wax out of my carpeting!
Redesign:
o
Think your
furniture does not fit in the room and have
been meaning to get rid of some pieces but
just don’t have the heart to toss them? Try
calling a redesigner to see if those pieces
won’t fit after all. Trust me; I once had a
client that was convinced she needed to get
rid of her bedroom chest because she could
not use the drawers without moving the
dresser next to it. One look at the room,
and I knew exactly what to do (as a doctor,
she saves lives, whereas, I can look at a
room and know how the furniture will best
fit, we all have our talents). She now
lives happily with both the chest and the
dresser drawers opening freely.
o
Just tired
of the same old look in your house? Again,
a redesigner can come in, talk with you
about your areas of concern and make those
pressure points disappear.
o
Been
thinking that you need to update or complete
some areas of your home but don’t know where
to start? You would be surprised how much a
decorating consultation and a bit of
shopping can get accomplished.
I
know how hard it is sometimes to make that
time for improving our surroundings. I’m
not always the best at practicing what I
preach, but after thinking “why let someone
else enjoy a beautiful home” I got moving a
bit. Contact us if you’re struggling
getting started because Smart Surroundings,
LLC is ready to get you moving in the right
direction. Here’s to hoping that your
neighbors think you’re moving this spring!
See previous Andrea's Antidotes:
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