HOME improvement

SPRING 2011
C1
HOME improvement
www.thecourier.com
What should
be in your
emergency
supply kit?
Water
(One-gallon
per person for
three days)
Food
(A non-perishable,
three-day supply)
Battery-powered
or hand-crank
weather radio with
extra batteries
Flashlight
ght
First aid
kit
Whistle to
signal for
help
Dust mask
Photos by RANDY ROBERTS / for The Courier
WHEN THE WATER recedes in Findlay after a flood, there’s always something to clean up or throw out. Megan
Gibson, above left, sweeps mud and flood debris from the front steps of her grandmother’s house on Brookside
Drive. Laura Gibson, above, sorts through items from her garage and lays some out to dry. Not everything can
always be saved, though. A soaked sectional sofa, left, awaits a sanitation worker to haul it away. With a little
preparation and planning, people can usually minimize the damage that rising waters can create.
Moist
towelettes
Garbage
bags &
plastic ties
Wrench orr
rnn
pliers to turn
off utilitiess
A little planning
& preparation
can go a long
way when the
waters rise
By JORDAN CRAVENS
STAFF WRITER
Can oopener
for ffood
Cellphone
with
charger
Prescription
medications
Infant formula
Diapers
ALSO
• Extra water.
• Pet food.
• Sleeping bags
and blankets.
• Important
documents in
a waterproof
container.
• Change of
clothes.
• Fire extinguisher.
• Matches in
a waterproof
container.
• Hygiene items.
• Plastic utensils
and paper towels.
• Paper and pencil.
• Activities for
children.
Northwest Ohio has had its fair share of
flooding. And for some people, that means
they know the drill when it comes to water
in their homes.
But for flood rookies, here are some tips
for making it through.
To prepare for a flood, the Federal
Emergency Management Agency recommends installing “check valves” in sewer
traps to prevent floodwater from backing
up into the drains of a home.
And while it may seem simple, Nick
Speer, owner of Paul Davis Emergency
Services, reminded residents to get furniture and other items out of the basement
if a flood is coming.
“Anything that is of sentimental value,
make sure that it is in sealed containers,”
he said.
It is important they are sealed, he said,
because sometimes the water pushes and
flips items around.
“Turn off utilities at the main switches
or valves if instructed to do so,” FEMA
said.
FEMA also said to disconnect electrical
appliances, but not to do so if the person is
wet or standing in water.
Some people use sandbags to fend off
water, but Speer warned “there is not a
lot you can do to completely block out the
water.
“Water is going to get in where it wants
to get in,” he said.
Some have suggested using Scotch
Guard for furniture, but Speer said “that
is not something flood water is going to be
repelled from.”
One thing that can help minimize the
damage, Speer said, is to have a backup
Need more garden space?
Try close cropping | C2
FEMA advised not to drive into flooded
generator or battery to keep a sump pump
areas and gave the following driving tips:
going in the event of a power outage.
• Six inches of water will reach the
“People who don’t see me usually have
bottom of most cars, causing loss of control
those things,” he said.
“Those will pay for themselves in one and possible stalling.
• A foot of water will float many vehiloss.”
Having an emergency kit ready-to-go cles.
• Two feet of rushing water can carry
is also key.
The Ohio Emergency Management away most vehicles, including sport-utility
Agency recommends the following items vehicles and trucks.
for a supply kit:
Flood aftermath
• Water, one-gallon of water per person
Flood water is considered in the same
per day for three days.
• Food, three-day supply of non-per- category as sewage water, Speer said, and
it is a health concern.
ishable food.
Sometimes, before invading a home, it
• Battery-powered or hand-crank
passes through fields with fertilizer, mixes
weather radio with extra batteries.
with sewer water, and other chemicals. It
• Flashlight.
may even be contaminated by oil or gaso• First aid kit.
line, or be electrically charged from under• Whistle to signal for help.
ground or downed power lines, FEMA said.
• Dust mask.
Speer finds it disturbing to see kids
• Moist towelettes, garbage bags and
playing in floodwater.
plastic ties.
“It’s not a swimming pool, it is hazard• Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities.
ous water,” he said.
• Can opener for
Another considerfood.
ation
is what should be
• Cellphone with
“... There is not a
disposed of after a flood.
charger.
If water gets on a
lot you can do to
• Prescription medicouch, for example, or
cations.
completely block out
any other cloth material,
• Infant formula and
it should be disposed of,
diapers.
the water. Water is
Speer said.
The Agency also suggoing to get in where
Hard surfaces are
gests these items: pet
questionable if they
food and extra water;
it wants to get in.”
should be scrapped, he
important documents
said.
like insurance policies
NICK SPEER
If water gets into duct
and bank records in a
OWNER, PAUL DAVIS
work, like heating or
waterproof container;
EMERGENCY SERVICES
air vents, Speer recomcash or traveler’s checks;
mends having a professleeping bags or blankets
sional look them over.
for each person; change
“If any of that water is in the duct work,
of clothes; fire extinguisher; matches in
a waterproof container; feminine supplies there is a chance that it can turn into some
and personal hygiene items; paper plates, fungal activity ... and now you have that
plastic utensils and paper towels; paper spreading through your house,” he warned.
FEMA also advises to have damaged
and pencil; books, games and puzzles for
children.
septic tanks, cesspools, pits and leaching
When leaving your home during a flood, systems serviced as soon as possible after
FEMA said to not walk through moving a flood.
water.
“Damaged sewage systems are serious
“Six inches of moving water can make health hazards,” it said.
you fall. If you have to walk in water, walk
Mold is also a concern.
where the water is not moving. Use a stick
Some people use bleach to try and get
to check the firmness of the ground in front rid of it.
of you,” it said.
But “bleach won’t penetrate into the
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roots of the mold,” Speer said.
“You are kind of putting a bandage on a
problem that needs surgery,” he said.
He advises to leave large-scale mold
clean-up to professionals.
“Quite honestly, unless someone has
had specific field training with mold, I
would not recommend doing it by themselves.”
Disturbing mold can cause the spores
to release into the air.
“Don’t touch it,” Speer said.
“As far as the overall, ‘do-it-yourself’
with mold, I highly, highly discourage it,”
he said.
When drying out spaces, Speer said
it works best to use a fan and dehumidifier together. The fans move the moisture
through the air and the dehumidifiers suck
the moisture out, he said.
And when hiring a business for water
restoration, flooring or upholstery cleaning, for example, Speer advised to hire
someone with an Institute of Inspection,
Cleaning, and Restoration Certification
card.
“It’s unfortunate when a catastrophe
hits there are many people see it as an
opportunity to profit from others’ demise.”
He also advised people to contract with
local companies.
“They might tear some stuff out and
then they are gone,” he said. “What are
the chances of getting those people back
if there is something to fix?”
FEMA said residents should take pictures of flood damages and keep good
records of repair and cleaning costs to be
presented to their insurance agent.
Knowing what type of insurance coverage you have and how much is also vital,
Speer said.
There is a difference between having
insurance for water and sewer backup
versus flood insurance, he said.
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DEAN FOSDICK / The Associated Press
CLOSE CROPPING, SHOWN in these raised beds in New Market, Va., is a cheap and easy way to boost yields from small plots. Spacing
between plants can be tightened when using traditional row designs or vegetables can be massed in square or diamond patterns such as
was done in this raised bed setup.
Close cropping is an easy
way to gain garden space
Allow enough space for air flow
By DEAN FOSDICK
FOR THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Gardeners react no differently than anyone else when
times are tough: They tighten
spending and try to squeeze
more from their budgets. Some
turn to close cropping — crowding plants as a cheap and easy
way to maximize yields from
minimal space.
Placing garden plants shoulder-to-shoulder is not a new
idea. Native Americans are credited with introducing the “Three
Sisters” concept, in which corn,
beans and squash were planted
alongside one another. The
nitrogen-rich climbing beans
used the corn stalks for structure, while the ground-hugging
squash smothered weeds and
reduced soil evaporation. The
result: three interdependent and
eminently edible crops produced
from the same ground.
If done right, massing plants
in their growing beds is also an
efficient way for urban gardeners to make the most of patios or
decks, balconies or fire escapes.
“Many gardeners find themselves in a situation of wanting
to grow either more produce
in the same amount of space,
or grow similar amounts in a
reduced area,” said Ben Sturtevant, a marketing specialist
with Johnny’s Selected Seeds in
Winslow, Maine. “This leads to
finding ways to change methods
or use new methods of production.”
Traditional single-row spacing varies, but smaller crops like
radishes, leaf lettuces and beets
usually are assigned about a foot
between the rows, Sturtevant
said. Larger plants, including
beans, cabbage and broccoli,
generally are given 2 to 3 feet.
Garden beds can be compressed, however, if managed
properly. That includes letting
enough air f low around the
plants to prevent mildew, Sturtevant said.
It also means using rich soil,
said Derek Fell, author of more
than 100 garden publications.
“If you have a lot of nutrition
in the soil, then a lot of plants
won’t mind being crowded,” he
said.
R ather tha n pla nting in
single rows, plant in square
or diamond patterns, Fell suggested. “That’s used extensively
in places like Britain where you
have space limitations. You can
get an amazing amount of production from tight planting.”
Here are some space-saving
variations:
• Grow vertical. “Cucumbers, some squashes, melons
and tomatoes can be trellised
very nicely,” Sturtevant said.
• Succession planting. Get
a new crop into the ground as
soon as the cool-season crop
has been harvested. Replace
lettuce, radishes and peas with
something like beans, beets and
turnips.
• Inter-planting. Grow vegetables having different maturity dates side by side. A typical
pairing might be radishes, which
are fast maturing, with carrots, which take longer. Space
also can be gained by planting
a massed row of leaf lettuce
between two rows of tomatoes.
The lettuce can be eaten before
the tomatoes grow tall enough
to shade them out.
• Use containers, “a sure way
to grow in a limited amount of
space,” Sturtevant said. “Specific (plant) varieties are now
being developed for this specialized environment.”
• Select “bush” or dwarf
plants, which don’t take as much
space or compete as vigorously
for soil ingredients.
“Shop around for ‘kit gardens,’ or comparable plant
varieties that are made into
salads, pizza fixings or herbal
teas and seasonings,” said Linda
Chalker-Scott, an urban horticulturist with Washington State
University’s Puyallup Research
and Extension Center. “They’re
also a neat way to introduce
gardening to the entire family,
especially children.”
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B E F O R E YO U P L A N T
Pros, cons of organic, synthetic fertilizers
Organic has odor,
but can build up
the soil structure
By DEAN FOSDICK
FOR THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Another growing season is
fast approaching, and before you
can seed you must feed.
Now is the time to decide
whether to use organic or synthetic fertilizers to enrich the
soil. T hey produce similar
results but come at it from different directions.
Most orga nic fer ti l i z ers
are derived from plants and
animals. This group includes
manure, bone and blood meal,
seaweed, compost and minerals. All are rich in nutrients, but
must be “cured” or broken down
by bacteria before they can nurture plants and condition soils.
Sy nthetic fer ti l i zers a re
commercially produced from
petroleum or natural gas, and
are packaged in easy-to-apply
granular or liquid forms. They
give plants a vigorous although
short-term jolt.
“Plants don’t know the difference if you’re using a synthetic
or an organic. It’s all chemical
to them,” said Valerie Locher,
a horticulturist and landscape
m a nager f rom Hous atonic,
Mass. “But the beauty of organics is that they’re naturally slowrelease. They’re there for the
entire season.”
Locher uses synthetic fertilizers when planting flowers
in containers. “I plant a lot of
annuals so I want their growth
to be really quick,” she said.
“Synthetics leach into the soil
with the first watering. Instant
nourishment.”
Organic fertilizers may not
be the answer if:
• You don’t like odors. “Fermented seaweed and fish make
beautiful fertilizers but they’re
often difficult to use because
they smell,” Locher said. “If
you’re spreading something like
minerals on the ground, there’s
no odor problem.”
• You want to reduce your
workload. “If it’s a compacted
soil and you have a hard time
breaking ground, then it will
be hard for any roots to grow,”
Locher said. “That means you’ll
have to do a lot of soil work in
the spring — I call it ‘fluffing’
— to mix your nutrition deep
into the ground.” Synthetics are
easier in this case because they
can be broadcast over the sur-
face of the ground. The granules
or liquids seep into the soil as
soon as water is applied.
• You’re looking for consistency. Synthetic fertilizers are
sold with a three-digit chemical
code displayed on each bag. If
the label reads “10-10-10,” it’s
a blend of 10 percent nitrogen,
10 percent phosphorous and 10
percent potassium by weight.
(What’s left is filler, usually
sand or limestone.)
But organic fertilizers, especially the kitchen composts or
farmyard manures, are variable
mixtures. An all-purpose, 4-6-2
load when supplied one year
may test out as an acidic 4-3-6
application when delivered the
next.
Organics, however, do provide benefits you won’t get from
the synthetics.
Organic fertilizers:
• Build up the soil structure, boosting its water-holding
capacity, and adding to its biodiversity and long-term productivity.
• Improve drainage, minimizing soil erosion and soluble
nitrogen- and phosphorus-rich
runoff.
You don’t have to be an
organic gardener to use organic
fertilizers. It may just be prac-
tical. Many can be obtained in
bulk for little or no cost from
nearby livestock operations,
municipal green-waste collection centers and dump sites, said
Richard Koenig, a soil scientist
at Washington State University.
“Recycling makes use of
materials that otherwise would
go to a landfill,” Koenig said.
“You can get hung up too much
about what makes a fertilizer.
Basically, anything organic can
be used directly or indirectly in
the soil.”
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HOME IMPROV EMENT
THE COURIER
FRIDAY, APRIL 15, 2011
Living well in less space
Architecture firms report
decrease in square footage
of homes they designed
C3
HEY MR. FIXIT,
WEÕVE GOT JUST
THE RIGHT BOOTS
FOR YOU.
By SUSAN ZEVON
FOR THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Tiny houses are going mainstream.
Just look at the Katrina Cottage, originally
designed by architects Andres Duany and Marianne Cusato as a dignified alternative to the
FEMA trailer for flood-ravaged New Orleans. The
tiny charmers with pitched roofs, nostalgic front
porches and 300 to 1,800 square feet are becoming
popular elsewhere; Lowe’s home stores sell the
blueprints and materials.
The cottages are being used as affordable housing, guesthouses and vacation cottages.
It’s part of a larger trend toward living small.
The average size of the American home
expanded from 983 square feet in 1950 to 2,340
square feet in 2004, up 140 percent. This boom
was largely driven by a belief that living big meant
living well, and that real estate was a great investment so a bigger house meant a better investment.
The recession is one thing killing that notion.
Millions of foreclosures have meant “people have
lost a ton of equity,” said Boyce Thompson, editorial director of Builder magazine. Add in high
unemployment and energy costs, and no wonder
small might seem better.
According to the American Institute of Architects in 2010, 57 percent of architecture firms
reported a decrease in the square footage of homes
they designed.
Another factor is people’s desire to live more
ecologically, less wastefully.
And there are demographic changes. Thompson points out that one-third of American home
buyers are now single; people are marrying later,
and many don’t want to wait until marriage to
invest in a house. Moreover, as Americans live
longer, many widows and widowers are downsizing to small homes.
With elderly parents and grown children
returning home, there are more multigenerational families, increasing the demand “for small
auxiliary buildings,” Cusato says. Tiny dwellings
allow generations of a family to live side-by-side
with privacy.
How small is tiny?
Some people don’t just want small; they want
minuscule.
Mimi Zeiger, author of “Tiny Houses” (Rizzoli International, 2009) and the new “MicroGreen” (Rizzoli International, March 2011),
defines tiny houses as around 1,000 square feet,
although “some enthusiasts cap them at the 300- to
400-square-foot range,” she says.
In “Tiny Houses,” Zeiger presents three-dozen
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SANTA FE RESIDENT Bruce Dunlap practices guitar at his tiny home in Santa Fe, N.M.
Dunlap is one of thousands of Americans who have skirted zoning laws and ditched rent
payments to build ultra-small houses for as little as $10,000.
international examples, including some in the
United States. She believes that America’s abundance of land and materials has traditionally made
us less conscious of conservation than people are
elsewhere, but that is changing.
Cusato credits Sarah Susanka’s book “The Not
So Big House” (Taunton), first published in 1998
and expanded in 2009, with starting a movement
to change the way builders work. “People started
saying they wanted their houses to be smaller, but
better,” Cusato says.
Susanka, who considers a tiny house to be one
measuring no more than 500 square feet, once
lived in an 8-by-12-foot flatbed trailer truck.
“There has always been a fascination with tiny
houses and an underground interest in them that
surfaces when the economy goes down,” Susanka
says.
The best solution for housing in America, she
believes, will be in the middle ground: 1,500 to
2,500 square feet.
“The gift of the recession will be that Americans will believe that bigger is not better,” she says.
Making a tiny space livable
“You have to be very disciplined to live in a tiny
space,” Susanka says.
Zeiger, who lives in a small studio apartment in
Brooklyn, N.Y., says, “The most important thing
that makes a tiny house livable is efficient space
planning and clever storage. Like on a ship, things
need to have dual purposes. You also need good
light and air, so that the space isn’t claustrophobic
or hut-like.”
Her table, for example, serves as both kitchen
table and office desk.
Cusato agrees that light is essential in a small
space. She recommends “windows on multiple
walls in a room, two at a minimum — three or
four are ideal. Tall ceilings — 9 feet in a small
space feels great. When living in a tiny house, lots
of storage is essential. Nothing makes the walls
close in faster than clutter.”
Proximity to a public space is fundamental, she
believes, and recommends that porches or terraces
connect to street life or a garden.
“The house does not need to be the size of an
entire town if it is connected to a town,” Cusato
says.
Zeiger notes that it’s easy for urbanites living in
tiny spaces to go out and engage with the rest of the
world. When her apartment starts to feel cramped,
she goes to a neighborhood coffee shop. And since
she doesn’t have space for a lot of bookshelves, she
takes full advantage of the public library.
There is also in America the tradition of Thoreau’s Walden, the tiny cottage in the wilderness
where natural surroundings become part of the
living space.
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Longtime listings try again in spring
If no interest, then
must reduce price
By DAN SEWELL
AP BUSINESS WRITER
Spring can be an exciting time for
homeowners ready to sell. But not so
much when your home has lingered
on the market through multiple
spring selling seasons.
Years of listings, open houses
and showings without offers are
weighing on many homeowners
this year as the nation’s housing
market continues to struggle from
the Great Recession’s prolonged
housing slump, credit crunch and
high unemployment.
“I would like to move on,” said
Jim Oliver, who’s been trying to sell
since 2007. “It’s frustrating.”
His two-story house, with amenities such as a hot tub, finished
basement and a wooded lot, sits on
1.4 prime acres in an upscale region
northeast of Cincinnati, with a toprated school district. But the traditional real estate cry of “location,
location, location!” has given way in
this economy to “price, price, price!”
With new foreclosures and mortgage short-sales still streaming into
the market, buyers have a lot of bargain listings to shop through. So that
can mean some tough conversations
between agents and homeowners
about how much they can realistically expect to get for their home —
and if it’s not attracting much interest
after months or years, the need to
slash their asking price.
“We have had a problem with sellers who are nostalgic for the way it
was,” said Ron Phipps, a Warwick,
R.I., real estate agent and president
of the National Association of Realtors. He recalled homeowners reciting the peak of their home’s market
value. But that’s of little use today.
“You have to be where the market
is, not where it was,” Phipps said.
Sales of previously owned homes
fell last year to their lowest level in
13 years, with contract signings last
June at their lowest since the Realtors began tracking signed contracts
in 2001. January contract signings
were also down in the latest report.
The popping of the pre-reces-
sion real estate bubble means many
people need to list their homes for
at or below what they paid for them,
said Diane Thomas, senior sales vice
president for Comey & Shepherd
Realtors. Thomas, who’s listing the
Olivers’ house, said 2010 was the
worst sales year of her 27-year career.
But spring is coming, and that
usually means increased activity,
with better weather and more traffic from families hoping to buy and
get moved before next school year.
Among possible to-do tasks for
homeowners: spruce up landscaping,
update exterior lighting, and paint or
replace front doors, all to create more
“curb appeal” for first impressions.
For other improvements, Phipps
advises owners to listen to their
agent’s suggestions and heed negative feedback from previous showings — without taking it personally.
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LM OTERO / The Associated Press
STEPHANIE WEYENBERG, LEFT, looks over her winter garden with her children Garrett, 6, back, Abby, 9, center, and Anna, 11, right, in
the backyard of their home in Prosper, Texas. After a series of lifestyle changes over the last couple of years, the Weyenberg family now
grows most of the fruit and vegetables they eat and they rely on chickens roaming their backyard for eggs.
Family gets most of its
food from the backyard
Key is making
changes one
step at a time
By JAMIE STENGLE
ASSOCIATED PRESS
PROSPER, Texas — As the
weather warms and the brown landscape turns green, Stephanie Weyenberg’s thoughts turn to planting
for her family’s early spring garden.
Gardening is more than just a
hobby: She and her husband, Matt,
grow most of the fruit and vegetables they eat.
They also rely on a half dozen
chickens roaming their backyard,
for eggs and to entertain their kids,
ages 11, 9 and 6. The family gets
beef, chicken and raw milk from
farms.
“At some point it snowballed
into, ‘Oh wow, now we’re grinding
our own wheat and have a garden
and try to eat from that,” said Weyenberg, 37, who home-schools her
children.
Inspired to turn away from
processed foods after their two
younger children had stomach
troubles, the Weyenbergs started
with small changes. Those led to
a move about three years ago from
a big house with a tiny yard to a
smaller home on an acre lot farther
out in the countryside, in Prosper,
about 45 miles north of Dallas.
Matt Weyenberg, a doctor at a
family medical practice called Village Health Partners in Plano, said
his family’s experiences serve as a
way for him to talk to patients about
healthy eating. He said he’ll tell
them: “You don’t have to go crazy
like we are at my house and grind
your own wheat and have chickens
and a big garden, but try to eat less
processed foods, try to get more
organic food, locally grown, whole
grains, and fruits and vegetables.”
“There’s hardly a day goes by
that I don’t — all of us — don’t see
patients who could literally get off
several of their medications poten-
tially if they just ate better,” said
Matt Weyenberg, 36. “Some people
are very receptive to that. Of course
some people aren’t: They don’t feel
like they are at a place where they
can.”
The Weyenbergs might have
taken gardening a step further
than many, but a growing number
of American households are doing
some vegetable gardening, according to the National Gardening Association — up from about 27 million
households in 2005 to about 31
million households last year. The
nonprofit group said the main reasons are to have better-tasting and
higher quality food, and to save
money on groceries.
That might involve just putting
some tomato plants out on a city
patio, or it might be as involved as
what the Weyenbergs are doing,
said Susan Littlefield, horticulture
editor for the gardening association.
Brett L. Markham, author of
“Mini Farming: Self-Sufficiency on
¼ Acre” (Skyhorse, 2010), said he
raises chickens and has fruit trees
and a garden, producing about 80
percent of the food his family eats.
They began backyard farming on a
half-acre lot in New Ipswich, N.H.,
after developing an interest in
organic foods about eight years ago.
“I do have a sense that my situation is becoming less and less
unique. A lot of people are trying
to grow something, no matter how
small,” Markham said.
He said that often people who
contact him say they developed
an interest in backyard farming
because of economic concerns, but
other reasons include wanting to
feel a connection to the soil.
“It’s a lot easier than people
think it is,” he said. “People look at
the stuff involved and initially they
get intimidated. You can build into
having full self-sufficiency.”
The Weyenbergs occasionally
supplement their garden by buying
from farmer’s markets, Stephanie
said.
And they still make the occasional trip to the grocery store, estimating they get about 25 percent
of their food there. For instance,
Stephanie said, when they make
tortilla soup, they pick up chips
and sour cream from the store. And
every now and then, they get some
ice cream as well.
“I don’t want it to ever be so ‘rule
our lives’ that my kids have no idea
what chips taste like: the forbidden
fruit that they’re going to run right
out and gorge on,” she said.
Both Weyenbergs said the key
is making the changes one step at
a time.
“The way that we’re living now
seems so extreme, and I never in a
million years would have imagined
us being here,” said Stephanie.
For her early spring garden this
year, Weyenberg is planning spinach, lettuce and beets. Throughout
the year, she also grows onions, a
couple varieties of beans, tomatoes,
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squash, blackberries and Swiss
chard. That’s besides the fruit
trees bearing apples, plums, pears
and peaches, and the herb garden
that includes basil, thyme and sage.
The backyard operation isn’t as
time consuming as it might seem,
she said. The chickens, for instance,
are hardly any work, and also eat
bugs and fertilize the yard. An automated irrigation system saves a lot
of time. And after several hours of
work at the beginning of the season
to clean and plant the beds, Weyenberg estimates that she probably
only spends about an hour a week
in the garden.
“Once it’s in, it’s not that much,”
she said.
The Weyenbergs said the whole
family has noticed how much better
they feel with their new diet. And
when they stray, they can tell the difference. A recent stop for shakes at
a fast food restaurant, for instance,
gave them all stomachaches.
“I truly can say I have kids who
would choose a sandwich or a salad
over a hamburger pretty much any
day,” Stephanie Weyenberg said.
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FRIDAY, APRIL 15, 2011
C5
FINE TOUCH
FURNITURE
Beloved books: a spring cleaning challenge
First hurdle is emotional attachment
By LAURA JOFRE
FOR THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
It’s spring, and home improvements and cleanings are in the air.
In the name of renewal (and
family peace), my husband and
I repurposed our rec room into a
master bedroom and let our girls,
ages 12 and 6, have their own
rooms. In the process, we had to
redistribute everyone’s books. We
shuffled them from room to room
and set them on newly installed
shelves, but we still had a lot left
over.
I was forced to admit it: I had
too many books.
And books can be harder to
kick out than termites.
“Of all the stuff I try to get rid
of as an organizer, books are the
most difficult,” says Leslie Josel,
owner of the home organizing
service Order Out of Chaos, in
Larchmont, N.Y. They are not
usually worth much money, and
they are heavy.
My problem was, I still kind of
wanted them myself. The first big
hurdle of book purging: emotional
attachment.
Unlike termites, my books
were invited into my house or
bestowed as gifts. My kids had
classics inscribed to them by their
grandparents. I had important,
canonical works. The problem
was, some of them were never
liked, or even read. Years of accumulation had resulted in unwieldy
towers and double-loaded shelves
full of novels, parenting books
and travel guides, some from
trips never taken or classes 30
years past.
“The clutter in our houses
becomes like another person
living there — the most dysfunctional one,” says Josel.
OK, dysfunctional family
member, time to stop taking up
space.
I started with the children’s
books. Those below the youngest
child’s reading level could, except
for a few sentimental favorites, be
weeded out. Books that my older
kids had enjoyed could be saved at
the top of a closet for the youngest.
That was a warmup exercise.
On to the adult section.
Books in foreign languages last
studied in high school: out. Gifts
that only revealed the bizarre
taste of the giver: out. Books
that were Important Prize Winners but too daunting to read: out.
Mostly. Aww, look where I wrote
Rolling Stones lyrics in my high
school poetry anthology. Save.
See, that’s what happens. I had
to stay strong.
“Organization of books brings
clarity into a person’s life,” says
Nicola Walter, president of Nicola
Walter Design & Decor, Inc. in
New York City.
She suggests arranging volumes by topic, and stacking those
of current interest on a coffee
table or nightstand. Then, “make
a visual composition of the bookshelf.” That means stacking books
both vertically and horizontally,
and giving them some air in
between where you can place
pretty bookends, photographs,
sculptures or vases.
“These objects act as a
reminder of which books are
where, and which books I use
more frequently,” she says.
Once you’ve reordered your
newly spacious shelves, you
meet the second big hurdle of
book purging: the sheer physical
challenge of what to do with the
castoffs.
One key is using boxes small
enough that you can carry them
when they’re full of books. Collect
them in one pile placed so inconveniently that you’re forced to do
something about it.
I thought it would be easy to
find a good home for my beloved
books, but I was wrong. I was
turned away from a retirement
home, a library and a day care
center. There are no used bookstores near me. I started leaving
books at the commuter train station, as if someone’s commute
would be improved with a little
French existentialism.
My town sanitation department will throw the books in a
landfill but not recycle them,
which just seemed wrong.
I’d never had such a hard time
giving something away.
“With clothes,” says Josel, “it
is easy to donate them, as you
can bag them up and have them
picked up from your home. With
books, you often need to bring
them to a location. Having multiple steps in the donating process leads people to get stuck and
therefore not do it.”
The Salvation Army is one service that does pick up in my area,
so I gave most of my books to
them. Call in advance to arrange
pickups, or go to www.salvationarmyusa.org. I was limited to
three boxes, so I transferred the
smaller boxes into three big ones.
Other nationwide services
with free pickup in many locations include Vietnam Veterans
of America (www.vva.org), Goodwill (www.goodwill.org) and Big
Brother Big Sister Foundation
(www.bbbsfoundation.org).
Some charitable organizations give books to shelters,
prisons and schools. If you live
near them, you can use their collection bins; otherwise, you have
to pack up your books and pay
to ship them. Examples are The
Reading Tree (www.thereadingtree.org), with collection bins in
Massachusetts and Rhode Island;
Books Through Bars (www.
booksthroughbars.org) in Philadelphia; and Books for America
(www.booksforamerica.org) in
Washington.
To send books to U.S. troops,
contact Operation Paperback
(www.operationpaperback.org)
and Books for Soldiers (www.
booksforsoldiers.com).
If you want to try selling your
books, BookScouter.com lets you
compare prices at various bookbuying websites. TextbookRecycling.com can help you buy and
sell used textbooks.
A last option: Play! At Bookcrossing.com, download a label
for your book and leave it in a
public spot. When someone picks
it up, they can log on to say so.
That way, it’s not really saying
goodbye.
BETTER SELECTION
Can’t decide how to redecorate? Join the crowd
By KIM COOK
FOR THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Full disclosure: I don’t suffer
from the indecisive decorator
affliction.
I take after my mother, who
can nail the perfect paint shade
from a hundred yards. We know
what we like, and we know it when
we see it.
But for many folks, who are
more self-critical than self-confident, the journey to the ideal wall
color or room style is fraught with
angst. What if you choose wrong
and visitors to your home snicker?
What if you spend all that money
and don’t get it right?
It doesn’t help that decorating
options are so extensive today.
Anyone who has stared down
a 6-foot-long wall of paint chips
knows the feeling. There’s an
encyclopedic sample book of sofa
fabric. Wood flooring, tile, linoleum and carpet present hundreds
more options. And what about
window treatments, with a dozen
versions of blinds alone?
We don’t know what we like, or
we like everything.
That, experts say, leads to
“decision paralysis,” whose sufferers just leave things as they
are because choosing something
different is overwhelming.
But they do have to paint that
bedroom eventually. They have to
buy something to sit on.
Here are five expert tips to
make decor decisions a bit easier:
1. Look at yourself.
Seattle-based author and
interior designer Nikki Willhite
advises paying attention to what
you’re drawn to in shelter magazines, other people’s homes, TV
programs. Think about the colors
in your wardrobe, too — chances
are those colors and styles will
translate into rooms you’ll love. If
your closet is full of simple tones
and clean lines, then neutral hues
and tailored furnishings will
appeal. If the drawers brim with
pattern, let your home echo that
exuberance.
2. Test-drive it.
Debra Kling, a color consultant
in Larchmont, N.Y., recommends
testing a large paint swath on all
four walls.
“Observe the room over several days. You should especially
like the color at the time of day,
with the customary lighting, when
you most often use the room,” she
says.
The quality of light, the room’s
orientation and the surrounding
colors all have an effect on a paint
shade.
“I also advise approaching
color holistically — one room
should work with the next in some
way,” says Kling. “You can accomplish this by using related hues, or
colors of similar value.”
As for furniture, some retailers
will let you try a piece at home
before committing.
Bring home samples of window
treatments, wall and floor finishes,
even cabinet doors. Live with
them for a few days, moving them
around to different vantage points.
3. Size it up.
Take a tape measure to the
store, make sure the piece will fit
your space, and sit or sprawl on it
as you would at home.
A tightly-upholstered leather
sectional might always look tidy,
but nobody’s going to enjoy sitting
on it if it isn’t comfy.
Willhite also recommends versatile pieces of furniture. “The
more flexible the piece, the easier
it is to place, and relocate,” she
says.
4. Get a second opinion.
Always admired your neighbor’s decorating style? For the
price of coffee and dessert, designsavvy friends are usually happy to
offer ideas.
But don’t go overboard. “Too
much advice leads to just as much
confusion as too little,” says Alina
Tugend, author of “Better by Mistake” (Riverhead, 2011).
If you’re more comfortable
putting yourself in the hands of
a pro, ask around for recommendations. On Facebook, Benjamin
Moore has launched an “Experts
Exchange,” where you can talk to
a designer or color pro before you
choose your paint.
Benjamin Moore, Behr, Pittsburgh and Sherwin-Williams
among others offer online programs where you can overlay paint
shades on different room styles.
Shelter magazines such as House
Beautiful and Better Homes and
Gardens offer similar options. Valspar’s website lets you download
your own interior and exterior
photos before trying out colors.
5. Show your personality, and
relax.
After all, it’s your home, no one
else’s. There are no design police.
As many of TV’s home design
shows point out, modern home
decor doesn’t follow a playbook
anymore.
However you arrive at your
decorating decisions, trust your
instincts, advises Mark Tyrrell,
therapist and co-founder of the
Oban, Scotland-based self-help
program Uncommon Knowledge.
“Don’t always insist on logical reasons for everything. Learn to say
‘because it feels right,’” he says.
He also urges people to use
their imaginations. “Really sit
down and envisage living with
the decision. How does that feel?”
Tugend notes, “The only way
to know something is to do it.
And don’t worry about making a
mistake — you might fall in love
with it.”
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HOME IMPROV EMENT
NATIONAL FLAG
AND FLAGPOLE
If it glows indoors, you
can find it outdoors, too
Makes space
outdoors more
functional
By MELISSA KOSSLER DUTTON
FOR THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
A trend toward creating “outdoor rooms” has dramatically
increased lighting options for homeowners who want to extend their
time outside.
Most indoor lighting fixtures —
chandeliers, pendant lights, table
lamps — now have a counterpart
designed for patios or decks.
“We have seen outdoor lights
absolutely replicating indoor
designs,” said Anne Robert of theoutdoorstylist.com, a website that
focuses on home trends.
“Outdoor lighting is a mood
setter. It can make or break a design
just like it can indoors.”
The abundance of products lets
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or reading or other activities outdoors.”
When choosing fixtures for outdoor entertaining areas, consider
how much light is necessary, said
Alene Workman, a spokeswoman
for the American Society of Interior
Designers. A table needs to have
sufficient light so diners can eat,
whereas a conversation area may
need only soft mood lighting.
Be creative with table lighting,
recommends Krissa Rossbund, a
senior style editor at Traditional
Home Magazine.
“Gone are the days when people
hang a chandelier over a table and
call it lit,” she said.
She suggests hanging two
small chandeliers instead of one
large one, or buying a chandelier
at a flea market and painting it a
bright color.
Outdoor chandeliers come in a
variety of styles, from mission to
modern. Manufacturers also offer
many candle chandeliers for out-
The Associated Press
THIS UNDATED PHOTO courtesy of David Massengill for The
Outdoor Lights. Inc. shows outdoor lighting by The Outdoor Lights.
Inc. Company president Chris Wakefield has created lights that cast
a warm glow around fire pits, dining areas or outdoor living rooms.
Some of his more popular items include punctured copper cylinders
that create a firefly effect, stamped copper lanterns and illuminated,
artificial birdhouses. The lanterns can hang from a shepherd’s hook
or a tree branch.
door areas that don’t have electricity.
For seating areas, choose a
weighted outdoor floor lamp, said
Workman, who owns an interior
design firm in Hollywood, Fla.
“There are wonderful new outdoor
lights that are almost art pieces
themselves,” she said.
Colored lights, illuminated furniture and subtle fixtures designed
to blend with nature will be popular
this year, according to design professionals.
Workman expects to see the use
of color increase, and “I don’t mean
Christmas lights,” she said. Landscapers are starting to incorporate
subtle red, blue and pink lights into
their work, she said.
Color is particularly appropriate if you are planning a party,
Rossbund added. It’s “a fun way to
change things up,” she said.
Some homeowners are adding
a bright pop of color with light-up
patio furniture, Robert said. The
battery-powered chairs and tables
are available in a variety of colors.
International designers like
Modoluce and Neoz have created
lines of plastic tables and chairs that
are lit from within.
Avanzini has a line of wood
furniture made with glowing light
strips. It helps create a lounge look
THE COURIER
FRIDAY, APRIL 15, 2011
1121 West Main Cross Street • Findlay, Ohio 45840
Phone: (419) 422-6969 • Fax: (419) 422-5059
Residential and Commercial
Parts • Maintenance • Repairs
Installation
David Chortie
that Robert thinks will be popular
this summer.
“With the rise of staycations, we
will see a lot of designs adopting a
real bar-type lounge attitude, with
perhaps more extravagant and festive pieces,” she said.
Moonlight USA sells decorative
outdoor illuminated globes, which
can glow white like the moon or
cast light in a rainbow of colors.
The company also makes a tabletop
for the globes. The clear acrylic disc
has a cut-out center that allows it
to rest on top of the globe so it can
function as a table.
“The color is very robust,” said
owner Anke Kondek. “It’s a wow
effect.”
Homeowners wanting to light
a more natural setting may go for
a softer, more layered look, said
Beth Webb, an interior designer
in Atlanta. She favors the custom
copper-and-wood pieces made by
The Outdoor Lights in Cumming,
Ga.
Company president Chris Wakefield has created lights that cast a
warm glow around fire pits, dining
areas or outdoor living rooms.
Some of his more popular items
include punctured copper cylinders
that create a firefly effect, stamped
copper lanterns and illuminated,
artificial birdhouses. The lanterns
can hang from a shepherd’s hook or
a tree branch.
Before buying lights for reading,
lounging or dining, the professionals recommend making sure that
pathways and steps are properly lit
for safety.
“You want light to help you navigate spaces near or around steps,”
said Jeff Dross, director of education and industry trends for Kichler
Lighting.
He and the other experts warned
against making outdoor spaces too
bright. They suggest using subtle
light that is aimed towards the
ground wherever possible.
“For most tasks you only need
low light,” Dross said. “Avoid that
glare. Glare forces you to think you
need more light than you do.”
The Northwestern Water and Sewer District bulk
water station offers bulk water for commercial and
agricultural use like the new CSX facility development.
This facility which
opened October 15,
2010 sells water for
$8.00 per thousand
gallons using an “ATM”
activated card for use.
Commercial water
haulers, agricultural
uses, construction
and landscaping
companies will be the
primary users, Jerry
Greiner, Executive Dirextor of the District reports.
The concrete building is approximately 10’x10’ which houses the
equipment and heater for year round use. It will have available space
for retail water sales, which the District markets under its WaterShed
name. Greiner reports this use is still a few years away yet.
For more information, please contact the District at
(419) 354-9090 ext. 155 or visit our website for more
information at www.nwwsd.org
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FOR THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Gardening is a forgiving hobby.
You can always right any wrongs
next growing season.
The best way to prevent problems, though, is with good planning.
“Designing from the top of
your head may work, but things
most likely will work better if you
write it down and do a simple drawing,” said Jack McKinnon, a garden
coach from San Francisco. “Think
before you plant.”
Most gardening failures result
from simple things, he said, “like
people who don’t fertilize, or if they
do, put on too much. The same
goes for people who don’t understand watering, or add too much.
Many tend to do their pruning with
power tools and then overdo it.”
Here are 10 common gardening
mistakes and ways to avoid them:
1. Neglecting soil preparation.
Test the plant beds before you
begin, and again every few years to
see if soil conditioners are needed.
Add sand or peat moss to compacted, poorly drained ground, to
improve its structure and encourage root growth.
2. Overplanting.
Design with the size of mature
plants in mind. Try succession
planting, in which early, coolweather crops are harvested before
later, less hardy plants reach maturity.
3. Flawed feeding.
“Mulch plants and they’ll be so
much happier,” said Tia Pinney,
adult program coordinator at the
Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary,
in Lincoln, Mass. “Supplement
your soil, don’t just fertilize it.”
4. Improper watering.
7E0ROUDLY
!CCEPT
lems and suggest remedies, as can
master gardeners and landscape
designers.
S
By DEAN FOSDICK
Too much water can be just as
damaging as too little. Do a fingerin-the-ground test to ensure that
the soil around the roots is moist.
Vegetables need about an inch and
a half of water per week.
5. Wrong location.
Growing conditions change as
trees and shrubs mature, creating
different shadow patterns. Most
plants need six to eight hours of
sun per day to develop.
6. Improper pest control.
Don’t kill the good bugs, like
pollinators, in an effort to eliminate
the bad. “One thing we hear a lot
is an attitude of: ‘All I have to do is
spray and that will cure it,’” said
Mary Ann Ryan, master gardening coordinator with Penn State
Cooperative Extension in Adams
County, Pa.
7. Faulty maintenance.
Don’t set your cultivator (or
hoe) too deep, damaging plant
roots. Pull some weeds by hand.
8. Over-pruning.
As a rule, don’t remove more
than 30 percent of the foliage from
shrubs in one cutting. And don’t
“top” trees to control their height.
“That reduces their life span rather
than improves their health,” Ryan
said.
9. Botched planting.
Choose the right plant depth. “I
know of one property where they
put a tree with its root ball on the
surface of the ground, and then
mulched around it up to the level
of the trunk,” Ryan said. “People
don’t know how to plant.”
10. Failing to start over.
“Oftentimes, people let diseased
things grow that should be pulled
out, and it affects the health of the
entire crop,” McKinnon said.
Start with a small plot so you
can correct mistakes more easily,
the experts say. And look to your
county extension office for support
if you run into trouble. Garden
coaches also can diagnose prob-
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HOME IMPROV EMENT
THE COURIER
FRIDAY, APRIL 15, 2011
C7
Porches that are stylish, durable
Use objects that
are sturdy, can
withstand elements
By MELISSA RAYWORTH
FOR THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
It’s been a long, hard winter in
much of the country. Towering snowdrifts, icy roads, freak hailstorms.
For many of us, spring can’t come
fast enough, and with it the chance
to enjoy our porches, patios and sunrooms.
Options abound for making these
indoor/outdoor spaces look stylish.
But can we have all that gorgeous
style while using durable, easy-tocare-for items that will stay looking
good all season?
The experts say yes — if you
choose carefully.
“When it comes to materials, now
more than ever the gap has been
bridged between indoor and outdoor. There are a ton of pieces that
look fit for your actual living room,
but they’re meant to be outdoors,”
says designer and decordemon.com
founder Brian Patrick Flynn.
Here, Flynn and two other
experts — Los Angeles-based interior designer Betsy Burnham and
decorator and design blogger Nick
Olsen — offer advice on creating
beautiful sunrooms and porches that
you can enjoy effortlessly.
The right fabrics
Outdoor fabrics have come a long
way since the plastic-coated 1970s.
These designers all praise Sunbrella
and other high-end outdoor fabric
companies for their wide selection
of colors, styles and textures.
“But,” warns Olsen, “really good
outdoor fabrics don’t come cheap.”
He recommends buying a basic
indoor sofa at a reasonable price,
then recovering just the seat cushions and a few throw pillows in a
pricey outdoor fabric. This will cost
notably less than upholstering all of
your sunroom furniture in high-end
outdoor textiles.
Another use of fabric: Flynn suggests hanging drapes “to soften the
feel of a room that’s on the exterior
of your house,” and to add a dash of
color and pattern.
Drapes can be hung at windows
or used to cover a less-than-attractive
wall.
The Associated Press
TO ADD COLOR, texture and life to this porch, Decor Demon
designer Brian Patrick Flynn repurposed aluminum trash bins into
mobile planters with the addition of casters, in this HGTV.com photo.
The oldest objects
“Something that’s been through
a lot already is going to be able to
put up with even more,” Burnham
says. She suggests using vintage
furniture and accessories that have
already withstood the elements to
give porches and sunrooms a dose
of personality.
Search flea markets for items
made of worn wood and metal. If
they become further scuffed, it only
adds to the beauty.
If you prefer a fresh sheen on
vintage items, metal pieces such as
old wrought-iron furniture can be
sprayed with automotive paint at
an auto-body shop. This creates a
glossy, colorful surface impervious
to the elements.
“It’s an excellent way to take
something that might be 50 or 60
years old,” says Flynn, “and make it
look showroom new.”
Another option: Burnham
sometimes repurposes cowhides to
upholster seats. They’re high-style,
she says, but “can take some abuse.
The cows certainly have been out in
the rain.”
The easiest floors
Flynn suggests using porch paint
on wood or cement floors to bring
color and pattern without a rug.
Spill some food or drink? It wipes
up easily. And if the painted floor
gets worn as the summer wears on,
no problem. A faded patina adds to
the charm.
Rugs in outdoor fabrics are also
an option.
Olsen visits overstock.com for
outdoor rugs, which he says are
very durable. “The dog can chew
it up and nothing happens. ... But if
worst comes to worst and it’s damaged, you don’t feel guilty, because it
was no major investment.”
The sturdiest accessories
Like outdoor fabrics, plastic dinnerware has come a long way in
recent years. Burnham has found
chic Suzani-print plates that are
“fabulous. You’d never imagine they
were plastic.”
For durable seating, Burnham
says L.L. Bean’s basic rocking chairs
have a classic style and are built to
last.
For planters, “instead of going
crazy with really nice pottery” that
can be expensive and fragile, Flynn
suggests buying an inexpensive aluminum trash bin, remove the label
and add casters to the bottom. Fill
the entire thing with used two-liter
plastic soda bottles, which weigh
very little. Then pour in potting soil,
packing it tightly at the top.
“Put in a combination of plants
that drape over the side, plants that
grow really tall like grasses, mossy
things that are short and then flowering things,” Flynn says. “You’re using
nature as art, and you’re containing
the plants with something used out
of context” that is durable.
For more fragile accessories, it’s
all about location: Olsen says a large
framed mirror brings indoor glamour to any porch, and should be safe
if it’s hung properly in an area away
from the flow of foot traffic. Ditto for
table lamps.
The softest lighting
In the evening, you can raise the
style quotient of your porch or sunroom by using warm, flattering light.
“Hanging lighting is a very interesting way to dress up your porch,”
Burnham says, “and there are certain kinds of fixtures that you can
use safely outside.” Look for ones
that are “wet-rated,” meaning they’re
safe even in rain.
And for the simplest, easiest dash
of beauty, Flynn says, “you’d be surprised how far those inexpensive
paper lanterns will go.” Hang one
over a bare light bulb and it instantly
“adds a beautiful soft glow.”
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DON’T
WAIT!
Spring brings flowers to home decor
By KIM COOK
FOR THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The late author and gardener
Ruth Stout once wrote, “I love
spring anywhere, but if I could
choose I would always greet it in
a garden.”
Floral motifs are everywhere
now, though — on furniture, textiles, wall art and accessories. And
shelter magazines like Elle Decor
are featuring eye-catching florals
in their spring editions.
This season, you’ll find small,
dainty prints reminiscent of old
country cottons, Asian-inspired
designs and large-scale contemporary florals in bold hues.
For modern-style lovers, look
at Garnet Hill’s Snow & Graham
sateen bedding in Hydrangea,
Dogwood and Rose Garden prints.
Pier 1’s Liliana and Cadman chairs
feature exuberant, happy florals in
current hot colors like teal, berry,
caramel and sage.
Chiasso’s Bella collection
for bed and bath showcases an
oversized citron-and-white chrysanthemum on a tranquil gray
background.
Contemporary florals in one
or two tones — black or brown
on white, for example — are an
interesting alternative to the typical array of colors. Look for throw
pillows and dishware to add an
accent or two.
Two’s Company’s new Chelsea
collection, in sweet small flower
prints that look fresh and young,
includes handmade paper trays
in pink/purple and yellow/blue
combinations, as well as a clever,
printed, watering-can vase with
glass liner. Garden Tea Party
items include a stackable teapoton-cup, and a teacup, saucer and
spoon in patterns such as hibiscus,
lily of the valley and cherry blossom.
Mackenzie-Childs introduced
a large floral-themed collection
this spring called Flower Market.
Their designers created enamelware pitchers, tea kettles and pic-
Add some
Splash
ture frames, among other items,
all beautifully painted with tiny
posies.
At Kneen & Co., splurge on
Nymphenburg’s exquisite porcelain table flowers evoking blooms
like cherry blossoms and carnations. Handmade from 250-yearold archival samples, table flowers
were once favored over fresh
blooms that could wilt during
dinner parties.
Serena and Lily have pretty
pillows in Bloom and Gardenia,
tinged with hues of heather, grass,
blush and punch.
At Homegoods, find side tables
hand-painted with a trailing vine
and petals, and a slipper chair
upholstered in crisp blue-andwhite, Marimekko-style flowers.
Walltats and other wall decal
retailers have several versions
of flowering tree branches or
spring garden silhouettes; some
even have petals that tumble on
an invisible (but surely warm and
fragrant) spring breeze.
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HOME IMPROV EMENT
THE COURIER
FRIDAY, APRIL 15, 2011
Doors are forgotten design element
By MELISSA RAYWORTH
FOR THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
It’s a design opportunity that’s
easily missed: Even the most stylishly decorated rooms often have
bland wooden doors with cheap
hardware.
High-end designers have always
made doors a priority, says Brian
Patrick Flynn, an interior designer
and founder of decordemon.com. “If
you look at any Fifth Avenue apartment” in New York City, he says,
“you’ll probably fall in love with their
doors because they blend architecture with decorating and make it
really special.”
But many of us ignore the doors
in our homes, not realizing what a
difference they can make to the look
of a room.
Whether your style is traditional
or modern, subtle or bold, improving
your doors can give your rooms an
easy facelift.
Interior designer Emily Henderson, host of HGTV’s “Secrets from
a Stylist,” uses doors as a canvas for
anything from wallpaper or stenciling to textured paint or artfully
applied gold leaf.
But know what sort of change
you’re looking for.
“Sometimes you want your door
to be disguised” and blend quietly
into the space, Henderson says.
Other times, you’re seeking a burst
of color or texture to draw attention.
SARAH DORIO / The Associated Press
THIS ROOM DESIGN by Brian Patrick Flynn for HGTV.com shows
a repurposed, old bi-fold closet doors as room dividers with batting,
a staple gun, fabric and ribbon.
Infusing style
Painting with bold or contrasting
colors can quickly make a door the
star of a space, Flynn says.
Try painting an entire door
white and letting it dry for at least
one day. Then put painters’ tape over
the areas you’d like to keep as white
accents, and paint the entire door
another color (glossy black is great,
he says).
Another option that Flynn loves:
Have doors upholstered with leather
or geometric print fabric to add softness and style. Leather is easy to
wipe clean, he says.
Bring the door to an upholsterer
or do it yourself by wrapping the
door in cotton batting and attaching fabric with a staple gun along the
sides. Tap the staples with a hammer
to recess them, then paint over them
in a color that matches the fabric.
You can also glue ribbon over the
staples to hide them.
Bringing the look of your
home together
“Look at your doors,” says Los
Angeles-based designer Betsy Burnham. “Do they all match?” If you
want a cohesive style throughout the
home, try painting every door the
same color and accessorizing each
with the same stylish hardware.
Burnham usually chooses white
or off-white paint for doors and door
frames, “but in one house I did all
the doors sort of a khaki,” she says,
“which was more modern.” If you
want a bolder statement, she suggests painting all the doors a dark
shade of charcoal and using oilrubbed bronze doorknobs.
Henderson and Flynn agree that
consistency is important for doors
that all face the same hallway. On
the sides facing into rooms, you can
indulge your imagination. But for
the sides facing a hallway, “it could
look unintentionally messy” rather
than creative if the hardware and
paint colors don’t match.
Expressing yourself
Doors are a great way to personalize a space, Burnham says. A classic six-panel door has a very different
feeling than a heavy wooden plank
door with lots of dramatic hardware.
Front doors can be a great place
Spring’s hot color for homes: honeysuckle
Complements blues, greens and oranges
By SARAH WOLFE
FOR THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Bright red-pink and bursting
with energy, honeysuckle is dominating home decor trends in 2011
as a playful and vibrant alternative
to the serene turquoise of 2010.
Love it or hate it, the hue is
everywhere this spring. And
design experts say there are many
easy ways to incorporate it into
your home without breaking the
bank.
“Add a lively flair to interior
spaces with honeysuckle patterned pillows, bedspreads, small
appliances and tabletop accessories,” says Leatrice Eiseman,
executive director of the Pantone
Color Institute.
Honeysuckle is the official
color of 2011 as chosen by the
institute, the research arm of the
Carlstadt, N.J.-based Pantone
Inc., which largely sets color
standards for the fashion and
home industries. This year’s reddish pink shade lights a fire to
your senses and revs you up, says
Eiseman.
“The color says we need to be
hopeful and think of things that
satisfy as many senses as we can,”
she says.
A striking, eye-catching shade,
honeysuckle works well for day
and night, and complements
a variety of blues, greens and
oranges, Eiseman says.
“I can’t think of a pink combination that doesn’t work,” says
Carey Vizzi Jacobs, an interior
and wallpaper designer in Maryland and Pennsylvania. “Pink
and red. Pink and navy. Pink and
turquoise. Even pink and orange.
Honeysuckle pairs nicely with so
many colors.”
Paint/Wallpaper
One easy and inexpensive way
to brighten up your home and stay
on top of design trends is by painting an accent wall in honeysuckle.
If pink walls seem a bit daunting, try a wall in the bedroom first
— whether it’s paint or a luxurious wallpaper, Vizzi Jacobs says.
“Wallpaper does wonders to
warm up the bedroom,” she adds.
“I like that feeling of pink surrounding you and giving you a
nice warm hug.”
A new wallpaper collection
by New Jersey-based Thibaut
Designs features honeysuckle in
a variety of vibrant lattices, damasks and florals on frothy pastel
and rich velvety backgrounds.
Bold wall choices like honeysuckle are a good balance to neutral furniture, particularly white,
cream and tan, says Thibaut’s
Molly McDermott Walsh.
Throw Pillows
Bright and lively throw pillows
are another cheap and easy way
to pepper your home with this
warm hue.
Bed, Bath and Beyond is carrying several pillows with bold
honeysuckle stripes and other
prints for under $50, as is World
Market, says Morgan Cullen of
Austin, Texas, who created the
home decor blog Casa Cullen.
She also suggests heading to
the fabric store and making your
own pillows or chair cushions.
“Honeysuckle chair covers on
all chairs or just the head of the
table would be quite the statement
maker in the dining room,” Cullen
says.
Textiles
If pillows aren’t your thing, try
drapes or linens in a honeysuckle
print for an instant update in the
kitchen or bedroom, says Vizzi
Jacobs.
“In the bath, honeysuckle
embroidered or appliquid monograms on white towels are a pleasant surprise,” she says.
Another easy way to brighten
up your bathroom is with a pink
rug or shower curtain, such as
Pottery Barn Teen’s white cotton
percale shower curtain ($49)
edged with a honeysuckle ribbon,
Cullen says.
Table runners, napkins and
sheets are also showing up in
shades of honeysuckle this spring.
Accents
Honeysuckle can be popped
into small accent pieces throughout your home for a more understated, yet updated, look.
Cullen suggests painting three
wall frames with honeysuckle-colored spray paint and placing them
around black-and-white photos as
easy do-it-yourself wall art for any
room.
She also suggests painting the
back wall of built-ins, media or
bookshelves in honeysuckle for
a burst of color, as well as real
honeysuckle flowers in a vase on
the dining room table or next to
your bed.
Even a strip of grosgrain pink
ribbon can instantly change a
lamp shade or give extra flair to
curtains, says Vizzi Jacobs.
Anthropologie offers whimsical touches of honeysuckle this
spring in a pink poppy ceramic
door knob ($8) and a melon-colored ceramic and brass drawer
pull ($6), Cullen says.
And don’t forget artwork, even
in unexpected places.
“All bathrooms deserve great
art, so invest in a cheery honeysuckle-colored piece that will
make you smile year round,”
Cullen says.
Online:
www.casacullen.com
www.yorkwall.com
www.thibautdesign.com
www.pantone.com
to express your style. A customdesigned door with expensive hardware can have a huge impact and
be worth the investment, Burnham
says.
One option is to “keep the house
sort of neutral and do a pop of color
at the front door,” she says. “We’ve
seen red doors used really well. You
could even do a bright teal.”
Inside your home, you can use
doorknobs and other hardware “like
jewelry,” Burnham says. Try crystal
or chinoiserie knobs, oiled bronze
metal hardware or shiny chrome,
depending on your style.
If you want to highlight your
home’s history or just bring a vintage look to the rooms, consider
using doors reclaimed from older
buildings. Flea markets and antique
shops may have great doors for low
prices. They can be accessorized
with vintage hardware or new pieces
in a vintage style.
Adding square footage
If closet doors swing out into a
small room, consider replacing them
with bi-fold doors or pocket doors.
Or remove closet doors entirely
and turn the area into open shelving.
To give it a finished look, wallpaper
the closet interior and hang tieback
draperies where the doors were.
Burnham loves this idea, but says
it only works if you’re someone who
will keep storage areas neat. Many
clients ask to have doors removed
to expose open shelving, she says,
“but it’s a really special client who
can keep that looking great.”
One last bit of advice: If you do
remove bi-fold doors, don’t get rid of
them. They make great freestanding
room dividers, Flynn says, especially
if you paint or upholster them. In a
bedroom that doubles as an office,
“it’s a great way to delineate work
space from sleep space.”
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HOME IMPROV EMENT
THE COURIER
FRIDAY, APRIL 15, 2011
Tools, tips for spring cleaning
C9
Your New Home Is Waiting!
Studios & 1BR
Pay only Electric
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Begin in the
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419-422-1014
2209 Ivy Ct.
Findlay, OH
By MELISSA KOSSLER DUTTON
FOR THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Spring is the time of year when
homes often get a thorough cleaning. Using the right tools, techniques and products for different
surfaces and types of dirt, from
windows to counters to floors, is
key to doing the job easily and
effectively, said Debra Johnson,
training manager for the Merry
Maids housecleaning company in
Memphis, Tenn.
“It makes the job easier if you
have the right products,” she said.
Begin with the rooms or areas
that seem the dirtiest, suggested
Carolyn Forte, director of the
Home Appliances and Cleaning
Lab at the Good Housekeeping
Research Institute.
“Start with the thing that
bothers you most,” she said. “Do
the bigger jobs first.”
Johnson and Forte offered
the following advice for effective
spring cleaning.
Windows: Use an ammoniabased cleaner and microfiber
cloth, Forte said. Make sure to
use plenty of cleaner to remove
the dirt. Change the water and
cloth as necessary. Avoid washing
windows on sunny days because
the cleaner will dry too quickly
and leave streaks.
Window blinds: Close plastic blinds and wipe with a damp
cloth, Johnson said. Reverse the
slats and clean the other side of
the blinds with a clean, damp
cloth. Use a tool designed for
blind cleaning to clean between
the slats. For cloth blinds, use a
vacuum attachment to remove
dust and dirt.
Wood f loors: Wash floors
with a cleaner designed for wood
surfaces, Forte said. Choose the
cleaner that’s appropriate for the
finish on the floor, either wax or
polyurethane. She favors using a
microfiber cloth on a mop with a
swivel head.
Laminate floors: Since laminate is a very durable surface, it
can be cleaned with a variety of
cleaning products, hot water and
a mop or microfiber cloth, John-
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and leave it on for a few minutes.
Remove the cleaner with a clean
rag or sponge. If the grout has
mildew, use a product designed
to remove it. It may take several
applications and a lot of scrubbing
with a grout brush to thoroughly
clean the grout, Johnson said.
Bathroom sinks and counters: Foaming cleaners or those
designed to remove soap scum
will work best. Make sure the
cleaner you choose is safe for any
special stone or countertop in the
bathroom.
Kitchen sinks and counters:
Use cleaners that are more acidic
or anti-bacterial in the kitchen,
Johnson said. Read the labels on
cleaners as some may need to be
left on the surface for a few minutes before being wiped off, Forte
added. Make sure the cleaner is
appropriate for the counter material.
Here are a few additional tips
for successful housecleaning from
Allen Rathey, president of the
Housekeeping Channel, a website
dedicated to efficient cleaning:
• Clean dry to wet. Always
sweep a floor before mopping.
Wetting dirt will make it harder
to remove.
• More is not always better.
Follow the labels on cleaning
products to avoid using too much.
Residue from cleaning products
can attract more dirt.
• When trying to remove a
spot or clean a dirty area, start
wiping or scrubbing gently. Too
much pressure can damage the
surface under the dirt.
• Get extra life out of a clean
cloth by folding it in quarters.
When one side becomes dirty,
refold the cloth to reveal a clean
side.
• Purchase doormats for the
interior and exterior of your
home. The mats will collect and
absorb dirt and prevent it from
being spread indoors.
• Cleaning equipment should
be washed regularly. Put sponges
in the dishwater or microwave to
sterilize. Wash microfiber rags in
hot water without fabric softener.
Clean brooms and scrub brushes
in soapy water or hydrogen peroxide.
Pruning’s a necessary evil and can be done well
By LEE REICH
FOR THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Pruning can’t help but wound a
plant. But the injury doesn’t have to
compromise its health.
Your job, as a pruner, is to pinch,
snip, lop or saw in such a way as to
facilitate your plants’ natural healing.
Plants have an uncanny ability
to deal with wounds. Immediately
after any wound, whether from
high wind or from the sharp edge
of your pruning saw, cells around
the wound burst into activity. Their
goal: to prevent the spread of infection and seal off the wound.
Unless the weather is frigid,
rapid respiration (“breathing”) and
cell division occur, during which
natural antimicrobial chemicals
are released and new cells grow to
seal off the wound. With little or no
microbial growth in frigid weather,
the plant can wait to begin repair.
Plant, heal thyself (with some
good cuts)
•
•
•
•
•
w Home
JASON REDMOND / The Associated Press
in a Ne
lf
e
s
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u
o
Y
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t
Pic
MERRY MAIDS EMPLOYEE Esther Jimenez cleans the bathroom of a home in Burbank, Calif. Spring
cleaning is easier and more efficient if you use the right tools, techniques and products.
son said.
Rugs: Send area rugs that
cannot go in a washing machine
to a professional cleaner to avoid
discoloring or damaging them,
recommended Johnson. Set
smaller rugs outside for a good
airing, she added. When vacuuming a rug located in a doorway or
other high traffic area, turn the
rug over and run the sweeper on
the underside of the rug, Forte
said.
Dust: Work from the top down
to avoid dirtying areas that were
just cleaned, Johnson said. Use
a vacuum attachment to remove
cobwebs and dust in corners.
The vacuum also is a good way
to remove dust from lampshades
and upholstered surfaces. Avoid
feather dusters, Johnson added,
as they just move the dust around.
Wipe furniture with a damp
cloth because dust can scratch
wood surfaces, Forte said. She
suggests spraying a microfiber
cloth with a small amount of furniture polish.
Tile: Spray a foaming bathroom cleaner on tiled surfaces
The first thing you can do to
encourage healing is to make all
cuts clean. Ragged edges leave
more damaged cells and more surface area to close over. Sharp pruning tools are a must.
Smaller cuts leave smaller
wounds, so prune off that misplaced maple limb when you can
do it with hand shears rather than
when you need a chain saw. Pruning away small stems, rather than
large ones, also removes less stored
food or food-producing tissue of a
plant, which is desirable unless you
are deliberately attempting to dwarf
a plant.
Pruning off diseased stems can
be a way to thwart diseases, but
watch out that you don’t inadvertently spread infection in the process. When disease transmission
is a hazard — as it is, for example,
with fire blight disease of pears —
sterilize your pruning tool between
cuts by wiping the blades with alcohol.
Young, actively growing stems
heal easiest and quickest, which
makes pinching out a growing point
between thumbnail and forefinger
the least damaging method of pruning. No special instructions here,
except, perhaps, to clean under
your fingernails. (Just kidding.)
Pruning stems, pruning large
limbs
Shortening a stem must be done
with more care. Cut it back to a bud,
which is where a leaf is growing or
grew the previous season. To avoid
leaving a dead stub, or killing the
bud, shorten the stem to a little
beyond the bud, at an angle, so that
the cut slopes down ever so slightly
behind the bud.
Removing a large limb with a
single pruning cut can tear long
shreds of bark from a tree as the
limb comes toppling down. Avoid
this by making three separate cuts.
First undercut the limb one-quarter
of the way through about 12 inches
further out than your eventual cut.
Next, saw through from the top,
near the first cut but a couple of
inches further out on the limb. After
the limb falls (without tearing any
bark), saw off the easily held, footlong stub that remains. But do not
cut it back flush to the trunk; cut
back to just beyond the ring of bark
at the base of the limb.
After you have cut off a branch
or limb, do nothing to the bare
wound that stares you in the face.
Marketing or an innate desire for
nurturing has induced humans
for centuries to cover wounds
with dressings ranging from clay
to manure to tar. Such dressings,
for the most part, keep the wound
moist, maintaining a hospitable
environment for disease-causing
microorganisms.
A good pruning cut — not a
poultice — allows a woody plant
to seal off the wound and prevent
spread of infection. Take care how
you cut, and appreciate a plant’s
natural ability to heal itself.
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C10
HOME IMPROV EMENT
THE COURIER
FRIDAY, APRIL 15, 2011
PROTECT YOUR WORLD
Terry Lynn Webb
419-425-1988
1433 East Sandusky - Suite B
Findlay
a047034@allstate.com
Insurance and discounts subject to terms, conditions and availability. Allstate Property and Casualty
Insurance Company and Allstate Fire and Casualty Insurance Company. Life insurance and annuities
issued by Lincoln Benefit Life Company, Lincoln, NE, Allstate Life Insurance Company, Northbrook, IL,
and American Heritage Life Insurance Company, Jacksonville, FL. In New York, Allstate Life Insurance
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The Associated Press
AS THE WEATHER GETS warmer and the spring cleaning urge hits, it’s a good time to take stock of your garage. Organize with a system
like this one from Monkey Bar Storage.
Large
Cutting
Deck!
Garage got you down? Tips
for cleaning and organizing
By DEE-ANN DURBIN
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Garages may have started out
as a place to store cars, but gradually they’ve become a place to store
almost everything else, from sports
equipment to dog food to holiday
decorations.
As the weather gets warmer
and the spring cleaning urge hits,
it’s a good time to take stock of your
garage. Is it a functional space or
just a repository for junk? Are there
more logical ways to store your
belongings?
Before you rush out and buy new
shelving and cabinets, professional
organizer Cindy Tyner, who owns
an Ann Arbor, Mich.-based organizing business called Functional
Spaces, recommends putting
some serious thought into how you
want to use your garage. She says
the No. 1 mistake people make is
pulling everything out of the garage
first and then getting overwhelmed
when they try to cram it all back in.
Once you’ve decided how to use
your garage, here are some tips to
help you finish the job:
• Pick a sunny day and clear out
all your belongings. Decide what
will stay, what can be donated and
what should be thrown away.
“If you haven’t used it in a year,
you need to ask yourself, does it
make sense to keep it? If it’s important to keep it, how can you use it?
If it’s a family heirloom, should it be
sitting in the garage where you can
have a variety of problems and moisture?” said Sean Hunt, president of
Garage Specialists Inc., a San Bernardino, Calif.-based company that
cleans and organizes a few hundred
garages a year.
• Once the garage is cleared,
sweep and wash the floors and
walls. A fresh coat of paint can
brighten the walls, and paints made
especially for garage floors protect
them from oil and gas stains, and
prolong the life of the concrete.
• Consider what kind of storage
you need. Costs vary significantly,
from $40 plastic shelving to $350
steel shelving. You can use old
kitchen cabinets or buy new ones.
Gladiator GarageWorks, a division
of Whirlpool Corp., makes heavyduty plastic tracks that run along
the wall and can be fitted with cabinets, hooks or baskets. A two-pack
of 48-inch-long tracks is $29.99; a
six-pack of bins that fits into the
tracks is $14.99.
Kris Nielson, the CEO of
Monkey Bar Storage, a Rexburg,
Idaho-based company that makes
steel shelving systems, said people
can spend up to $10,000 on custom
garages with fancy flooring, refrigerators and other perks. His company, which has 68 outlets in the
United States and Canada, charges
an average of $1,500 per garage to
install steel shelving systems, which
he says are designed for durability
Hot/Cold Pressure Washing
Garage Floors
Sidewalks
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oor 9
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and efficiency.
• Use all your available space.
For items you only need occasionally, such as holiday decorations,
consider overhead storage units. A
4-square-foot Racor platform, for
example, holds up to 250 pounds
and can be lowered with a cable
system. Hyloft makes a smaller, less
expensive overhead storage system,
measuring 45 square inches.
• If you want a workbench but
don’t have a lot of room, consider
one that folds into the wall.
• Store things close to where you
need them, and in logical places. All
the gardening equipment should go
together, for example, and the bike
helmets should be next to the bikes.
• Store some things outside.
Consider a deck box for children’s
toys or a storage shed for garden-
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ing tools. Lowe’s sells Rubbermaid’s Roughneck storage shed for
$299, for example. Tyner says you
just need to make sure to use the
new space properly and don’t let it
become your new catchall for junk.
• Consider hiring an organizer.
Organizers can give you ideas about
how to use your space and keep you
on task. Organizers will charge you
more, for example, to buy and install
storage units than to work with
units you already have.
Hunt said his company will fix
up a garage in a day for an average
of $1,500 or so. They also come
back and do tuneups when you
need them. Tyner gives free 30- to
60-minute consultations and then
charges $40 an hour, although she
notes that organizers’ rates vary
widely by region.
Lower rates.
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* Offer subject to credit review and approval. The applicable interest rate varies depending on your credit qualifications, line amount, property state, and loan-to-value ratio. Loan-to-value restrictions may vary by property location. A Fifth Third checking account and payments
made automatically using Auto BillPayer are required for the following pricing. When opened, the introductory Annual Percentage Rate (APR) is 2.99% for the first 12 months. Beginning on the first day of the 13th month, for an Equity Flexline in the amount of $10,000–$24,999,
the applicable interest rate varies from a variable APR of Prime + 1.00% (currently 4.25% APR) to Prime + 2.25% (currently 5.50% APR). For an Equity Flexline in the amount of $25,000–$49,999, the applicable interest rate varies from a variable APR of Prime + 0.75% (current
minimum is 4.00% APR) to Prime + 2.00% (currently 5.25% APR). For an Equity Flexline in the amount of $50,000–$99,999, the applicable interest rate varies from a variable APR of Prime + 0.75% (current minimum is 4.00% APR) to Prime + 1.75% (currently 5.00% APR). For an
Equity Flexline in the amount of $100,000 or more, the applicable interest rate varies from a variable APR of Prime - 0.26% (current minimum is 2.99% APR) to Prime + 1.75% (currently 5.00% APR). Interest rates may vary and are indexed to the Prime Rate as published daily
in The Wall Street Journal Eastern Edition “Money Rates” table. As of 4/1/11, the WSJ Prime Rate is 3.25%. Offer is available on new Fifth Third equity lines of credit only. The maximum APR will not exceed 25%, or the state usury ceiling, whichever is less. Annual fee of up to
$65 waived for one year. In Georgia, intangible taxes apply. The bank is currently paying these taxes on the borrower’s behalf. In Tennessee, recordation taxes may apply. The bank is currently paying these taxes on the borrower’s behalf. Rate and offer are subject to change
without notice. Consult a tax advisor regarding deductibility of interest. Fifth Third Bank, Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender.